36 girls rescued from lair of recruiters in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines — Police on Saturday rescued 36 young Muslim girls who were illegally recruited for work in Saudi Arabia, a radio report said. The minors were being kept at a safehouse at the Muslim enclave of Maharlika Village in Taguig City, the report said. They were reportedly recruited by a group called Manor International Manpower Services. A check with the website of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed that the company was not in the POEA's list of agencies in good standing. Police have filed a complaint of illegal recruitment against nine people, all of whom are at large, said the report. Initial investigation showed that the young girls were recruited from poor towns in the southern provinces of Mindanao. Last Friday, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (BI) ted two employees of a travel agency in Caloocan City who have alleged promised nonexistent jobs abroad. Arrested were suspects Raymundo Miranda and Lina Donato, both employees of Golden Hurn Travel Agency located in Caloocan City. A report by NBI Anti-Organized Crime Division chief Marianito Panganiban said the suspects were made to pay placement fees of P20,000 to P25,000 in exchange for a job in Hong Kong as hotel workers last March. - GMANews.TV