PEOPLE v . SOLAYAO I SSUE:
Whe t he rt he p r o s e c ut i o n wa sa bl et oe s t a bl i s h
FACTS:
Ac c us e dappe l l ant Ni l o So l a y ao was c har ge d
t hee l e me me nt so ft hec r i me
b e f o r et heRe g i o na lTr i a lCo ur twi t ht hec r i meo f i l l egal pos se ss i on of fire arm and amm mmuni t i on
HELD:
d e fine da ndp e na l i z e dund e rPr e s i d e nt i a lDe c r e e
[ Fi r s te l e me me ntdul ypr o v e d ]
No.1866.The l one pro se c ut i on wi t nes s ,SPO3
As t ot he que s t i o n o f whe t he ro r no tt he
J o s eNi ño ,na r r a t e dt ha tata bo ut9 : 0 0o ’ c l o c ki n
pr os ec ut i o n was abl e t o pr o ve t he s e c o nd
t hee v e n i ngo fJ ul y9 ,1 99 2,hewe n tt oBa r a ng a y
e l e me me nt ,t ha ti s ,t he a bs e nc eo fa l i c e ns eo r
Ca ul a ng o ha n,Ca i b i r a n,Bi l i r a nwi t hhi st e a mo f
p e r mi mi tt opo s s e s st hes ub j e c tfi r e a r m m, ,t hi sCo ur t
po l i c e o ffic e r s . The y we r e t o c o nduc t an
agree swi wi t ht he Offic e oft he Sol i c i t orGener al
i nt e l l i g e nc epa t r o la sr e q ui r e do ft he mb yt he i r
whi c hpo i nt e do utt ha tt hepr o s e c ut i o nf a i l e dt o
i nt el l i gence offic ffic er t o ver i f y r epor t s on t he
pr o v et ha ta c c us e d appe l l a ntl a c ke dt hene c e s s a r y
pr es enc eofar medper s onsro ami mi ng ar ound t he
p e r mi mi to rl i c e n s et opo s s e s st hes u bj e c tfi r e a r m m. .
b ar a ng a y so fCa i b i r a n.
I nt hec a s ea tb ar ,t hepr o s e c ut i o nwa so nl ya bl e t op r o v eb yt e s t i mo ni a le v i d e nc et ha ta c c us e d-
Fr om Bar angayCaul angohan,t het eam ofPol i c e
a pp e l l a nta dmi t t e db e f o r ePo l i c eOffi Offic e rNi ñoat
Offic erNi ñopr oc ee dedt oBar angayOni onwh wher e
t he t i met hathe wasac c os t ed t hathe di d not
t hey me tt he gr oup ofac c usedappel l ant Ni l o
ha v ea nya ut ho r i t yo rl i c e ns et oc ar r yt hes ub j e c t
Sol ay ao numb mbe r i ng five . The f o r me r be c ame me
fir e ar m when he wasas ke di fhe had o ne.I n
s u s pi c i o uswhe nt he yo b s e r v e dt ha tt he
o t he rwo r d s ,t hepr o s e c ut i o nr e l i e do na c c us e d -
l at t er wer e drunk and t hat ac c usedappel l ant
appel l ant ’ s admi mi s s i on t o pr ov e t he s ec ond
hi ms el fwaswear i ng ac amo mouflageuni f or m ora
el eme ment .I st hi s admi s si on suffic ffic i ent t o pro ve
j ung l es ui t .Ac c us e dappe l l ant ’ sc o mpani o ns ,upo n
beyo nd r eas onabl edoubtt hesec ond el eme mentof
s e e i ngt heg o v e r nme nta g e nt s , fle d . Po l i c eOffic e rNi ñot o l da c c us e da pp e l l a ntn o tt o r u na wa ya ndi nt r o d uc e dhi ms e l fa s“ PC, ”a f t e r whi c h hes e i z e dt hed r i e dc o c o nutl e a v e swhi c h t hel a t t e rwa sc a r r y i ngandf o undwr a pp e di ni ta 49i nc hl onghome mema madefir ear ml oc al l yknownas “ l at ong. ”Wh When he as ked ac c us edappel l antwho i s s ued hi m al i c ense t oc arr ys ai d fire ar m or whet herhewasco nnec t edwi t ht hemi mi l i t aryor a nyi nt e l l i g e nc eg r o up,t hel a t t e ra ns we r e dt ha t he had no pe r mi s s i o nt o po s s e s st he s ame me . Ther eupon,SPO3 Ni ño c onfisc at ed t he fire ar m and t ur ned hi m o ve rt ot he c us t o dy o ft he po l i c e me n
o f Cai bi r an who s ubs e que nt l y
i nves t i gat ed hi m and c harge d hi m wi t hi l l egal poss es s i on of fir ear m. The t r i al court f ound ac c us e d appe l l antg ui l t yo fi l l e g alpo s s e s s i o no f fir e ar m.
i l l egal pos s es s i on of fir ear m whi c h i st hat ac c us e da ppe l l ant
do e s
no t
ha v e
t he
c o r r e s p o nd i ng l i c e ns e ? Co r o l l a r yt ot he a bo v e q ue s t i o ni swhe t he ra na dmi s s i o nb yt hea c c us e da ppe l l a ntc a nt a ket hep l a c eo fa nye v i de nt i a r y me a nse s t a bl i s h i ngb e y o n dr e a s o n ab l edo ub tt he f a c ta v e r r e di nt hene g at i v ei nt hep l e a di nga nd whi c hf o r ms msa ne s s e nt i a li ng r e d i e nto ft hec r i me c h a r g e d . Thi s Co urt ans we r s bo t h ques t i o ns i n t he ne g at i v e .Byi t sv e r yna t ur e ,a n“ a dmi s s i o ni st he me r e ac kno wl e dg me nt o f a f ac t o r o f c i r c ums t a nc e sf r o m whi c hg ui l tma ma yb ei nf e r r e d , t endi ng t oi ncr i mi nat et he s peaker ,but not s uffic i e nto fi t s e l ft oe s t a bl i s hhi sg ui l t . ”I no t he r wo r d s ,i ti sa“ s t a t e me me ntb yde f e ndanto ff a c to r f a c t spe r t i ne ntt oi s s u e spe ndi ng ,i nc o nne c t i o n wi t hp r o o fo fo t he rf a c t so rc i r c ums t a nc e s ,t o
pr o v egui l t ,butwhi c hi s ,o fi t s e l f ,i ns uffic i e ntt o aut ho r i z ec o nv i c t i o n. ”
j udi c i aladmi s s i o n,s ai ds t at e me ntb y ac c us e dappel l ant does not pr o ve bey ond r eas onabl e do ub tt hes e c o nde l e me nto fi l l e g alpo s s e s s i o no f
Fr o mt hea bo v epr i nc i pl e s ,t hi sCo ur tc a ni nf e r
fir e a r m.I td o e sno te v e ne s t a bl i s hap r i maf a c i e
t hat an admi s s i o n i n c r i mi nal c as e s i s
c as e. I t mer el y bol s t er s t he c as e f or t he
i ns u ffic i e ntt opr o v eb e y o n dr e a s o n ab l edo ub tt he
p r o s e c ut i o nb utd o e sno ts t a nd a sp r o o fo ft he
c o mmi s s i o no ft hec r i mec h ar g e d .Mo r e o v e r ,s a i d
f ac to fabs e nc eo rl ac ko fal i c e ns e .
a dmi s s i o ni se x t r aj udi c i a li nna t ur e .No tb e i nga
