Decision
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G.R. No. 228223
he asked the policemen why they had to fetch AAA, and they answered that
AAA was reportedly raped by him at 6 o'clock in the: evening of that day.
This came as a surprise to him because he was not in his house the whole day.
The police also told him that maybe AAA just wanted to go home.
The RTC Ruling
In its December 11, 2014 Decision, 4 the RTC convicted Pendoy of the
crime of Qualified Seduction, the dispositive portion of which reads:
Wherefore, premises considered, the court hereby finds accused guilty
beyond reasonable doubt of qualified seduction. Accordingly, the accused
is hereby sentenced to an indeterminate penalty of six months of Arresto
Mayor to four years and two months of Prision Correccional Medium. He
is further ordered to indemnify the victim the amount of P20,000 in moral
damages and P20,000 in exemplary damages.
SO ORDERED. 5
The RTC ratiocinated that while it is morally convinced that the penis
of Pendoy at least touched the pudenda of AAA, there is, however, no
showing that accused employed force, violence or intimidation in the
commission of the sexual molestation and, hence, Pendoy cannot be held
criminally liable for rape. The RTC, however, ruled that Pendoy is guilty of
qualified seduction committed against AAA, who was then sixteen years old
and under his custody at the time of the perpetration of the said crime.
Not in conformity, Pendoy appealed the December 11, 2014 RTC
Decision before the CA.
In his Appellant's Brief, Pendoy argued that his conviction of the crime
of qualified seduction was erroneous because the recital of facts in the
Information does not constitute said crime. He claimed that he is entitled to
an acquittal inasmuch as his conviction violated his constitutional right to due
process, particularly his right to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation against him.
The OSG, in the Appellee's Brief, concurred with Pendoy's observation
and conceded that the RTC wrongly convicted him of qualified seduction. It,
however, submitted that Pendoy should be held criminally liable for rape and
for rape by sexual assault contending that the elements of these two crimes
were sufficiently alleged in the Information and were duly proven during trial.
According to the OSG, although these two offenses were charged in the same
Penned by Judge Dionisio R. Calibo, Jr.; rollo, pp. 34-57.
Id. at 57. (Citation omitted)
(JI