G.R. No. 234018 . June 06, 2018.
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, V. EVANGELINE DE DIOS Y BARRETO, ACCUSED-APPELLANT.

FACTS

Accused-appellant Evangeline De Dios was charged with Qualified Trafficking in Persons under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. The Information alleged that on August 29, 2013, in Marikina City, she recruited and harbored three individuals, including minor AAA (16 years old), to engage in sexual intercourse for monetary consideration. The prosecution’s case stemmed from a validated entrapment operation by the NBI. An undercover agent, Rugielito Gay, testified that De Dios approached him, offered a “gimik” (sex for P500), and presented three girls after payment. The agent chose AAA. The minor victim, AAA, corroborated this and further testified that she had been working for De Dios since May 2012, receiving P400 per transaction, with De Dios actively procuring customers.
The defense presented only De Dios, who denied the allegations. She claimed she was merely invited to dinner by a friend and happened to see AAA and her companions, whom she knew used to solicit customers in the area. She asserted she was no longer involved in such activities since moving away from Marikina.

ISSUE

Whether the prosecution proved the guilt of the accused-appellant for Qualified Trafficking in Persons beyond reasonable doubt.

RULING

Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The Court found the testimonies of the undercover agent and the minor victim, AAA, to be credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish all elements of the crime. AAA’s detailed account of her prior exploitation by De Dios, which began when she was a minor, demonstrated a pattern of recruitment and facilitation for sexual exploitation. The entrapment operation was validly conducted following surveillance and directly captured De Dios’s act of offering AAA for a fee.
The Court emphasized that for trafficking under the law, the means employed can include “taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person.” AAA’s minority constituted such a condition of vulnerability, which De Dios exploited by offering financial gain for sexual services. Her direct participation in negotiating the transaction and receiving payment was clearly established. Her defense of denial, being uncorroborated and weak, could not prevail over the positive and credible testimonies of the prosecution witnesses. Thus, her guilt for Qualified Trafficking in Persons, attended by the circumstance of the victim’s minority, was proven beyond reasonable doubt. The penalties of life imprisonment and a P2,000,000 fine, with damages, were upheld.