FIRST DIVISION
[G.R. No. 116626. July 10, 1998]
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. CELIA FLOR COSA y VILLEGAS,
accused-appellant.
DECISION
VITUG, J.:
Accused-appellant Celia Flor Cosa was charged in two separate informations with two counts of
Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale and eleven counts of Estafa. At her arraignment, she entered a
plea of Not Guilty to all the charges. A consolidated trial on the merits, the cases having related
factual settings, was conducted by the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 15, of the
National Capital Judicial Region.
On 20 December 1993, the court a quo rendered its decision. In Criminal Case No. 92-111348,
the trial court found the accused guilty of the crime of Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale and
imposed upon her the penalty of life imprisonment pursuant to Article 39(a) of the Labor Code.
In Criminal Case No. 92-111360, the court held the accused guilty of the offense punishable
under Article 39(c) of the Labor Code and imposed on her an indeterminate penalty of four (4)
years and one (1) day to five (5) years. In the estafa cases, the accused was acquitted in four
(Criminal Cases No. 92-111349, No. 92-111359, No. 92-111361 and No. 111365), and convicted
in seven (Criminal Cases No. 92-111350, No. 92-111351, No. 92-111352, No. 92-111355, No.
92-111357, No. 92-111358 and No. 92-111363) of the total eleven indictments. The dispositive
portion of the decision, in its entirety, read:
WHEREFORE, this court finds the accused Celia Flor Cosa guilty beyond reasonable doubt of
the crime of Illegal Recruitment in large scale as charged in Crim. Case No. 92-111348 and
hereby imposes upon said accused the penalty of life imprisonment as provided under Art. 39 (a)
of the Labor Code of the Philippines.
In the indictment under Crim. Case No. 92-111360 this court finds the accused guilty beyond
reasonable doubt of the offense punishable under Art. 39(c) of the Labor Code of the Philippines
and hereby imposes upon her an indeterminate penalty of 4 years and 1 day to 5 years.
Acquitting the accused in Crim. Cases Nos. 92-111349, 92-111359 and 92-111361 where the
offended parties are Reynaldo Ardan, Elenita Trajano and Francisco Sarmiento, respectively, on
the ground that she had no participation in the commission of the offenses charged under the
above-mentioned criminal cases.
In Crim. Case No. 92-111365, where the offended party is Emmanuel Vasquez, accused is
hereby acquitted on reasonable doubt.