Filipina DH filmed slapping and shaking boy’s head jailed 2 weeks

By Vir B. Lumicao

The estate in Kowloon City where the assault victim and his family live.

A 27-year-old Filipina domestic helper was sentenced today, Jan 27, to two weeks in jail by a Kowloon City magistrate after pleading guilty a fortnight ago to a charge of common assault for slapping her 5-year-old boy ward.

Ana Marie Ochavillo, single, stood in the dock without emotion as Magistrate Yu Chun-pong read the sentence.

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Yu said he was adopting a custodial sentence to send a clear message the offense must not be tolerated, especially since the victim was a child who was under the helper’s care. 

The magistrate said he gave a one-third discount to what should have been he sentence because Ochavillo admitted the offence at the earliest opportunity.

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Before the sentencing, the defense lawyer presented a psychiatrist report that certified the helper did not have any psychological disorder.

He also begged for a lenient sentence, saying the defendant had already been detained for more than two weeks, had pleaded guilty at the earliest instance, and that the offense was due to a momentary outburst for which she was remorseful.

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The sentence means Ochavillo had already served her sentence, as she had been in police custody since her arrest on Jan 11. Two officers from the Consulate went to the holding area after the sentencing to assist in her discharge.

Ochavillo was hired by her female employer, surnamed Yeung, in January 2019. She was about to finish her first contract and had already signed a renewal contract when the incident happened at the employer’s flat in Parc Regal, Homantin Hill, Kowloon City.

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According to court records, Yeung was awakened by her son’s cries in the living room at about 8:30am on Jan 11. She went out to check and the boy told her that the helper slapped him in the face and pulled his hair.

Yeung checked the living room CCTV and saw Ochavillo pulling the boy’s hair and shaking his head for about 2 seconds, then slapping his head once while feeding him. The mother reported to the police at 9:31am and the helper was arrested.

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The prosecution said during investigation, the defendant admitted the offense, saying that the boy was naughty. On Jan 12, she was charged in court where she pleaded guilty.

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Partial evacuation ordered for North Pt building as 60 new Covid-19 cases reported

By The SUN 

8 confirmed & 5 preliminary cases were found in Tung Fat Bldg in North Point

Thirteen residents of a 56-year-old housing block in North Point have been found infected with Covid-19, triggering a partial evacuation of the building.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said today, Jan 27, that eight people living in Tung Fat building on Kam Ping Street had tested positive, while five were found preliminary positive.

Chuang said there were eight affected flats, which are on different floors. However, seven face the same direction.

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Covered by the evacuation and quarantine order are residents of units six and seven of block C, where all the infected patients live. Experts say residents there share the same narrow light well, which could have caused the virus to spread vertically.

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung who inspected Tung Fat building earlier today said the ventilation system there is not good.

"If the residents don't open their windows while their exhaust fans are on, the heat wave will easily go up [the light well] and create vertical transmission," Yuen told reporters.

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He also noted that some of the residents had reported an odd smell in their toilets from time to time, and they believe this too, was coming from the light well.

“So we have reasons to believe there is a danger to residents of C-6 and C-7 if they continue to stay there,” said Yuen.

Chuang and Lau in today's Covid-19 press briefing

The coronavirus cases from the building were among 60 reported today, of which all but three were locally acquired. Of the 57 local cases, 21 were of unknown source, while the rest were linked to previous infections.

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The three imported cases were returnees from the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and the United States.

There were about 40 preliminary positive cases.

Among today’s local cases with unknown sources are six staff of Wing Ming congee shop in Hung Hom, four of whom are from the same family. A seventh preliminary positive case has also been detected there.

 

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Chuang said other staff will be sent to quarantine, and no customers have been found infected so far.

She urged everyone who had been to the congee shop recently to take a test, saying customers were at high risk, given the number of people found infected there.

Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority reported that two patients had passed away in the past 24 hours, including a 56-year-old woman who died shortly after testing preliminary positive for Covid-19.

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The woman with chronic illness was rushed to Kwong Wah hospital yesterday morning due to shortness of breath. She suffered a cardiac arrest, and had to be intubated. But after this, her heart rate picked up, so she was transferred to an isolation ward for treatment. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, however, and she died at 4:22pm.

The other casualty was a 67-year-old confirmed male patient who succumbed at 8:26am today at United Christian Hospital.

The deaths brought to 169 the number of confirmed patients who have passed away in public hospitals so far.

Meanwhile, a so-called “ambush lockdown” – or one for which no prior notice was made -was put into effect overnight on two streets in Yau Ma Tei. During the 11-hour lockdown, a total of 330 people were tested for Covid-19, and one positive case was uncovered.

A similar lockdown on an entire block of flats in Jordan was carried out during the weekend. More than 7,000 people were tested, and 13 were found to have the coronavirus.

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Covid-19 inoculations may start only by end of Feb

By The SUN 

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be given out first

Hong Kong’s mass vaccination for the coronavirus will be pushed back to the end of February due to procurement “hiccups” for the three vaccines it has already bought from various sources.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the announcement today, Jan 26, as she revealed that she had sought the Central Government’s help to secure supplies from the state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm during her visit to Beijing last November.

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“We have been very concerned about the supply of vaccines for Hongkongers because this is really the light at the end of the tunnel,” Lam said before her weekly Executive Council meeting, in explaining her quest for help from mainland authorities.

“(But) the three vaccines that we have advance-purchased so far all have a little bit of hiccup,” she said.

“At the same time, we have a desperate need for vaccination among high-risk groups and cross-border workers,” she said

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Lam’s government had secured a total of 22,500 doses of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac’s CoronaVac and AstraZeneca-Oxford University. However, the delivery of the vaccines had been delayed despite the advance purchase agreements.

“For the one that has been authorized by the secretary for food and health … the supply will only come by the end of February from Germany,” she said, referring to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

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This is the first vaccine approved for use in the SAR and a million doses are expected to arrive in the second half of next month, further pushing forward the planned start of the vaccination after the Lunar New Year, or around mid-February.  

The vaccine from Sinovac, which was initially expected to arrive later this month, has yet to be cleared for use as it has reportedly failed to submit enough data to the government. Thus, it appears to have been dropped from the government’s list for the time being.

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A statement released on the government’s website on Jan 21 said experts under the Centre for Health Protection had focused only on the BioNTech and Astra Zeneca vaccines for the initial round of inoculations.

Both vaccines should be taken in two doses each, and the same type of vaccine should be given to each individual.

Medical frontliners and the elderly are among the first to get the jabs

First priority for the jabs are residents and staff of care homes for the elderly and people with disabilities at the top of the list for getting the Covid-19 vaccine in Hong Kong.

Next in line are medical workers or those in essential services that are at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus, and residents aged 60 years and above.

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On third priority are persons with chronic medical problems aged between 16 and 59 years.

No mention was made of other residents not in the designated categories, indicating they are not likely to be included in the first round of vaccinations.

Two experts advising her vaccination program and anti-pandemic strategy, however, warned Hong Kong must wait for a third round of clinical data published in medical journals before rolling out mass inoculations.

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Prof Ivan Hung told a radio show this morning the third round of clinical data is the most important thing for adopting a vaccine. Sinopharm has yet to provide such a prerequisite.

“Without this information, it is difficult for the [vaccination] committee to vet and recommend its use. People’s health is the most important consideration,” Hung said.

Sinopharm has said that its vaccine is 70 percent effective, but has yet to publish any data in medical journals.

Researchers in Brazil, meanwhile, said they found the Sinovac jabs just around 50% effective, far lower than the published efficacy rates for the BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines.

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Public viewing for OFW leader Merly Bunda set for Jan 31

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).

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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 17^th 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

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.

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“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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