15/08/2026
Beware of illegal recruitment
๐๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ณ,๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐บ
The Regional Trial Court Branch 126 of Caloocan City convicted Roderick Reyes Paculdar of illegal recruitment and estafa on August 11, 2026, sentencing him to a maximum of 16 years in prison and imposing a P1-million penalty. The case followed a complaint from a Cagayan job applicant, who sought assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers-Migrant Workers Protection Bureau after Paculdar offered to facilitate her employment in Singapore.
The DMW verified that Paculdar was not a representative of a registered and licensed recruitment agency and was not authorized to engage in overseas recruitment. The Department assisted the complainant in reporting the case to the Caloocan City Police, which arrested Paculdar during an entrapment operation on April 18, 2024.
The complainant said Paculdar, whom she knew through a mutual friend, contacted her through Facebook and offered to arrange work in Singapore as a Nursing Aide with a monthly salary of P35,000 to P80,000. She paid him a total of P728,557 for various expenses from March 2024 to April 15, 2024, with the transactions documented through Facebook Messenger conversations and screenshots.
The court also ordered Paculdar to pay the complainant P737,357 with interest of six percent per annum.
โWe welcome the courtโs decision as an important reminder that illegal recruitment carries serious consequences. We urge our OFWs and jobseekers to work only with licensed recruitment agencies and authorized representatives, to verify overseas job offers with the DMW, and to immediately report individuals who request unauthorized fees or make questionable promises of employment abroad,โ Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said.
Secretary Cacdac said the case was the fifth illegal recruitment case conviction since January 2026 and urged other possible victims of Paculdar to seek legal and other assistance from the DMW. He also thanked the Caloocan City Police, the Department of Justice prosecution team, including Assistant City Prosecutor Jack Mendaros, and DMW personnel involved in the case. Possible victims may contact the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau for assistance at:
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Also available here: https://dmw.gov.ph/news-releases/news-release-078794