2 illegal recruiters arrested

Police arrested two alleged big-time illegal recruiters who duped at least six job seekers of some P1.8 million during simultaneous operations Friday in Lucena and Muntinlupa City.

Suspect Roberto Cancio, 61, native of Guagua, Pampanga, and a resident of Lagos st., Barangay 8, Lucena City was, apprehended at around 7 p.m. in a restaurant along Quezon Avenue in Lucena City.

Cancio was a subject of a warrant of arrest for illegal recruitment issued by Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 62 Judge Selma Palacio Alaras.

Cancio’s alleged cohort, Therese Madrigal, 41, alias Shim Makamoto, a resident of Bahayang Pilipino Village, Purok 1, Marauoy st., Lipa City, was arrested in an entrapment operation at around 7:30 p.m. in a restaurant in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., chief of the National Capital Region Police Office-Region Intelligence Special Operations Office (NCRPO-RISOO) said Madrigal is the owner and manager of Madrigal Finance and Travel Services, an unregistered recruitment agency in Lipa City.

Ramos said NCRPO chief Director Vidal Querol tasked his office to go after Cancio and Madrigal when at least six of the suspects’ alleged victims sought Querol’s assistance last June 26.

Jocelyn Caguioa, Romilo Romasoc, Tobias Domo Jr., Maricel Abastillas, Jacqueline Sembrano Lim, and Arlene Bonhoc charged Cancio and Madrigal of collecting them some P1.8 million since 2002, allegedly paid through the suspects’ ATM accounts.

The complainants said that the suspects charged them P20,000 for the application fee for jobs such as caregivers, nurse or therapists in the United States.

But for almost three years, nothing had happened to their job applications.

Ramos said a RISOO check at the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) showed that the agency is not registered with the POEA and is not licensed to recruit workers for overseas employment.

RISOO operatives seized from Madrigal seven pages of application form for UK visas, four P500 bills and the suspect’s Toyota Corolla car with license plate TGE-938.