With regard to the eight charges of estafa filed against appellants, the trial court convicted them on the ground that all the elements of estafa were present under each of the eight charges filed. The trial court held that appellants through false pretenses and fraudulent acts represented to complainants that they had the power, authority and capacity to deploy workers abroad for a fee of P40,000, of which P15,000 should be paid as advance payment. The false pretenses and fraudulent acts were executed prior to or simultaneous with appellants taking the sum of P15,000 as advance payment from each of private complainants[55] which were received by Buli-e in Baguio City and turned over by her to Josefina in Manila. Complainants relied on the pretenses and misrepresentations of appellants and parted with substantial sums of money as advance payments of their placement fees. As a result of the false pretenses and misrepresentations, complainants were damaged and prejudiced to the extent of the sums they had given as downpayment since appellants failed to send them abroad as promised. In her appeal before us, appellant Buli-e contends that the trial court erred: I. IN FAILING TO APPRECIATE THE DEFENSE OF THE CO-ACCUSED ALONA BULI-E THAT SHE MERELY REFERRED THE PRIVATE OFFENDED PARTIES TO CO-ACCUSED SPOUSES JOSE AND JOSEFINA ALOLINO, WHOM SHE HONESTLY BELIEVED TO BE BONA FIDE OVERSEAS JOB RECRUITERS; II. IN HOLDING THAT THERE WAS CONSPIRACY BETWEEN HEREIN APPELLANT BULI-E AND SPOUSES ALOLINO IN THE COMMISSION OF THE CRIMES OF LARGE SCALE ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT AND ESTAFA; AND III. HOLDING CO-ACCUSED ALONA BULI-E LIABLE FOR ESTAFA WHEN THERE WAS NO SHOWING THAT SAID ACCUSED BENEFITED FROM THE ALLEGED MISREPRESENTATION. Appellant Josefina, on the other hand, presents the following assignments of error: I. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN FINDING JOSEFINA ALOLINO GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT BY DIRECT PARTICIPATION AND IN CONSPIRACY WITH CO-ACCUSED ALONA BULI-E OF THE CRIME OF ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT IN LARGE SCALE AS DEFINED AND PENALIZED UNDER ARTICLE 38[b] IN RELATION TO ARTICLE 39 OF P.D. 442 AS AMENDED BY P.D. 2018 AND IN SENTENCING EACH OF THEM TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT AND TO PAY A FINE OF P100,000.