COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT VS EX-QUEZON MAYOR FOR LARGE-SCALE ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT

LUCENA CITY – A local court has issued a warrant of arrest against a former Quezon mayor for alleged large-scale illegal recruitment.

Quezon police director Col. Romulo Albacea said the arrest warrant was issued by Catanauan Regional Trial Court Branch 96 Judge Julius Francis Galvez against former Gen. Luna, Quezon Mayor Matt Erwin Florido.

The issuance of the warrant of arrest was based on the  recommendation of Provincial Prosecutor Rodrigo Domingo.

Albacea said they are hunting down the former mayor. He said they received reports that Florido has gone into hiding upon learning the arrest warrant and allegedly flew to Australia last July 7.

“But despite that information, our operatives, along with other law enforcement agencies, continue their monitoring,” said Albacea in an interview.

Florido’s co-accused, Joma Cristina Briones, has already been arrested by operatives of the Provincial Intelligence Unit under Lt. Col. Ruben Ballera.

Florido and Briones have been accused of violating Section 6 of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 or illegal recruitment in large scale.

Based on the charge sheet, the former mayor and Briones committed the crimes when they recruited and promised overseas employment to Ginabel Aguila, Mary Rose Roldan, Jun Carlo Roldan, Renato Moreno Jr, Reynan Ricamara, Richie Moreno, Romulo Rodelas and Efleda Alano of Bgy. Recto, Gen. Luna, as farm workers in South Korea without any permit or license from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) or any valid and signed resolution from the Municipal Council of Gen. Luna.

It said that after Aguila, Mary Rose and Jun Carlo Roldan, Renato and Richie Moreno, Ricamara, Rodelas and Alano have submitted passports and other documents and have given away their hard-earned money, set aside their livelihoods and even incurred loans with high interest in order to comply  with the requirements, the accused  failed to send them abroad.

During the preliminary investigation and clarificatory hearings, both the accused denied the allegations.

Florido and Briones also submitted resolutions signed and issued by the Municipal Council and documents of the 29 successful farmers who were already deployed to South Korea as seasonal farm workers.

Florido, who was on his second term as mayor, ran against incumbent Quezon 3rd district Rep. Reynan Arrogancia, but lost by a margin of almost 100,000 votes. GF