Illegal Recruitment Case Owner denies placement agency

CEBU, Philippines - “I am not running a recruitment agency but a business process outsourcing (company).”

This was stressed by Kirby Gonzales Racaza-Silva, the owner of Intertech 8888 which allegedly is operating as a placement agency but is disguised as a call center company.

Silva was recently taken into custody by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-7 following the complaints filed against her and her company by Jennifer Brioso, Michelle Enguio, Ciriaco Asumbrado, Jr., and Gerald Ian Alcover who sought the assistance of the NBI-7 after Silva allegedly failed to deploy them abroad.

However, in an interview with The Freeman, Silva stressed that she never claimed running a placement agency.

“Applicants are well-informed that Intertech 8888 is a call center. They know for a fact that I have no license from the Philippine Overseas and Employment Agency (POEA). In fact they have signed an application form waiver, attesting that they know that my company is not a recruitment agency,” she said.

Silva added that during the entrapment operation last September 24, her staff was not doing anything contrary to the allegation of the NBI that her staff was scouting for jobs through the internet. She explained that they just transferred in the Gee-Ann Arcade building in Sangi, Minglanilla and had no internet yet.

Silva and her staff were brought to the NBI Office but were later on released after the reglementary period has lapsed.

The NBI-7 stated that “private complainants failed to return to their office for the inquest until the prescriptive period lapsed. Thus, they filed the complaint under preliminary investigation. The filing of complaint was done four days after the operation.”

Affidavit of Desistance

Silva told The FREEMAN that Brioso, Enguio, Asumbrado and Alcover executed an affidavit of desistance, stating that they will no longer pursue their complaints.

She said she will attach the said desistance of the complainants to their counter-affidavit once they will be summoned by the Prosecutor’s Office.

“Due to the reconciliation between us, we are no longer interested in filing of the further prosecution of our case against said Kirby Silva. That we have executed this joint affidavit of desistance to attest the truthfulness of the foregoing fact and hereby certifies that these acts are our own free well and volition,” the affidavit of desistance stated.

The complainants said Silva has already returned their down payment they gave for the processing fee.

NBI-7 have earlier said that the complainants were reportedly offered employment as production workers in Australia with high salaries and with Silva allegedly offering to shoulder the plane ticket in exchange for the P20,000 assessment fee.

Further, Silva said they were accepting applicants to find employment abroad as her own way of  helping them since she was a former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). But she pointed out that Intertech 8888 was only a facilitator.

Silva added that one of the complainants was her former employee, who went absent without official leave (AWOL).

“Their motive in filing of such complaint was to grind on me. If they thought that the company is a hoax then we will not rent a place near in the highway,” she added.

Silva also said she is willing to return the money of other applicants who may reach her through mobile number 0932-599-5301 but should show her their receipt.

Meanwhile, the NBI filed another set of complaints against Silva before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for violation of migrant worker’s act and estafa following more complaints lodged in their office against the Silva.

Jacqueline Villagonzalo, Lowela Marie Pepito, Mary Ann Albia, Bethany Reyes, Francis Gerali Maranga, Bilsasar Romarate, Nilda Romarate and Richard Alferez also alleged that Silva failed to deploy them abroad.  — (FREEMAN)