People of the Philippines vs.

Hadja Jarma Llali y Purih,

Ronnie Aringoy Masion,
and Nestor Relampagos,
G.R. No. 195419, October
12, 2011

ATTY. HANIL B. ALMOGUERA

Reporter
Survivor’s Profile:

 Name: Lolita Sagadsad Plando

 Age: 23 years old
 Status: Single
 Residency: Zamboanga City
Map of Zamboanga Peninsula
The Recruiters and the recruitment

 Ronnie Aringoy and Rachel Canete

 Ronnie greeted Lolita saying “oy maayo kay dia

ka”;
 Rachel asked Lolita if she is interested working in
Malaysia;
 Lolita was interested and gave her cellphone
number to Ronnie;
 After a day, Ronnie texted Lolita and invited her to
go his house;
 Lolita inquired about the job, and Ronnie told
Lolita that she will work as restaurant entertainer
for 500 ringgits equivalent to Php7,000.00, and all
she needed is a passport;
 During that day, Ronnie also informed Lolita that
they will leave for Malaysia on June 6, 2005;
 Lolita borrowed Marife’s passport, her sister;
 On the following day, Ronnie and Rachel brought
Lolita to Hadja Jarma.
The Transporters and the transportation

 Hadja Jarma and Nestor Relampagos

 Ronnie introduced Lolita to Hadja Jarma, saying “Ji,

she is also interested in going to Malaysia”; Ronnie
also informed Jarma that Lolita’s passport was of her
sister;
 Jarma told them that is not a problem because they
a connection with the DFA;
 Nestor Relampagos arrived and was introduced to
Lolita as the financier;
 Lolita also noticed three other women, Honey, 20
years old, Michelle, 19 years old, and another one in
her late 20s;
 On June 6, 2005, Lolita went to Zamboanga City
wharf where she was meet by Ronnie, Jarma, Nestor,
Honey, Michelle, and other two women;
 Before boarding M/V Mary Joy bound for Sandakan,
Malaysia (see picture above), Ronnie gave Lolita the
boat ticket, passport under Marife’s name with her
picture on it, and Php1000.00 cash;
 Ronnie did not ride the boat. At the boat Nestor told
Lolita and her companions that they will have a
good job in Malaysia as restaurant entertainer. They
will serve foods to customers. They will not be
harmed;
 On June 7, 2005, the boat arrived in Sandakan,
Malaysia and thereafter, they boarded a van for
Kota Kinabalu.
The “Boss” – the Receiver
 The Boss, Chinese Malay, Lolita’s employer

 Nestor introduced Lolita and her companions to a

Chinese Malay, their employer;
 After looking at them, the Boss brought them to
the restaurant near the hotel;
 In the restaurant, a Filipina told Lolita that the
place is a prostitution den and the women are
used as prostitutes;
 After few minutes, another person arrived, he was
also called “Boss”, then, Lolita and her
companions were fetched by a van and brought
to Pipe Club, owned by Boss Awa, a Malaysian;
 At the club, they were told that they owe the club
2000 ringgits as payment by the club to Jarma and
Nestor;
 They were also informed that they will be paid by
entertaining customers;
 For 300 ringgits for short time service, they will get 50
ringgits and a small pink paper will given to them; for
500 ringgits for overnight service, they will get 100
ringgts and small yellow paper will be given to them.
They were told to keep the paper.
The Club
 Pipen Club is a big club of two-storey building. It
harbors 100 women, many of them were Filipina.
The Work (Sexual exploitation)

 On June 14, 2005 at 8:30 in the evening Lolita

started to work. She was given the number 60
which was pinned on her.

 FIRST COSTUMER (JUNE 14, 2005, 8:30 PM)

 Chinese-Malay, 32 years old, looks like a wrestler;

 Paid short time service;
 Pink paper was given to Lolita;
 Brought Lolita to hotel, and when she refused, a
gun was poked on her, and boxed her;
 The man had sex on her every fifteen minutes or
4 times an hour.
 SECOND CUSTOMER (JUNE 15, 2005, 1:00 AM):

 Tall dark man in his 40s;

 Paid for overnight service and Lolita was brought
to Mariner Hotel which is far from Pipen Club;
 At the hotel, Lolita refused to undress, the man
bumped her head on the wall;
 The man had sex with Lolita every hour from 1:00
AM of June 15, 2005 to 11:00 AM of the same date.
 FROM JUNE 14, 2005 TO JULY 8, 2005 (A TOTAL OF
21 DAYS) LOLITA HAD ONE CUSTOMER OR MORE
A NIGHT, AT MOST NIGHTS, SHE HAD AROUND FIVE
CUSTOMERS A NIGHT. THEY ALL HAD SEXUAL
INTERCOURSE WITH HER.
The Rescue
 On July 9, 2005, Lolita was able to contact her
sister, Janet Plando, who was staying in
Sipangkot Felda. Janet is married to an
Indonesian national who is working as driver in a
factory.

 Lolita to told Janet that she is in Labuan, Malaysia

and was sold as a prostitute. Lolita told Janet to
instruct her husband to request for Number 60 at
Pipen Club. Thereafter, Lolita was rescued, and
later on returned to Zamboanga City where she
filed a case for illegal recruitment and trafficking
in person.
The Trial and Conviction
 The RTC of Zamboanga City convicted Jarma
and Ronnie and was sentenced to suffer the
penalty of life imprisonment to pay fine and
damages.

 The CA affirmed the decision in toto.

 The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the
RTC but modified the awards of damages from
Php50,000.00 to Php500,000.00 as moral
damages, and Php50,000.00 to Php100,000.00 as
exemplary damages;
 In the illegal recruitment case, the Supreme
Court ruled that the fact that the accused are
not holders of authority or license from the POEA
constitutes illegal recruitment, and this case,
syndicated illegal recruitment because it was
committed by more than three person conspiring
with one another.
 In TIP case, the Supreme Court ruled that the
elements of qualified trafficking in person are
present. The Court also stress that TIP can exist
even with the consent or knowledge of the
victim under Section 3(a), RA No. 9208.