Thursday, January 29, 2004
Estafa, illegal recruitment raps filed v. couple
CHARGES for estafa and violation of Republic Act 8042 or illegal recruitment were filed against the couple arrested in an entrapment operation Tuesday in San Carlos City.
Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, city police chief, disclosed the court denied the suspects' motion to post bail because they were involved in large-scale illegal recruitment.
Joint operatives of the San Carlos City and Manapla town police stations arrested the suspects identified as Rogelio de Guzman, 54, and his wife, Elmira, 30, of Sabarte Road in Quezon City.
Investigations disclosed the suspects claimed to be employees of the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation based in Ermita, Metro Manila.
Police said the suspects have been recruiting maritime graduates for a month now in Negros Occidental.
They have been renting a house in Barangay 1, San Carlos City.
De la Paz said they would usually ask P5,000 to P35,000 as placement fee from their victims.
The suspects have not only been involved in large-scale illegal recruitment in the province, but also in other parts of the country.
Investigations disclosed they already victimized nine persons in the province identified as Alex Dikit and Roger Geronimo, of Manapla; Marlon Rigor, in San Carlos City; Melvin Paje, Siegfred Miranda, Allen Guardamano, and Arnold Paje in Bacolod City; and Danilo Aranda and Lorna Lagarto in San Enrique town.
The couple's arrest came after Geronimo asked assistance from Senior Insp. Gary Allan Resuma, Manapla town police chief, after he learned the suspects were illegal recruiters.
In an entrapment operation in the suspects' house, they were caught in the act of receiving Geronimo's payment of P10,000.
Police recovered their victims' documents such as birth certificates and clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), among others.
Police further revealed that Rogelio had their victims believe that he is a seaman and his wife a housekeeping supervisor of the company.
However, upon verification with the office of MMC vice president Capt. Rogelio Navarro, he denied Rogelio is connected with them.
Navarro told De la Paz that they also were trying to locate the suspects' whereabouts after they received several complaints that the couple uses the name of the company for their illegal trade.
Moreover, Navarro revealed that the other complainants come from Tagaytay, Valenzuela, Quezon, Caloocan, and Cebu.
"They (suspects) are operating nationwide by transferring from one place to another. Reports said that they gained millions from their modus operandi," De la Paz said.
(January 29, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
