Peopl evBal mor es 85Phi l .493( 1950) On our about Sept emb mber 22, 1947, i nt he Mani l a Ci t y ,Phi l i ppi nes ,The acc use dappel l ant ,RAFAEL BALMO MORES,wi t hi nt entt o decei t f ul l y cashi n wi t ht hePhi l i ppi ne Char i t y Swe wee pst akesOffi Office( PCSO)f ort he amo mountofP359. 55,t or e off a par tofa genui ne 1/8 t i cket ,l ocat ed att he bot t om ofsai dt i cket ,i n ordert or emo movet he r eal uni dent i fied numberand t her ei n wr ot ewi t hi nk t hepri ze wi nni ngnumberof074000 f ort heJune29,1947draw. Hi spl anwasf oi l edhowev er ,whenBayaniMi l l er ,anemp mpl oyeeoft hePCSO,t owhom t he a cc use dpr es e nt e dt het i ck e t ,di s c o v e r edt hatt hes amewasf a l s i fie d.Mi l l eri mme di a t e l y cal l edf orapol i cema manandt heaccused-appel l antwasarr est edri ghtt henandt her e. Upon t hefil i ngofan I nf orma mat i on i nt heCFIofMani l a,t heaccusedappel l ant ,RAFAEL BALMO MORES,wai v edhi sr i ghtt obeass i s t edbycounse land PLEADED GUI LTY t ot he c har g eofATTEMPTED ESTAFAt hr oughFALI SFI CATI ON OFSECURI TY. HewasSENTENCED byJudgeEmi l i oPe nat onol es st han 10YEARS and1 DAY of et han12 YEARS and1 DAY ofRECLUSI PRI SI ON MAYOR andnotmor ON TEMP MPORAL andt opayaFI NEofP100andt heCOSTS. Theaccusedappel l antappeal e dt ot heSC cont endi ng: 1. Thef act schar gedi nt heI nf orma mat i on di dnotconst i t ut ean offensesupport edby t hef ol l owi ngargument s: a. Ther ecoul d benogenui ne1/8 uni tPCSO t i cke tf ort heJune29,1947 draw b. TheSC hast ake nj udi ci alnot i c et hatt hePSCO onl yi ssuedf our¼ uni t s f oreacht i cketf ort heJune29,1947dr aw c. The I nf or mat i on does notshow t hat t he t i cke tt or n by t he acc use dappel l ant di d not and coul d not hav e had t he r eal pri z ewi nni ng uni dent i fiednumberof074000 d. Thesubst i t ut i on and wr i t i ng i ni nk oft he number074000 wasnota f al si ficat i on wher et he t r ue and r ealnumber of t he t i cke tt or n was 074000 2. Thet r i a lc o ur tl a c ke dj ur i s di c t i o nt oc onv i c thi mo n apl e ao fg ui l t ybec a use ,he wasI LLI TERATE andhewasnotassi s t edbycounsel
I SSUE( S) : 1. w/n t hef act schar ge di nt heI nf or mat i on const i t ut ed an offenseby t heacc use dappel l ant 2. w/n t heCFIl acked j ur i sdi ct i on t oconvi ctt heaccusedappel l antf ort her eason of hi sbei nganI LLI TERATE andnotbei ngassi st edbycounsel 3. w/nt heacc usedappel l anti sact ual l ygui l t yofanI MPOS OSSI BLE CRI ME
4. w/nt hepenal t yi mposedbyt heCFIwasc or r ec t
HELD: 1. TheCour taddre sse dt hear gument soft heaccusedappel l antasdi scussedbel ow: a. Ther ec oul dbenogenui ne1/8uni tPCSO t i cke tf ort heJune29,1947draw Thi scont ent i oni sbasedassumpt i onsbyt heaccusedappel l antand notbor ne outby t he Cour t ’ sr ecor ds.The t i cketal l eged t o have been f al si fiedaspr esent edt ot heCour tappear st obea1/8t i c ke t , ho we v e r ,t hes amehe l dt ha ti tc a nno tt a kej udi c i a lno t i c eofwha ti s notcommonknowl edgeandi ft hi sar gumentwasi ndeedr el evant ,i t shoul dhavebeensuffici ent l yprov enbyt heaccusedappel l ant b. TheSC hast akenj udi ci alnot i cet hatt hePSCO onl yi ssuedf our¼ uni t sf or eacht i cketf ort heJune29,1947dr aw I fi ti st r uethatt hePCSO onl yi ssued ¼ t i cket sf ort heJune28, 1947 dr aw,i twoul d onl yst r engt hen t het heoryoft hepr osecut i on t hatt he1/8uni tpr esent edbyt heaccused-appel l antwasi nval i d c. TheI nf ormat i on doesnotshow t hatt het i ckett ornbyt heaccused-appel l ant di d notand coul dnothavehadt her ealpri z ewi nni nguni dent i fied number of074000 Thi s assumpt i on by t he accusedappel l ant i s not l i ke wi se be support edi nt heCourt ’ srec ords d. The subs t i t ut i on and wr i t i ng i ni nk oft he number 074000 was nota f al si ficat i onwher et het rueandr ealnumberoft het i ckett ornwas074000 I ti sobvi oust hatt her ewoul dhavebeen noneedt ot eart het i cket andsubst i t ut ewi t hi nkt hewi nni ngnumberi ft heori gi nalnumber onhadal r eadybee n074000 •
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2. Thef ac tt hatt heappe l l antwa si l l i t e r a t edi dno td epr i v et hec our to fj ur i s di c t i o nt o convi cthi m onaPLEAofGUI LTYdespi t enotbei ngassi st edbycounsel .I tshoul dbe not edt hatappel l antEXPRESSLY WAI VED hi sri ghtt obeass i st edbycounse land t her ear enotl awsagai nstsuchawai ver . 3. Theappe l l a ntma y ha v ee i t he rr e c kl e s so rf o ol i s ht o be l i e v et ha ta f a l s i fic a t i o na s pat ent as what he had per pet r at ed woul d succ ee d but t he r ec kl es snes s and cl umsi nessoft hef al si ficat i on di d notmaket hecr i mei mpossi bl eascont empl at ed 1 2 byRPC 4( 2) i nr e l a t i o nt oRPC 59. i mi nall i abi l i t ys hal lbei nc ur r e d: RPC 4( 2) .Cr Byanyper sonper f or mi ngan actwhi chwoul dbeanoffense 1
a g ai ns tpe r s o no rpr o p e r t y ,we r ei tno tf o rt hei nhe r e nti mpo s s i bi l i t yo fi t sa c co mpl i s hme nto ro na c c ounto f t heempl oymentofi nadequat eori neffect ualmeans t yt ob ei mp o s ei nc as eo ff a i l ur et oc o mmi tt h ec r i meb ec a us et heme anse mp l o y e do rt heai ms RPC 59.Penal 2 s o ug htar ei mpo s s i b l e –Whenthepersoni nt endi ngt ocommi tanoffensehasal r eadyperf ormedt heactf ort he execut i onoft hesamebutnever t hel esst hecri mewasnotpr oducedbyr eason oft hef actt hatt heacti nt ended wasbyi t snat ur eoneofi mpossi bl eaccompl i shme ntorbecauset heme ansempl oyedbysuchper sonar e essent i al l yi nadequat et opr oducet heresul tdesi r edbyhi m,t hecourt ,havi ngi nmi ndt hesoci aldangerand ar r e s t oma yo rorafine t hedegreeofcri mi nal i t yshownbytheoffender ,shal li mposeuponhi mt hepenal t yof r angi ngf r om 200t o500pesos .
The Cour t hel dt hat i t woul d not hav e been i mpossi bl ef or t he appel l ant t o consummat ehi scr i meofESTAFA t hr u FALSI FI CATI ON oft hesai dt i cke ti fBay ani Mi l l er ,t hePCSO cl er k whom t he t i cke twas pre sent ed t o,had note xer ci se d due c a r e . 4. RPC 166 i mposesapenal t yr andafinenotexc eedi ngP10, 000f or e c l us i o nt e mpo r al t he r t he f el ony of f al si ficat i on of “ t r easury or bank not es or cer t i ficat es or o o bl i g at i o nsands ec ur i t i e s”o ft heUni t e dSt at e sort hePhi l i ppi neI s l ands . Thi sbei ngaCOMPLEX CRI ME ofATTEMPTED ESTAFA t hr ough FALSI FI CAI TON of an OBLI GATI ON oft hePhi l i ppi ne I sl ands,t he penal t y shoul d be i mposed i ni t s 3 MAXI MUM PERI OD i naccor danc ewi t hRPC 48 . Ther ei showe v er ,aMI TI GATI NG ci r cums t anceofLACK OFI NSTRUCTI ON ( appel l ant i si l l i t er at e)and appl yi ng t he I DETERMI NATE SENTENCE LAW,t he mi ni mum pr i si onmayo ri cannotbel owert han ni t smaxi mum peri od,whi chi s10ye ar sand1 dayt o12year s. Ther ef or e,t hel owercour ti mposedt hecor r ectpenal t y . t heCo ur tno t e dt ha tt heal t e r a t i o no rde s t r uc t i o no fa l o s i ng RULI NG ( OZAETA,J. ) : swee pst akest i cke tcoul d causenoharm t oanyone and woul d notconst i t ut ea cr i me wer ei tnotf ort heat t emptt ocashi nt hesame . t af a,wi Theappel l ant ’ sr ealoffensewast heat t emptt ocommi tes t h a puni shmentof .Butt e c hni c al l yandl e g al l y ,hehast os uffe rf o rt hecr i meoff al s i fic at i o n ar r est omenor ofagovernmentobj ect .
TheCour twasoft heopi ni ont hati ndeed,t hepenal t yi mposedupont heappel l antwas t oo se ve r e,butt hatt hey haveno di sc r et i on t oi mpose a l owerpenal t yt han t hat pr escr i bedbyt hel aw. Thesent encedappeal edf r om i sAFFI RMED.
3 e nal t yf o rc o mpl e xc r i me s Wh – RPC 48.P enasi ngl eactconst i t ut est woormo r egr aveorl essgr avef el oni es, orwhenan offensei saneces sarymeansf orcommi t t i ngt heot her ,t hepenal t yf ort hemostser i ouscri me shal lbei mposed,t hesamet obeappl i edi ni t smaxi mum peri od.