CIDG-NFO arrests 2 illegal recruiters, two girls rescued

Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Northern Field Office arrested Saturday two alleged illegal recruiters while disembarking from a ship at Pier 2, North Harbor, Manila with two of their 16 recruits from Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Chief Inspector Simon Fernan, CIDG-NFO chief, identified the suspects as Nimfa Cataluna and one Herman Sonribio, allegedly of GSGS Recruitment Agency with office in Malate, Manila.

Interviewed at the CIDG-NFO, Cataluna and Sonribio, claiming to have "connections," refused to give any statement but instead threatened The STAR.

"Babalikan ka namin (We will get back at you)," they said. The suspects even boasted to have, a general and a colonel, relatives at Camp Crame.

Deborah Vigonte, 22, and Ginalyn Lledo, 22, both of Barangay Sta. Monica in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan told The STAR that on Oct. 28 Cataluna went to their respective houses and allegedly sweet-talked them to go with her to Manila to apply for work abroad.

"She told us that with P25,000 as placement fee, we can easily work as waitresses or domestic helpers in Bahrain or Taiwan," the victims said.

Cataluna reportedly first asked the victims P1,800 for her own ship fare claiming that the recruits could reimburse the amount including their own fares and other expenses at the GSGS office but the duo was only able to produce P500.

The victims said that while sailing to Manila last Friday, they got suspicious of Cataluna when she told them of different addresses of the GSGS office and when the recruiter allegedly told them to first work in a "casa" or a nightclub in Manila while awaiting their papers.

Vigonte, through her cellular phone, immediately contacted her brother back in Palawan who sought the assistance of the CIDG in the province which also coordinated with the CIDG-NFO.

At about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, CIDG agents led by Chief Inspector Efren Dalumpines and Senior Inspector Eufronio Obong with PO3s Dandie Bonita and Bonie Mendiola, PO2s Glenn Umali and Bernabe Vargas with Ver Torres, swooped down at Pier 2 resulting in the rescue of the victims and the arrest of the suspects.

Police prober PO3 Danilo Andrada said that the suspects failed to present any document to justify their recruitment activities but instead Cataluna kept on name-dropping her general and colonel relatives reportedly holding high posts in Camp Crame. The suspects also refused to affix their finger prints at the CIDG records sheet and also refused to be photographed by the police.

Andrada said charges of large-scale illegal recruitment and white slavery trade will be filed against Andrada and Sonribio with the Manila City Prosecutor’s office.