The charges, each composed of three pages of information and all signed by State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon, include qualified trafficking in person or violation of Republic Act 0208; illegal recruitment or violation of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Workers Act of 1995; and estafa or violation of Article 215 of the Revised Penal Code.
Ariel Sabsabin, the NPS personnel who submitted the information, refused to elaborate on the documents he brought to the OCC. The OCC docketed the information on qualified trafficking in person and illegal recruitment as Criminal Cases Nos. SD (15)-3723 and SD (15)-3724, respectively.
That of estafa, an OCC official who refused to be identified said, could not be assigned a docket number until a certain filing fee is paid.
The information may be raffled off on Thursday next week.
Sergio and Lacanilao, both detained, were named accused in all the information while a certain Alias ‘Ike” appeared as additional respondent in the qualified trafficking in person case.
In the information approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arreano, Azarcon said the three allegedly exploited Veloso by “taking advantage of the vulnerability of the victim, under the pretext of a legitimate overseas employment as domestic helper in Malaysia, recruit and transport the victim from Nueva Ecija to Malaysia via Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.”
“But once in Malaysia, accused did not provide the victim the promised job, rather accused then and there dupe, deceive, manipulate, and prevail upon the victim through a scheme to go to Indonesia with a suitcase provided by the accused and which contains illegal drugs, thereby deceiving and manipulating the victim to carry and transport the illegal drugs to Indonesia, without the consent and against the will of the victim, and which resulted to her incarceration to the damage and prejudice of the said victim,” Azarcon farther alleged.
The state prosecutor said Sergio and Lacanilao supposedly violated Republic Act 8042 when they allegedly recruited Veloso to work overseas without first securing necessary license or authority from government agencies.
The third case, stemmed from the accused alleged “criminal design” in “falsely representing themselves” to have the capacity to provide Veloso employment in Malaysia as domestic helper and allegedly made her pay P7,000 in cash.
Named witnesses in the information were Veloso who is in prison in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Veloso’s former partner Michael Candelaria, her parents Cesar and Celia and elder Sister Maritess Laurente.
Veloso’s elder sister, Darling, arrived late for the filing owing to lack of vehicle to use from their residence in Barangay Caudilo. Sabsabin has already left when she got to the OCC.
She thanked God for the cases filed and asked Sergio to make life easier for them all.
“Lahat ng pagpapatawad kaya naming ibigay, tumulong lang siya na makabalik ang aking kapatid. Aminin na niya ang pambibiktima nila sa aking kapatid,” she said.
