7th illegal recruitment victim charged

A 33-year-old Filipino who was a victim of illegal recruitment in Manila was charged yesterday before the Superior Court with conspiracy to commit counterfeit.

Superior Court Associate Judge Timothy H. Bellas has set a $7,500 bail for the temporary release of Bobby C. Valdez, a resident of Malasique, Pangasinan.

Immigration authorities released Mr. Valdez to police custody Thursday after a day of intensive questioning.

Mr. Valdez came here as a tourist with six other Filipinos who were earlier arrested by immigration and police officers at the Saipan International Airport. The seven boarded board Asiana Airlines flight 252 from Manila and arrived Saipan at 3:20am.

They sold their farms back home to come here and paid the illegal recruiters $1,000 to $1,500, each with hopes of landing good jobs so that they can give their families a better life.

Instead, they are now detained at the Division of Corrections in Susupe and facing criminal charges.

A police report said immigration authorities found a fake $100 bill in possession of Mr. Valdez on Wednesday morning as he was being questioned at the immigration area.

But sources said no money was really found in his possession but he was arrested and charged when he admitted that he was present when the recruiter was giving the US dollar bills to his companions in Manila.

Mr. Valdez raised the P75,000 he paid to the recruiter in Manila partly from the proceeds of his rice harvest sale in Malasique, Pangasinan. He has four young children waiting for him in his home province.

The six others earlier charged with counterfeiting were Rolando Hilongo Lambio, 34, Nelia Barradi Florendo, 28, Archie Barnatcha Macapagal, 23, Ronalia de Guzman Navarro, 22, Romeo Gumin Montoya, 52, and Thelma Loqueno Tejano, 36. Superior Court Associate Judge Juan T. Lizama set a $10,000 bail for each of the six accused.

Initial investigation showed that the seven Filipinos were promised to receive payment of $2.25 per hour even if the minimum wage is $3.05 since part of their salary will be paid to the recruiter.

A certain Emma Ragoyal Cabigting gave the bogus US dollar bills to the Filipinos as show money since they will be coming to Saipan as tourists.

The victims did not have any idea that the American dollars were fake except that bills were already old.

An immigration officer who inspected the dollar bills amounting to $5,000 noticed that the money have the same serial numbers. The fake money were brought to Hong Kong Bank for testing which later on confirmed earlier suspicions that they were counterfeit.