THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday, February 24, 2023, vowed to help ensure that the alleged illegal recruiter in Paete, Laguna will be held accountable for attempting to swindle at least 33 aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
DMW Secretary Susan Ople issued a statement reassuring the victims that Jonnalyn M. Sebastian, 39, and her accomplices will be held liable.
“The DMW is assisting all 33 rescued illegal recruitment victims in documenting their complaints prior to the filing of cases against Sebastian. She will be charged with large-scale illegal recruitment activities tantamount to economic sabotage, which is a non-bailable offense,” said Ople.
“Sebastian, given the sheer number of complainants, faces a non-bailable offense and possibly, a lifetime of jail time,” she added.
Sebastian was arrested in an entrapment and rescue operation conducted by the DMW and the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Trafficking in Persons (TIP) last Tuesday.
She has since been taken to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for inquest proceedings.
The operation against Sebastian was initiated after the DMW Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch (AIRB) received complaints from three overseas job applicants. The applicants reported that they were being charged from P100,000 to P350,000 in “advance placement fees” for “guaranteed” jobs as caregivers in Malta and Malaysia.
Sebastian supposedly misrepresented herself to jobseekers as the “coordinator” of a “government-to-government program” of a “licensed recruitment agency.”
She reportedly charged job applicants initial “placement fees” ranging from P100,000 to P150,000 to cover various training fees, medical examinations, and other expenses. The remaining balance was supposed to be paid just before deployment.
As for applicants who could not pay the fees, they were supposedly advised by Sebastian to apply for loans, which they should pay through salary deductions after their deployment.
The DMW said the applicants became suspicious after Sebastian failed to deploy them after a considerable amount of time.
Subsequently, the applicants decided to seek the assistance of the DMW. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)