By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In an entrapment operation conducted by operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and officials from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), a church involved in illegal recruitment of workers in Baras, Rizal was shut down on Monday, April 28.
The said church is also known as Faithful Promise of Jesus Christ the Greatest Master Phil. Inc., and Faithful Promise Church in the Philippines.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia explained that the closure operation was carried out after a series of surveillance operations, and the arrest of Pastora Esclarmonde Estrada Basalio, who was recruiting workers without a license from the DMW.
“Ang una po nilang nabiktima ay mga kapuwa nila parishioners, yong mga miyembro mismo ang nagsumbong, at siyempre vinalidate natin. Meron mga na-offload, dahil may mga nagrereklamo at kasalukuyan din sinisingil kahit walang authority, based on the confirmation from the complainants.” Olalia said.
“Tsaka yong mga nakaalis, at yong aalis pa ay kanilang nirecruit. Wala po tayong ibang option kundi isagawa po natin ito,” he added.
Meanwhile, NBI Cavite North District Office Chief Eric Nuqui divulged the nefarious scheme of the illegal recruiter, who charges victims P50,000 each for processing fees and documents under the guise of community work.
The recruiter promised jobs such as factory workers, tea pickers, clerks, accountants, mechanical engineers, and construction workers in Japan, Korea, and Papua New Guinea, with salaries ranging from P36,000 to P120,000.
Under the cloak of “missionary work”, victims who fall prey to the church’s hideous recruitment activities were issued tourist visas and instructed to tell immigration personnel that they were “missionaries”. Some victims were offloaded, others were deployed, and some are still awaiting deployment.
The closure operation was carried out by the DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) in coordination with the NBI, and is in line with the mandate of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to shield overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from illegal recruiters and syndicates.
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