Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=49862:gr-172184-2007&amp;catid=1494&amp;Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 18:17:15+00:00

Document:
G.R. No. 172184 - Nestor B. Decasa v. The Hon. Court of Appeals, et al.
NESTOR B. DECASA, Petitioner, v. THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS and THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES Respondents.
In this Petition for Certiorari under Rule 65 of the Revised Rules of Court,1 petitioner Nestor B. Decasa prays for the reversal of the Decision dated 26 April 20052 and Resolution dated 23 February 20063 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR No. 23072, affirming with modification the Decision dated 21 August 19984 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 50, Loay, Bohol, in Criminal Case No. 8006, finding petitioner guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of homicide.
That on or about 29th day of August, 1992, in the municipality of Bilar, province of Bohol, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the above-named accused, with intent to kill and without justifiable cause, did then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously assault, attack, strike and/or stab with the use of a sharp-bladed, sharp-pointed weapon one Teodoro Luzano thereby inflicting injuries on the vital parts of the victim's body causing his untimely death; to the damage and prejudice of the heirs of the victim in the amount to be proved during the trial.
When arraigned on 22 December 1992, petitioner pleaded "Not Guilty" to the charge. Thereafter, trial on the merits ensued.
1. On August 29, 1992, at around 8 o'clock in the evening, Rogelio Boco was gathering tuba from a coconut tree located near a canal at Riverside, Bilar, Bohol, when he chanced upon petitioner Nestor Decasa and Teodoro Luzano arguing heatedly about water [for their respective ricefields].
2. From a distance of about five (5) meters and as a bright moon illuminated the area, Rogelio Boco saw petitioner Nestor Decasa hack Teodoro at the back portion of the latter's neck and again on the forehead near the eyebrow. Teodoro fell down.
3. After the incident, Rogelio went home. Early the next morning, he went to the same place to gather tuba. There, he saw Teodoro's corpse lying near a coconut tree.
4. Rogelio summoned his neighbors to witness what he saw. He was investigated and thereafter executed an affidavit before the MCTC of Bilar, Bohol.
"The cause of the death was hypovolemic shock secondary to hemorrhage due to multiple wounds on the head, chest, and extremities, which could have been caused by a sharp-edged and pointed instrument, like a bolo. The immediate cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest."
The last witness for the defense was accused Nestor Decasa himself, 30 years old, college level, and a resident of Riverside, Bilar, Bohol. He testified that he executed a counter affidavit in this case.
He has been staying in the house of his parents-in-law, Bernardino and Francisca Llano Macalolot after getting married to their daughter Luz on May 16, 1991. Before he got married, he resided at Quezon, Bilar which is more than one kilometer away from Riverside, Bilar.
It is not true that he killed Teodoro Luzano. In the afternoon of August 29, 1992, he was making hollow blocks together with his younger brother, Domingo, at the site where his house was supposed to be constructed, about 100 meters from the house of his parents-in-law. They worked up to 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon, after which they went home. At around 6:30 in the evening, he ate his supper together with his parents-in-law, his wife, his two brothers-in-law, and Sally Canono, an (sic) herbal doctor. After eating supper, he and his wife Luz went inside their bedroom and prayed. They slept at 10:00 o'clock in the evening and woke up at 4:20 o'clock dawn to listen to the radio program of Rev. Al Galo until 5:00 o'clock in the morning.
Throughout the entire night of August 29, 1992, there was no time that he went out of his bedroom. After the radio program of Rev. Al Galo, he went back to his work at the same construction site. He started working on the hollow blocks together with his brother at 6:00 o'clock in the early morning of August 30, 1992 up to 7:30 in the morning when they ate their breakfast. After eating, he went back to work. While working again, he heard news that Teodoro Luzano was killed. Upon hearing the news, they took a look at the dead body and then went back to work. There were many people when they viewed the cadaver of the late Teodoro Luzano. On that same day, Sunday, August 30, 1992, his brother-in-law Jaime was arrested.
Rogelio Boco's testimony that in the evening of August 29, 1992 he heard him and the late Teodoro Luzano quarrelling over the source of water for their respective ricefields, is not true, because on that evening of August 29, 1992, he was at home. He never had any quarrel or misunderstanding with Teodoro because they do not have the same source of water.
He is a tenant of a ricefield owned by the late Judge Espiritu which source of water is called "Bogwak." The source of water of Teodoro's ricefield is the Logarita Spring. Logarita Spring and Bogwak are two different sources of water. It is Rogelio Boco who has a ricefield near that of Teodoro which also gets water from Logarita Spring. Rogelio is also tilling another ricefield (owned by somebody from Dauis) which is near his ricefield and has its source of water from Bogwak. It is not true that there was a time before August 30, 1992, that he uttered threatening words against the person Teodoro Luzano. It is also not true that the moon on August 29, 1992 was full because a calendar for August 1992 (Exhibit "3") shows that August 28, 1992, onwards, is not a full moon.
As a farmer, he worked on a piece of land located at Riverside, Bilar, Bohol. He worked on that piece of land even before he got married in 1991 and while he was still residing at Quezon, Bilar. He was also working on a farmland in Quezon, Bilar, but he stopped working on that land sometime in 1990 when he was about to get married. The land which he is working on at Riverside is owned by the late Judge Ricardo Espiritu. Before he went to Maramag, Bukidnon, he was able to work on that land already, and when he came back to Bohol, he resumed working on the same land. While in Maramag, it was his grandfather who worked on it. He inherited the tenancy.
Dr. Tumanda examined the corpse of Teodoro. According to her findings, Teodoro's death was caused by "hypovolemic shock secondary to hemorrhage due to multiple wounds on the head, chest, and extremities, which could have been caused by a sharp-edged and pointed instrument, like a bolo. The immediate cause of death was cardio-pulmonary arrest." Francisca Boco is the wife of Rogelio. She testified that on 29 August 1992, at about 7:30 in the evening, she passed by the house of petitioner's parents-in-law where the petitioner was also staying. She saw the petitioner go out of the said house and proceed towards the water-gate/irrigation opening which was four to five meters from the place where the incident took place. When she went home at about 9:30 in the evening, she again saw the petitioner coming from the ricefield and walking fast towards his parents-in-law's house.
Alona was the daughter of Teodoro. On 29 August 1992, at about 7:30 in the evening, she and her eight-year-old brother delivered food to Teodoro at the latter's ricefield located at Riverside, Bilar, Bohol. While she and her brother were at the ricefield, petitioner passed by. They greeted him "good evening" but the petitioner ignored them. Afterwards, Teodoro told her and her younger brother to go home because he would guard the source of water in the irrigation opening as the owners of the other ricefields might steal the water by opening the water-gate to allow the water to pass through. Alona also recalled that there was one time when the petitioner passed by their house and told their mother, Josefina, to advice the hard-headed Teodoro. Petitioner warned them that sooner or later he would crush Teodoro's head. Josefina was the wife of Teodoro. She alleged that on 7 July 1992, petitioner and Teodoro had an altercation regarding the water for their respective ricefields and that in the first week of August 1992, petitioner passed by their house and told her to restrain Teodoro from being hard-headed; otherwise he would break his head.
In his rebuttal testimony, Fermin claimed that he used to work on a riceland at Riverside, Biliran, owned by a certain Juan Item; that in 1992, Bernardino Macalolot (petitioner's father-in-law) and petitioner began working on the said riceland; and that the said riceland and the riceland of Teodoro had the same source of water called "Bogwak."
Petitioner insists that he has nothing to do with the death of Teodoro. Petitioner asserts that he had dinner with his wife, Luz, and the latter's relatives on the evening of 29 August 1992; that he and Luz listened to a radio program and thereafter prayed and slept; and that he did not go out of the house throughout the entire night of 29 August 1992. Judge VaÃ±o was the administering officer for the affidavit executed by Rogelio. She averred that she had thoroughly examined Rogelio as to whether the latter clearly understood all his statements in the said affidavit. Luz, Jaime (petitioner's brother-in-law), and Francisca (petitioner's mother-in-law) testified, in essence, that petitioner did not kill Teodoro; that they had dinner with the petitioner on the evening of 29 August 1992; that after dinner, petitioner and Luz listened to a radio program and thereafter prayed and slept; that they did not see petitioner go out of the house throughout the entire night of 29 August 1992; that there was no feud between petitioner and Teodoro; that Rogelio and Teodoro had the same source of water for their respective ricefields; that Rogelio and Teodoro had a quarrel regarding such source of water; and by reason of the said conflict, Rogelio filed a complaint against petitioner in the barangay hall, a complaint which was, however, subsequently settled.
Aquilino (uncle of petitioner) testified that Rogelio had a ricefield which was very near the ricefield of Teodoro, and that these ricefields had the same source of water called "Logarita." Loreto was a barangay councilman in Riverside, Biliran. He claimed that on 10 June 1992, he settled a dispute between petitioner and Rogelio as regards their source of water for their respective ricefields. He also presented a document evincing such settlement.
Petitioner filed a Motion for Reconsideration14 of the Decision of the Court of Appeals but this was denied by the appellate court in its Resolution dated 23 February 200615 for lack of merit.
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS GRAVELY ERRED IN NOT DECLARING THAT THE GUILT OF THE HEREIN PETITIONER OF THE CRIME CHARGED WAS NOT ESTABLISHED BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS LIKEWISE GRAVELY ERRED IN NOT DECLARING THAT THE PROSECUTION FAILED TO OVERCOME BY THEIR EVIDENCE THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRESUMPTION OF THE PETITIONER'S INNOCENCE.
THE COURT OF APPEALS GRAVELY ERRED IN CONVICTING THE PETITIONER BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF CLEAR FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE WHICH BRING FORTH GRAVE DOUBTS AS TO THE VERACITY AND CREDIBILITY OF PROSECUTION'S EVIDENCE, BOTH TESTIMONIAL AND DOCUMENTARY.
In sum, petitioner enucleates that the Court of Appeals erred in convicting him despite the utter absence of evidence to sustain his conviction beyond reasonable doubt.
Petitioner contends that despite the aforementioned narration of facts made by the RTC, the trial court and the Court of Appeals still chose to believe the testimony of Rogelio.
As can be gleaned from the foregoing, it was Rogelio's honest belief that he was able to state in his affidavit the fact that he saw petitioner hack Teodoro. Rogelio's elucidation is understandable and does not affect his credibility since witnesses cannot be expected to give a flawless testimony all the time. This is even more true if they are called to testify on details of a harrowing and frightening event which unfolded before their eyes.20 What is decisive and significant is that Rogelio saw the petitioner hack Teodoro and that he testified on such fact during the trial.
Petitioner's rantings on the supposed ill motive which Rogelio had against him deserve scant consideration. The existence of a grudge does not automatically render the testimony of a witness false and unreliable.25 Further, it should be noted that the conflict between petitioner and Rogelio was already settled before their Barangay Council.26 Motive is essential for conviction when there is doubt as to the identity of the culprit.27 In the instant case, the imputation of ill motive is already inconsequential as Rogelio personally witnessed the hacking of Teodoro by petitioner.
The inconsistencies in the testimony of Rogelio cited by petitioner refer to minor and insignificant details which do not impair the credibility of Rogelio as a witness. Rogelio did not categorically testify that there was never an instance when he gathered tuba at nighttime. He merely stated that he does not usually gather tuba at nighttime;28 thus, he does not preclude the possibility that, on the day of the incident, Rogelio opted to gather tuba at night rather than during daytime. Besides, what is vital is that Rogelio specifically testified in court that he was gathering tuba on the night he saw the petitioner hack Teodoro.
In support of his contention that Rogelio did not clearly see the hacking incident as there was no moonlight at that time, petitioner presented the calendar year for August 1992 which shows that the full moon was on 13 August, the last quarter was on 21 August and the new moon on 28 August.29 This circumstance does not carry much weight since Rogelio was merely five meters away from the petitioner and Teodoro when he heard the two arguing and then saw petitioner subsequently hacking Teodoro. Moreover, Rogelio was very familiar with the physical features30 and voices of petitioner and Teodoro because the petitioner's wife is his relative, and both petitioner and Teodoro also reside in Riverside, Biliran.
Petitioner draws attention to the fact that Judge Calibo did not hear the bulk of the prosecution's evidence, including the entire testimony of Rogelio, and hence, did not have the opportunity to observe the demeanor of the witness.
Petitioner tries to impart that Judge Calibo was biased in rendering the assailed RTC Decision, since he used to be a subordinate of the fiscal in charge of the instant case and had heated arguments with the defense counsel during the trial.
Petitioner also tries to discredit the court testimonies of Francisca Boco, Josefina (Teodoro's wife), and Alona (Teodoro's daughter). According to petitioner, the testimonies of Francisca Boco and Josefina are mere afterthoughts, for they never executed any affidavits in connection with the instant case. As regards Alona, her testimony was practically nil, considering that there are some facts which she "deliberately" omitted in her affidavit.
The testimonies of Francisca and Josefina were duly offered in court by the prosecution as evidence. Francisca and Josefina also swore under oath before making their court statements. Moreover, their testimonies corroborated Rogelio's testimony on material and substantial points.41 Indeed, their testimonies are not mere afterthoughts and the execution of affidavits on their part is unnecessary in light of their personal testimonies before the trial court.
In an effort to exonerate himself from any liability in the killing of Teodoro, petitioner interposed the defense of denial and alibi. He alleges that he and his wife had been staying/residing in the house of his wife's parents at Riverside, Bilar, Bohol, on the night of the incident. On 29 August 1992, he and his wife went to their bedroom after eating their supper at about 6:30 in the evening. They slept at about 10:00 in the evening and woke up at 4:20 in the morning of the next day. Petitioner insists that he never went out of the bedroom throughout the entire night of 29 August 1992. As such, it was impossible for him to commit the crime charged.
Thus, even assuming that petitioner was sleeping in their bedroom throughout the entire night of 29 August 1992, it was not physically impossible for him to be at the crime scene which was in a canal near Riverside, Bilar, Bohol, on the night of the incident. The distance between the house of his parents-in-law where he slept, and the canal where the hacking took place, is merely 100 meters.45 Obviously, he could easily reach the canal at any time to perpetrate the crime charged.
As the petitioner failed to substantiate his defenses of denial and alibi, the positive and credible testimonies of Rogelio and the rest of the prosecution witnesses must prevail.
It must also be emphasized that when the credibility of a witness is in issue, the findings of fact of the trial court, its calibration of the testimonies of the witnesses and its assessment of the probative weight thereof, as well as its conclusions anchored on said findings are accorded high respect if not conclusive effect.46 This is more true if such findings were affirmed by the appellate court, since it is settled that when the trial court's findings have been affirmed by the appellate court, said findings are generally binding upon this Court.47 In the case before us, we find no compelling reason to depart from the RTC's finding of guilt of petitioner for homicide as affirmed by the Court of Appeals, as these findings are supported by the evidence on record.
WHEREFORE, the Decision and Resolution of the Court of Appeals dated 26 April 2005 and 23 February 2006, respectively, in CA-G.R. CR No. 23072 are hereby AFFIRMED WITH MODIFICATION. Accordingly, in lieu of the actual damages awarded by the RTC and the Court of Appeals, we hereby award temperate damages in the amount of P25,000.00 in favor of the heirs of Teodoro. No costs.
2 Penned by Associate Justice Vicente L. Yap with Associate Justices Isaias P. Dican and Enrico A. Lanzanas concurring; id. at 53-59.
6 Rogelio Boco, Dr. Maria Nenita Tumanda, Francisca Boco, Alona L. Dordas and Josefina M. Luzano; id. at 54.
7 MCTC-Bilar, Judge Felina D. VaÃ±o, Luz M. Decasa, Jaime L Macalolot, Francisca L. Macalolot and Aquilino S. Decasa; id.
20 People v. Pateo, G.R. No. 156786, 3 June 2004, 430 SCRA 609, 615.
21 People v. Beltran, Jr., G.R. No. 168051, 27 September 2006, 503 SCRA 715, 729; People v. Lazaro, 319 Phil. 352, 361 (1995); People v. Layno, 332 Phil. 612, 625 (1996); People v. Foncardas, G.R. No. 144598, 6 February 2004, 422 SCRA 356, 370.
24 People v. Larranaga, G.R. No. 138874-75, 3 February 2004, 421 SCRA 530, 571.
25 People v. Medina, G.R. No. 155256, 30 July 2004, 435 SCRA 610, 620.
26 Rollo, pp. 40 and 50.
27 People v. Yatar, G.R. No. 150224, 19 May 2004, 428 SCRA 504, 520.
30 People v. Moriles, Jr., G.R. No. 153248, 25 March 2004, 426 SCRA 358, 365.
31 People v. Pateo, supra note 19 at 615.
32 Lapuz v. People, G.R. No. 150050, 17 June 2004, 432 SCRA 443, 447.
33 People v. Comadre, G.R. No. 153559, 8 June 2004, 431 SCRA 366, 376.
34 People v. Buayaban, 448 Phil. 57, 67 (2003).
35 People v. Hapa, 413 Phil. 679, 695 (2001).
36 People v. Sansaet, 426 Phil. 827, 833 (2002).
37 People v. Cadley, G.R. No. 150735, 15 March 2004, 425 SCRA 493, 499-500.
39 Causin v. Demecillo, A.M. No. RTJ-04-1860, 8 September 2004, 437 SCRA 594, 606.
40 Grieve v. Jaca, A.M. No. MTJ-01-1351, 27 January 2004, 421 SCRA 117, 122-123.
43 People v. Werba, G.R. No. 144599, 9 June 2004, 431 SCRA 482, 495.
44 People v. Aguila, G.R. No. 171017, 6 December 2006.
46 People v. Aguila, supra note 43.
48 People v. Delim, 444 Phil. 430, 470-471 (2003).
50 People v. Moriles, Jr., G.R. No. 153248, 25 March 2004, 426 SCRA 358, 368; People v. Buayaban, supra note 33 at 77; People v. Abrazaldo, 445 Phil. 109, 126 (2003).

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