‘Order of battle’ to be set up vs illegal recruiters

An "order of battle" against notorious illegal recruiters is being established by the government in a bid to eliminate the multibillion-peso industry in the country.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Rosalinda Baldoz said the agency is working with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in drawing up a list of primary targets for an all-out drive against illegal recruitment.

"We want a database of illegal recruitment syndicates operating in the country which shall be the focus of our operations from now on," Baldoz said in an interview.

Baldoz said the order of battle would include high-profile illegal recruiters, those engaged in large-scale illegal recruitment activities, and owners of agencies whose names frequently appear in complaints of illegal recruitment victims.

According to Baldoz, the government hopes not only to make numerous arrests but also to successfully prosecute illegal recruiters who have evaded authorities in the past.

"Unlike the Presidential Anti-Illegal Recruitment Task Force (PAIRTF), the POEA anti-illegal recruitment office’s marching order this time is not only to produce arrest but must ensure prosecution of illegal recruiters," Baldoz said.

Thus, she said, the POEA will be working with police authorities and prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in building up evidence to prove the guilt of notorious illegal recruiters in court.

The POEA has been tasked to reactivate its anti-illegal recruitment office after President Arroyo and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) opted to disband the controversial PAIRTF headed by controversial former Manila police captain Reynaldo Jaylo.

Earlier, DOLE officials admitted that government efforts against illegal recruitment agencies had been put to waste because suspects were able to escape prosecution due to some technicalities.

Labor officials, who requested anonymity, disclosed that a significant number of illegal recruiters arrested by the PAIRTF eluded prosecution because legal suits were not formally filed before the court.

Many of those arrested also managed to avoid prosecution by posting bail despite the fact that an illegal recruitment case is a non-bailable crime, the labor officials said.

But with the new anti-illegal recruitment team, Baldoz expressed optimism that the government will finally be able to make a significant dent in illegal recruitment and other human trafficking activities in the country.

"Our effort this time would take longer but we will do out best to ensure no high profile illegal recruiters would be able to escape arrest," she said. — Mayen Jaymalin