Case Digest (G.R. No. 97845)
Facts:
On September 29, 1994, the First Division of the Supreme Court resolved the appeal in People of the Philippines vs. Nelia Coronacion y Noque and Eduardo Aquino y Aquino. The accused-appellants were charged in the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch XII, by an information filed on July 29, 1987, docketed as Criminal Case No. 87-56415, for illegal recruitment in large scale and allegedly by a syndicate, committed in the City of Manila sometime between June 18, 1987 and July 5, 1987. The information alleged that the accused represented themselves as having the capacity to contract, enlist, and transport Filipino workers for employment abroad for a fee, without first securing the required license or authority from the Ministry of Labor. Only Nelia Coronacion and Eduardo Aquino were apprehended; June Mendez remained at large, and the case proceeded against the apprehended accused, with June Mendez later ordered archived without prejudice to revival upon apprehension. After trial, ...Case Digest (G.R. No. 97845)
Facts:
People of the Philippines charged Nelia Coronacion and Noque and Eduardo Aquino and Aquino with illegal recruitment in large scale by a syndicate, for allegedly recruiting and promising overseas employment in Saudi Arabia for several persons without POEA/Ministry of Labor license or authority, during the period June 18, 1987 to July 5, 1987, in Manila. Accused June Mendez was also included but remained at large; only the two appellants were apprehended, arraigned, and tried.After trial, the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch XII convicted Coronacion and Aquino on October 8, 1990, sentencing each to life imprisonment (reclusion perpetua), and imposed fines and amounts to be returned to several complainants. Both appellants appealed, insisting on denial, alibi, and lack of conspiracy, and assailing the credibility and alleged inconsistencies of the complainants’ testimonies.
Issues:
- Whether the evidence established the first element of illegal recruitment in large scale—that the appellants undertook recruitment activities defined under Art. 13(b) or prohibited practices under Art. 34 of the Labor Code.
- Whether the evidence sufficiently showed that Eduardo Aquino and Nelia Coronacion acted in concert such that conspiracy was present.
- Whether the complainants’ testimonies were credible despite alleged inconsistencies, and whether appellants’ guilt was proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)