Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83871:58559&catid=1589&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 09:04:21+00:00

Document:
G.R. No. 179080, November 26, 2014 - EDIGARDO GEROCHE, ROBERTO GARDE AND GENEROSO MARFIL ALIAS “TAPOL”, Petitioners, v. PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Respondent.
EDIGARDO GEROCHE, ROBERTO GARDE AND GENEROSO MARFIL ALIAS “TAPOL”, Petitioners, v. PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Respondent.
This is an appeal from the Decision1 dated November 18, 2005 and Resolution2 dated June 19, 2007 of the Court of Appeals (CA) in G.R. CR No. 26418, which set aside the November 15, 2001 Decision3 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 17, Kidapawan City, Cotabato.
That at about 10:00 o’clock in the evening of May 14, 1989, at Sitio New Lantawan, Barangay Greenhills, Municipality of President Roxas, Province of Cotabato, Philippines, the above-named accused EDIGARDO GEROCHE, being a Barangay Captain and the rest being CAFGUs, hence, persons in authority, conspiring, confederating and mutually helping one another, armed with garand rifles, did then and there, wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously, without proper judicial order, entered the house of ROBERTO MALLO by forcibly breaking the door of said house against the will of the occupants thereof, search the effects of the house without the previous consent of the owner and then mauled one of the occupant BARILIANO LIMBAG inflicting injuries to the latter.
During the arraignment on November 5, 1990, all the petitioners pleaded not guilty.6 Thereafter, trial ensued.
Baleriano Limbag (Baleriano) testified that the crime happened around 10:00 o’clock in the evening of May 14, 1989 inside the house which he already bought from Roberto Mallo. He roused from sleep when petitioners, who were not armed with search warrant, suddenly entered the house by destroying the main door. The petitioners mauled him, striking with a garand rifle, which caused his injuries. They looked for firearms but instead found and took away his airgun.
Roberto Limbag, Baleriano’s nephew who was living with him, witnessed the whole incident and corroborated his testimony.
For the defense, petitioners denied the crime charged, declaring in unison that they were in their respective houses the entire evening of May 14, 1989. They alleged, however, that the night before, on May 13, 1989, they conducted a roving foot patrol, together with other barangay officials, due to the rampant cattle rustling in the area. At the time, they recovered a stolen carabao owned by a certain Francisco Pongasi9 from three unidentified persons who managed to escape.
WHEREFORE, pursuant to applicable law and jurisprudence on the matter and the evidence on hand, the appealed decision is hereby SET ASIDE and a new one entered finding the accused-petitioners GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Violation of Domicile under Article 128 of the Revised Penal Code and sentencing them to an indeterminate penalty of Four (4) Months, One (1) Day of arresto mayor maximum to Six (6) Months and One (1) Day of prision [correccional] minimum with the accessory penalty of suspension from public office and from the right to follow a profession or calling pursuant to Article 43 of the Revised Penal Code.
Petitioners’ motion for reconsideration was denied; hence, this petition. They argue that there is double jeopardy since the trial court already acquitted them of Violation of Domicile and such judgment, being now final and executory, is res judicata. Petitioners insist that their appeal before the CA is limited to their conviction for the crime of Less Serious Physical Injuries, focusing their arguments and defense for acquittal from said crime, and that the CA violated their constitutional right to due process when it convicted them for Violation of Domicile.
Thus, when petitioners appealed the trial court’s judgment of conviction for Less Serious Physical Injuries, they are deemed to have abandoned their right to invoke the prohibition on double jeopardy since it becomes the duty of the appellate court to correct errors as may be found in the assailed judgment. Petitioners could not have been placed twice in jeopardy when the CA set aside the ruling of the RTC by finding them guilty of Violation of Domicile as charged in the Information instead of Less Serious Physical Injuries.
As to the penalty imposed by the CA, however, We modify the same. Under Article 128 of the RPC, the penalty shall be prision correccional in its medium and maximum periods (two  years, four  months and one  day to six  years) if Violation of Domicile be committed at nighttime or if any papers or effects not constituting evidence of a crime be not returned immediately after the search made by the offender. In this case, petitioners barged in the house of Baleriano while they were sleeping at night and, in addition, they took away with them his airgun.
Thus, applying in this case, the maximum term should be within the medium period or from 3 years, 6 months and 21 days to 4 years, 9 months and 10 days, in light of the provisions of Article 64 of the Revised Penal Code that if there are no other mitigating or aggravating circumstances attending the commission of the crime, the penalty shall be imposed in its medium period.
On the other hand, the minimum term shall be within the range of the penalty next lower to that prescribed by the RPC for the crime. The penalty next lower to that prescribed by Article 128 is arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period (or 4 months and 1 day to 2 years and 4 months).
The foregoing considered, in view of the attending circumstances in this case, the Court hereby sentences the petitioners to suffer the indeterminate penalty from two (2) years and four (4) months of prision correccional, as minimum, to four (4) years, nine (9) months and ten (10) days of prision correccional, as maximum.
WHEREFORE, the Court AFFIRMS the Decision dated November 18, 2005 and Resolution dated June 19, 2007 of the Court of Appeals in CA- G.R. CR No. 26418 finding petitioners Edigardo Geroche, Roberto Garde and Generoso Marfil alias “Tapol” guilty beyond reasonable doubt of Violation of Domicile, penalized under Article 128 of the Revised Penal Code, with the MODIFICATION that the penalty that should be imposed is an indeterminate sentence from two (2) years and four (4) months of prision correccional, as minimum, to four (4) years, nine (9) months and ten (10) days of prision correccional, as maximum.
1 Penned by Associate Justice Romulo V. Borja, with Associate Justices Myrna Dimaranan Vidal and Ricardo R. Rosario concurring; rollo, pp. 25-36.
3 Penned by Judge Rodolfo M. Serrano (Records, pp. 326-332; id. at 17-23).
4 Art. 128. Violation of domicile. – The penalty of prision correccional in its minimum period shall be imposed upon any public officer or employee who, not being authorized by judicial order, shall enter any dwelling against the will of the owner thereof, search papers or other effects found therein without the previous consent of such owner, or having surreptitiously entered said dwelling, and being required to leave the premises, shall refuse to do so.
If the offense be committed in the night-time, or if any papers or effects not constituting evidence of a crime be not returned immediately after the search made by the offender, the penalty shall be prision correccional in its medium and maximum periods.
8 TSN, December 7, 1993, p. 4. (Id. at 140).
9 Spelled as “Pungasi” is some parts of the Records (See records, pp. 318-319).
10 Records, p. 331; Rollo, p. 22.
12People of the Philippines v. Reynaldo Torres, et al., G.R. No. 189850, September 22, 2014.
13People of the Philippines v. Reynaldo Torres, et al., G.R. No. 189850, September 22, 2014.
14Garces v. People, 554 Phil. 683, 696-697 (2007).
15People v. Dela Rosa, G.R. No. 201723, June 13, 2013, 698 SCRA 548, 554.
16 The CAFGU was created pursuant to Executive Order No. 264 for the purpose of complementing the operations of the regular force formations in a locality. It was composed of civilian volunteers who were tasked to maintain peace and order in their localities, as well as to respond to threats to national security. As such, they were provided with weapons, and given the authority to detain or order detention of individuals. (See People v. Flores, 410 Phil. 578, 587 ).
17 Act No. 4103, as amended by Act No. 4225 and Republic Act No. 4203.

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