GR 127703; (January, 2002) (Digest)
G.R. No. 127703; January 18, 2002
DONATO REYES, JR., petitioner, vs. COURT OF APPEALS and the PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, respondents.
FACTS
The prosecution established that on the evening of May 28, 1993, during a brown-out, petitioner Donato Reyes, Jr. (alias “Jay R.”) and his co-accused chased and caught the complainant, Michelle. They dragged her to a comfort room where they successively raped her while the others held her down. This was allegedly the second instance, following an unreported rape in 1992. Michelle disclosed the incident to a friend that night and, days later, her aunt informed her mother. A medico-legal examination confirmed findings compatible with loss of virginity. The defense, anchored on denial and alibi, presented witnesses claiming the group was merely playing games at the health center and that the complainant’s uncle may have been the perpetrator. The trial court convicted petitioner of two counts of rape.
ISSUE
Whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming the conviction of petitioner Donato Reyes, Jr. for two counts of rape.
RULING
The Supreme Court denied the petition and affirmed the conviction with modifications. The Court upheld the factual findings of the lower courts, emphasizing that the credibility of the complainant’s clear, consistent, and candid testimony, corroborated by medical evidence, prevails over the bare denials and weak alibi of the defense. The Court found no ill motive for the young complainant to falsely accuse her neighbors. On the penalty, the Court applied the Indeterminate Sentence Law and considered the privileged mitigating circumstance of minority, as petitioner was fifteen years old at the time of the crime. The minimum penalty was correctly within the range of prision mayor (6 years and 1 day to 12 years). However, the maximum penalty was adjusted to be within the range of reclusion temporal (14 years, 8 months and 1 day to 17 years and 4 months) for each count. The civil indemnity was also modified, setting it at the standard P50,000.00 for each count of rape, for a total of P100,000.00.