THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, PLAINTIFF AND APPELLEE VS. FAUSTO LINDE AND MANUEL PRISNO, DEFENDANTS AND APPELLANTS.

From the evidence adduced by the People, the following appears to have been fully proved.

At about 10:00 o’clock in the night of April 27, 1955, while Margarita
Planillo, Francisca Planillo, Federico Requiez, Sixta Cadaves, Catalina
Rafalda and six (6) small children, were sleeping in the house of
Leocadio Planillo, barrio lieutenant, in the barrio of Gibaca-an, Palo,
Leyte, someone was calling from downstairs, saying, “Cadio! Cadio! Will
you not wake up? We are not bad men. We are peace officers!” Sixta
Cadaves who was sojourning there, for harvest purposes, lighted a lamp
and ordered Federico Raquiez, 13 years of age, to open the door. Five
(5) men entered the house, among whom was accused Fausto Linde and
Manuel Prisno. One was called “Gen” or “sergeant” by his companions,
and was armed with a revolver and a carbine, while Linde carried a
bolo, Prisno a carbine and the rest bolos. Once in the house, Linde
grabbed Sixta Cadaves by the right arm, which was holding the lighted
lamp, and told “Gen” who apparently was the leader, “Gen, here she is”.
Linde, upon orders of “Gen”, put out the light. Accused Prisno, Linde
and “Gen”, tried to drag Sixta downstairs, but did not succeed because
Sixta clung to the shutter of the door. So the three brought her to the
kitchen.

In the kitchen, Gen pulled Sixta down, Linde
pointed his bolo at her and Prisno held her by the feet. Later, Linde
held her by the hands and Gen forced himself on top of Sixta and had
carnal access of her. When Gen was through, he relieved Prisno from
holding the feet of Sixta and Prisno had carnal intercourse with her.
And when Prisno had satisfied his lust, he replaced Linde in holding
the hands of Sixta and Linde ravished her also. All along the ordeal,
Sixta struggled hard to evade the brutal attacks, but her efforts were
in vain.

In the living room, and in the meantime, the two
(2) other companions of Linde were ransacking the trunk which they
ordered Francisca Planillo, a young girl of 16, to open with the key,
and took therefrom two gold rings worth P10.00, three pairs of errings
costing P30.00, a bracelet valued at P15.00; trousers costing P5.00,
T-shirt price P2.00, two flashlights worth P2.40 and P4.00 cash.
Thereafter, the two men dragged Francisca to the kitchen, just after
Linde, Prisno and “Gen” had released Sixta and had gone downstairs. The
two men raped Francisca, who declared that the carnal acts with them
were painful, as they were the first in her life.

On May 1,
1955, Sixta and Francisca were examined by Dr. Vicente Ramo, resident
physician of the Leyte Provincial Hospital, who reported that their
genital organs were negative of sperm cells due, according to said
doctor, to the length of time that had elapsed and that Francisca’s
hymen was no longer intact (Exhibits A and B).

When the case
was brought before the Justice of the Peace of Palo, Zoila M. Redoña,
for preliminary investigation, she found among the record of the case
an extrajudicial confession of accused Linde (Exhibit D). She called
Linde, read and translated to him said Exhibit D and asked him whether
the same was true or not. Linde admitted the statements contained
therein, affixed his signature on it and swore to the truth of said
statements. Accused Fausto Linde testified that from 9:00 o’clock on
the night of April 27, 1955 to 5:00 o’clock the next morning, he was
sleeping in the house of his aunt Quiteria Linde, at sitio Cagumbang,
Palo; that at about 10:00 o’clock in the morning of April 30, 1955,
constabulary soldiers took him to the uninhabited house of Pedro
Pedrosa and questioned him whether he had raped Sixta Cadaves in the
house of Leocadio Planillo; that when he refused to admit having raped
Sixta, two PC soldiers boxed him on the stomach, ribs and on the right
and left sides of his body for several times, such that he lost
consciousness six (6) times; that when he could no longer endure the
punishment, he admitted his guilt of the crime imputed to him. After
having made the admission, the two soldiers took him to a coconut grove
and again questioned him as to the names of his companions. When he
refused to do so, he was again boxed by the soldiers, one of whom
threatened to shoot him “face backward”. Then he was ordered to lean
against a coconut tree and he was kicked until he lost consciousness.
Linde further told the court that he could not recognize the soldiers
who investigated and maltreated him; that when he was brought to the
vicinal road, he named Manuel Prisno and Arturo Gonzaga, as his
companions, because they were his enemies; that at the encampment, the,
soldiers prepared a statement, after which he was brought before
Justice of the Peace Redona in Tacloban, who asked him to sign the
same, which he did; that he did not know of any motive why Sixta had
testified against him, although he believed that she and her relatives
were entertaining grudges against him because they were the ones who
convinced his (Linde’s) wife to separate from him, an act which he
resented.

The accused Manuel Prisno claimed that on April
27, 1955, he was in barrio Cagumbang, Palo, in the ricefield of Petra
Gonzaga, harvesting palay, finishing the work at 4:00 o’clock in the
afternoon; that he, his mother and other persons returned to barrio San
Joaquin, where he resided; that at 7:00 o’clock in the evening he took
supper and thereafter retired for the night; that at about 9:00 that
same night, he was awakened by one Ricardo Gonzaga, but he went to
sleep again until the following morning. He also informed the court,
that he (Prisno) and Linde were enemies because of a previous fight;
and that Linde wanted him to go to jail.

Predicated upon the above evidence, accused Linde and Prisno were found
guilty of the crime of robbery with multiple rape, and considering the
presence of the aggravating circumstance of the offense having been
committed in band, without any mitigating circumstance to compensate
it, sentenced each to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua,
with the accessories of the law, to indemnify Leocadio Planillo in the
sum of P64.80, which was the aggregate value of the personal properties
robbed, and to pay 2/5 of the costs. They interposed the present appeal.

It is contended by the defense that the evidence of record does not
warrant the conviction of the appellants of the crime charged. Their
main defenses are alibi; the alleged failure of the witnesses
for the People to identify both appellants; and the inadmissibility of
Exhibit D, the extra-judicial statement of Linde.

Familiar is the rule that the defense of alibi
has no weight whatsoever, if the perpetrators of the offense have been
positively identified by the eye witnesses for the prosecution. At the
time of the commission of the crime at bar, state witnesses Sixta
Cadaves, Francisca Planillo, Federico Requiez and Margarita Planillo,
who knew the appellant Linde prior to the incident, for they were all
first degree cousins of his wife, recognized him as one of the
malefactors. The crime was committed in the house of Leocadio Planillo,
scarcely 1-1/2 kilometers from the residence of Linde and it was not
physically impossible for the latter to have been at the place of the
incident.

But this is not all. Exhibit D, statement of
Linde, where he admitted his participation and guilt in the commission
of the offense, was presented. Indeed, the defense impugned its
efficacy, alleging that it was obtained through force and intimidation.
We are of the belief, however, that appellant Linde’s story of his
supposed “martyrdom” is but a figment of his imagination. If he was
really maltreated, he should or would have complained to the Justice of
the Peace or to any of his relatives, against the alleged maltreatment,
or submitted himself to a physical examination. These he failed to do.
No motives was shown why the PC soldiers should have displayed any
interest in doing him harm. The appellant had not even taken the
trouble of recognizing the faces of his supposed tormentors. Exhibit D,
a detailed narration of the commission of the offense, could not have
been prepared by the PC soldiers, if appellant Linde had not supplied
its contents.

The same thing can be said about appellant
Prisno. It is true that only Sixta recognized and identified him as one
in the group of the three who raped her. Withal, her testimony
describing in detail the participation of this appellant in the offense
charged is credible, convincing and satisfactory, and is, in our
opinion, sufficient to convict said appellant. Sixta’s testimony finds
confirmation in the extrajudicial confession of appellant Linde who
stated therein that one of his companions in the perpetration of the
rape was Prisno. Conspiracy among those who entered the house having
been clearly established, the confession of one (Linde) is admissible
and can be considered as corroborative evidence against the other
(People vs. Piamonte, et al., 94 Phil., 293.)

In view
hereof, we hold that the guilt of appellants Fausto Linde and Manuel
Prisno of the offense charged has been established beyond cavil of
doubt, the commission of which was attended by the aggravating
circumstances of night time, dwelling and by a band. There being no
mitigating circumstances to offset them, the penalty imposed by the
trial court is in accordance with the law and the evidence. The
judgment appealed from is hereby affirmed, with costs.

Padilla, Bautista Angelo, Labrador, Concepcion, Reyes, J. B. L., Barrera, Gutierrez David, and Dizon, JJ., concur.