[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Alleged illegal recruiter falls
‘Sacadas’ rescued in Banga entrapment ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
KALIBO, Aklan – A suspected illegal recruiter was arrested in an entrapment in Banga town.
Richard Democrito allegedly recruited 16 sacadas (migrant sugarcane plantation workers) without the necessary papers from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), police said.
The sacadas, who were aged 20 to 50 years old, were rescued.
Democrito was transporting the workers on board a Ceres bus to Iloilo province when he was caught around 11:50 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 21 on a national highway in Barangay Venturanza, police said.
The 16 rescued sacadas — residents of Banga, New Washington and Kalibo — were enticed to work in sugarcane plantations in Calinog and Janiuay towns and the component city of Passi in Iloilo.
The Banga police released them but detained Democrito in their station’s lockup cell.
Democrito, a 39-year old resident of Barangay Linabuan Sur, Banga, denied recruiting the rescued sacadas.
Before the entrapment, a DOLE representative and Roger Zaradulla of the RJZ Recruitment Agency reported to the municipal police regarding Democrito’s alleged misrepresentation and unauthorized recruitment.
“They are using my name to recruit sacadas,” said Zaradulla, who had been placing jobs for migrant sugarcane plantation workers for 29 years now.
“These recruiters should follow recruitment laws para patas ang laban,” he said. “Kami [sa RJZ] kumpleto ang papeles [namin].”
Zaradulla claimed Democrito promised the rescued workers P2,000 in initial pay each but gave them only P300.
Sacadas — usually from Aklan and the nearby Antique — are hired during the peak harvest and milling season from October/November to April/May.
Sometimes they do harvesting only, other times harvesting with cane peeling and hauling.
Normally their employers would give them anticipo, or cash advance, to pay off debts and support their families.
Under Philippine laws, illegal recruitment is any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting, utilizing, hiring, or procuring workers for employment when undertaken by a non-licensee or non-holder of authority. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
