THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. COMMANDER JOSE ALCANTARA, ET AL.

,
defendants-appellants
No. L-16832
November 18, 1967
REYES, J.B.L., J.:

FACTS:

In the afternoon of 21 April 1954, a Chinese merchant, Wee King, was kidnapped from his house
in Catanauan, Quezon by several armed men dressed in army uniforms, Manosca and Ramos acted as
lookout and was part of the plan. King was taken to the mountain of Bondoc Peninsula, he was held
there in custody for thirty days and then ransomed by his wife for P30,000.00. Lucio Mañosca was the
vice-mayor of the municipality of Catanauan, while Mariano Ramos, was the teniente concejal of barrio
Camandizon, and Jose Alcantara or Lt. Alcantara or Commander Alcantara, known as Hukbalahap,
commanded the Tadtad Unit, in charge of kidnapping.

On 11 June 1956, the two appellants, together with Alcantara and other unidentified persons,
were charged with Wee King’s kidnapping. After trial, the lower court sentenced the accused-appellants
guilty of kidnap for ransom and was sentenced to reclusion perpetua to temporal. Hence the appeal.

ISSUE:

WON the two accused are guilty in the kidnapping of Wee King?

RULING:

Yes, the testimonies of Molines and Ricaro was corroborative. The two appellants were part in the
planning and the commission of the crime. The alibis are also weak and not convincing. Manosca would
not have gone the trouble of going to a far place to earn a small amount considering that he has already
a lot of property. Ramos is near the venue of the kidnapping and it is not physically imposible for him to
be there.

The ruling of the trial court was affirmed with consideration of the age of the accused.