G.R. No. 270870 , November 11, 2024
People of the Philippines, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. XXX270870 and YYY270870, Accused-Appellants.

FACTS

Accused-appellants XXX270870 and YYY270870, along with a John Doe, were charged with four counts of qualified trafficking in persons under Republic Act No. 9208 (the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), as amended. The Informations alleged that between December 2013 and April 2014, in the City of [REDACTED], the accused, conspiring and confederating, hired and matched the minor victim AAA270870 for sexual services and exploitation for a fee, taking advantage of her vulnerability. The victim was 11 to 12 years old during the incidents. The prosecution presented AAA270870 and her sister BBB270870 as witnesses. AAA270870, born on January 22, 2002, testified in detail about four instances of exploitation: 1) In December 2013, XXX270870 arranged for her to be taken by YYY270870 and her husband to a foreigner named Tom at a hotel, where she was sexually abused. She was given money, a portion of which was later taken by XXX270870’s daughter. 2) On January 1, 2014, a similar incident occurred with Tom, and XXX270870 again took a portion of the money given to the victim. 3) In April 2014, XXX270870 brought AAA270870 and her own daughter to a foreigner named Charles’s apartment, where they were subjected to sexual acts. 4) In the last week of April 2014, XXX270870 brought AAA270870 and other children to Charles, who again sexually abused them. The victim gave the money she received to her grandmother but did not disclose the abuse out of fear. The accused-appellants denied the accusations, claiming the charges were fabricated due to a grudge.

ISSUE

Whether the accused-appellants are guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of qualified trafficking in persons.

RULING

Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of accused-appellants XXX270870 and YYY270870 for qualified trafficking in persons. The Court found that all elements of the crime were proven beyond reasonable doubt: 1) The acts of “hiring” and “matching” the victim for money for sexual exploitation were established through AAA270870’s credible, categorical, and consistent testimony, which detailed the active participation of both accused in delivering her to foreigners. 2) The accused employed means of fraud and deception, as well as took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability as a minor, by using pretexts like pictorials and scholarships. 3) The purpose was sexual exploitation, as evidenced by the sexual acts performed on the victim. 4) The victim was a minor, as proven by her Certificate of Live Birth. The defense of denial and frame-up was rejected for being weak and unsupported by evidence. The qualifying circumstance of minority was properly alleged in the Informations and proven. The Court upheld the penalty imposed by the lower courts: life imprisonment and a fine of Two Million Pesos (P2,000,000.00) for each count, with the accessory penalties provided by law.