Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83153:57117&catid=1584&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 02:37:31+00:00

Document:
G.R. No. 193478, June 23, 2014 - PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. RODOLFO P. FERNANDEZ, NELSON E. TOBIAS, AND FRANK R. BAAY, ACCUSED, NELSON E. TOBIAS, Accused-Appellant.
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. RODOLFO P. FERNANDEZ, NELSON E. TOBIAS, AND FRANK R. BAAY, ACCUSED, NELSON E. TOBIAS, Accused-Appellant.
This is an appeal filed by accused-appellant Nelson E. Tobias from the Decision2 dated 28 August 2009 issued by the Special Third Division and from the Resolution3 dated 9 February 2010 issued by the Special Former Special Third Division of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. CR-H.C. No. 02838.
That on or about the 22nd day of June 2004 in the City of Mandaluyong, Philippines, a place within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the above-named accused, without any lawful authority, conspiring and confederating together and mutually helping and aiding one another, did then and there, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously sell and deliver or distribute to a PDEA poseur-buyer one (1) kilo of white powder substance which was found positive to the test of cocaine, for an agreed amount of Two Million Pesos (P2,000,000.00), Philippine Currency without the corresponding license or prescription, in violation of the above cited law.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses, namely: (1) Police Inspector (P/Insp.) Antonietta Abillonar of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory; (2) Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives, Senior Police Officer (SPO) 3 Pedro Barbero, (3) Police Senior Inspector (P S/Insp.) Prospero Bona; (4) Police Officer (PO) 2 Martin Francia; (5) PO1 Rogelio Hernando; (6) SPO1 Catalino Gonzales, Jr.; (7) PO1 Narciso Padua; and (8) P S/Insp. Sandra Decena Go of the PNP Crime Laboratory.
Accused Fernandez10 interposed the defense of denial. He asserted that he had invited Padua to help facilitate the licensing of the former’s firearm. Upon learning that Padua had been assigned to PDEA, Fernandez asked him about the reward money if someone surrendered cocaine to PDEA. Padua asked for a sample as he handed him a brochure, “Operation Private Eye,” in which the reward system for the surrender of drugs was spelled out. Fernandez supposedly relayed this information to Tobias and told the latter to bring samples. On 20 June 2004, Tobias said that he would arrive with the cocaine the next day. Fernandez then scheduled their meeting at his house on 21 June 2004. Padua arrived at 8:00 a.m., while Tobias and his friend “Mar” arrived an hour later. Allegedly, Fernandez asked if they brought the drugs, and Tobias answered in the affirmative. Meanwhile “Mar” brought out a wrapped item and gave it to Padua, who eventually left with the sample for testing. On the evening of the same day, Padua allegedly called up Fernandez and informed him that the item had been found positive for cocaine. The latter immediately told Tobias to bring the 150-kilo cocaine to be surrendered to Padua the following morning.
At 9:00 a.m. the following morning, Tobias arrived at the house of Fernandez. Padua, along with a companion, arrived looking for “Mar.” Upon learning that “Mar” was not around, Padua poked a gun at both Tobias and Fernandez, handcuffed them, and placed them under arrest. The other PDEA operatives arrived and searched the house for the drugs, but Fernandez argued that it was with “Mar” who had not arrived. Padua insisted that he should tell them where “Mar” was, but Fernandez did not know. The latter also claimed that there was no cocaine confiscated from his house on 22 June 2004.
Finally, Eduardo Manuel19 claimed that when he was arrested by Barbero, Bona and Hernando of PDEA, he was with his wife inside the house of Nelson Tobias in Fort Bonifacio. Prior to that date, he had known Tobias for four years, but met Fernandez, Baay and Uy only for the first time on that same date at the PDEA office. Earlier that day, he and his wife had just arrived at the house of Tobias from their hometown in Cagayan Valley. He was accompanying his wife, who was applying for a job. While he was resting in the living room, he heard someone knocking on the door. He opened it and three armed men entered introducing themselves as members of the police, whom he later identified as Hernando, Bona and Barbero. Then they poked him with their guns and searched the house looking for Marino Manuel. When Eduardo told them that Marino Manuel was his cousin, they got mad. They handcuffed him, brought him to the waiting car and left. Not long after, they decided to return to the house of Tobias because somebody said, “Pare balikan natin ang babae dahil sigurado akong nanduon ang pera.” Thus, they also took Eduardo’s wife, and the two of them were brought to the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City.
(b) accused Eduardo D. Manuel and Nenita P. Manuel are hereby ACQUITTED for insufficiency of evidence and are hereby ordered RELEASED immediately from detention unless detained for some other legal cause or causes.
Further, the cocaine taken and seized from the accused during the aforesaid operation are forfeited and confiscated in favor of the Government and shall be turned over to the PDEA pursuant to law for proper disposal without delay. Likewise, the green Mazda car used by accused in the perpetration of the crime is ordered confiscated and forfeited in favor of the Government, and the evidence custodian of the said vehicle is directed to turn over the same to this court for its scheduled auction pursuant to Section 20, Article II of R.A. 9165.
Pending the appeal of Fernandez, Tobias, and Baay, Fernandez died of cardiac arrest on 22 February 2008. His death resulted in the dismissal of his appeal on 27 June 2008,22 insofar as he was concerned, in a Resolution23 dated 12 January 2011 issued by the Supreme Court Third Division. Henceforth, the appeal pertained only to Tobias and Baay.
The CA affirmed the ruling of the RTC.
For failure of co-accused-appellant Frank Baay to file a Petition before the Supreme Court from the CA Resolution dated 9 February 2010 denying his Motion for Reconsideration, the CA Decision became final and executory on 27 February 2009. In a Resolution28 dated 31 May 2010, Partial Entry of Judgment was ordered issued by the CA as far as he was concerned.
Hence, this appeal solely concerning Tobias on the issue of the police officers’ noncompliance with the chain-of-custody requirement. This issue, stated in his Brief and reiterated in his Supplemental Brief,29 has been brought before this Court.
We sustain the conviction of accused-appellant Nelson Tobias.
As stated in the Information, the accused were charged not only with the sale of cocaine but also with the delivery and distribution thereof, which is committed by the mere delivery of the prohibited drug. The consideration therefor is of no moment.30 The law has defined “deliver” as “[a]ny act of knowingly passing a dangerous drug to another, personally or otherwise, and by any means, with or without consideration.”31 Upon a careful review of the records, we find that the elements of the crime as stated above were proven by the prosecution.
Meanwhile, in the present Petition, Tobias harps solely and exclusively on the absence of compliance with the chain-of-custody rule.
A careful scrutiny of the records reveals - through testimonial, documentary and object evidence - that the chain-of-custody requirement was not broken.
Immediately after the taking from Tobias, what did you do to the item?
SPO1 Padua gave me the item, sir.
Now, Mr. Witness, what did you do with this? You said you carry this from the place of arrest up to the PDEA office?
I let one of my colleagues, SPO3 Barbero, one of the arresting officers, to mark the evidence, ma’am.
Finally, P/Insp. Antonietta Abillonar52 of the PNP Crime Laboratory testified that she had conducted an examination of the submitted specimen and found it positive for the presence of cocaine as indicated in Chemistry Report No. D-271-04,53 which was presented in court and made part of the evidence for the prosecution.
The links of the chain of custody of the illegal drug are all accounted for by the testimonies of the police officers who formed the buy-bust team: from the confiscation of the cocaine from petitioner Tobias by the poseur-buyer, SPO1 Padua; its turnover to the buy-bust team leader, P S/Insp. Bona, who gave it to SPO1 Gonzales, the investigator, and eventually to SPO3 Barbero who made the marking; to the forwarding of the seized item to the crime laboratory for a forensic examination; up to the presentation of the results to the court by P/Insp. Antonietta Abillonar. It is clear, then, that the chain-of-custody requirement was properly observed by the police officers and proven by the prosecution.
In the light of the foregoing, we see no reason to deviate from the RTC ruling and its affirmation by the CA. As to the penalty imposed by the RTC, we, too, find it in order and proper.
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the appeal is hereby DENIED. The assailed Decision dated 28 August 2009 issued by the Special Third Division and the Resolution dated 9 February 2010 issued by the Special Former Special Third Division of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR-H.C. No. 02838 are hereby AFFIRMED in toto.
Velasco,1Leonardo-De Castro, Bersamin, and Reyes, JJ., concur.
1 Designated member in lieu of Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama due to prior action in the Court of Appeals per Raffle dated 27 September 2010.
2Rollo, pp. 2-19; Penned by Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario and concurred in by Associate Justices Martin S. Villarama, Jr. (now a member of this Court) and Pampio A. Abarintos.
3 CA rollo, pp. 496-497; Penned by Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario and concurred in by Associate Justices Remedios Salazar-Fernando and Pampio A. Abarintos.
6 Records, pp. 40, 42, 50.
10 CA rollo, pp. 43-44.
14 Id. at p. 45.
20 Id. at 40-50; Penned by Judge Edwin D. Sorongon.
24 CA rollo, pp. 297-314.
30People v. Eugenio, 443 Phil. 411 (2003).
31 R.A. 9165, Art. I, Sec.(3)(k).
32 CA rollo, p. 46.
33 Espano v. CA, 351 Phil. 798, 805 (1998).
34 People vs. Marcos, 263 Phil. 853 (1990).
35People vs. Bagaua, 442 Phil. 245, 250 (2002).
1.) The apprehending team having initial custody or control of the drugs shall, immediately after seizure and confiscation, physically inventory and photograph the same in the presence of the accused or the person/s from whom such items were confiscated and/or seized, or his/her representative or counsel, a representative from the media and the Department of Justice (DOJ), and any elected public official who shall be required to sign the copies of the inventory and be given copy thereof.
b. “Chain of Custody” means the duly recorded authorized movements and custody of seized drugs or controlled chemicals or plant sources of dangerous drugs or laboratory equipment of each stage, from the time of seizure/confiscation to receipt in the forensic laboratory to safekeeping to presentation in court for destruction. Such record of movements and custody of seized item shall include the identity and signature of the person who held temporary custody of the seized item, the date and time when such transfer of custody were made in the course of safekeeping and use in court as evidence, and the final disposition.
38People v. Bautista, G.R. No. 177320, 22 February 2012, 666 SCRA 518, 533.
39Sales v. People, G.R. No. 191023, 6 February 2013, 690 SCRA 141.
41 Castro v. People, G.R. No. 193374, 15 August 2011, 655 SCRA 431, 440.
42People v. Rosialda, G.R. No. 188330, 25 August 2010, 629 SCRA 507, 520-521, citing People v. Rivera, 590 Phil. 894 (2008).
43 Id. at 521, citing People v. Del Monte, 575 Phil. 576 (2008).
44People v. Manlangit, G.R. No. 189806, 12 January 2011, 639 SCRA 455, 469-470, citing People v. Rosialda, supra note 38, at 522.
45 TSN, 19 August 2004, pp. 22-27.
46 CA rollo, p. 46.
48 TSN, 2 September 2004, pp. 39-40.
49 TSN, 2 June 2005, p. 19.
50 TSN, 12 August 2004, pp. 22-23.
52 TSN, 13 April 2005, p. 22.

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