Facts:

• Maria Guillerma Palisoc, Serviliano Carino, and Vicente Aduan appealed a judgment from the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan dated March 15, 1917.
• The defendants were convicted of robbery and received varying prison sentences: Palisoc was sentenced to twelve years and one day of reclusion temporal, while Carino and Aduan received twelve years and one day of cadena temporal.
• They were ordered to jointly indemnify the victim, Librada Villarin, P4,000 and cover the costs of the proceedings.
• The incident occurred on September 2, 1914, when Catalina Salvador, a servant of Villarin, was approached by Palisoc, who allegedly offered her P100 to leave a window open.
• The next day, Carino and Aduan, using a ladder borrowed by Palisoc, entered Villarin's house and stole a trunk containing over P4,000 in cash and P3,000 in jewelry.
• The theft was discovered when the trunk fell, awakening Villarin's mother, and the stolen items were later found hidden on Palisoc's land.
• The trial court based its conviction on the testimony of Salvador, supported by circumstantial evidence.

Issue:

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Ruling:

• The Supreme Court of the Philippines reversed the trial court's judgment, acquitting all three defendants.
• The court determined that the evidence was insufficient to support the conv...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Supreme Court reiterated the principle that every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
• The court critically examined Catalina Salvador's testimony, finding it inconsistent and lacking corroboration.
• It noted that the circumstantial evidence presented did not convincingly link the de...continue reading