56. People v. Mariacos

7/26/2019 56. People v. Mariacos

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SECOND DIVISION

G.R. No. 188611 June 16, 2010

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,Appellee,

vs.

BELEN MARIACOS,Appellant.

D E C I S I O N

NACHURA, J.:

Before this Court is an appeal from the Decision1of the

Court of Appeals (CA in CA!".#. C#!$C No. %&'1,

)hich affirme* the *ecision&of the #e+ional rial Court

(#C, Branch &-, San ernan*o Cit/, 0a nion, in

Criminal Case No. '122, fin*in+ appellant Belen 3ariacos

+uilt/ of violatin+ Article II, Section 4 of #epu5lic Act (#.A.

No. -164, or the Comprehensive Dan+erous Dru+s Act of

&%%&.

he facts of the case, as summari7e* 5/ the CA, are as

follo)s8

Accuse*!appellant Belen 3ariacos )as char+e* in an

Information, *ate* Novem5er ', &%%4 of violatin+ Section

4, Article II of #epu5lic Act 9No.: -164, alle+e*l/ committe*

as follo)s8

;hat on or a5out the &'th *a/ of Octo5er, &%%4, in the

3unicipalit/ of San "a5riel, %.> +rams

'. he


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@hen the =eepne/ reache* the po5lacion, , Series of 1-'-, as amen*e* 5/

Boar* #e+ulation No. &, Series of 1--%, )hich prescri5es

the proce*ure in the custo*/ of sei7e* prohi5ite* an*

re+ulate* *ru+s, instruments, apparatuses, an* articles.

he sai* re+ulation *irects the apprehen*in+ team havin+initial custo*/ an* control of the *ru+s an*Hor

paraphernalia, imme*iatel/ after sei7ure or confiscation, to

have the same ph/sicall/ inventorie* an* photo+raphe* in

the presence of appellant or her representative, )ho shall

5e reFuire* to si+n copies of the inventor/. he failure to

compl/ )ith this *irective, appellant claime*, casts a

serious *ou5t on the i*entit/ of the items alle+e*l/

confiscate* from her. She, lie)ise, averre* that the

prosecution faile* to prove that the items alle+e*l/

confiscate* )ere in*ee* prohi5ite* *ru+s, an* to esta5lish

the chain of custo*/ over the same.

On the other han*, the


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estoppe* from Fuestionin+ the ille+alit/ of her arrest since

she voluntaril/ entere* a plea of ;not +uilt/; upon

arrai+nment an* participate* in the trial an* presente* her

evi*ence.1%he OS" 5rushe* asi*e appellants ar+ument

that the 5rics of mari=uana )ere not photo+raphe* an*

inventorie* in her presence or that of her counsel

imme*iatel/ after confiscation, positin+ that ph/sical

inventor/ ma/ 5e *one at the nearest police station or at

the nearest office of the apprehen*in+ team, )hichever)as practica5le.11

In a Decision *ate* Ganuar/ 1-, &%%-, the CA *ismisse*

appellants appeal an* affirme* the #C *ecision in

toto.1&It hel* that the prosecution ha* successfull/ proven

that appellant carrie* a)a/ from the =eepne/ a num5er of

5a+s )hich, )hen inspecte* 5/ the police, containe*

*an+erous *ru+s. he CA rule* that appellant )as cau+ht

in fla+rante *elicto of ;carr/in+ an* conve/in+; the 5a+ that

containe* the ille+al *ru+s, an* thus hel* that appellants

)arrantless arrest )as vali*. he appellate court

ratiocinate*8

It must 5e stresse* that


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(a a prior vali* intrusion 5ase* on the

vali* )arrantless arrest in )hich the police

are le+all/ present in the pursuit of their

official *uties

(5 the evi*ence )as ina*vertentl/

*iscovere* 5/ the police )ho ha* the ri+ht

to 5e )here the/ are

(c the evi*ence must 5e imme*iatel/

apparent9: an*

(* ;plain vie); =ustifie* mere sei7ure of

evi*ence )ithout further search.

>. Search of a movin+ vehicle. $i+hl/ re+ulate* 5/

the +overnment, the vehicles inherent mo5ilit/

re*uces epectation of privac/ especiall/ )hen its

transit in pu5lic thorou+hfares furnishes a hi+hl/

reasona5le suspicion amountin+ to pro5a5le

cause that the occupant committe* a criminal

activit/

2. Consente* )arrantless search

4. Customs search

6. Stop an* ris an*

'. Ei+ent an* Emer+enc/ Circumstances.12

Both the trial court an* the CA anchore* their respective*ecisions on the fact that the search )as con*ucte* on a

movin+ vehicle to =ustif/ the vali*it/ of the search.

In*ee*, the search of a movin+ vehicle is one of the

*octrinall/ accepte* eceptions to the Constitutional

man*ate that no search or sei7ure shall 5e ma*e ecept

5/ virtue of a )arrant issue* 5/ a =u*+e after personall/

*eterminin+ the eistence of pro5a5le cause.14

In


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his eception is eas/ to un*erstan*. A search )arrant

ma/ rea*il/ 5e o5taine* )hen the search is ma*e in a

store, *)ellin+ house or other immo5ile structure. But it is

impractica5le to o5tain a )arrant )hen the search is

con*ucte* on a mo5ile ship, on an aircraft, or in other

motor vehicles since the/ can Fuicl/ 5e move* out of the

localit/ or =uris*iction )here the )arrant must 5e sou+ht.&&

"iven the *iscussion a5ove, it is rea*il/ apparent that thesearch in this case is vali*. he vehicle that carrie* the

contra5an* or prohi5ite* *ru+s )as a5out to leave.


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In her *efense, appellant averre* that the paca+es she

)as carr/in+ *i* not 5elon+ to her 5ut to a nei+h5or )ho

ha* ase* her to carr/ the same for him. his contention,

ho)ever, is of no conseFuence.

@hen an accuse* is char+e* )ith ille+al possession or

transportation of prohi5ite* *ru+s, the o)nership thereof is

immaterial. ConseFuentl/, proof of o)nership of the

confiscate* mari=uana is not necessar/.

&6

Appellants alle+e* lac of no)le*+e *oes not constitute a

vali* *efense. 0ac of criminal intent an* +oo* faith are

not eemptin+ circumstances )here the crime char+e*

is malum prohibitum, as in this case.&'3ere possession

an*Hor *eliver/ of a prohi5ite* *ru+, )ithout le+al authorit/,

is punisha5le un*er the Dan+erous Dru+s Act.&

Anti!narcotics la)s, lie anti!+am5lin+ la)s, are re+ulator/

statutes. he/ are rules of convenience *esi+ne* to

secure a more or*erl/ re+ulation of the affairs of societ/,

an* their violation +ives rise to crimes mala prohi5ita.

0a)s *efinin+ crimes mala prohi5ita con*emn 5ehavior

*irecte* not a+ainst particular in*ivi*uals, 5ut a+ainst

pu5lic or*er.&-

Gurispru*ence *efines ;transport; as ;to carr/ or conve/

from one place to another.;>%here is no *efinitive moment

)hen an accuse* ;transports; a prohi5ite* *ru+. @hen the

circumstances esta5lish the purpose of an accuse* to

transport an* the fact of transportation itself, there shoul*

5e no Fuestion as to the perpetration of the criminal

act.>1

he fact that there is actual conve/ance suffices tosupport a fin*in+ that the act of transportin+ )as

committe* an* it is immaterial )hether or not the place of

*estination is reache*.>&

3oreover, appellants possession of the paca+es

containin+ ille+al *ru+s +ave rise to the *isputa5le

presumption>>that she is the o)ner of the paca+es an*

their contents.>2Appellant faile* to re5ut this presumption.

$er uncorro5orate* claim of lac of no)le*+e that she

ha* prohi5ite* *ru+ in her possession is insufficient.

Appellants narration of facts *eserves little cre*ence. If it

is true that Bennie 0ao!an+ merel/ ase* her an* her

companion to carr/ some 5a++a+es, it is 5ut lo+ical to first

as )hat the paca+es containe* an* )here these )oul*

5e taen. 0ie)ise, if, as appellant sai*, 0ao!an+ ran a)a/

after the/ *isem5are* from the =eepne/, appellant an* her

companion shoul* have ran after him to +ive him the 5a+s

he ha* left )ith them, an* not to continue on their =ourne/

)ithout no)in+ )here the/ )ere tain+ the 5a+s.

Net, appellant ar+ues that the prosecution faile* to prove

the corpus *elicti of the crime. In particular, she alle+e*

that the apprehen*in+ police officers faile* to follo) the

proce*ure in the custo*/ of sei7e* prohi5ite* an*

re+ulate* *ru+s, instruments, apparatuses, an* articles.

In all prosecutions for violation of the Dan+erous Dru+s

Act, the eistence of all *an+erous *ru+s is a sine Fua non

for conviction. he *an+erous *ru+ is the ver/ corpus*elicti of that crime.>4

hus, Section &1 of #.A. No. -164 prescri5es the

proce*ure for custo*/ an* *isposition of sei7e* *an+erous

*ru+s, to )it8

Section &1.Custody and Disposition of Confiscated,

Seized, andor Surrendered Dan!erous Dru!s, "lant

Sources of Dan!erous Dru!s, Controlled "recursors and

#ssential Chemicals, $nstruments"araphernalia andor

%aboratory #&uipment. J he


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an* confiscation, ph/sicall/ inventor/ an* photo+raph the

same in the presence of the accuse* or the personHs from

)hom such items )ere confiscate* an*Hor sei7e*, or

hisHher representative or counsel, a representative from

the me*ia an* the Department of Gustice (DOG, an* an/

electe* pu5lic official )ho shall 5e reFuire* to si+n the

copies of the inventor/ an* 5e +iven a cop/ thereof8


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=eepne/. $e onl/ reali7e* a fe) moments later that thesai* 5a+ an* > other 5a+s )ere alrea*/ 5ein+ carrie*a)a/ 5/ t)o (& )omen. $e cau+ht up )ith the )omenan* intro*uce* himself as a policeman. $e tol* them thatthe/ )ere un*er arrest, 5ut on the )omen +ot a)a/.

DOC#INES8

A#IC0E III, SECION & O $E

Documents

56. People v. Mariacos