Bethune House gets donation from 'Lady Eagles'

 

Donors and donees pose for photo

Bethune House, a charity which provides shelter and food to domestic workers who have found themselves suddenly jobless, has received a donation from a sisterhood of DHs in Hong Kong.

PINDUTIN DITO

Grand Hong Kong Lady Eagles Club (GHKLEC) turned over a batch of food and other groceries as well as personal necessities last May 5 at the office of the Mission fort Migrant Workers at St. John’s Cathedral in Central.

Some of the donations

The Mission is the mother organization of Bethune House.

The GHKLEC ladies led by their president, Marie Velarde, and their male counterparts from the Grand Hong Kong Eagles Club (GHKEC) led by their president, Alann Mas, turned over the donation to the Mission's General Manager Cynthia Tellez and Bethune House head Edwina Antonio.

TAWAG NA!

The goods were purchased out of proceeds of recent charity fund-raising projects and from members’ monthly dues,” Velarde said.

Hopefully, she added, this will only be the start of the two groups’ regular donations to the shelter under their motto, “Service Through Strong Brotherhood.“

The men’s and women’s “Eagles” are a non-sectarian fraternal group whose members have banded together to do civic and charitable work.

Aside from donations in kind, Bethune House also accepts cash through its website, www.bethunehouse.org/donate as well as through bank transfer to its Hang Seng Bank Account: 284-362340-001, under the name The Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge Limited.

Call us!

HK to step up removal of ‘bogus refugees’

 

The government plans to deport no less than 1,200 'bogus refugees' each year (File)

The Hong Kong government has unveiled plans to speed up further the screening and removal of “bogus refugees” or those who seek asylum in Hong Kong using fake or baseless grounds.

The disclosure was made today in the Legislative Council by the Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, in response to questions raised by legislator Dr Johnny Ng in relation to serious crimes committed by the so-called bogus refugees.

Tang said the government will continue to spare no effort and will adopt a multi-pronged strategy in handling issues relating to non-refoulement claims, including the removal of no less than 1,200 unsubstantiated claimants each year.

TAWAG NA!

The other measures being planned according to him,  include:

1)      Stepping up the interception at source of potential abusers through profile analysis and cooperation with mainland authorities. This will be further enhanced with the introduction of the Advance Passenger Information System due to be rolled out in phases starting in the third quarter of this year;  

2)     Maintaining Immigration’s high efficiency in screening NRCs; 

3)      Streamlining the processing time of cases before the Torture Claims Appeal Board, from an average of seven months in the past to around four months; 

4)      Further uphold discipline and order at detention facilities in line with various legislative amendments that have been implemented starting from November last year; and 

5) Strengthening enforcement actions against illegal employments, with a target to carry out no less than 12,000 operations on the targeted establishments every year, in order to lower the economic incentives of the claimants.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Ng’s main line of questioning was about the recent spate of gang fights and robberies in busy districts which he said are believed to have been committed by non-ethnic Chinese NRCs. He wanted to know what actions were being taken by the government to combat crimes and triad activities committed by the “bogus refugees.”

In addition, he wanted to know if the government plans to further shorten the length of stay of NRCs in Hong Kong through such means as enhancing the efficiency in processing their appeal cases, and strengthening communication with source countries to speed up the verification of nationality and identity of the bogus refugees.

Tang cited police statistics showing that in the first quarter of the year, a total of 151 non-ethnic Chinese NRCs were arrested for criminal offences, representing a four percent drop from the same period last year.

The crimes committed were mostly thefts and serious drug offences, with only five involving triad-related cases, or only three percent of the total.

Nevertheless, the government has taken steps to detain claimants who pose higher security risks to the community in accordance with the law. Since the Nei Kwu Correctional Institution was added as a place of detention starting in 2023, the total number of detainees has risen by 33 per cent to 900.

Also as a result of the introduction of the updated removal policy on December 7, 2022, a number of unsubstantiated claimants have been removed from Hong Kong upon the dismissal of their judicial reviews or relevant leave applications pertaining to their non-refoulement applications. 

Up until March 2024, a total of 2,401 claimants have been removed from Hong Kong, including 249 under the updated policy. The number in 2023 has significantly increased by 63 per cent compared to 2022.

Call us!

Declare yourself as OFW to avail of privilege at Phl airports, says OWWA

 

The 2 phones that sparked stories that OFWs can no longer bring 'padala' with them

It was all a case of misunderstanding.

This was how Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Arnell Ignacio explained the incident at Clark International Airport on May 4, when a Filipina who had just flown in from Dubai posted live on Facebook her altercation with customs personnel over two mobile phones found in her baggage.

He made his comment earlier today after visiting the airport and receiving a briefing from a customs official about the procedures that they follow in checking items brought in by arriving passengers.

Ignacio learned that the passenger, Majilyn Alina Valencia, failed to indicate in the customs declaration form that she was an overseas Filipino worker so the phones found in her baggage – one branded Oppo and the other iPhone –were subjected to further scrutiny, in line with guidelines for arriving tourists.

TAWAG NA!

Under Customs guidelines for arriving passengers, all items that are brought it are exempt from duties and taxes if their value is less than P10,000. But for OFWs, the threshold is Php150,000. (The summary of the rules may be found here: https://customs.gov.ph/guidelines-for-airport-passengers/)

Ignacio (left) confers with Valencia over the Clark incident

“Di mo naman pala dineclare na OFW ka, kaya yung batas na ipinatupad para sa iyo ay para sa turista,” said Ignacio. (Oh so you did not declare yourself as an OFW, that’s why the rule that was applied to you was for tourists).

Ignacio called on passengers to calm down when dealing with airport personnel, as he was satisfied from the briefing that they gave him that they were doing their best to ensure a smooth passenger flow in the airport.

He also said he was satisfied that the tiff resulted from a simple misunderstanding after being told that the phones were given back to Valencia with no taxes being levied on them.

In her live video that immediately went viral, Valencia, who described herself as a businesswoman in her Facebook profile, could be heard protesting loudly after she was told to open her suitcase and the two phones were found inside.

Speaking in her native Pampango language, Valencia asked the customs inspector if they intended to confiscate the items she had worked hard for. The customs staff said they were only holding the items as they were not in Valencia’s declaration form.

The video was cut short after Valencia said she was recording the incident live on Facebook and was told that it was not allowed.

A repost of the live video with a comment hitting at customs staff at Clark

Almost immediately, the official Facebook page of Clark International Airport (CRK) was flooded with hate comments, even death threats, that the agency had to turn off its comments and messaging sections.

Most of the angry comments came from overseas Filipino workers accusing the authorities at Clark of preventing them from bringing in “padala” (presents) for their loved ones, and fleecing them of their hard-earned money.

The CRK said the malicious and hate comments were forwarded to relevant government agencies.

Call us!

 

Psychiatric report ordered for child molester ahead of sentencing

 

Tiquia was detained at Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre ahead of his sentencing (Wikimedia photo)

A High Court judge ordered a Filipino electronic engineer to be remanded at Siu Lam Psychiatric Center earlier today, so a psychiatric and psychological examination can be conducted on him before his sentencing for three counts of indecent assault on a young girl.

Judge Andrew Chan said he wanted to make sure Joel M. Tiquia, 51, did not pose a risk to the community before determining the appropriate sentence on him.

He set down the sentencing in the afternoon of May 29, saying he wanted the case finished  as soon as possible.

TAWAG NA!

Judge Chan earlier noted that the court files on Tiquia’s previous conviction in 2016 for two counts of indecent assault on a woman had been lost. However, the judge said he was able to retrieve the transcripts of the proceedings in the magistrate’s court where the case was heard.

In that earlier case, Tiquia was sentenced to three weeks in jail for committing indecent assault twice on a woman in a shuttle bus. 

In the first incident which happened in December 2015, he touched the arm of the woman, and about two weeks later, he deliberately sat next to the same woman and rubbed himself against her.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Judge Chan told the defense counsel, “It seems to me that your client has shown some sexually deviant behavior.”

Told that Tiquia was remorseful and just wanted the case to be resolved soon, the judge said this may be the case, but a full psychiatric and psychological report on the defendant, as well as the psychological impact on his victim, were still needed to come up with an appropriate sentence.

Tiquia admitted three counts of indecent assault on a girl inside a flat in Caribbean Coast in Tung Chung, which started in April 2017 when the victim was just seven years old. He repeated the assault the next year, and again  in October 2021, when the girl was 11.

Tiquia pleaded guilty to the charges nearly two years after committing the final offence. He was allowed to post bail until last month, when the judge ordered him taken into custody pending a review of his previous convictions.  

According to the Section 122 (1) of Crimes Ordinance of Hong Kong, a crime of indecent assault could fetch up to 10 years in prison.

Call us!

Asylum seeker gets 15 months for illegal work

 

DBay Plaza (file photo from HK Tourism Board)

A Filipino asylum seeker was jailed today for 15 months after pleading guilty at Shatin Court to working illegally in a restaurant.

Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan convicted Jim Leo Pascual, 36, and handed him the standard punishment  for “taking employment while remaining in Hong Kong in breach of the limit of stay.”

TAWAG NA!

The Immigration Department charged him with violating two provisions of the Immigration Ordinance  two days after his arrest in Discovery Bay last March 20. He was found to have overstayed his visa, apart from taking up work in violation of his visa condition.

He was arrested during an Immigration check on people working at restaurants in the area on that day.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Under Section 38AA(1)(c) of the Immigration Ordinance, it is an offense to take up employment, whether paid or unpaid, if a person remains in Hong Kong in breach of the limit of his or her stay.

Under Section 38AA(2), such an offence is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and imprisonment for three years.

Call us!

Intimidation charge dropped after man is bound over

 

Building where alleged incident happened

A Filipino construction worker who threatened to harm a woman, got off lightly today after facing a charge of criminal intimidation at Kowloon City Court.

Instead, A. Bacunawa, 51 years old, was bound over to a promise not to commit the same offense for 36 months or he would be made to pay a fine of $2,000.

After Bacunawa agreed to be bound over, prosecutors withdrew the charge.

TAWAG NA!

The police complaint accused Bacunawa of threatening “female X with injury to her person, with intent to alarm her.”

The incident occurred last Jan. 3 in a flat in Man Cheong Bldg, Man Cheong Street, Kowloon.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Under the Crimes Ordinance, criminal intimidation is punishable by a fine of $2,000, and imprisonment of up to two years if convicted summarily or up to five years if convicted upon indictment.

Call us!

Experts call on high-risk groups to get flu shots now

 

The third child to succumb to the flu this year died at Eastern Hospital

Fifteen medical groups, along with some lawmakers, have posted a statement online urging those in high-risk groups, particularly young children and the elderly, to get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible to avoid the bug, and become at risk for fatal complications.

Among the signatories in the statement posted yesterday were the Hong Kong Paediatric Society, the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Geriatrics Society as well as lawmakers David Lam and Rebecca Chan.

The statement came days after Hong Kong health authorities issued a similar call following the death of a third child from the virus this year, warning that more severe cases of respiratory diseases might be in the offing.

TAWAG NA!

The latest fatality was an unvaccinated four-year-old girl who was infected with influenza A and died at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital on April 29.

Two weeks earlier, two other girls, aged eight and six, also died after coming down with the flu, while another three-year-old girl was in critical condition. Eighteen other children who mostly did not get the flu shot, also developed severe flu complications.

Before the pandemic and last year, no more than two children died from the flu during the peak periods.

PINDUTIN DITO!

The signatories said children are often in close contact at school, so they are more likely to catch and spread respiratory viruses like the flu, and then infect other high-risk people in their households.

The statement added that the flu could lead to a child contracting severe acute necrotising encephalitis, a disease that leads to extensive multi-organ damage and neurological deficits, or even death.

Apart from children, those at high risk of serious complications from influenza include the elderly and pregnant mothers, and they, should be vaccinated immediately if they haven’t done so yet.

Also last Tuesday, the Centre for Health Protection warned that the dominant flu virus strain might change for a second time given the frequency of travel by residents. This could also extend the flu season that is already longer than usual.

A senior medical officer at CHP assured the public that the flu vaccine is safe and effective, and could reduce the risk of hospitalization by up to 60 percent.

According to the latest figures, about 20 percent of residents at elderly homes and nearly half of children and those aged 65 and above, had not yet received the flu shot.

SEE DETAILS HERE

Call us!

Pinay fined for helping manage employment agency without license

 

The unlicensed employment agency was located here

A Filipina has been fined $10,000 for helping operate an employment agency without a license, after pleading guilty at the Kowloon City Court.

Nena A. Baluyos, 52, was meted the punishment by Deputy Magistrate Lau Hon-wang on April 29 after she responded to a summons to appear in court to answer a charge laid by the Labour Department.

PINDUTIN DITO

The charge, dated Feb. 22, 2023, described her offense as assisting in the management of an employment agency “being neither the holder of a licence or certificate of exemption in respect of an employment agency, nor an associate of the holder….”

The offense -- violating Section 51(1) and and punished by Section 60(6) of the Employment Ordinance -- was committed between February 2019 and October 13, 2022 at Shop B22, 1/F Planet Square, 1-15 Tay Man St. Hung Hom, the complaint said.

The name of the agency was not mentioned.

TAWAG NA!

Baluyos apparently got off lightly.

Section 51(1) of the ordinance provides that: “A person must not operate, manage or assist in the management of an employment agency unless the person—

“(a)is the holder of a licence or certificate of exemption issued in respect of the employment agency; or

“(b)is an associate of the holder.”

PINDUTIN DITO!

Section 61(6) Ordinance specifies that the punishment for a “person who contravenes section 51(1)” is a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years.

To find out if an employment agency you are dealing with is licensed, go to: https://www.eaa.labour.gov.hk/en/disclaimer-search.html

The Labour Department hotline for Foreign Domestic Helpers is 2157 9537.

SEE DETAILS HERE

Call us!

OFW artists collaborate with HK-based filmmaker in children’s book

The book's cover names both the author and MDW illustrators 

Hong Kong’s first children’s book to be illustrated by migrant domestic workers and written by film director and scriptwriter Joanna Bowers, will be launched through immersive, hands-on activities, on May 11 at Asia Society in Hong Kong.

The book, My Extra-Special Aunty, features the works of Cristina Cayat and Noemi Manguerra, both founding members of Guhit Kulay, which is comprised of MDW artists in Hong Kong.

Bowers said that in her book, she wanted to capture the special bond between Hong Kong and their domestic workers, known colloquially as “aunties,” and play an integral role in the lives of many Hong Kong families.

PINDUTIN DITO

“By sharing this enchanting story, we hope to inspire children and families to foster meaningful connections that transcend boundaries,” said Bowers.

My Extra-Special Aunty is narrated from a child's perspective, and aims to foster empathy, kindness, and respect among children, their families, and their beloved aunties. It is depicted in both English and Traditional Chinese.

Bowers had her first directorial debut with the documentary “The Helper,” which premiered in Hong Kong in 2017, followed by a theatrical release. It was screened at the Lincoln Center in New York City in February this year.

TAWAG NA!

My Extra-Special Aunty is her first book.

Cayat, who was one of two OFW-collaborators on the book and has years of experience writing articles for The SUN, said she is proud to contribute her artworks.

“Coming from the northern part of the Philippines, I wanted to bring my culture into this book by using traditional design and clothing. I think it's the perfect tool to start a conversation, inspiring young readers to appreciate different cultures and understand their Aunties better,” said Cayat.”

PINDUTIN DITO!

Manguerra,  who is now based in Canada, said her role was to illustrate the characters in the book using watercolour, which is her favourite medium.

“I believe that through the power of art, we can bridge gaps and build understanding. I'm honored to be a part of this project that showcases the incredible talent and diversity of migrant domestic workers,” she said.

The team behind the book came together in 2018 at a charity event organized by Enrich HK, and agreed to collaborate on a storytelling project using various techniques such as poetry, hand illustrations, painting, and textiles, and focus on the emotional attachments between domestic workers and the families they serve.

My Extra-Special Aunty is now on sale at The Lion Rock Press and Bookazine outlets. 

SEE DETAILS HERE

Call us!

16 people arrested in latest anti-illegal work operations

One of the female suspects is led away by Immigration officers

Sixteen people were arrested in a three-day operation mounted by the Immigration Department to flush out illegal workers and their enablers.

Those arrested comprised 10 suspected illegal works, three employers and three aiders and abettors.

The raids conducted on April 29 and 30 and May 2, were staged in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police.

PINDUTIN DITO

In the first series of operations 22 locations were targeted, including a massage parlour, premises under renovation, a residential flat and restaurants.

Seven suspected illegal workers, comprising three men and four women were arrested, aged 28 to 64. Among them, two women were found to hold recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking up any work. Two other women possessed forged HKID cards.

One man aged 48, was arrested along with them on suspicion of having employed them.

TAWAG NA!

Two men and one woman, aged 34 to 44, who were suspected of aiding and abetting a person who breached the condition of stay in Hong Kong, were also arrested.

In a separate operation, 16 locations in Eastern district were targeted.

Three suspected illegal workers, comprising one man and two women, aged 36 to 50, were arrested. The man was found to possess a fake HKID card.

lysergide.

PINDUTIN DITO!

One man and one woman, aged 45 and 49, who were suspected of employing the illegal workers, were also arrested.

Immigration again warned that illegal work is a serious offense, for which the penalty is a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment if the offender is a visitor.

The prison term goes up to three years if the offender is an overstayer, subject to a removal order or was refused permission to land.

Those who use of possess a forged HKID card or one belonging to another person can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined $100,000.

Employers face the highest penalty of a maximum fine of $500,000 and a jail term of up to 10 years.flat.

SEE DETAILS HERE

Call us!