People of the Philippines vs Bonifacio Tirol and Ciriaco Baldesco

No. L-30538, 31 January 1981, 102 SCRA 558

Fernando, C. J.

FACTS: On the evening of December 4, 1965, a group of men armed with

bolos massacred seven (7) members of the Manibpol family in their own
residence with only the patriarch, Kosain Manibpol, and his young daughter
as sole survivors. Suspects were all identified by the survivors but out of
the fourteen (14) men involved, only two (2) were apprehended, namely,
herein accused Bonifacio Tirol and Ciriaco Baldesco. As a result, the trial
court of Cotabato convicted accused for the crime of murder and sentenced
both to capital punishment together with indemnification for the Manibpol
family. Subsequently, the case was elevated to Supreme Court for appeal
on the punishment of death penalty. However, Baldesco died during the
pendency of the case.

ISSUE: Whether or not the death of appellant, Baldesco, automatically

extinguishes his civil liability

HELD: No, the death of convict, Ciriaco Baldesco, does not extinguish his
civil liability. Since the penal liability of appellant Ciriaco Baldesco had been
extinguished by his death on October 23, 1977, only his civil liability
remains to be determined which can be recovered from his estate. The civil
liability of both appellants for each of the seven victims of the seven
murders is hereby raised to P12,000.00 and their civil liability for each of
the two victims of the two frustrated murders is hereby increased to
P8,000.00.