REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

REGIONAL TRIAL COURT

THIRD JUDICIAL REGION
BRANCH 57
ANGELES CITY

THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

-versus- R-ANG-16-01084-CR
& 01085-CR
RODOLFO TOLENTINO y TICSE,
Accused.
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TRANSCRIPT

of the Stenographic Notes taken down by the Court Stenographer III, during the
presentation of prosecution evidence (testimony of PCPL Rafael Tagle on initial
cross-examination), held on AUGUST 13, 2020 at 10:21 a.m., before the
Presiding Judge of this Court, HON. OMAR T. VIOLA, at the HALL OF
JUSTICE of this court, ANGELES CITY.

PRESENT:

For the Court:

MILAGROSA C. DIONICIO
Acting Court Interpreter

LERMA L. CELIS
Court Stenographer III

For the Government:

PROS. ADRIAN KEVIN LOPEZ
Public Prosecutor

ATTY. MARIE PAULENE A. SORIANO

Counsel for the Accused

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COURT
Appearances?

PROS. LOPEZ
For the State, Your Honor.

ATTY. SORIANO
For the other accused, Your Honor.

COURT
This is for the initial cross-examination of Officer Rafael Tagle. Are
you ready with your witness, Prosecutor?
TSN – L. Celis
R-ANG-16-01084-CR & 01085-CR
AUGUST 13, 2020
Page 2
Testimony of PCPL Rafael Tagle on initial cross-examination of direct examination
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PROS. LOPEZ
Your Honor, Officer Tagle is here and he is ready for cross?

COURT
All right. Call your witness.

PROS. LOPEZ
May we call on Officer Tagle to the stand?

(The witness took the witness stand.)

INTERPRETER
Q Please testify under the same oath.

WITNESS
A Yes, ma'am.

INTERPRETER
Your witness is ready.

ATTY. SORIANO
May we proceed, Your Honor?

COURT
All right. Start your cross.

ATTY. SORIANO
Thank you, Your Honor.

INITIAL CROSS-EXAMINATION OF PCPL RAFAEL TAGLE

BY ATTY. MARIE PAULENE A. SORIANO

ATTY. SORIANO
Q Mr. Witness, you have mentioned in your previous testimony that on
April 19, 2016 at 11:00 a.m., a confidential informant went to your
office, is that correct?
A Yes, ma'am.

Q Can you confirm that you were not the one who talked to the
confidential informant initially?
A The one who talked to the informant is PCI Alfredo Canlas, ma'am.

Q So, he approached initially PCI Canlas, is that correct?

A Yes, ma'am.
TSN – L. Celis
R-ANG-16-01084-CR & 01085-CR
AUGUST 13, 2020
Page 3
Testimony of PCPL Rafael Tagle on initial cross-examination of direct examination
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Q Can you confirm that you have no personal knowledge as to what

they talked about, is that correct?
A After they had their conversation, after that, PCI Alfredo Canlas that
was the only time he talked about the matter, ma'am.

Q But at the initial conversation, you have no personal knowledge as to

what was discussed or what was talked about, is that correct?
A Yes, ma'am.

Q And it was just referred to you by PCI Canlas, is that correct?

A Yes, ma'am.

Q And after receipt of the information, did you verify such

information?
A Yes, ma'am, we verified the veracity of the information.

Q How did you conduct the verification?

A Also from the confidential informant, and we proceeded to the place
and we gathered information on the said target, ma'am.

Q And what was the result of that verification?

A The result was positive—that he is engaged in the proliferation of
illegal drugs in Brgy. Pampang, ma'am.

Q And you mentioned in your previous testimony, Mr. Witness, that

you personally transacted with the confidential informant through
text, is that correct?

ATTY. SORIANO
We will withdraw that question, Your Honor.

COURT
Withdrawn.

ATTY. SORIANO
Q On your affidavit of apprehension, on the third paragraph, let me
read that to you: “That at around 12:45 in the morning of April 19,
2016, the operating team with clearance from PDEA, Camp Olivas,
City of San Fernando, Pampanga with Control No. 10004-042016-
0263 conducted a short briefing before the jump-off while the
informant together with PO1 Rafael R. Tagle, were transacting with
a certain a.k.a. Bong through text.” Can you remember that?
A Yes, ma'am.
TSN – L. Celis
R-ANG-16-01084-CR & 01085-CR
AUGUST 13, 2020
Page 4
Testimony of PCPL Rafael Tagle on initial cross-examination of direct examination
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Q So, you and the confidential informant transacted with alias Bong
through text, is that correct?
A Before we went to the house of Rodolfo Ticse, there is a
conversation first through text, ma'am.

Q Have you conversed with alias Bong before through text?

A No, ma'am.

Q This is the first time, is that correct?

A Yes, ma'am.

Q So, am I correct to conclude that you are not sure that the person on
the other line was really alias Bong, is that correct?
A Yes, ma'am.

Q On the briefing, Mr. Witness, you were assigned as the poseur buyer,
is that correct?
A Yes, ma'am.

Q And you were handed with the money, is that correct?

A Yes, ma'am.

Q And what did you do with the money handed to you on the briefing?
A I put markings on the money, ma'am.

Q And what marking did you put on the money?

A RRT-5, ma'am.

Q And why was it marked as RRT-5? What is the meaning of RRT-5?

A My initials, ma'am.

Q And dash five (-5), what is the meaning of that?

A That is the markings that I put, ma'am.

Q So, RRT-5 has no meaning?

A Yes, ma'am.

Q Showing to you the photocopy of the money that you submitted to

the Honorable Court, can you point at the marking that you just
mentioned?
A It is the same money that was given to me, ma'am. Here is my
marking.
TSN – L. Celis
R-ANG-16-01084-CR & 01085-CR
AUGUST 13, 2020
Page 5
Testimony of PCPL Rafael Tagle on initial cross-examination of direct examination
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INTERPRETER
Witness pointed to the lower left portion of the 1000-peso bill with
marking RRT-5.

ATTY. SORIANO
Q And in this case, Mr. Witness, how many sachets of illegal drugs
were you able to confiscate from the accused in this case?
A There were actually five including the buy-bust evidence, ma'am.

Q And you marked the five items as?

A The buy-bust evidence as RRT and as RRT-1, RRT-2, RRT-3 and
RRT-4, ma'am.

Q And earlier you mentioned that you marked the money as RRT-5, is
that correct?
A Yes, ma'am.

Q So, is it correct to say, Mr. Witness, that even at the briefing, that
you be able to confiscate five (5) items?
A No, ma'am.

ATTY. SORIANO
May we move for continuance, Your Honor, since they are other
cases also ready for trial?
COURT
All right.

Order…

Session is adjourned.

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CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify to the correctness of the foregoing, consisting

of FIVE (5) pages, this page inclusive, to the best of my knowledge
and honest belief.

This 17th day of August 2020.

LERMA L. CELIS
Court Stenographer III