RomeoSisonetal,petitioners

vs.
PeopleofthePhilippinesandCourtofAppeals,respondents
GRno.1082083November16,1995
Puno,J.

OnJune27,1986,MarcosloyalistsscheduledarallyattheLuneta
buttheirapplicationforapermittoholdtherallywasdenied.They
continuedwiththedemonstrationanyway.Thepolicearrivedandthey
couldnotproduceapermitsotheywereaskedtodispersein10
minutesbutinsteadofleaving,theybecameviolent(shouting
gulpihinniyoanglahatngmgaCoryinfiltrators).Thepolice
pushedthemandusedteargastodispersethem.Thegroupfledto
MariaOrosastreetandthesituationstabilized

asmallgroupofloyalistsconvergedattheChineseGarden,PhaseIII
oftheLuneta.TheythensawAnnieFerrerastarletandsupporterof
Marcos.AnnieFerrerlearnedoftheirdispersal,shecontinued
joggingwhileshoutingMarcosparin,Marcosparin,Pabalikinsi
Marcos,bugbuginangmganakadilaw(hindirhyming).Thegroup
answeredBugbugin!.Anniewasarrestedlater,whichprompted
someonetoshoutkailanganggumantitayongayon!thegroupthen
startedattackingpersonsinyellow.RenatoBanculosawthisand
removedhisyellowshirt.

Banculolatersawthegrouppursuingamaninyellowwhowaslater
foundouttobeStephenSalcedo.ThegroupcaughtupwithSalcedoand
boxed,andkickedandmauledhim.Hetriedtofreehimselfbutthey
keptonhittinghim.RanulfoSumilangcametoSalcedo'shelpbutthe
groupkeptonhittingSalcedo,somebodyhandedSumilangaloyalist
tagandhethenpresentedthistothegroup.Thegroupbackedofffor
awhileandSumilangwasabletogetSalcedoawayfromthem.Butthe
accusedinthiscase,namely,RaulBillosos,RicharddelosSantos,
JoelTan,NiloPacadar,JoselitoTamayo,RomeoSisoncontinuedwith
thehitting.SumilangalsosawGerryNeributdidnotseewhathedid
toSalcedo.
Salcedowasabletogetawayfromthegroupandsatonsomecement
steps,hetriedtofleetoRoxasboulevardbutTanandPacadar
pursuedhim.Salcedocriedforhelpbutnooneanswered.Themauling
continuedattheRizalmonumentuntilSalcedoeventuallycollapsed.
SumilanghailedavanandbroughtSalcedototheMedicalCenter
Manilabutwasrefusedadmission.HewasthenbroughttoPGHwherehe
dieduponarrival.

Themaulingwaswitnessedbymanyandthepresstookpicturesanda
videooftheeventwhichbecamefrontpagenewsthefollowingday.
CoryinstructedtheWesternPolicedistricttoinvestigateonitand
BrigadierGeneralAlfredoLimofferedaP10,000rewardforpersons
whocouldgiveinformationwhichcouldhelparrestthekillers.
SumilangandBanculocooperatedwiththePoliceandseveralpersons
includingtheaccusedwereinvestigated.

Informationsformurderwerefiledandthesecaseswereconsolidated.
TheprosecutionpresentedtwelvewitnessesincludingSumilangand
Banculo.Insupportoftheirtestimonies,theprosecutionalso
presenteddocumentaryevidenceconsistingofnewspaperaccountsof
theindicentandvariousphotos.

Fortheirdefense,theprincipalaccuseddeniedtheirparticipation
inthemauling.Eithertheywerenotthere(sincetheywerenotin
thePhotographs)orthattheywerethereandwereinthephotos
becausetheywerejustwatchingortryingtostopthemaulers.Sison
howeversaidthathewasnotthereandwasinfactwaitingforhis
photostobedeveloped(hewasacommercialphotographer)andwas
afflictedwithherniawhichimpairedhismobility.

TheRTCfoundSison,Pacadar,Tan,delosSantosandTamayoguiltyas
principalsinthecrimeofmurderqualifiedwithtreachery.Starlet
AnnieFerrerwasconvictedasanaccomplice.Thecourtacquittedthe
others.

Onappeal,CAacquittedStarletAnnieFerrerandincreasedthe
penaltyoftherestoftheaccusedexceptTamayo.TheCafoundthem
guiltyofmurderqualifiedbyabuseofsuperiorstrength(penalty
increasedtoRP).HenceautoreviewbeforetheSC(forthose
sentencedtoRP)

Issue/s:
1.WONtheCAerredinsustainingthetestimoniesofSumilangand
Banculo.NO
2.WONtheCAerredingivingevidentiaryweighttothephotographs
ofthemaulingincident.NO

1.thedefensewasarguingthatthe2onlytestifiedbecauseofthe
rewardandthatBanculosubmitted3swornstatements.Theyalso
pointedoutthatBanculopointedatthewrongpersonwhenaskedto
identifyRolandoFernandez.Thecourtdisagreed

thereisnoproofthattheyonlytestifiedbecauseofthereward,
sinceSumilangwenttothepolicestationtoissueastatementjust2
hoursaftertheincident.Banculoontheotherhandexecuted3
statementstoidentifymoresuspects.Thisdidnotmakehistestimony
incredible.Banuclo'smistakeinidentifyingoneoftheaccuseddoes
notmakehiswholetestimonyafalsity.Perfecttestimoniescannotbe
expectedfrompersonswithimperfectsenses.Inthecourt's
discretionthetestimonyofawitnesscanbebelievedastosome
factsanddisbelievedwithrespecttoothers

2.asidefromthephotographs,theappellantsalsoquestionedtheway
thecourtgaveevidentiaryweighttothejointaffidavitof2
patrolmenbutthecourtheldthatthejointaffidavitmerely
reiteratedwhattheotherwitnessestestifiedtoandwasamere
surplusage.

Asforthephotographs,theappellantswerequestioningsuchevidence
forlackofproperidentificationbythepersonorpersonswhotook
thesame

theruleisthatwhenPhotosarepresentedinevidence,theymustbe
identifiedbythephotographerastoitsproductionandtestifiedas
tothecircumstancesunderwhichtheywereproduced.Valueliesinit
beingacorrectrepresentationorreproductionoftheoriginal.
Admissibilitydeterminedbyitsaccuracyinportrayingthesceneat
thetimeofthecrime.

Thecorrectnessofthephotocanbeprovedprimafacie,eitherbythe
testimonyofthepersonwhomadeitorbyothercompetentwitnesses.
Afterwhichitcanbeadmittedsubjecttoitsimpeachmentastoits
accuracy.Thereforethephotographeroranothercompetentwitnesscan
testifyastotheexactnessandaccuracyofthephotograph.

Initiallythedefenseobjectedtotheadmissibilityofthephotosbu
thentheyusedthesamephotosinprovingthatsomeoftheaccused
couldnothaveparticipatedsincetheywerenotinthephotos.Itwas
notuntilthethirdhearingwheretheAttyfortheappellants
interposedacontinuingobjectiontotheiradmissibility.
TheSCruledthattheuseofthephotographsbytheattyforthe
appellantsisanadmissionoftheexactnessandaccuracyofsuch.
Thatthephotoswerefaithfulrepresentationsofthemaulingincident
wasaffirmedwhenappellantsdelossantos,PacadarandTan
identifiedthemselvesinthepicturesandexplainedtheirpresencein
saidpictures.

3oftheaccusedcouldbereadilyseeninvariousbelligerentposes
lungingorhoveringbehindoroverthevictim.Theherniaafflicted
Sisonappearedonlyonceandhewasshownmerelyrunningafterthe
victim.Tamayowasnotidentifiedinanyofthephotosbutthisdoes
notexculpatehim.HewasstillidentifiedbySumilangandBanculo

theappellantsalsoquestionedthatthelowercourterredinfinding
conspiracyamongtheprincipalsandfindingthemguiltyofmurder
qualifiedbyabuseofsuperiorstrengthinsteadofdeathin
tumultuousaffray.
SCdisagreedandsaidArt.251oftheRPC(Deathcausedina
tumultuousaffray)takesplacewhenaquarrelbetweenseveralpersons
andtheyengageinaconfusedandtumultuousaffray,inthecourseof
whichsomearekilledorwoundedandtheauthorcannotbe
ascertained.Butinthiscase,thequarrelwasbetweenagroupand
anindividual.Thegrouptookadvantageoftheirsuperiorstrength
andexcessiveforceandfrustratedanyattemptbysalcedotoexcape.
Thisqualifiesthekillingtomurder.AlsotheSCheldtherewasno
treachery,thoughtheessenceoftreacheryisthesuddenand
unexpectedattackwithoutslightestprovocationbutinthiscase,the
victimhadthechancetosensethetemperofthegroupandrunaway
fromthembuthewasovertakenbythem.

Therewashoweverconspiracy,therewasaconcertedefforttobring
downsalcedo.