G.R. No. 28166 , November 2, 1928
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. DATU TAHIL and DATU TARSON, defendants-appellants.

Ponente: AVANCEÑA, C.J.

FACTS

Datu Tahil and Datu Tarson were convicted of rebellion by the Court of First Instance of Sulu. The case stemmed from their refusal to pay land and personal cedula taxes. After a meeting with authorities, Datu Tahil and his followers constructed a fort on a strategic hill, gathered people (including Datu Tarson), and administered an oath on the Koran to oppose the government by force if their demands (including abolition of the land tax) were not met. They guarded the fort and prepared for resistance. A warrant of arrest for sedition was issued. When Constabulary forces under Commander Green arrived to serve the warrant and demanded surrender, the group resisted. An armed confrontation ensued, resulting in casualties before the defenders fled. Datu Tahil later surrendered.

ISSUE

Whether the acts committed by the appellants constitute the crime of rebellion or sedition.

RULING

The Supreme Court modified the conviction. The acts proven did not constitute rebellion but sedition under Section 5 of Act No. 292 (the Sedition Law). The appellants’ actions were limited to preventing, through force, government officials from executing a judicial warrant of arrest. This falls under the definition of sedition, not the more comprehensive crime of rebellion. Accordingly, the Court reduced the fines: Datu Tahil’s fine was reduced to $5,000, and Datu Tarson’s fine to $2,500. The prison sentences and the rest of the trial court’s judgment were affirmed.