Case:

PEOPLEv
.MARI
OM.BUNDALI
AN

Ci
tat
ion:
117SCRA718

Factsoft heCase: OnJune11, 1964,Hon. 

Gaudenci o E. 
Antonino,thenaMemberoft he
Phil
ippineSenat e,fi
ledasworncompl ai
ntwitht heOf ficeoftheCi tyFi
scalofManil
acharging
hereindefend¬ant -
appell
ee 
withthecrimeoflibel.
  Aftertherequisiteprel
i
minaryi
nvesti
gation
wasconduct ed, 
anInfor
mation 
wasf i
ledintheCour tofFirstInstanceofManilabythen
Assistant 
Fiscal,
 nowCourtofAppealsJusti
ce  Serafin R.Cuev as,char
gingher
eindefendant-
appellee 
withlibel.
Senat
or 
Gaudenci
o E.
 Ant
onino 
madenor
eser
vat
iont
ofi
l
eani
ndependentci
vi
lact
ionnordi
d
hefi
leasepar
ateci
v i
lact
ion.
Someti
meinNovember1967,
Senat
or 
Ant
oni
no 
died.
  
Hedi
edbef
orehet
est
if
iedi
nthel
i
bel
casei
nquest
ion.
OnSeptember2, 1968,
 Bundal
i
an f
il
edamot iontoquashall
egi
ngtwo( 2)grounds,namely
: 
(a)
"Thechargeofl
ibeldoesnotsurv
ivetheoff
endedpartywhoisnowdeceased; and( b)t
hefact
s
all
egedinthei
nformationdonotconsti
tut
eacr i
meoflibel
,ori
ftheydo,iti
sjusti
fi
ed."
InanorderdatedOct ober26,1968,thetri
alcour
tgrantedt
hemot i
ontoquashanddi smissed
thecaseonthef i
rstground. 
 Hence,thi
sappealbythePeople.
  
Theonlyissuerai
sedinthi
s
appeali
sthelegal questi
onofwhet herornotthedeathoft
heof f
endedpartyinacri
minalcase
forl
ibel
ordefamat ionexti
nguishesthecriminal
li
abil
it
yoftheaccused.

Hel
d/Decision:Wherefor
e,t
heordergr
anti
ngthemot i
ont
oquashisherebySETASIDE.
  
The
t
ri
alcourtisorderedtotr
ythecaseonthemer i
tsandtor
endert
hecorr
espondi
ngjudgment
t
hereon.
  
Cost sagainstt
hedef
endant-
appel
lee.

Wef i
ndnodeci si
vesigni
fi
cancei ntheci rcumst ancet hatSenator 
Ant onino di
edbef orehewas
ablet otesti
fy .
  
Ther i
ghtofconf r
ont ati
onandcr oss-examinati
onasguar ant
eedbySec.1( f)
,
Rule115,oft heRulesofCourtandSec.19,Ar t
icleI V,oftheConst i
tution,doesnotmeant hat
theof f
endedpar t
yshouldtest
ifyint hecase.  
 I
ndeed, t
hereisnor equirementt hatt heof fended
partyinacr i
mi nalcasemustt aket hewi tnessst andev enifhewer enotdead.  
 Clearly,neither
maysuch obl i
gati
on bei mposed wher et heof fended partyisal readydead.  
 Ther i
ghtof
confrontati
onandcr oss-
examinati
oni sguar anteedt oanaccusedwi thr espectt oanywi t
ness
whomayt est i
fyagainsthim,butnoti nr espectoft hosewhoar enotmadet ot estify.
  
As
regardst helatter
,noharm orpr ej
udi ceiscausedt heaccusedagai nstwhi chheneededt obe
protected.