Title
People vs. Mabong
Case
G.R. No. L-9805-06
Decision Date
Mar 29, 1957
Rural policeman detained Dionisio Mabong after he stabbed someone. Despite 18-hour detention delay, charges were valid; habeas corpus denied.

Case Digest (G.R. No. L-28598)
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model

Facts:

Incident Details:

  • On May 20, 1955, in the barrio of Rizal, Lianga, Surigao, Rufo Verano, a rural policeman, heard shouts that Dionisio Mabong had gone berserk.
  • Verano saw Mabong stab Cipriano Tabel with a bolo. Verano intervened, clubbed Mabong, disarmed him, tied him up, and brought him to the chief of police in Lianga.

Legal Proceedings:

  • On May 23, 1955, Mabong was charged with murder in two separate informations by the chief of police before the Justice of the Peace of Lianga.
  • During the preliminary investigation, Mabong pleaded guilty, and the cases were forwarded to the Court of First Instance.
  • Mabong filed a motion to quash and a petition for habeas corpus, arguing that his detention became illegal after 18 hours without being brought to judicial authorities, rendering the subsequent charges invalid.

Issues:

  • Whether Mabong’s detention beyond the 18-hour period prescribed under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code invalidated the criminal charges filed against him.
  • Whether the absence of a warrant of arrest after the filing of charges affected the legality of his detention.

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Conclusion:

The Supreme Court ruled that Mabong’s detention, though delayed beyond the 18-hour period, did not invalidate the criminal charges against him. The filing of charges rendered his detention legal, and the absence of a warrant of arrest was inconsequential. The Court affirmed the lower court’s decision without costs.

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