By Ric V. Obedencio
The Bohol Standard
Why the police release the alleged illegal recruiter for preying on two workers of Bohol Quality for a promise of work in U.S.A. without clear explanation?
This puzzled the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Provincial Council for the Welfare of Women and Children (PCWWC) during its meeting last Friday.
The alleged recruiter identified as one Jeanette Seña, said to be a business person from Manila, was released early last week from police custody after her invitation to explain about her alleged recruitment racket without license, said the DOLE.
Seña, the DOLE said, who is residing at Pamplona residence at Carnaba subdivision along Tamblot street in this city, has succeeded to hoodwink Barnabe Lanzaderas and Joan Magallanes of Taguihon, Baclayon, Bohol.
In exchange of a job in a casino in Las Vegas, Seña asked for advance pay in the amount of P5,000 without any receipt issued which raised doubts as to the legitimacy of her recruitment operations, said the DOLE.
DOLE said that Lanzaderas, who hails from Samar, mortgaged his family’s rice farms for P3,000 just to pay an advance to Seña.
DOLE said that both Lanzaderas and Magallanes had already paid the advance pay. It said that Seña did not want to receive cash to pay the advance but demanded her prey to deposit the money in the bank provided with an account number.
It was learned that police failed to file appropriate charges against Seña thus her release, otherwise, her prolong “detention†could put the police in an awkward position.
Under the law, a suspect of a crime can be held under police custody or imprisoned within a prescribed number of hours until police authorities would be able to file appropriate charges against the said suspect depending on the gravity of the crime committed and penalties imposed. Failure to file formal charges for prosecution by police means freedom of the suspect.
DOLE told the Council that one of its officers disguised as an applicant to corner and entrap the suspect (Seña) in a certain place. After their conversation for quite awhile, DOLE officer John Nistal almost persuaded Seña to receive the advance pay but the latter insisted to deposit the money with the bank.
The plan (entrapment) was aborted because the suspect did not actually receive the advance money in exchange of work abroad. It ended a confrontation after the suspect (Seña) agreed to go to the police station to explain her side.
Nistal said that the alleged crime of illegal recruitment, or even plain swindling, can hardly prosper simply because the supposed complainant-victims (Lanzaderas and Magallanes) refused to file formal charges to pin down Seña. Nistal said that they are not even interested to get back the advance money they gave to the suspect.
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