No bail allowed for "illegal recruiters"

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office has recommended no bail against two individuals who allegedly recruited workers abroad without license from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Among the complainants was the tourism officer of Barili, Cebu.

Prosecutor I Noel Cellona indicted Elmer Tecson and Ma. Claire Flores for "illegal recruitment in large scale."

“To the mind of the undersigned the evidence submitted is sufficient to establish all the elements for the offense of illegal recruitment in large scale constituting economic sabotage, as these were committed against three or more persons. There are four complainants in this case,” read the resolution.

In their complaint, Romar Dela Torre, Jose Enario, Jonrey Goldin, and tourism officer Wilden Saban alleged that Tecson and Flores recruited them to work in Japan as factory workers and production workers in 2008. They paid P6,000 to P6,500 to the two as processing and placement fees.

Despite their payments, they alleged that they were never sent abroad, so they reported the matter to authorities.

Later, they learned that Tecson and Flores were not licensed or authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.

Cellona summoned Tecson and Flores to file their respective counter-affidavits to answer the complaints, but only Flores did denying the accusation.

She claimed being one of the applicants and merely helped the complainants in their desire to work abroad. She said the money given by complainants was not for placement fee but for the processing of their papers.

“The reasons of the delay of the deployment were due to (the) H1N1 virus and (the) Manila flood,” she argued.

Cellona, though, was not convinced and ruled that Flores was not just an applicant but one who was working for the group engaged in the recruitment for overseas employment, based on the document she signed when the complainants applied for the supposed work. (FREEMAN)