A woman was arrested by police after she failed to deliver on her promise to find her friend a job abroad despite accepting several payments.
Johna Posadas, 40, of barangay Parian, Cebu City, was arrested in an entrapment operation where she accepted P6,500 in marked money inside a fast-food chain in uptown Cebu City.
Police said she was not a licensed recruiter.
The complainant, Gentica Diogecel, 22, of barangay Lawaan 3, Talisay City, said she already paid P1.3 million to Posadas to land a job as a baby sitter in the United Kingdom (UK).
The job never materialized.
Diogecel said her family had to mortgage land and their house and sold some of their belongings just to raise the money.
The two women became close friends after they met in a Cebu City hospital where their children were confined.
At first Posadas asked for P40,000 as a processing fee.
More payments were made. Diogecel said she was promised that she would be able to go abroad last Jan. 27.
Diogecel failed to travel and was instead asked to deposit P200,000 in a bank as a cash bond for her tourist visa.
The money was withdrawn by Posadas who was given the woman’s ATM card.
The complainant said P75,000 was again collected from her.
When she was unable to go abroad, she filed a complaint.
It was found out that the visa issued to Diogecel was fake, said police.
Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch, said Posadas is not an authorized recruiter based on records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
Posadas said she was just helping Diogecel and that another person was handling the recruitment.
Posadas said she was about to refund her friend when the arrest took place./CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON