Mandaluyong City police and the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau arrested a security guard in an entrapment operation at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar Room on Tuesday.
The suspect, identified as Wenceslao Villagracia, was apprehended following complaints from two women from Calaca, Batangas, who had applied as direct-hire domestic workers in Bahrain.
According to an SMNI report, citing the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Villagracia allegedly demanded P35,000 from each applicant in exchange for expediting their OWWA Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar certificates. Authorities described the act as a clear case of extortion and abuse of power.
Villagracia will face charges under Section 21(h) of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11032) for fixing, along with estafa charges.
