DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 June) — Three alleged illegal recruiters were caught in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation-Region 11 (NBI-11) on Tuesday afternoon in Davao City.
NBI-11 said they will file illegal recruitment complaints against the suspects – the alleged owner of Bahrain Davao Human Resource Specialists Company, and her two staffers – who were holding office at a rented building on A. Pichon Street, commonly known as Magallanes Street.
Lawyer Arcelito Albao, NBI-11 Regional Director, said the recruitment can be considered illegal as the agency did not have the necessary papers to operate, a violation of Republic Act (RA) Number 8042, also known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended by RA 10042.
“We are ready to file the case by Wednesday… We’re filing a case for violations of Republic Act 8042 as amended by RA 10042 for violations of illegal recruitment, possibly charges of large-scale and syndicated illegal recruitment,” Albao told MindaNews on Tuesday.
NBI personnel rescued 12 applicants, who were staying there allegedly since March this year “waiting for their medical examinations.”
Albao said these applicants came from as far as Davao de Oro and Davao del Sur, hoping to be domestic helpers and apple pickers, to name a few.
“Under the law, they are called victims under RA 8042, amended through RA 10022, because nag-apply sila pa-abroad (they are applying for overseas work) but they are kept in the office, hangtod nga matagaan silag documents padulong abroad (until they will be given documents to go abroad),” he said.
The NBI official said that based on a Department of Migrant Workers’ complaint, they surveilled the place and sent “applicants,” who confirmed that an unnamed rented two-storey office space fronting a pawn shop on Magallanes was actively recruiting applicants.
The recruitment operations started in the “-ber months of 2023,” promising the applicants to be sent to some countries in the Middle East, such as Bahrain, and Poland.
The NBI also confiscated documents containing biodatas, contracts, receipts, and other related papers.
A recruit who requested anonymity said they were there “but they were taken good care of” by the management. They had “free accommodation, free food, and stayed on the second floor of the rented space.”
Meanwhile, one of the agency staffers interviewed by MindaNews said “they were shocked by the surprise inspection, as they did not harm applicants,” but did not comment further, as her lawyer “will clarify her statements.” (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)
