G.R. No. 225960 - PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, VS. CECILLE AMARA @ CECILLE ALAMA, @ CECILLE ALMA-TAIRI, @ LORIE REMUDO, JOSE L. CENTENO, ADORA CENTENO, CRISTY CELIS AND BERNARDINO NAVALLO, ACCUSED, JOSE L. CENTENO,*** ACCUSED-.D E C I S I O N - Supreme Court E-Library

Ruling

WHEREFORE, premises considered, this Court finds accused JOSE CENTENO in: 1. Criminal Case No. 08-259342, for illegal Recruitment committed by a syndicate and in a large scale, GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Violation of Art. 38 (a) P.D. No. 1412, amending certain provisions of Book I, P.D. No. 442, otherwise known as the New Labor Code of the Philippines, in relation to Article 13 (b) and (c) of said Code, as further amended by P.D. Nos. 1693, and 1920, as further amended by R.A. 8042 committed by a syndicate and hereby sentences him to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and pay a fine of P100,000.00; 2. Criminal Case No. 08-259343, GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Violation of Art. 38 (a) P.D. No. 1412, amending certain provisions of Book I, P.D. No. 442, otherwise known as the New Labor Code of the Philippines, in relation to Article 13 (b) and (c) of said Code, as further amended by P.D. Nos. 1693, and 1920, as further amended by R.A. 8042 committed by a syndicate and hereby sentences him to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and pay a fine of P100,000.00; 3. Criminal Case No. 08-259344, GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Estafa under Article 315, par. 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code , and sentences him to suffer the penalty of four (4) years and two (2) months of prision correccional as minimum to fifteen (15) years of reclusion temporal as maximum, and to indemnify complainant Ruben Salvatierra in the amount of Php95,000.00 as actual damages, with legal interest from the date of filing of this criminal case until the amount shall have been fully paid. 4. Criminal Case No. 08-259346, GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Estafa under Article 315, par. 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code , and sentences him to suffer the penalty of four (4) years and two (2) months of prision correccional as minimum to fifteen (15) years of reclusion temporal as maximum, and to indemnify complainant Elizabeth Castillo in the amount of Php95,000.00 as actual damages, with legal interest from the date of filing of this criminal case until the amount shall have been fully paid. 5. Criminal Case No. 08-259351, GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Estafa under Article 315, par. 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code , and sentences him to suffer the penalty of four (4) years and two (2) months of prision correccional as minimum to eleven (11) years of prision mayor as maximum, and to indemnify complainant Revilla Buendia in the amount of Php70,000.00 as actual damages, with legal interest from the date of filing of this criminal case until the amount shall have been fully paid. 6. As to Criminal Case Nos. 08-259345, 08-259347 to 08-259350 and 08-259352 to 08-259355 for the crime of Estafa under Article 315, par. 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code, wherein accused Jose Centeno is a co-accused, the same are DISMISSED , for failure of the prosecution to prosecute and to prove the guilt of the accused beyond rea