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Public viewing for OFW leader Merly Bunda set for Jan 31

Posted on 26 January 2021 No comments

By The SUN

Due to Covid-related restrictions, the mass will be replaced with final blessing for Merly

The public viewing of the remains of the late Merly T. Bunda, who was well-known in the migrant community in Hong Kong for selflessly helping her fellow Filipino domestic workers who were sick or facing work-related problems, will be held this Sunday, Jan 31, at room 201 of Universal Funeral Homes in Hung Hom, starting at 12 noon. 

Bunda, who was 54 and single, succumbed to complications from late-stage cancer of the uterus early on Jan 18 at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

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She did much of her charity work anonymously, while writing for The SUN and Bombo Radyo in Iloilo.

Lorie Pecasis, her childhood friend and neighbor in their hometown of Dingle, Iloilo, says Bunda was generous to a fault.

Kapag may nanghingi ng tulong na pinansyal ay agad niyang tinutulungan, kahit siya mismo ay gipit,” says Pecasis. (If someone asked for financial help, she would oblige immediately, even if she was in dire need herself).


That generosity extended to her siblings, as well as nephews and nieces, some of whom she sent through college.

An injured arm did not stop Merly attending a fund-raising event with fellow Filcom leaders

Bunda was also known for being outspoken and feisty, often accompanying fellow OFWs in distress to the Philippine Consulate or support groups like the Mission for Migrant Workers, so she could obtain help for them.

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Over the years, she had helped not a few OFWs who had overstayed their visas to go to the Consulate so they could surrender to authorities, and on the side, would give them  some cash for food and other expenses.

Also among those she assisted were victims of illegal recruiters, in particular, a fellow domestic helper who succeeded in fleecing their fellow Ilonggos of hard-earned money in exchange for bogus jobs. Because of Bunda’s persistence, the offending OFW was arrested and jailed, before being sent back to the Philippines.

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But Bunda also had a soft side that most of her friends would always remember her by. She always had a ready smile, and would often brighten up hospital rooms when she would go visit some random OFWs who had reached out to her.

And how she loved to party! On Sundays nearest to her December 17th birthday, she would gather lots of friends at her kindly employer’s sprawling house in Clearwater Bay, and feed them with a variety of dishes, many of which she’d cooked herself.

Merly was thrilled to bits seeing rock star Arnel Pineda in person during his concert in HK

She was loved by many, and she gave out much love in return, particularly to her two young wards, Anton and Stella, whom she helped raise from when they were born. Days before she passed on, all Bunda would talk about was how she was looking forward to seeing the two kids, particularly Anton, who she’d said with a laugh, had declared that he would marry her when he grew up.

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It was an enduring testimony to how Bunda had given out love, light and goodwill, in the 30 years that she’d worked far away from home.

Donations to the Bunda family are accepted through direct deposit to:

Hang Seng Bank Account No 373 102870 668

(Name: Lorie P. Pecasis)

TNG, through Tel No. 6572 4583

(Account Name: Joan Eula)

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CE warns of more ‘ambush lockdowns’, as 64 new infections reported

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By The SUN

CE Lam says next lockdowns will be kept secret, quicker and smaller in scope

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that more lockdowns could be imposed to combat the spread of the coronavirus, but the next ones will be “ambush-style operations,” meaning, there will be no prior announcements.

The city’s top official made the statement ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting today, Jan 25.

Lam said it was unfortunate that details of the lockdown in Jordan over the weekend were leaked ahead of time. That allowed about 200 residents of some buildings in the area to flee before enforcers could move in.

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To make sure no leak is made about future operations, she said the lockdowns would be smaller in scale, but could take place in several areas at the same time.

Lam hailed the 44-hour lockdown and mandatory testing in Jordan a success, saying it helped stop the spread of the virus. Of the more than 7,000 residents of some 150 buildings tested, 13 were found to have Covid-19.

She warned those who did not comply with the compulsory testing orders could face penalties.


“We will go back to that building without notice and try to check everyone coming out of the building whether they have an SMS showing a negative result. If no, that means you have not complied,” she said.

The personal data of the test evaders will be forwarded to the Centre for Health Protection so they could be issued with summons, or served a fixed penalty ticket .

Meanwhile, health officials said the social distancing measures currently in place will be extended by another week, or up to Feb. 3. The restrictions include no more than two people gathering in public, a ban on restaurant dine-ins after 6pm, and the closure of such venues as bars, amusement parks, gyms and  swimming pools.

Current social distancing rules will be extended until Feb 3

Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi made the announcement, after revealing that 41% of all infections in the past week were untraceable, and 36% of the patients were asymptomatic, suggesting the silent transmission in the community was still widespread.

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He also announced that two more neighborhoods in Hung Hom and Mongkok will be placed under stepped-up mandatory testing orders, which means the operation could be triggered by a single infection in either place.

An existing mandatory testing zone in Jordan has also been expanded, while one in Sham Shui Po remains the same.

Dr Chui said the move was taken after studying the distribution of infections in buildings in the areas over the past two weeks.

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“We want to take action before these cases become significant, that’s why we are adding these areas,” he said.

The testing zone in Mong Kok is bound by Nathan Road in the east, Public Square Street in the south, Ferry Street in the west, and Dundas Street in the north.

The one in Hung Hom is bound by Station Lane, Dock Street, Po Loi Street, Winslow Street, Hung Hom South Road and Chatham Road North.

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The expanded testing site in Jordan will now reach Nathan Road in the east, Austin Road in the south, Ferry Street and Canton Road, including Man Wah Sun Chuen, in the west, and Kansu Street in the north.

Of today’s infections, 63 were locally acquired, and one was imported from the United Arab Emirates. Among the local cases, 21 were of unknown origin.

More than 50 preliminary positive cases were also recorded.

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The new cases raised the city’s total Covid-19 tally to 10,222, with 172 related deaths, 168 of them being in public hospitals.

These include  two elderly patients who passed on in the past 24 hours: an 86-year-old female patient at North Lantau Hospital, and a 90-year-old woman who succumbed to complications from the disease at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

A total of 852 confirmed patients are still being treated in 22 public hospitals and at the treatment facility in AsiaWorld-Expo. Of this number, 34 are in critical condition, 32 are serious, and the remaining 786 patients are in stable condition.

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4 FDWs among 12 infected patients in Laguna City block

Posted on 25 January 2021 No comments

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Residents of Flat E, Blk 5 of Laguna City in Kwun Tong will be evacuated

Four foreign domestic workers – three Indonesians and one Filipina – are among the 12 confirmed Covid-19 cases in a Laguna City block which has been partially evacuated due to the possible spread of the virus through the sewage pipes there. Ten of the patients are residents, while two are security guards.

The news came as health officials reported 73 new coronavirus cases today, Jan 25, all but four of them locally acquired. More than half, or 38 of the cases, had unknown sources.

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Of the four imported cases, one was a 44-year-old Filipina who tested positive while in quarantine at Ramada Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun. The three others were returnees from Belarus, Pakistan, and Dubai.

More than 60 preliminary positive cases were reported, including three nurses from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority said the three cases did not appear to be linked, although two of the nurses worked together in the isolation ward, where they looked after Covid-19 patients.

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One of these two also worked in a medical ward, where the third infected nurse worked.

No patient was classified as close contact because the three nurses wore full protective gear while on duty. But a total of 10 medical staff who had meals with the nurses will be quarantined, and the wards where they worked will stop receiving patients.

As three other medical wards had already been closed due to a previous outbreak, the admission of cases at the accident and emergency department will be affected, said Lau. He thus urged those who need medical attention to try going to other hospitals or private health clinics instead.

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“We appeal to Hong Kong citizens to avoid going to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital if they have mild symptoms,” he said.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection again expressed concern over the high proportion of cases with unknown sources, saying they could lead to an exponential increase in infections.

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“I urge the public if they have any mild symptoms, even if they have undergone testing previously and they have a negative result, they should go for testing and seek medical attention as soon as possible,” Chuang said.

Yuen says the virus appears to have spread through the drainage pipes

Earlier, top microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yuen inspected block 5 of Laguna City in Kwun Tong, and announced the evacuation of all residents of Flat E in the block, after finding evidence of “vertical transmission” of the virus.

Infections were found in Flat E units on the 15th, 16th and 17th floors of Block 5. Two other flats in the block have also been found with Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of units affected to five.

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Two security guards at the building have also tested positive for the virus.

Yuen said one of the guards lives on Reclamation Street in Yau Ma Tei where several infections have been recorded, and he could have brought the virus from there to his place of work.

But the virus could also been introduced to the block by an infected guest who attended a family gathering in Flat E on the 16th floor on Jan 9.

The expert said the virus might have been transmitted through the drains to the other floors.

There are now a total of 10,159 coronavirus cases in Hong Kong. Two confirmed cases passed away in the past 24 hours, raising the related death toll in public hospitals to 166.

A total of 822 confirmed patients are being treated in 24 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Of these, 35 are in critical condition, 34 are serious, and 759 are in stable condition.

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Filipina detained for money laundering and overstaying

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By Vir B. Lumicao 

The Filipina is accused of using her HSBC bank account to launder dirty money

A Filipina former domestic helper is facing charges of money laundering and overstaying her visa in Eastern Court following her arrest in November last year for her suspected involvement in moving illicit money through her ATM account.

Kris Hope Vargas returned to Eastern Court today, Jan 25, for an update on her case. No plea was taken.

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She is charged with “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence” (legalese for money laundering) and “breach of condition of stay” for overstaying.

In her previous appearance before Magistrate Bina Chainrai on Dec 8, the prosecution sought more time for the police to obtain documents from Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp and enquiry replies from the Immigration Department.

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Today, the prosecution said Immigration records showed the defendant was allowed to stay in Hong Kong until Mar 10 last year, but had overstayed her visa.

She was arrested on Nov 20 for the money laundering offense. The prosecution said, however, that police investigators are still awaiting some documents and records of ATM card transactions on Vargas’ HSBC account.

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The amount of money involved was not mentioned.

The prosecutor asked for a four-week adjournment for further legal advice, and to await bank documents that would show where various sums of money transferred from the defendant’s account had been moved.

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The defense lawyer applied for bail for his client, saying Vargas could raise her bail offer to $2,000 from $1,500 previously.

But the prosecution objected to the granting of bail, citing the high risk that the defendant would abscond.

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Chainrai reminded the prosecution that Vargas had been in custody since Nov 20, but still refused the bail application.

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HK grants $9.7million cash aid for Phl typhoon relief operation

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 By The SUN 

Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) caused extensive flooding across Luzon in mid-November

The Hong Kong government has approved the disbursements of four grants totaling $9.7 million from the Disaster Relief Fund to help typhoon victims in the Philippines.

A statement released in the government information website today, Jan 25, said the money will go to four charities that undertake typhoon relief operations in the Philippines.

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These are Oxfam Hong Kong, which will get $2.614 million; Plan International Hong Kong, $1.951 million; Hong Kong Red Cross, $1.825 million; and Save the Children Hong Kong, $3.31 million.

The money will be used to provide hygiene kits, household kits and education kits, as well as water purification items and shelter materials for about 57,750 victims.

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No particular typhoon was mentioned, but the statement said the one for which the grant was released had affected around 3.3 million people in the Philippines.

The county was hit by two massive typhoons in November last year, including Super Typhoon Goni, which swept through Metro Manila and the Bicol Region in the first week of the month, and was quickly followed by Atsani.

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But the more disastrous one was Vamco, which caused the worst flooding in the country for years, mostly throughout the main island of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Hardest hit by Super Typhoon Goni was the Bicol Region

The typhoon grant was extended on the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee.

“The Committee hoped that the grants would facilitate the provision of timely relief to the victims and help them restore their normal living,” said the statement.

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Earlier, another relief package worth about $500,000 was given to agencies helping typhoon victims in the Philippines, bringing the total amount extended to the Philippines to $10.225 million.

“As the targeted localities of relief agencies or the types of relief items to be distributed are different, there will be no overlapping of resources,” added the statement.

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The relief agencies through which the donations will be coursed will be asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on where the money went, after their relief projects have been completed. 

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Filipina DH accused of stealing nearly $800k from employer’s bank account

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By Vir B. Lumicao 

The Filipina is alleged to have made 200 withdrawals from employer's account since Nov 2019

A Filipina domestic helper was charged in Eastern Court today, Jan 25, for allegedly stealing $768,000 from her male employer’s bank account over a period of 14 months.

The defendant, June Jennie Garaza, appeared before Magistrate Bina Chainrai following her arrest last weekend.

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The prosecution said Garaza, 33, made more than 200 unauthorized ATM withdrawals between Nov 26, 2019 and Jan 21 this year from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp account of her employer, Stephen Peepels.

The prosecutor did not say how the employer found out about the theft.

She asked for an eight-week adjournment of the case, saying she was still awaiting records of the ATM transactions from the bank, and seek legal advice.

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The prosecution said it was opposing bail due to the seriousness of the offense, but the defense lawyer said Garaza had no bail application.

Magistrate Chainrai scheduled the next hearing for Mar 22 and ordered the defendant remanded in custody.

The case is being heard at Eastern Court but will likely be transferred to a  higher court

The offense is the latest in a series of big theft cases allegedly pulled off by Filipina helpers at their employers’ expense over the past two years.

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In the largest such case so far, domestic helper Carmelita Nones is facing charges of stealing about 200 jewelry pieces, gold bars and watches worth a total of $14.6 million from her employers in Deepwater Bay between Jun 17, 2018 and Sept 5, 2019.

Her niece, friend and sister are accused of pawning or keeping the alleged stolen jewelry pieces for her. The case has been transferred to the Court of First Instance and will be heard on Mar 8.

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The second-biggest theft case is that lodged against Edarlyn Emperador, 50. She was arrested by police on Aug 7 last year for allegedly stealing $860,000 worth of watches and jewelry from her female employer in Homantin, Kowloon over 10 months.

The next hearing of the case is set for Jan 27 at the District Court.

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