Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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Mid-January 2015
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Hong Kong News
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A Filipino tourist who tried to get a lenient sentence for theft by claiming to have spent his
eight days in Hong Kong looking for a lost girlfriend has failed to impress a judge at the District Court.
Judge E. Yip said he did not believe the excuse given by Antonio N. Maceda, also known
as Roland A. Ramirez and Johnny E. Navales, who pleaded guilty to theft and breaching a
deportation order when he appeared in court on Jan. 7.
But the judge agreed to postpone the sentencing after being told during mitigation that
Maceda, a 50-year-old widower from Cebu, needed to be with his five-year-old son who was suffering
from cough and asthma.
Maceda was nabbed on Sept. 5 last year while trying to pick the wallet of a Hong Kong
man who had just withdrawn money from an ATM booth at Wan Chai MTR station.
The arresting officers found out that he was using a name different from those he carried
during two previous convictions, also for theft and immigration offenses.
The lawyer said his client, a father of four, was a driver in the Philippines who used to
earn about $2,000 a month but was now jobless and had to leave his children in the care of his
mother-in-law.
He said his wife died in 2007.
Maceda had two previous convictions. The first was in October 2011 for pickpocketing and
the second in March 2013 for the same offense and the breach of a deportation order.
"Whenever he was in Hong Kong, he committed theft. He didn't come here to enjoy the life
in Hong Kong, he committed theft" Yip commented.
"He's just a trifling offender, your honor, and I'd like to ask for a lenient sentence" the
defense lawyer said.
"Didn't he say the last time he was convicted that he won't come back to Hong Kong again
to commit crime?" the judge asked the lawyer.
The lawyer said her client had a girlfriend, a domestic helper in Hong Kong, whom he met
in prison in 2011. He said he missed her so much he decided to come over to see her.
The court learned that Maceda arrived in Hong Kong on Aug. 28 and was arrested on
Sept.5 when he tried to pick pocket again "by accident".
The judge berated the defense lawyer a few times for shifting from the word "girlfriend"
to "soulmate", saying those words were not interchangeable as they were not the same.
Yip said he did not understand how Maceda could say he was so short of money because
his son was sick but could afford to buy a plane ticket and come to Hong Kong for eight days just to
see his girlfriend.
Asked how much the defendant spent during the eight days before his arrest, Maceda said
he had $1,000 and was renting a room in Wanchai for $150 a night.
"He bought a ticket, he has to spend money to stay here for a few days. Why didn't he spend
the money on his sick son?" the judge asked in disbelief.
After consulting the convict, the lawyer said her client had brought with him US$700 as
his girlfriend bought him a ticket and sent him Php30,000 (about $5,000) two weeks before he flew
to Hong Kong.
A day after the remittance, he tried to call her but lost contact with her so he spent eight days
in Hong Kong looking for her, Maceda said through his lawyer.
"Honestly, I don't believe him" Yip said, shaking his head.
He instructed both the prosecution and defense lawyers to compile a table of sentences
for comparable cases on which he could base his sentence on Maceda.
He adjourned the hearing until Feb. 11 and remanded Maceda to jail custody.
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