MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City Court has dismissed estafa, syndicated and illegal recruitment charges against basketball coach Kenneth Duremdes due to the prosecution?s failure to prove probable cause.

Also cleared by Judge Jose Paneda of Regional Trial Court Branch 220 were Emeflor Manginsay Jr., Voicel Gutierrez and Librado Anacay, all officials of the recruitment firm Vitamin and Cebu Artist International Inc.

But Paneda ordered state prosecutors to file simple illegal recruitment and estafa charges against two other accused?Corazon Panganiban and Alfredo Briones.

He also ordered their arrest and imposed a bail of P40,000 each for their provisional liberty.

The cases against Duremdes, the interim head coach of the professional basketball team Coca Cola Tigers, and the other accused stemmed from the complaints filed by Arnold Bau, Rosemarie Manalo and Hannah June Nalcot.

The complainants alleged that the respondents recruited and assured them of employment in the United States and Canada as caregivers with a monthly salary of $1,000 sometime in 2006 and 2007.

In his order dated Aug. 12, Paneda noted that there was ?no clear showing? that Duremdes, Manginsay, Gutierrez and Anacay ?directly participated in recruiting the complainants.?

Paneda said that based on facts and evidence gathered, the transactions were done by Briones and Panganiban.

?As regards the other accused Duremdes, Manginsay, Gutierrez and Anacay, they were subsequently dragged and came into the picture only when the complainants included Vitamin and Cebu Artists International Inc., alleging that the latter accused were shareholders and directors of the said entity,? he said.

The court said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has certified that Vitamin and Cebu Artists International Inc. is authorized to recruit workers for jobs abroad.