NBI raids Jaylo task force office

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided the headquarters of the defunct Anti-Illegal Recruitment Task Force (AIR-TF) yesterday and transferred eight people being held there to the bureau’s own facility.

NBI Assistant Regional Director Vicente de Guzman III, of the Special Action Unit (SAU), said they conducted an "ocular inspection" upon orders from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Agents were directed to investigate allegations of illegal detention made by relatives of people previously arrested by AIR-TF, which is headed by former police official Reynaldo Jaylo.

The DOJ also asked the NBI promptly to protect the welfare of detainees "as a means of rendering service to humanity or justice."

The raiding team held for questioning eight men allegedly working for the task force. All eight claimed that they were merely visiting the office.

De Guzman said, however, that contents of a logbook they confiscated showed otherwise.

Last month, the NBI arrested 11 members of the task force, including four police officers, for allegedly extorting money from the owners of a recruitment agency.

Following the arrest, several victims started trooping to the NBI office to complain about illegal arrests made by the task force.

Jaylo was himself charged with usurpation of public authority for designating intelligence officers as members of the task force. The NBI said the AIR-TF, previously known as the Presidential Anti-Illegal Recruitment Task Force, was a bogus law enforcement agency and had no mandate to make arrests.

Authority given to the presidential task force expired last July 9 and has not been renewed by President Arroyo.

Last Oct. 26, NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Service Edmund Arugay forwarded to the DOJ a report detailing complaints made by relatives of remaining detainees of the task force.

Some 20 NBI agents participated in the raid on the AIR-TF office at the Rizal Memorial Sports complex on Adriatico street, Malate. They were accompanied by barangay officials.

The agents "rescued" eight suspected illegal recruiters, who were earlier feared to have been detained in "sub-human conditions."

Leonida Digman, a 56-year-old caterer, said that even if she has not been actually released from custody, she was just glad to get away from the AIR-TF facility.

Digman has been under custody since Oct. 7 on charges of illegal recruitment. She said her month-long detention has been a cause of embarrassment. She plans to seek justice and file a case against AIR-TF agents who arrested her as well as the five people who accused her of being an illegal recruiter.