The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the conviction and life imprisonment sentence of a man for trafficking three minors and forcing them to work as unpaid domestic helpers in remote areas.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, the SC’s Second Division affirmed Jomari Ubanon’s conviction for qualified trafficking in persons under Republic Act No. 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

According to court records, on April 14, 2014, Ubanon approached two 14-year-old girls and one 15-year-old girl in Bukidnon. He offered them jobs as onion peelers with a promised monthly salary of PHP 2,500. When the minors said they needed their parents' permission, Ubanon insisted that the employer was already waiting and urged them to board a bus.

As they tried to leave the bus, the daughter of Amirah Macadatar—who employed Ubanon’s wife—prevented them from doing so.

The group traveled to Iligan City and then took a van to Marawi City. There, the minors were assigned to work in separate households in Lanao del Sur and Iligan City as domestic workers. They were not paid for their services.

One of the employers eventually contacted Macadatar, who later surrendered the minors to the police.

Both the Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals found Ubanon and Macadatar guilty of qualified trafficking in persons and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Ubanon challenged the decision before the Supreme Court, arguing that there was no evidence he recruited or transported the minors for forced labor.

The SC rejected his appeal, ruling that all the elements of qualified trafficking were clearly established.

Under the law, trafficking occurs when a person is recruited or transported—regardless of their consent—through deception, coercion, or abuse of authority, for the purpose of exploitation such as prostitution or forced labor. If the victim is a minor, the crime is elevated to qualified trafficking, which is punishable by life imprisonment.

The Court stressed that merely recruiting and transporting minors for exploitative work is sufficient to constitute the crime.

In this case, Ubanon preyed on the minors’ vulnerability and financial need, persuaded them to accept the supposed job offer, and personally accompanied them to their destinations, where they were exploited without pay.

Aside from the life sentence, Ubanon was also ordered to pay a PHP 2 million fine and to compensate each of the three victims PHP 600,000 in damages.