BIGTIME MALAYSIAN ILLEGAL RECRUITER, FALLS TO NOLI TASK FORCE
July 9, 2008

The long arms of the law caught up with an elusive bigtime illegal recruiter from Malaysia following an entrapment operation by a composite anti-illegal recruitment group led by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) yesterday (July 8) in Dagupan City.

Vice President and Presidential Adviser on OFWs Noli “Kabayan” De Castro identified the arrested suspect as Ong Siew Lian, a Malaysian national. Also nabbed was a Filipino doctor identified as Dr. Raul Sabado, owner of Dagupan Orthopedic Center, in Dagupan City where he allegedly conducts the pre departure briefings for their victims.

According to De Castro, arresting officers from the composite group composed by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Anti-Transnational Crime Division (ATCD), Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Philippine Overseas and Employment Authority (POEA) hauled the suspects from Dagupan City to Camp Crame in Quezon City for filing of appropriate charges.

De Castro said the arrest of Lian was planned out earlier following a tip from her victims that the suspect would be leaving the Philippines for Kuala Lumpur via the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga.

The information was given by Rolly Corpuz, husband of Donna, one of Lian's victims who arrived at DMIA from Kuala Lumpur on that same morning and told authorities that the suspect is asking THE P15,000 BALANCE OUT OF THE P30,000 placement fee. The couple said Lian wanted the money delivered to her in Dagupan City.

Following the tip, the operatives together with the Corpuz couple, planned out another entrapment operation before rushing to Dagupan where Lian wanted the transaction to take place.

The agents immediately pounced on Lian right after she took the marked money. Corpuz said there are still many victims of Lian in Kuala Lumpur who are wating to be repatriated. Such report was received by the Vice President on July 5 which led to the assembly of arresting team.

De Castro lauded CIDG-ATCD head Sr. Supt. Col.Gilbert Sosa, and his men as well as the operatives from the POEA and BI for another successful campaign against illegal recruitment.

He also cited the cooperation of the victims which was crucial to the arrest of Lian and Sabado.

"This is another big blow against illegal recruitment. We intend to catch more illegal recruiters with the help of dedicated men in uniforms and cooperative victims. The fight against illegal recruitment is everyone's concern. Let us all help and be vigilant in this campaign to stop the culprits who cause hardship to fellow Filipinos instead of helping them." the Vice President said.

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