Title
Supreme Court
Heirs of Nepomuceno vs. Castillo
Case
G.R. No. 205099
Decision Date
Sep 2, 2020
Heirs of bondspersons challenged forfeiture of property bond after failing to produce convicted accused; SC ruled forfeiture valid but remanded for proper judgment on liability.

Case Digest (G.R. No. 205099)
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model

Facts:

# Background of the Case

The case involves the heirs of bondspersons Basilio Nepomuceno and Remedios Cata-ag, who posted real property bonds for the bail of Daniel Nepomuceno, who was convicted of homicide in Criminal Case No. 3435-0 by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Ormoc City on June 27, 1990.

# Post-Conviction Proceedings

After Daniel's conviction, he appealed, and on June 28, 1993, the Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction with a modification on civil indemnity. The conviction became final, and an entry of judgment followed.

# Failure to Produce the Accused

On June 27, 1994, the RTC ordered the bondspersons to produce Daniel in court within five days. Despite multiple extensions granted by the court, the bondspersons failed to comply. On November 14, 1994, they submitted a written justification for their failure and filed a motion to replace the property bond with a cash bond.

# Forfeiture of the Property Bond

On November 25, 1994, the RTC issued an order forfeiting the property bond in favor of the Republic of the Philippines. The bondspersons filed several motions for reconsideration, arguing that the November 25, 1994 order was merely an order of forfeiture and not a judgment on the bond.

# Subsequent Motions and Denials

On May 8, 2008, the bondspersons moved to allow them to pay the bail amount in cash instead of the property bond. The RTC denied the motion on June 24, 2008, stating that the January 27, 1995 order had become final and directed the execution of the forfeited bond.

# Petition to the Court of Appeals

The heirs of the bondspersons filed a Petition for Certiorari before the Court of Appeals, which was dismissed on November 23, 2011. The Court of Appeals held that the November 25, 1994 order was a judgment on the bond, and the trial court did not gravely abuse its discretion in denying the motion to substitute the property bond with cash.

Issues:

  • Whether the November 25, 1994 order was a judgment on the bond or merely an order of forfeiture.
  • Whether the bondspersons, through their heirs, could replace the property bond with a cash bond.

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

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