Philippines Under Pressure to Secure the Release of Cebu BPO Execs

Lawyers representing two Cebu-based BPO executives detained in the United States are urging the Philippine government to step in and secure their release.

The legal team has launched a public campaign titled “Bring Back Home Michael and Bryan”, seeking diplomatic intervention on behalf of Michael Cris Sordilla and Bryan Navales Tarosa.

Sordilla and Tarosa have been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego for the past five months. They were arrested in December 2024 at a restaurant in California over their alleged involvement in a $44-million fraud scheme targeting over 800 aspiring authors, many of them elderly.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the duo — alongside other individuals — were associated with PageTurner Press and Media, a U.S.-based publishing firm accused of falsely promising authors book-to-film deals, major distribution, and public appearances.

These offers came with steep upfront fees, which victims paid under the assumption of securing major media exposure.

However, the defense argues that Sordilla and Tarosa were not involved in client dealings. They worked for Innocentrix Philippines, a BPO company providing backend services such as content design and technical support.

The lawyers maintain the pair had no knowledge of the deceptive tactics employed by PageTurner’s U.S.-based agents and were never part of sales or marketing operations.

The arrest, according to their legal counsel, happened without a warrant. “They had just left a restaurant when someone quietly asked, ‘Are you Mike?’ Moments later, Michael was handcuffed and taken away without explanation,” the lawyer said in a recent press conference.

Since the arrests, both PageTurner’s website and operations have been taken down as the FBI continues its investigation. Innocentrix Philippines has also suspended activities amid growing scrutiny.

While the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued an official response, the case is attracting significant public attention. Some reports also suggest that U.S. agents may have misused Innocentrix’s remote workers to conduct operations that were never authorized by the firm.