Woman faces charges of illegal recruitment

FOR allegedly offering non-existent work in the United Kingdom to four persons, a woman will face trial after the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office charged her with a criminal case in court.

The prosecutors found evidence to file a large-scale illegal recruitment against Ivy Condevillamar de Dios.

De Dios allegedly stole a total amount of P332,240 from complainants Marianito Meralles, Carolina Rodrigo, Maria Vicenta Agravio and Sarah Blanca Tarnate.

No bail was recommended for her.

De Dios, accompanied by her mother Emma Condevillamar, recruited them to work abroad last year, according to the complainants. She told them her sister Eve Condevillamar Laguna is connected with the Mattdowell Agency in London.

Rodrigo said de Dios offered her good benefits, salary and promised she will be deployed as soon as she can comply with the required documents and payments.

She paid de Dios P90,560 for medical examination fee, work orientation, airplane fare, payment of the contract form, processing of her working visa, and documentation.

Meralles paid P20,560, Agravio, P90,560, and Tarnate, P30,560.

In Sept. 12 last year, they flew to Manila. The next day, they went to a mall with de Dios and met a man, who guided them to a restaurant’s function room for orientation.

During the lecture, de Dios discussed the company profile. A certain Art later
mentioned Laguna was in the Philippines, contrary to de Dios’ earlier statement that her sister was in London.

“(It created) doubts on the legitimacy of the recruitment,” said Meralles in his sworn statement.