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L58595

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RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila

SECONDDIVISION

G.R.No.L58595October10,1983

PEOPLEOFTHEPHILIPPINES,petitioner,
vs.
HON.RICARDOM.ILARDE,inhiscapacityasPresidingJudge,CFIofIloilo,Br.V,CECILESANTIBANEZ
andAVELINOT.JAVELLANA,respondents.

TheSolicitorGeneralforpetitioner.

PanfiloB.Enojasforrespondents.

ESCOLIN,J.:

PetitionforreviewoncertiorarioftheorderofthethenCourtofFirstInstance(nowRegionalTrialCourt)ofIloilo,
BranchV,presidedbytherespondentJudgeRicardoM.Ilarde,grantingthemotiontoquashtheinformationin
Criminal Case No. 13086, entitled, "People of the Philippines, plaintiff versus Cecile Santibaez and Avelino T.
Javellanaaccused."

TheinformationinCriminalCaseNo.13086wasfiledonMarch4,1981byCityFiscalRicardoP.Galvez.Itreads:

The undersigned City Fiscal upon sworn complaint originally filed by the offended party Efraim
Santibaez, copies of which are thereto attached as Annexes "A" and "B" hereby accused CECILE
SANTIBAEZandAVELINOT.JAVELLANAofthecrimeofadultery,committedasfollows:

That on or about the 3rd day of November, 1980, in the City of Iloilo, Philippines, and within the
jurisdictionofthisCourt,saidaccusedCecileSantibaezbeinglawfullymarriedtoEfraimSantibaez,
whichmarriageatthattimehasnotbeenlegallydissolved,withdeliberateintent,didthenandthere
wilfully,maliciouslyandcriminallyhavesexualintercoursewithhercoaccusedAvelinoT.Javellana,a
mannothishusbandandwhointurnknowingfullywellthathiscoaccusedwasthenlawfullymarried
to Efraim Santibaez, did then and there wilfully, maliciously and criminally have sexual intercourse
withher.

CONTRARYTOLAW.1

Annex "A" referred to in the information is the sworn complaint for adultery filed by Efraim Santibaez against
hereinprivaterespondents,CecileSantibanezandAvelinoT.Javellana,withtheIntegratedNationalPolice,Iloilo
MetroPoliceDistrict,IloiloCity,onNovember4,1980,whichcomplaintwasimmediatelyforwardedtotheOfficeof
theCityFiscalforpreliminaryinvestigation.Saidcomplaintreads:

COMPLAINT

The undersigned accuses ATTY. AVELINO JAVELLANA, a resident of CPU Compound, Jaro, Iloilo
City,andCecileSantibaez.aresidentofCandidoSubdivision,IloiloCity,forthecrimeofadultery...

xxxxxxxxx

(Sgd.) EFRAIM
SANTIBAEZ
(Signature of
complainant)

SUBSCRIBEDANDSWORNtobeforemethis4thdayofNovember,1980intheCityofIloilo:

(Sgd.) RICARDO
P.GALVEZ
CityFiscal

Annex"B"oftheinformationistheaffidavitcomplaintdatedNovember6,1980executedbyEfraim
Santibaez,sworntoandfiledbeforeCityFiscalGalvezonNovember7,1980,whereinSantibaez
recounted in detail the antecedents which brought about the apprehension in flagrante of private
respondents.Thesameisquotedasfollows:

I, EFRAIM SANTIBAEZ, of age, married, and a resident of Fundidor Molo, Iloilo City, after having
beendulysworntoaccordingtolawdeposeandsay:

ThatIamlegallymarriedtoCecileSorianoinaCivilMarriagesolemnizedbyJudgeVicenteSantos,
City Court of Pasay City on March 22, 1974 but subsequently remarried in a religious ceremony
beforeRev.PanfiloT.BrasilattheParishChurchofLaPaz,iloiloCityonJuly18,1974,xeroxcopies
of the aforesaid marriage contracts are hereto attached as Annexes "A" and "B", forming integral
partsofthisaffidavit

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After our marriage, I built a house for our permanent residence and as our conjugal home in
Fundidor,Molo,IloiloCityandfurnisheditwithallthecomfortswellwithinmymeans

Atthestartofourmarriage,Iwasledtobelievebymywifeofhertotalconcern,loveanddevotionto
mevalidinturnIlavishedherwithallthematerialcomfortatmycommandandeventriedtobuildup
hersocialstatusbysendingherasadelegatetotheZontaWorldConferenceatWashington,D.C.
lastJuly,1980withoutanycompany.Asatokenofmyloveandunfailingtrustwewentsightseeing
andonsecondhoneymoontoHongkongonlylastmonth.

Sometime during the last week of October, 1980, while I went on my normal work routine to Passi
SugarMillsiteinPassiIloilo,mysonEdmundtookmeasideinconfidenceandtoldmethathehas
someverydelicatematterstotakeupwithwhichmaybemisinterpretedbymeormaybetakenby
herinawronglighthowever,hesaidhatthehisvaliddignityofthefamilyisatmistakeandIhaveto
knowitwhateverbetheconsequence.AfterIgavehimthegosignal,henarratedtoherthatmywife
Cecile Sorianosos has been unfaithful to me and has been. having illicit relationship with another
man.Ofcurse,IwastakenabackandstunnedsoIaskedhimforthesourceofhisinformation.He
informed me that our maid Elsa Barios and our driver Loreto Reales had beeen aware of the
relationshipandthemanusuallywenttomyhouseandevenslepttherewheneverIwasinManila.I
gotangryandblamedourmaidandthedriverfornottellingmebutEdmundtoldmethattheywere
afraidtotellbecausetheywerethreatened.AfterIhavecalmeddown,IcommendedthatifIconfront
my wife about her illicit relationship, she will surely deny it. So I thought that the best way was to
catch her redhanded in the act of infidelity so that she could not deny it. anymore. I suggested to
Edmundtothinkofaplansowecancatchhiswiferedhanded.

AfterseveraldaysofplanningweagreedtoputourplanofactioninoperationonNovember3,1980
sinceIwillbeleavingforManilainthemorningofthatday.Ourproblemwashowtocatchmywifein
theveryactofhavingsexualintercoursewithherloverconsideringthefactthatourmaster'sroom
was airconditioned with all windows framed by glass jalousies closed and covered by curtains. At
first we thought of breaking down the main door with a sledge hammer so we could take them by
surprise,laterweabandonedtheIdeabecauseoflegalcomplications,

Finally,Ithoughtofremovingaglassofthejalousysotheinsideofthebedroomcanbeseenfrom
theoutsideoncethecurtaincanbebrushedasidebymeansofathinwireandthepersonsonbed
couldbeseenclearlysincethebedisonthesamelevelastheopeningofthewindow.Afterseveral
experiments whenever my wife was out, I found out that my wife cannot notice the removal of the
glassjalousysinceourwindowsarescreenedfromtheinsideofourroom.

Asprearranged,Iremovedonejalousyglassofthewindowofourmasterroomsothatthepeople
inside our room could be seen actually from the outside and the moment my wife and her lover is
seenintheactofsexualintercourse.

Havingcompletedalltheplanstoeffectourplanofoperation,ItoldmywifethatIQforManilaonthat
day.IinstructedmysonEdmundtoinformmeimmediatelyoftheresultoftheplanofactionassoon
aspossible.

Almost midnight of November 3, 1980, I was informed by my daughterinlaw Rebecca that the
operation was successful and resulted in the arrest of my wife and Atty. Bob Javellana inside our
bedroom.

IknowAtty.BobJavellanaforquiteatimeandwehavebeenclosefriends.Asafriendhehascome
toourhouseatMoloIloiloCityoftentimestodiscussmattersaboutthecourtcasebetweentheIloilo
CityGovernmentandSt.ThereseMemorialChapelwhichisabusinesswhichIhavegiventomywife
Cecile.Atty.JavellanaknewthatCecileSorianososismylegallymarriedwife.

WhenIreturnedtoIloiloCityfromManilaonNovember4,1980,Iwasshownthephotographstaken
inside our master bedroom and I am attaching hereto the photographs which are marked as
Annexes"C","D","E","F","G","H","I"and"J".

That I am formally charging my wife, Cecile Sorianosos and Atty. Bob Javellana of Qcomplaint
againstthem(pp.45,OriginalRecords).

SometimeinJanuary1981,i.e., before the conclusion of the preliminary investigation then being conducted by
the Fiscal's Office, Efraim Santibaez learned that he was sick of cancer and decided to leave for the United
States for medical treatment. Before his departure, he executed a holographic Will, dated January 10, 1981, a
portionofwhichprovided:

I do hereby disinherit my second wife Cecilia Sorianosos of any and all inheritance she is entitled
underthelawasmywifeonthegroundthatshehadgivencauseforlegalseparationbycommitting
actsofadulterywithAtty.BobJavellanaintheeveningofNovember3,1980inmyconjugalabodeat
CandidoSubdivisionandasaresultofwhichIchargedherandAtty.BobJavellanaforadulterywith
theFiscal'sOfficeandIfiledacaseoflegalseparationagainstherinCivilCaseNo.SP11309of
theJuvenileandDomesticRelationsCourtinIloiloCityforwhichactofinfidelity,Icanneverforgive
her.2

On January 15, 1981, after several requests for postponement, private respondents submitted their
memorandum to the Fiscal's Office and on February 19, 1981, Fiscal Galvez issued a resolution finding the
existenceofaprimafaciecaseforadulteryagainstprivaterespondents.

OnFebruary26,1981,FiscalGalvezwasinformedbyrelativesofEfraimSantibaezthatthelatterhaddiedin
theUnitedStatesonFebruary16,1981.Thisnotwithstanding,hepreparedtheinformationinquestiononMarch
3,1981,andonthefollowingandfiledthesamewiththeCourtofFirstInstanceofIloilo.

Private respondents filed a motion to quash the information on the ground that the court did not acquire
jurisdictionovertheoffensecharged,astheoffendedpartyhadnotfiledtherequiredcomplaintpursuanttothe
provisionsofArticle344oftheRevisedPenalCodeandSection4,Rule110oftheRulesofCourttotheeffect
that "the crimes of adultery and concubinage shall not be prosecuted except upon a complaint filed and the
offendedspouse,"
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Findingmeritinthepositiontakenbyprivaterespondents,respondentjudgegrantedthemotionanddismissed
thecase.Thecityfiscalmovedforareconsideration,butthesamewasdenied.Hence,thepresentrecourse.

ThesoleissuetoberesolvediswhetherornottherehasbeencompliancewiththerequirementofArticle344of
theRevisedPenalCode,reiteratedinSection4,Rule110oftheRulesofCourt,that"thecrimesofadulteryand
concubinageshallnotbeprosecutedexceptuponacomplaintfiledbytheoffendedparty"

Weruleintheaffirmative,

Weareawarethatinalonglineofdecisions,3thisCourthasmaintainedstrictadherencetotherequirementimposed
byArticle344oftheRevisedPenalCode.

It must be borne in mind, however, that this legal requirement was imposed "out of consideration for the
aggrievedpartywhomightprefertosuffertheoutrageinsilenceratherthangothroughthescandalofapublic
trial."4 Thus, the law leaves it to the option of the aggrieved spouse to seek judicial redress for the affront committed by
theerringspouse.Andthis,toOurmind,shouldbetheoverridingconsiderationindeterminingtheissueofwhetherornot
theconditionprecedentprescribedbysaidArticle344hasbeencompliedwith.Forneedlesstostate,thisCourtshouldbe
guidedbythespirit,ratherthantheletter,ofthelaw.

Inthecaseatbar,thedesireoftheoffendedparty,EfraimSantibaez,tobringhiswifeandherallegedparamour
tojusticeisonlytooevident.Suchdeterminationofpurposeonhispartisamplydemonstratedinthedispatchby
whichhefiledhiscomplaintwiththepolice[annex"A",supra]thestrongandunequivocalstatementcontainedin
the affidavit filed with the Fiscal's Office that "I am formally charging my wife Cecile Sorianosos and Atty. Bob
Javellana of the crime of adultery and would request that this affidavit be considered as a formal complaint
againstthem"[Annex"B",supra]hisfilingofacomplaintforlegalseparationagainstCecileSantibaezwiththe
local Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and finally, in disinheriting his wife in his Last Will and Testament
datedJanuary10,1981.

Inquashingtheinformation,respondentjudgerelieduponOurdecisioninPeoplevs.Santos 5totheeffectthata
"salaysay" or sworn statement of the offended party, which prompted the fiscal to conduct a preliminary investigation and
thentofileaninformationincourt,wasnotthecomplaintrequiredbyArticle344oftheRevisedPenalCode.

The ruling in Santos is not applicable to the case at bar. In that case, the "salaysay" executed by complainant
Bansuelo was not considered the complaint contemplated by Article 344 of the Revised Penal Code because it
wasamerenarrationofhowthecrimeofrapewascommittedagainsther.However,intheaffidavitcomplainant
submittedbyEfraimSantibaez,thelatternotonlynarratedthefactsandcircumstancesconstitutingthecrimeof
adultery,buthealsoexplicitlyandcategoricallychargedprivaterespondentswiththesaidoffense.Thus

That I am formally charging my wife Cecile Sorianosos and Atty. Bob Javellana of the crime of
adulteryandwouldrequestthatthisaffidavitbeconsideredasaformalcomplaintagainstthem.

Moreover, in Santos, this Court noted that the information filed by Rizal Provincial Fiscal Nicanor P. Nicolas
"commenced with the statement "the undersigned fiscal accuses Engracio Santos with the crime of rape," the
offended party not having been mentioned at all as one of the accusers." In the instant case, however, the
informationfiledbythecityfiscalofIloiloreadsasfollows:

TheundersignedcityfiscaluponswornstatementoriginallyfiledbytheoffendedpartyEfraimSantibaez,xerox
copiesofwhichareheretoattachedasAnnexes"A"and"B"...

Undoubtedly,thecomplaintaffidavitfiledbySantibaezcontainsalltheelementsofavalidcomplaint,as"itstates
thenamesofthedefendants,thedesignationoftheoffensebythestatute,theactsoromissioncomplainedofas
constitutingtheoffensethenameoftheoffendedparty,theapproximatetimeofthecommissionoftheoffense,
andtheplacewhereintheoffensewascommitted.6

Whatismore,saidcomplaintaffidavitwasattachedtotheinformationasanintegralpartthereof,anddulyfiled
withthecourt.AsheldinFernandezvs.Lantin,7thefilingincourtofwhichaffidavitorswornstatementoftheoffended
party, if it contains all the allegations required of a criminal complaint under Section 5, Rule 110 of the Rules of Court,
constitutessufficientcomplianceofthelaw.Thus:

...inacasewheretheFiscalfiledanInformationchargingtheaccusedwith"tellingsomepeopleill
theneighborhoodthatsaidFaustaBravo(amarriedwoman)wasaparamourofoneSangalang,a
mannotherhusband",andFaustaBravodidnotsubscribetothecomplaintthisCourtheldthatthe
trialcourthadnojurisdictionoverthecase.ItruledthatsincetheaccusedimputedtoFaustaBravo
the commission of adultery, a crime which cannot be prosecuted cle oficio, the Information filed by
theFiscalcannotconferjurisdictionuponthecourtoforigin.

ltmustbenoted,however,thatthiserrorcouldbecorrectedwithoutsustainingthemotiontoquash
anddismissingthecase.PursuanttosectionIofparagraph(a)ofPresidentialDecreeNo.77,under
which the Assistant City Fiscal conducted the preliminary investigation the statement of the
complainantwassworntobeforetheaforesaidInvestigatingFiscal.Assumingthattherecitalsinsaid
worn statement contain all those required of a complaint under the rules i copy of said verified
statement of the complainant should be filed With respondent Court in order to comply with the
requirementsofArticle360oftheRevisedPenalCodeotherwise,therespondentFiscalshouldfile
withsaidcourtaverifiedcomplaintoftheoffendedparty

Upon these premises, We cannot but conclude that the adultery charge against private respondents is being
prosecuted"uponcomplaintfiledbytheoffendedparty."

WHEREFORE, the petition is hereby granted. The orders of the Court of First Instance of Iloilo, Branch V, in
CriminalCaseNo.13086,datedMay21andSeptember14,1981,areherebysetaside,andrespondentjudgeis
directedtoproceedwiththetrialofthecaseonthemerits.Nocosts.

SOORDERED.

Makasiar(Chairman),Aquino,Guerrero,AbadSantosandRelo,JJ.,concur.

Concepcion,Jr.,J.,andDeCastro,J.,areonleave.

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Footnotes

1p.1,OriginalRecords.

2pp.9293,OriginalRecords.

3U.S.v.Gomez,12Phil.279U.S.v.Narvas14Phil.410U.S.v.delaCruz,17Phil.139U.S.v.
Castaares18Phil.210U.S.v.Salazar,19Phil.233QuilatanandSantiagov.Caruncho,21Phil.
399Peoplev.Martinez,76Phil.559.

4Samilinvs.CFIofPangasinan,57Phil.298,304.

5101Phil.798.

6SEC.5.Sufficiencyofcomplaintorinformation.Acomplaintorinformationissufficientifitstates
thenameofthedefendantthedesignationoftheoffensebythestatutetheactsorOmissions
complainedofasconstitutingtheoffensethenameoftheoffendedpartytheapproximatetimeof
thecommissionoftheoffense,andtheplacewhereintheoffensewascommitted...

774SCRA338,343,344.

TheLawphilProjectArellanoLawFoundation

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