Decision
-3-
G.R. No. 232678
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Evidence for the prosecution tends to show that AAA and Reyes were
married on May 15, 1969. Four children were born out of this union, whom
only three are living, and who are all now of legal ages. Reyes was seldom at
home since he used to render military service as a Philippine Air Force pilot,
and later he worked as a commercial pilot for the Philippine Airlines. At the
time the complaint for violation of the VA WC was filed against him, Reyes
was employed as a pilot based in Angola, Africa tasked to deliver relief goods
by air. Sometime in 2005, AAA learned that Reyes got married to a certain
Marilou Osias Ramboanga who had borne him four children and with whom
he is living with up to the present.
or
AAA claimed that Reyes used to give her and their children monthly
financial support, ranging from Ten Thousand Pesos (Pl0,000.00) to Twenty
Thousand Pesos (P.20,000.00), but he suddenly ceased giving the same in July
2005. On top of this unpleasant situation, AAA got sick of various illness such
as hypertension, cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and osteoarthritis. Due to
her advancing age, AAA' s health condition further deteriorated requiring her
to take maintenance medicines and to undergo regular consultation,
monitoring and treatment to prevent organ damage, stroke, renal failure and
heart attack. According to AAA, what impelled her to file the complaint for
violation of R.A. No. 9262 against Reyes was due to the latter's failure to
provide her with monthly financial support. 9
The defense presented petitioner as its lone witness. Primarily, Reyes
assailed the validity of his marriage with AAA alleging that he never attended
the marriage ceremony and that his supposed signature appearing in the
marriage certificate was forged. He also pointed out that his supposed age of
twenty-five years old as reflected in the marriage certificate was erroneous
considering that he was born on August 3, 1948. Petitioner alleged that he
lived with AAA in a common-law relationship, which produced three
daughters and a son. He narrated that he met AAA when he went for a
vacation at her aunt's house in Bicol where AAA was a housemaid. He
averred that he gave AAA monthly financial support of P.20,000.00. In
addition, he also gave her Christmas bonuses, shouldered the expenses for her
cataract operation, her denture and vacation in Tagaytay, as well as paid for
the matriculation of her grandchildren and the materials of their second
daughter. He admitted that he no longer provides AAA with financial support
since July 2006 because he was disappointed with her for instituting a
criminal case for Bigamy against him which he considered as an act of
ingratitude. In 2007, he stopped flying as a pilot after he was prevented from
leaving the Philippines by virtue of a Hold Departure Order issued against
him at the instance of AAA.
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9
Id. at 161-162. (Citations omitted)