Filipina's fake money case elevated to District Court

 

Neighborhood where Filipina was arrested (Google Maps photo) 

A Filipina has belatedly found out that being charged with possession of 36 pieces of fake $500 notes is a major offense, after the Kowloon City court transferred her case to the District Court.

Leah Sanesteban, 44 years old and holder of a recognizance card for identity purposes, was arrested by police last July 1 on Nanking St in Yau Ma Tei.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Found in her possession were 36 $500 bills “which were, and which she knew or believed to be counterfeits of currency notes,” according to the police conplaint dated Dec. 10.

She was charged with violation of section 100(2) of the Crimes Ordinance, which states: “A person who has in his custody or under his control, without lawful authority or excuse, any thing which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a currency note or of a protected coin, commits an offense and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for 3 years.”

PINDUTIN DITO

The ordinance also said: “For the purposes of this section it is immaterial that a coin or note is not in a fit state to be passed or tendered or that the making or counterfeiting of a coin or note has not been finished or perfected.”

No plea was taken when she appeared before Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung last Dec. 12.

She was remanded in jail custody until her appearance at District Court on Dec. 31.'

Basahin ang detalye!

Under judiciary rules, a Magistrate can impose a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment for a single offense, and three years’ imprisonment where two or more indictable offenses are dealt with at the same time.

A magistrate may also impose a maximum fine of HK$100,000, although some Ordinances allow sentences of up to 3 years’ imprisonment and fine of up to HK$5,000,000.

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Two Filipinos arrested on suspicion of sending workers to Pogo hub

The 2 suspects and their alleged 4 recruits were stopped by Immigration officers at NAIA (File)

 Two Filipinos on their way to Singapore were arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for allegedly attempting to bring four workers to a Pogo (Philippine offshore gaming operator) hub in Cambodia via Singapore.

A press release issued by the National Bureau of Investigation and reposted on the Department of Migrant Workers Facebook page yesterday, Dec. 21, identified the alleged human traffickers as Christian Sorio Ubas and Chelsea Ysaleigh Fenix.

According to NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago, the two, along with their alleged recruits, were intercepted by Bureau of Immigration officers at NAIA Terminal 1 on Dec. 11 because of  inconsistencies they made in stating their travel purpose.

The two suspected illegal recruiters were taken to the Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasay City for inquest proceedings while the four would-be workers were turned over to the NBI office at the airport for investigation.

During questioning, the offloaded passengers said they were recruited to work as customer service representatives in a Pogo hub in Cambodia, but were told to pretend to be tourists on their way to Singapore.

The two suspects were meant to accompany them to Singapore, and eventually to Cambodia.

Ubas and Fenix were charged with human trafficking,  in violation of Section 6 of R.A. No. 8042 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995) as amended by R.A. No. 10022 and Section 4 of R.A. No. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) as amended.

Under Philippine laws simple human  trafficking is punishable with a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of between P1million to P2million.

Qualified trafficking, which includes acts carried out by syndicate of at least three persons, or involves three or more victims, is non-bailable as it carries the maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a fine of between P2million and P5million.

DH jailed for jewelry theft at Worldwide

 

World-Wide House is popular among Filipinos who gather on weekends at its mall, World-Wide Plaza (Google Maps photo)

A domestic helper will celebrate Christmas in jail after she was imprisoned for six months for stealing jewelry from a store in World-Wide Plaza in Central.

Josephine Forio, 34 years old, was sentenced by Principal Magistrate Don So after she pleaded guilty to the charge filed against her by Central District Police.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Forio was arrested last Nov. 16, a Saturday, after she took a bracelet, a necklace and a pendant from the store of Central Jewelry Ltd at Shop 110 of World-Wide Plaza, and tried to leave without paying.

The value of the stolen items was not specified in the complaint.

PINDUTIN DITO

She was charged with violation of section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

The Theft Ordinance provides:  “Any person who commits theft shall be guilty of an offense and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for 10 years.”

Basahin ang detalye!

Worldwide Plaza is popular among Filipinos in Hong Kong, and teems with people on weekends when OFWs take their days off.

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3 more Pinays charged with money laundering

  

Three Filipinas who were added to the growing list of those charged with money laundering for allowing other people to control their bank accounts, had varying experiences last week as the judicial system pursued their prosecution.

Imelda Maqueda. 54 years old and unemployed, was returned to jail after appearing on Friday (Dec. 20) at Eastern Court for “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense,” in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Her case arose from her Hang Seng Bank account receiving deposits and yielding withdrawals that totalled $312,497.50 from Dec. 17 2020 to Jan. 8, 2021.

She will be detained until her case resumes on Feb. 12 next year.

Eva Rose Tacda, on the other hand, was set free on bail of $2,000 after her case was adjourned at Kwun Tong Court last Dec. 18. She was told to return for the next hearing on Jan. 28 next year.

PINDUTIN DITO

Police filed money laundering charges against Tacda, a 47-year-old domestic helper, for the deposits and withdrawals of a total of $256,510 on her Mox Bank account on February 22-23, 2023.

Of the three, domestic helper Jocel Pajela, 49 years old, got off lightly, having been freed on bail of $200 after she appeared at Kowloon City Court.

Basahin ang detalye!

She faces a similar charge which arose from the inflow and outflow of $478,503 in her Hang Seng Bank account between July 12, 2023 and Sept. 6, 2023.

Her case was adjourned to Feb. 11 next year.

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3 Pinays fined for illegal gambling in Central

The spiral staircase in Central that attracts crowds of gamblers every Sunday. (Google Maps photo)

Three Filipinas arrested while gambling during their Sunday off in Central last Dec. 15, were each fined $500 today after they pleaded guilty at Eastern Court.

Helen Rosales, 61 years old, Rowena Acosta, 54, and Raylon Princess Peralta, 37 years old, were arrested along with Pakistanis Ashraf Mohammad, 45, and Adnan Masood, 31, near the spiral staircase on Murray and Queens Road Central.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Principal Magistrate Don So convicted them of violation of section 13(2) of the Gambling Ordinance, which outlaws all gambling in Hong Kong, unless authorized by the government.

This law punishes any person convicted of gambling unlawfully with a maximum fine set at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment at maximum of three months on first conviction.

On second conviction, the maximum fine is raised to level 4 ($($25,000) and imprisonment to six  months;

PINDUTIN DITO

On third or subsequent conviction, the maximum fine is set at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment at nine months.

Officers of the Special Duties Squad in Central Police District descended on the gambliong site, where crowds usually gather on Sundays to either gamble their earnings or watch the gamblers.

Basahin ang detalye!

The raid came in the wake of complaints from passersby that the sidewalk had been blocked by the gamblers and spectators.

A similar crowd also gathers weekly to place bets on playing cards near the Bus 13 stop beside the City Hall.

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Kabayan naglunsad ng bilis- kidlat na data sa mababang halaga

 

Inihahatid ng Kabayan ang bilis-kidlat na data na abot kaya natin, sa pamamagitan ng mga mobile plan na ibinagay sa pangangailangan ng mga OFW.

Mas madali na ngayon ang talastasan sa ating pamilya at mga kaibigan, hindi lang sa mga nasa Pilipinas kundi kahit saan mang dako ng mundo – sa pamamagitan ng tawag o live video, kahit anong oras o araw.

May mga indinisenyo kaming mga special promo upang matamasa ang ganda sa paggamit ng high-speed data sa mababang halaga.

 

1. Mamili sa aming mga serbisyong bilis-kidlat na abot kaya

Kung ikaw ay mag video call sa mga mahal sa buhay, nagbabahagi ng balita sa social media o nakikinig sa iyong paboritong musika, may bilis-kidlat na koneksiyon ang Kabayan sa halagang $108 lamang

 

Option 1 – 5G Service

Unli ang local data: Ang unang 30GB ay sa bilis ng 5G, pagkatapos ay 2Mbps.

500MB na Shared Roaming Data, kaya hindi na kailangang magdagdag-bayad upang manatiling online kapag ikaw ay mapunta sa Mainland China at Macau.

PLUS:

·       300 Minutong lokal na tawag upang laging naka-konekta sa mga kaibigan at employer.

·       10 Minutong International Direct Dial upang makatawag sa iyong pamilya  nang walang takot sa gastos.

 

Option 2 – 4.5G Plan

Unli Local Data: Unang 50GB sa hanggang 100Mbps, pagkatapos ay 60Mbps

PLUS:

·       1,000 Minutong lokal na tawag upang makapag-telebabad nang walang tigil sa mga kaibigan at pamilya

·       500MB na Shared Roaming Data, kaya hindi na kailangang magdagdag-bayad upang manatiling online kapag ikaw ay nasa Mainland China at Macau.

 

Plus, ang aming Flash Offer: Kapag ikaw ay gumamit ng Kabayan high-speed, pwede kang pumili ng isang libreng gamit na panlabas (water bottle o tent), na nagkakahalaga ng $200!

 

2. Ilipat ang iyong kasalukuyang numero sa Kabayan at magkaroon ng Bonus na $188

Lumipat lang sa Kabayan sa halagang $38 at ito ang mapapa sa iyo:

·       $38 Stored Value: Pwede mong gamitin kahit paano

·       Libreng $88 Unlimited Data Package: Para sa unang buwan upang tulungan kang magsimula

·       Buwanang Bonus: Tatanggap ka ng $20 bonus buwan-buwan mula sa ikalawa hanggang ika-anim na buwan (na ang kabuuan ay $100)

 

3. Tatanggap ka pa rin ng Bonus sa bawa’t reload

May 10% extra load ka sa bawat reload! Pwede kang mag-reload kahit kailan at kahit saan, dahil pwedeng gamiting pambayad sa Kabayan ang Alipay, WeChat Pay, Octopus, PayMe, credit card, at voucher! Dahil available ito 24/7, makasisigurong ikaw ay laging konektado, lalo na sa oras na kailangang kailangan.

 

4. Nakalulugod na premyo para sa iyo

Kapag nag-shopping sa Kabayan Store mula December 15, 2024 hanggang January 5, 2025, may tsansa kang manalo ng mga premyo na gaya ng mobile phone, bagong $108 4.5G card, and 10,000mAh power bank. Ito ay magandang panimula sa Bagong Taon!

Sumali sa Pamilyang Kabayan ngayon at mag-enjoy ng walang paltos na kuneksyon sa iyong mga mahal sa buhay, kahit saan sila naroon – sa mas mababang halaga!

 

Shop Adress: 

Shop 355 on 3rd Floor World Wide House (World-wide Plaza) No.19 Des Voeux Road Central Hong Kong

Hotline: 22117799.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmhkkabayan  

10th support centre for ethnic minorities opens in Shatin

 

Special guests led by Secretary Mak are welcomed to IDEA Centre

A new support service centre for ethnic minorities officially opened on Thursday in Shatin

Officiating at the opening of the IDEA Centre was Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak, who said that the government strives to support and empower ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

IDEA Centre is the tenth support centre for EMs funded by the government. Earlier this month, the DREAM Centre opened in Kowloon City, becoming the ninth such facility to officially start operating.

They were the two new support centres announced by Chief Executive John Lee in his Policy Address last year, as part of the government’s intensified effort to integrate non-locals into Hong Kong society.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

In this year’s Policy Address, the Chief Executive said the government will invite one more support service centre to provide interpretation and translation services to ethnic minorities, to help alleviate the inconvenience they face in overcoming language barriers.

Currently, this service is already provided by the existing Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER Centre) in Kwun Tong.

The 11^th centre is slated to start operating next year.

PINDUTIN DITO

Other guests at the opening of the IDEA Centre included the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Shirley Lam, Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs  Clarence Leung; Director of Home Affairs  Alice Cheung;   President of Hong Kong Community Network (HKCN), Suen Kwok-lam; and the Chief Executive of HKCN, Fan Kwok-fai.

 The 10 centres providing support for EMs are located in Wan Chai, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Tung Chung, Kwai Tsing, Kowloon City and Sha Tin.

IDEA Centre, operated by HKCN, is located at Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Belair Gardens Shopping Arcade, 52 Tai Chung Kiu Road, Sha Tin. T

Young kids took part in the lion dance at the opening for good luck

The centre provides a wide range of support services for EMs, including language and interest classes, integration lessons, as well as counselling and referral services.

It will also assist ethnic minorities in accessing public services, including the provision of workstations for accessing the Internet and distribution of multilingual service guidebooks and leaflets on services provided by the Government and non-profit-making organisations.

Basahin ang detalye!

The new centre is open every day except public holidays, from 9am to 9pm. For additional information about its services, call IDEA Centre’s hotline at 3101 5959.

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Drug rehab, 4 months’ jail for 2 shoplifters

 

The store where shoplifters operated (Google Maps photo)

A Filipino couple who earlier confessed to shoplifting chocolates five times, were given contrasting penalties at the Eastern Court today.

Zachary Eagle, 28 years old and a permanent resident, was sent to the Drug Addiction Treatment Center with a record of conviction, while Loida Figueroa, 49, who uses a recognizance form as identification document, was jailed for four months.

Principal Magistrate Don So handed down the sentence after hearing a drug possession case against Eagle, together with the theft case against him and Figueroa, who was sentenced to four months for each of the four thefts she confessed to, which will run concurrently.

Basahin ang detalye!

The drug possession case arose after Eagle was arrested inside the accessible toilet of the Fortress Hill MTR station on King’s Road, North Point, last Sept. 22. Found on him was a plastic bag containing a 0.72 gram ketamine tablet.

The first theft charge, on the other hand, was related to Figueroa's act of stealing three boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, each containing 36 pieces , from the Wellcome supermarket at the basement of Metropole Bldg., on King’s Road, North Point, last Nov. 8. She was with a female, Virginia Nasayao, who was not charged.

The second theft charge involved Eagle and Figueroa stealing five boxes of the same brand of chocolates – three containing 36 pieces and and two containing 24 -- from the same store on Nov. 10.

On the same day, the two returned to the store and stole four boxes of of the same chocolates (36 pieces).

Eagle returned to the same store on Nov. 25, and stole another four 36-piece boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

The fifth charge involved Figueroa stealing two boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (36 pieces).

The prosecutor said Eagle has had three previous similar criminal convictions while Figueroa has nine.

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Immigration vows to speed up removal of failed asylum seekers

 

11 women were among those sent back to Vietnam

The Immigration Department has reiterated its commitment to promptly remove all foreigners who fail to substantiate their bid for non-refoulement,  as they repatriated a total of 18 Vietnamese illegal immigrants and overstayers on Tuesday, Dec.18.

The persons removed comprised seven men and 11 women, all of whom had failed in their bid to prove they had valid grounds to oppose refoulement, or of  being sent back home.

Among them were discharged prisoners who had committed criminal offences and had been imprisoned.

Basahin ang detalye!

In a statement announcing the repatriation, Immigration said it remained committed to promptly remove all unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants from Hong Kong “to maintain effective immigration control and safeguard the public interest.”

The Department reminded the public that under the updated removal policy which took effect on Dec 27, 2022, it has been generally granted power to proceed with the removal of a claimant whose judicial review case has been dismissed by the Court of First Instance.

Immigration said it intends to speed up the removal of illegal immigrants and overstayers from Hong Kong “as soon as practicable according to the actual situation through appropriate measures as necessary.”

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$6,000 SUPERMARKET COUPONS PA-RAFFLE MULI NG SMARTONE!

 

Nagbabalik ngayong Pasko at Bagong Taon ang Spoints Lucky Draw ng Barkadahan.

Madali lang sumali! Dapat ikaw muna ay isang Barkadahan sa SmarTone user at may My SIM Account SIM app. Sa app, may rewards o mga points mula sa SmarTone. Kapag may 20 Spoints ka, pwede kang maka redeem ng 1 raffle E-TICKET na may $5 e-Top Up coupons.

Hanapin lang ang photo ng Xmas at New Year Lucky Draw sa Spoints at i-press ito. Hanggang 5 entries pwede mo i-redeem para mas malaki chance manalo.

Ang Grand Prize ay $3,000. 2nd Prize ay $2,000 at 3rd Prize ay $1,000.

Pag nabunot ka, dadalhin ka ng SmarTone sa YATA Supermarket at mamimili ka na. Grocery Mo, Sagot Ng SmarTone!

Paano ba magka-Spoints? Sa Barkadahan sa SmarTone, kada $1 spending mo, may katumbas na 1 SPoint. Ang mga SPoint ay may katumbas naman na regalo. Para maka-redeem nito, dapat mong malaman muna ilan ang Spoints mo. Heto lang yan.

 

(1)         Open “My SIM Account”, tap “SPoints”, “SmarTone Point”, "Redeem Ng Regalo" at i-select 2024 Xmas & New Year Lucky Draw. I-press “Buy”, i-press ang “+” hanggang 5 beses para mas madami chance manalo.

 

(2)         I-press Next, Tick Box at Confirm Purchase.

(3)         Lalabas ang “Thank you for your purchase.” Hintayin mo na lang na kontakin ka ng SmarTone kung ikaw ang panalo.

 

Ang last day para mag redeem ng e-ticket ay sa Jan 19, 2025. Ang bola naman ay sa Jan 22, 2025.

Kung wala ka pang “My SIM Account” App, i-press mo lang https://wap.smartone.com/bssapp/ gamit iyong Barkadahan sa SmarTone na SIM. Para naman malaman mga latest promos o offers, i-press https://www.smartone.com/hk/BSS/OnlineNews/AL Para naman sa iba pang serbisyo ng SmarTone, i-press  \https://www.smartone.com/hk/BSS/OnlineNews

Mas bongga talaga sa Barkadahan, pramis!

Kung may tanong, pwede kayong mag Whatsapp Hotline, press https://www.smartone.com/hk/BSSWhatsAppCS Kaya kung hindi ka pa Barkadahan, mag Barkadahan na, now na!

Barkadahan sa SmarTone 
For the OFW, with the OFW! 

 

Filipina fails in bid to overturn drug trafficking conviction

 

High Court, where the Court of Appeal hearing was held

The Court of Appeal today rejected an appeal against the conviction of a Filipina and a Nigerian, who had been sentenced to 25 and 26 years in prison for receiving a parcel that contained 2,971 grams of Ice and 418 grams of ketamine.

“I am not here to retry the case,” Justice of Appeal Kevin Zervos told former domestic helper Alma Montano and her co-appelant Nwokeji Ifeanyi Canis, who were convicted unanimously on June 30, 2023 by a jury before Deputy High Court Judge D Yau. “I didn’t hear the evidence like the jury did.”

In his decision issued after a break in the hearing, however, Justice Zervos discussed the facts presented to the court.

Basahin ang detalye!

He noted, for example, that the case revolved around whether the two had known about the drugs inside the parcel that had been intercepted by Customs officers in a delivery company’s logistics center.

Posing as delivery men, they arrested Montano after she received the parcel at her former employer’s address. Nwokeji, an asylum seeker, was arrested after he received the parcel from Montano, who by then was cooperating with the officers in a controlled delivery.

Justice Zervos said: “At trial, the sole issue in respect of both counts was whether the 1^st and 2^nd applicants had knowledge of the dangerous drug in the parcel…. The prosecution’s case was that, based on all circumstantial evidence, the irresistible inference was that both of them knew of the drugs in the parcel.”

A Whatsapp chat between the two, which was found in both their mobile phones, suggests that “they were more than casual acquaintances, the delivery of the parcel was well-planned and the shipment was referred to as ‘our shipment,’” he said.

He rejected their grounds of appeal, such as Montano’s complaint that it took two days for the jury to deliberate on her guilt, which he said was not unusual in the judicial process.

She claimed she was a victim of a drug operation involving “a football gang”, citing two letters from Father John Wotherspoon who said cases against a number of women from Indonesia and the Philippines had been dismissed because they were used by a group of Nigerian men to traffic in dangerous drugs. 

But Justice Zervos noted that the letters did not give enough information about these cases, such as their case numbers.

He also rejected Nwokeji’s claim that the parcel was not addressed to him, and did not have his fingerprints or DNA. The judge said it was never the prosecution's case that the second appellant had directly received the parcel containing the drugs.

What was not in dispute, according to the judge, was that Nwokeji (i) took possession of the parcel containing the drugs with a street value of $1.8 million on a public street from the 1^st applicant; (ii) the drug traffickers would not have entrusted such a valuable quantity of drugs to a stranger for delivery; (iii) the 2^nd applicant was apprehended holding an unlocked telephone that contained drug importation and trafficking messages with 1k imo (the intended recipient) when he picked up the parcel; (iv) the 1^st applicant identified the 2^nd applicant as Baby Loves, who instructed her to receive the parcel containing the drugs; (v) the 2^nd applicant’s call records and messages corresponded with those on the 1^st applicant’s mobile telephone and related events."

Judge Zervos said the applicants are entitled by law to renew their appeal, but they should be reminded that should they lose their bid for the second time, the Court may issue a direction for any loss of time spent in custody pending their appeals.

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Beware of phishing scams on Carousell

 

Carousell joins hands with police in warning against online shopping scams

Police have warned people who use the popular trading platform Carousell against clicking on supposed payment links, as this could lead to their bank accounts being hacked.

The warning issued Tuesday came as the police reported 644 cases of people being defrauded of a total of $36 million in the first 10 months of the year, after they clinked on a link supplied by bogus buyers on Carousell.

But this number represents just a small fraction of the total number of technology crimes recorded in the same period.

Basahin ang detalye!

According to the authorities, 28,000 such scams have been reported so far, a 23.7 percent increase over the same period last year.

Of these, a third involved online shopping, where the total losses amounted to a total of $332 million, more than double than in the previous year.

In the case of Carousell, the number of scams rose ironically, after the online selling platform introduced a new system in August to prevent fraud. Under this set-up, a seller receives payment only after the buyer has confirmed receipt of the goods.

But scammers found a way to exploit the new system from the get-go, resulting in 330 cases of fraud being reported between August and October, involving losses amounting to $25 million.

According to the police, scammers would pose as buyers and offer to pay for the items through the new system, but would then ask the seller to provide an email address.

After the seller provided an email address, the supposed buyer passed on a phishing link, which when clicked, led to a website that asked for details of the seller’s online banking account, supposedly for payment.

The fraudsters posing as buyers would then drain the victims’ accounts.

In one case, the losses involved amounted to $900,000.

Carousell chief of staff Tan Su-lin said users are not supposed to provide their email address when using the payment service, and should definitely not click on links or scan QR codes from unknown senders, or provide sensitive personal information over email or chat.

“In today's day and age, it's really a very risky behaviour to click on any links that you receive, whether it's via e-mail, or through your WhatsApp,” she said.

Chief Inspector Felton Leung said buyers eager to snap a bargain on the platform are also victimized, as in the case of people who are desperate to get hold of concert tickets on the black market.

“The scammers … play mind games with the victims. They knew that the victims want [the product] so much and it's so hard to get in any other places, so they will put on some time frame or time constraint on the victims. If they don't settle the deal as soon as possible, they will not get the tickets”, he explained.

Leung advised buyers to transact only with reputable sellers, and to opt for face-to-face transaction whenever possible.

Police said similar scams had been reported in Singapore and Malaysia, so they will investigate whether these are linked to those in Hong Kong, and whether they were the work of the same syndicate.

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