NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
Fake Church Busted For Illegal Recruitment; DMW, NBI Shut Down 'Faithful Promise' In Rizal
Photo credit: DMW
In a bold move to protect Filipinos dreaming of working abroad, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) teamed up to shut down a so-called church in Baras, Rizal that turned out to be a front for illegal recruitment.
This afternoon, April 28, 2025, DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac ordered the closure of “Faithful Promise Foundation Philippines Inc.”—also known by a few other names like “Faithful Promise of Jesus Christ the Greatest Master Phil. Inc.” and “Faithful Promise Church in the Philippines.”
Turns out, it wasn’t a place for worship at all. Instead, it was being used to illegally recruit workers for supposed jobs in Japan, Korea, and Papua New Guinea. And worse, it was preying on its own parishioners.
According to DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, the operation followed a series of surveillance activities. Authorities nabbed the group’s leader, Pastora Esclarmonde Estrada Basalio, who had no license from the DMW to recruit workers.
“Yung mismong mga miyembro nila ang nagsumbong sa amin,” Olalia shared. “Some recruits were even offloaded at the airport, and others were being charged despite the lack of proper authority. It’s a huge risk—lives are at stake when people leave undocumented.”
NBI-Cavite North District Office agent-in-charge Atty. Czar Eric Nuqui also revealed that victims were charged P50,000 each, supposedly for processing fees and documents, disguised as “community work.”
“Some of these people made it abroad,” Nuqui said, “but when they got there, there were no jobs waiting for them.”
Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara explained that most victims were promised jobs in Japan—ranging from factory work and construction jobs to office positions like clerks and accountants—with salaries allegedly between ₱36,000 and ₱120,000.
Here’s the catch: instead of proper work visas, the recruits were given tourist visas and told to claim they were missionaries at Immigration. Some were caught and offloaded. Some made it through, but without proper jobs lined up.
The DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau, working closely with the NBI, led the closure operation. Authorities are now calling on victims to step forward and file complaints to ensure they get help—and justice.
If you or someone you know was victimized, you can reach out to the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau via hotline (+63 2 8721-0619), email (mwpb@dmw.gov.ph), or through their Facebook page.
This afternoon, April 28, 2025, DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac ordered the closure of “Faithful Promise Foundation Philippines Inc.”—also known by a few other names like “Faithful Promise of Jesus Christ the Greatest Master Phil. Inc.” and “Faithful Promise Church in the Philippines.”
Turns out, it wasn’t a place for worship at all. Instead, it was being used to illegally recruit workers for supposed jobs in Japan, Korea, and Papua New Guinea. And worse, it was preying on its own parishioners.
According to DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, the operation followed a series of surveillance activities. Authorities nabbed the group’s leader, Pastora Esclarmonde Estrada Basalio, who had no license from the DMW to recruit workers.
“Yung mismong mga miyembro nila ang nagsumbong sa amin,” Olalia shared. “Some recruits were even offloaded at the airport, and others were being charged despite the lack of proper authority. It’s a huge risk—lives are at stake when people leave undocumented.”
NBI-Cavite North District Office agent-in-charge Atty. Czar Eric Nuqui also revealed that victims were charged P50,000 each, supposedly for processing fees and documents, disguised as “community work.”
“Some of these people made it abroad,” Nuqui said, “but when they got there, there were no jobs waiting for them.”
Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara explained that most victims were promised jobs in Japan—ranging from factory work and construction jobs to office positions like clerks and accountants—with salaries allegedly between ₱36,000 and ₱120,000.
Here’s the catch: instead of proper work visas, the recruits were given tourist visas and told to claim they were missionaries at Immigration. Some were caught and offloaded. Some made it through, but without proper jobs lined up.
The DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau, working closely with the NBI, led the closure operation. Authorities are now calling on victims to step forward and file complaints to ensure they get help—and justice.
If you or someone you know was victimized, you can reach out to the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau via hotline (+63 2 8721-0619), email (mwpb@dmw.gov.ph), or through their Facebook page.
Apr 28, 2025
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