Cato: Evidence vs Alpha ‘strong’

Krizelle Dianne Respicio yesterday snapped back at two people who had worked for her at Alpha Assistenza SRL, the company now at the center of a visa procurement scandal involving Filipinos seeking jobs in Italy.

In an unsigned post that has since been deleted on Alpha Assistenza's official Facebook account, the agency issued a statement denying Respicio had implicated her aunt, Arlyn Pangan, in any scam.

Consul general speaks

Pangan, along with Socorro Velasquez who is now cooperating with Philippine authorities investigating Alpha Assistenza, was tagged by some of the complainants as a "runner" for Respicio.

Alpha Assistenza said "Ms. Pangan has denied making these statements written" by this reporter.

Pangan, however, yesterday stood by her story that was based on her face-to-face interview with DAILY TRIBUNE and Usapang OFW last Friday.

The consul general to Milan, Elmer Cato, had issued a statement in a report by TV Patrol on Sunday.

"We have strong evidence to prosecute this case, through lawyers here (Italy) and in the Philippines," Cato said, apparently referring to Respicio and her partner and co-CEO Frederick Dutaro.

Cato has denied coddling Respicio and Dutaro and, in an earlier statement by the consulate, averred that they had been undertaking a "case build-up" against the couple's company.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega also met with the Filipino community in Milan to look into the cases of illegal recruitment there.

To recall, Pangan said that she had agreed to help Respicio  because she was family, adding that the Alpha Assistenza co-CEO also offered to help her facilitate her trip to Italy so she could get cancer treatment there.

The second employee

Alpha Assistenza also hit out at Jeffrey Villalon, the creator of its website who also approached DAILY TRIBUNE to "spill the beans" on the company which, he said, promised to bring him back to Italy at no cost to him.

Alpha Assistenza claimed Villalon was never its "marketing manager" although he built the Alpha Assistenza website.

"Our website had been under the control of Jeffrey Liwanag Villalon, who had been asking me for money and refused me access thereto," the Alpha Assistenza post said.

Respicio appeared on a news report by ANC's TV Patrol on Sunday to deny all claims of illegal recruitment allegedly committed by Alpha Assistenza.

"We vehemently deny that there were illegal activities perpetrated by Alpha Assitenza. I am not hiding. I am not escaping," Respicio said.