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CRIMINAL CASE
The RTC ruled that the evidence for the defense is insufficient to convince the court that
Racal was indeed deprived of his mind and reason at the time when he committed the crime as to
exempt him from criminal liability because his depression and psychotic features are not the kind
of insanity contemplated by law. The trial court found the circumstance of treachery to be
present, but ruled out the presence of the aggravating circumstance of evident premeditation.
Racal filed a Motion for Reconsideration contending that the trial court failed to
appreciate the mitigating circumstances of sufficient provocation on the part of the offended
party and voluntary confession of guilt on the part of Racal. However, the RTC denied the
Motion for Reconsideration in its Order dated December 15, 2011.
Aggrieved by the ruling of the RTC, Racal appealed to the CA. In his Appellant's Brief,
Racal reiterated his defense of insanity contending that, at the time he stabbed the victim, he
snapped into a fatal episode of temporary loss of rational judgment and that such a predisposition
to "snap" was testified upon by his expert witnesses.
The CA held that the prosecution proved all the elements of the crime necessary to
convict Racal for the murder of Francisco.
Issue: Whether or not the CA correctly upheld the conviction of herein appellant, Racal, for
murder.
Ruling:
Murder
Treachery
The essence of treachery is that the attack is deliberate and without warning, done in a
swift and unexpected way, affording the hapless, unarmed and unsuspecting victim no chance to
resist or escape. In order for treachery to be properly appreciated, two elements must be present:
(1) at the time of the attack, the victim was not in a position to defend himself; and (2) the
accused consciously and deliberately adopted the particular means, methods, or forms of attack
employed by him.
There is no denying that appellant's sudden and unexpected onslaught upon the victim,
and the fact that the former did not sustain any injury, evidences treachery.
Insanity
In People v. So,24 which is a case of recent vintage, this Court ruled that an inquiry into
the mental state of an accused should relate to the period immediately before or at the very
moment the felony is committed. Hence, the results of the psychiatric tests done on appellant and
testified to by the defense witnesses, may not be relied upon to prove appellant's mental
condition at the time of his commission of the crime.
In any case, during cross-examination, Dr. Gilboy testified that for a number of years up
to the time that appellant killed Francisco, he had custody of and served as the guardian of his
sister's children. He took care of their welfare and safety, and he was the one who sends them to
and brings them home from school. Certainly, these acts are not manifestations of an insane
mind.
On his part, Dr. Gerong testified, on direct examination, that he found appellant to have
"diminish[ ed] capacity to discern what was wrong or right at the time of the commission of the
crime. "Diminished capacity" is not the same as "complete deprivation of intelligence or
discernment." Mere abnormality of mental faculties does not exclude imputability. Thus, on the
basis of these examinations, it is clearly evident that the defense failed to prove that appellant
acted without the least discernment or that he was suffering from a complete absence of
intelligence or the power to discern at the time of the commission of the crime.
In other words, evidence points to the fact that appellant was not suffering from insanity
immediately before, simultaneous to, and even right after the commission of the crime.
Facts:
On January 27 and March 25, 2009, Phoenix entered into two (2) separate Contract
Proposals and Agreements (Agreement) with ECIC for the delivery of various quantities of
ready-mix concrete. The Agreement was made in connection with the construction of the
Valenzuela National High School (VNHS) Marulas Building. ECIC received the ready-mix
concrete delivery in due course. However, despite written demands from Phoenix, ECIC refused
to pay.
Hence, Phoenix filed before the RTC the Complaint for Sum of Money against ECIC for
the payment of P982,240.35, plus interest and attorney's fees. In its Answer with Counterclaim,
ECIC claimed that it opted to suspend payment since Phoenix delivered substandard ready-mix
concrete, such that the City Engineer's Office of Valenzuela (City Engineer's Office) required the
demolition and reconstruction of the VNHS building's 3rd floor. It contended that since the
samples taken from the 3rd floor slab failed to reach the comprehensive strength of 6,015 psi in
100 days, the City Engineer's Office ordered the dismantling of the VNHS building's 3rd floor,
and thus, incurred additional expenses amounting to P3,858,587.84 for the dismantling and
reconstruction.
The RTC found that Phoenix fully complied with its obligation under their Agreement to
deliver the ready-mix concrete. Meanwhile, the RTC denied ECIC's counterclaim for failure to
pay the necessary docket fees.
Aggrieved, ECIC appealed 23 to the CA, arguing that it paid the necessary docket fees
for its counterclaim well within a reasonable time from its filing or on June 18, 201024 and that
it did not waive its right to question the strength of the delivered concrete which, based on
various tests, was substandard.
The CA affirmed the ruling of the RTC. Dissatisfied, ECI C moved for reconsideration,
which the CA denied in a Resolution31 dated June 29, 2016; hence, this petition.
Issue: Whether or not the CA erred in denying ECIC's counterclaim for damages.
Ruling:
In this case, there is no proof that ECIC was disadvantaged or utterly inexperienced in
dealing with Phoenix. There were likewise no allegations and proof that its representative (and
owner/proprietor) Ramon Encarnacion (Encarnacion) was uneducated, or under duress or force
when he signed the Agreement on its behalf. In fact, Encarnacion is presumably an astute
businessman who signed the Agreement with full knowledge of its import. Case law states that
the natural presumption is that one does not sign a document without first informing himself of
its contents and consequences.36 This presumption has not been debunked.
Further, the Court finds that the terms and conditions of the parties' Agreement are plain,
clear, and unambiguous and thus could not have caused any confusion. Paragraph 15 of the
Agreement provides that:
Based on these terms, it is apparent that any claim that ECIC may have had as regards the
quality or strength of the delivered ready-mix concrete should have been made at the time of
delivery. However, it failed to make a claim on the quality of the delivered concrete at the
stipulated time, and thus, said claim is deemed to have been waived.
Finally, it should be noted that ECIC failed to raise the alleged defect in the delivered
concrete well within a reasonable time from its discovery of the hairline cracks, as it notified
Phoenix thereof only 48 days after the last delivery date on April 29, 2009, and days after it was
already notified thereof by the City Engineer's Office.40 The lack of justifiable explanation for
this delay all the more bolsters the conclusion that ECIC indeed waived its right to make its
claim.
In any event, the evidence on record do not support ECIC's claim that the hairline cracks
that appeared on the 3rd floor slab of the VNHS building resulted from the substandard quality
of the delivered ready-mix concrete. While it was shown that the City Engineer's Office
inspected the site and approved the structural design before the delivered concrete for the 3rd
floor slab was poured, and that the results of the test conducted by the Philippine Geoanalytics
Testing Center from the samples taken showed that the hardened concrete failed to reach the
required comprehensive strength days after the pouring, ECIC, however, failed to account for the
period that intervened from the time the delivered concrete was poured to the time the hairline
cracks were observed. As the claiming party, it was incumbent upon ECIC to prove that the
hairline cracks were truly caused by the inferior quality of the delivered concrete. Besides,
All told, ECIC failed to convincingly prove its counterclaim against Phoenix and thus, the same
was correctly denied by the CA.
Facts:
Maniquiz alleged that Emelo violated his lawyer's oath and the Code of Professional
Responsibility (CPR) when he willfully notarized a fictitious Deed of Absolute Sale containing a
falsified signature of her sister-in-law, Mergelita Sindanom Maniquiz, as vendor of a parcel of
land in favor of spouses Leonardo and Lucena Torres, as the vendees. Even worse, Emelo
notarized said document without being authorized to act as a notary public for Cavite.
On January 11, 2011, a person connected with the Spouses Torres gave Maniquiz a copy
of said deed of sale. When she showed it to Mergelita, the latter was surprised and denied that
she ever signed the same. Also, they noticed that the document did not show the names of the
witnesses but only their signatures and the purported vendees failed to present any government-
issued identification documents. Emelo's notarial commission and roll of attorneys number were
likewise not indicated in the document. Thus, Maniquiz went to Emelo' s residence to confirm if
he indeed notarized said deed of sale. Emelo told them that he did notarize said document based
on a photocopy of Mergelita's passport which was shown to him by his kumpare, Leonardo
Torres, who personally appeared before him at that time.
Emelo, for his part, denied the accusations against him. In his belatedly filed Comment
on July 26, 2012, he argued that he was not remiss in his obligations as a notary public when he
notarized the subject deed of absolute sale since the parties actually appeared before him. He
likewise attested that a woman introduced herself to him as Mergelita Maniquiz, as evidenced by
her passport. As regards the issue of absence of notarial commission, he explained that for the
year 2007, he could not retrieve orders of his commission as they may have been destroyed when
his residential house was inundated by the typhoon Milenyo on September 28, 2006. He admitted
the notarization of said document without notarial commission and begged for clemency, kind
consideration, and forgiveness for the same.
Ruling:
The Court upholds the findings and recommendations of the IBP that Emelo should be
held liable for the questioned act.
Notarization is the act that ensures the public that the provisions in the document express
the true agreement between the parties. Transgressing the rules on notarial practice sacrifices the
Notaries must, at all times, inform themselves of the facts they certify to. And most
importantly, they should not take part or allow themselves to be part of illegal transactions.
Where the notarization of a document is done by a member of the Philippine Bar at a time when
he has no authorization or commission to do so, the offender may be subjected to disciplinary
action. For one, performing a notarial act without such commission is a violation of the lawyer's
oath to obey the laws, more specifically, the Notarial Law. Then, too, by making it appear that he
is duly commissioned when he is not, he is, for all legal intents and purposes, indulging in
deliberate falsehood, which the lawyer's oath similarly proscribes. It cannot be overemphasized
that notarization is not an empty, meaningless, routinary act.
Notarization is invested with substantive public interest, such that only those who are
qualified or authorized may act as notaries public. Hence, the requirements for the issuance of a
commission as notary public are treated with a formality definitely more than casual.
Canon 1 clearly mandates the obedience of every lawyer to laws and legal processes. A
lawyer, to the best of his ability, is expected to respect and abide by the law and, thus, avoid any
act or omission that is contrary to the same. A lawyer's personal deference to the law not only
speaks of his character but it also inspires the public to likewise respect and obey the law. Rule
1.0, on the other hand, states the norm of conduct to be observed by all lawyers. Any act or
omission that is contrary to, or prohibited or unauthorized by, or in defiance of, disobedient to, or
disregards the law is unlawful. Unlawful conduct does not necessarily imply the element of
criminality although the concept is broad enough to include such element.
Emelo' s failure to fulfill this basic undertaking constitutes a violation of his duty to
observe fairness and honesty in all his dealings and transactions. Indubitably, he fell short of the
demands required of him as a faithful member of the bar. His inability to properly discharge said
duty makes him answerable, not just to the private complainant, but also to the Court, to the legal
profession, and to the general public. Considering the crucial importance of his role in the
administration of justice, his misconduct certainly diminished the confidence of the public in the
integrity and dignity of the legal profession.
MARINA FRANCISCO,
Complainant
-versus-
ROGER RACAL @ RAMBO No.__________
Respondent
x________________________________________________________________x
AFFIDAVIT-COMPLAINT
4. That after such call I immediately left the house and go to where
my husband was. Upon my arrival, I saw my husband lying in the
ground, bathe in his own blood. Trembling and lost for words, I
asked the other drivers as to who was the culprit of the crime, to
which they answered without hesitation as one named Roger
Racal @ Rambo. I asked Romeo Maneto, a friend of ours who is
also a tricycle driver and has witnessed the event, where Roger is
and he said that he has already fled. Crying for help, I asked and
begged the people around us to help me bring my husband to the
nearest hospital to which Romeo Maneto, Alejandro Cruz and
Mario Carpio responded. The sworn statement of Romeo Maneto,
Alejandro Cruz and Mario Carpio are hereunto attached and
made an integral part of this complaint as Annex “B”, “C” and
“D”, respectively.
MARIANA FRANCISCO
Affiant
ALLISON DE VERA
Prosecutor
Roll No. 12345-1999
IBP No. 808787-1/3/99
PTR No.12345- 1/3/17; Cebu City
MCLE Compliance III No. 001234
Issued on April 22, 2004
-versus-
x________________________________________________________________x
COMPLAINT-AFFIDAVIT
4) That I noticed that the notarized document did not show the
names of the witnesses but only their signatures and the
purported vendees failed to present any government-issued
identification documents. Atty. Emelo’s notarial commission and
roll of attorneys number were likewise not indicated in the said
document.
VERIFICATION
3. I have read the contents of said Complaint and I attest that the
same are true and correct of my own personal knowledge and
based on the records in my possession.
ENCARNACION
CONSTRUCTION &
INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION,
Defendant
x -----------------------x
COMPLAINT
5. That the plaintiff in order to enforce its rights and interests, has
sought the services of a legal counsel with attorney’s fees amounting
to Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP 50,000.00) as evidenced by Annex “D”
– Contract for Legal Services;
a. the sum Eight Hundred Thousand and Four Hundred Ten Pesos
(PHP 810.410.00) plus interest at the rate of five percent (12%) per
month as stipulated in the Agreement;
b. attorney’s fees amounting to Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP
50,000.00).
Other reliefs and remedies deemed just and equitable under the
foregoing premises are likewise prayed for.
Imus, Cavite.
MARKANDY CRUZ
Affiant
Series of _____