Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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* SECOND DIVISION.
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Same; Same; The law enforcers and public officers who take
possession of the specimen is dutybound to detail how it was cared
for, safeguarded and preserved while in his or her control to
prevent alteration or replacement while in custody.—The onus of
proving culpability in criminal indictment falls upon the State. In
conjunction with this, law enforcers and public officers alike have
the corollary duty to preserve the chain of custody over the seized
drugs. The chain of evidence is constructed by proper exhibit
handling, storage, labeling and recording, and must exist from the
time the evidence is found until the time it is offered in evidence.
Each person who takes possession of the specimen is dutybound
to detail how it was cared for, safeguarded and preserved while in
his or her control to prevent alteration or replacement while in
custody. This guarantee of the integrity of the evidence to be used
against an accused goes to the very heart of his fundamental
rights.
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TINGA, J.:
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I.
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5 Entitled Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
6 Id., at pp. 4445.
7 Records, p. 1.
8 Id.
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II.
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17 People v. Lapitaje, 445 Phil. 729, 746; 397 SCRA 674, 687 (2003),
citing People v. Mendoza, 327 SCRA 695 (2000). See also People v. Sevilla,
394 Phil. 125; 339 SCRA 625 (2000).
18 See People v. Lapitaje, 445 Phil. 729, 748; 397 SCRA 674, 690 (2003)
citing People v. Lagarto, 326 SCRA 693 (2000) and People v. Nitcha, 240
SCRA 283 (1995). See also People v. Kimura, G.R. No. 130805, 27 April
2004, 428 SCRA 51.
19 People v. Sarap, 447 Phil. 642; 399 SCRA 503 (2003).
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as they were
29
seized during a warrantless search which was
not lawful. As we pronounced in People v. Lapitaje—
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29 See People v. Lapitaje, supra note 17, citing People v. Chua Ho San,
308 SCRA 42 (1999).
30 Id., at pp. 748749; p. 690.
31 424 Phil. 263; 373 SCRA 221 (2002).
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or a voluntary
34
submission to the warrantless search and
seizure.
III.
is not the lone cause that militates against the case of the
prosecution. We likewise find that it has failed to
convincingly establish the identity of the marijuana leaves
purportedly taken from petitioner’s bag.
In all prosecutions for violation of the Dangerous Drugs
Act, the following elements must concur: (1) proof that the
transaction took place; and (2) presentation35in court of the
corpus delicti or the illicit drug as evidence. The existence
of dangerous drugs is a condition sine qua non for
conviction for the illegal sale of dangerous
36
drugs, it being
the very corpus delicti of the crime.
In a line of cases, we have ruled as fatal to the
prosecution’s case its failure to prove that the specimen
submitted for laboratory examination 37
was the same one
allegedly seized from the accused. There can be no crime
of illegal possession
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34 Id.
35 People v. Hajili, 447 Phil. 283, 295; 399 SCRA 188, 197 (2003).
36 People v. Almeida, 463 Phil. 637, 648; 418 SCRA 254, 263 (2003),
citing People v. Mendiola, 235 SCRA 116 (1994). See also People v.
Kimura, G.R. No. 130805, 27 April 2004, 428 SCRA 51, 61, citing People v.
Mendiola, supra, People v. Macuto, 176 SCRA 762 (1989), People v.
Vocente, 188 SCRA 100 (1990) and People v. Mariano, 191 SCRA 136
(1990).
37 See People v. Mapa, G.R. No. 91014, 31 March 1993, 220 SCRA 670
(1993), People v. Dismuke, G.R. No. 108453, 11 July 1994, 234 SCRA 51,
People v. Casimiro, 383 SCRA 400 (2002), People v. Pedronan, 452 Phil.
226; 404 SCRA 183 (2003), People v. Kimura, G.R. No. 130805, 27 April
2004, 428 SCRA 51, People v. Ong, G.R. No. 137348, 21 June 2004, 432
SCRA 470.
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40 Records, p. 2.
41 Id., at p. 5.
42 Rollo, p. 87.
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43 Id.
44 TSN, 17 March 2004, pp. 1113.
45 People v. Sevilla, 394 Phil. 125, 158; 339 SCRA 625, 652 (2000),
citing People v. Pagaura, 267 SCRA 17 (1997), People v. De los Santos, 314
SCRA 303 (1999).
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46 People v. Santos, Jr., G.R. No. 175593, 17 October 2007, 536 SCRA
489, citing People v. Samson, 421 Phil. 104; 369 SCRA 229 (2001).
47 People v. Sapal, 385 Phil. 109, 126; 328 SCRA 417, 432 (2000), citing
People v. Delos Santos, G.R. No. 126998, 14 September 1999, 314 SCRA
303 and People v. Fider, 223 SCRA 117 (1993).
48 Office of the Court Administrator v. Librado, 329 Phil. 432, 435; 260
SCRA 624, 628 (1996), citing People v. Nario, 224 SCRA 647 (1993).
49 Id., citing People v. Policarpio, 158 SCRA 85 (1988).
50 Id., at p. 436, citing People v. Bati, 189 SCRA 95 (1990), citing People
v. Lamug, 172 SCRA 349 (1989).
51 Id., citing People v. Policarpio, supra.
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IV.
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52 People v. Sevilla, 394 Phil. 125, 159; 339 SCRA 625, 653 (2000),
citing People v. Pagaura, supra. See also People v. Sapal, supra.
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(People vs. Que Ming Kha alias Alfonso Go, 382 SCRA 480
[2002])
The required probable cause that will justify a
warrantless search and seizure is not determined by a fixed
formula but is resolved according to the facts of each case.
(Caballes vs. Court of Appeals, 373 SCRA 221 [2002])
The person who is the subject of the search must be the
one who should give the consent to a search, not anybody
else present. (People vs. Asis, 391 SCRA 108 [2002])
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