6 jailed in Bicol for illegal recruitment

October 24, 2010, MANILA, Philippines—Six people were arrested and detained in Bicol after the labor department’s regional office in the area and the Public Employment Service Office (Peso) in Bulan, Sorsogan immediately acted on complaints of the victims, the labor department said in a news release.

Citing a report by lawyer Alvin Villamor, Department of Labor and Employment Region 5 director, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said a certain “Jeric,” allegedly the mastermind, a certain “Ruth,” who acted as the secretary of the group, and four other unidentified individuals were apprehended after they failed to produce the necessary documents from the company they were representing for them to recruit workers from Bicol.

“Upon investigation, Jeric turned out to be a former employee of SMART-PLDT who was terminated last April, while Ruth was never connected with the said firm. The four other cohorts were confirmed to be absent-without-official-leave from SMART-PLDT as of September 2010,” Baldoz said.

“It was actually the four unnamed suspects who spilled the beans on Jeric after they approached Bulan, Sorsogon Peso manager Analyn Diaz. Upon learning that Jeric was no longer connected with SMART-PLDT and that the same company treated them as AWOL when they went to Bicol, the four joined the applicant victims in filing a complaint with the PNP,” she added.

The report said the group claimed they were authorized to conduct specialized recruitment in any province for call center jobs in Metro Manila. They likewise advertised the vacancy in a newspaper with a promise of a starting basic salary of P15,000 up to P25,000.

Jobseekers from Bulan, Sorsogon and nearby areas hurriedly went to the recruitment area with hopes of landing jobs as advertised. Marvin Jubilla took a one-hour ride from Magallanes, Sorsogon to try his luck, while Jonell Navarro, an AB English graduate and a part-time tricycle driver from Bulan also applied and was accepted. Both realized they were fooled by the group even as one applicant was hired-on-the-spot and was promised a P1,500 daily wage.

Diaz, who was informed of an ongoing jobs fair in their municipality, grew suspicious of the activity as there were no permission issued to any entity to conduct a jobs fair in their area that time. Arriving at the recruitment venue, she posed as an applicant and began looking for appropriate recruitment permits from the group. The group was apprehended after failing to produce the necessary documents.

The apprehended suspects are facing charges of large-scale illegal recruitment, a no-bail criminal offense, as the local government in Bulan as well as the Bulan Peso are fast-tracking their arraignment. - INQUIRER.net