IACAT nabs illegal recruiters in Taguig – VP Binay

By OVP Media
September 12, 2012

MANILA  –  Two female illegal recruiters also suspected to be involved in human trafficking activities were collared by authorities during an entrapment operation conducted by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said Wednesday.

“We were able to verify with the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Agency) that the two women are not authorized to recruit workers for employment overseas,” the Vice President said.

Binay, who is also the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns, said the IACAT conducted a surveillance operation after receiving a tip from a reliable source that the two were conducting illegal recruitment activities in Taguig.

“The operatives discovered that not only were applicants being illegally recruited, but upon arriving at their work destination, they were trafficked and made to work as prostitutes,” he said.

“Three social workers of the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFFI) presented themselves as poseur applicants. Upon visit to the recruiters, they were told that they will be working as waitresses in Palau and that a lot of other applicants have been sent abroad and are now earning well,” Binay added.

In a joint affidavit executed by the social workers, the three revealed that they were told by the recruiters that those who had already been sent abroad to work as waitresses earned a lot of money by sitting beside their customers and drinking with them at their tables.

“(They) further elaborated that we could earn more money if we go out with our customers,” the three social workers said.

The rescued victims are now in the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and VFFI, while the arrested recruiters are currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation.

The anti-trafficking czar said that to date, the IACAT has been able to secure convictions for 12 human-trafficking related cases this year, with 20 persons convicted.