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Cebu News

Former faith healer faces illegal recruitment raps

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A man who was once known as a faith healer is now in jail facing complaints of large-scale illegal recruitment after being arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group yesterday noon.

Ronald Lalican Waskin, 27, a native of sitio Trese, barangay Lunas, Asturias town, who gained fame as the faith healer "Koko Boy" in the 90s, was accused of taking money from people he allegedly promised jobs abroad.

Waskin was found positive of ultra-violet powder sprinkled on the P2,000 marked money he received from two complainants yesterday inside a house along Juan Luna Ave. (formerly San Jose dela Montaña) in barangay Mabolo.

The operation materialized after seven of the nine alleged illegal recruitment victims trooped to the CIDG office and lodged a complaint against Waskin yesterday morning.

According to the complainants they were promised high-paying decent jobs in Singapore as production workers by Waskin with the help of his friend, a certain Virgie Miyoki, whose Singaporean husband reportedly owns the Singapore-Philippines Direct Operating Agency in Manila.

But before they can go abroad they were asked to pay P20,000 each for their application papers and travel documents.

Because of the cheap placement fees being asked by Waskin and his friend the victims started processing their applications and gave initial payments to Waskin.

The complainants who have paid Waskin were identified as Epe Lanoy, 30, who claimed to have given Waskin P8,000; Sarah Estrera, 28, who also gave P8,000; Shirley Madela, 25, who paid P21,000; Nida Sotto, 30, who paid P21,550, Marichou Cruz, 28, who paid P21,550, Dioscoro Aguilar who paid P14,250, Eric Jumao-as who paid P20,000, Ediliz Laresma, who paid P14,250 and Reno Taganele, who reportedly paid P12,000.

With the help of Lanoy and Estrera, C/Insp. Rex Derilo set the entrapment operation in the house of one of their friends in Mabolo.

After Waskin's arrest, Aguilar lost his temper and punched the suspect twice inside the investigation room of the CIDG office before the police could stop him.

Most of the victims were previously employed at the Export Processing Zone in Lapu-Lapu City who resigned to take Waskin's offer of a higher-paying job overseas.

According to Jumao-as he was promised that he will be leaving for Singapore last December, but after the promise did not materialize he decided to go with other victims to report the matter to the police.

Laresma, Jumao-as' aunt, said she started suspecting something wrong last December because the receipts Waskin gave her each time she paid him were either handwritten or typewritten.

She checked with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency who confirmed Waskin is not authorized to conduct job placement or recruitment.

"We immediately issued the Certifications so that the suspect's apprehension wont be delayed," POEA regional director Evelia Durato said.

The complainants said the information sheets Waskin distributed bore the POEA letterhead making them believe it was genuine, Durato said Waskin might have secured an Information Sheet from their office.

POEA recorded 34 illegal recruitment cases in Central Visayas for 2006 and only one in 2005.

Waskin neither denied admitted nor denied being an illegal recruiter and only said Miyoki and her sister, a certain Faith Mangubat, were licensed recruiters. He claimed he was just facilitating the applications of the complainants.

The CIDG-7 will be filing a case of large-scale illegal recruitment against Waskin today for violating Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant and Overseas Filipino Workers Act.

Among the people "Koko Boy" allegedly healed in the 90's was a TV personality who made him famous for his gift. - Edwin Ian Melecio with Ferliza Contratista/BRP

AFTER WASKIN

CENTRAL VISAYAS

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND DETECTION GROUP

DIOSCORO AGUILAR

EDILIZ LARESMA

EDWIN IAN MELECIO

EPE LANOY

KOKO BOY

PAID

WASKIN

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