Recruiter faces more complaints

CEBU, Philippines - Three more people have filed a criminal complaint against an alleged illegal recruiter whom the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 arrested last month.

Melzar Rosales, Arman Dennis Albarillo and spouses Christopher and Mary Grace Gantalao, through lawyer Junjie Manda, filed an illegal recruitment complaint on Wednesday against Kirby Silva, owner of Minglanilla, Cebu-based Intertech 8888.

Silva and his three employees Jennylyn Paz, Razel Hilacan and Robelyn Abellaneda were caught last Sept. 24 allegedly for violating Section 6 of  Republic Act 8042, otherwise known as Migrant Workers and Filipinos Acts of 1995 .

The NBI entrapment operation stemmed from a complaint by Jennifer Brioso, a resident of Abellana St., Barrio Luz, Cebu City; Michelle Enguio of Tinaan, Naga City, Cebu; Ciriaco Asumbrado, Jr., of Villa Kalubihan, Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City and Gerald Ian Alcover of Sitio Baybayon, Calero, Liloan, Cebu.

They alleged that Silva failed to fulfill his obligation to send them abroad despite having paid already.

Rosales, Albarillo and the Gantalao couple alleged that they were among those who went to the Intertech’s office in Springwood, Upper Tulay, Minglanilla, Cebu to verify whether it is indeed placing workers abroad with good compensation package.

“With our respective visit to (Intertech), we were able to meet Kirby Silva. He showed us a mayor’s permit and DTI Registration of his Intertech 8888. Convinced of his representation to us that Intertech 8888 could provide us work abroad, particularly in Australia, as production workers, we respectively pay (the amount cited) as down payment,” the joint-affidavit reads.

In particular, Rosales said he was required to pay P20,000 for his visa, but meanwhile, the NBI on Sept. 24, 2013 arrested Silva and three others at Unit 2 and 3, second floor of  GEE-ANN-Je Arcade, Sangi, Minglanilla, Cebu.

Silva allegedly collected P10,000 as down payment. Aside from that, Rosales said he was told to prepare at least P30,000 as pocket money.

Abarillo claimed that he paid P15,000 to Silva, wherein P10,000 was for the placement fee and P5,000 for the assessment fee. The couple said they gave a total of P30,000 to Silva, with a P10,000 balance to be paid once they will received their respective visas.

After the payment, the complainants said they received emails from Intertech 8888 thru Silva stating that they were offered a job in Australia as production workers.

However, the couple said that on Sept. 24, 2013 they learned in the news that the NBI raided Intertech 8888’s office for allegedly being a “bogus recruitment agency.”

They learned that Intertech was not authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to recruit workers for work abroad, prompting them to file the case.

“That the act of Kirby Silva recruiting us for promise of work abroad as production workers without valid license or authority required by law to enable him to lawfully engage in recruitment and placement of workers aboard constitute illegal recruitment,” read the joint affidavit. . (FREEMAN)