G.R. No. 263706 , August 14, 2023
People of the Philippines, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. Annie Frency Nuñez y Adolfo a.k.a. “Faith,” Accused-Appellant.

FACTS

Accused-appellant Annie Frency Nuñez y Adolfo was charged with Qualified Trafficking in Persons under Republic Act No. 9208 . The Information alleged that on November 22, 2011, she hired/recruited three minors, AAA (15 years old), BBB (15 years old), and CCC (16 years old), for prostitution and sexual exploitation by acting as their procurer for an American customer for money. The Philippine National Police Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force conducted an entrapment operation at a hotel based on information from an informant that a woman named “Faith” offered minors for sex. PO1 Llanes, acting as a decoy, met accused-appellant and the three minors at the hotel lobby. Inside a hotel room, accused-appellant confirmed to PO1 Llanes that the PHP 10,000.00 per girl was for sex and stated the girls were young and underage. After accused-appellant received and counted the marked money, she was arrested. The prosecution presented the testimonies of one victim (AAA), who stated accused-appellant recruited them for a photoshoot job for a foreigner, and the police officers involved in the entrapment. The defense consisted solely of accused-appellant’s testimony, claiming she was invited by AAA for a photoshoot and was surprised when given money by PO1 Llanes.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming accused-appellant’s conviction for Qualified Trafficking in Persons.

RULING

The Supreme Court DENIED the appeal and AFFIRMED the conviction. All elements of Qualified Trafficking in Persons under Section 4(a) in relation to Section 6(a) and (c) of R.A. No. 9208 were proven beyond reasonable doubt: (1) the act of “recruiting” the victims; (2) the purpose of such recruitment was prostitution or sexual exploitation; (3) the means employed included deception (pretext of a photoshoot job); and (4) the persons recruited were minors, qualifying the crime. The Court found the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, particularly PO1 Llanes and AAA, credible and consistent, establishing that accused-appellant recruited and offered the minors for a sexual transaction. The defense of denial and frame-up was rejected for being weak and unsupported by evidence. The penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of PHP 2,000,000.00 was upheld. The award of PHP 500,000.00 as moral damages and PHP 100,000.00 as exemplary damages to each victim, with 6% interest per annum from finality until fully paid, was also affirmed.