Chapter 5 Oct.

22, 2015
1.#People#v.#Ara!
!
FACTS:##
Three! Informations! charged! accused3appellants! Sangki! Ara,!
Mike!Talib,!and!Jordan!Musa!that!on!or!about!December!20,!2002,!in!the!
City! of! Davao,! the! accused,! without! being! authorized! by! law,! willfully,!
unlawfully! and! consciously! possessed,! traded,! transported! and!
delivered!shabu!within!100!meters!from!the!school!St.!Peter's!College.!
Accused3appellants!all!gave!a!"not!guilty"!plea.!
A! confidential! informant! (CI)! came! to! the! Heinous! Crime!
Investigation! Section! (HCIS)! of! the! Davao! City! Police! Department,!
reporting! that! three! suspected! drug! pushers! had! contacted! him! for! a!
deal!involving!six!sachets!of!shabu!and!that!he!was!instructed!to!go!that!
same! morning! to! St.! Peter's! College! and! look! for! an! orange! Nissan!
Sentra! car.! Police! Chief! Inspector! Fulgencio! Pavo,! Sr.! immediately!
formed!a!buy3bust!team!who!proceeded!to!the!school!where!PO1!Ayao!
and!the!CI!waited!by!the!gate.!!
At!around!8:45!am,!an!orange!Nissan!Sentra!stopped!in!front!of!
them!and!two!men!approached!the!vehicle.!The!CI!talked!briefly!with!an!
old!man!in!the!front!seat.!The!old!man,!later!identified!Ara,!asked!Ayao!
if!he!had!the!money!and!the!latter!replied!in!the!positive.!Ara!took!out!
sachets! with! crystalline! granules! and! handed! them! to! Ayao,! who! gave!
the!pre3arranged!signal!of!opening!the!car!door.!The!driver!of!the!car,!
later!identified!as!Musa,!tried!to!drive!away!but!Ayao!was!able!to!switch!
off! the! car! engine! in! time.! Recovered! from! the! group! were! plastic!
sachets! of! white! crystalline! substance.! The! three! suspects! were! then!
brought! to! the! HCIS! and! the! seized! items! indorsed! to! the! Philippine!
National! Police! (PNP)! Crime! Laboratory! for! examination! which! all!
tested!positive!for!shabu.!
!
ISSUE:!!
1. Whether!the!buy3bust!conducted!was!valid;!!
2. Whether! the! crimes! of! illegal! sale! and! illegal! possession! of!
drugs!were!sufficiently!established.!
!
HELD:#!
1.

Yes.!!
Owing! to! the! special! circumstances! surrounding! the! drug!
trade,!a!buy3bust!operation!has!long!been!held!as!a!legitimate!method!

of! catching! offenders.! It! is! a! form! of! entrapment! employed! as! an!
effective!way!of!apprehending!a!criminal!in!the!act!of!commission!of!an!
offense.! In! fact,! one! of! the! situations! covered! by! a! lawful! warrantless!
arrest! under! Section! 5(a),! Rule! 113! of! the! Rules! of! Court! is! when! a!
person! has! committed,! is! actually! committing,! or! is! attempting! to!
commit!an!offense!in!the!presence!of!a!peace!officer!or!private!person.!
Probable! cause,! in! warrantless! searches,! must! only! be! based! on!
reasonable! ground! of! suspicion! or! belief! that! a! crime! has! been!
committed! or! is! about! to! be! committed.! Probable! cause! was! provided!
by! information! gathered! from! the! CI! and! from! accused3appellants!
themselves!when!they!instructed!Ayao!to!enter!their!vehicle!and!begin!
the! transaction.! The! illegal! sale! of! shabu! inside! accused3appellants'!
vehicle!was!afterwards!clearly!established.!Thus,!the!arresting!officers!
were! justified! in! making! the! arrests! as! accused3appellants! had! just!
committed!a!crime!when!Ara!sold!shabu!to!Ayao.!Talib!and!Musa!were!
also! frisked! for! contraband! as! it! may! be! logically! inferred! that! they!
were!also!part!of!Ara's!drug!activities!inside!the!vehicle.!This!inference!
was!further!strengthened!by!Musa's!attempt!to!drive!the!vehicle!away!
and!elude!arrest.!
The!Court!has!ruled!that!presentation!of!the!marked!money!used!is!
not! such! a! requirement.! In! the! prosecution! for! the! sale! of! dangerous!
drugs,! the! absence! of! marked! money! does! not! create! a! hiatus! in! the!
evidence!for!the!prosecution,!as!long!as!the!sale!of!dangerous!drugs!is!
adequately!proved!and!the!drug!subject!of!the!transaction!is!presented!
before! the! court.! In! the! instant! case,! the! police! officers'! testimonies!
adequately! established! the! illegal! sale! of! shabu! and! the! shabu! was!
presented! before! the! trial! court.! The! non3presentation! of! the! marked!
money!may,!thus,!be!overlooked!as!a!peripheral!matter.!
The! elements! of! the! crime! of! illegal! sale! of! drugs! and! illegal!
possession! of! drugs! were! both! sufficiently! established.! Although! SPO1!
Furog! was! not! categorical! in! explaining! his! basis! for! apprehending!
Musa,!the!arrest!of!the!latter!must!be!considered!as!part!of!a!legitimate!
buy3bust!operation!which!was!consummated.!Musa's!arrest!came!after!
the!pre3arranged!signal!was!given!to!the!back3up!team!and!this!served!
as! basis! for! the! police! officers! to! apprehend! all! those! in! the! vehicle,!
including!Musa.!
!
2. Yes.!
For! the! successful! prosecution! of! the! illegal! sale! of! shabu,! the!
following! elements! must! be! established:! (1)! the! identity! of! the! buyer!
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Chapter 5 Oct. 22, 2015

and!the!seller,!the!object!of!the!sale,!and!the!consideration;!and!(2)!the!
delivery!of!the!thing!sold!and!its!payment.!What!is!material!is!the!proof!
that! the! transaction! or! sale! actually! took! place,! coupled! with! the!
presentation! in! court! of! the! corpus! delicti! as! evidence.19! All! these!
requisites!were!met!by!the!prosecution.!
The! sole! defense! witness! Ara! could! only! proffer! the! weak!
defenses! of! denial! and! alibi,! expressing! surprise! at! having! Talib! in! his!
car!and!claimed!he!was!framed!and!that!the!shabu!confiscated!from!him!
was! planted.! According! to! the! trial! court,! however,! Ara's! lying! on! the!
witness!stand!"was!so!intense!as!he!tried!very!hard!in!vain!to!win!the!
Court's! sympathy."! Given! the! prosecution's! evidence,! the! presumption!
of! regularity! in! the! performance! of! official! duties! has! not! been!
overturned!because!the!defense!failed!to!present!clear!and!convincing!
evidence!that!the!police!officers!did!not!properly!perform!their!duty!or!
that!they!were!inspired!by!an!improper!motive.!
!
#
#
#
2.#Abelita#v.#Doria#G.R.#No.#170672#
August#14,#2009#
Rule#113,#Section#5:#Lawful#warrantless#arrest#
FACTS:!!
Judge!Felimon!Abelita!III!(Abelita)!filed!a!complaint!for!
Damages!under!Art.!32!(4)!and!(9)!of!the!Civil!Code!against!P/Supt.!
German!B.!Doria!(Doria)!and!SPO3!Cesar!Ramirez!(Ramirez).!!
Abelitas#version:#
!
Abelita!alleges!that!on!March!24,!1996!at!around!12nn,!he!and!
his!wife!were!on!the!way!home!to!Bagumbayan,!Masbate!when!Doria!
and!Ramirez!with!10!other!unidentified!police!officers!requested!the!
spouses!to!proceed!to!the!Provincial!PNP!Headquarters!at!Camp!Boni!
Serrano,!Masbate.!Abelita!found!the!request!suspicious!and!told!Doria!
and!Ramirez!that!he!would!proceed!to!the!PNP!after!he!had!brought!his!
wife!home.!However,!when!Abelita!parked!his!car!in!front!of!his!house,!

Ramirez!grabbed!him,!forcibly!took!the!key!of!his!Toyota!Lite!Ace!van,!
barged!into!the!vehicle,!and!conducted!a!search!without!warrant.!The!
police!seized!a!licensed!gunshot!but!Abelita!was!able!to!present!the!
shotguns!license!to!the!police.!Ramirez!still!continued!searching!until!
he!produced!a!.45!caliber!pistol!which!he!allegedly!found!inside!the!
vehicle.!!
!
Doria!and!Ramirez!arrested!Abelita!and!detained!him!without!
any!appropriate!charge!at!the!PNP!special!detention!cell.!!
Dorias#version:#
!
Doria!contends!that!his!office!received!a!telephone!call!from!
Rosa!Sias!relative!about!a!shooting!incident!in!Barangay!Nursery.!He!
dispatched!a!team!headed!by!Ramirez!to!investigate!the!incident.!
Ramirez!reported!that!a!certain!William!Sia!was!wounded!while!
Abelita,!who!was!implicated!in!the!incident,!and!his!wife!just!left!the!
place!of!the!incident.!Doria!looked!for!Abelita!and!when!he!found!
Abelita,!he!informed!him!of!the!incident!report,!and!requested!that!
Abelita!go!with!him!to!the!police!headquarters!as!Abelita!was!
reportedly!involved!in!the!incident.!Abelita!agreed!but!suddenly!sped!
up!his!car!and!went!home.!The!police!chased!after!Abelita!and!caught!
up!with!him!as!Abelita!was!about!to!run!to!his!house.!!
The!police!saw!a!gun!in!the!front!seat!of!the!vehicle!beside!the!
drivers!seat!as#Abelita#opened#the#door.!They!also!saw!a!shotgun!at!
the!back!of!the!drivers!seat.!Thus,!they!confiscated!the!firearms!and!
arrested!Abelita.!Doria!alleged!that!his!men!also!arrested!other!persons!
who!were!identified!to!be!with!Abelita!during!the!shooting!incident.!
Abelita!was!charged!with!illegal!possession!of!firearms!and!
frustrated!murder.!An!administrative!case!was!also!filed!against!
Abelita.!!
!
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Chapter 5 Oct. 22, 2015

The!RTC!dismissed!Abelitas!complaint!and!found!that!Abelita!
was!indeed!at!the!scene!of!the!shooting!incident!in!Barangay!Nursery.!It!
also!ruled!that!the!police!officers!who!conducted!the!search!were!of!the!
belief!based!on!reasonable!grounds!that!Abelita!was!involved!in!the!
incident!and!that!the!firearm!used!in!the!commission!of!the!offense!was!
in!Abelitas!possession.!The!RTC!held!that!Abelitas!warrantless!arrest!
and!the!warrantless!seizure!of!the!firearms!were!valid!and!legal,!and!
that!Abelitas!defense!of!frame3up!was!weak!and!insufficient!to!
overthrow!the!positive!testimonies!of!the!police.!!
Abelita!filed!a!Motion!for!Reconsideration!which!was!naturally!
denied;!thus,!this!case.!!
ISSUES:!!
1.

W/N!the!warrantless!arrest!and!warrantless!search!and!
seizure!were!illegal!under!Section!5!Rule!113!of!the!1985!Rules!
on!Criminal!Procedure!!
2. W/N!Doria!and!Ramirez!are!civilly!liable!for!damages!under!
Art.!32!(4)!and!(9)!of!the!CC!!
!
HELD/RATIO:##
1.

NO,#the#warrantless#arrest#and#the#warrantless#search#and#
seizure#were#lawful.#!
For!the!warrantless!arrest!under!Rule!113!to!be!valid,!two!
requisites!must!concur:!(1)!the!offender!has!just!committed!an!offense;!
and!(2)!the!arresting!peace!officer!or!has!personal!knowledge!of!facts!
indicating!that!the!person!to!be!arrested!has!committed!it.!Personal#
knowledge#of#facts#must#be#based#on#probable#cause,#which#means#
an#actual#belief#or#reasonable#grounds#of#suspicion.!The#grounds#
of#suspicion#are#reasonable#when,#in#the#absence#of#actual#belief#of#
the#arresting#officers,#the#suspicion#that#the#person#to#be#arrested#
is#probably#guilty#of#committing#the#offense#is#based#on#actual#
facts,#i.e.,#supported#by#circumstances#sufficiently#strong#in#
themselves#to#create#the#probable#cause#of#guilt#of#the#person#to#be#
arrested.#

A#reasonable#suspicion,#therefore,#must#be#founded#on#
probable#cause,#coupled#with#good#faith#on#the#part#of#the#peace#
officers#making#the#arrest.#
Moreover,!Section!5!of!Rule!113!does!not!require!the!arresting!
officers!to!personally!witness!the!commission!of!the!offense!with!their!
own!eyes.!!
In!this!case,!Doria!received!a!report!about!the!alleged!shooting!
incident.!Ramirez!investigated!the!report!and!learned!from!witnesses!
that!Abelita!was!involved!in!the!incident.!They!were!able!to!track!down!
Abelita,!but!when!invited!to!the!police!headquarters!to!shed!light!on!the!
incident,!Abelita!initially!agreed!then!sped!up!his!vehicle,!prompting!the!
police!authorities!to!give!chase.!Abelitas!act!of!trying!to!get!away,!
coupled!with!the!incident!report!which!they!investigated,!is!enough#to#
raise#a#reasonable#suspicion#on#the#part#of#the#police#authorities#
as#to#the#existence#of#probable#cause.!
Furthermore,!the!seizure!of!the!firearms!was!justified!under!
the!plain!view!doctrine.!
Under!the!plain!view!doctrine,!objects!falling!in!the!plain!view!
of!an!officer!who!has!a!right!to!be!in!the!position!to!have!that!view!are!
subject!to!seizure!and!may!be!presented!as!evidence.!The!plain!view!
doctrine!applies!when!the!following!requisites!concur:!(1)!the!law!
enforcement!officer!in!search!of!the!evidence!has!a!prior!justification!
for!an!intrusion!or!is!in!a!position!from!which!he!can!view!a!particular!
area;!(2)!the!discovery!of!the!evidence!in!plain!view!is!inadvertent;!and!
(3)!it!is!immediately!apparent!to!the!officer!that!the!item!he!observes!
may!be!evidence!of!a!crime,!contraband!or!otherwise!subject!to!seizure.!
In!this!case,!the!police!authorities!were!in!the!area!because!that!
was!where!they!caught!up!with!Abelita!after!the!chase.!They!saw!the!
firearms!inside!the!vehicle!when#Abelita#opened#the#door.!Since!a!
shooting!incident!just!took!place!and!it!was!reported!that!Abelita!was!
involved!in!the!incident,!it!was!apparent!to!the!police!officers!that!the!
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE DEAN VALLENTE

Chapter 5 Oct. 22, 2015

firearms!may!be!evidence!of!a!crime.!Hence,!they!were!justified!in!
seizing!the!firearms.!
!
2.

No,#Doria#and#Ramirez#are#not#civilly#liable.#!
Since!it!was!established!that!both!the!warrantless!arrest!and!
the!warrantless!search!and!seizure!are!lawful,!Doria!and!Ramirez!were!
presumed!to!be!performing!their!duties!in!accordance!with!law.!Hence,!
Doria!and!Ramirez!should!not!be!held!civilly!liable!for!their!actions.!
Wherefore,!the!petition!is!denied!and!the!Quezon!City!RTCs!decision!is!
affirmed.!
Prepared!by:!Aira!Marie!M.!Andal!
#
#
3.#People#vs.#Agojo#
G.R.#No.#181318#
April#16,#2009#
#
FACTS:#
#
Rodolfo!Alonzo,!a!civilian!informant,!reported!the!trug!trading!activities!
of!one!German!Agojo!to!Police!Chief!Inspector!Ablang.!Alonzo!narrated!
that!Agojo!agreed!to!sell!him!200!grams!of!shabby!for!P70T!on!50%!
cash!and!50%!credit!cases.!With!this!information,!Ablang!formed!a!
team!to!conduct!a!buy3bust!operation.!
!
On!the!day!of!the!buy3bust,!the!team!proceeded!to!Mercado!Hospital,!
where!the!transaction!was!agreed!to!take!place.!Bland!entrusted!Alonzo!
with!P71T!each!marked!JUA!and!instructed!him!to!remove!his!hat!to!
signal!the!teak!that!the!sale!had!been!consummated.!
!
Agojo!arrived!at!around!11:30AM!aboard!a!white!Mitsubishi!Lancer!
with!plate!number!DRW.!Agojo!then!approached!Alonzo!to!ask!if!the!
latter!had!the!money.!Alonzo!handed!Agojo!the!marked!money!and!
Agojo!took!a!VHS!box!from!his!car!and!handed!it!to!Alonzo.!They!then!

walked!along!the!hospital!gate!near!the!emergency!room!and!entered!
the!hospital.!Alonzo!examined!the!VHS!box!then!took!off!his!cap!to!
signal!the!buy3bust!team.!The!buy3bust!team!immediately!proceeded!to!
the!scene!and!arrested!Agojo.!The!team!also!recovered!P10T!of!the!buy3
bust!money,!a!.45!caliber!pistol!containing!7!bullets,!and!a!Panasonic!
cellphone!in!the!car.!!
!
The!examination!revealed!that!the!sachets!contained!
methamphetamine!hydrochloride!with!a!total!weight!of!206.32!grams.!!
!
Agojo!presented!a!different!version!of!facts,!in!support!of!the!defences!
of!denial!and!frame!up.!He!maintained!that!he!was!at!the!hospital!at!
that!time!to!settle!the!bills!for!his!wifes!hospitalisation,!when!he!was!
arrested.!He!averred!that!he!was!made!to!board!the!police!vehicle!and!
was!brought!to!the!police!headquarters!in!Batangas.!!
!
The!RTC!found!Agojo!guilty!beyond!reasonable!doubt!of!the!drug!
charges!but!acquitted!him!from!the!charge!of!illegal!possession!of!
firearms.!The!case!was!brought!on!automatic!review!before!the!
Supreme!Court!since!he!was!sentenced!to!death!by!the!trial!court.!The!
Supreme!Court!on!the!other!hand,!transferred!the!case!to!the!appellate!
court!for!intermediate!review.!The!appellate!court!affirmed!his!
conviction!but!modified!the!sentence!to!reclusion!perpetua!in!view!of!
the!law!subsequently!passed,!prohibiting!the!imposition!of!the!death!
penalty.!Hence!this!petition.!
!
ISSUE:#Whether!the!Agogos!guilt!was!proven!beyond!reasonable!
doubt.!
!
HELD/RATIO:!
!
YES.!The!records!clearly!show!that!the!prosecution!proved!beyond!
reasonable!doubt!that!Agojo!sold!shabby!to!the!poseur!buyer.!The!
testimony!of!Alonzo!on!the!sale!of!illegal!drugs!and!the!identification!of!
Agojo!as!the!seller!is!clear!and!straightforward.!This!testimony!was!also!
corroborated!by!the!members!of!the!buy3bust!team,!testifying!that!they!
saw!Agojo!hand!Alonzo!the!VHS!tape!containing!the!shabby!despite!
only!partial!payment!of!the!shabu.!
!
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Chapter 5 Oct. 22, 2015

The!Court!has!repeatedly!emphasised!that!the!defense!of!frame3up!is!
viewed!with!disfavour,!since!the!defense!is!easily!concocted!and!is!a!
common!ploy!of!the!accused.!Clear!and!convincing!evidence!of!frame3
up!must!be!shown!for!such!defense!to!be!given!merit.!!
!
Although!Agojo!was!not!arrested!being!in!flagrante!delicto,!the!arrest!
was!still!validly!executed!pursuant!to!Section!5,!paragraph!(b)!of!Rule!
113!of!the!Rules!of!Court!which!states!that!an!arrest!without!warrant!is!
lawful!when#an#offence#has#in#fact#been#committed#and#the#peace#
officer#has#knowledge#of#facts#indicating#that#the#person#to#be#
arrested#has#committed#it.""
"
Furthermore!it!was!ruled!that!the!inconsistencies!in!the!serial!numbers!
of!the!marked!money,!as!well!as!the!fact!that!only!a!fraction!of!the!
money!was!recovered!cannot!serve!to!exonerate!the!accused!because!
its!absence!does!not!create!a!hiatus!in!the!evidence!provided!by!the!
prosecution!to!adequately!prove!the!sale.!Moreover,!the!question!raised!
as!to!the!fact!that!it!is!incredulous!for!a!person!selling!shabu!to!accept!
payment!by!instalment!for!a!contraband!is!likewise!unavailing.!So!long!
as!truth!is!corroborated!by!evidence,!the!Court!is!bound!by!the!facts.!
!
The!appeal!is!dismissed.!!
!
!
!
!

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE DEAN VALLENTE

!