Facts:

• The incident occurred on July 22, 1979, in Quezon City, Philippines.
• Narciso Santos, along with several other individuals, attacked and assaulted Francisco Mappala, resulting in his death.
• The trial court found Santos guilty of murder and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The court affirms the trial court's findings, stating that it is generally reluctant to disturb the credibility findings of the trial court unless there i...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The court cites previous rulings that mere relationship to the victim does not render a witness biased, especially when there are corroborating facts.
• The court finds no convincing reasons to disregard the testimony of Resurrecion Patacsil, one of the eyewitnesses.
• The court dismisses the appellant's argument that Patacsil had an ulterior motive to testify against Santos because there is no evidence to suggest that Patacsil would falsely testify against the appellant to protect his son.
• The court explains that the appellant was not the complainant in the extortion case involving Patacsil's son, and therefore, there is no reason to believe that Patacsil would falsely testify against the appellant.
• The c...continue reading