Filipina resident jailed for 3 years lent HKID so overstayer could work

The offences were uncovered during an anti-illegal work operation by Immigration officers

An operation carried out by Immigration officers last year when a number of overstaying foreign domestic helpers were found to be working illegally as cleaners, uncovered a series of offenses committed by a Filipina resident who was ordered jailed for 36 months last Monday.

The Filipina, Leila W. Fonte, 56, pleaded guilty to eight offenses when she appeared in Shatin court, including allowing her HKID card to be used by a former domestic helper who was among those rounded up in the crackdown.

Fonte also induced a Filipino male resident to lend his HKID card and identity to Mohamed Shah, an asylum seeker, so he could get a job. Fonte later married and secured a dependant visa for Shah using fake bank documents. .

TAWAG NA!

Shah and the former FDH caught doing illegal work named as Melyn Ibon, both pleaded guilty earlier to using other people’s identity cards and were sentenced to 15 months in jail respectively.

According to an Immigration statement released Tuesday, Fonte pleaded guilty to other offenses, including money laundering for allowing money earned illegally by Ibon to be deposited into her account, and making false representation to Immigration officers.

In mitigation, Fonte’s lawyer said the accused was a former domestic helper who married a local and got divorced years later. She worked as a cleaner, earning $14,000 a month while fighting stage 3 cervical cancer.

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In 2016, she lent her HKID card to Ibon, who then used it to secure a job in a restaurant. Fonte repeated this offense in September 2021, and in January 2022.

Between July 2018 and September 2021, Ibon was paid a total of $596,611.40, which went into Fonte’s HSBC account. Ibon paid Fonte $2,500 monthly for the favour.

Fonte then used the fake bank statements to support her application for a dependant visa for Shah, which was approved.

In addition, Fonte allowed Ibon to secure a loan at United Asia Finance Ltd. for $10,103 using her HKID card. Both women were charged with conspiracy to defraud as a result

In July 2020 Fonte borrowed the HKID card of Filipino male resident Ricardo de Austria, 54, and passed it on to Shah, then an asylum seeker, who used it to get a job at a restaurant.

Out of this deception, Shah earned a total of $414,791.33 in salaries from Aug 6, 2020 to Sept 7, 2020, which were all paid into Austria’s Hang Seng Bank account.

This resulted in a charge of conspiracy to deal in proceeds of a crime or money laundering, to which both Shah and Fonte pleaded guilty.

De Austria, on the other hand, is out on $1,000 bail for the same charge, and is scheduled to appear in court on May 14.

On Feb. 11, 2020, Fonte lied to an Immigration officer by saying that she worked in a restaurant named Hutong, even if it was Ibon who was actually working there, giving rise to the eighth and final charge.

In its statement, Immigration warned that it is illegal for anyone to transfer an identity card to another, and for that person to possess or use the same document. Violators face a maximum penalty of $100,000 in fine and 10 years imprisonment.

Making false representation to an Immigration officer is a more serious offence, and is punishable by up to $150,000 in fine and imprisonment for 14 years.

The same maximum jail term of 14 years is prescribed under the Crimes Ordinance for anyone found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

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Lalyn’s journey of empowerment

 

MFMW volunteers at work: Lalyn has taken comfort in being one of them  

(This article chronicles the life of a Filipina domestic worker from the time she was sacked after being accused of child abuse and theft, and provided help by the Mission for Migrant Workers. Through her volunteer work with the MFMW, Lalyn has learned to provide help to others, while realizing that she is not alone in her struggles).

Lalyn, a Filipino domestic worker from Cebu, has been working in Hong Kong since 2022.

Here, she found herself in a challenging situation after being unexpectedly let go by her employer and accused of child abuse and theft. Lalyn's world turned upside down.

She spent one night in detention and had to post bail to be released. It was a painful process. She didn’t know what she should do next. But with the help of the Mission For Migrant Workers and the Bethune House Women Migrants Refuge, Lalyn found the support and guidance she needed to navigate through her difficult circumstances. She was provided with paralegal assistance and taught how to handle challenging situations that migrant workers often face.

TAWAG NA!

“My situation was tough: I had no work and I had three kids in the Philippines that I couldn’t support. I was discouraged that someone made such an accusation against me”, Lalyn said.

However, despite the hardships she faced, Lalyn refused to give up. Feeling empowered by the support she received, Lalyn decided to join a team called "Movers" that supported co-migrants through training and hands-on experience. Lalyn learned how to assist other migrant workers in need, from filling out forms to providing emotional support.

“I now know how to handle people who come seeking help. What to do if someone’s contract is being terminated on the spot? What should I say to calm someone down when they are in a very difficult situation? I also learnt to show my care. Are you hungry? Do you want water or coffee? I asked those who came for help,” said Lalyn.

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Despite the setbacks and uncertainties in her case, Lalyn remained resilient and hopeful for a fresh start in Hong Kong. She found strength in the stories of other migrant workers she met along the way, realizing that she was not alone in her struggles.“Every time I saw a police or immigration officer before I felt scared of them but now not anymore. I know what to do now and I appreciate the opportunities to help others with my experiences.”

Through her journey of hardship and empowerment, Lalyn transformed her fear into courage and her despair into determination. She learned to face challenges head-on and to advocate for her rights and the rights of others in similar situations.

As Lalyn continues to wait for a resolution in her case, she remains hopeful and determined to rebuild her life in Hong Kong. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, community support, and the unwavering spirit of those who refuse to be silenced in the face of adversity.

(From MFMW Migrant Focus)

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DH acquitted of assaulting girl under her care

 

Kowloon City Court

A domestic helper accused of assaulting a four-year-old girl in her care, was acquitted yesterday at Kowloon City Court after the magistrate expressed doubts about the credibility of witnesses for both he prosecution and defense.

Deputy Magistrate Chow Sen-yee said the testimony last April 24 by Luz Umbao, 34 years old, did not tally with her statement to the police during the investigation that became the basis for the court case against her.

But she also doubted the credibility of the child, named X and the main prosecution witness, to convict Umbao for “assault by those in charge of child or young person”, in violation of the Offenses against the Person Ordinance.

TAWAG NA!

The child testified through video link that it was her nails that caused the four scratchers on her face. Her mother, who testified in court, also said the girl told her the same thing at dinner on the day the suspected assault happened.

Another injury that remained unexplained fully by the prosecution were the bruises on the girl’s right arm.

With the prosecution unable to prove Umbao’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, Magistrate Chow acquitted her.

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The case arose after the mother of X found four scratches on her face and bruises on her right arm as they were having dinner on Sept. 19, 2023. The mother called police and Umbao was arrested.

In her own testimony, Umbao said she did not immediately notice the girl’s injuries that day as they were rushing out of her employer’s house in Ma Tau Wai Road in Hung Hom, to fetch the older sister from school.

Umbao told the court it was the older sister who first noticed the scratches.

Earlier, Umbao said X had a tantrum after being woken up so she and Umbao could fetch her elder sister, crying and resisted efforts to dress her up.

Umbao’s lawyer raised the possibility that the girl may have gotten the injuries accidentally.

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HK prepares for tourist arrivals over Labour Day Golden Week

 

Customs officials direct passenger traffic arrangements at the Lo Wu crossing 

Hong Kong Customs has drawn up a series of measures to prepare for the arrival of tourists from the Mainland as the Labour Day Golden Week across the border starts today, May 1.

According to official arrangements, Chinese workers will start a five-day break from today, although this is the only the actual holiday during this period. May 2 and 3 are compensation days for working on April 28, a Sunday, and on May 11, a Saturday. May 4 and 5 is a weekend.

Customs Commissioner Louise Ho inspected operations at the Lo Wu Control Point and the Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point, and met frontline staff there yesterday to direct the arrangements at the control points for the long holiday.

Ho said there will a flexible deployment of staff to ensure smooth operations and speed up passenger clearance at each control point.

TAWAG NA!

Customs has also stepped up patrols at popular shopping spots in various districts and distributed pamphlets at land boundary control points and popular shopping spots to ensure that the rights of customers are protected.

Ahead of the five-day holiday, Customs also produced promotional videos  shared on social media platforms on the mainland, to warn customers about common unfair trade practices in Hong Kong. Mainland tourists were particularly reminded to pay attention to import and export requirements as well as items that are prohibited and controlled.

Among the targeted places for the information drive are shops selling dried seafood and ginseng medicine and jewelry in such tourist hubs as Yau Tsim Mong  and Causeway Bay. Retail shops and workers in the tourist industry are also reminded not to violate the Trade and Description Ordinance (TDO).

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Tourists are also advised to check on product specifications and make comparisons before buying. They  should only patronize reputable shops, and carefully check the listed prices for the goods before paying.

Customs has also set up a Quick Response Team in response to the expected rise in the number of cases of unfair trade practices committed against Mainland tourists by local shops .

Under the TDO, any seller who adopts unfair trade practices, including making false trade descriptions in relation to goods, misleading omissions, aggressive commercial practices as well as bait and switch practices, commits an offence. The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

The public is encouraged to report suspected violations of the TDO to the Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002). 

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Pinay cancer patient gets 36 months in jail for 8 offenses

 

Shatin court

Financial hardship drove a Filipina cancer patient to hatch a web of eight offenses -- aimed at squeezing money out of her and a friend’s permanent resident documents – to which she pleaded guilty and would keep her in prison for the next 36 months.

According to her duty lawyer, Leila W. Fonte, 56 years old, was a former domestic helper who married a local and got divorced years later, leaving her barely able to support her family in both Hong Kong and the Philippines while working as a cleaner for $14,000 monthly and fighting Stage 3 cervical cancer .

Fonte pleaded guilty to each of the eight charges after they were read to her yesterday (April 29) before Magistrate Gary Chu at Shatin Court.

Addressing her, Magistrate Chu said: “You have to understand that the charges are serious.”

TAWAG NA!

Her co-defendant in the case, friend and fellow Filipino Ricardo de Austria, 54, is out on $1,000 bail for one of the charges and was scheduled to appear on May 14.

After a one-third discount for her guilty charge, Chu sentenced her to 15 months for the first charge – violating the Crimes Ordinance and the Registration of Persons Ordinance.

The case arose after Fonte borrowed the Hong Kong ID card of de Austria, who is also a permanent resident, and having it used in July 2020 by her boyfriend, asylum-seeker Mohammed Shah, to get a job at a restaurant. Before that, her lawyer said, Shah depended on her financially.

For the second to eighth charges, Chu sentenced Fonte to 12 months in prison but discounted by one-third to eight months. Citing the totality principle, he added to the first charge only three from each of these eight months, for a total of 21 months.

PINDUTIN DITO

Shah’s employment resulted in the second charge against Fonte and de Austria -- dealing in proceeds of a crime, otherwise known as money laundering-- because his salaries from Aug 6, 2020 to Sept. 7 , 2022 which totaled $414,791.33 were paid into de Austria’s account at Hang Seng Bank.

The third charge arose from Fonte allowing another friend, domestic helper Melyn Ibon, to use her HKID in 2016, contrary to the Registration of Persons Ordinance.

Fonte repeated this offense in September 2021, resulting in the fourth charge.

She committed the same offense for the third time in January 2022, for the fifth charge.

Between July 2018 and September 2021, Ibon used Fonte’s HKID card to be able to work in a restaurant and earn $596,611.40, which went into Fonte’s HSBC account, which in turn resulted in the sixth charge. In return, Ibon paid Fonte $2,500 monthly.

Between June and August 2018, Ibon applied for a loan at United Asia Finance Ltd. again using Fonte’s HKID, and received $10,103. This was the basis for the seventh charge of conspiracy to defraud.

On Feb. 11, 2020, Fonte lied to an Immigration officer by saying that she worked in a restaurant named Hutong, even if it was Ibon who was actually working there, giving rise to the eighth charge.

Fonte was seen wiping her eyes before she was led out of the court. 

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Splash opens registration for free swimming lessons

 

Happiness is completing a free swimming course with Splash

From today, April 30, adults may begin registering for the next Beginner Plus swimming class with Splash.

This class requires enrolees to have completed the Beginner programme, also with Splash. They will need to enter the same HKID card number they used to register for the Beginner programme

Classes will begin on Sunday, May 12.

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Adults who have yet to learn how to swim, on the other hand, may start registering for the Beginner class on Wednesday, May 1.

Successful registrants will start their class on the next Sunday, May 19.

Both programmes require students to complete 12 hours of lessons.

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All classes under these programmes are free of charge but require registration. All those who sign up are reminded to make sure they input their correct phone number, email address and ID details.

Also, they are reminded to check their schedules to make sure they can commit to finish the course.

For details and registration, go to https://www.splashfoundation.org/en/how-to-register

Email admin@splashfoundation.org if you have any questions

Splash is a foundation set up to provide swimming lessons to people in Hong Kong who don’t normally have access to, or the means, to learn how to  swim.

Among those who have benefited from this advocacy by the non-profit set up in 2015 are some 3,000 foreign domestic workers and 1,000 disadvantaged children.

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Filipina cleared of $160K theft charge

 

Kowloon City Courthouse

A Filipina domestic helper was acquitted today of a charge of theft after a trial at the Kowloon City Court.

May Sanchez, 42 years old, had denied stealing $160,000 worth of items from her employer at King’s Park Villa in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon over a six-year period, from 2016 to July 2022.

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The items consisted of two keys and 25 accessories, owned by her employer Chau Chun Kut.

The complaint, filed by police in 2023 and re-amended last March 3, had accused Sanchez of violation of Section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

PINDUTIN DITO

However, Magistrate Peter Yu ruled that the prosecution failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

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Plucky Indonesian recovers lost iPhone with help from friends & police

 

Police finally agreed to search the bus for the missing iPhone

How can one recover a lost, latest model iPhone? 

With a lot of determination and grit and a bit of luck, says this Indonesian woman who, against all odds, managed to track down her phone, then with help from the police, recovered it from an unrepentant minibus driver.

But that’s getting ahead with the story.

It all began on April 19 when Yanina Aprillia, a Hong Kong resident, realized her blue iPhone 15 was missing. She suspected she dropped it inside a minibus she took that day, but wasn’t sure. For days she used the “Find my iPhone” tracker but saw no sign of her phone  

TAWAG NA!

Then about a week later she suddenly saw the phone’s location via GPS pop up. She saw the phone moving steadily between Lam Tin and Jordan a couple of times before stopping at the same place. When she searched the map, she found the pinpointed location to be a bus stop.

Yanina lost no time in going to the location and asking the driver of the bus identified in the locator if he found her phone, but he said no.

“Because of my curiosity I went inside the bus to see if my phone location moved exactly like the bus or moved to somewhere else,” said Yanina.

PINDUTIN DITO

While seated behind the driver she saw that the phone’s location changed exactly in time with bus’ movement, from the time it left Jordan until it reached the end of the route in Lam Tin, and back.

As she said in her post in the Facebook group HK Moms, the tracker showed her to be in the same location as her phone the whole time.

Responding to suggestions that she call the police in, Yanina said she did exactly that twice. But each time she called 999 she was told to confront the driver herself.

She said she got the name of the bus driver from his driving licence but it did not help her at all as the police refused to investigate him.

The phone was found deeply buried in this container

Yanina went home that day feeling dejected.

Her apprehension grew when she saw the next day that the phone was no longer in the same places as before. Its location suddenly changed to Hong Kong island, starting with Exchange Square in Central. She thought that the bus driver had switched to driving taxis to elude her.

Luckily, some of her local friends got her connected to a WhatsApp group called Event and Leisure HK and the members there rallied to help her.

The very next day, one of her friends went in search of the bus and found it locked. Undeterred he called the police and managed to convince them to find the driver and get him to open the bus. 

It didn't take long before the police found the phone deeply hidden inside a container on the vehicle.

When questioned, the driver reportedly denied knowing anything about the phone at first, saying Yanina had already turned the bus upside down looking for it earlier, but did not see it anywhere.

But after the phone was found on his bus, he simply said another driver might have hidden it there.

Yanina was finally reunited with her phone

Though convinced that the driver had tried to take her phone away, Yanina said she decided not to press charges as she knew the investigation would take time and she did not want to be bothered by it anymore.

But she was all praises for the group that managed to get the police involved, leading to the recovery of her phone.

She was one of the few lucky ones who lost, but managed to find their phones back. Most other people who posted about their lost phones on social media said they never got them back, with many saying the last place where they managed to track them down was across the border, where presumably they would be dismantled and their parts sold by illicit traders.

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PHL and HK sign MoU to boost trade ties

 

Citem and HKTDC officials show the newly-signed MoU

Trade marketing representatives from the Philippines and Hong Kong signed a landmark pact on April 21 to strengthen economic activities and increase bilateral trade between the two places.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the Philippines’ Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem) deputy executive director Maria Lourdes D. Mediran and her counterpart from Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (HKTDC), Sophia Chong  

TAWAG NA!

Among those who witnessed the signing were Philippine Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan and Vice Consul and Commercial Attache Roberto Mabalot, Jr.

Philippine Consul General Usudan (2nd from left) was among those who witnessed the signing

Citem is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, whose Hong Kong arm, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Hong Kong (PTIC-HK) advocated for the MoU for almost three years.

Under the MoU, the Philippines and Hong Kong will pursue further cooperation in areas such as trade promotion, participation in events organized by Citem and HKTDC, and trade facilitation for businesses in both places.

 

PINDUTIN DITO

The Philippines has consistently ranked as the sixth biggest trading partner of Hong Kong, with the total merchandise trade between them amounting to US$10.85 billion last year.

A total of US$8.84billion worth of Philippine goods were exported to Hong Kong during this year, and the remaining US$2.01 billion was the amount of goods imported by the Philippines from the city.

For more information regarding the MoU between the CITEM and HKTDC, please feel free to contact the PTIC-HK at hongkong@dti.gov.ph. You may also follow the official Facebook page of the PTIC-HK at DTI Hong Kong.  

 

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Fireworks show to highlight Labour Day

File photo of an earlier fireworks display

Those who are off work on Labour Day, May 1, a statutory holiday, can look forward to a glittering night when Hong Kong stages a fireworks display off Tsim Sha Tsui to kick off a series of pyrotechnic events to attract tourists.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said the Labour Day show will begin at 8pm off the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, with a barge moored 180 meters offshore spewing glitter for 10 minutes. Its theme colour will be gold and will feature the initials “HK” and a smiley face.

The fireworks will be combined with the daily "Symphony of Lights" show of pulsing laser beams dancing in the sky, and music piped into sound systems in selected vantage points, to offer the public a multi-media spectacle.

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HKTB said the best vantage point to watch the show will be along Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, close to Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Other vantage points include:

• Wan Chai harborfront area, including the Water Sports and Recreation Precinct and HarbourChill
• Wan Chai Temporary Promenade, near the Golden Bauhinia Square
• East Coast Park Precinct, North Point (also known to Filipinos as Little Dubai because of the MTR vent at its tip that is shaped like the Burj Khalifa).

TAWAG NA!

For those who want more action earlier in the day, Sai Kung and the nearby Leung Shuen Wan (or High Island) will be having separate Tin Hau festivals celebrating the birth pf the goddess of the sea.

The Tin Hau Festival in Sai Kung will be held on April 27 to May 1 at Joss House Bay, a declared monument also known as ‘the Big Temple’. Festivities include rituals like inviting deities, scattering flowers and feeding water ghosts, HKTB said.

The High Island (Leung Shuen Wan) Tin Hau Festival, which happens to be on a “big festival” year, will be held from April 28 to May 2. It was listed in the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory in 2014.

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This festival will feature a Cantonese Opera for Appeasing the Gods. The rituals also consist of presenting memorials, opening the altar, offering meals to wandering ghosts, posting the name list of villagers, a sea parade and great offerings.

HOW? PRESS HERE!

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