NBI nabs suspected illegal recruiter in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — A suspect was arrested in Manila for estafa and alleged illegal recruitment of workers for employment in South Korea, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Monday.

NBI Director Dante Gierran said the suspect, identified as June Lumbad, was arrested in an entrapment operation last January 30 at the Isetann Mall along CM Recto Avenue in Manila.

The arrest stemmed from complaints against him and four other employees of a recruitment agency, identified as Ruben Sevilla, Eleny Reynoso, Gloria Espejo, and Elizabeth Tupaz.

The complainants said that Sevilla recruited them to work as farmworkers or fruit pickers in South Korea and referred them to Lumbad, who was the alleged owner and manager of the recruitment agency.

The NBI said Lumbad demanded P160,000 each from the complainants as placement fee. Two were able to pay P50,000 while another one was able to give P80,000 as partial payment.

However, the complainants discovered that other applicants were not allowed to leave the country from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) as the documents provided by the recruitment agency were fake. The said applicants also have no working visas for South Korea, the NBI added.

The complainants sought the assistance of the NBI after Lumbad allegedly continued to ask for the balance of the placement fee.

Operatives from the NBI conducted the entrapment operation against Lumbad after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) discovered that he was neither licensed nor authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.

The NBI said Lumbad will face charges for violating Republic Act (RA) 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 as amended by RA 10022. /ee