Facts:

• Reynaldo Lingatong is the defendant-appellant; the People of the Philippines is the plaintiff-appellee.
• An information was filed against Lingatong on May 11, 1970, for murder in the Court of First Instance of Surigao del Norte.
• The incident occurred on March 6, 1970, during a Parent-Teacher Association dance at Capaya-an school in Tubod, Surigao del Norte.
• The deceased, Eugenio Jamero, was the master of ceremonies at the event.
• At approximately 11:00 PM, Jamero went outside to have coffee with Dominador Bisande.
• Pedro Lingatong, the accused's brother, emerged from the dance hall inebriated and challenged others to fight.
• After a brief confrontation, Pedro struck Jamero with a bottle; Jamero retaliated by throwing his cup.
• During the struggle, Reynaldo Lingatong stabbed Jamero in the abdomen with a bolo knife, causing a fatal injury.
• Jamero was taken for medical assistance but died en route.
• The trial court convicted Lingatong of murder on May 24, 1971, sentencing him to reclusion perpetua and ordering him to pay P12,000 in indemnity to Jamero's heirs.
• Lingatong appealed the decision, which was forwarded to the Supreme Court due to the penalty imposed.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The Supreme Court ruled that the lower court did not err in determining that Lingatong did not act in defense of a relative.
• The Court affirmed the classification of the crime as murder, not homicide.
• The Court upheld the imposition of re...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Supreme Court reasoned that the defense of a relative was not applicable, as there was no reasonable necessity for Lingatong to use lethal force.
• Testimonies indicated that Jamero was unarmed and the situation did not justify such an extreme response.
• The act of stabbing was sudden and treacherous, as Lin...continue reading