Case Summary (R.G. No. 38779)

Conviction and Sentencing Overview

• Ang Tex was convicted by the Court of First Instance of Manila for the crime of attempted bribery.
• He was sentenced to pay a fine of P50, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency, and to cover the costs of the proceedings.
• The amount offered for the bribe was confiscated.

Incident Description

• On October 18, 1932, Ang Tex rented a truck (No. TH-530 Nueva Ecija) driven by Mariano Ronquillo.
• The truck was stopped due to overloading, leading to the arrest of the driver, Ronquillo.
• Ang Tex attempted to bribe Detective Pedro Manuel, who had arrested Ronquillo, by offering P1.50 for the driver's release.

Bribery Attempt and Arrest

• Detective Manuel initially ignored Ang Tex's offer but was later approached again by Ang Tex, who insisted that the detective should keep the money instead of it going to the government.
• Following this second attempt, Detective Manuel arrested Ang Tex and took him to the police station.
• Ronquillo was charged with violating the Revised Ordinances of the City of Manila and was convicted.

Defense and Credibility Assessment

• Ang Tex admitted to offering P1.50 but claimed it was part of a larger sum of P5.00 that Detective Manuel had demanded.
• The court found no evidence supporting Ang Tex's defense.
• The decision hinged on the credibility of Detective Manuel versus that of Ang Tex.

Legal Framework and Penalties

• The crime of attempted bribery is defined and penalized under Articles 212 and 210, paragraph 3 of the Revised Penal Code.
• The penalties include a maximum of major arrest and a fine not less than the value of the br...continue reading