Senate orders search for accused driver in ‘sex-for-flight’ scandal

Foreign  Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines –- The Senate blue ribbon committee has directed authorities to locate the driver and employee at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Saudi Arabia, accused of attempted rape by an overseas Filipino worker there.

“The ComSec (committee secretary) is hereby directed to coordinate with the NBI so that the whereabouts of  Mr. Jojo Casicas can be ascertained and he can be invited here  to  shed light on this matter,”  Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the committee, said during Thursday’s resumption of the Senate investigation into the so-called  “sex-for-flight” scheme  in  the Middle East.

Guingona’s committee , along with the  committee on labor headed by Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, started  the investigation on the issue last week.

Casicas being referred to by Guingona was the driver Philippine labor attaché to Saudi Arabia Adam Musa and an employee at the POLO.

Casicas had been accused by  28-year-old Grace Victoria  Sales of allegedly  trying to rape her sometime  in March 2012 while  they were left alone at their office  in POLO. Sales also worked  as a janitress at the same office.

But  responding  to  Guingona’s query, Musa informed the committees that he no longer knew  the whereabouts of his driver  after he left Saudi Arabia.

“I don’t know his whereabouts,”  said the labor attaché, adding that he did not also know  Casicas’ phone  numbers  here in the Philippines.

Guingona then turned to Labor Secretary  Rosalinda Baldoz and asked  whether her office  was in a position to locate  the driver.

Baldoz said  her office can coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation as she promised  to exert  all efforts to help locate  Casicas.

At that point , Guingona  directed  his committee to coordinate with the NBI to help locate Casicas.

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