A Department of Justice prosecutor yesterday recommended that the charges against an executive of Alpha Assistenza SRL be submitted for resolution after she failed to attend the scheduled preliminary hearing despite receiving a subpoena.

This after the 52 plaintiffs in the case subscribed to their complaint and signed the consent form agreeing to be represented by Atty. Kris Cancino.

Assistant State Prosecutor Phillip dela Cruz declared the case submitted due to the absence of Krizelle Respicio, one of the executives of the recruitment agency that allegedly duped at least 400 applicants for jobs in Italy.

In an interview after the preliminary investigation, Cancino said the prosecutor submitted the case for decision following the respondent's absence.

"Yes, the case is submitted for decision because Respicio did not appear. She was absent despite the fact that she received the subpoena sent by the DoJ," Cancino said.

Respicio faces charges of violating Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by RA 10022, for large-scale and syndicated illegal recruitment.

Cancino said the determination of the case will take time because there are so many complainants, plus the voluminous documents that the prosecutor has to review.

"It depends on the prosecutor handling it since we have to consider the number of complainants and the voluminous documents," he added.

Meanwhile, a relative of Respicio's, Arlene Hipolito, was included in the charges even though she did not recruit the complainants but merely promised them to be sent to Italy for jobs.

Cancino said the case of Hipolito, who is sick, is the same thing that happened to Socorro Velasquez, who is now one of the complainants against Respicio and the other executives of the recruitment firm.

In November last year, the victims of alleged illegal recruitment by Italy-based Alpha Assistenza SRL filed their complaints before the Department of Justice.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had vowed to ensure that justice would be served in the alleged scam that promised Filipinos in the Philippines non-existent jobs in Italy.

The complainants told DAILY TRIBUNE, which broke the story on its digital show Usapang OFW, that each of them paid at least 2,500 euros, or roughly P153,000, for papers that would have allowed them to work in Italy but turned out to be fraudulent.

Alpha Assistenza, which couple Krizelle Respicio and Frederick Dutaro head, recruited them for supposed jobs in Italy that were nonexistent.

Respicio, Dutaro, and Kristine Tutanes, personnel of Alpha Assistenza, were accused of illegal recruitment and large-scale estafa before the DoJ.