Rizal ‘bishop’ arrested for large-scale illegal recruitment
The leader of a religious group in Baras, Rizal, that was believed to be a front for illegal recruitment activities, was arrested on Monday near his church, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
In a statement on Tuesday, the DMW said that “Bishop” Reynaldo Basalio of the Faithful Promise Foundation Philippines Inc. church in Baras, Rizal, was taken into custody in a joint operation with the National Bureau of Investigation-Cavite District Office North.
According to the DMW, the foundation was shut down on April 28 for illegal recruitment while Basalio’s wife, pastora Esclarmonde Estrada-Basalio, was arrested.
The DMW said the couple had been operating without a recruitment license, offering Filipinos work as factory workers, tea pickers, clerks, accountants, mechanical engineers and construction workers in countries like Japan, Korea and Papua New Guinea. The recruits were promised salaries ranging from P36,000 to P120,000.
Applicants, however, were first asked to pay P50,000 each for processing fees and work documents.
Victims’ fate
“Under the guise of missionary work, victims were issued tourist visas and instructed to tell immigration they were missionaries. Some victims were offloaded, others were deployed, and some are still awaiting deployment,” the DMW noted.
Basalio is now facing charges of large-scale illegal recruitment under Republic Act No. 8042, also known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, as amended by RA 10022.
“The DMW reiterates its warning to the public against unlicensed recruiters and advises job seekers to always verify agencies through the DMW official website at dmw.gov.ph,” the DMW said.
It also encouraged victims of the religious group to get in touch with the DMW through its official Facebook page, facebook.com/dmwairtip, so that the agency may assist them in filing complaints.
