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TodayisTuesday,June30,2015
RepublicofthePhilippinesSUPREMECOURT
Manila
FIRSTDIVISION
G.R.No.95351August9,1991
PEOPLEOFTHEPHILIPPINES,plaintiffappellee,vs.JIMMYLAURIOandDOMINADOR"Tulong"LAURIO,accused.DOMINADOR"Tulong"LAURIO,accusedappellant.
TheSolicitorGeneralforplaintiffappellee.
PublicAttorney'sOfficeforaccusedappellant.
GRIOAQUINO,J.:p
OnJuly25,1989,thebrothers,JimmyandDominadorLaurio,werechargedwithmurderinaninformationfiledbytheProvincialProsecutorofMasbate,docketedasCriminalCaseNo.5753oftheRegionalTrialCourtofMasbate,whichreads:
That on or about May 7, 1988 at midnight thereof, at sitio
Bagong Sirang, Barangay Panique,Municipality of Aroroy, Province of
Masbate, Philippines, and with the jurisdiction of this
HonorableCourt,theabovenamedaccusedwithintenttokill,evidentpremeditationandtreachery,didthenandtherewilfully,
unlawfully and feloniously conspiring and helping each other,
attack, assault, box
andstabwithaknifeoneElyBanculo,hittingthelatteronthedifferentpartsofthebody,therebyinflictingwoundswhichdirectlycausedhisdeath.
Contrarytolaw.(p.7,Rollo.)
Uponarraignment,theaccusedDominadorLaurio,assistedbycounseldeparte,enteredapleaof"notguilty."Trialensuedonlyagainsthim,becausehiscoaccused,JimmyLaurio,was,andstillis,atlarge.
In theeveningofMay7,1988,abenefitdancewasheld in thedancehallat
thepublicplaza inBagongSirang,Barangay Panique, AroroyMasbate. The
dance wasmanaged by RobertoManlapaz who was president of
theaffair.
Whilethebenefitdancewasgoingon,ElyBanculo,DominadorLaurio,andJimmyLauriodrankbeer"grande"atacornerstoreneartheplaza.Whenthethreedecidedtoretire,
theyoffereda lastdrinktoRobertoManlapaz,whoaccepted it. Shortly
after eleven o'clock in the evening, they asked permission to
leave. After the three haddeparted,Manlapaz went to the comfort
room about tenmeters away.While he was there, he
sawDominadorLauriosuddenlyboxElyBanculoontherightjaw.TheblowcausedBanculotofallontheground.Instantly,JimmyLaurioplungedhishandknucklewithaprotrudingbladethreetimesintoBanculo'sbodyashelayontheground,woundinghimontherightnipple,ontheback,andintherightarmpit.
Since the place of the scuffle was welllighted by a fluorescent
lamp on a nearby coconut tree,
Dominador'sneighbor,AndioloEsquilonawhochancedtobepassingby,witnessedthestabbingofBanculobyJimmyLaurio.AfterrenderingBanculoprostrate,theLauriobrothersfled.
Manlapaz reported the incident to the barangay captain, who went
after the Laurio brothers
straightaway.Dominadorwasarrested,buthisbrotherJimmywentintohidingandhasremainedatlarge.
SomeoneinformedBanculo'swife,Delia,aboutthestabbingofherhusband.SherushedtothesceneofthecrimeintimeforherhusbandtoinformherthathewasstabbedbyJimmyandDominadorLaurio.
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Banculowasbrought to theAtlasClinic for emergency
treatment.Afterwards, hewasmoved to the clinic
ofDr.Corpus,whereheremainedfortwodaysandtwonights.Ashisconditionworsened,upontheadviceofDr.Corpushimself,BanculowastransferredtotheMasbateProvincialHospitalwhereheunderwentanoperationinthelungs.Unfortunately,infectionhadalreadysetin.Hediedofcardiopulmonaryarrestsecondarytosepticemiawithseverehemothorax,secondary
tostabwounds,chestanterior
(Dr.EnriqueO.Legaspi'sCertificationMasbateProvincialHospital).
In a decision dated July 24, 1990, the Regional Trial Court of
Masbate (Br 45) found Dominador Laurio guiltybeyond reasonable
doubt ofmurder and sentenced him to suffer the penalty of reclusion
perpetua, and to
payindemnityintheamountofP30,000totheheirsofthevictim,ElyBanculo,pluscosts.
Hehasappealedthatdecision,allegingthatthecourtaquoerred:
1.infindingthatheconspiredwithhisbrother,Jimmy,andemployedtreacheryinkillingthevictimand
2.ingivingfullcredittothetestimoniesoftheprosecutionwitnessesdespitematerialinconsistencies.
Thereismeritintheappeal.
Itisabasicprincipleofconstitutionallawthattheaccusedshallbepresumedinnocentuntilthecontraryisprovenbeyondreasonabledoubt.Lackingsuchcertainty,thetrialcourthasthedutytorenderaverdictofacquittal(Peoplevs.Macasinag,173SCRA292).Thesamedegreeofproofnecessarytoestablishthecrimeisrequiredtoestablishacriminalconspiracy(Peoplevs.Drilon,Jr.,123SCRA72).Itcannotbeestablishedbyconjecturesbutbypositiveand
conclusive evidence (People vs. Martinez, 127 SCRA 260). A
conspiracy may be inferred from thecircumstances attending the
commission of the crime, but, like any other ingredient of the
offense, it must
beestablishedbyclearandconvincingevidence(Peoplevs.Agda,111SCRA330).
Theevidence in this case showsonly that theappellant,Dominador
Laurio, and thedeceasedquarreledover awomanand that theyhada fist
fight. Inanger,DominadorboxedBanculoon the
jaw.Hisbrother,JimmyLaurio,immediately jumped into the fray by
stabbingBanculo in different parts of the body and
inflictingwoundswhichcaused his death. There is no evidence that
the brothers had conspired to kill Banculo or that Dominador
hadforeknowledgeofwhatJimmy(whoapparentlyhadnoscore
tosettlewithBanculo)woulddo.OnlyaconspiracybetweenthebrotherswouldqualifytomurderDominador'sactofboxingthevictim,butsuchaconspiracywasnotproven
as indubitably as the homicide itself (People vs. Felix Raquipo,
188 SCRA 571). Absent any
evidenceprovingthegravityordurationofthephysicalinjuryinflictedbyDominador'sfistblowuponthevictim,orproofofaconspiracyoftheLauriobrotherstoseriouslyinjureorkillthevictim,Dominadorispresumed,andshouldbeheld,liableforslightphysicalinjuriesonlyPeoplevs.Bautista,30SCRA558Art.266,RevisedPenalCode.Vol.II,1987Ed.byAquino,pp.603605).
WHEREFORE, the appealed decision is herebymodified, by finding
appellant Dominador Laurio guilty of
slightphysicalinjuriesonlyandsentencinghimtosufferthepenaltyofimprisonmentforthirty(30)daysofarrestomayor,with
theaccessory penalties providedby lawand to pay the costs. If
hehasbeendetained for longer than thatperiod,his immediate release
fromcustody isherebyordered,unlesshe isbeingheld toanswer
forsomeotheroffenseoroffenses.
SOORDERED.
Narvasa(Chairman),Cruz,GancaycoandMedialdea,JJ.,concur.
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