Filipina who took bag of drunk man gets suspended sentence

 

Defendant was stopped and searchd by police near this place in North Point (Google photo)

It might have been fear or guilt, but for more than two months, a Filipina fighting deportation to the Philippines held on to a bag she found on the street in North Point, with all its contents intact, save for some $900 she had spent.

Aurora Delfin’s apparent dilemma over the bag ended early on March 28 this year when a police officer stopped her on the street in front of Roca building, a few blocks from where it was lost by a drunk local. 

After she was stopped, Delfin, 37, yielded a blue recycling bag in which the leather bag belonging to local resident Lam Wing Pong was found. Inside were his HKID card, China Return Home card, four ATM and credit cards, ear phones, as  well as $65.60 in cash, which it turned out, was all that was left of the $1,000 he had kept inside.

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A summary of facts read out in court said Lam told the police that he last saw his bag on Jan. 23, 2025, at about 1am, after he left a bar at the China United Centre in North Point, drunk. He said he didn’t know where or how he came to part with the bag. .

For her part, Delfin told the police following her arrest that she had used Lam’s money to buy food.

Appearing in Eastern Court today, Delfin readily admitted to a count of theft, and through her lawyer, expressed her willingness to compensate Lam for the $934.40 that she had spent.

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Her lawyer said in mitigation that Delfin, being a torture claimant, was relying solely on the meager allowance that she was getting from the International Social Service to tide her over while awaiting the outcome of her application for non-refoulement.

Magistrate Kestrel Lam took note of her guilty plea, her willingness to compensate the victim, and the fact that all the stolen items had been recovered, before sentencing Delfin to two months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

8 months’ jail for $153K theft from employer of 10 years

 

The theft took place in one of the flats here (Google Maps photo)

By Leo A. Deocadiz

A Filipina has been sentenced to eight months in jail after she pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Court to stealing $153,870.worth of jewelry and cash from the employer she has served for 10 years.

Genevie Rueda, 46 years old, wiped her tears as Magistrate Philip Chan handed down her sentence, which had been discounted by one-third from a starting point of 12 months, for her guilty plea during a hearing on Thursday (May 8).

Magistrate Chan said the crime was made serious by the breach of trust and the big amount involved.

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Rueda, who has worked for the employer since she arrived in Hong Kong in 2015, was charged with stealing cash -- HK$250, US$100, 100 Euros, $20,000 Australian dollars -- along with one pair of silver rings, one jade pendant, two gold coins and two gold necklaces.

The theft, which took place at the employer’s flat at Mantin Heights in Hung Hom between December 2023 and last March 22, was discovered after the employer noticed that some of his belongings in his bedroom cabinet were missing.

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After a review of CCTV footage, the employer called police and had Rueda arrested. Some of the missing items were found in her possession, along with receipts for items she had already pawned.

In mitigation, her defense lawyer said she was forced to steal because of the demands of her brothers, who were addicts, who threatened to harm her son if she did not send them cash.

The lawyer sought a lenient sentence so she can go home to reunite with her son, who is graduating from college in July.

Filipina jailed for 28 years on drug charge wins appeal against conviction

 

Lady Justice atop HK's Court of Final Appeal

More than six years after being jailed for a crime she has always denied committing, a Filipina tourist was today ordered freed by the Court of Appeal, which quashed her conviction for conspiracy to manufacture a dangerous drug.

Anna Mae J. Enriquez, 42, was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison on June 27, 2022 after a High Court jury voted 5-2 to convict her of the drug manufacturing conspiracy.

In allowing her appeal against conviction, the CA ruled that the trial judge erred in not instructing the jury that Enriquez’s mere presence in the flat where the drug methamphetamine hydrochloride (commonly known as ice or shabu) was found cooking in the kitchen, was enough to infer guilt.

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Further, the judge failed to properly address the jury about the prosecution’s failure to identify the appellant’s role in the drug manufacture.

The CA, made up of Vice President Andrew Macrae and Justices of Appeal Kevin Zervos and Maggie Poon, also rejected the prosecution's application for a retrial. 

Enriquez was initially found guilty of conspiring with 58-year-old local resident Kent Lam Tsz Kin and 38-year-old Mexican Marco Torres Gonzales to manufacture 4.7 kilos of the drug, ice, between Mar 5 and 6 in 2019.

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Lam, whose wife was renting the flat where the drug was found, was eventually sentenced to 29 years in jail, while Gonzales who had helped buy the pot used to extract the drug in its liquid form, was jailed for 28 years.

Trial judge Esther Toh said in sentencing that manufacturing drugs is a more serious offence than drug trafficking, for which the prescribed starting point would have been 26 years in jail.

Both Lam and Gonzales tried to obtain leave to appeal their conviction and sentence, but were unsuccessful.

Enriquez, on the other hand, was granted leave on Jun 4 last year by Justice Zervos, on the grounds that 1) the judge failed to instruct the jury that the appellant's mere presence in the flat was insufficient to infer that she was part of the conspiracy and that 2) the circumstantial evidence was insufficient to draw the “irresistible inference” of guilt.

According to Zervos, “the extent of the evidence against (Enriquez) was that she was present at the time the police raided the flat.”

Zervos also allowed Enriquez to appeal against her sentence despite her not applying for it, and even it was made out of time.

The three defendants were arrested by police in a raid on Mar 6, 2019 at the To Kwa Wan flat where “ice” was found cooking in the kitchen.

At the time of the arrest, Enriquez had been in the flat for just two hours, and said she had merely chatted with Gonzales the whole time.

Enriquez said she arrived in Hong Kong on Mar 5, and Lam’ sister-in-law who lives in the Philippines along with her husband, had promised to take her shopping that day, but backed out at the last minute.

The next day, Enriquez said Lam invited her to go up to his flat nearby, where she met Gonzalez. She claimed they spent more than two hours chatting about their children and using their phones to go on social media.

Both denied knowing anything about the drug manufacturing that was happening in the kitchen at the time.

The court was told that Enriquez used to live in Hong Kong with her now-estranged husband and their children, but they all decided to return to the Philippines when her application for permanent residency was denied.

Enriquez has two daughters aged 22 and 21, and a 15-year-old son. All had attended their mother’s trial more than six years ago, and were left in copious tears by the verdict and sentence.

Today they were all back at the High Court, this time, to hear the great news of their mother’s court victory.

 

DH jailed 8 months in latest money laundering case

 

File photo from HK Monetary Authority

Another Filipina domestic helper was jailed today for money laundering after pleading guilty to allowing her bank account to be used to receive deposits of money raised from criminal activities.

Marilyn Macanas, 36 years old, was sentenced to 8 months in prison after her conviction at Fanling Court for “dealing in property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence,” in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

Magistrate Kenneth Chan sentenced her to eight months’ jail.

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The charge arose from the inflow and outflow between Aug. 14 and Nov. 16, 2020 of a total of $401,000  in her account in the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp.

In a separate but similar case at Kwun Tong Court, Elle Cherel, 38 years old, was remanded in jail custody after she appeared before Acting Principal Magistrate Leung Ka-kie.

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She was charged with money laundering because of the deposits and withdrawals that totalled $363,442.38 between Aug. 1, 2022 and Jan. 13, 2023.

Magistrate Leung adjourned the case to June 24.

 

$30 tickets for ‘Cinema Day’ go on sale

 

Seniors were among the first to snap up the tickets (RTHK photo)

On Saturday, May 10, Hong Kong will have its annual Cinema Day, when movie tickets will just cost $30 each, in a bid to encourage more people to go to movie houses.

The heavily discounted tickets went on sale for the first time today, and reports said queues had formed outside theatres, with patrons eager to book the limited seats available.

Tickets were also made available online in some cinemas, but a “handling fee” of $10 was added per ticket booked.

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Each person can buy up to four tickets per transaction at the box offices of participating cinemas, while the availability of online tickets will depend on each theater’s internal policies.

The discount applies to all movies shown in the cinemas on this day, and may include premium formats like IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D, where each ticket costs $170 or more. 

The only exceptions to the $30 discount is the first show for seniors, who may choose to pay the regular discounted tickets if they’re cheaper.

All other special prices for moviegoers, or discounts, vouchers or coupons will not apply on this day.

Long queues were reported at cinemas across Hong Kong

Fifty-three cinemas are participating in the event, and the Hong Kong Theatres Association expects it to attract around 200,000 filmgoers, similar to previous years.

This is the third year in a row that Cinema Day is being held to encourage more people to go to movie houses, instead of having their fill of feature films or documentaries through streaming sites like Netflix, AppleTV, Viu or Disney Channel.

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Tickets to Cinema Day 2025 may be purchased from the following theater groups:

·       Broadway Circuit

·       Chinachem Cinema Circuit

·       Cine-Art House

·       Cinema City Circuit

·       CGV D2 Place

·       Emperor Cinemas

·       Golden Harvest Cinemas

·       Golden Scene Cinema

·       Lumen Cinema

·       Lux Theatre (no official website)

·       MCL Circuit

·       Newport Circuit

Whether you’re a fan of the latest blockbusters or looking to revisit classics on the big screen, Cinema Day 2025 promises a festive day out for film lovers across Hong Kong.

 

Enrolment for overseas Filipino voting extended to May 10

 

Comelec just extended the enrolment deadline to Saturday, May 10

With just five days to go before online voting for Filipinos overseas is set to end, the Commission on Elections has issued a reprieve to all those who have yet to enroll for the process.

The enrollment period which was set to end today, May 7, has been moved to May 10, allowing registered overseas voters another three days to enroll their credentials prior to being sent a ballot for the election.

Once enrolled, they can vote until 7pm on May 12, when polling stations across the country will close following a day-long vote. Alternatively, they can proceed immediately to voting after online enrolment.

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In an announcement posted online by the Comelec yesterday, the extension of the enrolment period was mentioned, but no reason was given.  

But many overseas Filipino voters who have mostly grumbled over the tedious and unclear process that allowed them to vote online for the first time, said this must be because of the dismal turnout in the ongoing overseas election.

Most of those who have voted so far complained why they had to enroll before being allowed to vote, when they had already gone through the process of registration, and are on the certified list of overseas voters.

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Not a few also lamented that it took them awhile to get their identity document and physical presence at the site just so they could get past the enrolment stage.

Then when they got past through this, they were given only a limited time to vote, unlike in manual voting when they could take as long as they wanted to fill in their ballots.

Equally, if not more prevalent, was the notion that the receipt for the ballot they had just cast bore names of candidates that they did not vote for. Many of the voters showed screenshots of a jumble of names under the heading: “Your Ballot ID”.

Today for the first time, Comelec said this was “fake news”.

Comelec warns voters who claim that their ballot was tampered with are spreading 'fake news"

Comelec said in a Facebook post, “Dapat po nating malaman na pagkatapos bumoto ng Registered Overseas Voter, agad na ENCRYPTED na ng OVCS ang balota para sa security ng inyong boto.” (We should all realize that after a registered overseas voter has voted, the ballot is immediately encrypted by the OVCS for security?.

The jumble of letters that show up as “ballot ID” is nothing more than “plaintext hash” that contains the ballot style and image, as well as the names of all the candidates chosen by the voter, said Comelec.

It warned that spreading false and alarming information is an election offence under Sec 261(z) (11) of the Omnibus Election Code.

Ultimately, whether Comelec succeeds in getting the more than 1.5 million Filipinos registered to vote abroad to take part in this landmark exercise will depend largely not just on its credibility, but also on its ability to come up with a system that’s easy and trustworthy.

 

 

Pinoy jailed 2 months for prostitution

 

The defendant was arrested in one of these Wanchai bars (Google Maps photo)

A Filipino tourist whose occupation was listed as sex worker, was jailed for two months today after he admitted trying to pick up a customer, who happened to be an undercover police officer, at a bar in Wanchai.

John Razel Magsino, 30 years old, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months for each of the two charges against him – soliciting for an immoral purpose in violation of the Crimes Odinance, and breach of condition of stay in violation of the Immigration Ordinance, by virtue of Immigration Regulation 24.

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However, Magistrate Kestrel Lam who presided over the hearing at the Eastern Court, ordered that the two sentences run at the same time, resulting in a total of two months.

The first charge arose from Magsino offering sexual services to a police constable at the Bar 109 on Lockhart Road, last April 3 for which he was promptly arrested.

A police complaint said he solicited (the police officer) “for an immoral purpose in the said public place.”

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Investigation led to the second charge since being a tourist, who was staying in a room at Ming Court on Lockhart Road, he is also prohibited under the law from accepting employment or starting a business, whether paid or unpaid.

The complaint said he “establish(ed) a business of prostitution at the said place without the pemission of the Director of immigration.”

DMW extends help to OFW whose daughter was killed in NAIA crash

 

Cacdac (in blue) consoles Malia's father Mark

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac extended sympathy as he visited the wake last night of the four-year-old daughter of an overseas Filipino worker who was killed when a runaway SUV rammed a number of people at the departure area of Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on May 4.

Malia Kates G. Masongsong had just seen off her father, Danmark S. Masongsong, who was supposed to return to his work as an assemblyline operator in Prague, Czech Republic, when she was hit by the SUV, along with her mother, grandmother and cousin.

Her three companions survived, but the two older women are still being treated at St Luke’s Hospital in Taguig City.

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Another man, 29-year-old Dearick Keo Faustino, who was about to leave on a business trip to Dubai, was also killed in the tragedy.

Secretary Cacdac relayed President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ message of sympathy and support to Masongsong, and assured him that they will be given all the necessary assistance that they need.

“Naririto po kami, inatasan ng Pangulo para ipaabot ang kaniyang pangangamusta at panalangin at siguraduhing maibigay ang lahat ng inyong pangangailangan," Secretary Cacdac said. (We were sent here by the President to extend his care and prayer, and ensure that you get all the help that you need.

Aftermath of the May 4 tragedy

With help from the Philippine embassy in Prague, the DMW also explained to Mark’s foreign employers what had happened that prevented the OFW from returning to work.

Before attending Malia’s wake in Lipa, Batangas, Cacdac visited the girl’s mother, Cynthia, and grandmother Edith, in hospital, to also express sympathy.

Mark later told reporters he managed to finally tell his wife that their daughter was gone.

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He also spoke of how much he loved Malia, whom he managed to see again only after being away for more than two years. His daughter had asked him not to leave again for work, shortly before he went inside the departure terminal.

Mark appealed to authorities to hold the driver of the SUV responsible for the death of his daughter and injuries to other family members, and if possible, prevent him from posting bail.

Justice was also demanded by the family of Faustino, a senior supervisor at a printing company and was said to be his family's breadwinner. One relative also questioned a seeming delay in taking the victims to the hospital.

Friends who were with him at the airport said Faustino had left them briefly to get a luggage trolley when he was hit by the SUV.

He is now buried in his hometown of Hagonoy, Bulacan, where Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian paid respects and offered help to his family.

 

 

 

 

2 FDHs cleared of assaulting boy in their care

 

Antonio (with glasses) says Bethune House is always ready to help distressed migrans

If you are accused wrongly, fight.

This is the message that Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio said, after the prosecution withdrew a charge of assault against Filipina domestic worker in their care on May 2, following a hearing at Fan Ling Magistracy.

Filipina Jeany T, 39 along Indonesian Yanti, 24, who both worked for the same employer, were both arrested by the police on Dec 28 last year for allegedly assaulting their young male ward starting on Nov. 19 of the same year, in their employer’s flat in Treasure Tower, Sha Tin.

They were eventually charged with one count of common assault each, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

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Both denied the charge from the outset, but it took four agonizing months before prosecutors decided there was no evidence to support the allegation made against them by their former employer.

“Tanda ko nung dumating si Jeany sa Bethune House iyak siya ng iyak dahil sa bintang na common assault. Gulong gulo ang isip dahil sa takot,” said Antonio. (I remember how Jeany cried so hard when she came to Bethune House because of the common assault charge).

Despite her distress, Jeany was determined to fight back.

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“Ang binitawan niyang salita ay ‘lalaban ako dahil hindi ko ginawa, hindi ko sinaktan ang batang alaga ko,” added Antonio. (She declared she would fight back because she did not commit any wrongdoing, she did not assault the young boy in her care).

According to Jeany, she was dismissed after she saw her female employer hit Yanti, and she called the police. Both helpers were eventually dismissed and the employer turned the tables on them by filing a complaint about their alleged assault on her son.

Seeing her determination to defend herself against the baseless allegation, Antonio said Bethune House extended her help, not just with temporary accommodation, but also with mental, legal and emotional support. Yanti was taken in by her recruitment agency.

“So noong sinabi niya na gusto niyang tumindig at lumaban sa akusasyon na di niya ginawa, pinalakas namin siya mentally para makaalpas sa trauma. Mahalaga at importante na manindigan sa tama,” said Antonio.

(So when she said she wanted to stand for what was right and defend herself against a charge she did not commit we helped strengthen her mentally so she could recover from the trauma. It is important and essential for one to stand up for what is right).

It is also because of that determination to fight for her rights that Jeany is now set to file a labour claim against her former employer so she could recover everything that is due her under the law.

Hopefully, she would also be allowed to remain in Hong Kong and find a new employer who will be kind to her and accord her dignity.

 

2 FDHs found with $900k worth of untaxed cigarettes arrested

 

Some of the cigarettes found on the 2 helpers

Hong Kong Customs reported late Sunday night the seizure of around 200,000 suspected illicit cigarettes from two storage and distribution centers in Sheung Shui said to be operated primarily by foreign domestic helpers.

Two female foreign domestic helpers aged 40 and 48 but whose nationalities were not disclosed, were arrested.

Customs said the untaxed cigarettes have an estimated market value of about $900,000 and duty potential of about $660,000.

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The arrests came after customs officers saw the two women carrying suspicious nylon bags in Choi Yuen Estate at the crack of dawn on Sunday. Upon checking, about 90,000 pieces of cigarettes were found inside the bags.

The helpers then escorted the officers to their employers’ public rental flats where an additional 110,000 illicit cigarettes were discovered.

Basahin ang detalye!

Preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that the domestic helpers used their employer’s public housing units where they also lived, as storage centres for the contraband cigarettes.

According to customs, the helpers used the flats as delivery addresses and collected the illicit cigarettes in small batches to avoid detection by their employers. They distributed them during early hours on holidays, but it was not clear who the recipients were.

Customs said it will continue investigating to find out the source and distribution channels for the illicit cigarettres.

Further arrests have not been ruled out.

The haul was kept inside public housing flats belonging to the helpers' employers

In Hong Kong, tobacco duty amounts to 80 cents per stick, pushing up the price of a 20-stick pack to more than $90. But on the black market, each pack sells from $20 to $30.

Customs warned that it is an offence to buy or cigarettes for which tax has not been paid. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes could be fined a maximum of $1 million and jailed for up to two years.

The public is urged to report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).