Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=51718:gr-177825-2008&amp;catid=1510&amp;Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 13:08:06+00:00

Document:
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. RENE ROSAS, Accused-Appellant.
Assailed before this Court is the decision 1 dated November 29, 2006 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 00301 which affirmed the decision of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Kabacan, Cotabato, Branch 22, in Criminal Case No. 98-105, finding accused-appellant Rene Rosas guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Murder and sentencing him to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua.
That on September 15, 1995, in the Municipality of Kabakan, Province of Cotabato, Philippines, the said accused, armed with a gun, with intent to kill did then and there, willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and with treachery, attack, assault and shot NESTOR ESTACIO, thereby hitting and inflicting upon the latter multiple gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body, which caused his instantaneous death.
When arraigned on January 5, 1999, accused-appellant, assisted by counsel de oficio, pleaded not guilty to the crime charged. Thereafter, trial on the merits ensued, in the course of which the prosecution presented the testimonies of Dr. Crisostomo Necessario, Jr., Municipal Health Officer of Kabacan, Cotabato; Wilfredo Bataga, mayor of Kabacan, Cotabato; Antonio Palomar Bataga, Jr.; and Arceli Estacio, widow of the victim.
For its part, the defense presented accused-appellant himself and his girlfriend, Karen Nayona.
On September 15, 1995, around eleven o'clock in the morning, Antonio Palomar Bataga, Jr. was outside the billiard hall along Aglipay Street near the public terminal and market of Kabacan, Poblacion, Kabacan, Cotabato. Around 15 meters away, he saw appellant Rene Rosas standing beside the post near a store across the street. Palomar knew appellant long before, as they were both into gambling. Thereafter, the victim, Nestor Estacio, arrived alone on board his motorcycle. He stopped in front of the Salcedo Newsstand to buy a newspaper without switching off his motorcycle's engine. Before he could drive off, a Weena bus, which was leaving the Bus Terminal about that time, blocked his way. Then, appellant, who was coming from the left side behind the victim, shot the latter with a pistol at close range. After the victim fell on the ground, more gunshots were heard, which gunshots were fired at him to make sure that he was dead. After the shooting, appellant jumped into a motorcycle and escaped.
Meanwhile, around that same time and fifteen (15) meters away, in a carinderia located at the Bus Terminal in Poblacion, Kabacan, Cotabato, several gunshots were heard. Wilfredo Bataga, who was the owner of the said carinderia and also the commanding officer of the 39th Infantry Batallion assigned in Kabacan, Cotabato, immediately proceeded to where the gunshots came from. He saw appellant about to run and a dead body being carried by four persons into a tricycle. Wilfredo upon seeing that appellant was armed with a 45-caliber pistol, ran after the latter but lost him in the crowd.
On October 27, 1995, Wilfredo was handed with a cartographic sketch of the suspect made by the National Bureau of Investigation. He indorsed the cartographic sketch to the police of the Poblacion and reported the incident.
On August 5, 1998, around 5:30 in the afternoon, appellant was spotted a meter away in front of Wilfredo's house. Wilfredo upon seeing appellant took out his copy of the cartographic sketch and confronted appellant that it was his picture. Appellant answered "Siguro ako nga." Appellant was then immediately arrested.
The post-mortem examination conducted by Dr. Crisostomo Necessario, Municipal Health Officer of Kabacan, Cotabato revealed that the victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the lumbar region (lower back area), a gunshot wound in the epigastric area (upper mid-portion of the abdomen near the chest) and the mid-left portion of the hypogastric area (left abdomen). Thereafter, Dr. Necessario issued a Medical Report attributing the victim's death to hypovolemic shock caused by gunshot wounds.
On the other hand, accused-appellant's version is hinged mainly on denial and alibi. He testified that in the morning of September 15, 1995, he was at his boarding house located along USM Avenue, Kabacan, Cotabato. The following day, he went home to Mintal Relocation in Davao City and came back to Kabacan, Cotabato on August 5, 1998. On that day, while accused-appellant was in a public market, a certain Dodong Rivera approached and informed him that he should talk to Mayor Wilfredo Bataga because a group of men was out to kill him. So, accused-appellant proceeded to the house of Mayor Bataga who showed him a cartographic sketch. When accused-appellant was asked if it was him on the sketch, he replied, "Siguro, ako nga." He was then taken to the Kabacan Police Station where he was detained.
Karen Nayona, accused-appellant's girlfriend, merely corroborated his testimony that he was in the boarding house at USM Avenue, Kabacan, Cotabato in the morning of September 15, 1995. Then, at around 11 o'clock in the morning, they met and went to a fastfood restaurant located along USM Avenue. There, she told accused-appellant that she was two months pregnant with his baby.
WHEREFORE, in view of all the foregoing and finding the accused Rene Rosas alias Boy Rosal guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of murder qualified by treachery, judgment is hereby rendered sentencing the accused with penalty of Reclusion Perpetua and to pay the heirs of Nestor Estacio the sum of P50,000.00 for his death, P40,000.00 for funeral and burial expenses and P50,000.00 for moral damages.
WHEREFORE, the assailed decision is hereby AFFIRMED, with modification that the award for actual damages is DELETED for reasons already discussed; in lieu thereof, an award of temperate damages in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand (P25,000.00) Pesos is hereby GRANTED.
From the Court of Appeals, the case was then elevated to this Court upon filing by accused-appellant of a notice of appeal on January 2, 2007.10 In its Resolution 11 of July 23, 2007, the Court resolved to require both parties to submit their respective supplemental briefs, if they so desire. The parties, however, opted not to file supplemental briefs and manifested that they were merely adopting their briefs filed before the appellate court.
THE LOWER COURT ERRED IN CONVICTING THE ACCUSED-APPELLANT OF MURDER WHEN THE LATTER'S GUILT WAS NOT PROVEN BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.
Accused-appellant insists that the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. He assails the credibility of the prosecution witnesses whose testimonies he pictured as inconsistent and fabricated. He also avers that the prosecution failed to establish his identity as the perpetrator of the crime as nobody actually saw him shoot the victim.
After a careful consideration of the evidence of this case, we find no reason to reverse the decision of the Court of Appeals which affirmed the RTC decision in Criminal Case No. 98-105.
Accused-appellant cites an inconsistency in the testimonies of prosecution witnesses Wilfredo Bataga and Antonio Palomar Bataga, Jr. While Wilfredo testified that he saw accused-appellant about to run from the crime scene after the shooting, Antonio, on the other hand, testified that accused-appellant jumped into a motorcycle and escaped after the incident. According to accused-appellant, their contradicting testimonies should not be accorded any weight and credence.
A. Long time ago, sir.
A. Because of our gambling activities.
A. Because he was an employee of the Municipal Hall, sir.
A. Yes, there was, sir.
A. The killing of Nestor Estacio, sir.
A. Just a short pistol, sir.
Your Honor please, leading, Your Honor.
He testified already, Your Honor please, that he saw.
Antonio Bataga, Jr. could not have made a mistake with respect to accused-appellant's identity considering that he knew accused-appellant long before he witnessed the shooting incident in 1995. Antonio who was in the vicinity of the crime scene would thus be able to unmistakably recognize accused-appellant when the incident happened at around 11 o'clock in the morning.
A. When I heard several gunbursts, I immediately proceeded to the scene of the crime and I saw the suspect including the lying victim Nestor Estacio which was brought along by four (4) persons in loading a tricycle in going to a hospital, sir.
A. When I saw him, he was already running together with innocent civilians towards the market, sir.
A. He was carried upon by four persons inside the tricycle for immediate medication, sir.
A. I chased him, sir. I was not able to arrest him due to the thickness of the civilians running together with him, sir.
A. That was more or less 15 meters, sir.
A In the middle of the terminal, sir.
A I intended to conduct a hamper; a block in front of Ku Kuan so that I could arrest the suspect and I personally found out and identified the running person to be Rene Rosas @ Boy Rosas running together with scampered civilians, sir.
A Yes, sir, and I saw him personally.
A I saw him personally this way but I crossed the block, sir.
A I was not able to see him but when I arrived at the scene of the crime I saw him personally and I chased him but could not arrest him due to the thickness of the civilians running together with him.
A About to run when I reached the scene of the crime, sir.
A Yes, sir, when I reached the scene to chase him he ran already.
A I was able to identify him when the cartographic sketch of the suspect coming from the NBI expert and Dr. Sevilla was given to me, sir.
Clearly, Wilfredo positively identified appellant as the person running away from the crime scene towards the public market after shooting the victim. Just like Antonio, Wilfredo could also not have been mistaken as to accused-appellant's identity considering that he was just 15 meters away from the crime scene and the crime was committed in broad daylight.
Verily, the testimonies of Wilfredo and Antonio on material details are coherent, unequivocal and consistent with each other. Antonio, who was standing just a few meters away, saw accused-appellant shoot the victim from behind, then board a motorcycle. On the other hand, Wilfredo saw accused-appellant immediately after the shooting fleeing from the scene of the crime carrying a 45-caliber pistol. Clearly, both witnesses personally saw accused-appellant at the scene of the crime at the time it was committed. Contrary to accused-appellant's assertion, the declarations and testimonies of Antonio and Wilfredo established beyond reasonable doubt his identity as the author of the crime.
There being no fact or circumstance of weight and substance that would otherwise warrant a different conclusion, the trial court's evaluation of the credibility of the prosecution witnesses must be sustained.
In his last-ditch effort to relieve him of liability for the crime charged, accused-appellant argues that he cannot be convicted of murder because the Information failed to state that treachery was a qualifying circumstance.
Accused-appellant's argument deserves scant consideration. The recent case of People v. Sayaboc 23 reiterated the pronouncement in People v. Aquino 24 that even after the recent amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure, qualifying circumstances need not be preceded by descriptive words such as "qualifying" or "qualified by" to properly qualify an offense. Section 8 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure 25 does not require the use of such words to refer to the circumstances which raise the category of an offense. It is not the use of the words "qualifying" or "qualified by" that raises a crime to a higher category, but the specific allegation of an attendant circumstance which adds the essential element raising the crime to a higher category. It is sufficient that the qualifying circumstances be specified in the Information to apprise the accused of the charges against him to enable him to prepare fully for his defense, thus precluding surprises during trial.
In the instant case, Nestor Estacio was attacked from behind and assaulted without warning and provocation. Even when the already wounded Nestor fell on the ground, accused-appellant mercilessly fired several more shots at him. He obviously wanted to ensure the execution of the killing, without risk to himself, and deprive Nestor of any opportunity to retaliate or defend himself. The fact that accused-appellant brought a gun with him indicated that he made a deliberate and conscious adoption of the means to kill Nestor. Further, the autopsy conducted by Dr. Necessario revealed multiple gunshot wounds at the lower back area of the lumbar region of Nestor. This autopsy indubitably indicates that the shots were fired from behind on the unsuspecting victim. Clearly then, treachery or alevosia has been sufficiently established.
With respect to actual damages, the victim's widow, Arceli Estacio, testified that she spent a total of P40,000.00 as burial and funeral expenses but she failed to present receipts to substantiate her claim. In People v. Abrazaldo, 31 we laid down the doctrine that where the amount of actual damages for funeral expenses cannot be determined because of the absence of receipts to prove them, temperate damages may be awarded in the amount of P25,000.00. Thus, in lieu of actual damages, temperate damages in the amount of P25,000.00 must be awarded to the heirs of Rene Rosas because although the exact amount was not proved with certainty, it was reasonable to expect that they incurred expenses for the coffin and burial of the victim.
WHEREFORE, the decision dated November 29, 2006 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 00301 is hereby AFFIRMED. Accused-appellant Rene Rosas is found GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Murder and sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua. He is hereby ordered to indemnify the heirs of Nestor Estacio the following: (a) P50,000.00 as civil indemnity; (b) P50,000.00 as moral damages, (c) P25,000.00 as exemplary damages; and (d) P25,000.00 as temperate damages.
1 Penned by Associate Justice Rodrigo F. Lim, Jr., with Associate Justice Teresita Dy-Liaco Flores and Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, concurring; rollo, pp. 4-20.
2 CA Rollo, p. 2.
5 Sec. 3(c). The appeal to the Supreme Court in cases where the penalty imposed by the Regional Trial Court is reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment, or where a lesser penalty is imposed but for offense committed on the same occasion or which arose out of the same occurrence that gave rise to the more serious offense for which the penalty of death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment is imposed, shall be by filing a notice of appeal in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
6 CA Rollo, p. 23.
8 G.R. NOS. 147678-87, July 4, 2004, 433 SCRA 640.
13 People v. Lacbayan, G.R. No. 125006, August 31, 2000, 339 SCRA 396, 401.
14 TSN, July 7, 1999, pp. 4-6.
15 TSN, March 17, 1999, pp. 5-7; 11-13.
16 People v. Dimaano, G.R. No. 168168, September 14, 2005, 469 SCRA 647, 658.
17 People v. Benito, G.R. No. 128072, February 19, 1999, 303 SCRA 468, 477.
18 People v. Gonzales, G.R. No. 141599, June 29, 2004, 433 SCRA 102, 116.
19 People v. Lopez, G.R. No. 149808, November 27, 2003, 416 SCRA 542, 547.
20 TSN, February 10, 2000, p. 5.
21 CA Rollo, p. 64.
22 People v. Narca, G.R. No. 108488, July 21, 1997, 275 SCRA 696, 709.
23 G.R. No. 147201, January 15, 2004, 419 SCRA 659, 672.
24 G.R. NOS. 144340-42, August 6, 2002, 386 SCRA 391, 395.
25 Section 8. Designation of the Offense. - The complaint or information shall state the designation of the offense given by the statute, aver the acts or omissions constituting the offense, and specify its qualifying and aggravating circumstances. If there is no designation of the offense, reference shall be made to the section or subsection of the statute punishing it.
26 People v. Lab-eo, G.R. No. 133438, January 16, 2002, 373 SCRA 461, 475.
27 Article 61, Revised Penal Code.
28 People v. Opuran, G.R. NOS. 147674-75, March 17, 2004, 425 SCRA 654, 673.
31 G.R. No. 124392, February 6, 2003, 397 SCRA 137, 150.

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