Cops nab school exec in recruitment mess

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

POLICE arrested one of four school executives charged with large-scale illegal recruitment and large-scale estafa on court orders over the weekend.

Authorities arrested Pamela Vedra, registrar of the Philippine School of Science and Technology (PSST) on Osmeña St., this city.

Vedra was charged in court along with Amy Bendisula, Rodrigo Bendisula and Rubelyn Llovia, officials of the PSST, by students who alleged to have been victims.

The arrest was based on a warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 41 Judge Jeoffre Acebido against the school executives.

On Monday, PSST lawyer Jerome Jarales filed a motion to quash the issuance of the warrant of arrest against his clients.

Jarales questioned the issuance of the warrant, and pointed out that his clients did not receive a copy of the resolution of prosecutors.

Jarales accused prosecutors of railroading the case resulting in the issuance of the warrant of arrest.

“My client (Vedra) is innocent of the crime, and is also a victim of the alleged illegal recruitment,” he said.

The case was brought to court by a Regional Prosecutor’s Office panel based on the complaint filed by six alleged victims who alleged that the school executives facilitated their supposed work placement abroad and collected money from them.

Regional prosecutor Jaime Umpa said the complaint was related to 13 Filipino workers in Malaysia who recently sought immediate repatriation.

Umpa said of the arrest warrant: “It is already a sign of relief on behalf of the complainant(s) that a warrant of arrest has been issued.”