Four undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who returned home from Afghanistan last week disclosed to Vice President and Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (TFAIR) chairman Noli “Kabayan” De Castro the identities of the people who deployed them to the war-torn country.

The OFWs who were brought to De Castro’s office in Pasay City by Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, were identified as Eduardo Najera, Ronald Dela Cruz, Edwin Napores and Juan Pelayo Jr. Najera identified their alleged recruiters as Jake Dela Cruz, Eli Sicat, and Marilou Kabigting.

De Castro said Dela Cruz and Sicat were the ones who recruited Najera in Pampanga while Kabigting was the one who processed their visas for Afghanistan in Dubai.

At first, the victims were hesitant to name the alleged recruiters for fear of reprisal but they eventually decided to identify them after De Castro convinced them to cooperate with the government.

TFAIR is conducting an investigation over the case and has sent operatives, in coordination with the office of Mayor Pelayo, in Pampanga to check on Dela Cruz and Sicat.

De Castro said they have coordinated with authorities in Dubai to locate Kabigting.

"I have already convinced the victims to file a case so that prosecution can start against the suspects. The government will exhaust all means to bring these persons to the bar of justice," De Castro said.

Meanwhile, De Castro renewed his call to overseas job applicants to avoid entertaining job offers in Afghanistan and other countries where the government has standing deployment ban policies.

Aside from Afghanistan, De Castro said the government is prohibiting Filipino workers from going to Lebanon, Nigeria, Jordan, and Iraq where hostilities pose threat to the lives of OFWs. He made the statement after Najera surprisingly asked the vice president to help him go back to Afghanistan.