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People v. Hermosa (Unjust Vexation)
People v. Hermosa (Unjust Vexation)
DECISION
CRIM. CASE NO. 11-288514
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In Maderazo v. People (supra.), the Supreme Court ruled that in unjust vexation,
being a felony by dolo, malice is an inherent element of the crime. Good faith is a
good defense to a charge for unjust vexation because good faith negates malice.
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DECISION
CRIM. CASE
NO. 11-288514
Q: Which restaurant was she looking at?
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A: Sincerity Caf and Restaurant.
DECISION
A: None.
CRIM. CASE NO. 11-288514
Page NineQ:(9)
What was your reaction, Mr. Witness when SP02 [sic]
Alagadan invited you to go with him to the police station
despite the non-production of any documents?
A: Kahit ayaw ko at wala akong magawa, I simply went with
him kahit naiinis na ako.
Q: So you still went with SP02 Alagadan even against your
will?
A: Yes, Maam. (Rollo, p. 125)
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Atty. Go: What happened, Mr. Witness[,] after you went with
him to the police station?
The Witness: When we arrived at the police station, I asked if
there was a formal complaint if any filed against me.
Q: And what was the response to this query of yours?
A: None, maam.
Q: And what happened next if any?
A: I asked them if there is warrant of arrest issued against
me.
Q: And what was the response to this query of yours?
A: None, maam.
Q: And I asked him what I am going to do here.
A: And what was his answer?
Q: The police officer told the unidentified lady to prepare a
complaint but she refused.
Q: And what was his answer?
DECISION
CRIM. CASE
NO. 11-288514
The Witness: Yes, sir.
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Atty. Go: Mr. Witness, you mentioned that Ms. Myrna Hermosa
did nothing. At the time that SP02 [P02] Alagadan, Myrna
Hermosa and Virgilio Meliza and you were at the
establishment of Sincerity Caf and Restaurant trying to
clarify the matter while SP02 [P02] Alagadan was informing
you of the complaint of this unidentified lady against you,
what was the reaction of Ms. Myrna Hermosa while all of
these were going on?
The Witness: Myrna Hermosa said that she does not
know what the unidentified woman was doing, it was
her own complaint. But they kept on texting.
Q: What if any did Myrna Hermosa say to the unidentified
lady to clarify the matter?
A: They were staring at each other.
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emphasis added)
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Q: After you told her that Mr. Peter Uy was at the second
floor, what happened next?
The Witness: I requested her to go up and asked her
companion to wait outside, maam.
Atty. Go: What happened next?
The Witness: Then after half hour, they both came down and
go [sic] out of the restaurant, maam.
Q: Now who is this both that you are referring to?
A: Peter and Myrna Hermosa, maam.
Q: Sometime 6:00 in the evening on that day, February 11,
2008, what other incident happened?
DECISION
CRIM. CASE
NO. 11-288514
A: Certain SP02 Alagadan and her companion came inside
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the restaurant
and telling [sic] me that the companion is
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same unlawful object, each doing a part so that their acts, though
apparently independent, were in fact connected and cooperative,
indicating a closeness of personal association and a concurrence of
sentiment, a conspiracy may be inferred though no actual meeting
among them to concert means is proved. That would be termed an
implied conspiracy (Orodio v. CA, G. R. No. L-57519, September 13,
1988; People v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 158754, August 10, 2007).
Nevertheless, mere knowledge, acquiescence, or approval of the
act, without cooperation or agreement to cooperate, is not enough to
constitute one a party to a conspiracy, but that there must be
intentional participation in the transaction with a view to the
furtherance of the common design and purpose. It is not sufficient that
the attack be joint and simultaneous for simultaneousness does not of
itself demonstrate the concurrence of will or unity of action and
purpose which are the bases of the responsibility of the assailants. It is
necessary, moreover, that a conspirator should have performed some
overt act as a direct or indirect contribution to the execution of the
crime committed. The overt act may consist of active participation in
the actual commission of the crime itself, or it may consist of moral
assistance to his co-conspirators by being present at the commission of
DECISION
the crime or by exerting moral ascendancy over the other coCRIM.
CASE NO.
11-288514
conspirators.
Hence,
the mere presence of an accused at the
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discussion of a conspiracy, even approval of it, without any active
participation in the same, is not enough for purposes of conviction;
conspiracy must be established, not by conjectures, but by positive
and conclusive evidence. In fact, the same degree of proof necessary
to establish the crime is required to support a finding of the presence
of a criminal conspiracy, which is, proof beyond reasonable doubt
(Bahilidad v. People, G.R. No. 185195, March 17, 2010; Quidet v.
People, G.R. No. 170289, April 8, 2010).
In the case at bar, evidence is absolutely wanting that accused
acted in concert with the unidentified woman in purportedly reporting
a false accusation against private complainant. The mere fact that the
unidentified woman was seen waiting outside the restaurant while
accused was negotiating to get private complainants signature on her
leave reimbursement application and the further fact that she and
accused were together when they were summoned to the precinct,
taken jointly, do not indicate that accused acted as the unidentified
womans co-conspirator as what the court a quo would want this
Court to believe for, even if the testimony of the prosecution
witnesses be accepted as gospel truth, it does not rule out the
possibility that the unidentified woman may have acted on her own
volition out of concern for her friends safety.
Verily, factual findings of the trial court, which is in a better
position to evaluate the testimonial evidence, are accorded respect by
the appellate court. But where the trial court overlooked,
misunderstood or misapplied some facts or circumstances of weight
and substance which can affect the result of the case, as in this case,
this Court is duty-bound to correct this palpable error for the right to
liberty, which stands second only to life in the hierarchy of
constitutional rights, cannot be lightly taken away. In the instant case,
this Court finds that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable
doubt that accused conspired with the unidentified woman.
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Decision dated October
3, 2011 of the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 25, Manila is REVERSED
and SET ASIDE. Accordingly, accused-appellant is hereby ACQUITTED
of the offense charged. No costs.
SO ORDERED.
Manila, Philippines, ______________.
VIRGILIO
M.
ALAMEDA
Presiding Judge