Firm may face estafa, migrant act cases
-A A +AFriday, August 24, 2012
A COMPANY engaged in the processing of working visa for Australia will face charges of estafa and violation of Migrant Worker’s Act, or Republic Act 8042 for allegedly failing to process the visa of an applicant.
The firm, ICS Global Visas, which holds office at the Dyno Building on Juana Osmeña St., Cebu City, also allegedly operates without a license from the Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration.
The complainant, Annaliza Baldecir, 39, went to the Investigation and Detective Management Branch of the Cebu City Police Office (IDMB-CCPO) to file a complaint against the company.
She said the company failed to process her visa even if she already paid for the processing fee.
Based on Baldecir’s complaint, the IDMB conducted an entrapment last Wednesday that led to the arrest of the company representative Christian Ramos Lopez, 28.
Lopez declined to comment on the allegation when asked by the media yesterday.
No basis
Lawyer Enno Fernandez, Lopez’s counsel, said the IDMB has no basis to make the arrest. He declined to comment further.
Baldecir said she hired the services of ICS Global Visas after she was referred by a friend to the company.
She said the company assured to process her visa for Australia, where she plans to work as a caregiver.
Baldecir said she paid a total of P100,000 for her processing fee last April.
She said after the payment was made, the communication between her and the company has started to lessen.
“Until such time, earlier this August that I could not contact them anymore to ask about my visa,” she said.
She visited the company last week but the employees reportedly did not entertain her.
The following day, Baldecir said she went to the office and used another name in the guise of being a visa applicant. She was entertained and was asked to pay the processing fee.
IDMB Chief Bonifacio Garciano said that they arrested Lopez after receiving the P20,000 marked money used in the entrapment.
Garciano said charges of estafa and violation of RA 8042 will be filed against the company.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 24, 2012.
Local news
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