Illegal recruiter gets life

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila court convicted a woman of large-scale illegal recruitment after finding her guilty of promising nonexistent jobs in France to five persons in 2008.

In a decision released last week, Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina sentenced Ofelia Medrano to life imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of P500,000. She also found Medrano guilty of estafa.

Medrano was arrested at the home of one of her victims in Sampaloc on Jan. 3, 2009.

The judge also ordered Medrano to pay Nancy Majuray P40,500 and Marissa Sarmiento P15,000, plus interest of 12 percent per year from the time the case was filed in court.

Court records identified Medrano’s victims as Majuray, promised a job as caregiver, who paid P40,500 as placement fee; Sarmiento, as caregiver, who paid P15,000; Patrocino Alfaro Jr., as driver, who paid P13,500; Maritess Selvino, as checker, who paid P28,000; and Alexis Naluz, as bodyguard, who paid P6,000.

The victims gave Medrano the money between March and October 2008.

Medina said Medrano does not have the required recruitment license from the Department of Labor and Employment.

According to court records, Majuray and Medrano were classmates in St. Agustine School in Morayta, Manila in 2003. Majuray said Medrano recruited her for a job in the United States in 2004, for which she paid P30,000. Two years later, she was still not deployed, she said.

In February 2008, Medrano again promised Majuray a job in France. However, she asked for additional payment of P10,500, or a total of P40,500.

Sarmiento was recruited through a friend only identified as “Christian,” a nephew of Majuray. The same modus operandi was used by the accused.

Naluz, who was living with his aunt, Majuray, was also recruited when Medrano visited Majuray. There was no mention in the decision of how the two other victims met the accused or how they were recruited.

Medrano denied ever recruiting the five complainants.