Lapu-Lapu Peso head rapped

She, 2 others allegedly encouraged job applicants to enrol at unaccredited language center

Grace Jamio, for her part, says her lawyer filed their motion directly to the Supreme Court after she received the anti-graft office’s decision Jamio denies knowing any of the complainants, saying they were being monitored by her counterpart in Negros Oriental

THE Office of the Ombudsman indicted an official of the Lapu Lapu City Hall and two others for allegedly promoting an unaccredited private training center to teach Korean language to prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2013.

The anti-graft office found evidence to charge Public Employment Service Office (Peso) Head Grace Jamio with violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, before the Sandiganbayan.

Jamio allegedly conspired with Buenaventura Igot and Arturo Aliazon in encouraging job applicants to enroll at AB Tutorial and Languages Center as one of the requirements for their deployment to Korea.

Igot and Aliazon, who are representatives of AB Tutorial, were also named respondents.

Assurance employment

“The records of this case support the conclusion that respondents Jamio, Igot and Aliazon acted in concert to promote AB Tutorial during government-sponsored or -assisted activities and coax prospective job applicants into enrolling in its Korean language program,” read the ombudsman’s resolution.

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by 15 job applicants who were allegedly enticed by the respondents to enroll in AB Tutorial for P8,500.

Jamio reportedly assured job seekers that “there is an ongoing government-to-government program wherein factory workers will be deployed to Korea.”

But the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority issued a certification stating that AB Tutorial is not accredited to conduct the program.

In the resolution, the anti-graft office ruled that Jamio’s “blatant endorsement of AB Tutorial, despite the free courses being offered by the POEA and TESDA, is tainted with badges of partiality and malice.”

Pursuant to Section 3(e) of RA 3019, the ombudsman said the provision prohibits public officials from causing undue injury to any party or the government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.

Dismissed case

Jamio, for her part, said her lawyer filed their motion directly to the Supreme Court after she received the decision of the anti-graft office.

She said the complaint started when Negros Oriental Peso Officer Ramon Benedicto invited her to be a resource speaker on how the Lapu-Lapu City Peso managed its applicants, particularly on the electronic registration related to jobs in Korea.

“I shared how Lapu-Lapu Peso handles applicants. Benedicto asked if there is a Korean training center in Lapu-Lapu because there was no training center in their province so I helped them,” Jamio said in Cebuano.

Jamio told Sun.Star Cebu that AB Tutorial told her that there was something wrong with the transactions made by the Negros Oriental PESO officer.

“I told Benedicto that it seemed students thought I had done something wrong. He then told the students that I was the one who told them that after they went to the training school, they could immediately work in Korea,” she said.

“Honestly, I do not even know the complainants. I had no engagements with them. Benedicto was the one who monitored them,” Jamio added.

Jamio showed a copy of the order of the Regional Trial Court Branch 33 in Dumaguete City dismissing the complaint for illegal recruitment committed in large scale by a syndicate filed against her, Igot and Aliazon for failure to “establish probable cause.”