Filipina asylum seeker jailed 3 months for shoplifting

 

Store where one of two thefts took place (Photo: Google Maps)

A Filipina asylum seeker originally arrested for shoplifting was jailed for three months and fined $500 after three of her four cases were resolved today at Eastern Court.

Joan Aguli, 44 years old, was kept in jail despite having been in remand for six months because her remaining case -- breach of condition stay, for overstaying since Sept. 6, 2022 -- was adjourned to Feb. 25 next year to await a ruling on her claim for non-refoulement. 

“I hope you are a genuine victim of the political situation” in the Philippines, Principal Magistrate Don So told her after her defense lawyer said she was appealing at the Torture Claims Appeal Board the rejection of her claim by the Immigration Department.

Aguli’s case began when she was arrested after a routine check on June 27, when she was found to have overstayed for more than two years, having remained in Hong Kong after her work contract expired on Sept. 6, 2022, when she was required to leave.

While she was being investigated at the Wanchai Police Station later that day, a plastic bag containing 0.7 gram of methamphetamine hydrochloride (also known as ice or shabu) was found in her possession, resulting in her detention since then.

After the case was filed in court, police found that Aguli had also stolen 24 packs of chocolates last April 28 from a Wellcome Supermarket branch on Hennessy Road in Wanchai.

Further investigation also revealed another case of theft when she stole 49 packs of chocolate and three packs of sausages at a Market Place store on Jardine’s Bazaar in Causeway Bay last June 21.

Magistrate So sentenced her to three months for each of the theft charges, to be served at the same time, and imposed a fine of $500 for drug possession after her lawyer said she was using the drugs because of depression.

He set aside the prosecutor’s demand that she pay some $3,000 for the goods she stole, saying Aguli had no means to do so. 

Aguli has had four criminal convictions in the past, the prosecutor said. 

‘Hello, Love Again’ ticket sales top Php1billion

 

The movie has so far raked in Php1.6 billion at the box office 

A movie starring Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards has made history by not only the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time, it is also the first to earn Php1 billion in box-office sales from around the world.

Among the latest places to screen “Hello, Love Again” was Hong Kong, where its opening-day screening yesterday was packed full of people, mostly overseas Filipino workers. The demand is such that all tickets to its Hong Kong screenings until December 7, have been sold out.

According to both joint producers ABS-CBN Films and GMA Pictures, the total gross ticket sales of the movie as of yesterday was Php1.06 billion, as it continues to be shown in 1,100 cinemas worldwide.

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“Hello, Love, Again” tells the story of overseas Filipino workers Joy and Ethan who met and fell in love in Hong Kong, then reconnected in Canada after five years. The movie deals with the struggles and challenges faced by Filipinos overseas as they adjust to their new lives away from home.

Its prequel, “Hello, Love Goodbye” which was shot entirely in Hong Kong and shown in 2019, also became the highest-grossing Filipino movie until it was replaced last year by “Rewind,” a GMA Films offering which starred its top stars, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera.

But in just five days of screening starting on November 18, “Hello, Love Again” managed to surpass “Rewind”, earning Php930 million gross in ticket sales.

It scored another record with a total take of Php85 million on its first day of screening in the Philippines alone. In the United States, it also made it to no 8 in the Top 10 current box office hits, earning $2.4 million in its opening weekend.

The movie was first shown yesterday in other Asian cities, including Hong Kong

But it is not just at the box office where “Hello, Love, Again” was well-received, but also among fans and critics, who mostly praised the movie for its realistic portrayal of the struggles faced by Filipinos living abroad, but also the top-notch acting of its stars.

Writing on his Instagram account, Alden said: "Thank you for making this happen. We are truly grateful beyond words. Maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. To GOD be the glory.”

As they thanked their fans and everyone who supported their movie, Kathryn and Alden also announced that part of the earnings of their movie will be given to typhoon victims.

The two are now touring North America to promote their movie, though they took time out to attend the Asian World Film Festival in California where Kathryn also received her Snow Leopard Rising Artist Award. 

“Hello, Love, Again,” a collaboration project between ABS’ Star Cinema and GMA Pictures, served as the closing film at the Hollywood-based film festival. 

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OFW Global Center opens first outpost in HK

 

Staff and volunteers welcome guests at the soft opening rites

The OFW Global Center had a soft-opening today on the 18^th floor of United Center, four floors above the Consulate, to provide a venue for activities of various organizations and even a place for OFWs to rest.

The center, whose 20,000 square feet occupies the whole 18^th floor of United Center, is the first of its kind and will serve as a pilot for testing the idea of providing a central venue for OFWs in various parts of the world.

It is a project of the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration and funded by direct appropriation from Congress. Its formal inauguration is scheduled for January.

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 “This is you tahanan (home),’ Welfare Officer Marilou Sumalinog said during ceremonies to mark its completion. “It is open to all OFWs and Filipinos overseas.”

She added that the center will have free-flowing coffee and will serve sandwiches and biscuits for free.

The center has six event halls which can be subdivided into smaller rooms by movable partitions. “We can use one of them for those who want to sleep. We know we cannot accommodate all who are in Chater and in subways but we will try our best to accommodate as many as we can,” Sumalinog said.

Congen Germie Aguilar Usudan addresses guests

In her speech, Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan said, “We promised to open this center this year. We may have gone through the eye of the needle, but now we are here.”

She added: “This is in recognition of your achievement, hard work and dedication to your families… and how you contributed to the development of Hong Kong, how you allowed their women to work and participate in their work force.”

She also paid tribute to Congressmen, specifically Rep. Yedda Romualdez of the Tingog Party List, who followed up the funds in the budget, “so this can be given to you.”

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Labor Attache Melchor Dizon advised the Filipino community to make full use of the center, which was patterned after the OFW Lounge at Manila airport’s Terminals 1 and 3, because its success will determine whether similar centers will be put up overseas.

“If we do not use this fully, other countries that also need this service may be affected,” he added.

He also assured that services offered in the Center will be in addition to the programs and services of the Migrant Workers Office and the OWWA on the 29^th floor of the building.

OWWA Director For Administrative and Finance Edelyn Dungan-Claustro, for her part, noted that the OFW Global Center is the first of its kind. “It started here in Hong Kong,” she added.

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DMW visits home of Mary Jane, pledges help

 

Sec Cacdac (in blue shirt) is flanked by Mary Jane's parents

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac visited the family home of detained Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, in the wake of reports the Indonesian government has allowed her to return home so she can be moved to a detention facility here.

Secretary Cacdac and his team were warmly welcomed by Mary Jane’s parents, Cesar and Celia Veloso, in their house in General Natividad, Nueva Ecija on Friday, Nov. 21.

"Hopefully, we can bring her home before Christmas," Cacdac assured Nanay Celia and the family.

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The couple expressed gratitude to the Philippine government, particularly President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., for working on Mary Jane’s return, 14  years after she was detained in Java 

Mary Jane was sentenced to death by firing squad. after trial  However,  she has consistently denied knowing she was carrying the 6.5 kilos of drugs found in her luggage.

She alleged that a former friend, Ma. Kristina Sergio, gave  her the suitcase, then asked her to go to Indonesia. She was supposed to go to Malaysia afterwards to take up a job promised her by Sergio.

Cacdac explains to Nay Celia how the government help them

Cacdac and his team were warmly received by the Veloso family who extended gratitude for their visit, and for assuring support for their welfare and  the future of Mary Jane’s two children.

“We are here to provide all the welfare assistance that the government can offer to Mary Jane's family as directed by the President,” said Cacdac.

He promised to provide psychosocial counseling and skills training for Mary Jane’s eldest son, Daniel, along with allowances to help him focus on his studies.

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The DMW team distributed training vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to the rest of the Veloso family, along with some financial assistance and a grocery pack.

Cacdac assured the family that the DMW would continue working closely with them to ensure that they have access to government programs such as medical care and other support programs.

At the same time, the municipal government of General Natividad committed to support the Veloso family through employment assistance and skills training from TESDA.

Cacdac also took the chance to speak with Mary Jane’s sister who is working in Riyadh. On being told about her concerns with her employer Cacdac advised her to remain calm and wait for the visit of Migrant Workers Office staff who would arrange for her safe repatriation.

He also  promised to refer the medical concerns of Celia’s grandchildren to the Department of Health (DOH).

“This visit is a testament to our ongoing commitment to the welfare of our overseas workers and their families. We will not leave them behind, and we will continue to extend support to Nanay Celia and her family, especially in helping them secure a better future for her grand children,” Secretary Cacdac said.

The visit ended with a lunch "salo-salo" with the Veloso family, courtesy of the municipal government and PESO.

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PNP to investigate VP Duterte's slay threats vs President Marcos

 

Still shot of VP Duterte as she made the threat Friday

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil has ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks about killing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The PNP said it recognizes the grave nature of Duterte’s statement last night, in which she spoke of  contracting an assassin to kill the President, his wife Lisa and cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in case she died.

Earlier, Duterte also said that she had imagined beheading Marcos after their relationship had become toxic.

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Malacanang earlier said  it considered the  VP’s statement that she had hired someone to kill the President and his wife and cousin “an active threat.”

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin immediately referred the matter to the Presidential Securty Command for immediate action.

 “Any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so that this threat has been publicly revealed in clear and certain terms,” the statement added.

Separately, Senate President Francis Escudero called on Duterte to seek help “so she can regain calm and composure, and properly discharge her duties as Vice President.”

Escudero said Duterte’s recent remarks  were deeply concerning as they were inappropriate for an official occupying the second highest office in the country.

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He urged those close to her to advise her against making “these indecorous and possibly criminal statements in public” as they do not benefit her, her office or the country.

The moves followed Duterte’s profanity-laden remarks at an online press conference she held jointly with her chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, who was earlier cited in contempt by the House during a hearing into the alleged misuse of funds by the Office of the Vice President.

“I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta, and (Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke,” Duterte said, in between cursing the three. “I said, do not stop until you kill them, and then he said yes.”

She was responding to an online commenter urging her to stay safe, after she announced her intention of staying at the lower chamber of Congress overnight to be with her chief aide.

Lopez is shown being moved to St Luke's by Duterte and her supporters

Lopez was supposed to be kept at the House detention facility until the next hearing on Monday, but Duterte’s insistence on staying with her  prompted an order to keep the detainee at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong instead.

This set off  a flurry of activities, with Lopez being moved to the Veteran’s Hospital, then to St. Luke’s, after complaining of a panic attack.

Earlier today, Lopez was moved back to Veteran’s Hospital on orders of the House, despite her attempt to resist the transfer by sobbing loudly while clinging on to Duterte , and asking for her help.

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Filipina gets 10 months’ jail for conspiracy to defraud Immigration

 

Foreign domestic helper's visa

A Filipina who holds a recognizance form to serve as her identification document, has been jailed for 10 months for two counts of conspiracy to defraud the Immigration Department by presenting fake documents to enable two persons to get foreign domestic helper visas.

Gina Villareal, 52, was sentenced Thursday (Nov. 21) to eight months each for the two violations of Common Law and punishable under section 159C(6) of the Crimes Ordinance.

However, Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong ordered that six months of the second sentence be served concurrently with the first, leaving only two to be added to the first sentence for a total of 10 months.

According to the first charge filed last Sept. 5, Villareal conspired with Aprilyn Tupas, Almira Narag-Chow and Homer Herrera to present bogus documents to the Immigration Department between an unknown date in 2021 and June 1, 2023.

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These documents became the basis for Immigration to grant a FDH visa to Tupas which allowed  her to remain in Hong Kong while working for Chow.

The complaint said the misrepresentation induced the Immigration “Director and his officers to act contrary to their public duty, namely to grant Tupas Aprilyn Tario permission to remain in Hong Kong, in circumstances which they would not otherwise have granted.”

In the second charge, Villareal was charged with conspiring with Liza Castillo, Jumiati and “a person known as Homer” to present fake documents between June 2022 and Aptil 26, 2023 to get Immigration to grant Jumiati a visa as a domestic helper of Castillo.

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It s understood that the co-conspirators also faced similar charges. Tupas, for example, was jailed for four months when she pleaded guilty to the same set of circumstances last Oct. 17 in the same court. (see https://www.sunwebhk.com/2024/10/4-months-for-lying-to-immigration-to.html)

Meanwhile, another Filipina was also convicted of conspiracy to defraud but magistrate Cheang put off her sentencing to Feb. 13 next year. She was released on bail of $1,000.

Elynette Montalban, aged 43, admitted participating in a conspiracy to defraud Immigration when she applied for a visa as domestic helper of co-conspirator Tam Ka Ki between June 22 and April 26, 2023.

Montalban was granted permission to stay in Hong Kong by Immigration officers “under circumstances which they would not otherwise have granted,” the police complaint said.

Also named as co-conspirator in the case was Kathleen Vizcarra, who acted with “persons unknown.”

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Temperatures forecast to drop to 14-15 degrees next week

 

The overcast weather  will give way to lots of sun for the next 5 days

The Hong Kong Observatory is forecasting much cooler weather starting next Wednesday, Nov. 27, when the temperature is expected to drop to 15°C in the urban areas.

It will be slightly cooler the next day, Thursday, when the temperature is expected to dip to as low as 14°C.

The Observatory adjusted its previous temperature forecast by as much as 8°C, due to the unexpected cooling effect of a strong northeast monsoon which is approaching the region.

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The full effect of the monsoon is expected to be felt by the middle of next week. There will be a significant drop in temperatures along coastal areas, leading to a gradual shift to clearer and drier conditions.

Various parts of the New Territories are expected to experience even cooler weather, like Tai Po and Ta Kwu Ling where the temperature is forecast to dip to 12°C early on Thursday morning.

The weather today, Friday, is expected to remain pleasant, with temperatures ranging between 19 and 23 degrees.

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The day is expected to be mostly sunny, dispelling the gloom brought by the heavy rain in the past two days.

The sunny weather is expected to last until Tuesday next week, with temperatures remaining steady at around 20 to 23 degrees, before plummeting on Wednesday.

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Ex-DH gets 8 months' jail for money laundering

A former domestic helper was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to money laundering today at West Kowloon court.

Mildred Modesto, aged 40, was also sentenced to another two days after she pleaded guilty to staying beyond the two-week grace period given to her when her DH contract was terminated last Feb. 13.

Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi ordered the two sentences to be served at the same time, resulting in a total of eight months in jail.

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Modesto was convicted of dealing with proceeds of crime, a violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, as a result of $304,498 deposited and withdrawn from her Standard Chartered Bank account from the 23^rd to 26^th of January this year.

Her second charge, breach of condition of stay, arose after she remained in Hong Kong despite the Feb. 27, 2024 deadline for her departure.

Meanwhile, at Eastern Court, domestic helper Lynie Acosta, 39 years old, was told she will be taken to the District Court when her $8.83 million money laundering case resumes on Dec. 12, since the amount involved exceeds the limit for cases that a magistrate court can handle.

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Her lawyer had earlier urged Principal Magistrate Don So to free her on bail so she could continue taking care of her elderly and sick ward, but her employers failed to come up with the $100,000 cash bail which So increased from the earlier police bail of $5,000.

Acosta is charged with three counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offense, in violation of section 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The police complaint alleged that Acosta’s Mox Bank account received the biggest chunk of the funds, amounting to $8,597,833.36, between March 25 and May 19, 2023. She was accused of dealing with the property with the help of two persons, one named Jane Corpuz and another unknown.

The same persons were also cited as helping Acosta in dealing with $192,940.08 in her account with the Standard Chartered Bank, and with $45,100.78 in her account with with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, both on March 31, 2023.

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Peso drops to Php59 to US$1, near historic low

 

Today's exchange rate is the 2nd lowest in history (Inquirer graphic)

The Philippine peso dropped to its second lowest level against the US dollar when it closed at Php59 to the greenback this afternoon.

This was nine centavos weaker than its Pp58.91 closing yesterday.

The new exchange rate marks its lowest closing since it hit Php59.20 : US$1 on Oct 17, 2022.

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This means that the peso’s value as against the HK dollar which is pegged to the USD has also dropped. The exchange rate between the two is now Php7.59 vs the HKD.

The peso has been declining with the rest of Asian currencies in recent days, which a Bloomberg report says is due to the US dollar’s strengthening following the re-election of Donald Trump as president.

Investors are also wary of heightened US-China trade tensions and potential tariff hikes, also due to Trump’s return to power.

Yesterday, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Eli Remolona said that there might be a further easing of key interest rates due to inflationary pressures.

“We can cut (rates in December) or we can pause. The move will depend on the data,” Remolona said on the sidelines of the BSP-IMF Risk Dialogue in Cebu.

“Inflation pressures may cause us to pause a bit, but weak growth may cause us to cut.”

In a move to shift to a less restrictive monetary policy, the central bank has been cutting the country’s benchmark interest rates since August. The key rate is now 50 basis points lower since, at six percent.

Before the cuts, the BSP kept interest rates steady starting in November 2023.

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8 months for using someone else’s bank account for money laundering

 

EasternCourt

A Filipina domestic helper was sentenced today at Eastern Court to eight months in jail after she pleaded guilty to using somebody else’s bank account to launder $131,000 in crime money.

Michelle Valenzuela, aged 45, pleaded guilty to dealing with property known or believed to be proceeds of an indictable offense or money laundering, a violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The police complaint accused her of dealing with dirty money using an account with Hang Seng Bank, along with a certain Richel Gania, between an unknown date in January 2020 and March 4, 2020, but did not describe what she actually did.

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At today’s hearing, Valenzuela hinted at her role – either depositing or withdrawing money -- when she answered yes to Principal Magistrate Don So’s question as to whether she used someody else’s account.

She also answered yes when Magistrate So asked if somebody gave her the ATM card of the account.

Her lawyer, in seeking leniency in sentencing, said Valenzuela is the sole breadwinner of her family and is sending two children to university.

In a separate money laundering case, Imelda Maqueda, 54 years old, was remanded in jail custody after her case was adjourned by Magistrate So to Dec. 20 on request of the prosecution.

She is accused of dealing in $312,497.50 of proceeds from crime that were deposited and withdrawn between Dec. 17, 2020 and Jan. 8, 2021.

 

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Overstayer escapes jail term

 

The Filipina got off lightly after pleading guilty at Shatin court to overstaying 

A Filipina who surrendered after overstaying her visa for more than six months walked free from Shatin Court on Monday, after the magistrate sentenced her to 12 days imprisonment, suspended for one year.

Lorena Mangusib, 40 years old, faced one count of violating her visa conditions when she appeared in court.

Pindutin para sa detalye

She should have left Hong Kong at the end of March this year, 14 days after her contract was terminated by her employer.

However, she chose to stay until October 2, when she decided to surrender to Immigration.

Appearing before Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong, Mangusib pleaded guilty, and got off lightly with a suspended sentence.

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This means that she will not be jailed as long as she does not commit any offence for the next 12 months.

But having been convicted of an immigration offense, she would most likely be sent home, and not allowed to return to Hong Kong to work again.

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