The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Tuesday, January 23, shut down an international recruitment agency operating illegally in EDSA Project 7 Veterans Village, Quezon City.
The recruitment agency, which was reportedly offering jobs for Filipinos in Italy and Malta, was identified as LegalConnect Travel Consultancy Services, owned by John Paul April Padilla Esguerra.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac led the raid in cooperation with the Quezon City Police District.
DMW discovered that jobs such as agricultural and factory workers and caregivers in Italy and hotel workers in Malta were promised to applicants.
The recruitment agency reportedly charged each applicant a P250,000 to P280,000 processing fee.
Apart from not having a permit, Cacdac said the recruitment agency had no legal documents.
LegalConnect has been under surveillance for more than a month after three of the victims raised their concerns to Senator Raffy Tulfo.
Criminal cases such as syndicated and large-scale illegal recruitment and syndicated estafa will be filed against the recruitment agency's owner.
