People vs Reyes : 104739-44 : November 18, 1997 : J. Panganiban : Th...
http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/1997/nov1997/104739_44.htm
THIRD DIVISION
[G.R. Nos. 104739-44. November 18, 1997]
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ROSE REYES,
ZENAIDA CAURES and RODOLFO CAURES, accused, RODOLFO
CAURES, accused-appellant.
DECISION
PANGANIBAN, J.:
In the main, appellant belittles the factual findings of the trial court because they were based
solely on the testimonies of prosecution witnesses, not on documentary evidence or on the
testimonies of other witnesses. We hold however that the law prescribes only that degree of
proof necessary to engender moral certainty and does not require any specific form -- whether
oral or documentary -- to produce conviction beyond reasonable doubt. In general, the essential
facts establishing the elements of a crime may be proven by pure testimony.
The Case
This is an appeal from the Decision[1] of the Regional Trial Court of Manila[2] convicting
Appellant Rodolfo Caures of illegal recruitment and estafa and imposing upon him the penalty of
life imprisonment plus five (5) indeterminate penalties ranging from one (1) year, eight (8)
months and twenty one (21) days of prision correccional as minimum to five (5) years, five (5)
months and eleven (11) days of prision correccional as maximum.
In an Information[3] dated April 16, 1990 and docketed as Criminal Case No. 83386,
Assistant Prosecutor Fernando David charged Rose Reyes, Zenaida Caures and Rodolfo
Caures with violation of Articles 38 and 39 of PD 442[4] as amended by PD 2018,[5] allegedly
committed as follows:
That in or about and during the period comprised between July 27, 1989 and July 31, 1989, inclusive, in
the City of Manila, Philippines, the said accused, conspiring and confederating together and helping one
another, representing themselves to have the capacity to contract, enlist and transport Filipino workers for
employment abroad, did then and there wilfully and unlawfully, for a fee, recruit and promise
employment/job placement abroad to Teresita D. Carillo, Amalia M. Salinas, Gloria M. Salvador, Pedro C.
Regalado and Alvaro T. Monzon without first having secured the required license or authority from the
Department of Labor.
As a result of the same incident, five informations docketed as Criminal Case Nos. 90-83387
to 90-83391 were also filed before the Regional Trial Court of Manila charging the same accused
with five counts of estafa committed upon each of the five private complainants. The
informations are worded almost identically, except for the name of the private complainant, as
follows:
That in or about and during the period comprised between July 27, 1989 and July 31, 1989, inclusive, in
the City of Manila, the said accused conspiring and confederating together and helping one another, did
1 of 11
1/25/2016 12:35 AM