885 Phil.
806 ← click for PDF copy
SECOND DIVISION
[ G.R. No. 246419. September 16, 2020 ]
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, VS.
EDUARDO UKAY Y MONTON A.K.A."TATA," TEODULO* UKAY Y
MONTON A.K.A. "JUN-JUN," GUILLERMO DIANON A.K.A.
"MOMONG," AND OCA UKAY Y MONTON, ACCUSED, EDUARDO
UKAY Y MONTON A.K.A. "TATA," TEODULO UKAY Y MONTON A.K.A.
"JUN-JUN," AND GUILLERMO DIANON A.K.A. "MOMONG,"
ACCUSED-APPELLANTS.
DECISION
DELOS SANTOS, J.:
This is a Notice of Appeal in accordance with Section 2, Rule 125 in relation to Section 3, Rule
56 of the Rules of Court filed by accused appellants Eduardo Ukay y Monton @ "Tata"
(Eduardo), Teodulo Ukay y Monton @ "Jun-jun" (Teodulo), and Guillermo Dianon @
"Momong" (Guillermo; collectively, accused-appellants) assailing the Decision[1] of the Court
of Appeals (CA), Cagayan de Oro City in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 01203-MIN rendered on
November 23, 2018, which affirmed with modification the Decision[2] of the Regional Trial
Court (RTC) of Davao City, Branch 11 dated March 11, 2013 finding Eduardo in Crim. Case
No. 61,566-07 guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Frustrated Murder and likewise
finding Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo in Crim. Case No. 61,568-07 guilty beyond
reasonable doubt of the crime of Murder.
The Facts
In Crim. Case No. 61,566-07, Eduardo and Oca Ukay (Oca) were charged in an Information
with Frustrated Murder under the first paragraph of Article 248, in relation to Article 6 of the
Revised Penal Code (RPC) and allegedly committed as follows:
That on or about June 12, 2007, in the City of Davao, and within the jurisdiction of
this Honorable Court, the above-mentioned accused, armed with knives, with intent
to kill, with treachery, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously conspired and
confederated together in attacking, assaulting and stabbing one Jessie C. Gerolaga,
thereby inflicting upon the latter the injuries, the nature and extent of which would
have caused the death of said victim, thus performing all the acts of execution which
would have produced the felony of murder as a consequence, but which nevertheless
did not produce it by reason of causes independent of the said perpetrator's will, that
is, by the timely and able medical assistance rendered to the victim which prevented
his death.
CONTRARY TO LAW.[3]
Moreover, in Crim. Case No. 61,568-07, Eduardo, Teodulo, Guillermo, and Oca were charged
with Murder under the first paragraph of Article 248 of the RPC and allegedly committed as
follows:
That on or about June 12, 2007, in the City of Davao, and within the jurisdiction of
this Honorable Court, the above-mentioned accused, conspiring and confederating
together, armed with knives, with intent to kill, with treachery and taking advantage
of superior strength, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously attacked, assaulted and
stabbed one Anthony Aloba, thereby inflicting upon the latter fatal injuries which
cause his death.
CONTRARY TO LAW.[4]
On arraignment, Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo separately and individually pleaded not
guilty to the charges.[5] Accused Oca, on the other hand, was separately charged in Crim. Case
No. 61,567-09.[6]
Version of the Prosecution
On June 9, 2007, Jessie Gerolaga (Jessie) was at his Aunt's house in Emily Homes, Cabantian,
Davao City. Thereat, at around 10:00 in the evening of that day, Jessie was having a drinking
spree with his cousin Anthony Aloba (Anthony). After a while, both men decided to head on to a
convenience store just outside the house of their Aunt. When they arrived, they saw the group of
accused-appellants namely, Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo, together with Oca.
At the store, Anthony saw Guillermo arguing with the latter's wife, both were shouting at each
other. To this, Anthony told Guillermo to be quiet. However, Guillermo punched Anthony and
Eduardo, Teodulo, and Oca joined in trying to help Anthony when Warren Gerolaga (Warren),
the brother of Jessie, arrived and tried to pacify and break the fight. Thereafter, Warren was able
to grab Jessie and convinced the latter to just go home. Jessie obliged and together with Warren,
they turned their backs from the group of accused-appellants and Oca on their way home.
Unknown to Jessie and Warren, Oca and Eduardo were carrying knives with them. Thus, when
Jessie and Warren had their backs turned, Oca suddenly stabbed Warren and he was hit on the
shoulder. Jessie saw this and turned around to face Oca. Jessie tried to hit Oca, but the latter was
able to slash Jessie's abdomen where the latter's intestines came out. Jessie tried to run, but
Eduardo was able to catch him and stabbed him in the armpit. Jessie ran towards the opposite
direction when he realized that his intestines were protruding from his stomach. He sat down on
the ground from a distance and looked back at where the assailants were.
There, Jessie saw Oca and Eduardo stabbing Anthony while Teodulo and Guillermo were hitting
Anthony with a stone. Anthony then fell to the ground. Thereafter, Warren came to Jessie to help
and both were immediately brought to the Davao Medical Center. Anthony was left behind, but
was later brought to the same hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
Jessie and Warren survived the stabbing incidents. With regard to Jessie, the stabbed wound he
sustained would have killed him had he not been given the proper medical attention.
Version of the Defense
In the evening of June 9, 2007, Eduardo, Teodulo, Guillermo, Oca, Cristituto Enanopria and
their companions had a drinking spree at a store near Oca's house.
Guillermo's wife arrived and bellowed at him for spending his salary on drinking. Anthony,
Jessie and one alias "Payat" passed by them. Anthony asked Guillermo what the problem was.
Guillermo's wife said that it was about Guillermo's salary. Anthony unexpectedly held
Guillermo by the collar. Jessie threw a stone at Guillermo while "Payat" held him. Guillermo
fell into the canal.
While Guillermo was being mauled, Boyet Arroyo (Arroyo) suddenly arrived and hit him with a
piece of wood. Guillermo was able to run away and hide behind a banana plant. Arroyo also
boxed Eduardo. The latter was luckily able to run away to his boarding house.
Meanwhile, Teodulo called police assistance. When the police mobile arrived, he accompanied
them to the place of the incident. With permission from the police, he went home.
The next day, Eduardo, upon the advice of the purok leader, reported the incident to the police
station. He was, however, arrested and detained, as he was allegedly involved in the incident.
Teodulo, for his part, was invited to go to the police station. But upon arrival, he was also
arrested and detained.
The RTC's Ruling
In a Decision[7] dated March 11, 2013, the RTC ruled that Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo
stand charged with Murder for the death of Anthony. Jessie positively testified that the group of
Eduardo ganged up on Anthony. He testified that Eduardo and Oca took turns in stabbing
Anthony. He also narrated that Guillermo hit Anthony with a stone, while Teodulo mauled and
kicked Anthony. The concerted efforts on the part of Eduardo, Teodulo, Oca, and Guillermo,
killed Anthony.
Hence, the RTC found, in Crim. Case No. 61,566-07, Eduardo guilty beyond reasonable doubt
of the crime of Frustrated Murder and was sentenced with an indeterminate penalty of 10 years
and 1 day of prision mayor as minimum to 12 years and 1 day of reclusion temporal as
maximum.
In Crim. Case No. 61,568-07, the RTC found Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo guilty beyond
reasonable doubt of the crime of Murder and were sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion
perpetua.
They were likewise sentenced to pay the heirs of Anthony the sum of P50,000.00 as reasonable
actual damages and the further sum of P50,000.00 as civil indemnity for the death of Anthony.
The CA's Ruling
In a Decision[8] dated November 23, 2018, the CA denied the appeal and affirmed with
modification as to the amount of damages awarded in the Decision in Crim. Case Nos. 61,566-
07 and 61,568-07 dated March 11, 2013 of the RTC of Davao City, Branch 11.
The CA did not find any compelling reason to reverse or modify the factual findings of the trial
court. The testimonies of Jessie and Warren were given a high degree of respect and were not
disturbed on appeal absent a clear showing that the trial court had overlooked, misunderstood,
or misapplied some facts or circumstances of weight and substance which could reverse a
judgment of conviction.
Moreover, the CA ruled that the trial court did not err in finding that the injury sustained by
Jessie and the killing of Anthony was attended with treachery. It has been held that when the
assailant consciously employed means of execution that gave the person attacked no opportunity
to defend himself, much less retaliate which tended directly and specially to insure his plan to
kill the victim, the crime is qualified to Murder, in the case of Crim. Case No. 61,566-07,
Frustrated Murder. The testimonies of Warren and Jessie show that the attack to them came
without warning and was deliberate and unexpected, affording the hapless, unarmed, and
unsuspecting victims no chance to resist or to escape. The CA is convinced of the treacherous
nature of the assault.
Furthermore, the CA also held that the two (2) cases were attended by conspiracy. In Crim. Case
No. 61,566-07, the CA found that the concerted acts of Eduardo and Oca to kill Jessie were
plainly evident. On the other hand, in Crim. Case No. 61,568-07, the CA held that the acts of
Eduardo, Teodulo, and Guillermo were knitted seamlessly together in a web of a single criminal
design to hurt and kill Anthony. The Court, in Balauitan v. People,[9] has ruled that where the
acts of the accused, collectively and individually, clearly demonstrate the existence of a
common design toward the accomplishment of the same unlawful purpose, conspiracy is
evident.
The CA also upheld the finding of the trial court on the presence of the circumstance of taking
advantage of superior strength. Eduardo and Oca were armed with knives together with the
other two accused-appellants — Guillermo, who armed himself with a stone, and Teodulo. The
CA is convinced that the four assailants used excessive force in mauling and stabbing Anthony
who was then unarmed.
In compliance with the current jurisprudence, the CA modified the award of damages. The
accused-appellants were adjudged to pay the heirs of Anthony P75,000.00 as civil indemnity,
P75,000.00 as moral damages, and an additional P75,000.00 as exemplary damages for the
crime of Murder. The actual damages incurred as proven by official receipts presented and
offered by the prosecution is P48,466.31.
In Crim. Case No. 61,566-07, Eduardo was also adjudged to pay Jessie P50,000.00 as civil
indemnity, P50,000.00 as moral damages, and an additional P50,000.00 as exemplary damages
for the crime of Frustrated Murder. No actual damages has been offered, thus, the award of
temperate damages in the amount of P25,000.00 is proper.
Accused-appellants filed a Notice of Appeal[10] dated December 28, 2018.
On October 14, 2019, the accused-appellants filed a Supplemental Brief with a prayer of
acquittal, insisting that the attendant circumstance of treachery cannot be considered against
them, as the same was not averred in the Information.
The Court's Ruling
The appeal lacks merit, but the Court holds that the conviction of the accused-appellants for
Murder and Frustrated Murder cannot be upheld. They are properly liable only for Homicide
and Frustrated Homicide.
It is a hornbook rule that an appeal of a criminal case throws the entire case up for review. It,
therefore, becomes the duty of the appellate court to correct any error that may be found in the
appealed judgment, whether assigned as an error or not.[11]
Accused-appellants were charged with Frustrated Murder and Murder qualified with treachery.
To successfully prosecute the crime of Murder, Article 248 of the RPC states:
ART. 248. Murder - Any person who, not falling within the provisions of Article 246
shall kill another, shall be guilty of murder and shall be punished by reclusion
temporal in its maximum period to death, if committed with any of the following
attendant circumstances:
1. With treachery, taking advantage of superior strength, with the aid of armed men,
or employing means to weaken the defense or of means or persons to insure or afford
impunity.
Jurisprudence dictates that the following elements must be established: (a) that a person was
killed; (b) that the accused killed him; (c) that the killing was attended by any of the qualifying
circumstances mentioned in Article 248; and (d) that the killing is not parricide of infanticide.
[12]
Information alleging treachery, when sufficient
An Information, to be sufficient, must contain all the elements required by the Rules on
Criminal Procedure. In the crime of Murder, the qualifying circumstance raising the killing to
the category of murder must be specifically alleged in the Information.[13]
Accused-appellants, in their Supplemental Brief, argue that treachery could not be considered in
this case because the averments of treachery in the Informations were grossly inadequate. The
Informations read as follows:
In Criminal Case No. 61,566-07
[T]he above-mentioned accused x x x, armed with knives, with intent to kill, with
treachery, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously conspired and confederated together
in attacking, assaulting and stabbing one Jessie C. Gerolaga, thereby inflicting upon
the latter the injuries, the nature and extent of which would have caused the death of
said victim, thus performing all the acts of execution which would have produced the
felony of murder as a consequence, but which nevertheless did not produce it by
reason of causes independent of the said perpetrator's will, that is, by the timely and
able medical assistance rendered to the victim which prevented his death.[14]
In Criminal Case No. 61,568-07
[T]he above-mentioned accused x x x, conspiring and confederating together, armed
with knives, with intent to kill, with treachery and taking advantage of superior
strength, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously attacked, assaulted and stabbed one
Anthony Aloba, thereby inflicting upon the latter fatal injuries which caused his
death.[15]
Accused-appellants cited People v. Dasmariñas (Dasmariñas),[16] where the Court ruled that:
The failure of the [I]nformation supposedly charging murder to aver the factual basis
for the attendant circumstance of treachery forbids the appreciation of the
circumstance as qualifying the killing; hence, the accused can only be found guilty
of homicide. To merely state in the [I]nformation that treachery was attendant is not
enough because the usage of such term is not a factual averment but a conclusion of
law.
In Dasmariñas, the Court did not convict the accused of Murder, but only of Homicide because:
The [I]nformation did not make any factual averment on how Dasmariñas had
deliberately employed means, methods or forms in the execution of the act - setting
forth such means, methods or forms in a manner that would enable a person of
common understanding to k now what offense was intended to be charged - that
tended directly and specially to insure its execution without risk to the accused
arising from the defense that the victim might make. As earlier indicated, to merely
state in the [I]nformation that treachery was attendant is not enough because the
usage of such term is not a factual averment but a conclusion of law.[17]
Similarly, in the case at bar, treachery is the circumstance used to qualify the two (2) cases to
Frustrated Murder and Murder. Accused-appellants argue that there is no sufficient averment in
the Informations as to how the accused committed the killing with treachery. They maintain that
the phrase "armed with knives" which is present in both Informations, is not an averment of
treachery, but a mere declaration of the weapon used by the appellants. Neither is the phrase
"attacked, assaulted, and stabbed" an averment indicating treachery.
Thus, accused-appellants posit that the insufficiency of the factual averment of treachery and
their consequent conviction of Murder and Frustrated Murder, qualified by treachery,
demonstrate a violation of their constitutional right to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation against them.
A review of jurisprudence reveals that the ruling in Dasmariñas was subsequently reiterated in
People v. Delector.[18] However, there is a separate line of decisions in which an allegation in
the Information that the killing was attended "with treachery" is sufficient to inform the accused
that he was being charged with Murder instead of simply Homicide like the cases of People v.
Batin,[19] People v. Lab-eo,[20] People v. Opuran[21] and People v. Bajar.[22]
The Court, in People v. Solar (Solar),[23] finally clarified and resolved this issue. In this case,
the Court recognized that there are two (2) different views on how the qualifying circumstance
of treachery should be alleged.
On one hand is the view that it is sufficient that the Information alleges that the act
be committed "with treachery." The second view requires that the acts constituting
treachery - or the acts which directly and specially insured the execution of the
crime, without risk to the offending party arising from the defense which the
offended party might make - should be specifically alleged and described in the
Information.[24]
Furthermore, the Court, in Solar, held, finally, that in order for the Information alleging the
existence of treachery to be sufficient, it must have factual averments on how the person
charged had deliberately employed means, methods or forms in the execution of the act that
tended directly and specially to insure its execution without risk to the accused arising from the
defense that the victim might make. The Information must so state such means, methods or
forms in a manner that would enable a person of common understanding to know what offense
was intended to be charged. The Court ruled that:
It is thus fundamental that every element of which the offense is composed must be
alleged in the Information. No Information for a crime will be sufficient if it does not
accurately and clearly allege the elements of the crime charged. The test in
determining whether the Information validly charges an offense is whether the
material facts alleged in the complaint or Information will establish the essential
elements of the offense charged as defined in the law. In this examination, matters
aliunde are not considered. To repeat, the purpose of the law in requiring this is to
enable the accused to suitably prepare his defense, as he is presumed to have no
independent knowledge of the facts that constitute the offense.[25]
The Court also found opportunity in Solar to finally lay down the following guidelines for the
guidance of the Bench and the Bar to follow:
1. Any Information which alleges that a qualifying or aggravating circumstance —
in which the law uses a broad term to embrace various situations in which it may
exist, such as but are not limited to (1) treachery; (2) abuse of superior strength;
(3) evident premeditation; (4) cruelty — is present, must state the ultimate facts
relative to such circumstance. Otherwise, the Information may be subject to a
motion to quash under Section 3 (e) (i.e., that it does not conform substantially to
the prescribed form), Rule 117 of the Revised Rules [on] Criminal Procedure, or
a motion for a bill of particulars under the parameters set by said Rules.
Failure of the accused to avail any of the said remedies constitutes a waiver of
his right to question the defective statement of the aggravating or qualifying
circumstance in the Information, and consequently, the same may be appreciated
against him if proven during trial.
Alternatively, prosecutors may sufficiently aver the ultimate facts relative to a
qualifying or aggravating circumstance by referencing the pertinent portions of
the resolution finding probable cause against the accused, which resolution
should be attached to the Information in accordance with the second guideline
below.
2. Prosecutors must ensure compliance with Section [8(a)], Rule 112 of the Revised
Rules on Criminal Procedure that mandates the attachment to the Information the
resolution finding probable cause against the accused. Trial courts must ensure
that the accused is furnished a copy of this Decision prior to the arraignment.
3. Cases which have attained finality prior to the promulgation of this Decision will
remain final by virtue of the principle of conclusiveness of judgment.
4. For cases which are still pending before the trial court, the prosecution, when still
able, may file a motion to amend the Information pursuant to the prevailing
Rules in order to properly allege the aggravating or qualifying circumstance
pursuant to this Decision.
5. For cases in which a judgment or decision has already been rendered by the trial
court and is still pending appeal, the case shall be judged by the appellate court
depending on whether the accused has already waived his right to question the
defective statement of the aggravating or qualifying circumstance in the
Information, (i.e., whether he previously filed either a motion to quash under
Section 3(e), Rule 117, or a motion for a bill of particulars) pursuant to this
Decision.[26] (Citation omitted)
In the case at bar, while it is conceded that the Informations against accused-appellants are
defective insofar as they merely alleged the existence of the qualifying circumstance of
treachery without providing for factual averments which constitute such circumstance, it is
nonetheless submitted that accused-appellants are deemed to have waived such defects,
considering their failure to avail of the proper procedural remedies.
Defects in the Information may be waived
The Court, in Solar, noted that the right to question the defects in an Information is not absolute
and defects in the Information with regard to its form may be waived by the accused if he fails
to avail any of the remedies provided under procedural rules, either by: (a) filing a motion to
quash for failure of the Information to conform substantially to the prescribed form; or (b) filing
a motion for bill of particulars.
In People v. Razonable,[27] the Court held that if an Information is defective, such that it fails to
sufficiently inform the accused of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, then it is
the accused's duty to enforce his right through the procedural rules created by the Court for its
proper enforcement. The Court explained:
The rationale of the rule, which is to inform the accused of the nature and cause of
the accusation against him, should guide our decision. To claim this substantive right
protected by no less than the Bill of Rights, the accused is [duty-bound] to follow
our procedural rules which were laid down to assure an orderly administration of
justice. Firstly, it behooved the accused to raise the issue of a defective
[I]nformation, on the ground that it does not conform substantially to the
prescribed form, in a motion to quash said [I]nformation or a motion for bill of
particulars. An accused who fails to take this seasonable step will be deemed to
have waived the defect in said [I]nformation. The only defects in an
[I]nformation that are not deemed waived are where no offense is charged, lack
of jurisdiction of the offense charged, extinction of the offense or penalty and
double jeopardy. Corollarily, we have ruled that objections as to matters of form or
substance in the [I]nformation cannot be made for the first time on appeal. In the
case at bar, appellant did not raise either in a motion to quash or a motion for bill of
particulars the defect in the Information regarding the indefiniteness of the allegation
on the date of the commission of the offense.[28] (Emphasis and underscoring
supplied)
In the present case, the accused-appellants did not question the supposed insufficiency of the
Information filed against them through either a motion to quash or a motion for bill of
particulars. In fact, they voluntarily entered their plea during the arraignment and proceeded
with the trial. Thus, they are deemed to have understood the acts imputed against them and
waived any of the waivable defects in the Informations, including the supposed lack of
particularity in the description of the attendant circumstances.
To reiterate one of the guidelines by the Court enunciated in Solar, the Court rules that the
failure of the accused-appellants to file either a motion to quash or a motion for bill of
particulars to correct the Informations constitutes a waiver of their right to question the
defective statements of the aggravating or qualifying circumstance in the Informations, and
consequently, the same may be appreciated against them if proven during trial.
In the case of People v. Lopez,[29] the Court held that an Information which lacks certain
essential allegations may still sustain a conviction when the accused fails to object to its
sufficiency during the trial, and the deficiency was cured by competent evidence presented
therein.
Now, the only issue that remains is whether or not the presence of treachery was sufficiently
proven in this case.
Treachery, when exists
Anent the attendance of the qualifying circumstance of treachery, both the CA and the RTC
ruled that treachery was present in the instant case. In its Decision, the CA rendered the
following finding, to wit:
These testimonies show that the attack came without warning and was deliberate and
unexpected, affording the hapless, unarmed and unsuspecting Warren and Jessie no
chance to resist or to escape. We are convinced of the treacherous nature of the
assault. It has been held that when the assailant consciously employed means of
execution that gave the person attacked no opportunity to defend himself, much less
retaliate which tended directly and specially to insure his plan to kill the victim, the
crime is qualified to murder, in the case of Criminal Case [N]o. 61,566-07, frustrated
murder.[30]
We disagree.
We are not convinced that treachery, as a qualifying circumstance to sustain a conviction of
Murder and Frustrated Murder, was proven by the prosecution.
In Cirera v. People,[31] the Court highlighted that unexpectedness of the attack does not always
equate to treachery:
A finding of the existence of treachery should be based on "clear and convincing
evidence." Such evidence must be as conclusive as the fact of killing itself. Its
existence "cannot be presumed." As with the finding of guilt of the accused, "[a]ny
doubt as to [its] existence . .. [should] be resolved in favor of the accused."
The unexpectedness of an attack cannot be the sole basis of a finding of treachery
even if the attack was intended to kill another as long as the victim's position was
merely accidental. The means adopted must have been a result of a determination to
ensure success in committing the crime.
In this case, no evidence was presented to show that petitioner consciously adopted
or reflected on the means, method, or form of attack to secure his unfair advantage.
The attack might "have been done on impulse [or] as a reaction to an actual or
imagined provocation offered by the victim." In this case, petitioner was not only
dismissed by Austria when he approached him for money. There was also an
altercation between him and Naval. The provocation might have been enough to
entice petitioner to action and attack private complainants.
Therefore, the manner of attack might not have been motivated by a determination to
ensure success in committing the crime. What was more likely the case, based on
private complainants' testimonies, was that petitioner's action was an impulsive
reaction to being dismissed by Austria, his altercation with Naval, and Naval's
attempt to summon Austria home.
Generally, this type of provocation negates the existence of treachery. This is the
type of provocation that does not lend itself to premeditation. The provocation in this
case is of the kind which triggers impulsive reactions left unchecked by the accused
and caused him to commit the crime. There was no evidence of a modicum of
premeditation indicating the possibility of choice and planning fundamental to
achieve the elements of treachery.
In the case at bar, it is crystal clear from the testimonies of Jessie and Warren that prior to the
stabbing, there was already a commotion that was happening involving the accused-appellants,
Oca, Anthony and Jessie. Warren suddenly came in the middle of a heated argument involving
his brother and tried to pacify the situation. Thereafter, when they turned their backs to leave,
Warren was stabbed by Oca.
While the attack was sudden, such act cannot be equated to treachery because there was a
provocation that triggers it. The manner of attack might not have been motivated by a
determination to ensure success in committing the crime. What was more likely the case, based
on the testimonies, was that the accused-appellants' action was an impulsive reaction to being
pacified by Warren, the commotion in general involving the group and Warren's attempt to
summon Jessie home.
Thus, in the absence of clear proof of the existence of treachery, the crime proven beyond
reasonable doubt is only Homicide and Frustrated Homicide and, correspondingly, the penalty
should be reduced.
Consequently, the accused-appellants could not be properly convicted of Murder, but only of
Homicide and Frustrated Homicide, which is defined and penalized under Article 249 of the
RPC, to wit:
ART. 249. Homicide. — Any person who, not falling within the provisions of Article
246, shall kill another without the attendance of any of the circumstances
enumerated in the next preceding article, shall be deemed guilty of homicide and be
punished by [reclusion temporal].
The Penalty
Under Article 249 of the RPC, the penalty imposed for the crime of Homicide is reclusion
temporal. Considering that no aggravating circumstances attended the commission of the crime,
the penalty shall be imposed in its medium period. Applying the Indeterminate Sentence Law,
the maximum penalty shall be selected from the range of the medium period of reclusion
temporal, with the minimum penalty selected from the range of prision mayor. Thus, we impose
the penalty of imprisonment for a period of 8 years and 1 day of prision mayor as minimum to
14 years, 8 months and 1 day of reclusion temporal as maximum.[32]
Article 250 of the RPC provides that a penalty lower by one degree than that which should be
imposed for Homicide may be imposed upon a person guilty of Frustrated Homicide.
The imposable penalty for Homicide is reclusion temporal. Article 50 of the RPC provides that
the penalty to be imposed upon principals of a frustrated crime shall be the penalty next lower in
degree than that prescribed by law for the consummated crimes. Thus, for frustrated homicide,
the imposable penalty is one degree lower than that imposed in homicide[33] or prision mayor.
There being no modifying circumstance, the maximum imposable penalty is within the range of
prision mayor in its medium period or eight (8) years and one (1) day to 10 years. Applying the
Indeterminate Sentence Law, the minimum term of the penalty is prision correccional in any of
its periods. Thus, as modified, accused-appellant Eduardo is hereby sentenced to suffer the
indeterminate penalty of two (2) years, four (4) months and one (1) day of prision correccional
as minimum to eight (8) years and one (1) day of prision mayor as maximum.
The Civil Liability
In compliance with the current jurisprudence,[34] the Court modifies the award of damages.
Accused-appellants were adjudged to pay the heirs of Anthony P50,000.00 as civil indemnity,
P50,000.00 as moral damages, and an additional P50,000.00 as exemplary damages. As regards
the award of actual damages in the amount of P48,466.31, the same must be modified. It is
settled that "when actual damages proven by receipts during the trial amount to less than the
sum allowed by the Court as temperate damages, the awards of temperate damages is justified in
lieu of actual damages which is of a lesser amount. Conversely, if the amount of actual damages
proven exceeds, then temperate damages may no longer be awarded; actual damages based on
receipts presented during trial should instead be granted,"[35] as in this case. Thus, we delete the
award of P48,466.31 as actual damages; in lieu thereof, we grant temperate damages in the
amount of P50,000.00.
In Crim. Case No. 61,566-07, Eduardo was also adjudged to pay Jessie P30,000.00 as civil
indemnity, P30,000.00 as moral damages, and an additional P30,000.00 as exemplary damages
for the crime of Frustrated Homicide. However, the award of temperate damages in the amount
of P20,000.00 is deleted.
In addition, the amounts awarded as civil liability shall earn interest of 6% per annum reckoned
from the finality of this Decision until full payment by the accused.
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Decision of the Court of Appeals, Cagayan de Oro
City in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 01203-MIN rendered on November 23, 2018, which affirmed with
modification the Decision of the Regional Trial Court of Davao City, Branch 11 dated March 11,
2013 is SET ASIDE. The Court finds accused-appellants Eduardo Ukay y Monton a.k.a. "Tata,"
Teodulo Ukay y Monton a.k.a. "Jun-jun," and Guillermo Dianon a.k.a. "Momong" in Crim. Case
No. 61,568-07 GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of HOMICIDE and are hereby
sentenced to a prison term of eight (8) years and one (1) day of prision mayor as minimum, to
14 years, eight (8) months and one (1) day of reclusion temporal as maximum. Moreover, the
accused-appellants are ORDERED to indemnify the heirs of Anthony Aloba P50,000.00 as civil
indemnity, P50,000.00 as moral damages, an additional P50,000.00 as exemplary damages, and
P50,000.00 as temperate damages. Furthermore, the Court, likewise, finds accused-appellant
Eduardo Ukay y Monton a.k.a. "Tata" in Crim. Case No. 61,566-07 GUILTY beyond
reasonable doubt of the crime of FRUSTRATED HOMICIDE and is hereby sentenced to a
prison term of two (2) years, four (4) months and one (1) day of prision correccional as
minimum to eight (8) years and one (1) day of prision mayor as maximum. He is also
ORDERED to pay Jessie Gerolaga P30,000.00 as civil indemnity, P30,000.00 as moral
damages, and an additional P30,000.00 as exemplary damages for the crime of Frustrated
Homicide.
All monetary awards for damages shall earn interest at the legal rate of 6% per annum from the
date of finality of this Decision until fully paid.
SO ORDERED.
Perlas-Bernabe, S.A.J., (Chairperson), Hernando, and Inting, JJ., concur.
Baltazar-Padilla, J., on leave.
[*] Also referred to as '"Teodolo/Teoduolo" in some parts of the rollo.
[1]Penned by Associate Justice Edgardo A. Camello, with Associate Justices Ruben Reynaldo
G. Roxas and Evalyn M. Arellano-Morales, concurring; CA rollo, pp. 137-150.
[2] Penned by Judge Virginia Hofileña-Europa; id. at 100-107.
[3] Id. at 100-101.
[4] Id. at 101.
[5] Rollo, p. 5.
[6] Id.
[7] CA rollo, pp. 100-107.
[8] Id. at 137-150.
[9] 795 Phil. 468 (2016).
[10] Rollo, pp. 17-18.
[11]Candelaria v. People, 749 Phil. 517, 530 (2014), citing People v. Balacano, 391 Phil. 509,
525-526 (2000).
[12] People v. Kalipayan, 824 Phil. 173, 183 (2018).
[13] People v. Aquino, 829 Phil. 477, 487 (2018).
[14] Rollo, pp. 4-5.
[15] Id. at 5.
[16] 819 Phil. 357, 360 (2017).
[17] Id. at 376-377.
[18] 819 Phil. 310 (2017).
[19] 564 Phil. 249 (2007).
[20] 424 Phil. 482 (2002).
[21] 469 Phil. 698 (2004).
[22] 460 Phil. 683 (2003).
[23] People v. Solar, G.R. No. 225595, August 6, 2019.
[24] Id.
[25] Id.
[26] Id.
[27] 386 Phil. 771 (2000).
[28] Id. at 780.
[29] 400 Phil. 288 (2000).
[30] Rollo, p. 13.
[31] 739 Phil. 25, 45-46 (2014).
[32] People v. Aquino, supra note 13, at 490.
[33] REVISED PENAL CODE, Art. 250 - Penalty for Frustrated Parricide, Murder or
Homicide. - The courts, in view of the facts of the case, may impose upon the person guilty of
the frustrated crime of parricide, murder or homicide, defined and penalized in the preceding
articles, a penalty lower by one degree than that which should be imposed under the provisions
of [Art.] 50.
[34] People v. Jugueta, 783 Phil. 806 (2016).
[35] People v. Racal, 817 Phil. 665, 685 (2017).
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