AN alleged illegal recruiter promising farm jobs in Canada in exchange for exorbitant processing fees was nabbed in a joint entrapment operation conducted by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Pasay City.
The DMW, through its Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) reported the arrest of Edmel Jane Dumrique Movida who has been promising jobs as farmworkers in Canada without the necessary license or authority from the DMW.
The arrest is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to safeguard the welfare and protect our OFWs against unscrupulous illegal recruiters and syndicates who are preying on the vulnerability of the Filipino job seekers.
According to MWPB Director Geraldine Mendez, the arrest of Movida stemmed from the complaints by four applicant-victims who were promised of work in Canada as farmworkers with salary of CAD34 Canadian per hour. The victim-applicants were also charge of Php 120,000 to Php 160,000 as processing fee.
The four complainants were from the provinces of Aklan, Quirino, Ilocos and Sultan Kudarat, who reached out to the DMW-MWPB on 21 January 2025.
Based on the investigations, Movida already collected Php70,000 each from the complainants for the processing of their supposed documents, including the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and even assured the victims of immediate deployment through the help of a friend working with the Bureau of Immigration.
Movida also demanded additional Php50,000 each from processing of the applicants’ visa. But before paying again, the applicants inquired with the DMW and found out that Movida has no license to recruit workers for overseas employment.
DMW-MWPB immediately coordinated with the CIDG-Anti Transnational Crime Unit (ATCU) for the entrapment operation that led to the arrest of Movida.
The respondent is now in the custody of PNP-CIDG-ATCU for proper investigation and filing of appropriate charges.
The DMW encourages other possible victims of Movida to contact the MWPB through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip, email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance in filing cases against the illegal recruiter.
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