This case has been cited 5 times or more.
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2001-08-14 |
GONZAGA-REYES, J. |
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| There is no reason why accused-appellant may not be convicted solely on the testimony of the victim herself.[32] Settled is the rule that when a woman declares that she has been raped, and where her testimony passes the test of credibility, the accused can be convicted on the basis thereof. This is because, from the nature of the offense, the sole evidence that can usually be offered to establish the guilt of the accused is the complainant's testimony.[33] We find no reason to disturb the trial court's determination that the testimony of the victim herself is credible and convincing. A married woman with two (2) children would not have publicly admitted that she had been sexually abused unless that was the truth.[34] Thus, as the Court ruled in the case of People vs. Mostrales, [35] "(N)o married woman would subject herself to public scrutiny and humiliation to foist a false charge of rape. Neither would she take the risk of being alienated from her husband and her family. The fact that the victim resolved to face the ordeal and relate in public what many similarly situated would have kept secret evinces that she did so to obtain justice. Her willingness and courage to face the authorities as well as to submit to medical examination are mute but eloquent confirmation of her sincere resolve." Therefore, in the absence of evidence of improper motive on the part of private complainant to falsely testify against accused-appellant, her testimony deserves great weight and credence. | |||||
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2001-07-31 |
MENDOZA, J. |
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| A. Well-settled is the rule that the lone testimony of a rape victim, by itself, is sufficient to warrant a judgment of conviction if found to be credible. It has likewise been established that when a woman declares that she has been raped she says in effect all that is necessary to mean that she has been raped, and where her testimony passes the test of credibility the accused can be convicted on the basis thereof. This is because from the nature of the offense, the sole evidence that can usually be offered to establish the guilt of the accused is the complainant's testimony.[50] | |||||
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2001-04-04 |
PARDO, J. |
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| "Indeed, no woman would openly admit that she was raped and consequently subject herself to an examination of her private parts, undergo the trauma and humiliation of a public trial and embarrass herself with the need to narrate in detail how she was raped, if she was not in fact raped."[25] | |||||
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2001-03-27 |
MENDOZA, J. |
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| The prosecution of rape cases is anchored mainly on the credibility of the complaining witness. Generally, the nature of the offense is such that the only evidence that can prove the guilt of the accused is the testimony of the complainant herself.[23] Hence, in deciding rape cases, this Court has been guided by the following principles: (1) an accusation for rape can be made with facility; it is difficult to prove but more difficult for the person accused, though innocent, to disprove it; (2) in view of the intrinsic nature of the crime, where two persons are usually involved, the testimony of the complainant must be scrutinized with extreme caution; and (3) the evidence for the prosecution must stand or fall on its own merits and cannot be allowed to draw strength from the weakness of the evidence for the defense.[24] | |||||
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2001-02-01 |
YNARES-SANTIAGO, J. |
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| The claim of the defense is untenable. It is not necessary that the victim narrate all the sordid details of the rape. To do so would require her to relive the horror and anguish she experienced which, in all probability, she is trying very hard to erase from memory. Especially, this kind of testimony would usually be made in plain view of the accused, who would in all likelihood be present in the courtroom. Hence, it should be enough if the victim merely says she was raped. This is why this Court has consistently held that when a woman declares that she has been raped she says in effect all that is necessary to mean that she has been raped, and where her testimony passes the test of credibility, the accused can be convicted on the basis thereof.[9] | |||||