Facts:

• Ng Poi Gong, a Chinese merchant engaged in the bakery and restaurant business, was kidnapped and illegally detained.
• On July 19, 1955, Ng Poi Gong, accompanied by Margarita Diego and Dionisio Alcazaren, left her bakery in Calamba, Laguna, riding in a jeep to deliver bread to Camp Vicente Lim.
• On their way, they encountered several individuals who signaled the driver to stop.
• Ng Poi Gong instructed the driver to ignore the signal, but he slowed down to avoid hitting one of the men.
• One of the men then entered the jeep and threatened the driver with a gun.
• Other men boarded the jeep, and they proceeded to kidnap Ng Poi Gong.
• Ng Poi Gong was taken to various locations, blindfolded, and held captive for 23 days.
• The kidnappers demanded a ransom of P100,000, which was not paid.
• Eventually, Ng Poi Gong was rescued by peace officers.

Issue:

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Ruling:

• Calixto Mamalayan, Vicente Cabrera, Telesforo Talatala, Mariano Panganiban, and Gervacio Legaspi were found guilty of the crime charged.
• Mamalayan, Cabrera, Talatala, and Panganiban were considered principals, while Legaspi was considered an accomplice.
• They were sentenced to death, but due to the fact that the victim was rescued and the ransom money was no...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The defense of alibi presented by the defendants was considered inherently weak.
• The court gave more weight to the clear, precise, direct, and convincing testimony of the prosecution witnesses, including Margarita Diego, Ng Poi Gong, and Pedro Castillo, who positively identified the defendants as being involved in the kidnapping.
• The r...continue reading