British man nabbed for illegal recruitment

MANILA, Philippines - The Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (TFAIR) arrested a British national during an entrapment operation in Quezon City for alleged illegal recruitment.

Vice President and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Noli De Castro De Castro identified last Saturday the suspect as Steve Randell, president of Sawsee International Corp., which is not authorized or licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA) to recruit workers for overseas jobs.

Randell was arrested in his office in Cubao after one of his employees, Ian Gene Barientos, received marked money from complainant Ana Liza Ng.

Ng and six other victims filed complaints against Randell and his company before the TFAIR in Camp Crame, alleging they were promised jobs in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia as hotel and restaurant workers after they paid P110,000 each as placement fee.

Aside from Randell and Barrientos, Sawsee personnel Marivic Padilla Olino, Maridy Estabaya Balala, Jeanette Gapuz Sarmiento, Edelyn Abecede Putong, and Trisha May Roldan Sanchez were also arrested.

De Castro said the suspects are facing charges of violating Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Worker and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

Meanwhile, De Castro asked victims of illegal recruitment to pursue the cases they filed against those who allegedly duped them.

He cited a recent Court of Appeals decision, sustaining a Manila court’s conviction of Vilma Suliman, owner and general manager of Suliman International Placement and General Services, and Luz Garcia for three counts of estafa and two counts of illegal recruitment. Suliman was sentenced to 50 years in jail and fined P300,000. Garcia remains at large.

“This CA decision is a good manifestation that justice prevails in our country. As such, victims must continue prosecuting their cases so these culprits who prey on would-be (overseas workers) would finally be put behind bars,” De Castro said. – Pia Lee-Brago