Case SummarySesinando Merida vs. Court of Appeals and Oscar M. Tansiongco,G.R. No. 1 !1!", #une 1", "$$!.

%onente&
Justice Antonio T. Carpio
'acts&
On 23 December 1998, Oscar Tansiongco learned that esinando !erida had cut a narra tree inhis
propert" in !a"od, #rg". $pil, !agdi%ang, &omblon. 'e reported it to $pil(s punong
baranga")lorencio &o"o, %ho summoned them to a baranga" meeting. !erida admitted during the
meeting thathe cut the *elled narra tree %ith permission o* one +icar Cali , %hom he
claimed to ha-e bought that propert" under a pacto de retro sale *rom Tansiongco in October
198/. 'e also sho%ed Cali (s %rittenauthori0ation. Tansiongco reported later the incident on
to D & *orester Thelmo . 'ernande0 inJ a n u a r " 1 9 9 9 . p o n
con*rontation b" 'ernande0, !erida reiterated his claim during the
e a r l i e r baranga" meeting. 'e then ordered !erida not to con-ert the *elled tree trun4 into lumber.On
25 Januar" 1999, 'ernande0 %as in*ormed b" Tansiongco that !erida did not *ollo% his
order.T h e r e * o r e , h e % e n t t o t h e ! a " o d p r o p e r t " a l o n g % i t h o t h e r D & e m p
lo"ees and en*orcemento**icers. The" sa% the
*elled narra tree there con-erted into si
s m a l l e r p i e c e s o * l u m b e r . T h e " subse6uentl" sei0ed the said lumber and deposited those *or
sa*e4eeping %ith &o"o.Tansiongco *iled in &omblon(s 7ro-incial 7rosecutor(s O**ice a complaint
charging !erida -iolation o* ection 58 o* the &e-ised )orestr" Code 7D / :;.$n the preliminar" in-
estigation, !erida submitted a counter a**ida-it reiterating his claim that he cutthe narra tree %ith
Cali <s permission. During the trial ho%e-er, he de*ended himsel* b" sa"ing that hehad no part in
cutting and con-erting the tree into lumber.On 2= o-ember 2 , esinando !erida %as *ound guilt" b"
&TC &omblon, &omblon, #ranch 81, o* -iolating section 58 o* the &e-ised )orestr" Code. $t sentenced
him to 1= "ears, 8 months and 1 da" to2 "ears o* reclusion temporal. $t also ordered the sei0ed
lumber be *or*eited in Tansiongco<s *a-or.On appeal at the Court o* Appeals CA;, !erida reiterated his
de*ense during the &TC trial. On 28 June2 2, the CA a**irmed the trial court<s ruling o* con-icting him
*or -iolating ection 58 o* the &e-ised)orestr" Code 7D / :, amended b" .O. 2//; but it ordered that
the sei0ed lumber be con*iscated inthe go-ernment<s *a-or. o, he sought that the CA
decision be reconsidered. 'o%e-er, his motion *or reconsideration %as denied because it %as
*iled late.
(ssues&
1; >hether !erida is liable *or -iolating section 58 o* the &e-ised )orestr" Code?
)egal %rovisions&
Section 68 of the Revised Forestry Code (PD 705):
“Cutting, Gathering and/or Collecting Timber, or Other Forest Products Without License. — An !erson
"ho shallcut, gather, collect, remo#e timber or other $orest !roducts $rom an $orest
land, or timber $rom alienable or dis!osable !ublic land, or $rom !ri#ate land, "ithout an
authorit , or !ossess timber or other $orest !roducts

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"ithout the legal documents as re%uired under e&isting $orest la"s and regulations, shall be !unished
"ith the!enalties im!osed under Articles '() and '*( o$ the +e#ised Penal Code Pro#ided,
That in the case o$ !artnershi!s, associations, or cor!orations, the o$$icers
"ho ordered the cutting, gathering, collection or !ossession shall be liable, and i$ such
o$$icers are aliens, the shall, in addition to the !enalt , be de!orted"ithout $urther
!roceedings on the !art o$ the Commission on -mmigration and e!ortation.The court shall $urther
order the con$iscation in $a#or o$ the go#ernment o$ the timber or an $orest !roducts cut,gathered,
collected, remo#ed, or !ossessed as "ell as the machiner , e%ui!ment, im!lements and
tools illegall used in the area "here the timber or $orest !roducts are $ound.
Articles 30 ! 3"0 of the Revised Pen#l Code:
Art. '(). Penalties. — An !erson guilt o$ the$t shall be !unished b *. The !enalt o$ !rision ma or in
its minimum and medium !eriods, i$ the #alue o$ the thing stolen is more than*0,((( !esos but does not
e&ceed 00,((( !esos1 but i$ the #alue o$ the thing stolen e&ceeds the latter amount,t h e ! e n a l t
shall be the ma&imum !eriod o$ the one !rescribed in this !aragra!h, and
o n e e a r $ o r e a c h additional ten thousand !esos, but the total o$ the !enalt "hich ma be
im!osed shall not e&ceed t"ent ears.-n such cases, and in connection "ith the accessor !enalties "hich
ma be im!osed and $or the !ur!ose o$ theother !ro#isions o$ this Code, the !enalt shall be termed
!risi2n ma or or reclusi2n tem!oral, as the case ma be.0. The !enalt o$ !rision correccional in its
medium and ma&imum !eriods, i$ the #alue o$ the thing stolen is morethan 3,((( !esos but does not
e&ceed *0,((( !esos.'. The !enalt o$ !rision correccional in its minimum and medium !eriods, i$ the
#alue o$ the !ro!ert stolen ismore than 0(( !esos but does not e&ceed 3,((( !esos.4. Arresto ma or in its
medium !eriod to !rision correccional in its minimum !eriod, i$ the #alue o$ the !ro!ert stolen is o#er 5(
!esos but does not e&ceed 0(( !esos.5. Arresto ma or to its $ull e&tent, i$ such #alue is o#er 5 !esos
but does not e&ceed 5( !esos.3. Arresto ma or in its minimum and medium !eriods, i$ such #alue does
not e&ceed 5 !esos.6 . A r r e s t o m e n o r o r a $ i n e n o t e & c e e d i n g 0 ( ( ! e s o s , i $ t h e
t h e $ t i s c o m m i t t e d u n d e r t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s enumerated in !aragra!h ' o$ the
ne&t !receding article and the #alue o$ the thing stolen does not e&ceed 5 !esos. -$ such
#alue e&ceeds said amount, the !ro#isions o$ an o$ the $i#e !receding subdi#isions shall be
madea!!licable.7. Arresto menor in its minimum !eriod or a $ine not e&ceeding 5( !esos, "hen the #alue
o$ the thing stolen isnot o#er 5 !esos, and the o$$ender shall ha#e acted under the
im!ulse o$ hunger, !o#ert , or the di$$icult o$ earning a li#elihood $or the su!!ort o$ himsel$
or his $amil . Art. '*(. 8uali$ied the$t. — The crime o$ %uali$ied the$t shall be !unished b the !enalties
ne&t higher b t"odegrees than those res!ecti#el s!eci$ied in the ne&t !receding article.
*eld and ruling&
The upreme Court denied !erida(s petition and a**irmed the decision o* the Courto* Appeals. $t
ruled that undoubtedl", the narra tree that he cut %ithout authorit" and
subse6uentl"con-erted to lumber, %as @timber@ *it @*or building or *or carpentr" or oiner"@.
Thus, his acts *all under the pro -isions o* section 58 o* the &e -ised )orestr" Code,
regardless %hether the tree came *rom pri-ate lands, alienable or disposable public lands