1. People v. Mallilin Title: JUNIE MALILLIN Y. LOPEZ, petitioner, vs. PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, respondent. e!eren"e: #.. No. $%&'() * April )+, &++ Topi": -les o! Adissi/ilit0 1 O/2e"t*e3l Eviden"e 1 453in o! 4-stod0 Ponente: TIN#A, J TIN#A, J N3t-re: Petition !or evie6 -nder -le 7(, J-nie J -nie M3lillin 0 Lope8 9petitioner 3ss3ils t5e ;e"ision o! t5e 4A den0in< 5is otion !or re"onsider3tion. T5e "53llenol3nos, Arro0o 9!orensi" "5eist 3nd PO) Esternon 3s 6itnesses. T5e eviden"e !or t5e de!ense !o"-sed on t5e irre<-l3rit0 o! t5e se3r"5 3nd sei8-re "ond-"ted /0 t5e poli"e oper3tives. Petitioner testi!ied t53t PO) Esternon /e<3n t5e se3r"5 o! t5e /edroo 6it5 Li"-p 3nd petitioner 5isel! inside. Petitioner 63s t5en 3s?ed /0 3 poli"e o!!i"er to /-0 "i<3rettes 3t 3 ne3r/0 store. Petitioner 3sserted t53t on 5is ret-rn !ro t5e err3nd, err3n d, 5e 63s s-oned /0 Esternon to t5e /edroo 3nd on"e inside, t5e o!!i"er "losed t5e door 3nd 3s?ed 3s? ed 5i to li!t t5e 3ttress on t5e /ed. And 3s 5e 63s doin< 3s told, Esternon stopped 5i 3nd ordered 5i to li!t t5e portion o! t5e 5e3d/o3rd. In t53t inst3nt, Esternon s5o6ed 5i @s3"5et o! s53/-@ 65i"5 3""ordin< to 5i "3e !ro 3 pillo6 on t5e /ed. Petitioners 3""o-nt in its entiret0 63s "orro/or3ted in its 3teri3l respe"ts /0 Nor3 9petitioners ot5er, barangay kagawad Li"-p Li"-p 3nd S5eil3 9petitionerBs 6i!e in t5eir testionies. Nor3 3nd S5eil3 positivel0 de"l3red t53t petitioner 63s not in t5e 5o-se !or t5e entire d-r3tion o! t5e se3r"5 /e"3-se 3t one point 5e 63s sent /0 Esternon to t5e store to /-0 "i<3rettes 65ile S5eil3 63s /ein< se3r"5ed /0 t5e l3d0 o!!i"er. o!!i"er. Li"-p !or 5is p3rt testi!ied on t5e t5e "ir"-st3n"es s-rro-ndin< t5e dis"over0 o! t5e pl3sti" pl3sti" s3"5ets. He re"o-nted t53t 3!ter t5e !ive ept0 s3"5ets 6ere !o-nd, 5e 6ent o-t o! t5e /edroo 3nd into t5e livin< roo 3nd 3!ter 3/o-t t5ree in-tes, Esternon, 65o 63s le!t inside t5e /edroo, eC"l3ied t53t 5e 53d 2-st !o-nd t6o !illed s3"5ets. T5e tri3l "o-rt de"l3red petitioner <-ilt0 /e0ond re3son3/le do-/t o! t5e o!!ense "53r
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T5e d3n
Essenti3l t5ere!ore in t5ese "3ses is t53t t5e identit0 o! t5e pro5i/ited dr-< /e est3/lis5ed /e0ond do-/t.
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>e t53t 3s it 30, t5e ere !3"t o! -n3-t5ori8ed possession 6ill not s-!!i"e to "re3te in 3 re3son3/le ind t5e or3l "ert3int0 re-ired to s-st3in 3 !indin< o! <-ilt. More t53n 2-st t5e !3"t o! possession, t5e !3"t t53t t5e s-/st3n"e ille<3ll0 possessed in t5e !irst pl3"e is t5e s3e s-/st3n"e o!!ered in "o-rt 3s eC5i/it -st 3lso /e est3/lis5ed 6it5 t5e s3e -n63verin< eC3"tit-de 3s t53t re-isite to 3?e 3 !indin< o! <-ilt.
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T5e "53in o! "-stod0 re-ireent per!ors t5is !-n"tion in t53t it ens-res t53t -nne"ess3r0 do-/ts "on"ernin< t5e identit0 o! t5e eviden"e 3re reoved.
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As 3 et5od o! 3-t5enti"3tin< eviden"e, t5e "53in o! "-stod0 r-le re-ires t53t t5e 3dission o! 3n eC5i/it /e pre"eded /0 eviden"e s-!!i"ient to s-pport 3 !indin< t53t t5e 3tter in -estion is 653t t5e proponent "l3is it to /e. o
It 6o-ld in"l-de testion0 3/o-t ever0 lin? in t5e "53in, !ro t5e oent t5e ite 63s pi"?ed -p to t5e tie it is o!!ered into eviden"e, in s-"5 3 630 t53t ever0 person 65o to-"5ed t5e eC5i/it 6o-ld des"ri/e 5o6 3nd !ro 65o it 63s re"eived, 65ere it 63s 3nd 653t 53ppened to it 65ile in t5e 6itness possession, t5e "ondition in 65i"5 it 63s re"eived 3nd t5e "ondition in 65i"5 it 63s delivered to t5e neCt lin? in t5e "53in.
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T5ese 6itnesses 6o-ld t5en des"ri/e t5e pre"3-tions t3?en to ens-re t53t t5ere 53d /een no "53n
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An -n/ro?en "53in o! "-stod0 /e"oes indispens3/le 3nd essenti3l 65en t5e ite o! re3l eviden"e is not distin"tive 3nd is not re3dil0 identi!i3/le, or 65en its "ondition 3t t5e tie o! testin< or tri3l is "riti"3l, or 65en 3 6itness 53s !3iled to o/serve its -ni-eness. o
T5e s3e st3nd3rd li?e6ise o/t3ins in "3se t5e eviden"e is s-s"epti/le to 3lter3tion, t3perin<, "ont3in3tion 3nd even s-/stit-tion 3nd eC"53n
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A -ni-e "53r3"teristi" o! n3r"oti" s-/st3n"es is t53t t5e0 3re not re3dil0 identi!i3/le 3s in !3"t t5e0 3re s-/2e"t to s"ienti!i" 3n3l0sis to deterine t5eir "oposition 3nd n3t-re. o
Hen"e, in 3-t5enti"3tin< t5e s3e, 3 st3nd3rd ore strin
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A ere !leetin<
SPO& #3lliner3, to 65o Esternon s-pposedl0 53nded over t5e "on!is"3ted s3"5ets !or re"ordin< 3nd 3r?in<, 3s 6ell 3s #3r"i3, t5e person to 65o Esternon dire"tl0 53nded over t5e sei8ed ites !or "5ei"3l 3n3l0sis 3t t5e "rie l3/or3tor0, 6ere not presented in "o-rt to est3/lis5 t5e "ir"-st3n"es -nder 65i"5 t5e0 53ndled t5e s-/2e"t ites.
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An0 re3son3/le ind i<5t t5en 3s? t5e -estion: Are t5e s3"5ets o! shabu 3lle
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T5e prose"-tions eviden"e is in"oplete to provide 3n 3!!ir3tive 3ns6er. o
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4onsiderin< t53t it 63s #3lliner3 65o re"orded 3nd 3r?ed t5e sei8ed ites, 5is testion0 in "o-rt is "r-"i3l to 3!!ir 65et5er t5e eC5i/its 6ere t5e s3e ites 53nded over to 5i /0 Esternon 3t t5e pl3"e o! sei8-re 3nd 3"?no6led
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T5e prose"-tion 63s t5-s -ns-""ess!-l in dis"53r
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In e!!e"t, t5ere is no re3son3/le <-3r3nt0 3s to t5e inte
Also t5e re"ords dis"lose 3 series o! irre<-l3rities "oitted /0 t5e poli"e o!!i"ers !ro t5e "oen"eent o! t5e se3r"5 o! petitioners 5o-se -ntil t5e s-/ission o! t5e sei8ed ites to t5e l3/or3tor0 !or 3n3l0sis . o
T5e 4o-rt t3?es note o! t5e -nre/-tted testion0 o! petitioner, "orro/or3ted /0 t53t o! 5is 6i!e, t53t prior to t5e dis"over0 o! t5e t6o !illed s3"5ets petitioner 63s sent o-t o! 5is 5o-se to /-0 "i<3rettes 3t 3 ne3r/0 store.
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E-3ll0 tellin< is t5e testion0 o! >ol3nos t53t 5e posted soe o! t5e e/ers o! t5e r3idin< te3 3t t5e door o! petitioners 5o-se in order to !orest3ll t5e li?eli5ood o! petitioner !leein< t5e s"ene.
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>0 no stret"5 o! lo
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T5is !3"t 3ss-es prie iport3n"e /e"3-se t5e t6o !illed s3"5ets 6ere 3lle
It is 3lso str3n
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Moreover, Se"tion &$ o! t5e Ipleentin< -les 3nd e<-l3tions o! .A. No. '$=( "le3rl0 o-tlines t5e postsei8-re pro"ed-re in t3?in< "-stod0 o! sei8ed dr-
It 3nd3tes t53t t5e o!!i"er 3"-irin< initi3l "-stod0 o! dr-
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Esternon devi3ted !ro t5is pro"ed-re. It 63s eli"ited !ro 5i t53t 3t t5e "lose o! t5e se3r"5 o! petitioners 5o-se, 5e /ro-<5t t5e sei8ed ites iedi3tel0 to t5e poli"e st3tion !or t5e 3lle
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Lest it /e !or
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D5ile t5e !in3l proviso in Se"tion &$ o! t5e r-les 6o-ld 3ppe3r to eC"-se non"opli3n"e t5ere6it5, t5e s3e "3nnot /ene!it t5e prose"-tion 3s it !3iled to o!!er 3n0 3""ept3/le 2-sti!i"3tion !or Esternons "o-rse o! 3"tion.
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#iven t5e !ore
T5e pres-ption o! re<-l3rit0 is erel0 2-st t53t3 ere pres-ption disp-t3/le /0 "ontr3r0 proo! 3nd 65i"5 65en "53llen
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S-!!i"e it to s30 t53t t5is pres-ption "3nnot preponder3te over t5e pres-ption o! inno"en"e t53t prev3ils i! not overt5ro6n /0 proo! /e0ond re3son3/le do-/t.
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In t5e present "3se t5e l3"? o! "on"l-sive identi!i"3tion o! t5e ille<3l dr-
DHEEFOE, t5e 3ss3iled ;e"ision o! t5e 4o-rt o! Appe3ls d3ted &% J3n-3r0 &++= 3!!irin< 6it5 odi!i"3tion t5e 2-d<ent o! "onvi"tion o! t5e er3n"5 (&, 3nd its esol-tion d3ted )+ M30 &++= den0in< re"onsider3tion t5ereo!, 3re REVERSED 3nd SET ASIDE. Petitioner J-nie M3lillin 0 Lope8 is ACQUITTED on re3son3/le do-/t 3nd is 3""ordin
