GR L 1820 1; (June, 1949) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-1820 and L-1821; June 27, 1949
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiffs-appellee, vs. PAULO SANTOS, ET AL., defendants. JOSE DIZON RAMOS (alias MORVEN), appellant.
FACTS
The appellant, Jose Dizon Ramos alias Morven, a member of the Hukbalahap organization under the unit of Paulo Santos, was charged with murder for the killings of Florencio A. Manalo and Manuel Lansang. The cases were jointly tried. The prosecution presented witnesses and the appellant’s extrajudicial confessions. For Manalo’s killing, evidence showed that after a unit meeting ordered his execution for allegedly being a “bad character,” appellant and others kidnapped Manalo. Appellant, according to a witness, struck the blindfolded and bound victim three times with a hoe to kill him, after which they buried the body. Appellant’s own sworn statements admitted participation but claimed a co-accused delivered the fatal blows. For Lansang’s killing, after another meeting similarly ordered his execution, appellant was part of a designated group that kidnapped and killed Mayor Lansang. Appellant was convicted for both murders and sentenced to life imprisonment for each.
ISSUE
Whether the appellant is guilty of the murders of Florencio A. Manalo and Manuel Lansang and whether amnesty under Proclamation No. 76 applies to exempt him from criminal liability.
RULING
Yes, the appellant is guilty of two counts of murder. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s judgment convicting the appellant. The Court found the evidence, including eyewitness testimony and the appellant’s own extrajudicial declarations, sufficient to establish his participation as a principal in both killings. The Court rejected the claim for amnesty under Proclamation No. 76, as the crimes were committed in 1943 during the Japanese occupation and were thus covered by the earlier Amnesty Proclamation No. 8, not by Proclamation No. 76 which applied to post-liberation crimes. Furthermore, the appellant failed to comply with the requisites of Proclamation No. 76. The Court noted the presence of aggravating circumstances (evident premeditation and nighttime) but, lacking the required votes for the death penalty, affirmed the penalty of life imprisonment for each murder.
AI Generated by Armztrong.