Noli to head anti-illegal recruitment task force

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Emmanuel de Castro has been given a new job. On Wednesday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo named him chair of the Presidential Anti-Illegal Recruitment Task Force or Pairtf.

Mrs Arroyo formalized this by issuing Executive Order No. 759 dated October 23.

Under her directive, Arroyo also named the Immigration chief as vice chairman and designated as members of the body the secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Labor and Employment.

Also named as members were the head of the police' Criminal Investigation and detection Group-Anti Transnational Division (CIDG-ATD), the National Bureau of Investigation director, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency administrator and general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority.

Initial funding for the Task Force would be sourced from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

However, other agencies involved in the campaign against illegal recruitment are authorized to allocate their existing funds when necessary.

Malacañang justified the unit, saying that it was important to create such a task force as the problem of illegal recruitment "has already reached alarming proportion as to cause public concern."

"It is of critical importance that the State safeguards public interest and protect the Filipino worker form losing their hard earned money and property to unscrupulous recruiters and syndicates, and save the government from incurring expenses due to repatriation of victims of illegal recruitment," the EO further read.

Under the EO, the Pairtf is tasked to formulate strategies against modus operandi of illegal recruiters like "escort services" in the international air and sea ports.

It was also tasked to come up with strategies against syndicates in tampering and sale of spurious travel documents and ensure the prosecution of illegal recruiters, syndicates and their protectors.

The Task Force was also empowered to conduct surveillance and entrapment operations and effect warrants of arrest against the illegal recruiters, cause immediate investigations and speedy prosecution of cases. - GMANews.TV

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