Case: People v Recepcion G.R. Nos.

141943-45 November 13 ,2002

Subtopic: Allowable Warrantless Arrest – “Hot Pursuit”

THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, appellee,

vs.
DIOSDADO RECEPCION Y PALASO (deceased), FELIPE DELA CRUZ Y REYES,
AUDIE DONA Y BINAN, ALFREDO BARACAS Y CONCEPCION, EDUARDO PALACPAC Y
ROSALES,
BERNARDO RANARA Y MORATALLA (at large),
JOEMARI DELOS REYES Y CONCEPCION,
DOMINADOR RECEPCION Y PALASO and ROBERT ALFONSO Y MARTIZANO, appellants

FACTS:
 on July 28, 1999, eight persons allegedly conspired to kill and actually killed 5 customers of
Sabungan Fastfood & Videoke

 A waitress in said bar testified as to the incident and identified the accused as the persons
responsible

 Another witness who worked as a waitress in a restaurant across the scene of the crime testified
and identified the same offenders

 After the shooting, the accused boarded a jeepney owned by Ruben Labjata and made him drive
to Tarlac where they freed the driver and boarded a tricycle driven by Conrado Marquez

 Both drivers positively identified the perpetrators

 Around lunchtime on 29 July 1999, after the police invited the jeepney driver and the tricycle
driver for questioning, the area was cordoned off

 the group, along with FO1 Felipe dela Cruz, surrendered after several calls by the police

 Taken into custody were Felipe dela Cruz, Joemari delos Reyes, Audie Dona, Alfredo Baracas,
Eduardo Palacpac, Bernardo Ranara, Robert Alfonso, and Dominador Recepcion; Diosdado
Recepcion, then a special agent of the Narcotics Command, was intercepted at the national
highway of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, on board a tricycle

 At the police station, Labjata identified his passengers, namely, Audie Dona, Alfredo Baracas,
Diosdado Recepcion, Bernardo Ranara, Eduardo Palacpac, Dominador Recepcion, Joemari
delos Reyes and Robert Alfonso.

 The accused were charged with multiple murder, violation of Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1866,
and robbery in band in three separate accusatory Informations

 The indictees, when arraigned, pled "not guilty" to all the charges and interposed alibi as a
defense

 the court a quo found the several accused guilty of multiple murder but acquitted them in the
charge of illegal possession of firearm and robbery in band because of insufficiency of evidence

ISSUE: WoN the warrantless arrest made was valid?

HELD: YES

The arrest of appellants has been made in hot pursuit, an exception from the rule that
warrantless arrests are illegal. In any event, appellants can no longer assail the illegality of their arrest
since such a claim has not been brought up before or during the arraignment. The failure to timely move
for the quashal of the Information on this basis operates as a waiver of the right to question the supposed
irregularity of the arrest. (People vs Costelo, 316 SCRA 895)

WHEREFORE, the assailed judgment of the court a quo convicting appellants is AFFIRMED subject
to the following MODIFICATIONS, to wit:
Appellants Dominador Recepcion, Audie Dona, Alfredo Baracas, Eduardo Palacpac, Bernardo
Ranara, Joemari delos Reyes and Robert Alfonso are all hereby found guilty of homicide, on five counts,
and each of them shall suffer five imprisonment terms, each for the death of their five victims, of the
indeterminate penalty of 9 years and 1 day of prision mayor, as minimum, to 16 years and 1 day
of reclusion temporal in its maximum period, as maximum, and shall pay, jointly and severally, the sums
adjudged by the trial court except that the P100,000.00 moral damages to each victim is reduced,
correspondingly, to P50,000.00.
Appellant Felipe dela Cruz is ACQUITTED for insufficiency of evidence.
Costs de oficio.
SO ORDERED.