Case Digest (G.R. No. L-10774)
Facts:
- Plaintiff-appellee: People of the Philippines
- Accused-appellant: Oscar Castelo and other accused-appellants
- Case heard in the Court of First Instance of Rizal, Pasay City (Branch II)
- Court ordered the reconstruction of missing testimonies from original witnesses
- Stenographic notes of the original testimonies were lost, making reconstruction impossible
Issue:
- (Unlock)
Ruling:
- It is not necessary to reproduce the exact words of the missing testimonies.
- The requirement is to reconstruct the testimonies as much as possible.
- The reconstruction should be substantial and cover the matters originally testified to by the witnesses. ...(Unlock)
Ratio:
- The court based its ruling on Article 43 of the Rules of Court, which allows for the reconstruction of missing testimonies from original witnesses.
- The term "testimony of those original witnesses" should be used instead of "original testimony of the witnesses" since it is physically impossible to reproduce the exact words of the original testimonies.
- The reconstruction should be substantial and cover the matters originally testified to by the witnesses.
- Jurisprudence sup...continue reading
Case Digest (G.R. No. L-10774)
Facts:
The case of People v. Castelo involves the plaintiff-appellee, People of the Philippines, and the accused-appellant, Oscar Castelo, et al. The case was heard in the Court of First Instance of Rizal, Pasay City (Branch II). The issue at hand was the loss of stenographic notes containing the testimonies of certain witnesses. The court initially ordered the case to be remanded to the court of origin for the purpose of reconstructing the missing testimonies. However, the court of origin returned the case to the Supreme Court, stating that the task of reconstructing the original testimony had become legally and physically impossible.
Issue:
The main issue in this case is whether it is necessary to reproduce the exact words of missing testimonies or if it is sufficient to reconstruct them as much as possible.
Ruling:
The Supreme Court ruled that it is not necessary to reproduce the exact words of missing testimonies, but rather to reconstruct th...