Cho recruited his neighbors Crizy, Sassy, Jhay, and Nyack, as well as ten (10) other Filipinos for supposed employment in Japan as factory workers. Cho represented that he had the capacity and connections to deploy them abroad and promised them lucrative employment. Relying on Cho’s representations, the fourteen (14) applicants each paid him placement fees. However, despite receiving the payments, Cho failed to secure their employment or deploy them to Japan. Instead, he used the money for his personal expenses. CHo was subsequently charged with Illegal Recruitment in a Large Scale, constituting economic sabotage under RA 8042 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act). Cho denied the charge, arguing that he could not be liable for illegal recruitment because he was not a licensed or authorized recruitment agency and that there was no employer-employee relationship between him and the applicants.

Is Cho liable for Illegal recruitment in a Large Scale? (Bar 2026 Syllabus)