G.R. No. 266047 - PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, VS. JEFFREY BECAYLAS Y REMON @ "BELLA," KIER ROME DE LEON Y ALFONSO @ "MISHE," AND JUSTINE LUMANLAN Y SANGALANG @ "CHIEE," ACCUSED-.D E C I S I O N - Supreme Court E-Library

Ruling

WHEREFORE, premises considered, the court renders judgment declaring accused Jeffrey Becaylas y Remon @Bella, Kier Rome Alfonso [De Leon] @Mishe and Justine Lumanlan y Sangalang @ Chiee GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT of the offense of Qualified Trafficking (Violation of Section 4(a) in relation to Section 6(a) of R.A. No. 9208, as amended by R.A. No. 10364), embodied in the Amended Information dated August 30, 2018. Accordingly, accused Jeffrey Becaylas y Remon @Bella, Kier Rome Alfonso [De Leon] @Mishe and Justine Lumanlan y Sangalang @ Chiee are hereby SENTENCED to each suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and to pay a fine of Two [M]illion [P]esos (P2,000,000.00). Furthermore, [accused Jeffrey] Becaylas y Remon @Bella, Kier Rome Alfonso [De Leon] @Mishe and Justine Lumanlan y Sangalang @ Chiee are hereby ordered to INDEMNIFY victim AAA: (a) moral damages in the amount of Five [H]undred [T]housand [P]esos (P500,000.00); and (b) exemplary damages in the amount of One [H]undred [T]housand [P]esos (P100,000.00). In view of the conviction of the three accused, let a Mittimus be issued for their immediate transfer to the New Bilibid Prison. No costs. [19] (Emphasis in the original) The trial court ruled that the prosecution had sufficiently established all the elements of the crime. It gave great weight to the positive and convincing testimony of AAA that accused-appellants recruited and pimped her for sex with their clients in exchange for money. Since her minority was established through her Certificate of Live Birth, the prosecution need not prove the means employed, specifically taking advantage of the victim's vulnerability or dire financial needs as Section 3 (a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended, considers the recruitment of a child for purposes of exploitation as an act of trafficking in persons even without the said act. Too, since the victim was merely 17 years old when she took the witness stand, minor inconsistencies may be expected from her testimony. Finally, conspiracy was also established as the concerted acts of accused-appellants showed their intent to pursue the same objective which is to traffic the women into having sex with their clients. [20] Ruling of the Court of Appeals Dissatisfied, accused-appellants appealed to the Court of Appeals and prayed for a verdict of acquittal. They faulted the trial court for convicting them despite the prosecution witnesses' improbable and dubious testimonies. They insist that the prosecution failed to prove conspiracy and their act of recruiting, harboring, delivery, or matching for money of AAA on August 3, 2018. For one, AAA initially stated that it was Becaylas, through De Leon, who offered her PHP 3,000.00 for her services and booked her, together with several women, for someone on August 3, 2018. She later revealed, however, that it was a certain lady named "Ava" who called her, invited her to a party, and brought her to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . She admitted that she did not know any of