Baklas: How minors are victimized by illegal recruiter

MANILA – About 35 minors, mostly from Mindanao, were rescued from a Sudanese illegal recruiter in Pasay City. Agents from the Anti-Transnational Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) rescued the minors who were staying inside an apartment run by Happy World Human Resource and Recruitment Agency. Senior Superintendent John Gano Guyguyon of the CIDG said the minors were promised with work as domestic workers in the Middle East by the agency. The minors were suffering from dire conditions inside the apartment. ''Pagdating doon sa bahay kukunin ang cellphone. Grabe, kumakain sila one cup of rice a day, walang ulam… Kapag na-convince ka nila, bibigyan ka ng passport at papalitan ng picture mo, ito yung sinasabi nilang 'baklas,''' Guyguyon said. ''We are bringing Filipinos home from abroad especially Saudi Arabia because of Saudization, and yet here is an agency trying to send as much as 100 people papunta naman doon. And these are not skilled workers." The owner of the recruitment agency is facing swindling and human trafficking charges. Authorities discovered that the recruitment firm, run by a Sudanese national identified as Ash Raf, was registered with the Philippine Overseases Employees Association (POEA) in February 2013. The minors were brought to the Department of Social Welfare and Development – National Capital Region before being turned over to their respective parents and guardians in the province. – report from Francis Faulve, ABS-CBN News