Title
Arriola vs. People
Case
G.R. No. 217680
Decision Date
May 30, 2016
Felix Arriola, accused of falsifying CTCs, was acquitted by the Supreme Court due to insufficient evidence linking him to the crime, upholding the presumption of innocence.
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Case Digest (G.R. No. 217680)

Facts:

Background:
Petitioner Felix L. Arriola and Ma. Theresa Tabuzo (a.k.a. Girlie Moore) were charged with twenty-one counts of falsification of public documents under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code. The charges stemmed from the issuance of fake community tax certificates (CTCs) in 2002.

Incident Details:
Gregg Business Agency needed CTCs for its clients and coordinated with Tabuzo, who collected P38,500.00 to process the documents. Tabuzo delivered the CTCs on January 31, 2002, but upon verification, they were found to be falsified. The CTCs bore serial numbers 15492830 to 15492850, which had been issued as Class A CTCs (for unemployed residents) but were altered to Class B CTCs (for employed individuals).

Involvement of Arriola:
Arriola, an employee of the Manila City Hall, was the accountable officer who requisitioned the Class A CTCs. The CTCs in question were among those issued to him. Arriola denied any involvement, claiming he had no knowledge of Tabuzo or the falsification scheme.

Proceedings:
The Regional Trial Court (RTC) found both Arriola and Tabuzo guilty, ruling that circumstantial evidence pointed to their complicity. The Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the RTC’s decision. Arriola appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the evidence failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Issue:

  1. Whether the evidence for the prosecution sufficiently established Arriola’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
  2. Whether the authorities cited to support Arriola’s conviction are applicable.

Ruling:

The Supreme Court granted the petition, reversing the decisions of the RTC and CA. Arriola was acquitted for failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Ratio:

The Court held that:

  1. Circumstantial Evidence Insufficient: The circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution did not meet the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt. Although Arriola was the accountable officer who requisitioned the CTCs, there was no direct evidence linking him to the falsification.

  2. Gaps in Prosecution’s Case: The prosecution failed to show that Arriola was the one who duplicated or altered the CTCs. There was also no evidence to rule out the possibility that other individuals, such as his subordinates, could have committed the falsification.

  3. Presumption of Innocence: The presumption of innocence prevails when there is reasonable doubt. The prosecution’s case relied on speculation and conjecture, which are insufficient to convict.

  4. Moral Certainty Required: Conviction requires moral certainty of guilt, which was lacking in this case. The circumstantial evidence did not form an unbroken chain leading exclusively to Arriola’s guilt.

Thus, the Court acquitted Arriola, emphasizing that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, and any reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused.


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