THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, PLAINTIFF AND APPELLEE, VS. PABLO PORRAS, DEFENDANT AND APPELLANT.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Court of First Instance of Iloilo, convicting the appellant of rape.

The complaint filed by the offended party is as follows:

“Que
en o hacia el 8 de mayo de 1932 y dentro de la jurisdiccion de este
Juzgado, a saber, en el Municipio de Calinog, Provincia de Iloilo,
Islas Filipinas, el referido acusado siendo padre de la que suscribe,
aprovechandose de la oscuridad de la noche para mejor realizar su
proposito y en un lugar despoblado, mediante fuerza, amenaza e
intimidacion yacio con la que suscribe contra su voluntad, sabiendo
dicho acusado que la que suscribe es una mujer casada.”

The court below sentenced the defendant-appellant to seventeen years, four months and one day of reclusion temporal.

The attorney de oficio
submits five assignments of error all of which relate to issues of
fact. We have carefully examined the entire record and concur with the
court below that the guilt of the appellant has been established beyond
any reasonable doubt. The crime of rape is penalized by article 335 of
the Revised Penal Code with reclusion temporal. In the
present instance, the aggravating Circumstance of relationship (article
15 of the Revised Penal Code) must be taken into consideration. The
crime in this case was so monstrous that no punishment which it is in
the power of this or any other human tribunal to decree, could possibly
be a sufficient expiation of the offense. We assess the penalty at
twenty years of reclusion temporal, and, as thus modified, affirm the judgment of the court below.

Avanceña, C. J., Street, Abad Santos, and Vickers, JJ., concur.