Baras, Rizal – Religious leader, Bishop Reynaldo Basalio Y Gaddao, was arrested, on Monday in the vicinity of the Faithful Promise Foundation Philippines Inc. in Baras, Rizal for his large-scale illegal recruitment of Filipino workers.
Bishop Gaddao, was first arrested on April 28, 2025 and was finally arrested in a joint operation of the National Bureau of Investigation–Cavite District Office North (NBI-CAVIDO North) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Along with his wife, Pastora Esclarmonde Estrada Basalio, they were found to be illegally recruiting Filipino workers for jobs in Korea, Japan, and Papua New Guinea, without the necessary license from the DMW.
The religious couple promised jobs such as factory workers, tea pickers, accountants, clerks, mechanical engineers, and construction workers in the said countries with salaries ranging from Php 36,000 to Php 120,000.
In disguise of missionary work, they charged their victims of Php 50,000 each for processing fees and documents. Some victims were offloaded, others were deployed, and some were still awaiting deployment.
In accordance with Republic Act 8042, also known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, Bishop Gaddao will face charges of Large-Scale Illegal Recruitment, a non-bailable offense.
The DMW advises job seekers to always verify agencies through the DMW official website at dmw.gov.ph. It also reiterates its warnings to the public against unlicensed recruiters. – Rose Anne C. Palma, EUROTV News Contributor