G.R. No. 28377 , January 24, 1928
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. MACARIO MANGUIA and HILARION SANQUI, defendants. HILARION SANQUI, appellant.

FACTS

On June 18, 1920, Ana Refresca, a 19-year-old girl, was returning home in Calamba, Laguna, accompanied by Hilarion Sanqui. Along the way, they were joined by Macario Manguiat. In an uninhabited area, Manguiat, with Sanqui’s assistance, forcibly abducted Ana despite her strong protests and resistance. She was taken to the woods in Silang, Cavite, where Manguiat raped her several times while Sanqui held her hands. Through threats and intimidation, Ana was later forced to sign a marriage certificate. Her brother eventually found and rescued her. The case suffered from severe delays in the judicial process, taking nearly eight years from the crime to final resolution. During the trial, Manguiat escaped from jail and was later killed, leaving Sanqui as the sole appellant.

ISSUE

Whether the accused, Hilarion Sanqui, is guilty of the complex crime of forcible abduction with rape.

RULING

Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed Sanqui’s conviction for the complex crime of forcible abduction with rape. The Court found the testimony of Ana Refresca to be consistent and credible, corroborated by other witnesses. The forced marriage was declared invalid and could not extinguish criminal liability. The Court expressed strong condemnation of the inordinate delay in the administration of justice, which denied the victim prompt redress. Considering the aggravating circumstances (the crime was committed by two persons in an uninhabited place) with no mitigating circumstances, the penalty was imposed in its maximum degree. The judgment was modified, sentencing Hilarion Sanqui to twenty years of *reclusion temporal*, with accessory penalties, to endow the offended woman with one thousand pesos (P1,000), and to pay the proportionate costs.