4 alleged illegal recruiters nabbed in Cebu after raking in P1.2 M

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Four alleged illegal recruiters were arrested for duping 23 persons, including nurses at a military hospital, a school principal and the wife of a police officer, into paying a total of P1.2 million in fees for non-existent jobs in London, police said.

Eve Condevillamar, 36; her sister Ivy De Dios, 38; their mother Emma Condevillamar, 59; and friend Gemma Asada, 46, were detained to face charges of illegal recruitment.

Senior Inspector Bonifacio Arriesgado, chief of police in the town of Carmen, said Emma and Eve were arrested on Thursday at Eve’s home in Tuburan town while they were celebrating the birthday of Eve’s son. The two were turned over to the Carmen Police Station on Friday.

Ivy and Asada went to the police station but were held, too.

Ivy denied that she was part of the scam, saying she, too, was a victim since she was among those recruited by Eve to work in London.

Eve, she said, worked in London as a nanny but came back to the Philippines on August  29 to get the documents of the applicants.

The four were accused of duping 23 persons but only 12 of them were interested in pursuing charges against the suspects, said Arriesgado.

The victims included nurses from a military hospital, a school principal and other professionals who were recruited to work as nurses, caregivers, nannies, encoders and programmers with salaries ranging from £2,000 to £3,400 a month.

One of them was Marcial Sanchez, 52, of Carmen, who quit his job as a principal after Asada offered him a job in London on August 1.

“I sold five of my pigs. My children were all mad at me,” said Sanchez.