'Live-Out' FDH Charged for Trying to Stop Her Arrest
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Page 21 Page 10 Page 13 TRUE LOVE? Showbiz SUSPENDED. The personality Mahal Philippine Overseas marries her 25-year- Labor Office suspends old boyfriend Jobbie 12 Hong Kong Hebrio in civil rites in employment agencies Quezon City. for OEC fraud. SUCCESS. Kata CEO and founder David Chen shares his inspiration and journey in leading a global brand which offers products known for “making life easy.” The No.1 Filipino Newspaper Vol.VI No.337 November 15, 2015 Nanay Gloria is returning to HK By Maia Lopez and Bing Jabadan WELCOME back. Domestic worker Gloria Ortinez is set to return to Hong Kong to talk to her em- ployer and retain her job after the Depart- ment of Justice (DOJ) dismissed the case against her. Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, said Ortinez will fly back to Hong Kong on November 14 after the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case of illegal possession of ammuni- tion filed against her. Ople will accompany Ortinez together with her lawyer, Spocky Farolan, and La- bor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III “Nanay Gloria is so traumatized to enter the airport again. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz gave instructions to her undersecretary to assist us until Hong Kong,” Ople told Hong Kong News. “Regaining her job is a vital step to- wards her recovery from the trauma caused by the ‘tanim-bala’ syndicate,” she added. PROTEST. Overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong hold a protest action in Central on November 1, All Saints’ Day, to condemn the arrest of Turn to page 12 domestic worker Gloria Ortinez, an alleged victim of the “tanim-bala” scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (Cheryl M. Arcibal) Employer of ‘live-out’ FDH charged for trying to stop her arrest By Philip C. Tubeza charge of obstructing members of the Mary Rose was charged earlier with Rose was going to use it to challenge the after getting a tip that a foreign domestic Immigration service who arrested his do- making false representation to an Immi- constitutionality of the Hong Kong regu- worker was living there. A Canadian professor is in hot water after mestic worker, Filipino Mary Rose A. gration officer but the government decid- lation requiring foreign domestic workers “We arrived at 6:23 a.m. and I knocked he allegedly tried to stop Immigration of- “He ignored my warnings. He tried to ed not to pursue the case after it was re- to live in the residence of their employers. on the door. I heard a female voice say, ficers from arresting his “live-out” Filipi- pull away Mary Rose towards the direc- vealed in court that Immigration officers The incident allegedly happened at `Who is it?’” Ho said. no domestic worker in Ma Wan. tion of Park Island,” an immigration of- interrogated her although she was sick. around 7 a.m. on January 28 at Tin Yu “I replied, ‘This is an immigration of- Joseph James Unrau pleaded not guilty ficer surnamed Ho told the court on Oc- They only relented when she started New Village in Ma Wan. at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts to the tober 30. vomiting. If her case had proceeded, Mary Ho and his team went to a village house Turn to page 12 PUBLISHED BY HK PUBLICATIONS LTD. TEL: 2851 1766 WEBSITE : WWW.HONGKONGNEWS.COM.HK 2 NEWS November 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS PCG tells OFWs to file complaint vs Emgoldex By Cheryl M. Arcibal Code (SRC). SEC’s March 3 advisory said that “the Guzman-Quintin said three persons public is...warned that all other purported THE Philippine Consulate General has came to the PCG two weeks ago to com- public advisories regarding Emgoldex that urged Filipinos who fell prey to invest- plain about the investment scam and were ostensibly carry the name of SEC or any ment scams involving Emgoldex and two told to make the complaint formal by sub- of its officials are unauthorized, fictitious other companies to file their formal com- mitting a complaint affidavit. and fabricated, especially if these are not plaints. “Hindi pa sila bumabalik, but what we found or posted in sec.gov.ph.” “In case they will approach the consu- can do is we can take their affidavit, and It also reiterated that Emgoldex Philip- late, they will be helped in filing the af- then notarize it here,” she said. pines “is not a registered corporation or fidavit and we will forward it to the SEC In February, then SEC Commission partnership in the Philippines...[and] is (Securities and Exchange Commission) Secretary Gerard Lukban said the regu- not also licensed or authorized to solicit thru the DFA (Department of Foreign lator has coordinated with the National investments from the public in the Philip- Affairs),” said Vice Consul Fatima Guz- Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine pines.” man-Quintin. National Police regarding the activities According to previous Facebook posts, The SEC has sued Emgoldex, and its Emgoldex. investing in Emgoldex Philippines “Pinoy related entities Global Intergold, and In March the SEC issued another warn- Style Patak Patak” will earn profits of Prosperous Infinite Philippines Holdings ing against Emgoldex following a “ficti- P5,000 to P10,000 for a mere P1,000 in- Corp. for allegedly selling unregistered tious” advisory supposedly clearing the vestment. A placement of P35,000 will securities to the public without a license, investment activities of Emgoldex Phil- have an interest of between P180,000 and or violating the Securities and Regulation ippines. P360,000. DOLE accepts MR on Roldan case By Maia Lopez Roldan liable only for “simple miscon- on August 7. duct” during his tour of duty here in Hong Panares said CSPEM, which filed the THE Department of Labor and Employ- Kong, DOLE sources said. complaint against Roldan, was waiting ment (DOLE) has received a motion for Adrielle Panares, a CSPEM leader, had for the DOLE to invite its members so reconsideration on Labor Secretary Ro- questioned Baldoz as to why she made a that they could present their evidence. salinda Baldoz’s decision about former ruling even when the coalition had yet to The group accused Roldan of abusing Labor Attaché Manuel Roldan. formally present their evidence. his authority and other offenses during The DOLE accepted the letter sent “Bakit naman ho kayo nagdesisyon na his stint here in Hong Kong. One accusa- by the Coalition of Service Providers ang complainant ninyo hindi niyo tina- tion was Roldan’s alleged approval of the for Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong nong?” Panares pointedly asked Baldoz accreditation of an employment agency (CSPEM) as a formal motion of reconsid- during a tense Filipino community meet- owned by the daughter of his staff mem- eration on Baldoz’s ruling which found ing at the Philippine Consulate General ber. Roldan denied the charges. ‘Drug mules could be victims too’ THE High Court has issued a landmark ruling which freed six elderly drug mules from Australia, Europe, and the United States. High Court Judge Kevin Zervos ordered the release of the drug mules after the prosecution offered no evidence against them. In his ruling, Zervos said the illegal drug trade “does not simply rest on drug mules” who “maybe victims too.” He also faulted the prosecution for taking too long before deciding not to pursue the case. “Never have the words been truer than now, that justice delayed is justice de- nied,” the judge said. “The decision to terminate these cas- es…has taken far too long,” he added. The defendants were arrested last year while they were about to exit Hong Kong for Australia and New Zealand with 1.6 kilos to 4 kilos of ice or methamphetamine hydrochloride. Observers noted that the ruling might offer hope to Filipino drug mules jailed in Hong Kong. HONG KONG NEWS November 15, 2015 3 4 November 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS HONG KONG NEWS November 15, 2015 5 6 NEWS November 15, 2015 HONG KONG NEWS Illegal fees from FDHs could reach HK$700 M By Cheryl Arcibal paying for education and building all these things,” said Stiles during a talk with Fil- ANNUAL illegal fees collected from mi- ipino domestic workers on October 4 at grant domestic workers in Hong Kong Enrich’s office in Sheung Wan. could amount to at least US$100 million Rice, who is leading the seminar as or HK$700 million. part of the knowledge transfer project of James Rice, assistant professor at the Lingnan University, said that the estimate Department of Philosophy of Lingnan is based on HK$15,000 that Filipino do- University; and Scott Stiles, general man- mestic workers usually pay agencies for ager of the Fair Employment Agency placement fees, while Indonesians are (FEA), both came up with the estimate usually charged higher fees. The Enrich forum based on the amount of illegal fees col- “To me it’s quite shocking because that lected by shouldn’t be the case. It’s illegal, the bulk having a massive tax fraud in their hands. employment agencies from Filipino and of this money is ill-gotten gains. My ques- My question is why does the Hong Kong Indonesian domestic helpers and the num- tion is, one of the questions that I asked is government does not enforce its own tax ber of contracts that these agencies pro- do these employment agencies pay tax? If law,” Rice said in an interview. cess yearly. they do pay tax, then the Hong Kong gov- The Philippines has a policy of zero “Our guess is HK$700 million. We ernment must know that they’re cheating placement fee, while Hong Kong allows heard that 50 percent of that money should these domestic helpers.