It must be noted that the incidents occurred a year into the effectivity of R.A. No. 8353 abolishing marital exemption in rape cases hence it is understandable that it was not yet known to a layman as opposed to legal professionals like Prosecutor Tabique. In addition, fear of reprisal thru social humiliation which is the common factor that deter rape victims from reporting the crime to the authorities is more cumbersome in marital rape cases. This is in view of the popular yet outdated belief that it is the wife's absolute obligation to submit to her husband's carnal desires. A husband raping his own wife is often dismissed as a peculiar occurrence or trivialized as simple domestic trouble. Unfamiliarity with or lack of knowledge of the law criminalizing marital rape, the stigma and public scrutiny that could have befallen KKK and her family had the intervention of police authorities or even the neighbors been sought, are acceptable explanations for the failure or delay in reporting the subject rape incidents. The victim -S testimony on the witness stand rendered unnecessary the presentation of her complaint-affidavit as evidence. The failure of the prosecution to present KKK's complaint-affidavit for rape is not fatal in view of the credible, candid and positive testimony of KKK on the witness stand. Testimonial evidence carries more weight than the affidavit since it underwent the rudiments of a direct, cross, re-direct and recross examinations. Affidavits or statements taken ex parte are generally considered incomplete and inaccurate. Thus, by nature, they are inferior to testimony given in court.152 Ill motive imputed to the victim The ill motive, which the accused-appellant imputed to KKK, does not inspire belief as it is riddled with loopholes generated by incongruent and flimsy evidence. The prosecution was able to establish that the ₱3 Million deposit in the spouses' bank account was the proceeds of their loan from the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI). Exhibit J, which is a BPI ML instruction sheet dated October 31, 1996 in the amount of ₱3,149,840.63 is the same amount the accused-appellant claimed to have entrusted to her wife. Although the accused-appellant denied being aware of such loan, he admitted that approximately ₱3 Million was spent for the construction of their house. These pieces of evidence effectively belie the accused appellant's allegation that KKK could not account for the money deposited in the bank.153 Anent, KKK's alleged extra-marital affairs, the accused-appellant failed to explain how Bebs could be his wife KKK when the letter-sender greeted Bebs a "happy birthday" on October 28 while KKK's birthday is June 23. The accused-appellant also did not present Bebs herself, being a more competent witness to the existence of the alleged love letters for KKK. He likewise failed, despite promise to do so, to present the original copies of such love letters neither did he substantiate KKK's supposed extra-marital affairs by presenting witnesses who could corroborate his claims. Further, the Court finds it unbelievable that an able man would not have the temerity to confront his wife who has fooled around with 10 men - some of whom he has even met. The accused-appellant's erratic statements on the witness stand are inconsistent with the theory of extra-marital romance making it reasonable to infer that he merely made up those malicious stories as a desperate ploy to extricate himself out of this legal quandary. At best, the basis of the alleged illicit affairs of KKK were the accused-appellant's unfounded suspicions that hold no evidentiary weight in law and thus incompetent to destroy KKK's credibility

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