By Felipe V. Celino
ROXAS CITY, Capiz – An alleged illegal recruiter was arrested Thursday morning in an entrapment operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Capiz in a resort in Barangay Baybay Roxas, City.
Authorities identified the suspect as Carrel Jhen Escobido, 44, a call center agent and resident of Iloilo City but has relatives in Antique and Capiz provinces.
Agent John Katipunan, NBI-Capiz executive officer, said several relatives of Escobido sought the help of their office regarding her alleged illegal activities.
Based on the statements of five complainants, Escobido started recruiting in October 2021 and promised them dollar-earning work in a legitimate company in South Africa.
The complainants said they shelled out money to Escobido for the processing of their documents.
According to them, Escobido asked P31,000 to P40,000 per applicant.
But when they checked and verified the legality of the company with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), they discovered that Escobido is not connected with the company.
Escobido was collared after receiving the P31,000 marked money from two NBI agents who posed as applicants.
The suspect is facing largescale illegal recruitment, multiple counts of estafa, and violation of Republic Act 8042 and Bayanihan to Heal as One Act considering that the recruitment happened during the pandemic.
Katipunan said that from 39 applicants in Capiz, 8 submitted their statements with the NBI.
It was learned that the applicants gave around P2 million to Escobido.
The suspect asked for forgiveness from her relatives, but they decided to push through with the case. She is presently in the custody of NBI-Capiz.
