A recruitment official accused of running a fraudulent overseas employment operation is now in custody, sparing roughly 1,700 Filipinos who had been promised jobs across Central Europe that authorities say never existed.
Mazhoor Ubongin Khusin, who went by the nickname “Maz,” was taken into custody on July 20, 2026, in Mexico, Pampanga. Police from the Quezon City Police District’s Project 4 Station carried out the arrest under a warrant covering large-scale illegal recruitment, issued by Branch 146 of the Makati City Regional Trial Court.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Khusin held a post at ALJU International Manpower Services, Inc. That agency had already drawn regulatory penalties over misrepresented job offers, inflated placement charges, and its failure to return money owed to applicants. Regulators later stripped the company of its license to send workers abroad.
Positions in Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic formed the core of the pitch, with recruits told they could earn as much as P90,000 monthly working in factories, on farms, or in hotels. Securing a slot reportedly came at a steep price: placement fees between P80,000 and P130,000. Investigators say applicants were pushed through high-pressure tactics to surrender the payments on the spot.
Anyone with knowledge of similar recruitment activity can reach the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau through its Facebook page at facebook.com/dmwairtip, by email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph, or by phone at +63 2 8721-0619, where legal help is available for those looking to file complaints.
The agency also urged jobseekers to be wary of recruiters who insist on hefty fees upfront, dangle salaries that seem too generous, or make sweeping guarantees of visas, residency, or fast deployment.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac framed the arrest as a meaningful step forward. “The arrest of this illegal recruiter marks a significant development in the cases filed in connection with the alleged recruitment scheme targeting our OFWs who simply want a better life for their families. Hindi natin titigilan ang mga illegal recruiters na ito at ang kanilang mga kasabwat na patuloy na nanloloko sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.
