LegalOpi

nion

To: At
ty.RBGr
aceHopeT.Par
reno-
Rogar
Fr
om: Gr
oup-Rachel
GraceB.Zabal
l
a,Ev
anJohnOst
an,
Denmar
kGui
l
ler
moandJonaMaeC.Campos
Re: Legal
Opi
nionf
ort
hecaseofPeopl
evs.Mat
eo
(
GRNo.L-
65165,
June29,
1984)
Dat
e: 19August2022
Fact
s:
Thi
sisamur
dercase.Thef
iveaccused:
Fidel
Mat
eo,
20,
Elmer
Daj
ugar
,18,
ReneAmbr
oci
o,15,
Flor
ant
eMar
ti
nez,
15,
andEdwi
n
Agl
ugob,
15,
wer
ear
rest
ed.

Thet
womi
nor
s,Ambr
oci
oandAgl
ugob,pl
eadedgui
l
tyand
wer
ecommi
tt
edt
otheMi
nist
ryofSoci
alSer
vicesandDev
elopment
,
LaoagCi
ty.

The t
ri
alcour
tfound t
he ot
hert
hree,Mat
eo,Daj
ugar
,and
Mar
ti
nez gui
l
ty ofmur
derand sent
enced Mat
eo and Daj
ugar
t
o r
ecl
usi
onper
pet
ua.Mar
ti
nezwasal
socommi
tt
edt
otheLaoag
Ci
tybr
anchoft
heMi
nist
ryofSoci
alSer
vicesandDev
elopment
.
Mat
eodi
dnotappeal
.Onl
yDaj
ugarappeal
ed.

Daj
ugarcont
endedi
nthi
sappeal
thatt
het
ri
alcour
ter
redi
n
admi
tt
inghi
sconf
essi
on,
consi
der
ingt
hathewasmal
tr
eat
edand
t
hathewasnoti
nfor
medbyt
hei
nvest
igat
ort
hati
fhecoul
dnotget
al
awy
erhewoul
dbepr
ovi
dedwi
thonet
oassi
sthi
m.TheSol
i
cit
or
Gener
alr
ecommendedDaj
ugar
’sacqui
tt
alont
hatgr
ound.Wi
thout
hi
sconf
essi
on,
ther
ewasal
l
egedl
ynoev
idenceast
ohi
scompl
i
cit
y
i
ntheki
l
li
ng.

Ar
ti
cleI
Voft
heConst
it
uti
onpr
ovi
des:
"
SEC.20.—Noper
sonshal
lbecompel
l
edt
obeawi
tnessagai
nst
hi
msel
f.Anyper
sonunderi
nvest
igat
ionf
ort
hecommi
ssi
onofan
of
fenseshal
lhav
ether
ightt
oremai
nsi
l
entandt
ocounsel
,andt
o
bei
nfor
medofsuchr
ight
.Nof
orce,
viol
ence,
thr
eat
,int
imi
dat
ion,
or
anyot
hermeanswhi
chv
iti
atest
hef
reewi
l
lshal
lbeusedagai
nst
hi
m.Anyconf
essi
onobt
ainedi
nvi
olat
ionoft
hissect
ionshal
lbe
admi
ssi
blei
nev
idence.
"

TheCour
t’
sRul
i
ng

Appel
l
ant
’scont
ent
ionmi
ghtbet
enabl
eifonl
yhi
sconf
essi
on
woul
dbet
akeni
ntoaccount
.Howev
er,t
her
ear
efi
ve(
5)ext
ra-
j
udi
ci
alconf
essi
onsi
nthi
scase. The r
ulei
sthat"
ext
ra-
judi
cial
conf
essi
ons,i
ndependent
ly made wi
thoutcol
l
usi
on,whi
ch ar
e
i
dent
icalwi
th each ot
her i
nthei
r essent
ialdet
ail
s and ar
e
cor
robor
ated by ot
herev
idence on r
ecor
d,ar
e admi
ssi
ble as
ci
rcumst
ant
ialev
idenceagai
nstt
heper
soni
mpl
i
cat
edt
oshowt
he
pr
obabi
l
ityoft
hel
att
er’
sact
ualpar
ti
cipat
ioni
nthecommi
ssi
onof
t
hecr
ime.
"

The admi
ssi
bil
i
tyoft
he f
ourconf
essi
ons ofDaj
ugar
’s co-
accusedi
snoti
nquest
ioni
nthi
sappeal
.Ther
eci
tal
sther
einast
o
Daj
ugar
’si
nvol
vementi
nthecase,
whi
char
epar
tl
ycor
robor
atedby
Rami
rez’
test
imony
,ar
eev
idenceagai
nstDaj
ugar
.

TheSupr
emeCour
taf
fi
rmst
hej
udgementofconv
ict
ionof
t
heDaj
ugar
.

Howev
er,wewoul
dhav
erul
edot
her
wise,ont
hef
oll
owi
ng
gr
ounds:(
1)Const
it
uti
onalpr
ovi
sionofAr
ti
cleI
II
,Sect
ion1oft
he
1987Const
it
uti
on;
(2)Ar
ti
cleI
II
,Sect
ion20oft
he1987Const
it
uti
on;
(
3)r
ightagai
nstsel
f-
incr
imi
nat
ion;(
4)equalpr
otect
ioncl
ause;(
5)
R.
A.7438(
Right
sofaPer
sonAr
rest
ed,
Det
ainedorUnderCust
odi
al
I
nvest
igat
ion)
;and(
6)P.
D.603(
TheChi
l
dandYout
hWel
far
eCode)
.

TheSC’
srul
i
ngwhi
chst
atest
hat
,“t
her
eci
tal
sther
einast
o
Daj
ugar
’si
nvol
vementi
nthecase,
whi
char
epar
tl
ycor
robor
atedby
Rami
rez’t
est
imony
,ar
eev
idenceagai
nstDaj
ugar
.”Wedi
sagr
ee,
Rami
rez’t
est
imonyshoul
dnothav
ebeenconsi
der
edagai
nstt
he
accusedashei
sal
awenf
orcementagent
.Lawenf
orcementagent
pr
imar
y dut
yist
o pr
ovi
de ev
idence i
n cour
tnott
o pr
ovi
de
t
est
imony t
hatwoul
d cor
robor
ated t
hatofot
heraccused t
o
i
mpl
i
cat
eanot
heraccused oft
hecase.I
tvi
olat
est
heaccused
Const
it
uti
onalr
ightagai
nstsel
f-
incr
imi
nat
ionandt
hepr
ovi
sionsof
R.
A.7438.

Daj
ugar
’sagei
sal
so mi
srepr
esent
ed asan adul
tof
fender
whenhei
sact
ual
l
yami
noratt
het
imeoft
hecommi
ssi
onoft
he
cr
ime.Hi
sbi
rt
hdat
eisonOct
ober11,
1963.Hei
sonl
y17y
ear
sol
d,
11mont
hsand28day
swhent
hecr
imewascommi
tt
ed.Whi
l
ethe
t
hreeot
hermi
nor
s,Ambr
osi
o,Mar
ti
nezandAgl
unob,whower
e
Daj
ugar
's co-
accused had av
ail
ed t
he speci
al mi
ti
gat
ing
ci
rcumst
anceofmi
nor
it
yunderP.
D.603andwer
eonl
ycommi
tt
ed
t
otheMi
nist
ryofSoci
alSer
vicesandDev
elopment
.Daj
ugar
,ont
he
ot
herhand,was conv
ict
ed ofr
ecl
usi
on per
pet
ua.I
tis a cl
ear
v
iol
ati
onofequalpr
otect
ioncl
ausepr
ovi
dedasaconst
it
uti
onal
r
ightofev
eryaccusedwhi
chst
atest
hatper
sonsort
hingssi
mil
arl
y
si
tuat
edshoul
dbet
reat
edal
i
ke,bot
hast
ori
ght
sconf
err
edand
r
esponsi
bil
i
tiesi
mposed.

Hence,Daj
ulgar
’ssent
enceshoul
dnothav
ebeenaf
fi
rmedby
t
heSupr
emeCour
t.Hi
ssent
enceshoul
dhav
ebeensuspendedby
r
easonofmi
nor
it
yast
hatofhi
sot
hermi
norco-
accusedandhebe
i
nst
ead commi
tt
ed t
o a Soci
al Wel
far
e I
nst
it
uti
on f
or hi
s
r
ehabi
l
itat
ion.