Authorities have arrested a suspected illegal recruiter accused of luring returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with fake job offers abroad.
In a joint entrapment operation on Thursday night, agents from the National Bureau of Investigation-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-HTD) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) apprehended Gie Celeros Viterbo, also known as “Ghie,” inside a condominium unit in Pasay City.
According to investigators, the operation stemmed from a complaint by a domestic worker who had just come home from Saudi Arabia in August. The suspect allegedly promised her a new job in Dubai with a salary of USD 400 per month. However, instead of processing a legitimate application, “Ghie” reportedly reused the victim’s previous employment contract to purchase a plane ticket routed through Hong Kong and Doha.
The Bureau of Immigration flagged the victim’s documents as fake during screening, prompting authorities to launch a deeper probe. Investigators later discovered that “Ghie” was attempting to recruit the same worker again for a supposed domestic job in Lebanon offering USD 450.
When agents moved in for the arrest, another woman was found inside the unit, also being processed for supposed overseas employment in Dubai.
The suspect is now in NBI custody and faces charges of simple illegal recruitment and acts promoting trafficking in persons, pending inquest proceedings.
