Company exec gets life term for illegal recruitment, fraud

MANILA, Philippines — A Manila court on Tuesday slapped two long prison sentences on the president of a recruitment agency whom it found guilty of illegal job recruitment and fraud.

Judge Amor A. Reyes of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 sentenced Ma. Isabel Abedes, 51, president of Justin Manpower Services, to reclusion perpetua or a maximum of 40 years imprisonment for illegal recruitment.

The judge slapped an additional 20 years in prison on Abedes for five counts of estafa.

In her ruling, Reyes said she found Abedes guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of illegal recruitment for gypping five job applicants whom she promised jobs in the United Kingdom in 2003.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Abedes to indemnify each of the complainants P60,000 or a total of P300,000.

The judge issued new warrants of arrest for Abedes' co-accused - Amilo D. Pabon, Leah Jensen and Fatima B. Garcia- who have remained at large.

The case stemmed from complaints filed by Baby Jose Bernard H. Medina, Gail Marie B. Manalo, Corazon V. Rodelas, Maria Teresa T. Tomas and Septima O. Sebastian.

The court set the trial next month of another criminal case for illegal recruitment and three counts of estafa against Abedes. Three other complainants — Chanda Berdos, Maricel S. Eyana and Sylvia Berana — have not been presented for trial. The complainants were also directed to appear before the court to testify.

Court records showed that between July 8, 2003 and August 13, 2003, Abedes and three others who represented themselves to have the capacity to contract, enlist and transport Filipino workers for employment abroad for a fee, recruited and promised employment to the complainants as overseas workers in the United Kingdom without having first secured the required license or authority from the Department of Labor and Employment.

The accused demanded and received in the amount of more or less P60,000 as processing fees, but failed to deploy the applicants for employment abroad and likewise failed to return the money paid by the complainants, the court found.

As a result of the recruitment violation case, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) cancelled Justin Manpower Services’s license to recruit workers for jobs abroad." - GMANews.TV

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