Facts:

• In G.R. No. 34223, decided on October 1, 1931, the People of the Philippines filed a libel case against Chen Wen and Go Puan Seng.
• The defendants were associated with a Chinese newspaper, with Chen Wen serving as the editor.
• The case stemmed from an article published in the newspaper, which allegedly contained defamatory statements.
• The lower court found the defendants guilty of libel, leading to their conviction.
• The defendants appealed, arguing the absence of malice in the publication and seeking acquittal based on reasonable doubt.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the lower court and acquitted the defendan...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Supreme Court determined that the prosecution failed to establish malice in the publication of the article.
• The Court emphasized that proving malice is essential for a libel conviction.
• The evidence did not sufficiently demonstrate that the defendants acted with malicious intent.
• The presence of reasonable doubt necessitated the acquittal of the defendants.
• The principle of "innocent until proven guil...continue reading