THIRD DIVISION
[G.R. No. 248695. June 10, 2020.]
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee,vs.ANORA P. BAUDIN, FEDELINA D. RANADA AND THELMA M. ARIGO, defendants-appellants.
NOTICE
Sirs/Mesdames :
Please take notice that the Court, Third Division, issued a Resolution datedJune 10, 2020, which reads as follows:
"G.R. No. 248695 — PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee v. ANORA P. BAUDIN, FEDELINA D. RANADA and THELMA M. ARIGO, defendants-appellants. — The Court:
(1) NOTES the Office of the Solicitor General's Manifestation and Motion dated January 30, 2020 stating that its appellee's brief had fully addressed the issues raised by accused-appellants, and GRANTS its prayer that it be excused from filing a supplemental brief; and
(2) NOTES accused-appellants' Brief dated January 9, 2020.
The Court of Appeals elevated the records of this case to this Court on August 16, 2019 1 pursuant to its May 3, 2018 Resolution, 2 which gave due course to the Notice of Appeal 3 filed by accused-appellants Anora P. Baudin, Fedelina D. Ranada and Thelma M. Arigo.
In its October 2, 2019 Resolution, 4 this Court noted the records of this case forwarded by the Court of Appeals and required the parties to file their respective supplemental briefs.
On January 31, 2020, the People of the Philippines, through the Office of the Solicitor General, filed its Manifestation and Motion 5 stating that it would no longer file a supplemental brief. On the other hand, accused-appellants filed its supplemental appellant's Brief 6 on January 15, 2020.
After an evaluation of the records of this case, this Court resolves to DISMISS the appeal of accused-appellants for their failure to sufficiently show reversible error in the assailed Court of Appeals Decision 7 warranting the exercise of this Court's appellate jurisdiction.
WHEREFORE, the findings of fact and conclusions of law of the Court of Appeals are AFFIRMED as follows:
(1) Accused-appellants Anora Baudin y Pangilayan, Fedelina Ranada y Dator and Thelma Arigo y Mallari are found GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of Qualified Trafficking in Persons under Section 4 (a) in relation to Sections 3 (a) (c) (j), 6 (a) (c) and 1 (e) of Republic Act No. 9028, as amended, and are sentenced to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment with a fine of P2,000,000.00. They are also DIRECTED to jointly and severally pay the victims, AAA, BBB, CCC and DDD P500,000.00 each as moral damages, and P100,000.00 each as exemplary damages. 8
(2) Accused-appellants Anora Baudin y Pangilayan, Fedelina Ranada y Dator and Thelma Arigo y Mallari are found GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 12-D, par. 4 (b), in relation to Section 16 (b) of R.A. 7610, as amended. They are sentenced to suffer the indeterminate penalty of fifteen (15) years imprisonment as minimum to twenty (20) years imprisonment as maximum and to pay a tine of P500,000.00. Accused-appellants are also directed to jointly and severally pay AAA and BBB P75,000.00 as moral damages and P30,000.00 as exemplary damages for each complainant.
(3) In line with current jurisprudence, interest at the rate of 6% per annum should be imposed on all damages awarded from the date of the finality of this judgment until fully paid. 9
SO ORDERED."
Very truly yours,
(SGD.) MISAEL DOMINGO C. BATTUNG IIIDivision Clerk of Court
Footnotes
1.Rollo, p. 1.
2.Id.
3.Rollo, pp. 38-41.
4.Rollo, pp. 47-48.
5.Id. at pp. 53-55.
6.Id. at pp. 58-107.
7.Rollo, pp. 3-37. The Court of Appeals-Special Seventh Division Decision dated October 20, 2017 was penned by Associate Justice Celia C. Librea-Leagogo, and concurred with by Associate Justices Maria Elise Sempio Diy and Henri Jean Paul B. Inting.
8.People v. Jugueta, 783 Phil. 806 (2016) [Per J. Peralta, En Banc].
9.Nacar v. Gallery Frames, 716 Phil. 267 (2013) [Per J. Peralta, En Banc].