The alleged leader of an illegal recruitment syndicate was arrested outside a casino in Parañaque City over the weekend, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said today.
Operatives mounted an entrapment operation against Anna Macadangdang after some 10 people, mostly Filipinos who were hoping to work abroad, filed complaints against her.
Jen, one of the victims who hid her identity for security reasons, said they were promised with farm and factory jobs in Japan and South Korea and were asked to pay up to PHP150,000 (US$3,000) for the placement fee, medical fee and processing fee.
None of the complainants were ever deployed abroad, she said.
“This is the first time I wanted to leave the country to work. I borrowed money so that could pay the placement fees, but she fooled us,” Jen told reporters in Tagalog.
Another victim, identified only as Rolly, said they found out that the suspect was not authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to recruit workers for jobs abroad.
The POEA is the government agency which regulates companies and recruitment agencies recruiting Filipinos for work in other countries.
“She’s destroyed a lot of families. I’m not able to send money to my kids in Bicol because I spent my last funds for my trip to [from Bicol] go to her in Manila and to pay for what she was asking, I had to save for that,” Rolly said.
Macadangdangs’s syndicate started its operations three years ago, said Roque Medergia, the police officer who led the operation against the syndicate.
Hundreds have fallen victim to this syndicate nationwide, Medergia said.
He called on victims of illegal recruiters to cooperate with authorities and give information to the ATCU (anti-transnational crimes unit) through hotlines 0949-865-2400 and 0916-617-6969.
