The SUN HK : Another ‘lost’ Filipina being sought by relatives

Photo taken last month shows Margarita loitering in Chung King Mansions in TST

The family of a Filipina recognizance paper holder is asking for help in locating her, after photos emerged of her scavenging, and apparently not of sound mind.

According to a daughter of Margarita G. who was last seen wandering around Tsim Sha Tsui on Nov. 12, barefoot and looking emaciated, her mother stopped communicating with them after being released from jail for overstaying in 2019.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Last she heard, the daughter, Carol, said her mother had been evicted from her shared flat in Harilela Mansion on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui in October.

“Baka po may nakakita sa mama ko na pagala-gala sa Hong Kong,” said Carol. “Namumulot daw ng basura kung saan-saan…Kahit tissue na gamit daw po pupulutin pa nya at sasabihin daw niya na pwede pa po.”

Pindutin para sa detalye

(Someone might have seen my mother wandering around Hong Kong. She reportedly picks up trash everywhere. She picks up even used tissue paper, saying they could still be reused).

Carol said her mother, who is now 44 years old, separated from her father when she was still very little, and had been the sole breadwinner for her and her older brother.

I-CLICK DITO!

Margarita first came to Hong Kong in 2009 and had been going home every two years until her contract was terminated and she decided to overstay.

She was arrested and jailed in 2018 and was released the next year, during which she decided to file a claim against non-refoulement, or against being sent back to the Philippines. She stopped communicating with her children after that.

DETALYE

For some reason she was not clear about, Carol said her mother became depressed afterwards, leading to her current mental state.

Photo of a comely Margarita taken before her apparent mental breakdown

Carol said she and her brother had reached out to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in the Philippines for help in getting their mother repatriated, but they have yet to get an update on their appeal.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The only information they have received since losing touch with her came from the Pakistani friend of a friend of their mother, who also sent them her photo taken last Nov. 12.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Carol is begging anyone who has spotted her mother to report immediately to the police and communicate with OWWA in Hong Kong, as they have also been alerted about her case. She said she just wants her mother brought home to safety to their hometown of Santiago, Isabela.

OWWA HK’s hotline is 6345 9324.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Alternatively, people who know Margarita’s whereabouts can message us here at The SUN and we will forward the information to the Consulate and to Carol.