A Filipino family was arrested in Manila on Wednesday for harboring 41 women who were allegedly going to be sent illegally to Saudi Arabia.
Tor Bella, his daughter Monaliza and 23-year-old granddaughter were arrested by the Manila Police District in a house in Sta. Cruz, Manila, the Philippine Star reported.
Police rescued 41 Filipinas, some minors, in a building next to the house, which Bella called an accommodation house. The females said they were mostly recruited from Mindanao and offered jobs as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.
Police also found documents they said proved the three were involved in illegal recruitment. According to Chief Inspector Rosalino Ibay Jr, Bella’s employment agency, which recruited workers for employment in the Philippines, had its license revoked. Bella allegedly processed the documents and sent them to another agency that sends workers overseas.
The three were charged with illegal recruitment and illegal detention.
Illegal recruitment in Philippines was decadely operational and since it was created on early 70’s the illegal operation failed to be shut down. Our Philippine Overseas Employment Agency has no enough weapon to combat this illegal recruiters coz it has underground connection within their agency.