Two “most wanted” illegal recruiters arrested

CEBU, Philippines —  Two of the most wanted illegal recruiters in Cebu City have been arrested by the operatives of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) by virtue of the arrest warrant issued by the court.

Those arrested were Jona Luga and Gretchen Lauron, both were facing arrest warrant issued by RTC Judge Ricky Jones Macabaya on March 20, 2019. They had been wanted since 2019 and were considered third and fourth most wanted persons in the city, respectively.

Following the arrest of Luga and Lauron, Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, CIDG-7 chief, warned the public to be cautious in dealing with recruiters.

"Hindi na naman to first time nangyari, nationwide, talagang maraming illegal recruitment, dahil nga marami tayong mga kababayan na inosente, maraming front na recruitment Agency," said Dalogdog.

"Dapat alamin nyo muna itong mga recruitment agency na ito ay talagang totoo… siguraduhin na yung nag re-recruit sa inyo ay alam nyo kung saan sya affiliated," he added.

According to Dalogdog, there were two victims who filed a complaint against Luga and Lauron after they were recruited in 2018. Both accused claimed to be working for MSG Manpower Agency.

"Nahibaw-an nato nga sarado na ni sya karon, naa ni sya nahimutang sa Mango Avenue, Cebu City. Kining duha ka suspect, mao ni sya ang ni-approach sa atong duha ka biktima," said Dalogdog.

The victims were sent to Macau in China with an assurance that they will be fetched by their employer upon arrival. However, no employer met them in Macau and they were left alone by the accused.

"Allegedly pag-abot daw nila sa China naay muduol or musugat nila didto, pero sa pila na ka adlaw or pila ka bulan nilang stay sa China walay misugat, nag-boarding house nalang tawon sila didto," said Dalogdog.

The victims went back to the Philippines to confront their recruiters and demanded refund of their expenses. They decided to lodge a complaint after the accused refused to return their money. — FPL (FREEMAN)