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| Vice Consul Gino Soriano administers oath to the HK complainants |
Twelve Filipino domestic workers from Hong Kong claiming to have been victimized by Cebu-based businesswoman Prisca Nina Mabatid and her visa consultancy firm took their oath before Vice Consul George Mariano Soriano at the Consulate last Sunday, June 23, ahead of the expected filing of their complaint with the Department of Justice in the Philippines.
The 12 are among
more than 20 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong who sought the help of the
Mission for Migrant Workers after they were allegedly duped into paying
P132,000 each in February 2023 on the pretext that they would be helped to get
into Canada to work while on student visas.
Apart from
Mabatid, named respondents in their complaint were lawyer Russ Mark Gamallo,
her alleged partner in the PCVC/Opportunities Abroad visa consultancy firm, and OFW
blogger Bryan Calagui.
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| TAWAG NA! |
The complainants
have submitted sworn statements and various evidence including videos and
photos taken during the alleged recruitment drive to the Department of Migrant
Workers, which previously sent a team of investigators to Hong Kong to look
into their complaints.
With help from
the Mission, the complainants have also filed complaints with the Hong Kong
Police and the Immigration Department. Consulate officials recently informed
the group that their case has already been endorsed by the police to the
Department of Justice for the possible filing of charges.
The
video-recorded oath-taking was carried out at the request of Migrante
International in the Philippines, which is assisting a number of complainants
against Mabatid and several other people who allegedly collected no less than
P100,000 from each of them, in exchange for the false promise of securing them student visas in Canada.
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| Mabatid's flyer for her Feb 19, 2023 'orientation' in Hong Kong |
One of the cases handled by Migrante involves three complainants, one of whom claims to have been recruited in Oman. Their case has been taken
up by the DMW and filed directly with the City Prosecutor’s Office in Cabuyao,
Laguna.
Named
respondents in their complaint apart from Mabatid were Adam Hechanova, Ma.
Teresa Binghay and Jhearlyn Jabellana. The crimes alleged against them are syndicated
illegal recruitment under RA 10022 and estafa in relation to RA 10175 of the
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Mabatid did not
appear in any of the hearings called by the City Fiscal, and her counsel Glenna
Jean Ogan said initially that based on Facebook, the former Cebu City councilor
“appears to be in Australia at present.”
In her response
to the complaints, Mabatid denied any
connection with PinoyCare Visa Center and Opportunities Abroad, the two visa
consultancy companies she allegedly used to recruit the complainants to apply
for student visas to Canada.
Mabatid claimed
she was a legal recruiter, being the owner of Amax Philippines, which is
licensed by the POEA or Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
She also asserted that
all the cases filed against her were a malicious intent to tarnish her
reputation. As to who it could be, she named “a credible source” as saying that
the complainants had communicated with The SUN editor and lawyer Daisy Mandap,
who she alleged as a “leftist propagator (sic)” who has been targeting her to
prevent OFWs from seeking a better life
in Canada.
The next hearing
of the preliminary investigation is set for June 13.
Separately, the
Department of Justice has started hearing the complaints filed by 12 applicants
of PCVC/Opportunities Abroad and endorsed by the National Bureau of
Investigation.
Recommended for
prosecution for alleged large-scale illegal recruitment, and syndicated estafa
under Art 315 par 2(a) of the Revised Penal Code are Prisca Nina O Mabatid, Adam
Hechanova, Mark Gamallo, Clint Victor Caingles, Bernie Uy and Clark M. Jueco.
Like in the
previous case, the complainants here claim to have been duped by the
respondents into paying no less than P100,000 each on the pretext of securing
student visas to Canada for them.
The next hearing
of the case has been set down for Monday, July1.
Migrante said it
has also been informed of the filing of similar complaints against Mabatid in
Cebu, but has yet to get details. The DMW in Cebu is also said to be behind the move to
get the complaints pursued in court.
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| Mabatid was a no-show in 3 Senate hearings on massive illegal recruitment |
Earlier, Mabatid
was summoned to appear before the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers headed by
Senator Raffy Tulfo, to respond to complaints filed by about 100 Filipinos from
all over the country who claimed to have been similarly defrauded by her and
her group.
Mabatid failed to
appear in any of the three hearings called by the Committee, as a result of which
she was issued with a “show-cause” order on Feb. 13.
Staff of the
Senate Committee have told The SUN that another hearing would be called, but
did not specify a date.
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