13 overstayers among 45 people arrested in illegal work sweep

 

The week-long operation netted one of the biggest groups of illegal workers

Thirteen overstaying former domestic helpers and one who came in as tourist were among 45 people arrested in the latest anti-illegal work operations by the Immigration Department.

An Immigration Department statement said that in one of their joint operations with the Labour Department, it was discovered that FDHs whose contracts were prematurely terminated had been overstaying while taking up illegal employment.

“After a thorough investigation and intelligence analysis, the ImmD successfully identified and raided multiple target locations, including restaurants and food production plants,” said the statement.

Independent media reports said most of those arrested were from Indonesia.

The week-long operation from Nov 14 to 20 netted a total of 33 suspected illegal workers, 10 employers and two non-FDH overstayers. The round-ups were conducted with help from the Labour Department and the police.

According to Immigration, in the first batch of raids, those arrested on suspicion of illegally taking up jobs comprised one man and 23 women who were found working as dishwashers, cleaners and kitchen workers.

One of the suspects is caught in the act during a restaurant raid

The suspected illegal workers comprised one man and 23 women, aged 22 to 52. Apart from the 15 overstaying ex-FDHs, 10 others held recognizance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment taking any employment in Hong Kong.

In separate covert operations that targeted multiple locations like massage parlours, renovation flats and retail stores, nine suspected illegal workers comprising seven men and two women aged 37 to 60 were arrested. Two men and one woman in the group were found to possess fake HK identity cards.

Also taken in for questioning were two local female residents aged 52 and 65, who were suspected of having employed the illegal workers.

Immigration said an investigation into the suspected illegal employers in ongoing, and further arrests cannot be ruled out.

Under the Immigration Ordinance, those who violate their visa conditions by taking up unauthorized work can be jailed for up to two years and fined a maximum of 500,000. The jail term extends to three years in cases where the offender is an overstayer, illegal immigrant, or subject to deportation.

Employers of illegal workers face a maximum penalty of P100,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail.

An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

 

 

 

Pinay DH sent to hospital after answering child abduction case

Tuen Mun Court

A Filipina domestic helper has been sent on a three-month hospital stay after being charged with abduction of a child.

Odeza Franco, 31 years old, appeared mentally ill when she went before Tuen Mun Court's acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang on Thursday, Nov. 20.

DETAILS HERE

Franco was alleged to have "unlawfully (taken) X, a child aged 1, out of the possession and against the will of Y, the mother of the said X," according to the complaint filed by Tuen Mun Police.

The incident took place last Oct. 9 at a flat in Tuen Fu Road Disciplined Services Quarters, 15 Tuen Fu Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories.

Basahin ang detalye!

Section 26 of the Protection of Children and Juveniles Ordinance says: "Any person who unlawfully takes or causes to be taken any child or juvenile out of the possession and against the will of the father or mother or of any other person having the lawful care or charge of such child or juvenile shall be guilty of an offence punishable on conviction on indictment by imprisonment for 2 years."

‘Bagong Bayani’ awardees honored in Malacanang

President Marcos and First Lady pose with Bagong Bayani awardees and DMW officials

For the first time since 2011, the biennial Bagong Bayani awards held to honor outstanding overseas Filipino workers, was held at the Malacanang Palace on Thursday, Nov 20, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and his wife, First Lady Liza A. Marcos, leading the tribute.

In his speech, President Marcos thanked the OFW awardees, saying  “kayo ang pinakamagandang larawan ng kakayahan at kasipagan ng mga Pilipino.” (You project the best image of the competency and industriousness of the Filipino).

DETAILS HERE

Marcos promised that in turn, the government through the Department of Migrant Workers, would continue to elevate protection for OFWs, streamline its operations, “and ensure that every OFW is treated as the hero that they are.”

HK's Eva Mapa shows her trophy in photo with son Kean

The new Bagong Bayani awardees include Eva Rasgo Mapa, a domestic worker in Hong Kong, who has been using her considerable talent in massage therapy to provide relief to mobility-impaired Filipinos and her own funds to conduct free blood pressure and blood glucose test to OFWs on her days off.

Mapa, who heads the OFW group World Medical Support (Womed) Hong Kong won the community and social service award.

Basahin ang detalye!

Also among the awardees was Camille Jesalva-Junio, a former caregiver in Israel whose courage and presence of mind during a Hamas invasion in October 2023, made her the first-ever recipient of the Susan “Toots” V. Ople award.

Camille also won recognition from the Israeli government for saving the life of her 95-year-old female ward and herself, by offering her US$370 savings and mobile phone to militants who entered their house in Kibbutz Nirim in October last year.

The Marcos couple paid special attention to Camille during a brief chat with the awardees after they were each handed a trophy and a medal. A misty-eyed First Lady told Camille, “You made me cry,” referring to the bravery the OFW had shown during the Hamas raid.

Camille proudly shows off her trophy

During their short encounter, Mrs Marcos took note of the heavily pregnant Camille and jokingly said, “What are you going to call you baby, Martyr? To which the OFW quickly replied, “Hero.”

The only awardee who was unable to attend the ceremonies was “best employee” Romaline Dizon Isla, an engineer based in Dubai. Her mother Evangeline who received the award in her behalf, said Romaline or Roma, had just started working for a new company and could not yet take time off.

Evangeline, who revealed having been an OFW herself, said she decided  to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong so she could send her four children to college. “I did not want them to become domestic helper and experience the same hardships that I had to go through,” she said.

The other awardees were Michael Palic Conjusta for culture and the arts,  Capt. Rolly Tenorio Lapinig and the 18 Filipino crew of MV MSC Aube F for heroic art(Heroic Act), and successful reintegration awardees Elaine Vianca G. Figueroa, Ruellyn S. Ribon, and Alexander Inday Sebastian. Capt. Gaudencio C. Morales who received the Capt.Gregorio S. Oca Achievement Award, gave the response on behalf of all the awardees.

The 24-hour tribute to the new Bagong Bayani group started with a dinner with DMW officials at the Mall of Asia on Thursday, followed by the breakfast reception at Malacanang, lunch in Intramuros, and the unveiling of the marker with their names at the Wall of Honor (Bantayog ng mga Bagong Bayani) on the DMW grounds.

Awardees pose by the Wall of Honor where their names are permanently etched

On top of their trophies, medals and names on a plaque in the Wall of Honour, each awardee was also handed a token financial reward from the DMW.  Most importantly, they were attentively served by DMW staff, from getting to and from the events venues to ensuring they had enough to eat throughout the day.

The Bagong Bayani Awards which was created in line with a presidential decree issued in 1983 by the late former president Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr., has honored more than 1,700 OFWs since 1989.

 

Fight with Pinay lands Dominican in jail

 

Bar strip where fight took place (Google Maps photo)

A Dominican woman has found herself in jail after a fight in a bar with an unidentified woman, said to be a Filipina, who disappeared when police officers arrived, leaving her alone to answer questions during investigation.

Worse, Lisandra Manana Moya, 31 years old, also turned out to have been arrested two months earlier for drug possession.

When she appeared at Eastern Court on Nov. 17 (last Monday), the two cases were heard together by Magistrate Ko Wai-hung, who subsequently ordered that she be remanded until the next hearing on Jan. 5 next year.

DETAILS HERE

But Magistrate Ko scheduled a bail review for Nov. 25, to see if circumstances have changed to allow her bail. He also reminded her that she had the right to appeal his decision at the High Court.

Manana, who is unemployed, was charged with fighting in a public place, contrary to section 25 of the Public Order Ordinance, after fighting with an “unknown Philippines female”last Nov. 1 at Bar. 109, on Lockhart Road, Wan Chai..

It was not clear how the police found out the other woman was a Filipina

Basahin ang detalye!

Her second charge, possession of a dangerous drug, contrary to sections 8(1)(a) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, arose from her being arrested last Sept. 10 near the junction of Lockhart and Luard Road in Wan Chai.

Found in her possession, acording to a charge, was a plastic bag with “traces of a white solid containing cocaine”.

Pinoy jailed 4 months for drug and apparatus possession, resisting arrest

 

Area where Filipino was arrested (Google Maps photo by Kit Tsin)

A Filipino asylum seeker who earlier pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride (known to Filipinos as shabu) and apparatus to inhale it, and then resisting when four police officers arrested him, was jailed today for four months.

Aldrian Maloles, 37 years old and holder of a recognizance form to serve as identification document, had pleaded guilty in a hearing last Nov. 5 at Kwun Tong Court and Magistrate Lau Suk-han put off his sentencing to today pending a drug abuse report by the Drug Addiction Treatment Center.

The three offenses took place on Nov. 17 last year at the sitting out area outside 15 Sai Kung Hoi Pong Street, in Sai Kung, according to a police complaint dated May 16 this year.

DETAILS HERE

Maloles was sentenced to three months in jail for violating sections 8(1)(a) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by having in his possession three plastic bags containing a total of 1.01 grams of a crystalline solid containing 0.99 gram of meth and one plastic bag containing 0.20 gram of crystalline meth.

He was jailed for two months for violating sections 36(1) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by having in his possession one glass tube with one end shaped as a bulb containing 0.02 gram of crystalline solid meth and one glass bottle with two openings containing 0.01 gram of meth.

He received another six weeks for resistng when three police constables and one police sergeant arrested him, thus violating section 63 of the Police Force Ordinance.

Basahin ang detalye!

Magistrate Lau ruled that the sentences for possession of drugs and apparatus run at the same time for a total of three months, followed by four weeks of the sentence for resisting arrest, for a final sentence of four months.

Ancient Egyptian treasures on display in HK from tomorrow

 

This huge statue of the pharaoh Tutankhamun is the centerpiece of the exhibit

An extraordinary collection of 250 precious artefacts from Egypt, including statues of pharaohs and deities, gold ornaments, large coffins and animal mummies, will go on display in Hong Kong starting tomorrow, Nov 20, at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

The exhibit, Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums features the largest, most comprehensive and longest-running display of ancient Egyptian treasures in Hong Kong.

DETAILS HERE

Its centerpiece is a towering statue of Tutankhamun, the 13^th pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who became famous in modern times after his nearly intact tomb containing an extraordinary collection of over 5,000 artifacts including his mummy and funeral mask, was discovered in 2022.

The exhibition opening is a prelude to the 70^th anniversary next year of the start of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt.

Mummified animals are part of the exhibit

The objects on display come from seven prominent museums in Egypt, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art, as well as recent archaeological discoveries from Saqqara.

All artefacts are displayed in Hong Kong for the first time, and many are exhibited outside Egypt for the first time, making the exhibition especially significant.

Basahin ang detalye!

As part of the unveiling of the exhibition, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will host a special Egyptian dance performance on Nov. 22, as part of the HKPM Showtime!

The museum will also support the 8^th Hong Kong International Egyptian Dance Festival, which will also feature dance workshops, performances, competitions and presentations on global dance research.

A regular adult ticket to the Ancient Egypt exhibit costs $190 each and concessions at $95 each.

Below are the details of the exhibition, including dates and times:

Exhibition Date

20 November 2025 – 31 August 2026

Opening hours:

10am to 6pm, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday;
10am to 8pm, Friday, Saturday & Public Holiday;
Closed on Tuesday (except public holiday) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year

Venue: Gallery 9, Hong Kong Palace Museum at West Kowloon Cultural District

Enquiry:  +852 2200 0217

Website: www.hkpm.org.hk/en/exhibition/ancient-egypt-unveiled-treasures-from-egyptian-museums

Immigration holds info seminar for Indonesian DHs

 

More than 180 newly arrived Indonesian DHs took part in the immigration seminar

More than 180 foreign domestic helpers who just arrived from Indonesia took part in a seminar conducted by the Hong Kong Immigration Department at the invitation of the Indonesian Consulate General earlier today, November 18.

Participants at the seminar were informed about issues relating to human trafficking so their awareness about the prevalent but often overlooked offence is enhanced.

DETAILS HERE

Officers from Immigration’s Enforcement Branch also told them about the restrictions attached to their visas as domestic workers, the most important of which is that they should only perform domestic duties for the employer named in their employment contract and for no one else.

The officers appealed to them not to take up any unapproved employment, or to overstay.

Basahin ang detalye!

The participants were also briefed on other key matters to note while working in Hong Kong.

Officers and staff of the Indonesian Consulate were on hand to listen to the briefing, and expressed gratitude to the Immigration Department for its support.

In turn, the Consulate promised to work closely with authorities to further promote publicity and enhance the education of newly arrived FDHs in Hong Kong.

 

Pinay jailed for managing gambling place

 

Entrance to building that houses gambling establishment (Google Maps photo)

A Filipina listed as unemployed has been jailed for six weeks for managing a gambling establishment.

Cecilia Tejam, 57 years old, pleaded guilty Monday (Nov.17) at Eastern Court, after the charge of violating section 5(b) of the Gambling Ordinance was read to her.

DETAILS HERE

Tejam was arrested on Aug. 22 at Flat A, 10/F, Bank Tower, 351-353 King's Road, Hong Kong Island where the gambling establishment is located.

The building is notorious for such illicit activity, particularly among Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was the site of several arrests being made, of both gamblers and operators, before and even during the pandemic.

DETAILS HERE

Magistrate Ko Wai-hung gave her a starting point of nine weeks’ jail, but reduced her sentence by a third because of her guilty plea.

Gambling is unlawful in Hong Kong, except for some instances specified by law, such as betting on horse races or the Mark Six lottery.

The ordinance declares managing a gambling establishment as an offense and prescribes these maximum penalties:

Basahin ang detalye!

- on summary conviction to a fine of $5,000,000 and to imprisonment for 2 years; or

- on conviction on indictment to a fine of $5,000,000 and to imprisonment for 7 years.

 

INC rally for ‘transparency’ draws up to 650k people

 

Estimates put the number of people at the peak of the INC rally at 650,000

The three-day rally for transparency and accountability called by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) remained strong on its second day today, Monday, with an estimated 600,000 people remaining at the Luneta Park venue.

The Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office estimated the crowd at the Quirino Grandstand to have swelled to 650,000 at its peak on Sunday.

But contrary to speculations, the INC rally did not call for the resignation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., but merely reiterated a demand for transparency in government and accountability for all those implicated in the multi-billion peso corruption scandal in public works.

DETAILS HERE

INC general evangelist Bienvenido Santiago, Jr. who spoke first at the Sunday rally, clarified that they are against any extra-legal means to address the corruption scandal. He openly rejected speculations that the church had organized the rally to call for the overthrow of the Marcos administration.

“Basta ‘yung hakbang magbubunga ng karahasan at kaguluhan, hindi tayo sang-ayon diyan. Ang gusto natin, lahat ng solusyon, lahat ng hakbang, dapat sumunod sa paraang legal at payapa,” Santiago said.

Basahin ang detalye!

(Any steps that would lead to violence or chaos we do not condone. What we are after are solutions and steps that will conform to law and order).

It was clear, though, that the church was not siding with Marcos, either, with leaders emphasizing that they are after the preservation of the government as an institution, and not the person who currently leads it.

Imee vans distributed water and buns to rally participants

It was also clear to observers that the rally was closely aligned with anti-Marcos groups. Senator Imee Marcos, who has been at odds with President Marcos, distributed bottled water and nutribuns during the rally, and during her speech on Monday, shocked many by saying her brother as well as his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their sons are drug addicts.

Former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson, who has repeatedly expressed his disaffection with President Marcos in public, distributed free porridge to participants.

Non-INC observers also noticed that the anti-Marcos sentiment was evident among those who were at the rally, similar to an earlier mobilization they had on January 13 this year when they condemned moves to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

What could not be denied was that ahead of the mass rally, former Ako Bicol representative and former chair of the House appropriations committee Zaldy Co released a series of videos claiming House Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Marcos to the flood control corruption mess.

Groups calling for Marcos to resign led by retired generals also held a simultaneous rally at the People Power Monument in Quezon City. However, instead of around 300,000 people that were expected to show up on Sunday, only 4,000 actually came, and by Monday, the crowd was even sparser.

But the unease appeared to have had an effect on the President. On the second day of the INC rally, the Palace announced the resignation of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, who were both linked to the growing scandal. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto was immediately named to take over Bersamin’s post, while his own post was given to Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go.

 

Pinay DH gets 24 months in jail for $2.5m money laundering

 

File photo

A Filipina domestic  helper was jailed today for 24 months after she pleaded guilty fo three counts of money laundering, in which her three bank accounts were used as depositories of a total of almost $2.5 million derived from crime.

Reamae Davila, 40 years old, was meted the sentence by Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang in a hearing at Tuen Mun Court. It's normally the highest prison term that a magistrate can impose for a single offence.

Her penalty is actually a summary of three sentences: 12 months imprisonment for the first charge, 24 months for the second and six months for the third. Since Magistrate Tang ordered that the three sentences run at the same time, the longest term of 24 months became the final sentence.

DETAILS HERE

In all three cases, Davila  was charged with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, which is contrary to sections 25 (1) and 25 (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

In the first charge, Davila was accused of dealing wth $934,596.60 in her account with Bank Of China between 13 and 28 of May 2024 “… knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that property.., in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offence,” accordng to the complaint filed by the Police Technology and Financial Crime Squad 1.

In the second charge, she was accused of dealing with $1,487,144.73 in her account with Mox Bank Limited between April 8 and June 29,2024.

Basahin ang detalye!

In the third case, Davila was charged with dealing in $73,429 between 13and 16 of May 2024 through her account with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

 

PCG HK undergoes major facelift; temporary offices set

 

Renovation work at the PCG is expected to last for a year

The Philippine Consulate General office on the 14^th floor of United Centre building in Admiralty will be shut temporarily to the general public until an unspecified date, to pave way for much-needed renovation.

It will be the first time that the office occupying the entire floor of the building will undergo a facelift since the PCG began occupying it in the early 2000s, after entering into a lease-purchase agreement with the vendor-landlord.

DETAILS HERE

Starting today, Nov. 16, the PCG will transfer all its offices providing consular services to either the OFW Global Centre on the 18^th floor of United Centre, or the 26^th or the 29^th floor of the same building, which currently houses the Migrant Workers Office.

According to one officer, the much-needed renovation is expected to last an entire year, leaving the offices under the PCG scattered on different floors of the building.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The move-out actually began last October 26, when the assistance to nationals and the overseas voting registration offices were moved to the 26^th floor.

From this Sunday, the following offices will also be moved to the 26^th floor: Visa Services and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre (PTIC) Hong Kong.

To be moved to the OFW Global Center on the 18^th floor are the civil registry, notarial and passport services.

Basahin ang detalye!

Sharing the MWO office on the 29^th floor starting today are PAG-Ibig Hong Kong and the Social Security Services (SSS) Hong Kong.

For details, contact the PCG main line at 2823 8500/ 8501 or its hotline: 9155 4023. 

13-degree weather forecast for HK on Wednesday

 

Time to take out those hoodies again by early next week (File)

Temperatures are set to plunge in Hong Kong starting on Monday due to a surge of dry northeast monsoon air which will initially bring warm weather before a marked cool-down.

The northeast monsoon will reach the coast of Guangdong on Monday night, causing noticeably cooler weather to inland areas.

DETAILS HERE

Winds are expected to strengthen on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing temperatures to drop even more. The Strong Monsoon Signal is likely to be raised.

From around 27 degrees in the urban areas by Monday afternoon, the temperature will plunge to about 15 degrees celsius by Tuesday morning, the lowest so far this season.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Scattered rainshowers are expected to cool the air some more, with temperatures dropping further to between 13 and 15 degrees on Wednesday in the urban areas, including Tsim Sha Tsui.

Many other districts, especially those in the New Territories, are expected to register temperatures of 12 degrees or below, necessitating a cold weather warning. 

Basahin ang detalye!

These include Tseung Kwan O, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Sheung Shui and Tin Shui Wai, while Ta Kwu Ling and Shek Kong will register temperatures of 11 degrees or lower.

Ahead of the dip, Saturday will be mostly cloudy with sunny intervals and temperatures of 21°C to 25°C. Sunday will be dry and slightly warmer, with temperatures of  22°C to 26°C.

Monday will start mainly fine and dry with temperatures rising to 27 degrees in the urban areas, before gradually dipping as the northerly winds set in.

The cold weather will continue to linger for two more days before easing gradually during the weekend, when the daytime temperatures will climb back to between 23 and 24 degrees.

Pinay jailed 20 months for laundering US$$133,300

 

The case was heard at District Court

A Filipina has been jailed by the District Court for 20 months for money laundering, for having dealt with US$$133,300 (equivalent to HK$1,036,347.51 in today’s conversion rate) that had been deposited and withdrawn from her bank account.

Deputy District Judge Jason Wan handed down the sentence Friday to Joselhen Rocero after she pleaded guilty to violating section 25(1) and (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

DETAILS HERE

Rocero’s penalty was net of the usual one-third discount given to those who plead guilty,

The case landed in the District Court because the currency involved was the US dollar, which indicated that the money launderng activity in which Rocero’s bank account was used, crossed Hong Kong’s borders.

DETAILS HERE

The amended charge filed by the Department of Justice last Nov, 13, accused her of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” between May 30, 2023 and June 10, 2023.

The charge said Rocero dealt with crime money “together with an unknown person” using her account with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

Basahin ang detalye!

Under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, “a person commits an offence if, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that any property in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence, he deals with that property.”

It prescribes these maximum penalties:

• On conviction upon indictment to a fine of $5,000,000 and to imprisonment for 14 years; or
• On summary conviction to a fine of $500,000 and to imprisonment for 3 years.