Foz vs People (2009) G.R.

167764
Facts:
Petitioners Vicente Foz, Jr and Danny Fajardo were charged with the crime of libel. Upon arraignment,
they were assisted by counsel de parte and pleaded not guilty to the crime charged. Trial thereafter
ensued, finding both of them guilty. Petitioners moved for recon but was denied. Dissatisfied, they
appealed to CA who affirmed in toto the RTC decision. They then filed a motion for recon which CA
denied. In their petition to the SC, petitioners raise for the first time the issue that the information
charging them with libel did not contain allegations sufficient to vest jurisdiction in the RTC of Iloilo
City.
Issue: WON the RTC of Iloilo City had jurisdiction over the offense of libel as charged.
Held: SC ruled on the negative. The Court notes that petitioners raised for the first time the
issue of the RTCs jurisdiction over the offense charged only in their Reply filed before this Court and
finds that petitioners are not precluded from doing so.
Venue in criminal cases is an essential element of jurisdiction. Article 360 of the Revised Penal Code, as
amended by Republic Act No. 4363, provides the specific rules as to the venue in cases of written
defamation: The criminal action and civil action for damages in cases of written defamations, as
provided for in this chapter shall be filed simultaneously or separately with the court of first instance
of the province or city where the libelous article is printed and first published or
where any of the offended parties actually resides at the time of the commission
of the offense:
The allegations in the Information that Panay News, a daily publication with a considerable
circulation in the City of Iloilo and throughout the region only showed that Iloilo was the place
where Panay News was in considerable circulation but did not establish that the said publication was
printed and first published in Iloilo City.
Settled is the rule that jurisdiction of a court over a criminal case is determined by the allegations of
the complaint or information, and the offense must have been committed or any one of its essential
ingredients took place within the territorial jurisdiction of the court. Considering that the Information
failed to allege the venue requirements for a libel case under Article 360, the Court finds that the RTC
of Iloilo City had no jurisdiction to hear this case. Thus, its decision convicting petitioners of the crime
of libel should be set aside for want of jurisdiction without prejudice to its filing with the court of
competent jurisdiction.