Pp v.

Escordial, GR 138934, 1/16/02

[G.R. Nos. 138934-35. January 16, 2002]

THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ANTHONY

ESCORDIAL, accused-appellant.
DECISION
MENDOZA, J.:

These cases are before this Court for review from the decision, dated
February 26, 1999, of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 53, Bacolod City,
finding accused-appellant AnthonyEscordial guilty of robbery with rape and
sentencing
him
to
death
and
to
pay
private
complainant
Michelle Darunday the amounts of P3,650.00 representing the amount taken
by him,P50,000.00 as moral damages, P30,000.00 as exemplary damages,
and the costs.
[1]

In Criminal Case No. 97-18117, the information against accused-appellant

charged him with the crime of rape committed as follows:
That on or about the 27th day of December, 1996, in the City of Bacolod, Philippines,
and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the herein accused armed with a
deadly weapon, a knife, by means of force, violence and intimidation, did, then and
there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously have carnal knowledge of the complainant
Michelle Darunday y Jintula, against the latters will.
All contrary to law and with the aggravating circumstance that the said offense was
committed in the dwelling of the said party during nighttime while [she] was asleep
inside her room.
Act contrary to law.

[2]

In Criminal Case No. 97-18118, the information charged accusedappellant with robbery with rape as follows:

That on or about the 27th day of December, 1996, in the City of Bacolod, Philippines,
and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the said accused, armed with a
deadly weapon, a knife, with intent of gain and by means of violence and intimidation
on the person, did, then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously take from
Michelle Darunday y Jintula the sums of P3,650.00, belonging to said offended party
and [on] the occasion thereof have carnal knowledge with the complainant
Michelle Darunday y Jintula, against her will, and inside her room wherein she was
temporarily residing as a boarder.
All contrary to law and with aggravating circumstance that the said offense was
committed inside the dwelling of the offended party and during nighttime the latter
not having given provocation for the offense.
Act contrary to law.

[3]

When arraigned on February 25, 1997, accused-appellant pleaded not

guilty to the charges, whereupon the two cases were jointly tried.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses, namely, Jason Joniega, Mark
Esmeralda, Erma Blanca, Dr. Joy Ann Jocson, PO3 Nicolas Tancinco,
Leo Asan, Ma. Teresa Gellaver, and Michelle Darunday. Their testimonies are
as follows:
[4]

Jason Joniega and Mark Esmeralda testified that at around 8 oclock in the
evening of December 27, 1996, they and Mark Lucena were playing inside
a jeepney parked in front of a boarding house owned by Pacita Aguillon at
No.
17
Margarita
Extension, Libertad St., Purok Amelia
2, Barangay 40, Bacolod City. As one of them hit his head on the rails of
the jeepney, the boys were told by a man sitting inside the jeepney to go
home lest they would meet an accident. The man was later identified by
Jason Joniega and Mark Esmeralda as accused-appellant.
[5]

[6]

Living in a boarding house in front of which the jeepney was parked were
Michelle Darunday, Erma Blanca, and Ma. Teresa Gellaver. They stayed in a
bedroom on the ground floor.That same night, December 27, 1996, Teresa
went to sleep at around 9:30 p.m., while Michelle and Erma watched
television for a while before going to bed. They slept beside each other on two
beds placed side by side, with Teresa nearest the wall, Michelle in the middle,
and Erma on the other side.
While the three were asleep, Erma was awakened by the presence of a
man. The man had his head covered with a t-shirt to prevent identification and
carried a knife about four inches long. He warned Erma not to shout or he
would kill her. He then asked Erma where her money was, and the latter

pointed to the wall where she had hung the bag which contained her
money. Michelle, who by then was already awake, told Erma to give the man
her money so he would leave. Erma gave the man P300.00, but the latter said
to give him all her money. He told Erma that he would look for more money
and, if he found more, he would kill her. For this reason, Erma gave the rest of
her money. Afterwards, she was told to lie on her side facing the wall. The
man then turned to Michelle and Teresa. Michelle gave him her money, but
Teresa said her money was in the other room. However, she was not allowed
to leave the bedroom. The man was able to get P500.00 from Erma
and P3,100.00 from Michelle.
After getting their money, the man gave a t-shirt to Erma to blindfold
Teresa and another to Michelle to blindfold Erma. He blindfolded Michelle
himself and then began touching her in different parts of her body. He ordered
her to take off her t-shirt, threatening to kill her if she did not do as he
commanded. He then went on top of Michelle and tried to insert his penis into
her vagina. As he had difficulty doing so, he instead inserted his two
fingers. He tried once more to insert his penis, but again failed. The man then
rose from the bed and took some soapy water, which he proceeded to insert
into Michelles vagina. He finally succeeded in inserting his penis into
Michelles vagina. Michelle felt great pain and pleaded with the man to stop,
but the man paid no heed, and only stopped after satisfying his lust.
Michelle said that although she was blindfolded and could not see, she
could feel that the man had no cover on his face when he was raping her. She
felt that his chest was rough and had some scars. When he placed her hands
on his nape, she felt that it was also rough.
On the other hand, Erma claimed she was able to see through her
blindfold and that she saw the mans face because of the light coming from the
lamp post outside the boarding house.Their bedroom window had panes
through which the light filtered in.
After he had finished raping Michelle, the man sat on the bed and talked to
the three women. He told Michelle that he used to make catcalls at her and
called her a beautiful girl whenever she passed by his place but Michelle had
ignored him. He told them that he was from Hinigaran, but later took back his
statement when Teresa told him that she was fromBinalbagan, which was
near Hinigaran. Michelle then told him that she worked at the City Engineers
Office and graduated from the Central Mindanao University. The man cussed
when he learned that Michelle was from Mindanao. As he spoke to Michelle,
he leaned over the bed and mashed the breasts of Erma and Teresa.

After a while, the man told Michelle he wanted to have sex with her
again. Michelle pleaded with him, but the man threatened to call his
companions and said it would be worse for her if his companions would be the
ones to rape her. He ordered Michelle to lie on her stomach and then inserted
his penis into her anus. When he was through, he gave Michelle a blanket to
cover herself and returned to her a pair of earrings which he had taken from
her. He then left, but not before warning the women not to report the matter to
anyone or he would kill them.
[7]

Mark Esmeralda testified that he was in his bedroom on the second floor
of their house, toying with a flashlight, when he saw from his bedroom window
a man wearing denim shorts coming out of the boarding house. It was
around 12:30 in the morning then. The man was nibbling something. Mark
saw the man jump over the fence. After 30 minutes, Mark went down from his
room and told his parents what he had seen. His parents then went out to
check what had happened. Mark identified accused-appellant as the man he
saw that night.
[8]

Michelle, Erma, and Teresa were so frightened that they were not able to
ask for help until 30 minutes after the man had left. They told their
neighbor, Tiyo Anong, that a man had come to the house and robbed
them. They also called up Allan Aguillon, the son of the owner of the boarding
house, who in turn reported the incident to the police. When the policemen
arrived, they asked Michelle to describe the assailant, but she told them that
she could only identify his voice and his eyes. Accompanied by the police, the
three women looked for the man around the Libertad area, but they did not
find him. Michelle, Erma, and Teresa were taken to the police station at BacUp 6 for investigation. But, at Michelles request, Erma and Teresa did not tell
the others that Michelle had been raped by their attacker.
Upon returning home, Michelle found her aunt and uncle. She embraced
her aunt and told her about her ordeal. Michelle was again taken to the police
headquarters, where she was referred to the Womens Desk to report the
rape. They were able to go home to the house of Michelles aunt at around 5
to 6 oclock in the evening.
[9]

PO3 Nicolas Tancinco, one of the policemen who responded to the report
shortly after the commission of the crime, also testified for the prosecution. He
said that the assailant was described to him as wearing long hair and having a
rough projection on the back of his neck, small eyes, a slim body, and a brown
complexion. Later on, Michelle Darunday, accompanied by Allan Aguillon,
returned to the police station to report the rape committed against

her. Tancinco entered her complaint in the police blotter and referred Michelle
to the Womens Desk.
In the morning of December 28, 1996, Tancinco returned to the boarding
house. He found that the intruder was able to gain entry to the house through
the window of the bathroom. He noticed that the room beside those of the
three women had been ransacked, with the cabinets opened and the clothes
in disarray.
The
following
day,
on December
29,
1996, Tancinco went
around Margarita Extension and learned about the children playing on the
street around the time the intruder entered the boarding house. He was told
by Mark Esmeralda and Jason Joniega that they saw a man inside
the jeepney where they were playing at the time of the incident. Tancinco was
likewise informed by Esmeralda that the person he saw inside
the jeepney was the same person he saw coming out of the boarding house
later that night. According to Tancinco, the children said that they could
identify the man if he was shown to them. At around 8 oclock that
evening, Tancinco questioned a certain Tiyo Anong and Ramie about the
identity of the suspect. Ramie said that the description of the suspect fitted
that of a worker at a caf called Coffee Break Corner, about two houses away
from the boarding house.
Thus, on January 2, 1997, Tancinco and some companions proceeded to
the Coffee Break Corner and interviewed the security guard, who told them
that a certain Fidel Hinolan owned the caf. When interviewed by Tancinco and
his companions, Fidel Hinolan told them that accused-appellant was his
helper and that the latter had gone home on December 27,
1996 toBarangay Miranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental.
Based on the information furnished by Hinolan, Tancinco and his fellow
police officers, Michelle Darunday, Allan Aguillon, and Pacita Aguillon went
to Barangay Miranda, Pontevedra,Negros Occidental at around 10 oclock in
the morning of January 3, 1997 and asked the assistance of the police there
to locate accused-appellant. PO2 Rodolfo Gemarino asked one of his
colleagues at the Pontevedra police to accompany Tancinco and his
companions. They found accused-appellant at the basketball court and invited
him to go to the police station for questioning.
[10]

Michelle Darunday remained at the Pontevedra police station. When

accused-appellant was brought there, he saw Michelle and blushed. Michelle
looked at him and recognized him as the man who had robbed and raped her
on December 27, 1996. Accused-appellant was asked to take off his tshirt. Michelle said that she just kept quiet while accused-appellant tried to talk

to her. However, according to Tancinco, Michelle confirmed to him that

accused-appellant was the man who had attacked her, identifying him through
a rough projection, or a keloid, on the back of his neck and his voice. At the
time of his arrest, accused-appellant had a short haircut. He was transferred
to the Bacolod police station for further investigation. Allan Aguillontook a
picture of accused-appellant (Exh. F) at the Pontevedra police station.
[11]

[12]

At the Bacolod police station, Erma Blanca, Ma. Teresa Gellaver,

Jason Joniega, and Mark Esmeralda were asked whether accused-appellant
was the same person they saw on the night of the incident. They were taken
one by one to the jail cell and asked to point to the person that they had seen
that night. They picked accused-appellant out of four people who were inside
the jail cell.
[13]

Michelle Darunday executed an affidavit, dated January 4, 1997,

identifying accused-appellant as the person who had robbed and raped her.
She testified that she and her friends had gone to the Coffee Break Corner
sometime in September or October 1996. On the way home, she was
approached by accused-appellant. He asked Michelle what her name was,
and she gave it to him, albeit reluctantly. She usually passed by the said caf
when going home and accused-appellant would often whistle at her and call
her a beautiful girl. Michelle had simply ignored him and gone on her way.
[14]

[15]

Dr. Joy Ann C. Jocson, Medical Officer IV of the Bacolod City Health
Department, examined Michelle Darunday and made the following findings
and remarks:
1. Abrasions noted on the right and left Labia Minora and on the posterior fourchette.
2. New Lacerations noted on the hymenal ring on the
oclock position, 3 oclock position, and 9 oclock position.

following

location 1

3. Vaginal introitus admits 2 fingers but with pain.

4. Presently, patient with menstruation.

In my opinion, the patient would need a urinalysis (since she complains of pain
upon urination) and possible Medical treatment if necessary, for about 7 to 10
days. And if necessary, psychiatric evaluation & management is also
recommended.
[16]

Testifying in court, Dr. Jocson said there was penetration of the victims
vagina as shown by the fact that the hymenal rim had lacerations at the 1, 3,
and 9 oclock positions. Since the edges of the lacerations were sharp, she
concluded that these lacerations were less than a week old at the time of the
examination. According to Dr. Jocson, these were caused by abrasions due to

force or pressure applied on the vaginal area. When asked during crossexamination whether the victim had abrasions or contusions on her body at
the time of her examination, Dr. Jocson said that she could not
remember. She could not remember either whether there was sperm in the
victims vagina when she examined the latter. She said that no sperm
specimen had been taken from the victim. She testified that it could not be
determined how many times the victim had previously engaged in sexual
intercourse because this would depend on the elasticity of the victims
hymen. She opined, however, that it would be less than 10 times in the case
of the victim. Dr. Jocson stated it was possible the victim agreed to have
sexual intercourse voluntarily based on the lack of marks of violence on the
latter, although it was also possible that she was merely forced to have sex
because she was threatened. On re-direct examination, she stated it was
possible that seminal fluid was not found on the victims private parts because
the victim was having her monthly period. She said the lacerations on the
victims vagina would result whether the sexual intercourse was voluntary or
involuntary on the part of the victim.
[17]

Leo Asan, an employee at the City Health Office in Bacolod, testified that
the medical certificate presented by the prosecution, which was undated, was
a faithful reproduction of what was written by Dr. Joy Ann Jocson on January
3, 1997 in the logbook.
[18]

The defense presented as its witnesses Elias Sombito, Aaron Lavilla, PO2
Rodolfo Gemarino, Ricardo Villaspen, Nestor Dojillo, accused-appellant
Anthony Escordial, Jerome Jayme, and Lucila Jocame. These witnesses gave
a different account of the events that led to the arrest of accusedappellant. Their version is as follows:
Accused-appellant
testified
that
he
was
employed
by
Fidel Hinolan on January 21, 1996. He said he started on August 6, 1996 as a
dishwasher and was later made cashier. Accused-appellant said that he went
home to Pontevedra, Negros Occidental on December 24, 1996, arriving there
at 2 oclock in the afternoon. Hinolan paid him P500.00, which he gave to his
mother as his Christmas gift. He dropped by the house of
Aaron Lavilla. At 5:30 p.m., he returned to Coffee Break Corner
in Bacolod City.
In the evening of December 26, 1996, accused-appellant asked
permission from Hinolan to go home to Pontevedra to stay there until January
1997 as the restaurant would be closed anyway during this
period. Hinolan gave accused-appellant his permission and paid the latter his
salary of P600.00 as well as a P200.00 bonus. Hence, at 2 oclock in the

afternoon ofDecember 27, 1996, accused-appellant took the bus home,

arriving
in Barangay Miranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental
an
hour
later. He went straight home to his mother and gave herP600.00, telling her to
use P400.00 for New Years Day.
[19]

Accused-appellant also saw Elias Sombito, who told him to look for
Aaron Lavilla because a cockfight derby was being held that day in
their barangay. Accused-appellant, therefore, looked for Aaron Lavilla and
found him at the basketball court. Aarons mother asked accused-appellant to
help her bring to the cockpit some cases of beer which she planned to sell
there. Accused-appellant obliged.
[20]

At the cockpit, Elias Sombito asked him to take care of his cocks.
Accused-appellant asked Aaron Lavilla to go with him to the cockpit, but the
latter continued playing basketball and only proceeded to the cockpit after the
game was finished. The derby ended at around 9 oclock in the evening.
At about 10 oclock that night, accused-appellant and Aaron Lavilla went to
the latters house and slept there. The following day, December 28, 1996,
accused-appellant helped AaronLavillas mother with the household chores,
cutting the grass and feeding the cocks. He stayed in Barangay Miranda
until January 3, 1997. Accused-appellants testimony as to his whereabouts
from December
27,
1996 to January
3,
1997 was
corroborated
by Elias Sombito and Aaron Lavilla.
[21]

[22]

[23]

As to the circumstances of accused-appellants arrest, PO2

Rodolfo Gemarino and Ricardo Villaspen testified that at around 11 oclock in
the morning of January 3, 1997, three members of the Bacolod police, led by
PO3 Nicolas Tancinco, went to the headquarters of the Pontevedra police to
ask for help in locating a person named Anthony Escordial, said to be a
resident of Barangay Miranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, who was
wanted
in
connection
with
a
case
for
robbery
with
rape. Although Tancinco and his companions showed their mission order
to Gemarino, they did not show a warrant for accused-appellants arrest.
Nonetheless, Gemarino told
PO2 Gella of
the Pontevedra police
and
Ricardo Villaspen, the tanodcommander of Barangay Miranda, to help
the Bacolod policemen look for accused-appellant. The group left the police
station,
although Tancincos other
companions,
Michelle Darundayand Pacita Aguillon, stayed in the headquarters.
[24]

The arresting party, composed of Tancinco, PO2 Gella, and Villaspen,

proceeded to the house of accused-appellant in Barangay Miranda, but the
latter was not there. They found accused-appellant at the basketball court
watching a game. After informing him that he was a suspect in a robbery

case, the group invited accused-appellant to go with them to the police

headquarters.
Nestor Dojillo, the barangay captain of Barangay Miranda, was at the
police station. He testified that when accused-appellant, together
with Tancinco and his companions, arrived at the police station, he
(Nestor Dojillo) followed them to the investigating room. Inside the room were
Michelle Darunday, three members of the Bacolod police, Villaspen,
and Gemarino.Gemarino asked Michelle if she could identify accusedappellant as her attacker, but the latter said that she could do so only if she
could see a lump on his back. Gemarino told accused-appellant to take off his
t-shirt. When accused-appellant did as Gemarino ordered, Michelle looked at
his
back for
identifying
marks,
while
Allan Aguillon took
his
photograph. Gemarino then asked Michelle whether accused-appellant was
her attacker, but she replied that she was not sure because the attacker was
wearing a mask when she was raped. The Bacolod policemen
requested Gemarino to
allow
them
to
bring
accused-appellant
to Bacolod City as they still had some witnesses who could identify the
suspect there. Accused-appellant was allowed to go with them
after Dojillo and Gemarino asked the Bacolod policemen not to harm him.
Dojillos testimony was corroborated by the testimonies of PO2
Rodolfo Gemarino, RicardoVillaspen, and accused-appellant.
[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

Accused-appellant further testified that on the way to Bacolod City,

PO3 Tancinco began beating him and hitting him with the butt of a shotgun to
force him to admit liability for the crime. Because accused-appellant refused to
do so, he was taken by Tancinco and his companions to a lodging house
where he was subjected to torture. Accused-appellant was told to take off his
clothes and to lie down. PO3 Tancinco and his companions then proceeded to
hit him with a belt. Afterwards, they covered his mouth and took him to the
bathroom. Tancincoput a knife to his neck, telling him that he would be killed if
he refused to admit that he was the culprit. As he continued to deny liability for
the crime, accused-appellant was subjected to further torture. Later on, the
driver entered the room and brought with him a child, whose head was
covered, who was instructed to identify accused-appellant. The child,
however, did not react upon seeing accused-appellant, who was thus brought
back to the headquarters where he was again maltreated. Accused-appellant
said that he was left alone in his cell and tied to a chair. He also said that at
around 8 oclock that evening, two of the complainants arrived and the police
told them to identify accused-appellant as their attacker. But these two
complainants just kept looking at accused-appellant and even asked the
policemen if he was the suspect.

After the two women had left, PO3 Tancinco took accused-appellant to a
house so that he could be identified by another complainant. But this
complainant likewise said that he was not the assailant, as the latter had a
heavier build and longer hair. Accused-appellant was returned to the police
headquarters.
At the headquarters, PO3 Tancinco talked to accused-appellant and told
him that he would help him if accused-appellant confessed to the crime. But
accused-appellant again refused because he said he had not done anything
wrong. The police then began beating him up again. PO3 Tancinco burnt
accused-appellants lips and tongue with a lighted cigarette.
[29]

At
around 12:00 noon of January
6,
1997, Gemarino, Dojillo,
and Villaspen, together with accused-appellants grandfather, a certain
Inspector Tamayo,
and
reporters
from BomboRadyo,
went
to
the Bacolod police station to visit accused-appellant. They found him tied to a
chair. When they entered the cell, accused-appellant, thinking that they were
members of theBacolod police, held up his hands and asked for pity. The
visitors assured accused-appellant that they would not hurt him. Accusedappellant had a limp because his feet were injured. For this
reason, Dojillo and his companions asked the Bacolod police to let them take
accused-appellant to the hospital for treatment. Accused-appellant was thus
brought to the provincial hospital in Bacolod for x-ray and medical
treatment. He was taken back to the police station thereafter.
[30]

Lucila Jocame,
Records
Officer
of
the
Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMH), identified
in court the medical certificate (Exh. 12) issued by the said hospital, showing
the injuries sustained by accused-appellant, to wit:
[31]

# 5 CM LINEAR ABRASION WITH CONTUSION HEMATOMA LEFT

SCAPULAR AREA.
# 1 CM LINEAR ABRASION RIGHT SCAPULAR AREA.
# 4 x 2 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA LEFT LATERAL CHEST LEVEL OF T12.
# 2 x 2 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA M/3 RIGHT LEG ANTERIOR ASPECT.
# 2 x 4 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA RIGHT KNEE LATERAL ASPECT.
# 3 x 3 CM SWELLING AND TENDER LEFT ANKLE.
# 1 x 1 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA D/3 RIGHT LEG POSTERIOR ASPECT.

# 1 x 1 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA M/3 RIGHT THIGH POSTERIOR

ASPECT.
# 2 x 2 CM CONTUSION HEMATOMA RIGHT PERI AURICULAR AREA.
X-RAY # 280 dated January 6, 1997: SKULL APL: CHEST BUCKY RIGHT
THIGH: APL: RIGHT AND LEFT FOOT APO.
No Radiographic evidence of fracture in this examination.

[32]

The last witness presented by the defense was Jerome Jayme, General
Manager of Royal Express Transport, Inc., who testified that the last bus trip
from Kabankalan to Bacolod onDecember 27, 1996 left at 6 oclock in the
evening. The
trip
from Kabankalan to Barangay Miranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental would
take one hour. On cross-examination, Jaymestated that the said bus would
reach Bacolod City by 7:40 to 8:00 p.m. if it left Kabankalan at 6:00 p.m. His
companys buses were not allowed to pick up passengers along the
way toBacolod City because
of
the
incidence
of
highway
robbery. Jayme identified in court a certification (Exh. 12-a) he issued which
stated that the last bus trip of their company on December 27, 1996 was
at 6:00 p.m.
[33]

[34]

On February 26, 1999, the trial

the dispositive portion of which stated:

court

rendered

decision,

WHEREFORE, it is the well-considered view of this court, after a thorough,

painstaking and exhaustive review and examination of the evidence adduced in this
case, that the accused ANTHONY ESCORDIAL y GALES, is GUILTY, beyond a
reasonable doubt of the crime of Robbery with Rape, punished under Art. 294,
paragraph 1 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended. The commission of the crime
was attended by three aggravating circumstances of nighttime, that the crime was
committed in the dwelling of the offended party, and that craft, fraud and disguise
were employed by the accused in the commission of the crime under paragraphs 3, 6,
and 14 of Art. 14 of the Revised Penal Code. There is no mitigating circumstance.
Applying Article 63, paragraph 1, the accused is hereby sentenced to the maximum
penalty of DEATH.
He is also condemned to pay private complainant the sum of P3,650.00, representing
the money taken by the accused; P50,000.00 as moral damages, P30,000.00 as
exemplary damages, and the costs.

SO ORDERED.

[35]

Hence this appeal. Accused-appellant contends that:

1. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN DISREGARDING THE DEFENSE OF THE
ACCUSED TO THE EFFECT THAT ANTHONY ESCORDIAL CAN NEVER BE THE
ROBBER-RAPIST WHO RAVISHED MICHELLE DARUNDAY ON THAT FATEFUL
NIGHT OF DECEMBER 27, 1996, AS THE FORMER (ESCORDIAL) DID NOT
HAVE THE QUALITIES, CHARACTER AND EXPERTISE OF THE LATTER
(ROBBER-RAPIST).
2. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN CONCLUDING THAT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE
ASSAILANT AS DESCRIBED BY THE COMPLAINANT AND HER WITNESSES FIT
WITH THAT OF HEREIN ACCUSED, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT
THERE WAS NO DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSAILANT EVER MADE BY ANYBODY
PRIOR TO THE WARRANTLESS ARREST OF THE ACCUSED. THE AFFIDAVITS
OF THE COMPLAINANT AND HER WITNESSES WERE IN FACT DRAFTED,
EXECUTED AND SIGNED ONLY SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE ACCUSED WAS
BROUGHT INTO THE CUSTODY OF THE BACOLOD POLICE.
3. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN DISREGARDING THE TESTIMONIES OF
WITNESSES PO2 RODOLFO GEMARINO (DEP. CHIEF OF POLICE OF
PONTEVEDRA), BRGY. CAPT. NESTOR DOJILLO (BRGY. CAPT. OF MIRANDA
AND THEN MEMBER OF THE SANGGUNIANG BAYAN OF PONTEVEDRA), AND
RICARDO VILLASPEN (THEN COMMANDER OF BARANGAY TANOD IN
PONTEVEDRA) TO THE EFFECT THAT MICHELLE DARUNDAY FAILED TO
IDENTIFY THE ACCUSED DURING THEIR ENCOUNTER IN PONTEVEDRA
POLICE STATION.
4. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN NOT EXCLUDING ALL EVIDENCES,
TESTIMONIAL AND DOCUMENTARY, OBTAINED BY THE PROSECUTION
DURING THE WARRANTLESS ARREST OF THE ACCUSED AND THE LATTERS
SUBJECTION TO CUSTODIAL INVESTIGATION WITHOUT LETTING HIM KNOW
OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY HIS RIGHT TO COUNSEL
OF CHOICE.
5. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN CONCLUDING THAT PROSECUTION
WITNESSES WERE ABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE ACCUSED IN A
POLICE LINE UP DESPITE THE FACT THAT OF THE PERSONS BEING LINED
UP ONLY THE ACCUSED WAS HANDCUFFED.
6. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN GIVING CREDENCE TO THE TESTIMONIES OF
PROSECUTION WITNESSES TO THE EFFECT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO
IDENTIFY THE ASSAILANT BY FACE THAT VERY EVENING OF DECEMBER 27,
1996 AMIDST THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF DOING THE SAME, GIVEN THE
DISTANCE, THE INTENSITY OF LIGHT, AND THE TERRIFYING SITUATION,
WHICH ALL OBSCURE, IF NOT DESTROY, THE CLARITY OF HUMAN MEMORY
AND PERCEPTION.
7. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN CONCLUDING THAT THE DEFENSE FAILED TO
SHOW THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ACCUSED TO GO TO BACOLOD THAT
EVENING OF DECEMBER 27, 1996, DESPITE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE

SUBMITTED, BY SIMPLY RELYING ON THE POSSIBILITY OF THE ACCUSED

TAKING A CARGO TRUCK FROM PONTEVEDRA TOBACOLOD.
8. THE COURT A QUO ERRED IN CONCLUDING THAT ACCUSED ANTHONY
ESCORDIAL HAD MOTIVE TO COMMIT THE CRIME CHARGED BASED ON A
WRONG PREMISE THAT THE DEFENSE ALLEGEDLY DID NOT REFUTE THE
ALLEGATIONS OF THE COMPLAINANT THAT ACCUSED ATTEMPTED TO BE
ACQUAINTED WITH THE COMPLAINANT AND WHISTLED AT THE LATTER
SEVERAL TIMES.[36]

The issues raised by accused-appellant concern (1) the alleged violations

of his constitutional rights and the consequent admissibility of the evidence
against him and (2) the credibility of the prosecution witnesses.
I. Alleged Violations of Accused-appellants Constitutional Rights
A. Accused-appellant questions the legality of his arrest without a
warrant. Indeed, PO3 Nicolas Tancinco admitted that he and his companions
had arrested accused-appellant without any warrant issued by a judge. Art.
III, 2 of the Constitution states:
[37]

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects
against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose
shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon
probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after examination under oath
or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly
describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
To implement this provision, Rule 113, 5 of the Revised Rules of Criminal
Procedure provides that a peace officer or a private person may, without a
warrant, arrest a person only under the following circumstances:
(a) When, in his presence, the person to be arrested has committed, is actually
committing, or is attempting to commit an offense;
(b) When an offense has just been committed and he has probable cause to believe
based on personal knowledge of facts or circumstances that the person to be
arrested has committed it; and
(c) When the person to be arrested is a prisoner who has escaped from a penal
establishment or place where he is serving final judgment or is temporarily confined
while his case is pending, or has escaped while being transferred from one
confinement to another.

The cases at bar do not fall under paragraphs (a) or (c) of

the aforequoted rule. At the time of his arrest, accused-appellant was
watching
a
game
in
a
basketball
court

in BarangayMiranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental. He was not committing

or attempting to commit a crime when he was arrested by the police on that
day. Nor was he an escaped prisoner whose arrest could be effected even
without a warrant.
The question is whether these cases fall under paragraph (b) because the
police officers had personal knowledge of facts and circumstances that would
lead them to believe that accused-appellant had just committed a crime. The
phrase personal knowledge in paragraph (b) has been defined in this wise:
Personal knowledge of facts in arrests without a warrant under Section 5(b) of Rule
113 must be based upon probable cause which means an actual belief or reasonable
grounds of suspicion. The grounds of suspicion are reasonable when, in the absence of
actual belief of the arresting officers, the suspicion that the person to be arrested is
probably guilty of committing the offense is based on actual facts, i.e.,supported by
circumstances sufficiently strong in themselves to create the probable cause of guilt of
the person to be arrested. A reasonable suspicion therefore must be founded on
probable cause, coupled with good faith on the part of the peace officer making the
arrest.
[38]

In these cases, the crime took place on December 27, 1996. But,
accused-appellant was arrested only on January 3, 1997, a week after the
occurrence of the crime. As the arresting officers were not present when the
crime was committed, they could not have personal knowledge of the facts
and circumstances of the commission of the crime so as to be justified in the
belief that accused-appellant was guilty of the crime. The arresting officers
had no reason for not securing a warrant.
However, the records show that accused-appellant pleaded not guilty to
the crimes charged against him during his arraignment on February 25,
1997 without questioning hiswarrantless arrest. He thus waived objection to
the legality of his arrest. As this Court has held in another case:
[39]

[40]

[The accused] waived objections based on the alleged irregularity of their arrest,
considering that they pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and participated in
the trial. Any defect in their arrest must be deemed cured when they voluntarily
submitted to the jurisdiction of the court. For the legality of an arrest affects only the
jurisdiction of the court over the person of the accused. Consequently, if objections
based on this ground are waived, the fact that the arrest was illegal is not a sufficient
cause for setting aside an otherwise valid judgment rendered after a trial, free from
error. The technicality cannot render subsequent proceedings void and deprive the
State of its right to convict the guilty when all the facts on record point to the
culpability of the accused.
[41]

B. Accused-appellant invokes Art. III, 12(1) of the Constitution which

provides that [a]ny person under investigation for the commission of an
offense shall have the right to be informed of his right to remain silent and to
have competent and independent counsel preferably of his own choice. If the
person cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided with
one.These rights cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of
counsel. He contends that he was subjected to custodial interrogation without
being informed of his right to remain silent and to have independent counsel
preferably of his choice. Hence, he contends, the trial court erred in not
excluding evidence obtained from him during such interrogation for violation of
accused-appellants rights under this provision.
While it cannot be denied that accused-appellant was deprived of his right
to be informed of his rights to remain silent and to have competent and
independent counsel, he has not shown that, as a result of his custodial
interrogation,
the
police
obtained
any
statement
from
him
whether inculpatory or exculpatory - which was used in evidence against
him. The records do not show that he had given one or that, in finding him
guilty, the trial court relied on such statement. In fact, accused-appellant
testified that at no point, even when subjected to physical torture, did he ever
admit committing the crime with which he was charged. In other words,
no uncounseled statement was obtained from accused-appellant which should
have been excluded as evidence against him.
C. Of greater significance is the fact that accused-appellant was never
assisted by counsel, whether of his own choice or provided by the police
officers, from the time of his arrest inPontevedra, Negros Occidental to the
time of his continued detention at the Bacolod police station. Although
accused-appellant made no statement during this time, this fact remains
important insofar as it affects the admissibility of the out-of-court identification
of
accused-appellant
by
the
prosecution
witnesses,
namely,
Michelle Darunday, Erma Blanca, Ma. TeresaGellaver, Mark Esmeralda, and
Jason Joniega.
As a rule, an accused is not entitled to the assistance of counsel in a
police line-up considering that such is usually not a part of the custodial
inquest. However, the cases at bar are different inasmuch as accusedappellant, having been the focus of attention by the police after he had been
pointed to by a certain Ramie as the possible perpetrator of the crime, was
already under custodial investigation when these out-of-court identifications
were conducted by the police.
[42]

An out-of-court identification of an accused can be made in various

ways. In a show-up, the accused alone is brought face to face with the
witness for identification, while in a police line-up, the suspect is identified by a
witness from a group of persons gathered for that purpose. During custodial
investigation, these types of identification have been recognized as critical
confrontations of the accused by the prosecution which necessitate the
presence of counsel for the accused. This is because the results of these pretrial proceedings might well settle the accuseds fate and reduce the trial itself
to a mere formality. We have thus ruled that any identification of
an uncounseled accused made in a police line-up, or in a show-up for that
matter, after the start of the custodial investigation is inadmissible as evidence
against him.
[43]

[44]

[45]

Here, accused-appellant was identified by Michelle Darunda in a show-up

on January 3, 1997 and by Erma Blanca, Ma. Teresa Gellaver, Jason Joniega,
and Mark Esmeralda in a police line-up on various dates after his
arrest. Having been made when accused-appellant did not have the
assistance of counsel, these out-of-court identifications are inadmissible in
evidence against him. Consequently, the testimonies of these witnesses
regarding these identifications should have been held inadmissible for being
the direct result of the illegal lineup come at by exploitation of [the primary]
illegality.
[46]

Be that as it may, as the defense failed to object immediately when these

witnesses were presented by the prosecution or when specific questions
regarding this matter were asked of them, as required by Rule 132, 36 of the
Rules on Evidence, accused-appellant must be deemed to have waived his
right to object to the admissibility of these testimonies.
[47]

Furthermore, the inadmissibility of these out-of-court identifications does

not render the in-court identification of accused-appellant inadmissible for
being the fruits of the poisonous tree. This in-court identification was what
formed the basis of the trial courts conviction of accused-appellant. As it was
not derived or drawn from the illegal arrest of accused-appellant or as a
consequence thereof, it is admissible as evidence against him. However,
whether or not such prosecution evidence satisfies the requirement of proof
beyond reasonable doubt is another matter altogether.
[48]

[49]

II. Credibility of the Prosecution Witnesses

Accused-appellant contends that: (1) he does not possess the character,
qualities, and expertise of the assailant who robbed and raped

Michelle Darunday, Erma Blanca, and Ma. Teresa Gellaver; (2) the records
are bereft of any description of the assailant made by these prosecution
witnesses prior to his arrest as the affidavits of Darunday, Blanca, Joniega,
and Esmeralda were executed only after his arrest; (3) the testimonies of the
defense witnesses, namely, PO2 Rodolfo Gemarino, Barangay Captain
Nestor Dojillo, and Ricardo Villaspen, show that Michelle Darunday failed to
identify accused-appellant when the latter was presented to her at
the Pontevedra police
station;
(4) Tancincos testimony
that
Michelle Darunday properly
identified
accused-appellant
at
the Pontevedra police station could not be believed as the said witness had
motive to testify falsely against accused-appellant; (4) the identification of
accused-appellant at the Bacolod police station was tainted because only
accused-appellant was handcuffed among the persons presented to the
prosecution witnesses; and (5) it was highly improbable for the prosecution
witnesses to identify the assailant by face considering the distance, the
intensity of light, and the circumstances at the time of the commission of the
crime.
A. Jason Joniega and Mark Esmeralda pointed to accused-appellant as
the man they saw on the night of December 27, 1996 and the person they
identified inside a jail cell at theBacolod police station. Erma Blanca, on the
other hand, testified that she saw through her blindfold accused-appellant
raping Michelle Darunday. She identified accused-appellant in court as their
assailant and as the man whom she saw inside the jail cell at
the Bacolod police
station. Ma.
Teresa Gellaver and
Michelle Darunday identified accused-appellant as the suspect brought
before them at the Bacolod police station and the Pontevedra police station,
respectively.
[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

The test is whether or not the prosecution was able to establish by clear
and convincing evidence that the in-court identifications were based upon
observations of the suspect other than the line-up identification. As held
in United States v. Wade:
[55]

[56]

We think it follows that the proper test to be applied in these situations is that quoted
in Wong Sun v. United States, 371 US 471, 488, 9 L ed 2d 441, 455, 83 S Ct
407, [W]hether, granting establishment of the primary illegality, the evidence to which
instant objection is made has been come at by exploitation of that illegality or instead
by means sufficiently distinguishable to be purged of the primary taint. Maguire,
Evidence of Guilt 221 (1959). See also Hoffa v United States, 385 US 293, 309, 17 L
ed 2d 374, 386, 87 S Ct 408. Application of this test in the present context requires
consideration of various factors; for example, the prior opportunity to observe the

alleged criminal act, the existence of any pre-line-up description and the defendants
actual description, any identification prior to lineup of another person, the
identification by picture of the defendant prior to the lineup, failure to identify the
defendant on a prior occasion, and the lapse of time between the alleged act and the
lineup identification. It is also relevant to consider those facts which, despite the
absence of counsel, are disclosed concerning the conduct of the lineup.
We now consider whether the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses
meet the test as laid down in that case.
1. Michelle Darunday testified that her assailants face was covered with
cloth when he entered the room and that she was blindfolded when she was
raped. She could thus only see the assailants eyes, which Michelle
described as chinito (chinky), although she testified that she could also
identify his voice. Otherwise, Michelle did not see her attacker. Yet, she
testified that she immediately recognized accused-appellant as the assailant
when she saw him at the Pontevedra police station. Michelle stated:
[57]

[58]

[59]

PROS. CARDINAL:
Madam Witness, a few days thereafter, can you recall any development of your case?
WITNESS:
That was in January 3, when somebody told us to identify a suspect in the City
Hall of Pontevedra.
PROS. CARDINAL:
Who was with you when you went to Pontevedra?
WITNESS:
My aunt and my uncle and the police investigators.

....
PROS. CARDINAL:
Upon arrival at Pontevedra, what happened?
WITNESS:
We waited for a while because they will find the suspect and I was there in the room of
the police sitting.

....
PROS. CARDINAL:
So, you stayed behind and the policemen pick up the suspect?
WITNESS:
I and my aunt waited in the police of the policemen, and then later the suspect arrived.
PROS. CARDINAL:

When that suspect arrived inside the room where you were, can you tell us what was
the reaction of the suspect?
WITNESS:
When the suspect arrived, at first, he was not able to see me because I was behind the
desk after the door, and then he was so fresh saying that he was a good man, but
when
he
saw
me
he
blushed
and
moving
his
head
asking, Ano ang sala ko sa imo? (What did I do to you?), I did not do anything. But
when I looked at his eyes and heard his voice, I was sure that he was the man.
PROS. CARDINAL:
When that person said, what did I do to you, I did not do anything, what was [your]
reaction?
WITNESS:
I just looked at him and he was so fresh that he has not done anything, but the
policeman said that his case is rape. Then, he was asked to take off his t-shirt and
I just looked at him and then later, the policeman asked to borrow the man for
investigation and while the policeman was recording, that suspect approached me
and told me that, You do not know me., and asked, Do you know me?
PROS. CARDINAL:
What was your reaction?
WITNESS:
I just [kept] quiet but my aunt reacted by saying, You think you cannot be identified
because you covered yourself?
PROS. CARDINAL:
And then what did he answer?
WITNESS:
He just stand outside while we went ahead to go back to our home.[60]

A show-up, such as what was undertaken by the police in the identification

of accused-appellant by Michelle Darunday, has been held to be an
underhanded
mode
of
identification
for
being
pointedly
suggestive, generat[ing] confidence where there was none, activat[ing] visual
imagination, and, all told, subvert[ing] their reliability as [an eyewitness]. In
these cases, Michelle knew that she was going to identify a suspect when she
went
to Pontevedra. Upon
seeing
accused-appellant
escorted
by Tancinco and his colleagues in the Bacolod police, she knew that he was
the suspect she was supposed to identify. When accused-appellant was thus
shown to her, there could be no doubt as to what was expected of her. Further
aggravating the situation were the reply of the policeman to accusedappellants protestations of innocence that he was being held for rape and
Michelles aunts obvious assumption of his guilt. Michelles immediate
conclusion, therefore, that accused-appellant was her attacker was
understandable. As has been explained:
[61]

Social psychological influences. Various social psychological factors also increase the
danger of suggestibility in a lineup confrontation. Witnesses, like other people, are
motivated by a desire to be correct and to avoid looking foolish. By arranging a
lineup, the police have evidenced their belief that they have caught the criminal;
witnesses, realizing this, probably will feel foolish if they cannot identify anyone and
therefore may choose someone despite residual uncertainty. Moreover, the need to
reduce psychological discomfort often motivates the victim of a crime to find a likely
target for feelings of hostility.
Finally, witnesses are highly motivated to behave like those around them. This desire
to conform produces an increased need to identify someone in order to show the
police that they, too, feel that the criminal is in the lineup, and makes the witnesses
particularly vulnerable to any clues conveyed by the police or other witnesses as to
whom they suspect of the crime. . .
[62]

Coupled with the failure of Michelle to see the face of her assailant, the
apparent suggestiveness of the show-up places in doubt her credibility
concerning the identity of accused-appellant. The possibility that her
identification of accused-appellant was merely planted in her mind both by the
circumstances surrounding the show-up and her concomitant determination to
seek justice cannot be disregarded by this Court.
Michelles identification of accused-appellant is further rendered dubious
by the disparity between her description of her attacker and the appearance of
accused-appellant. In her affidavit, dated January 4, 1997, Michelle described
her attacker as follows:
P
- Sadtong tinion nga ginahimoslan ikaw sining suspetsado nakita mo bala ang iya
hitsura? (At the time that you were abused by the suspect, did you see what he
looked like?)
S- Wala, kay tungod nga may tabon ang akon mata, apang matandaan ko guid ang iya
tingog, mata, ang iya malaka nga biguti, ang structure
sang iya lawas, ang supat sang iya kamot, ang iya bibig,ang madamo nga kelloid s
a iya lawas kag ang iya baho. (No, because I was blindfolded but I can remember
his voice, his eyes, his thin mustache, his body structure, the smoothness of his
hands, his mouth, and the numerous keloids on his body, and his smell.)[63]

Michelles affidavit clearly indicated that she felt the keloids on the back of
her assailant when the latter was raping her. But, when she testified in court,
Michelle admitted that she did not see keloids on accused-appellant although
she said that his skin was rough. This is corroborated by the testimony of
PO2 Rodolfo Gemarino who said that he did not see any lump on the back of
accused-appellant when he tried to look for it. In fact, it would appear that
[64]

[65]

accused-appellant had no such markings on his back but had only small
patches which could not even be readily seen.
[66]

In dismissing the disparity between accused-appellants appearance and

Michelles description of her attacker, the trial court dwelt on the apparent
roughness of accused-appellants skin and the probability that Michelle might
have felt only the arch of the spinal cord of her assailant. However, mere
speculations and probabilities cannot take the place of proof beyond
reasonable doubt required by law to be established by the prosecution.
Michelle Darunday was a civil engineer in the City Engineers Office
in Bacolod City. Considering her educational attainment and professional
status, it is improbable that she was mistaken as to what she felt on her
attackers back at the time she was raped. A mere protrusion on the back of
the neck of the assailant could not possibly have been mistaken for keloids.
[67]

[68]

Another circumstance casting doubt on the credibility of Michelles

identification is her lack of reaction upon seeing accused-appellant at
the Pontevedra police
headquarters.
Defense
witnesses
PO2
Rodolfo Gemarino, Ricardo Villaspen, and Nestor Dojillo testified that
Michelle failed to see any identifying marks on accused-appellant and that she
showed hesitation in pinpointing the latter as the culprit. With Gemarino being
a policeman, Villaspen a barangay tanod, and Dojillo a barangay captain,
these witnesses were all, in one form or another, connected with law
enforcement. The prosecution having failed to ascribe any ill motive on the
part of these defense witnesses, who are without doubt respectable members
of the community, their testimonies that Michelle showed no reaction in seeing
accused-appellant at the show-up in Pontevedra police station deserve
greater credence than the testimony ofTancinco that Michelle confirmed to him
that accused-appellant was her attacker. The defense evidence established
that Tancinco was an abusive policeman who had made up his mind as to
accused-appellants guilt and who had no compunction in doing whatever
means necessary, legal or illegal, to ensure his conviction. We note further
that the testimonies of these defense witnesses coincide with Michelles
testimony that she kept quiet when she saw accused-appellant at
the Pontevedra police station on January 3, 1997. This being so, her reaction
to the show-up at the Pontevedra police station upon seeing accusedappellant, the man who supposedly raped her twice in an ignominious
manner, is contrary to human nature. It may be that she was filled with rage
so that upon seeing accused-appellant she was unable to show any emotion.
But it is equally possible that, as defense witnesses Gemarino, Villaspen,
and Dojillotestified, Michelle did not immediately recognize accused-appellant
as her attacker and only pointed to him as her assailant upon promptings by
[69]

[70]

[72]

[71]

the police and her companions. [W]here the circumstances shown to exist
yield two (2) or more inferences, one of which is consistent with the
presumption of innocence, while the other or others may be compatible with
the finding of guilt, the court must acquit the accused: for the evidence does
not fulfill the test of moral certainty and is insufficient to support a judgment of
conviction.
[73]

For the foregoing reasons, we find both the out-of-court and in-court
identification of Michelle Darunday to be insufficient to establish accusedappellant as the person who robbed and raped her and her companions on
the night of December 27, 1996.
2. Erma Blanca testified that she saw through her blindfold the assailant
when he was raping Michelle Darunday. She identified accused-appellant in
open court as the person whom she saw that night. Certain circumstances in
these cases lead us to believe, however, that Erma Blanca did not really see
the assailant and that her testimony otherwise was a mere
afterthought. These are:
[74]

First, the police blotter, dated December 28, 1996, prepared by PO3
Nicolas Tancinco, referred to an unknown suspect who allegedly entered the
boarding house of Pacita Aguillonand robbed Ma. Teresa Gellaver and
Michelle Darunday. This casts doubt on Ermas credibility because she
testified that she had known accused-appellant for a long time prior
toDecember 27, 1996. During her testimony, Erma claimed that accusedappellant approached her and Michelle sometime in September or October
1996 to ask for the name of the latter. In addition, Erma said she had seen
accused-appellant whenever he passed by their boarding house or stayed in
her Tiyo Anongs store nearby. It would thus seem that Erma was familiar
with accused-appellant. But, if she had actually seen him on that night of the
robbery, why did she not report this to the police immediately? Being a victim
herself, Erma had every motive to reveal the identity of the robber that same
night the crime was committed. But she did not do so. We are therefore left
with the conclusion that the police blotter referred to an unknown suspect
because the identity of the assailant had not been determined at the time the
crime was reported to the police.
[75]

[76]

Second, Erma was not the one who accompanied the Bacolod police
when the latter sought accused-appellant in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental.
PO3 Tancinco testified that he took Michelle Darunday along with his other
companions when they went to Pontevedra, Negros Occidental so that she
could identify if the suspect was the person who had raped her. But Michelle
admitted that she did not see the face of the assailant. Erma Blanca, who

claimed she recognized accused-appellant, was not taken along by the police
to Pontevedra, NegrosOccidental. Why not? Why did they bring instead
Michelle Darunday?
Third, the affidavit of Erma Blanca was prepared on January 4, 1997, a
day after the arrest of accused-appellant. This delay belies Ermas claim that
she saw the assailant through her blindfold on the night of the incident. For
the normal reaction of one who actually witnessed a crime and recognized the
offender is to reveal it to the authorities at the earliest opportunity. In these
cases, the crime took place on December 27, 1996, but Erma Blanca
executed her affidavit only on January 4, 1997, more than a week after the
occurrence of the crime. Delay in reporting the crime or identifying the
perpetrator thereof will not affect the credibility of the witness if it is sufficiently
explained. But here, no explanation was given by the prosecution why Erma
Blanca executed her affidavit one week after the crime took place and one
day after accused-appellants arrest. The most likely explanation for such
lapse is that Erma Blanca was used merely to corroborate what would
otherwise have been a weak claim on the part of Michelle Darunday. The
same may be said of the testimonies of Jason Joniegaand Mark Esmeralda.
[77]

[78]

[79]

B. Accused-appellants testimony that he was at the cockpit

in Barangay Miranda, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental
on December
27,
1996 is corroborated by Aaron Lavilla, EliasSombito, and Nestor Dojillo.
Considering the improbabilities and uncertainties surrounding the
testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, the defense of alibi by accusedappellant deserves credence.
[80]

[81]

[82]

[83]

To summarize, we find that the prosecution failed to meet the degree of

proof beyond reasonable doubt required in criminal cases. The acquittal of
accused-appellant is thus in order.
WHEREFORE, the decision of the Regional Trial Court, Branch
53, Bacolod City, finding accused-appellant guilty of robbery with rape and
sentencing him to death, is hereby REVERSED and accused-appellant is
ACQUITTED on the ground of reasonable doubt. Accused-appellant is
ordered immediately released unless there are other legal grounds for his
continued detention.
The Director of Prisons is directed to implement this Decision and to report
to the Court immediately the action taken hereon within five (5) days from
receipt hereof.
SO ORDERED.

DIGEST