Relatives seek justice for illegal recruitment victims

Enraged relatives of the six Filipino illegal recruitment victims trooped yesterday to the National Bureau of Investigation office in Manila to seek answers from suspected illegal recruiter Emma Ragoyal Cabigting.

Wives, parents, and siblings of the half a dozen defendants, facing two separate court trials based on criminal counterfeiting charges, made their presence felt at the NBI detention facility in the Philippines’ capital, in a plight to unburden their relatives of a crime they claim they did not commit.

In an overseas telephone interview with one of the defendants’ sister, Perla Valdepenas yesterday said that the relatives could almost not contain the relief they felt when Ms. Cabigting was finally nabbed by police early this week.

“We are happy that the suspect is already in the hands of authorities. The battle is far from over but at least, progress is being made,” Ms. Valdepenas said over the phone.

The suspect was arrested by authorities in the city of Caloocan, where she was cornered by Philippine police and investigators.

Illegal recruitment charges on a large scale have been leveled against Ms. Cabigting before Philippine courts.

According to Ms. Valdepenas, sister of defendant Romeo Gumin Montoya, when the suspect was confronted by relatives yesterday, she openly admitted to the accusations hurled against her.

But Ms. Cabigting vehemently denied knowledge of the bogus dollars, citing it was a certain Jerry Delgado from Valenzuela, Philippines who had handed her the currency to be turned over to the six Filipinos, said Ms. Valdepenas.

Commonwealth police and the RP’s NBI are digging deeper into the case.

With the recent arrest of the alleged culprit, hopes are high the six Filipino nationals indicted before the Superior and US District courts of counterfeiting charges will be subject to less restricting consequences such as deportation to the place of origin, instead of the 15-year jail term if found guilty by the federal grand jury.

Ms. Cabigting is lodged with accusations that she masterminded an illegal recruitment operation placing six Filipinos under a very trying ordeal before the US and Commonwealth judicial systems.

Testimonies released by victims reveal that the suspect allegedly handed to them some $5,000 worth of bogus dollars before they arrived on Saipan last Jan. 24, 2001.

The defendants were caught at the Saipan International Airport by immigration officers in possession of 100-dollar fake bills which they carried for “show money.”

While traveling to the island as tourists, the group revealed they were promised by their recruiter jobs in the Commonwealth, paying as much as $1,000 to $1,500 for the exchange deal.

The promised jobs turned out to be a hoax and the recruiter — apparently illegal.

The six indicted for counterfeiting include Rolando Hilongo Lambio, Nelia Baradi Florendo, Archie Barnatcha Macapagal, Ronalia De Guzman Navarro, Romeo Montoya, and Thelma Loqueno Tejano.

Federal grand jury trials for Ms. Tejano and Ms. Navarro have been set for April 30 at 9am, to be followed by Mr. Montoya and Mr. Lambio on May 14, at 9am, while Ms. Florendo and Ms. Macapagal have been scheduled for May 7, at 9am.