GR 99865; (March, 1994) (Digest)
G.R. No. 99865 March 28, 1994
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ROLANDO CORPUS y MINA, BAYANI SANTOS y VIDAD, PETER DOE, RICHARD DOE and JOHN DOE, accused, ROLANDO CORPUS y MINA and BAYANI SANTOS y VIDAD, accused-appellants.
FACTS
An Information was filed accusing appellants Rolando Corpus y Mina and Bayani Santos y Vidad, along with three others at large, of Robbery with Homicide. The charge stemmed from events in the early dawn of October 15, 1989, in Bolintaguan, San Quintin, Pangasinan. Armed and masked men blocked Eustaquio Bautista, Jr. and his friend Alberto Nacion. Bautista, Jr. was forced into his own tricycle’s sidecar and taken to his family’s house. There, appellants, identified as unmasked, and a masked companion entered, looted valuables (including a TV, stereo, jewelry, and cash), tied up Eustaquio Bautista, Sr., Eustaquio Jr., and Arsenio Bautista, and upon leaving, took Arsenio with them. Arsenio was later found dead with 24 stab wounds. About two weeks later, Eustaquio Sr. and Jr. identified appellants in a police line-up in Manaoag, Pangasinan. Appellants pleaded not guilty and interposed the defense of alibi, claiming they were in Quezon City on October 15, 1989. The Regional Trial Court found them guilty.
ISSUE
Whether the trial court erred in finding appellants guilty of Robbery with Homicide based on the prosecution’s evidence and in rejecting their defense of alibi.
RULING
The decision of the trial court is affirmed. The prosecution’s version, supported by the positive identification of the appellants by the victims, was accepted. The defense of alibi was rejected as uncorroborated and weak, especially in light of the positive identification. Appellants failed to present vital evidence, such as employment records or witnesses, to substantiate their alibi. The trial court’s findings of fact are accorded great respect. The penalty of reclusion perpetua was correctly imposed, with appellants credited for the full duration of their preventive imprisonment pursuant to Article 29 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended.