Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday assured 68 of the so-called "Alpha 400" that they could count on the long arm of Philippine law to hold the couple Krizelle Respicio and Frederick Dutaro accountable for allegedly duping them of as much as P119 million in exchange for non-existent jobs in Italy.

DAILY TRIBUNE's digital show Usapang OFW brought the complainants against Alpha Assistenza SRL to the Department of Justice on Thursday.

Remulla earlier said he would personally look into the complaints once he received an endorsement from the Department of Migrant Workers, which said it would issue the document while providing legal assistance to the victims.

Respicio, a co-CEO of Dutaro at Alpha, had claimed close ties with Philippine Consul General to Milan Elmer Cato, whom the Filipino sponsors of the would-be workers in Italy accused of sitting on their complaints or giving them the runaround that forced them to seek help from the Italian police.

A statement from Cato's office branded the accusations against him as "malicious disinformation," even as the Italian Embassy in Manila confirmed to DAILY TRIBUNE the scam that Filipinos had perpetrated against fellow Filipinos.

Numbering some 400, the complainants exposed the modus operandi of Alpha Assistenza in the 21 September show of Usapang OFW, which then shepherded them to a meeting with DMW officials and then brought their plight to the attention of Senator Risa Hontiveros.

"We will follow the legal process, but I assure everyone that we will get the job done," Remulla said as he unleashed the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Prosecution Service on Respicio and Dutaro, who are said to be in the Philippines to evade the many Filipinos in Italy hounding them for their money back.

Remulla said they will request the complainants' affidavits so that the DoJ can properly complain and then put together a case to help them regain their money.

"If it is swindling, estafa, large-scale estafa, qualified theft… or whatever cases they are, we will have them draw out the truth," he assured.

DoJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, said: "The facts that we will get will comprise the crimes — it could be one, it could be several depending on the elements we can determine. We can charge the perpetrators."

Most sponsors paid the job-seekers' consultancy fees charged by Alpha Assistenza — from 3,000 to 5,000 euros each. For the 400, the total amount in pesos believed pocketed by Respicio and Dutaro would be from P71,882,760 to P119,805,520.

Senator Hontiveros on Wednesday filed a resolution calling for a congressional investigation of Alpha Assistenza.

Embassy gets involved

Also on Thursday, the Italian Embassy in Manila vowed to act expeditiously on the matter after it was brought to its attention by DAILY TRIBUNE and Usapang OFW, which airs Tuesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., simulcast on RJTV.

Consular chancery head Antonio Gallo reminded Filipinos that the "nulla osta," a certificate that permits non-European Union residents to work in Italy, is free.

"I believe it is a well-known detail, an instance which should have raised some suspicions in the victims of the fraud. Instead, they were asked for large amounts of money for the concession," Gallo said.

The Italian government, through its police and prosecutorial office, is looking into the scam, Gallo said, adding, "the scamming was somehow rough" and an issue that "concerns actions perpetrated by unscrupulous Filipinos toward their fellow Filipinos."

The authorization to work in Italy is "regularly recorded in our IT system, and its authenticity is habitually and easily verified by the embassy once submitted," Gallo's letter read.

"Thus, it is evident that the non-legitimacy of the documents provided would have been discovered immediately," he said, referring to the fake "nulla osta" provided by Alpha Assistenza, which resulted in the visa applications of the complainants being turned down.

DAILY TRIBUNE had asked the embassy if the visa rejection letters the job-seekers had received from its third-party visa processing center in Manila, PIASI, were genuine as they looked dubious with the names of the applicants handwritten in.

Finally, hope

"I finally have hope that our money will be returned," said Kathleen Macalintal from Malvar, Batangas, whose family in Italy paid 7,000 euros (about P420,000) to Alpha Assistenza SRL to sponsor her and her husband.

"We will finally get justice," Maria April Lescano, from Balete, Batangas, said. She was duped of 2,500 euros, she said.

"I am happy that the government is finally heeding our plight," said Joseph Valencia, also from Balete. He said he was scammed of 3,500 euros.

A large number of the mega-recruitment scam victims hailed from Batangas.

In her resolution, Hontiveros cited an urgent need to protect the 160,000 Filipinos in Italy "from possible illegal recruitment perpetuated by companies based overseas."

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is investigating the matter. "The complaint is really to be filed with Italian authorities but our consulate in Milan should assist them," it said.

Marketing director a victim, too

In a surprising twist, another Filipino, Jeffrey Villalon, formerly the "marketing director" of Alpha Assistenza SRL, claimed to be a victim himself, who was unwittingly embroiled in the fraudulent activities of the firm. Villalon described his six-month ordeal as a hapless victim and unwitting accomplice of Respicio and Dutaro.

Villalon, who had previously worked in Italy, was initially contracted by Respicio to create Alpha Assitenza's website. He admitted that the website was a mere online placeholder intended to lure clients to the agency. Respicio later asked him to create marketing materials in exchange for facilitating his return to Italy to be reunited with his children.

Despite his initial reservations, Villalon agreed, saying, "Thinking I was lucky to get a very good deal, I took it." He subsequently noticed several red flags in Alpha Assistenza's business practices, including dubious visa processing and the absence of a seal on his Nulla Osta work permit.

Villalon appeared in last Tuesday's Usapang OFW show. And Pedring Labrador