CHR to pursue case vs people linked to "illegal" training for jobs in Korea

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights-Negros Oriental was bent on filing charges against persons involved in the allegedly illegal language skills training for at least 500 overseas job seekers in the province.

This, even as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration already aided the filing of similar complaints last week, said Jess Cañete, lone investigator and head of the provincial CHR, last Monday.

Cañete said, despite the filing of complaints, through the POEA, against Grace Jameo, head of the Public Employment Service Office  of Lapu-lapu City in Cebu, and a few other respondents, the CHR-Negros Oriental will continue with its own investigation and subsequently file a lawsuit against those found liable.

At this time, however, the CHR is not yet ready to do what the POEA had done because it will have to review yet the affidavit submitted by Ramon Benedicto, head of the PESO-Negros Oriental, who was also asked to explain on the bungled Korean language training, Cañete said.

Cañete said he had to put on hold his investigation due to the death of his mother but will resume the probe after she will be laid to rest this coming Sunday. His office will pursue legal action against Jameo and others if the complainants will be willing to push ahead with it, he said.

The complaint against Jameo and company stemmed from the conduct of language training in two batches last year when job seekers were asked to pay more than P8,000 each or an aggregate of more than P4 million.

The job seekers claimed that went to the PESO-Negros Oriental where Benedicto helped facilitate their applications for employment in Korea.

The applicants further claimed that, during an orientation by Jameo prior to the training, they were allegedly assured of jobs in Korea after they completed the language skills training. They however discovered later this was not the case, but Jameo had so far denied the accusations against her. — (FREEMAN)