Suspected illegal recruiter nabbed in Quezon

LUCENA CITY—Police arrested on Tuesday a suspected illegal recruiter in Tiaong town in Quezon province that allegedly duped at least 25 job seekers abroad collecting from them an estimated P500,000.

Senior Superintendent Rhoderick Armamento, Quezon police chief, said policemen acting on complaints from the victims raided the house of Nathalie Rebibis, 50, inside a subdivision in Barangay (village) Lagalag around 5 p.m.

Police said most of the victims came from Ilocos Sur and the provinces of Cagayan, La Union and Bulacan.

A report said the suspect, a high school graduate, on different occasions, demanded recruitment fee from the victims that range from P10,000 to P45,000 for supposed jobs in New Zealand.

But upon verification from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, police learned that the suspect was not an accredited job recruiter or affiliated with any authorized agencies.

“More victims have been arriving at the police station to file their complaints against the suspect,” Superintendent Freddie Dantes, Tiaong police chief, said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The suspect is facing charges of large-scale estafa through illegal recruitment, police said.#