Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83843:58360&catid=1589&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 10:16:05+00:00

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THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Petitioner, v. ENGR. RODOLFO YECYEC, ROGELIO BINAS, ISIDRO VICTA, IRENEO VIÑA, RUDY GO, JUANITO TUQUIB, ROMEO BUSTILLO, FELIX OBALLAS, CASTEO ESCLAMADO, RICARDO LUMACTUD, LEOPOLDO PELIGRO, PATERNO NANOLAN, CARLITO SOLATORIO, MEDARDO ABATON, FEDIL RABANES, FELIX HINGKING, BENJAMIN TOTO, EUFROCINO YBAÑEZ, FELOMINO OBSIOMA, LORETO PEROCHO, MARANIE UNGON, NOYNOY ANGCORAN, ROLANDO YUZON, NESTOR CHAVEZ, LEONARDO PREJAN, PRIMO LIBOT, NEMESIO ABELLA, IRENEO LICUT, PROCESO GOLDE, EPIFANIO LABRADOR, AND BRANCH 11, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT (MANOLO FORTICH, BUKIDNON), Respondents.
Appealed1 by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in this case is the Decision,2 dated June 27, 2008, of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. SP No. 00489, affirming the resolutions of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 11, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon (RTC), dated October 14, 20043 and May 11, 2005,4 which dismissed the criminal information against the respondents for lack of probable cause.
Pioneer Amaresa, Inc. (Pioneer) is a domestic corporation engaged in the buying and selling of rubber. Calixto B. Sison was the supervisor of Pioneer's rubber processing plant, who was tasked, among other things, with the acquisition of rubber coagulum and rubber cup lumps in Talakag, Bukidnon.
On August 19, 2002, Sison bought for Pioneer a total of 2,433 kilos of rubber cup lumps from its various suppliers in Talakag, Bukidnon. Out of the total 2,433 kilos of rubber cup lumps he bought, some 1,500 kilos were purchased from Julieto Edon (Edon), caretaker of the plantation of Albert Pono (Poño). Considering that Pioneer did not have any storage facility in Talakag, Bukidnon, Sison placed the newly-purchased rubber cup lumps inside the fenced premises which he rented out as his residence.
Later that day, Sison was approached by Avelino Sechico (Sechico), chairman of the FARBECO Multi-purpose Cooperative (FARBECO). Accompanying Sechico were two police officers and several members of FARBECO. When asked about their purpose, Sison was informed they wanted to verify if the rubber cup lumps/coagulum he had bought earlier were the same as those that were earlier stolen from FARBECO. Upon inspection, the group informed Sison that six (6) tons of the rubber lumps/coagulum that Edon sold to him were the ones earlier stolen from FABRECO. As Sison was unsure if Sechico's claims were true, he informed Sechico and his companions that he would cover up the rubber cup lumps first with canvass and confer with Pono to verify if the rubber cup lumps he bought from Edon really came from the Pono plantation.
Yecyec then ordered his men (co-respondents) to seize the rubber cup lumps inside Sison's house. Upon hearing the order, Sison warned Yecyec and his men not to enter his residence and added that he would ask a police officer and a barangay kagawad to witness the incident. Sison then left to fetch the police and barangay officials, leaving his nephew, Edwin Galdo, to watch over his place in the meantime.
Immediately after Sison left, Yecyec, together with his men proceeded to destroy the fence of Sison's residence to gain entrance to the premises. As they were unable to completely destroy the fence, Yecyec climbed over the enclosure to gain entrance to Sison's residence. About eleven (11) of Yecyec's men followed him. Once inside the fenced premises, Yecyec and his companions took the rubber cup lumps and loaded them on to their truck.
Two (2) of Yecyec's men were armed during the incident. Respondent Benjamin Toto (Toto), a security guard, was armed with a shotgun while waiting outside the fence. Respondent Ireneo Vino (Viño), who entered the fenced premises, was armed with a bolo.
Before Yecyec and his men could completely load all the rubber cup lumps inside the truck, Sison arrived together with police officer Billy Dahug and barangay kagawad Marc Gumilac. Startled when the police officer Dahug blew his whistle, Yecyec and his men hastily left the premises on board their truck, leaving the left portion of the fence destroyed.
From the total of 2,433 kilos of rubber cup lumps stored inside Sison's fenced premises, only 207 kilos were left. The value of the rubber cup lumps taken from the premises was P27,825.00.
Pioneer, through Sison, thus filed an affidavit-complaint6 against the respondents before the Philippine National Police (PNP) of Talakag, Bukidnon. Acting favorably on the complaint, the Chief Police of the PNP of Talakag, Bukidnon, filed a criminal complaint7 against the private respondents for Robbery with Intimidation of Persons before the Is' Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) of Talakag-Baungon-Malitbog, Bukidnon.
After conducting the requisite preliminary investigation,8 the MCTC found probable cause to hold respondents liable for Robbery with Intimidation of Persons. In its Resolution, dated January 13, 2004,9 the MCTC dismissed the respondents' contention that they were simply recovering their stolen property sold by Edon to Sison. While noting that the respondents had previously charged Sison with violation of the Anti-Fencing Law, the MCTC opined that the respondents did not have any right to forcibly take back the rubber cup lumps, especially considering that they admitted that the actual ownership of the rubber cup lumps was still to be determined by the proper court.
That on or about the 30th day of August 2002, in the afternoon, at barangay San Isidro, Municipality of Talakag, province of Bukidnon, Philippines, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the above-named accused, conspiring, confederating and mutually helping one another, did then and there wilfully, unlawfully, and feloniously, with intent to gain and without the consent of the owner thereof, take, steal and carry away 2,226 kilograms of RUBBER COAGULUM with a total value of TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE PESOS (P27,825.oo) Philippine Currency belonging to the PIONEER AMARESA, INC., represented by CALIXTO SISÓN; to the damage and prejudice of the said corporation in the said amount.
Contrary to and in violation of Articles 308 and 309 of the Revised Penal Code.
x x x [T]his court does not agree that just because the respondents forcibly took back the rubber cup lumps from the complainant (sic) would already amount to the crime of theft. Neither does this court believe that the filing of a Fencing case against complainant is an implied admission by the respondents that the ownership of the rubber cup lumps is yet to be determined by the court. It thinks otherwise. Because of the personal knowledge by the respondents that said rubber cup lumps rightfully belong to them that they filed a case of fencing against the complainant for having bought said rubber cup lumps from an alleged thief.
The third element of Theft i.e.,: "That the taking be done with intent to gain" is absent. The Prosecution affirmed the findings of probable cause against all respondents but for the lesser offense of Theft. It considered the respondents' taking of the subject rubber cup lumps from complainant albeit made openly and avowedly under claim of title made in bad faith.
Taking the cudgels for Pioneer, the OSG asserts that the existence of probable cause for Robbery/Theft is evident from both the affidavits of the private complainants and the findings of fact of the CA.19 It insists that the respondents were not in good faith when they entered the premises of Sison, destroyed his fence and forcibly took the rubber cup lumps, because they knew that Sison was in possession of the rubber cup lumps by authority of the owner and the case, where the issue of ownership was raised, still had to be adjudicated.
Finally, it is contended that the trial court denied the prosecution its right to due process when it dismissed the case for failure to establish probable cause. The OSG further argues that if the trial court was not satisfied with the findings of the MCTC and the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor that there was probable cause, it should have conducted its own investigation rather than dismissing the case outright.
The Court has reviewed the records and found the petition impressed with merit.
x x x Prosecuting officers under the power vested in them by the law, not only have the authority but also the duty of prosecuting persons who, according to the evidence received from the complainant, are shown to be guilty of a crime committed within the jurisdiction of their office. They have equally the duty not to prosecute when the evidence adduced is not sufficient to establish a prima facie case.
x x x The primary objective of a preliminary investigation is to free respondent from the inconvenience, expense, ignominy and stress of defending himself/herself in the course of a formal trial, until the reasonable probability of his or her guilt in a more or less summary proceeding by a competent office designated by law for that purpose. Secondarily, such summary proceeding also protects the state from the burden of the unnecessary expense an effort in prosecuting alleged offenses and in holding trials arising from false, frivolous or groundless charges.
Such investigation is not part of the trial. A full and exhaustive presentation of the parties' evidence is not required, but only such as may engender a well-grounded belief than an offense has been committed and that the accused is probably guilty thereof. By reason of the abbreviated nature of preliminary investigations, a dismissal of the charges as a result thereof is not equivalent to a judicial pronouncement of acquittal. Hence, no double jeopardy attaches.
Thus, absent a finding that an information is invalid on its face or that the prosecutor committed manifest error or grave abuse of discretion, a judge's determination of probable cause is limited only to the judicial kind or for the purpose of deciding whether the arrest warrant should be issued against the accused.
In this case, there is no question that the Information filed against the respondents was sufficient to hold them liable for the crime of Theft because it was compliant with Section 6, Rule 110 of the Rules of Court.30 Moreover, a review of the resolutions of the MCTC, the Provincial Prosecutor, the RTC, and the CA shows that there is substantial basis to support finding of probable cause against the respondents, albeit with the RTC and the CA having varying opinions as to the application and interpretation of such basis. Hence, as the Information was valid on its face and there was no manifest error or arbitrariness on the part of the MCTC and the Provincial Prosecutor, the RTC and the CA erred when they overturned the finding of probable cause against the respondents.
WHEREFORE, the petition is GRANTED. The June 27, 2008 Decision of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 00489 is hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE. The Information against the above-named respondents is hereby ordered REINSTATED. The case is REMANDED to the Regional Trial Court, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, which is ordered to proceed with the case with dispatch.
1 Via a Petition for Review on Certiorari filed under Rule 45 of the Revised Rules of Court; rollo, pp. 22-128.
2 Id. at 54-62. Penned by Associate Justice Edgardo T. Lloren, with Associate Justices Edgardo A. Camello and Jane Aurora C. Lantion, concurring.
5 Which means "By hook or by crook, we will really gel the rubber. File a case anywhere Lex. you can even include Mr. Pono." See CA Decision, p. 2; CA rollo, p. 150.
8 Prior lo the issuance of A.M. No. 05-8-26-SC which took effect on October 3, 2005, judges of the Municipal Trial Court and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts were authorized to conduct preliminary investigation to determine probable cause pursuant to then Section 2(b) of Rule 112 of (he Revised Rules of Court.
9 Issued by Judge Ma. Lourdes Eltanal Ignacio; CA rollo, pp. 40-48.
10 Issued by Prosecutor Giovanni Alfred H. Navarro; id. at 49-52.
13 Issued by Judge Francisco G. Rojas, Sr.
14 CA rollo, pp. 21-23.
22Ledesma v. Court of Appeals, 344 Phil. 207, 226, 227 (1997).
23Paderanga v. Drilon, 273 Phil. 290, 296 (1991).
24Leviste. v. Alameda, G.R. No. 182677, August 3, 2010, 626 SCRA 575, 608-609; People v. Castillo. 607 Phil. 754. 764-765.
25BaItazar v. People, 582 Phil. 275, 280 (2008); Tan v. Ballena, 579 Phil. 503, 525 (2008); People v. Court of Appeals, 361 Phil. 492, 498 (1999), citing the Separate (Concurring) Opinion of former Chief Justice Narvasa in Roberts, Jr. v. Court of Appeals, 324 Phil. 568, 620 (1996).
26 Supra note 22, at 226.
27Ho v. People, 345 Phi!. 597, 611 (1997).
28People v. Court of Appeals, 361 Phil. 401, 415 (1999).
29Schmeder v. Saldevar, G.R. No. 163656, April 27, 2007, 522 SCRA 624, 628-629.
30 Sec. 6. Sufficiency of complaint or information. - A complain! or information is sufficient if it slates the name of (he accused; the designation of the offense given by the statute; the acts or omissions complained of as constituting the offense; the name of the offended party; the approximate date of the commission of the offense; and the place where the offense was committed.
31 Go v. Fifth Division, Sandiganbayan, 549 Phil. 783, 804 (2007).
32People of the Philippines v. Court of Appeals, 361 Phil. 401, 420 (1999).

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