MOA strengthens fight vs illegal recruitment

26Oct09

A memorandum of agreement has been signed in a move to reinforce the fight against illegal recruitment.

The Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (TFAIR) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Quezon City chapter inked the MOA that will secure legal aid and assistance to overseas Filipino workers victims of illegal recruitment.

“This is indeed good news to all victims of illegal recruitment. Now we have a partner, the IBP-QC chapter, in our campaign against illegal recruitment,” Vice President and TFAIR chairman Noli De Castro said in a press statement Saturday.

De Castro said TFAIR will evaluate and refer to IBP-QC high priority large scale illegal recruitment cases involving duly qualified indigent OFW-victims in their prosecution of their individual or collective administrative, civil or criminal claims and actions against illegal recruiters.

Under the MOA, IBP-QC Chapter, through its members and volunteers, shall act as and represent the OFW-victims as their legal counsel in their administrative, civil or criminal cases versus illegal recruiters.

The IBP-QC shall also render free legal aid and assistance. He also urged other IBP chapters and other professional lawyers’ associations to join in the fight against illegal recruitment by giving free legal aid services as mandated by the Supreme Court’s rule requiring all practicing lawyers to render a minimum of sixty (60) hours of free legal aid services to indigent litigants in a year.

The MOA was signed by De Castro and Atty. Tranquil Salvador III, president of IBP-QC while Col. Gilbert Sosa of TFAIR and Atty. Jesse Andres, OVP chief of staff acted as witnesses.

In a related development, TFAIR recently arrested a woman for pretending to be a recruiter of Filipino workers for overseas job assignments.

Suspect Purita ‘Tita’ Bautista Paragas of PERT/CPM Manpower Exponents Inc. was nabbed after accepting marked money during a sting operation in Ermita, Manila.

The case stemmed from the complaint of Arlene Corpus who claimed to be a victim of Paragas. The suspect was able to convince the victim that she was authorized to recruit workers. She identified herself as being connected with the All Seasons Manpower International Services Inc, a legitimate agency that recruits workers for foreign assignments.

It was learned that Paragas facilitates the enlisting, recruitment and processing of documents of applicants using the name and employer of the agency. She then asks money for what she claims to be placement fees.

Susana Virtus, president and general manager of the All Season Manpower Int’l Services, denied affiliation with Paragas and has also filed a separate complaint against the suspect.

The suspect was brought to the TFAIR office in Camp Crame. She faces charges of violation of Republic Act No. 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.