sic itur ad astra

RA 8049  Anti-Hazing Law  |  Criminal Law Facts: Marlon Villanueva, a UP Los Baños student, was a neophyte of the APO - Theta Chapter Fraternity.  Dandy Dungo and Gregorio  Sibal were members of the said fraternity. On the evening of January 13, 2006, Dungo and Sibal, together with the other fraternity members, officers and alumni, brought and transported Villanueva and two other neophytes to Villa Novaliches Resort at Barangay Pansol, Calamba City, for the final initiation rites. The initiation rites were conducted inside the resort, performed under the cover of darkness and secrecy. Due to the injuries sustained by Villanueva, the fraternity members and the other two neophytes haphazardly left the resort. Dungo and Sibal boarded a tricycle and brought the lifeless body of Villanueva to JP Rizal Hospital, where Villanueva was pronounced dead. The RTC found Dungo and Sibal guilty of the crime of violating Section 4 of the Anti-Hazing Law and sente...

              Murder  | Criminal Law Facts: The accused-appellant, Rosendo Rebucan, testified that he arrived in Carigara, Leyte from Manila on August 15, 2002, and learned that his wife had gone to Manila and his brother was taking care of their children. On November 2, 2002, he learned from his stepson, Raymond, that Felipe and Timboy had sexually molested his wife. On November 6, 2002, he went to the house of the barangay chairperson to call his wife and confirm the incident, and on his way home, he sought shelter at the house of his friend Enok and was offered a drink of gin. Carmela Tagpis testified as an eyewitness to the incident in question. She affirmed that accused-appellant came inside the house in a sudden manner. She insisted that Ranil was indeed carried by Felipe when the accused-appellant entered the house. She said that no fight or altercation occurred between Felipe and the accused-appellant. After Felipe was hacke...

            Murder  | Criminal Law Facts: On February 24, 2002, Donna Maniego was in front of her banana cue store. She was seated alongside her mother, Violeta Sicor, inside the sidecar of a motorcycle. Without warning, the accused Cecilia Lagman approached her and punched her face several times. The accused turned on Sicor, grabbed her and stabbed her in the middle of her buttocks with a small knife.  Maniego got out of the sidecar and ran to the barangay hall for help. Upon finding that the barangay chairman was not around, Maniego went to check on her common-law spouse, Jondel Santiago. On her way there, she saw the accused stab Santiago four (4) times from a distance of five (5) to six (6) meters Maniego then saw the accused flee the scene of the crime carrying a knife. Seeing that Santiago was mortally hurt, Maniego rushed Santiago to Gat Andres Bonifacio Hospital but he later expired. While Maniego was at the hospital, she saw the accu...