abroad, without first securing the requisite license or authority from the Department of Labor and Employment. [5] Accused, assisted by her counsel de oficio, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against her.[6] The prosecution then presented the alleged victims of the accused as witnesses in a consolidated hearing of the above indictments. Complainant Eduardo Drapeza,[7] jobless, testified that he first met the accused in August 1994 at Barangay San Roque, San Nicolas, Pangasinan. With accused at that time was Glory Orosa, Drapezas godmother. In that meeting, the accused asked Drapeza if he wanted to apply for a job in Taiwan as a worker in a thread factory. The accused informed Drapeza the amount of money needed to go to Taiwan. Drapeza told the accused to talk to his parents which she did a week later. Drapezas parents agreed after the accused explained the job Drapeza would get, its salary and the procedure to be followed. Drapeza advanced to the accused three thousand pesos (P3,000.00) to cover the expenses that would be incurred for his medical examination in Manila. Drapeza was not given any receipt. After Drapezas physical examination, the secretary of the examining physician issued to him a receipt in the amount of eight hundred fifty pesos (P850.00). One week after his examination, the accused took this receipt from Drapeza when they saw each other again at San Roque, San Nicolas. On the same occasion, the accused asked Drapeza for five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) in payment for her services in processing complainants application. Drapeza paid and was given a receipt.[8] On September 1, 1994, Drapeza gave the accused fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000.00) in payment of his plane fare. A receipt was issued to Drapeza.[9] Apparently, the accused informed Drapeza that his prospective employer would be coming to the Philippines and it was best for him to be ready with his ticket as he may be brought to Taiwan. Drapeza went with the accused to a travel agency in Makati to buy the plane ticket. They were not, however, able to buy the ticket for the accused alleged there was no ticket available. When the accused returned to San Roque to get money from other job applicants, Drapeza inquired about his plane ticket. The accused answered in the affirmative but explained that she did not bring it with her. Drapeza never saw the accused again. He received news that she has been jailed for illegal recruitment. Drapeza declared that the money he gave to the accused came from loans from a cousin bearing an interest of one cavan of palay for every one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) borrowed. This interest, he said, matures every harvest time. Since he was not able to get the Taiwan job, Drapeza expressed the fear that he may not be able to pay his loans. Drapeza said that the accused did not show him any authority or license to recruit applicants for job placement abroad. Drapeza admitted that he did not demand from the accused her license because the latter explained to him that he would be employed in Taiwan through direct hiring.