Main Issue:
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Sufficiency of Prosecution Evidence
Appellant contends that the testimonies of Mirasol, Loida and Teresa Nana were incredible and
full of lies. He insists that there was no corn ready to be harvested in his farm in January, 1998,
because the only agricultural crops he had planted at the time were palay and tobacco. He then
presented several defense witnesses to corroborate this claim.
Appellant’s assertions cannot prevail over the categorical testimonies of the two rape victims,
Mirasol Nana and her sister Teresa. Assuming arguendo that he had planted only palay and
tobacco in his farm all the time, the absence of corn is not decisive. The gravamen of the case, it
should be pointed out, is the positive identification of appellant as the ravisher of the two young
sisters.
We also reject appellant’s contention that Mirasol and Teresa, upon the instigation of their father
and their uncle, had conspired to file the rape charges, because they wanted to extort money from
him.
It is inconceivable that a young rural lass will cry rape, allow an examination of her private parts,
undergo the trouble and the humiliation of a public and open trial, and put herself and her family
under public scrutiny, if she were not motivated to bring to justice the person who had
dishonored and defiled her. 17
In the present case, the testimonies of the two rape victims — young barrio girls and full-blood
sisters at that — deserve full credence .They would not have invented such a lurid tale if it were
not really true. They knew that their actions would — as they already did — cause them needless
humiliation and suffering and destroy the good relationship existing between their family and
that of Appellant.
Verily, the trial court gave credence to the victims’ testimony. We find no reason to reverse this
finding. Well-settled is the rule that factual findings of the trial court deserve utmost respect and
will not be disturbed on appeal, unless it has overlooked certain facts or circumstances of
substance and value, which if considered would change the result of the case. 18 The trial court,
unlike reviewing tribunals, had a firsthand opportunity to observe the demeanor and the conduct
of the witnesses and could thus better assess their capacity to speak the truth. 19
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Furthermore, deemed an admission of guilt was the disclosure of appellant to Brgy. Captains
Cerdeña 20 and Racadio 21 that he had a problem with two children — who turned out to be the
Nana sisters with whom he wanted to settle the matter. 22 His own acts dispel from our minds
any scintilla of doubt that he indeed raped the Nana sisters.
Appellant’s Advanced Age
Asserting that he was already 63 years old when the rape incidents occurred, appellant suggests