By Danny Estacio
LUCENA CITY, Quezon -A Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge in Catanauan, Quezon, has issued a warrant of arrest for former Gen. Luna, Quezon Mayor Matt Erwin Florido, and his administrative aide for two counts of large-scale illegal recruitment revealed in a press briefing at Fresh Air Hotel here, on Saturday, July 26.
Complainants’ legal counsels Sonny Pulgar, Kath Noveno, and Mia Pulgar Navarro, said before the media that presiding judge Julius Francis Galvez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 96 in this town has issued the order on July 15 against Florido and his co-accused Joma Christina Briones found probable cause to hold the two accused for trial.
According to the lawyers, the information was signed by Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Lirio Roces Munoz and approved by Provincial Prosecutor Rodrigo Domingo on May 16, 2025, said the accused Florido and Briones of violating Section 6 of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, Illegal Recruitment on a Large Scale.
The charge sheet said in brief that both Florido and Briones committed the crimes when they criminally recruited and promised overseas employment to Ginabel Aguila, Mary Rose Roldan, Jun Carlo Roldan, Renato Moreno Jr., Reynan Ricamara, Richie Moreno, Romulo Rodelas, and Efleda Alano, all residents of Brgy. Recto, in Gen. Luna, as seasonal farm workers in South Korea without any permit or license from the Department of Migrant Workers or any valid and signed resolution from the municipal council of Gen. Luna.
They added that after the complainants, Aguila, Mary Rose, and Jun Carlo Roldan, Renato and Richie Moreno, Ricamara, Rodelas, and Alano have submitted passports and other documents and have parted away their hard-earned money, set aside their livelihoods, and even incurred loans with high interest in complying with the requirements, but the two accused failed to deploy them abroad.
On Florido’s side, Florido claimed that he posted the FB page on September 14, 2022, as the initiative of their municipality to provide their farmers opportunity to work in Korea through a partnership with a local government counterpart represented by Mr. Lee Dee-Kyung.
He added that the partnership is supported by a commitment signing at their municipal hall and attended by members of the Sangguniang Bayan.
Florido claimed that he did not promise to cover all the applicants’ expenses and denied that he guarantees the applicants in the processing of the passport at the DFA.
Both Florido and Briones also explained that the selection of the successful participants is not within their authority but handled exclusively by their local government counterparts in Korea.
Florido also said that the delay in the deployment in Korea was due to the moratorium imposed by the DMW it issued on January 11, 2024.
He stressed that the seasonal farmer program bound for Korea is a valid program of their municipality, and backed up by the resolution of their municipal council.
Florido ran as a congressman against incumbent Rep. Reynan Arrogancia for Quezon 3rd district in the May 12 midterm elections, but he lost.
