PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs.

HENRY TOMENTOS y
RUBIO, accused-appellant.

Facts

A complaint was filed charging accused-appellant with raping the aforementioned victim
Salvacion Cabahug. During the trial, the prosecution adduced the testimonies of ten
(10) witnesses. The prosecution has established that the accused is the town bully and
a notorious police character with documented nine (9) settled and pending cases filed
aside from those cognizable by the Municipal Trial Court; that the victim is a 21-year-
old girl with the mind of an 8-10 year-old girl, and an IQ of 55-69%; that the victim
spent three (3) years in grade I being really a mental retardee and able to pass Grade V
with 75% average which was only made possible because she was always present in
school and with the teachers as her relatives; that one evening, around March of 1989,
the victim was viewing a Betamax film in the house of one Eniod; that she felt the call
of nature and she went outside the house to urinate, at the banana groves; that she
was followed by the accused who threatened her with a long stainless kitchen knife
about 9 1/2 inches in length with which she was threatened with the knife; that she
was forced to lie down and her panty removed; that with the knife placed at her breast,
she could not do anything but submit to the forced sexual intercourse which the
accused successfully carried on; that thereafter, she was told firmly never to tell
anybody about the matter otherwise, she will be killed by the accused; that the rape
was repeated later on; a baby girl was delivered by the victim; after the baby was born,
the victim was able to answer categorically and in a clear manner the circumstances of
the rape committed on her person and pointed at the accused inside the court session
hall. The defense merely denied participation and kept on insisting that perhaps one of
the boys he requested to be summoned did it.

Issue

Whether or not the lower court erred in granting the prosecution the right to ask
leading questions and not giving significance to the testimony of the prosecution
witness Dr. Angel Somera that complainant's retardation is of the mild degree only

Held

No.

Anent some leading questions having been allowed by the court during the direct-
examination of the victim, the same is allowed in cases of "witness who is ignorant, or a
child of tender years, or is of feeblemind, or a deaf-mute" (Section 5, Rule 132, Rules of
Court). The victim has been convincingly, categorically and scientifically proven to be a
mentally retarded woman, who is likened to that of a mind of 8 to 10 years old, and a
very dull girl ("kulang- kulang"), thus entitled to some leading questions.
Dr. Angel Somera, has proven that the victim does not have hallucinations, is in touch
with reality, no fantasies but only has the tendency to convey thoughts through some
body language like checking the name of the accused and looking/gazing only at the
accused for quite a time when he was seated side by side with the three (3) other
suspected boys in the locality. This makes her a competent witness as she can convey
her ideas in many forms like signs, writings and body gestures, aside from words.