SLAVERY IS A thing of the past, but not in the Philippines where more Filipino women are surfacing to file criminal charges against an organized human trafficking syndicate preying on Filipino women applying for work abroad.
In a 20-page document obtained by The PH Insider from the Department of Justice National Prosecutor Service (DOJ-NPS), Jane, April and Calvin (not their real names) from Pasay City were enticed to work as domestic helpers through a recruitment agency supposedly owned by an Italian national based in London.
Named in the qualified human trafficking in persons complaint with docket number IV-27-INV-25J-0983 is Adel En Nouri, who claims to be a corporate executive of Harrods, the largest luxury department store in England.
Likewise tagged in the complaint were alleged accomplices identified as Raffaela Razon, Krizia Ann Geronda Loyang, Ricardo Evangelista Fernandez and Joshua Sy Lim of the Nouri International Placement Agency.
DUBIOUS PATTERN
In their joint affidavit, the victims claimed that they came across a Facebook post of Nouri International Placement Agency supposedly hiring Filipinos who want to work abroad as domestic helpers.
Stuck in poverty, the victims sent a direct message through its Facebook page expressing interest in the “job offer.” Subsequently, an initial meeting was arranged at the Starbucks Coffee Shop in SM City Bacood where they allegedly met Razon and Loyang who both claimed working for Nouri International Placement Agency.
To prove “legitimacy” of the job offer, the suspects presented a portfolio of the supposed employer (Nouri) whom they claimed would administer the final interview.
It was also then that Razon and Loyang laid down the requirements, which include the need to comply with the P100,000 placement fee — which they agreed and paid in two installments.
SWEET PROMISES
According to the suspects, successful applicants would be compensated with P80,000 every month — free board and lodging, on the condition that they would help recruit more applicants since the employer (Nouri) needed more than two domestic helpers.
Hence, they convinced Calvin, whom they tagged along during the second meeting where they handed over the first installment of the placement fee. Individual receipts were issued thereafter.
The full payment was made a week after. It was also then that they were told to raise funds to cover their airfare amounting to P50,000.
On June 25 another meeting occurred with Razon and Loyang who introduced Nouri through a video call on messenger app. Nouri told the unknowing victims to start packing up things as the job slots were already reserved for them.
PRE-DEPARTURE
On July 8, the victims were told to proceed to the agency’s office located at the Queens Row West Bacoor, along Sampaguita Street in Bacoor City.
Upon arrival at the address, they were perplexed to discover that the supposed office is actually a residential house where they were made to do household chores as part of “internship” to earn experience which they claimed forms part of the checklist of requirements. From thereon, they were no longer allowed to leave the premises.
Aside from doing household chores, they were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on cam with no less than the supposed employer Nouri as the sole audience. The “lewd show,” according to the victims, was staged at gunpoint by a certain Joshua Sy Lim.
It was at this point that the victims hatched an escape plan. After the successful escape bid, the victims sought help from authorities.
NOTORIOUS NOURI
Interestingly, Nouri is also facing a similar complaint previously filed at the Pasay City Prosecutors Office by two Filipino women who claimed that they were forced to appear in “per-per-view lewd online shows.”
The first set of victims formally sought the help of Ambassador Markus Lacanilao in his capacity as Special Envoy on Transnational Crime, to coordinate with the International Police Organization (Interpol) for the issuance of a Red Notice against London-based Adel En Nouri and cohorts.
The request has yet been granted though.