Lady drivers, taekwondo enthusiasts heed call for blood donation

 

A dozen happy donors pose for group shot after bloodletting

When you donate blood, you help other people live.

Fired by this thinking, two groups of women migrant workers lined up at the Red Cross Donation Centre in Causeway Bay on October 7, in response to a perennial call by the agency for people in Hong Kong to donate blood.

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It was the second blood donation campaign by the United Philippine Taekwondo Organization Hong Kong (Upto HK) and the Lady Drivers Organiation (LDO), and it won’t be the last, vowed their leader, Mercy Permales.

Lady driver Babes smiles as blood is drawn from her 

Mercy herself has been a regular blood donor, after having a sort of epiphany in December 2022, when she was feeling homesick, and was contemplating on how she could make her life more meaningful.

It was while listening to the Christmas song “We Are The Reason” by Avalon and again seeing the Red Cross appeal for blood donation that everything clicked into place, she said.

“Doon ako nabuhayan ng loob at ang sabi ko sa sarili ko, Yes! This is what I want to do for Christmas. Jesus gave His life to mankind, kaya ako ay magbibigay naman ng dugo to save lives.”

(That was an awakening. I told myself, ‘yes, this is what I want to do for Christmas. Jesus gave up his life to mankind, so I should also give blood to save lives).

On Christmas day itself, Mercy along with friend Marilyn, went to the Red Cross Donation Centre so they could present their gift of life to their fellowmen.

Mercy said she felt even more fulfilled when she received a text message from the Red Cross thanking her for her donation, adding it could help save three lives.

Mercy says there's no greater gift than the gift of life, and love

She decided to share her joy of giving with members of Upto and LDO, who responded by heeding her call to do a group blood donation.

Mercy says she hopes many others, particularly her fellow migrant domestic workers, would also give blood.

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“To those who wish to donate blood, just search for the Red Cross Donation Centre nearest you. They accept walk-in, and are open from 11am until 7pm, no noon break,” she said.

Like it was for her, she said the donation would be even more meaningful if it’s done on Christmas day, which is a statutory holiday for everyone, including migrant workers.

 

 

Overstaying Pinay gets 5-day suspended prison sentence

She was under administrative detention for 37 days

A Filipina who lost her job as a domestic helper four years ago but stayed on in Hong Kong illegally, thus breaching her condition of stay, has received a combined sentence of five days for two counts of overstaying, suspended for 12 months.

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But this does not mean that Prynne Montino, 42 years old, got off lightly after pleading guilty at Shatin Court on Thursday (Oct. 9),.

Before she was brought to court, Montino had been under “administrative detention” by the Immigration Department for 37 days.

Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong deducted these detention days from the 21-day imprisonment he meted for each of the charges. For the 5 days left, he ordered that Montino not be detained unless she reoffends in the next 12 months.

The first breach of condition of stay charge arose from Montino staying on until he was arrested on March 14, 2022, one year and three months after the two-week deadline for her to leave following the termination of her contract on Jan. 2, 2021.

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However, she could not be reached when sought again on July 21, 2022, resulting in her being charged with a similar case, in violation of section 41 of the Immigration Ordnance.

The second charge said that she overstayed between July 21, 2022 and Jan. 30, 2024.

During her overstay, Montino applied for non-refoulment, seeking to prevent the Hong Kong government from forcibly sending her back to the Philippines, resulting in her being issued a recognizance form as her identity document.

 

 

 

PCG tells OFWs in HK, come to us if you’re troubled

 

Congen Israel says the PCG will work with The Samaritans in counseling troubled OFWs

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, together with its attached agency, the Migrant Workers Office, have vowed to intensify their effort to reach out to overseas Filipino workers who might be undergoing mental stress, in the wake of two OFW suicides in less than a week.

Consul General Romulo Israel, Jr. said that the PCG and the MWO have spoken with The Samaritans, a group of volunteer professional counselors, on the possibility of collaborating to extend help to OFWs who are distressed.

Congen Israel said they are hoping The Samaritans could reinforce the team of counselors at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration “in providing a lifeline to our kababayan who might just need someone to talk to about their problems that are causing them severe anxiety of depression.”

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He added, “We hope to operationalize a partnership with them (Samaritans) soon.”

The latest reported suicide happened on Oct. 7, when a 31-year-old Filipina was found hanging inside a room at her employer’s luxurious villa at 1 Peak Road. Her relatives told MWO the victim was going through marital problems.

Five days earlier, a 34-year-old Filipina was also reported to have hanged herself in her employer’s flat in Tai Hang. Friends said she had been under severe stress from having to repay a large debt owed by her mother.

OIC Villafuerte talks to newly arrived OFWs during a post-arrival orientation seminar

MWO Officer-in-Charge Antonio Villafuerte affirmed the move to reach out to The Samaritans, a charity group that has a 24-hour hotline which people having suicidal thoughts could call anytime.

He said the group has dedicated Filipino helpline officers who could help greatly in reaching out to more OFWs who might be in trouble.

At the same time, Villafuerte said the MWO will intensify reminders to OFWs that they can approach his office anytime should they have problems.

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Right now, he said coping with mental health issues is part of the post-arrival orientation seminar provided to newly arrived OFWs. But the DMW and OWWA are also looking at organizing a new mental health campaign with Filipino community leaders.

2 Pinoys admit thefts but remain in jail for burglary

 

The thefts took place in one of these buildings (Google Maps photo)

Two Filipinos each got a suspended sentence at Eastern Court after pleading guilty to stealing two backpacks and offering compensation to the owners.

But Ryan Malonzo and Allevan Arceo could not be released from jail because they still face a burglary case which is set to be elevated to the District Court. They had been detained for four months, along with Roderick Praco, their co-accused.

In a hearing on Wednesday (Oct. 8), Principal Magistrate David Cheung handed Malonzo and Arceo a two-month jail sentence for theft, suspended for 18 months, after taking into account “your guilty plea and willingness to make compensation.”

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But he warned: “Failure to compensate means prison.”

Malonzo, 38 years old and a bartender, admitted stealing a bag that contained a wallet with $1,000 cash, Hong Kong and China identity documents, and four bank cards, all worth a total of $1,400. He promised to repay the owner $1,400 within two weeks.

Arceo, 29 years old and construction worker, pleaded guilty to stealing the other bag that contained an iPhone 13, a Huawei laptop, and cash of 5 renminbi, worth a total of $18,205.36. Since some of the items had been recovered by the owner, the compensation amounted to $10,200.

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Arceo promised to pay $5,000 within the day and $1,000 in the next five months.

Both thefts took place outside a flat in Wing Wah Mansion on Queen’s Road West in Shek Tong Tsui on March 26.

In the same hearing, their respective duty lawyers said Malonzo, Arceo and Prado had no bail applications for the burglary case.

They are accused of entering a “Green-Kennedy Town” store on Water St. in Sai Ying Pun last March 20 and stealing an iPad worth $3,999.

Magistrate Cheung adjourned the case to Oct. 23 for transfer to the District Court.

 

 

Pinay asylum seeker skips court again due to illness

 

Vargas posted this photo of her passport awhile back, after she overstayed her visa
 

A Filipina who has previously missed court hearings for a charge of overstaying her visa, was again a no -show today at Eastern Court.

But Principal Magistrate David Cheung was quick to excuse Kris Hope Vargas, 33 years old, after noting a letter from the Hospital Authority that she was confined in a hospital.

He set a four-month adjournment, setting a new hearing on Jan. 28 next year.

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Magistrate Cheung did not disclose details about Vargas’ condition, but in earlier hearings her lawyer said she was suffering from asthma.

At another time the court was told that she was being treated for mental illness at Kwai Chung Psychiatric Hospital. 

She was taken there after being reported by relatives in the Philippines as missing. Later, she was found disheveled and walking aimlessly around Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Sun had earlier reported the disappearance of Vargas (https://www.sunwebhk.com/2023/12/family-of-dh-charged-with-overstaying.html).

The court was later told that she had been confined in the hospital from Nov. 28, 2023 to Jan. 28, 2024. (https://www.sunwebhk.com/2023/12/mentally-ill-filipina-found-another.html).

She faces a charge of breach of condition of stay for overstaying, in violation of the Immigration Ordinance.

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She has been in and out of court since her arrest for money laundering and overstaying in November 2020. Court records showed she should have remained in Hong Kong only until Mar 10, 2020, after her FDH visa was terminated.

At one point her cash bail of $2,000 was forfeited by the court for non-appearance, but she was allowed to post bail again when she reappeared.

She pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in June 2021.

Her other case for overstaying has been adjourned since, as she applied for non-refoulement, or against being deported to the Philippines on account of alleged torture.

 

2nd Filipina suicide reported in 5 days

 

Entrance to the luxurious villa at 1 Peak Road where the Filipina's lifeless body was found

Marital problems were what apparently induced a 31-year-old Filipina domestic worker to hang herself inside a room at her employer’s luxurious house on the Peak early yesterday.

It was the second apparent suicide of a Filipina migrant worker in just five days.

According to the police, the Filipina was found by a co-worker hanging by a piece of cloth at 7:55am yesterday, Tuesday, inside a room in the standalone villa at No 1 Peak Road. The co-worker immediately cut the cloth, but the Filipina was unresponsive.

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She appeared to have hanged herself but did not leave any suicide note.

Emergency personnel who rushed to the scene pronounced her dead on site.

Officers at the Migrant Workers Office have confirmed receiving a report on the case from the police, and said they have been in touch with the worker’s family members,, who told them the victim had a misunderstanding with her husband prior to the incident.

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The worker had worked in Hong Kong since 2017 and hails from Cagayan Valley.

Five days earlier, or on Oct. 2, a 34-year-old Filipina domestic worker was reported to have hanged herself inside her employer's house in Tai Hang. Relatives told MWO officers that the victim had been distressed by her family's financial problems. 

The MWO officers said they have contacted The Samaritan with a view to providing an early response to any Filipino migrant worker who reaches out to them for help.

(Filipinos who are in distress are encouraged to call the MWO's 24-hour hotline at 6345 9324 for assistance or counselling. Those with suicidal thoughts may call The Samaritans at 2896 0000 ;  Suicide Prevention Services at 2382 2007, or the HK government hotline 18111 for immediate mental health support).

Coins for Bethune 2025 to be launched Sunday

 

The struggle to keep Bethune House running continues each year

The annual fund-raising project for the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge is set to be launched again this Sunday, Oct 12, 4-5pm at Li Hall of St. John’s Cathedral in Central.

This is the 14^th year that the year-long fundraiser for the charity group that provides shelter as well as legal and emotional support for migrant women in distress, is being undertaken.

As before, individuals and migrant support organizations are asked to help raise funds for the shelter by filling up cans or other containers with the ‘Coins for Bethune’ logo, with coins or paper bills, and then turning them over as soon as they are filled, or at the end of the year-long campaign.

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Small tokens of appreciation are handed out to groups that raise the biggest amount of donation by the end of September each year.

“Every coin that you give helps migrants staying at the shelter who are jobless and homeless!,” said Bethune House in its latest appeal for donations.

The registered charity which has been in existence for nearly four decades provides for the needs of about two dozen migrant women who stay in its two shelters in Sheung Wan and Jordan at any given time.

Last year, it successfully raised about $1 million to pay for its expenses for the year, after two funding grants meant to help provide for its upkeep failed to materialize as intended.

Bethune House executive director and founder Edwina Antonio had sounded out the appeal in the middle of the year, saying the shelter was in danger of closing down as it had only enough money to cover expenses for two months.

The $41,700 raised from the Coins for Bethune project for the year helped augment the funds that kept the shelter afloat. But each year, the struggle to help ensure the shelter keeps running,  continues.

 

 

 

 

Elderly Filipinos overseas reminded to claim cash gifts from govt

 

Senior claims her cash benefit (DSWD photo)

Elderly Filipinos aged 80 and above who are abroad are among those entitled to claim cash gifts from the Philippine government,  the Commission on Filipinos Overseas said in an advisory, and urged all those qualified to claim the benefit.

Under the Expanded Centenarians Act, all Filipinos can avail of a Php10,000 cash gift once they reach the ages of 80, 85, 90 and 95, while those who celebrate their 100th birthday will get P100,000 - wherever they may be.

The centenarians will also receive a Letter of Felicitation from the Philippine president.

The cash gift was originally limited to those reaching 100 years old, as provided by the Centenarians Act of 2016, also known as Republic Act (RA) 10868.

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The benefit was expanded to cover Filipino Octogenarians and Nonagenarians by RA 11982 which became law on February 26, 2024.

All the qualified seniors need to do is present documents that prove their age, and fill in the application form to be made available at the Consulate, according to implementing guidelines issued recently. 

The application form -- complete with a 2x2 picture and copy of one’s passport or dual citizenship document -- will then be sent to the CFO for evaluation before the cash is transferred to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.

Also accepted as supporting documents are the following:

•     Authenticated birth certificate;

• Marriage Certificate of the centenarian issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or Philippine Embassy;

• Birth Certificates of children borne by/of the centenarian;

• Affidavits executed by at least two (2) disinterested persons with personal knowledge of centenarian's actual age or date of birth;

• Old School or Employment records showing date of birth of centenarian;

• Baptismal and/or Confirmation records of centenarian;

• Overseas voting card or affidavit;

• Foreign driver's license; and

• Medical or health card.

Since 2019, CFO has endorsed awarding the P100,000 gift to 69 centenarians living mostly in the US, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Majority of them originated from the Ilocos, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol and the National Capital Regions, CFO said.

Womed’s Eva Mapa is HK’s Bagong Bayani 2025

 

Eva at the Philippine Consulate, where her group regularly offers health check-ups to OFWs

She has experienced many hardships in the 23 years that she has been an overseas Filipino worker, from being fed only once a day in Lebanon, to being forced to change religions in Dubai, then being advised to go for a long vacation after contracting typhoid fever.

But through it all, 45-year-old Eva Rasgo Mapa remained steadfast and focused, determined to endure the hardship for her family’s sake. She quit school at 22 so she could help provide for her big family, and continued taking on the role of breadwinner after getting married and having her own child.

Her arrival in Hong Kong in 2012 opened new doors for her as a community volunteer, doing mostly massage therapy and reflexology on fellow OFWs who do back-breaking works for the most part of the week.

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Two years later she was named president of World Medical Support (Womed) Hong Kong, taking over the work done by the group’s founder Josephine Cajada, of providing free blood pressure and glucose tests to OFWs who visit the Philippine Consulate General on Sundays.

Week after week her team continued the free service, even at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and even took on the extra task of directing OFWs on where to go for the services they need from the consulate and its attached agencies.

Eva provides healing touch to an OFW hurt during taekwondo practice

She did all these almost as fervently as she performed the duties of a faithful member of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of God), a religion she embraced soon after she arrived in Hong Kong, and which provided her with the initial training to help heal people with her touch.

Now, after more than two decades of being an exemplary OFW, Eva has been given due recognition by the Philippine government, which conferred on her this year’s Bagong Bayani for Community and Social Service, the only one from Hong Kong to have been accorded the rare honor.

The Womed HK team provides free glucose and blood pressure checkups to OFWs on Sundays

According to organizers Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI), DMW and OWWA, the award is conferred on the country’s outstanding OFWs “who have made significant efforts in fostering goodwill among peoples of the world, enhancing the image of the Filipino as a competent, responsible worker and dignified worker, contributing to the socio-economic development of their communities and the country as a whole.”

Eva is rightfully honored by the recognition. “Talagang na overwhelmed ako at grateful na na appreciate naman at na-acknowledge yung contribution ko sa community,” she said. (I was truly overwhelmed and grateful that my contribution to the community was appreciated and acknowledged).

Although she is very excited about going home next month to receive the award from no less than President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., she has no illusions that it will help her to finally achieve financial freedom, as she has yet to finish building her “dream house” in her Aklan hometown.

“Noong mag OFW ako, hinanda ko na ang sarili ko na tiisin ang lahat para makatulong sa pamilya ko,” Eva says. And that includes not just putting the final touches to three-million-peso home, but also providing a secure future for her son, who is now in college.

But if her decades of perseverance, dedication to work and reputation for having a healing touch are anything to go by, Eva will not only survive, but thrive, long after she goes home for good.

 

OEC to be linked to e-Travel Pass

 

The Philippine government will soon integrate the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), the document that OFWs sometimes need to line up for so they could return to their places of work after a vacation - with the e-Travel Pass, which all Filipinos need to present before leaving the country.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that with the linking, a returning OFW will only need to present the e-Travel Pass at the Immigration counters before being allowed to fly out of the country.

“Right now, we're piloting the merger of the OEC and the e-Travel Pass,” Secretary Cacdac said. “The e-Travel Pass will serve as the primary departure document.”

Right now, a departing OFW is required to present both the OEC and the eTravel Pass before being cleared to fly out of the country.

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He said the Department of Migrant Workers is working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to merge the two documents. He expects the new system to be in place by early next year, or even earlier.

Speaking during the 45th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) held recently in Manila, Cacdac said the new system will require agencies to register their  workers through the DMW app.

“Once cleared and processed, doon pa lang kayo magkakaroon ng access sa (that’s the only time we will have access to the) e-Travel Pass,” he said.

“Mas simple, mas mabilis, pero may safeguards pa rin (Simple, faster but still with safeguards),” Cacdac added. 

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In other words, the OFW will still need to present all the documents necessary to get the OEC or a similar exit clearance, before being able to complete the registration for e-Travel.

Under Republic Act No 8042 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995) as amended by Republic Act No 10022, the OEC is mandatory for all departing OFWs, including those renewing their contracts or returning to the same employer after a vacation in the Philippines.

In Hong Kong, Migrant Workers Office Officer-in-Charge Antonio Villafuerte said they have yet to get a memorandum on the new system, which is part of the newly-launched OFW e-Services.

DMW e-Services includes the online contract verification in Dubai, where more than 13,000 contracts have reported been verified purely online, significantly reducing daily foot traffic at the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) from 400–500 visits per day to just 150–200.

“We’ve saved OFWs in Dubai an estimated 400,000 dirhams in transportation and related costs, thanks to this online system,” Cacdac said. “That’s what happens when we remove the need to physically go to the office just to get documents processed.”

 

T8 not likely as Typhoon Matmo nears

 

Matmo's path is tracked as it left the northern Philippines, on to southwest Guangdong

The Hong Kong Observatory has released an advisory at 9:45pm on Saturday at the Strong Wind Signal Number 3 will be in place until at least midday today, Sunday, with the approach of Typhoon Matmo.

A statement issued by the Observatory just an hour earlier said it was not ruling out a higher signal as the typhoon which packs winds of up to 110 km an hour, skirts more than 300 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong.

The strong wind signal no 3 was issued at 12:20pm on Saturday.

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According to the earlier bulletin, Matmo intensified as it moved steadily towards Leizhou Peninsula, in the southmost part of Guangdong.

But the forecaster said that unless the storm comes closer to the Pearl River Estuary than expected, the chance of sustained gale-force winds over Hong Kong is relatively low.

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However, it warned of occasional squally showers, thunderstorms and violent gusts, with rough swells near the harbor.

Everyone is advised to stay clear of the shores and not to engage in water sports

Pinay charged with laundering $4M in crime money

 

File photo

A domestic helper was sent back to jail after appearing at Fan Ling court, accused of dealing with more than $4 million in crime proceeds, in a case more popularly known as money laundering.

Daisy Pueyo, 43 years old, was not asked to enter a plea when she appeared on Friday (Oct. 3) before Acting Principal Magistrate Veronica Heung, who adjourned the case to Nov. 25.

The case -- dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, is likely to be elevated to the District Court because the amount involved exceeds the limit set for magistrate courts.

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A police complaint accused Pueyo of handling $4,002,483.22 that “directly and indirectly represented any person’s proceeds of an indictable crime” because of deposits and withdrawals made between Jan. 15 and March 31, 2024 on her Standard Chartered Bank account.

In a separate case at Eastern Court, two Filipina sisters were charged along with an Indonesian, with money laundering or conspiracy to commit the crime, when they appeared before Magistrate Minnie Wat on Thursday (Oct. 2).

Jojie Carpiz, 49 years old, was charged with conspiracy to deal with proceeds of an indictable offence; Marly Carpiz, 51 years old was charged with money laundering; and Purwati, 34 years old, was also charged with conspiracy.

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Their case was adjourned to Nov. 24. They were set free on bail of $10,000 each.

Jojie Carpiz was accused of conspiring with her sister in handling $600,750 of crime proceeds in her Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. account between Dec. 24 and 27, 2019.

Marly Carpiz, on the other hand, was charged with money laundering for the $600,000 that flowed in and out of her HSBC account on Dec. 17, 2019.

Purwati was accused of conspiring with a person known as Ratna for handling $200,000 in her HSBC account on Dec. 17, 2019.

In still another case, Maylen Macabangon, 47 years old, pleaded not guilty to two counts of money laundering at Shatin Court on Thursday (Oct. 2).

Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong scheduled a pre-trial review for Dec. 12 and trial for Dec. 19, and set her bail at $500.

Macabangon is accused of dealing with $67,500 in crime money because of deposits and withdrawals in her Bank of China account between April 22 and 27, 2022.

She faced as similar case for the $217,573.31 that passed through her HSBC account between March 26 and June 18, 2022.

Plea for help for victims of Cebu’s 6.9 quake

 By Atty Jalilo dela Torre

 

The Santa Rosa de Lima church in Daan Bantayan in ruins (CDN photo)

At 9:59 pm on September 30, 2025, just as the people of Cebu were looking forward to a good night's sleep, a long-dormant fault line 19 km off the coast of Bogo City in northern Cebu, activated and moved the earth and the waters, rumbling across the province and into other islands.

The temblor registered 6.9 on the scale, and in a few minutes, the horrible toll was known. The San Remigio Sports Center collapsed, killing three Coast Guard and one Bureau of Fire Protection employees who were participating in a basketball tournament.

A hundred-year old church in Daan Bantayan, the Santa Rosa de Lima, crumpled down. A pension house in Bogo fell down on its residents.

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At least seven houses in Yolanda Village in Bogo built for the relocation of the homeless after the super typhoon Yolanda 2013, buried seven people in its rubble. Bridges and roads were rendered inoperable.

The latest count of fatalities was 69, but rescue teams are still digging for bodies and survivors.

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I was at home with my wife, Jane, just watching TV when our home shook and swayed for several seconds. Power went out but came back a few minutes later.

Over at the University of San Jose-Recoleto's brand-new 17-story building on Colon St., dozens of students and student assistants scrambled down the stairs from the topmost floor.

A Daan Bantayan resident posted photos of collapsed houses, saying relief has yet to come

For most of Cebu City, the damage was minimal, but over at Bogo, Daan Bantayan and Medellin, the horror that the quake brought to the people there is still fresh in their minds, many reeling from the thousands of aftershocks. Most of them would sleep out in the open, afraid to return to their homes.

(The University of San Jose - Recoletos School of Law in Cebu City where the author currently teaches, has more than a dozen students from the affected areas, and several student assistants. A group from the college has started a fund drive, acutely aware that some places like Daan Bantayan  have yet to receive help from the government and private groups. Cash donations may be sent directly to GCash number 09192594799 under the name of Jessney Sontousidad, who is from Daan Bantayan, and can distribute whatever goods will be donated to their unserved community there. Residents would also welcome donations of bottled water, canned goods, sanitary items, battery-powered flashlights and batteries, and maybe plastic sheets to protect them from the rain when sleeping out