Migrant group denounces RP officer in Macau for letting illegal recruiter off the hook

31 August 2009

The Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) denounces Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Officer Nicanor David, Jr. for letting off the hook an illegal recruiter in Macau in exchange of providing airfare to two of her victims. If such practice continues, no illegal recruiter of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Macau will ever be prosecuted and said criminal offenders will continue to do their acts with impunity.

On August 25, Ernesto de Guzman Cariaso, Jr. and Alvin Seranilla were persuaded by ATN Officer David to make an affidavit withdrawing their complaints against Rosalie Javien Piedad for illegal recruitment and payment of the fee she got from them. Even if on the previous day, August 24, the same ATN officer made them sign a sworn statement in an official form of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Macau that they would pay back the costs of their plane tickets initially paid for by the PCG.

Aside from this, Ms. Piedad has a pending case with a Macau court for defrauding the two together with Orly Medina. The illegal recruiter was even jailed for two days on the second week of July and was only freed on bail. The problem is that Mr. Medina has already returned home as he was provided a plane ticket by his family in the Philippines and Ernesto and Alvin have already overstayed their visas and are considered criminals by the Macau authorities and thus can not follow up their case in court. The two entered Macau on June 17 and 18, respectively.

The victims went first to the PCG for assistance on the first week of July but were told to report to the Macau police instead. Clearly the PCG is not serious in handling illegal recruitment cases committed by its own nationals whether they are in Macau or back home.

Most likely, the reason for this is its revived policy together with the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) requiring Filipino nationals who want to go to Macau directly to have with them an affidavit of support supposedly to prevent illegal recruitment. This affidavit costs a hefty MOP220 (P1,371.41) and partly states the following:

That the following are the member/s of my family/household/friends who are going to visit/join me in Macau.  

Failure to have a copy of said affidavit of support would risk being off loaded by Immigration officials. Unless one has a few thousand pesos to bribe one’s way to continue traveling to Macau.

The MFMW is thus calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs to investigate and prosecute if it is warranted (ATN) Officer Nicanor David, Jr. for letting off the hook an illegal recruiter in Macau. At the same time it calls on PCG officials to seriously assist both Ernesto and Alvin and all other OFWs to file criminal cases against their illegal recruiters in the Philippines until they are prosecuted so that this would not recur again. At the same time, there is no illegal recruitment case under Macau’s Laws but only fraud.

Likewise the PCG should also set up a shelter not only for those who are victimized of illegal recruitment but all others who would need such services. It is fortunate that Ernesto and Alvin were assisted by their compatriots while other victims resort to going to casinos for their daily food sustenance or going to extremes just to survive. The MFMW is calling on government officials to scrap again the requirements for the affidavit of support as it is financially burdensome to OFWs working and living in Macau and at the same time is a source of corruption.#