Republic of the Philippines

Regional Trial Court

National Capital Judicial Region
Branch 218, Quezon City
rtc1qzn218@judiciary.gov.ph
09979702836

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,

Plaintiff,

-versus- Crim. Case No.

R-QZN-20-08341 -CR

HERMAN DE GUZMAN y BRAZIL

MARK MANZANO y DAET,
Accused.
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TRANSCRIPT

of the stenographic notes taken by the undersigned during the trial of the above
entitled case during video conferencing held on AUGUST 3, 2023 at 8:30 in the
morning, presided by HON. LUIS ZENON Q. MACEREN, Presiding Judge

P R E S E N T:

MS. JONALYN D. DELA PEÑA

Court Interpreter

MS. Felisa J. Remo

Court Stenographer

A P P E A R A N C E S:

Hon. ARNALDO MENDIETA

Public Prosecutor

ATTY. MICHELLE VILLANUEVA

Counsel for the accused

WITNESS PRESENTED:
PCPL ALVIN LARANJO
Witness for the prosecution
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 2
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COURT INTERPRETER:
People of the Philippines versus Herman de Guzman and Mark
Manzano Daet. Both accused are present, your Honor. PCPL
Alvin Laranjo?

PCPL LARANJO:
Present, ma’am.

THE COURT:
Ready, Fiscal?

FISCAL MENDIETA:
Ready, your Honor.

THE COURT:
Call your witness.

FISCAL MENDIETA:
May we call on Officer Laranjo on the witness stand, your
Honor.

WITNESS BEING CALLED ON THE WITNESS STAND

COURT INTERPRETER:
Please raise your right hand. (witness complying). Do you
swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
before this court?
A Yes, I do

Q Please state your name, age, address and your other personal
circumstances?
A PCPL ALVIN Laranjo, 35 years of age, married, presently
assigned at PS 10,EDSA, Kamuning, Quezon City, poseur
buyer in this case

THE COURT:
Your witness, Fiscal.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 3
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FISCAL MENDIETA:
Thank you, your Honor. We are offering the testimony of this
witness to prove the material allegations in the information and
such other matters related thereto.

THE COURT:
Comments, counsel.

ATTY. CABANSAG:
Subject to cross, your honor.

DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY FISCAL MENDOZA

Q Good morning, Officer Laranjo. Do you recall any unusual

incident on October 21, 2020 at around 7:00 o’clock in
the morning?
A Yes, sir.

Q What particular incident do you recall regarding the case?

A With regards to illegal drug activity of alias JR, sir, who is
particularly selling illegal shabu at the area of barangay
Paligsahan, Quezon City, sir.

Q So upon receipt of this information against alias JR, what did

your office do next?
A Our SDEU team leader officer sir, instructed us to conduct a
buy bust operation sir.

Q So how did your team prepare for the conduct of this buy bust
operation?
A After relaying the information to our Station Commander, who
directed us to conduct buy bust operation, one of our team
mates, sir, is directed to coordinate to PDEA NCR and pre-
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 4
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operational report to our higher headquarters to conduct buy

bust operation.

Q After you were able to secure this coordination from PDEA and
other offices, what happened next for the preparation of your
buy bust operation?
A Our Assistant Team Leader, sir, PLT Aguinaldo conducted a
briefing and I was tasked as poseur buyer then I was given one
piece of genuine one thousand peso bill incorporated with sixty
nine pieces of xeroxed boodle money to be utilized as buy bust
money, sir, the I put my initial at the genuine one thousand peso
bill AL stands for Alvin Laranjo at the upper right portion of
the bill, sir.

Q Could you kindly show in front of your camera this marking

you placed on the buy bust money?
A The buy bust money, sir, was under the custody of PCPL
Gumaro, sir.

Q So would you be able to identify this buy bust money you

marked thru photograph?
A Yes, sir.

Q After marking this buy bust money, Officer, what happened

next during your briefing?
A Our Assistant Team Leader, sir PLT Aguinaldo gave me an
Acknowledgment Receipt which we signed, an
acknowledgment receipt for the buy bust money and he
instructed our RCI to contact alias JR to confirm if we can buy
shabu worth 70K po.

Q This acknowledgment receipt, would you be able to identify the

same?
A We signed, sir, the Acknowledgment Receipt, sir.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 5
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Q Who else signed this Acknowledgment Receipt aside from

you?
A My Assistant Team Leader, sir, PLT Aguinaldo, sir.

Q i’m showing to you an Acknowledgement Receipt. Is this the

document you are referring to?
A Yes, sir.

Q There are signatures on this document, whose signatures are

these?
A My signature, sir, PCPL Alvin Larsnjo and the signature of
my Assistant Team Leader, sir, PLT Apolinario
Aguinaldo, sir.

Q How do you know that this is the signature of your team

leader?
A Upon receiving the buy bust money, sir, nagpirmahan po kami
magkaharap po.

Q What was your plan against alias JR during this briefing?

A During the briefing, sir, we instructed by our ream leader that
the pre-arranged signal when the buy bust is
consummated is putting up the face mask, sir.

Q So with this plan against alias JR, what did your team do next,
Mr. Witness?
A After the initial briefing, sir, we conducted a final briefing, sir,
and we proceed to the target location, sir.

Q Do you recall where the target location is situated?

A Yes, sir, along Roces Avenue near corner Quezon avenue, sir,
barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City.

Q And when are you supposed to proceed in this location?

A At around 7:00 pm on the same day, sir.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 6
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Q And who informed you that you will proceed to this location to
transact with alias JR?
A The RCI, sir, confirmed that the transaction will be along Roces
Avenue near corner Quezon Ave., Barangay Paliagsahan,
Quezon City, sir.

Q So what was supposed the subject of your illegal transaction

with alias JR?
A Shabu, sir, young ping- uusapan worth 70K of shabu, more or
less 50 grams, sir.

Q So why we're you only given a one thousand peso bill buy bust
money?
A Iyon lang po, sir, young binigay incorporated po yun ng sixty
nine pieces of boodle money, sir.

Q So with this plan against alias JR, where did you proceed next?
A at around 7:00 pm, sir, the same date, we were dispatched
together with the RCI, sir, to proceed to the target
location at Roces avenue near corner Quezon avenue,
barangay Paliagsahan, Quezon City.

Q And what did you notice upon arrival at this particular target
area?
A We are able to meet the subject, sir, together with his
companion, sir, Mark Manzano on board, sir, a bicycle,
sir.

Q Before you meet the target alias JR and his companion, a

certain Manzano, where were the rests of your buy bust
team?
A They were also positioned themselves as perimeter security,
sir, and immediate back-up, sir. PCPL Gumaro
positioned himself also, sir, at the place of arrest, sir.

Q So upon meeting the target alias JR and his companion

Manzano, what happened next?
A I was introduced to him, sir, by the RCI that I am the scorer, sir.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 7
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Q And what was the response of alias JR?

A The RCI, sir, told to his companion Mark Manzano na iabot mo
na yung item, sir, then in return, sir, I handed the bust bust
money and the boodle money, genuine one thousand peso bill
to alias JR,sir.

Q So where did you notice that alias JR or accused Manzano get

the buy bust item?
A From his possession and control, sir, may dala po siyang orange
pouch, sir.

Q You mentioned that you gave him the buy bust money in
exchanged for the item. Where did he place this buy bust
money?
A It was alias JR who accepted the buy bust money, sir.

Q Where did alias JR place the buy bust money?

A He pocketed it, sir.

Q So after the exchange, what did you do next?

A I executed, sir, the pre-arranged signal by putting up my face
mask, sir.

Q And what was the response of your immediate back-up and

the rest of the team?
A My immediate back-up, sir, immediately arrived at the scene,
sir, and I accosted alias JR, sir.

Q And what did you do at the person of alias JR upon your

arrest?
A And then I arrested his companion Mark Manzano, sir, then we
informed them that we are police officers and we
informed them their constitutional rights, sir.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 8
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Q So after informing them their constitutional rights, what did you

do to their persons?
A We conducted, sir, body frisking and I recovered orange pouch
and one android cell phone from Mark Manzano, sir.

Q How about alias JR, what happened to your target alias JR

after he was arrested?
A Yes, sir, he was accosted by my immediate back-up, sir, PCPL
Gumaro, sir, then Cpl Gumaro, sir, recovered the buy
bust money from alias JR.

Q You mentioned you recovered the drug items, how would you
be able to identify these drug items subject matter of the illegal
transaction?
A I put my initial , sir, and the initial of the accused and the date
of arrest with my signature, sir.

Q And how about the non-drug evidence you recovered, how

would you be able to identify them?
A The same, sir, I also put my initial and the initial of the accused
with the date of arrest and my signature, sir.

Q Would you kindly show these markings on the recovered items

if they are in your custody?
A Sir, it’s in my locker, sir, at the station, sir. I can present it on
the next scheduled hearing, sir.

Q Would you be able to identify this recovered item from

photograph?
A Yes, sir.

Q I’m showing to you a computer generated photograph on

a sheet of bond paper. What does this photograph depict?
A That’s the non-drug items that I recovered from alias Mark
Manzano, sir.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 9
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Q How do you know that these are the items you recovered from
accused Manzano?
A I put my initial, sir, and the initial of the accused Mark
Manzano with the date of arrest, sir, and with my signature, sir.

Q So kindly mention this markings you placed on the items you

recovered?
A Sir, on the orange pouch AL MM 10-21-20 with my signature
and on the android cellphone, sir, AL MM 10-21-20 with
my signature, sir.

Q Kindly turn over these recovered items to the Honorable Court

as soon as possible?
A Yes, sir.

Q You mentioned recovering or marking the subject of the illegal

transaction.

FISCAL MENDIETA:
At this point, your Honor, may we move that the drug items be
shown to the witness in front of the camera.

THE COURT:
Not yet in court, Fiscal.

FISCAL MENDIETA:
In that case, your Honor, may we are constrained to move for a
resetting, your Honor, and that the issuance of a subpoena to the
Forensic Chemist for the turn over of the subject drug item.

THE COURT:
Set this case for continuation of prosecution’s evidence on?

COURT INTERPRETER:
September 2, your Honor, at 8:30 in the morning.
Crim. Case No. R-QZN-20-08341-CR
PP VS. HERMAN DE GUZMAN, ET AL
T S N – AUGUST 3, 2022
Page 10
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THE COURT:
When this case was called for trial accused Herman de
Guzman y Brazil and Mark Manzano y Daet are present thru
video conferencing together with their counsel Atty. Rex
Cabansag of the Public Attorney's Office. Prosecution’s
witnesses PCPL Alvin Laranjo and PCPL Jupiter Gumaro are
also present.

Prosecution called to the witness stand PCPL Alvin Laranjo.

After the direct testimony of the witness, Public Prosecutor
moved for a continuance considering that the specimen subject
matter of this case has not yet been turned over to this court. Set
the continuation of the direct testimony of the witness on
September 2, 2022 at 8:30 in the morning.

Let subpoena be sent anew to the Forensic Chemist or her duly

authorized representative to turn over the specimen subject
matter of this case before September 2, 2022.

PCPL Alvin Laranjo is notified in open court for the next

scheduled hearing.

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CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that the foregoing transcript of stenographic notes is true
and correct to the best of my knowledge and ability

FELISA J. REMO
Court Stenographer III