19 executives of recruitment, lending firms face raps

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday filed criminal charges against 19 officers and employees of a recruitment agency and a lending company for allegedly deploying 137 bus drivers to Dubai on non-existent job offers.

The bus drivers were stranded, jobless, in Dubai for months until some were repatriated by Philippine embassy officials and others given alternative jobs.

As 21 of the bus drivers filed new complaints yesterday afternoon, the NBI charged the 19 respondents, who are connected to CYM International Services and Placement Agency Inc. and RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp., with violating Republic Act 8042, the migrant workers and overseas Filipinos law; RA 9208, the anti-human trafficking law; and syndicated estafa.

Among those charged are CYM International Services and Placement Agency Inc. chairman and president Novelita Lallave; board members Carmen Patag, Carolina Matsuda, Romeo Bigay Jr., Rita Esguerra, and Rene Dordas; and employees Jayson Paloma, Connie Paloma, Carolina Pestano, Richard Pestano, Jessica Cunanan, and Hazel Ann Cablao.

RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp. board members Rebecca Lacaba, Jaime Lacaba, Aurea Caisip, Leonardo Geronimo, and Jennifer Geronimo; agents Elmer Lim and Felipe Geronimo were also included in the charge sheet.

Landmark case

In a press conference at Max’s Restaurant in Manila yesterday, Blas F. Ople Policy Center president Susan Ople said this is the very first human trafficking, syndicated estafa, and illegal recruitment case versus a private lending firm.

Ople, a senatorial candidate, said the lending firm has reportedly not stopped harassing and going after the victims of illegal recruitment since their repatriation from Dubai, despite clear evidence that the drivers were duped by their licensed recruitment agency.

From the press conference, Ople and the drivers marched to the Department of Justice, where NBI agents filed the complaint in their behalf.

The 21 complainants were identified as Rey Aquino Jr., Rusty Buere, Domingo Zubieto, Nestor Renon, Emilio Lopez Jr., Glicer Calim, Rogelio Matic, Reynaldo Pimentel, Dennis de la Cruz Fabian, Marvin Gervacio, Anselmo Ramos Jr., Joel de la Cruz Aguilar, Romarico Banag Jacolba, Amrosing Mohammad I, Hasan Tanggor Macud, Arsenio Alejandro Jr., Rolito Mailo Handig, Woody Ramirez, Alvin Baybay, Freddie Dulay and Reynante Belenia.

They were among the 137 bus drivers deployed in batches from January to March 2009 to Dubai, ostensibly to work for the Road and Transport Authority in Dubai. They later found out there were no jobs for them.

The drivers said their recruitments agencies, led by CYM, reportedly used tourist visas and bogus job orders to facilitate their deployment.

CYM officials referred the bus drivers to RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp. for quick loans to pay for the P150,000 placement fees for each of the drivers.

The drivers were made to sign different postdated checks that put them P1.9 million in debt to the lending firm, which reportedly did not provide the drivers with copies of all documents nor fully explained to each driver the details of each transaction, Ople said.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, after concluding its investigation, cancelled the licenses of CYM and other recruitment agencies identified as Across Universe, BML, Jenvic, Richfield, SGA-Shahara, and Al Anwar. The POEA also ordered the suspension of the licenses of recruitment agencies Dreams, Experts Placement, Hana Star, Vigor Manpower and Bridgewood, for being allegedly involved in the illegal recruitment of these drivers.

There is also a pending class suit filed by the bus drivers to nullify all financial transactions in connection with their deployment at the Manila regional trial court.

“Our quest for justice for the 137 bus drivers illegally deployed to Dubai will not stop, until all those who conspired in this massive recruitment scam are put in jail,” Ople said.