Rafael Pasederio, with  his children Cirilo and Dominador Pasederio, his son-in-law  Bernabe Gancia,  and Leonorico Malfori, were charged  with murder in the Court of First Instance  of  Iloilo,  where,  after  trial,  all  were found guilty  and  sentenced each to reclusion  perpetua, with  the  accessory penalties  prescribed  by  law,  to indemnify jointly and severally the heirs  of  the  deceased in the sum of P6,000, and to pay proportionately the costs. They ail appealed from this decision.

In  the morning  of  November 28,  1954, at about 6:00 o'clock, while Nilo Defensor was combing his  hair in front of a mirror  in the  house of his sister Regina  Pareja situated in Caraudan,  Janiuay, Iloilo,  the two  brothers Cirilo and  Dominador  Pasederio,  Bernabe  Gancia and  Leonorico  Malfori suddenly appeared brandishing a bolo in their hands, while Rafael Pasederio and his  other son  Andres stood at the doorway,  and three other unidentified individuals placed themselves at the balcony.   At this juncture, those who' stood at the doorway shouted  "You kill  him now",  and  immediately  Cirilo  Pasederio  attacked  Nilo Defensor hitting him  on the left  thigh.  Simultaneously, Dominador  Pasederio  and  Leonorico  Malfori  shouted, "Finish him" and Bernabe Gancia also  attacked Nilo hitting him on  the right arm,  Dominador  Pasederio  and Leonorico Malfori  likewise  assailed Nilo  but  missed as the latter fell on the floor.  In the face of this aggression, Regina Pareja shouted for help to her husband  Dionisio Pareja  who  was then  with his brother-in-law  Ernesto Defensor under  a santol tree  about 50 meters from the house.  Thereupon, Cirilo  Pasederio turned his attack on Regina who,  in attempting to  ward off  the blow,  was wounded  on the left middle finger  and  left  lower lip. Thereafter,  the assailants ran downstairs.

When  Dionisio Pareja heard the outcries  of his  wife, he ran towards his house and upon reaching the doorway, was met  by Leonorico Malfori  who  attempted  to strike  him with his bolo, but fortunately Dionisio succeeded in wresting  it from  Malfori who then  started to run.  At  this moment, Cirilo and Dominador  Pasederio  tried to chase Dionisio Pareja  but the latter  ran inside  the house and closed  the door  behind him.  Thereafter,  the assailants left and when Dionisio Pareja and his wife were preparing to take  Nilo Defensor  to town for medical treatment, the latter expired.   Dr. Amado  R.  San Diego, municipal health  officer of Janiuay, arrived at the scene a little later and  after treating  the wounds received by  Regina, he performed an autopsy on  the body of the  deceased.  He found that the deceased received two stab wounds on the posterior portion of the left thigh  and  on  the right  arm and  that  the cause of his death was acute hemorrhage.

The evidence further shows that on the night previous to the date of the incident, the deceased  and one Domingo Obeja met Dominador Pasederio who was in the company of some ladies near a creek in Caraudan,  Janiuay, Iloilo, and  on that  occasion the deceased remarked that Dominador should not have taken the girls home as he had not yet  danced with them.  This  remark  was  resented by Dominador who immediately grabbed his bolo to  attack the deceased and, to defend himself, the latter picked up some stones and threw  them  at Dominador  without however hitting him.  Seeing this encounter, the lady companions of Dominador ran  away.   The timely  intervention of Domingo Obeja  prevented Dominador and the  deceased from causing more serious harm to one another.  However, as Dominador went away, he shouted, "You will expect something."

The version of the incident given by appellants  is as follows:   On November 27, 1954, a baptismal party was celebrated  in  the  house  of  Jose Gancia  in  Caraduan, Janiuay, Iloilo, wherein one Gerardo Tiron acted as sponsor. Among those who attended the party were Dominador Pasederio and two lady visitors from Cabatuan,  Iloilo.  In the afternoon of that day, at about 4:00 o'clock, Dominador Pasederio  and his companions, including Gerardo  Tiron and the two lady visitors, started their way home.  While on their way to  Janiuay, Iloilo, they met Nilo Defensor and Domingo Obeja.  Nilo inquired from Dominador  why he was  bringing the ladies home since he wanted yet to dance with them, to which Dominador answered saying that they were going home because it was getting late.  Nilo also inquired where were his companions from and Dominador answered  that  they  were from Cabatuan, Iloilo. Upon hearing this Nilo said, "Ah, they are strangers" and unsheathed his  bolo, whereupon Dominador  and  his  companions ran away.   The following morning, at about 7:00 o'clock, Gerardo Tiron went up to the house of Dominador Pasederio to invite him to go to Iloilo but Dominador was not able to  go.

In the morning  of November 28,  1954, at  about 6:00 o'clock, Leonorico Malfori went  to  a place where  illegal cockfighting was being  held  in barrio Caraudan, Janiuay, Iloilo, and upon nearing the  house of Regina Defensor, he was approached by Ernesto Defensor who said,  "Where are your companions?  What do  you want, fight?",  at the same time giving Malfori a fist blow  hitting him on the face. Leonorico fell down and Dionisio Pareja, husband of Regina, held him by his hands and shouted to Ernesto to  bolo him.  At this moment, Cirilo Pasederio, a relative of Leonorico  came and upon seeing the predicament of the latter asked,  "What is the fault of that boy?   Let us settle the matter  amicably only."   Thereupon, Dionisio  Pareja released  Leonorico  who  immediately escaped followed by Ernesto  Defensor.   Nilo Defensor  who  was   inside the house of his sister Regina,  went down hurriedly with  a spear in his hand and confronting Cirilo Pasederio, thrust his spear upon the  latter who was hit on the right side of the cheat.  Nilo again confronted Cirilo and made a second thrust with  his  spear, but Cirilo  was able to ward off the thrust, at the same time hitting Nilo with his  bolo on the right  arm.   Undaunted,  Nilo  continued  attacking  Cirilo with his spear but  again the latter ward it off and struek Nilo again with  his bolo hitting him on the upper left thigh. After being  wounded twice, Nilo hurriedly went up the house of his sister Regina.

Regina Defensor, after seeing what  happened to her brother Nilo, approached Cirilo Pasederio and tried to grab his bolo, but in  so doing she  accidentally  wounded herself. In her efforts to grab the bolo from Cirilo, Regina  was wounded on the left middle  finger and  on the left angle of the  lower lip.  After unsuccessfully grabbing the  bolo from Cirilo,  Kegina went  up her house to attend to her brother Nilo but  she  found him  already dead.  In her desire to make  it appear that the incident took place in her house, she covered with sand the blood on the ground and wiped with a wet cloth the blood on the stairway.

The fact that appellants  Cirilo Pasederio and  Bernabe Gancia were the ones who inflicted upon the deceased the two wounds he sustained  on the left thigh and right arm which caused his death has  been clearly  established hy the testimony of Regina Defensor who was  present when the aggression took place so much  so that she herself became the subject of attack but  was  able  to ward off the blow although she was slightly wounded on the left middle finger and left lower lip.  Her testimony has been substantially corroborated by her husband Dionisio Pareja who, answering the outcries for help of his wife,  ran  towards his house in an effort to defend the  deceased, his brother-in-law, but was met on the way  by  Leonorico  Malfori and  the  two brothers Cirilo  and Dominador  Pasederio,  thus setting at naught his effort to defend him.  As to  the motive of the aggression, there is  also enough evidence  on record that sustains it.  It  was established that  on the night  previous to  the date of the incident, the deceased and Dominador Pasederio  had an altercation which  arose  from a remark made by the deceased regarding the taking home  of some girls with  whom the latter wanted to dance, which remark was resented  by Dominador and would  have had  a more serious consequence were it not for the timely intervention of one Domingo Obeja.  However, Dominador, before parting, shouted,  "You'll  expect something."  Early the next morning, the  aggression took place.

The version given  by appellant was not  believed by the trial court which is  in a  better position to evaluate the credibility of the witnesses.   On this point, the trial court made the following observation:

"Ademas, el Juzgado no puede convencerse quc  en la mañana del 28 dc noviembre de 1954, Ernesto Defensor se eneuentro con el acusado Leonorico Malfori en el sitio doilde solia haber pelens'de gallo ileg'ales, prefi'untando al  ultimo donrle estaban sus  compaiieros y dandolo  al raismo tiempo  un ptmctaso. No puede convenccrse que Dionisio  Parcja, a  su  vez, cogio  las  manos del acusado Leonorico Malfori y luego instruyo a Ernesto Defensor que la diera un bolazo. Tampoco puede convencerse  que con  motivo  dc este incidente entre Ernesto Defensor y Dionisio Pareja,  por un  lado, y el acusado Leonorico  Malfori, por  otro, Nilo Defensor sc bajo precipitadarnente de su casa, la de  su hermana  liegina, convenientementc provisto de una lanza y, sin ceremonia alguna, dio  un lanzaao  al aeusado  Cirilo asederio, hiriendole en el pecho, lado derecho.  Ademas. las pruebas en  autos  se han callado sobre  el  movil que indujo  a  Ernesto Defensor  y  Dionisio l^areja  para  maltratar al acusado Leonorieo Malfori.

"Si bien es verdad que la  pretension del acusado Cirilo .Pasederio de que el, se habia Iierido en el  pecho, lado derecho, lia sido  eortoborada por el Dr. Amado  E. San Diego  (Exhibit 3), se ha probado por la acusacitm que  cuando Ceferino Sueno, que fue prcsentado en contra pruebas, se encontro con los acusadog y sus conipaneros despues del suceso de autos, el  acusado  Cirilo Pasederio no presentaba ninguna herida, Jo que demuostra  que este aeusado se habia herido en otra parte, despues ya del sueeso de autos.  Aunque Ja camiseta  que sujjuestamente llevaba pucsta en la maiiana de  autos fue presentada (Exhibit 4), que se pretende que estaba manehada de  sangrc, dicha camiseta solo  se ha exhibido por primera vez durante la vista  de esta causa, sin que  la misma se haya presentado  o entregado a los autoridades  locales  de  Janiuay.  Aun mas, si  eomo  se pretende, la herida  que tuvicra en cl peclio, lado derecho, fvie causada por lanzazo dada por Nilo  Defensor, es de esperar que la herida debia ser cierta gravedad! dada la naturaleza del arma usada.   Sin  embargo, tanto en el certticado medico (Exhibit 3)   del  Dr. Amado K.  San Diego como 'en el tcstimonio de este medico  so ha probado que dicha  herida era superficial,"

We can  hardly add to the foregoing observation  of  the trial court.  We cannot certainly believe the theory that in the morning in question  Ernesto Defensor attacked Leonorico Malfori  without much ado upon seeing him on his way to  an  unlicensed cockpit  and   that when Leonorico fell, Ernesto's brother-in-law, Dionisio Pareja, came to his support  and took part  in  the  aggression, the reason for our disbelief being that the defense has not presented any proof showing the motive  for the aggression.  It  is likewise hard to believe the pretense that the deceased, upon seeing the altercation that supposedly took  place near  the  cockpit came down from his sister's house armed with a spear and after attacking Cirilo with it .several times, the latter could still unsheath his bolo and inflict on the deceased two fatal wounds without  himself suffering any scratch.  We  find still more unbelievable the pretense that though unarmed as she  was, Regina  had aproached the assailant and tried to wrest the bolo from him thus "wounding herself on the finger and lower lip.  Considering the  inherent improbability  of the theory of the defense* we cannot but accept the version of the  prosecution.

There is however  one flaw which we find in the evidence. as regards  the liability of  Rafael Pasederio,  father of Cirilo and Dominador,  whose only  participation  in  the incident was his  having accompanied his two sons to the house  of Dionisio Pareja,   He may have gone with them with the only purpose of giving  aid  and  comfort to the wounded feeling  of Dominador caused by the  encounter he had  with' Nilo   Defensor  on the  night previous  but without expecting the  unfortunate result that ensued.  At any rate, the evidence on  hand is not in our opinion sufficient to produce in the mind the moral  conviction that he is guilty of the crime charged.

The contention  that  only appellant Cirilo Pasederio may be held  criminally  liable for  the  death of the  victim in the absence of proof of conspiracy among the other appellants, is without merit.  With the exception  of what affects Bafael Pasederio, we find correct the following observation of the Solicitor General:

"In the instant case,  the "immunity of purpose on the part of the appellants  is plainly inferable, from  the following circumstances:  Appellants who are  closely related to one  another,  made  common cause to redress a supposed affront made by the .deceased to one of their kin, appellant Dominador, Pasederio on the night previous, by going together to the house of the victim's sister on that fatal morning; that appellant Rafael Pasaderio who is the father of Cirilo  and Dominador, induced the other appellants to kill the offended party once they were  inside  said house; that appellant Cirilo Pasederio then boloed their  victim on  the .left thigh; that  from the  further prodding by appellants Dominador Pasederio and Leonorico Malfori, appellant Gancia boloed the offended party on the right arm; that appellants Dominador  Pasederio and Leonorico  Malfori  made use of their bolos on their victim but missed; that Cirilo  Pasederio also attacked Regina Pareja, the victim's sister who  was then present; and that afterwards all the appellants left the scene together (People vs. Delgado, et al. 77 Phil.  11; People i;s, Baltazar, et al., supra)."

Wherefore,  with the exception of Rafael Pasederio who is hereby acquitted, the decision appealed from is affirmed in all other respects, with costs against the other appellants.

Paras, C. J., Bengzon, Padilla, Montemayor, Reyes, A., Labrador, Endencia and Felix, JJ., concur.