Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2 - Belmonte vs. People
2 - Belmonte vs. People
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* FIRST DIVISION.
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still far from the area and would not be able to arrive on time. As
regards the absence of the DOJ representative, Eulogio
465
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PERLAS-BERNABE, J.:
Before the Court is a petition for review on certiorari1
filed by petitioner Kevin Belmonte y Goromeo (Belmonte)
assailing the Decision2 dated June 30, 2015 and the
Resolution3 dated March 14, 2016 of the Court of Appeals
(CA) in C.A.-G.R. CR-H.C. No. 05362, which affirmed the
Decision4 dated November 23, 2011 of the Regional Trial
Court of San Fernando City, La Union, Branch 30 (RTC) in:
(1) Crim. Case No. 8979, finding Belmonte, Mark Anthony
Gumba y Villaraza (Gumba), and Billy Joe Costales
(Costales) guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating
Section 5, Article II of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165,5
otherwise known as the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs
Act of 2002”; and (2) Crim. Case No. 8997, finding Gumba
guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 11,
Article II, thereof.
The Facts
The instant case stemmed from two (2) separate
Informations6 filed before the RTC accusing: (1) Belmonte,
Gumba,7
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The prosecution alleged that at around 9 o’clock in the
morning of November 23, 2010, Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Agent Sharon Ominga
(Ominga)12 received information from a confidential
informant (agent) that a certain “Mac-Mac,” later identified
as Gumba,13 was selling marijuana.14 Ominga immediately
coordinated with the PDEA-Quick Reaction Force (QRF)
and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Provincial Anti-
Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Group (PAIDSOTG)
and a buy-bust team composed of Ominga, Intelligence
Officer 1 Ranel Cañero (Cañero), and members of the
PDEA-QRF and PNP-PAIDSOTG was formed.15 Ominga
was designated as the poseur-buyer, Cañero as arresting
officer, and the rest as backup officers.16 Ominga then
instructed the agent to contact Gumba and place an order
for P2,000.00 worth of marijuana. Thereafter, Ominga
prepared four (4) P500.00 bills as buy-bust money, marked
them with her initials, and proceeded with the rest of the
buy-bust team to the public cemetery of San Gabriel, La
Union, the designated place for the transaction.17
Upon the buy-bust team’s arrival at the target area,
Ominga, Cañero, and the agent walked towards the
cemetery while the backup officers waited in the vehicle.18
As Gumba
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31 Id., at pp. 50-51. See also TSN, May 13, 2011, pp. 13-14.
32 Id., at p. 51. See also TSN, May 13, 2011, pp. 18-21.
33 Records (Crim. Case No. 8979), p. 13.
34 See TSN, May 13, 2011, pp. 23-24.
35 Id., at pp. 24-25.
36 Id., at p. 26. See Chemistry Report No. PDEAROI-DD010-0008
dated November 23, 2010; Records (Crim. Case No. 8979), p. 14.
37 Rollo, p. 53. See also TSN, July 13, 2011, pp. 3-4.
38 Id.; Id.
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39 Id.; Id.
40 Referred to as “Buddha” in some parts of the Records. See TSN,
July 13, 2011, pp. 4-5.
41 Rollo, p. 53. See also TSN, July 13, 2011, pp. 5-6.
42 Id.; Id.
43 Id., at p. 52. See also TSN, July 6, 2011, pp. 3-4.
44 Id. See also TSN, July 6, 2011, pp. 4-5.
45 Id. See also TSN, July 6, 2011, p. 5.
46 Id. See also TSN, July 6, 2011, p. 6.
47 Id., at pp. 52-53; Id.
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58 Id., at p. 54.
59 CA Rollo, pp. 168-190.
60 Id., at p. 177.
61 Id.
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69 Id., at p. 60.
70 Id., at pp. 59-61.
71 Id., at pp. 61-62.
72 CA Rollo, pp. 437-454.
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and the consideration; and (b) delivery of the thing sold and
the payment.74
In this relation, it is essential that the identity of the
prohibited drug be established beyond reasonable doubt. In
order to obviate any unnecessary doubts on the identity of
the dangerous drugs, the prosecution has to show an
unbroken chain of custody over the same. It must be able to
account for each link in the chain of custody over the
dangerous drug from the moment of seizure up to its
presentation in court as evidence of the corpus delicti.75
Section 21, Article II of RA 9165 provides the chain of
custody rule, outlining the procedure police officers must
follow in handling the seized drugs, in order to preserve
their integrity and evidentiary value.76 Under the said
section, the apprehending team shall, immediately after
seizure and confiscation conduct a physical
inventory and photograph the seized items in the
presence of the accused or the person from whom
the items were seized, his representative or counsel,
a representative from the media and the Department
of Justice, and any elected public official who shall
be required to sign the copies of the inventory and
be given a copy of the same, and the seized drugs
must be turned over to the PNP Crime Laboratory
within twenty-four (24) hours from confiscation for
examination.77
It is important to note that while the “chain of custody
rule” demands utmost compliance from the aforesaid
officers, Section 21 of the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR)
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75 People v. Viterbo, 739 Phil. 593, 601; 730 SCRA 672, 680 (2014);
citation omitted.
76 People v. Sumili, supra at pp. 150-151.
77 See Section 21(1) and (2), Article II of R.A. No. 9165.
478
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79 TSN, May 13, 2011, pp. 11-21; TSN, May 4, 2011, pp. 7, 8, and 10.
See also Exhibits “D,” “I,” “J,” and “L,” Records (Crim. Case No. 8979), pp.
16, 18, and 19.
80 Id., at pp. 24-25.
479
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82 Id., at pp. 11-18. See also Exhibit “B,” Records (Crim. Case No.
8979), p. 13.
83 TSN, May 13, 2011, p. 15.
84 TSN, April 8, 2011, p. 19. See Prosecution’s Documentary Exhibits,
Records (Crim. Case No. 8979), p. 16.
85 TSN, May 25, 2011, pp. 14-15.
86 TSN, May 27, 2011, p. 14.
480
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87 People v. Pavia, G.R. No. 202687, January 14, 2015, 746 SCRA 216,
230, citing People v. Llanita, 696 Phil. 167, 187; 682 SCRA 288, 307
(2012).
88 Id., at p. 229.
89 711 Phil. 150; 698 SCRA 452 (2013).
90 Id., at p. 173; p. 478.
91 TSN, May 4, 2011, p. 17; TSN, May 25, 2011, pp. 16-17.
92 Id., at p. 16.
481
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93 People v. Almodiel, 694 Phil. 449, 460; 680 SCRA 306, 319-320
(2012), citing People v. Gaspar, 669 Phil. 122, 134; 653 SCRA 673, 686
(2011).
94 Id., at p. 464; p. 320.
95 People v. Bautista, 665 Phil. 815, 826; 650 SCRA 689, 701 (2011).
482
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