On May 12, 2004, the parents of ["AAA", "BBB" and "CCC", who were] in a coconut plantation [attending] to the copra at the kiln[,] were fetched by ["DDD"], sister of Rowena Nuyte, wife of the [appellant], allegedly because ["AAA"] was raped by Nuyte. The spouses rushed home and saw ["AAA"] crying and [thereupon] revealed to them about the rape committed by Nuyte. They repaired to the house of Nuyte, but the latter was already nowhere to be found. They thus decided to make a report to the police and submitted ["AAA"] for physical examination, whereupon ["AAA"] was found to have multiple healed deep and superficial [hymenal] lacerations x x x.[12] The evidence for the defense was also summarized by the trial court as follows: xxx [N]uyte had been living in x x x Albay for thirty years already. [His mother-inlaw] and the grandfather of ["AAA" were] siblings. x x x ["AAA"] and [appellant's wife], Rowena, would usually exchange conversations when the latter visits the Nuyte household. The family of ["AAA"] owns a sari-sari store which [Nuyte] also frequents to buy some stuff. It was only [in] December 2003 that Nuyte met ["AAA"] when the latter introduced herself to him. This meeting was followed by regular exchange of tete-a-tete which eventually blossomed into a relationship which lasted for about a year. Even prior thereto, Rowena already observed the budding closeness between her husband and ["AAA"]. Her doubts were confirmed v/hen she discovered from the wallet of Nuyte the letter of ["AAA"] particularly telling him - "Kahit wala ka rito mahal na mahal kita. Kahit na laglagan na ako di pa rin kita malilimutan." Rowena showed the letter to ["EEE”], brother of the father of ["AAA"], but after reading the letter, ["EEE"] told them that he cannot do anything about it because ["AAA's"] parents were still in the mountain, so Rowena requested ["DDD"] to fetch them. The parents of ["AAA"] proceeded directly to the residence of Nuyte. ["BBB"], the father of ["AAA"], was particularly very mad and started hacking the banana plants nearby. Because Nuyte did not go out of his house, ["BBB"] decided to leave. The discovery of ["AAA's"] letter fomented domestic strife between Nuyte and his wife. [AAA"] tried to talk to him about the letter, but [Nuyte] advised her to better stay home to avoid adding fuel to the fire. That was the last [time] that they talked. To the mind of the accused, these cases were [filed because] the parents of ["AAA"] could not accept what had happened to their daughter. Theirs was a consensual sex, Nuyte admitted. In fact their sexual congress happened [several times], usually at noontime in the same grassy place where ["AAA"] tethers the cows x x x, around 50 to 60 meters away from the residence of