TOTOO BANG RAPIST SI FELIX MANALO?

Описание: Atty. Juan Chu

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
COURT OF APPEALS
MANILA

FELIX MANALO

VS

ROSITA TRILLANES,

No. 8180

April 21, 1942

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After the case had been tried in the lower Court according to the established procedures, the appellant, through her testimony and that of her witness succeeded, to our mind, in showing satisfactorily that while she was faithful, and the offended party a chief of the “Iglesia ni Cristo,” she was abducted by the offended; that for this, she was the object of threats; that the offended had illicit amorous relations with the wife of another minister of the church; that in the presence of the appellant, the offended tried to rape a maiden that the reason why a certain Liloy separated from the said church, was because the offended had tried to abduct his wife called Amada; that the aggrieved parties and victims of the offended due to said motives, were afraid to talk in view of threat that they would be injured and killed if they did so; that such conduct followed by the offended, resulted in the birth of two children by a certain Basilia Santos, of Paco; that when the appellant refused to follow the offended from the house of a certain Protacio, in Pasay, where she already had her as a mistress, to another house, she was the object of the threats through a revolver, thus succeeding in making her stay in another place; and in the practice followed by the offended of seducing devout women of the said church, whether single or married, he cited the many wives that Solomon had, and that the man created by God, as himself, has aright to happiness, for which his desires should be acceded to, for this would be a meritorious act in the eyes of God.

We have examined with utmost care the evidence introduced in the case and we are persuaded that the appellant has consequently proven the truth of said allegations supposedly libelous, for the testimonies given by the appellant and her witnesses, merit for us greater faith and credence than those of the offended and his witness.

To bolster the conclusion, it is enough to say that the prosecution on itself, in so far as the credibility of the witnesses of both sides is concerned, could not help but frankly admit in its brief, that by the testimony of the appellant it appears that the offended, Felix Manalo, took advantage of his position a head of the “Iglesia ni Cristo” succeeding in seducing her and other women, members of the church, with whom he has maintained illicit relations in the central office of the organization; that for this the offended made use of religion as a cloak to cover up his libidinous acts and immoral practices; that the feigned to be the Messiah sent by God; and that in persuading his victims, he cited Solomon and his many wives. The Solicitor General adds that, although the proofs presented by the appellant concerning the said libidinous acts, the Fiscal admits, however, that there is reason to believe that the offended, Manalo, committed immoral acts with some women, members of his church (p.8, supra). And said Solicitor concludes that he is found in the evidence that has taken advantage of his position in the Church to attack and degrade the virtue of some of his women-followers.

Such acts attributed to the offended and conclusively proved by the defense are, to our judgment, not only unfavorably censurable, since the offended was taken for the spiritual leader, and for purposes of good emulation, he should live and truly manifest a virtuous life, but that, in deed, they establish the commission of various crimes of public character, such a those of grave threats, abduction, rape, acts of lasciviousness, adultery, etc. The truth of supposed defamation proferred by the appellant against the offended having been, therefore, proved, and dealing with justified motives and ends, such as to warn her spiritual comrades of the “Iglesia ni Cristo,” we cannot help but arrive at a verdict favorable to the evidence, the present case is the third case of libel in which the offended is the aggrieved party, and, in one of these cases, the accused had been acquitted upon recommendation of the Solicitor General himself. These various prosecutions started by the offended will show that the knowledge of a general character of his immoral behavior, who by this provoked serious troubles in the bosom of his religious community, to such extreme that he had been obliged to institute the said three libel cases. And this circumstance will show, besides, the goodness and justifiable ends of the publication of the latter supposedly libelous subscribed by the appellant. Therefore, under the above-cited legal provision, the appellant has a right to a sentence of acquittal.

In view of all the foregoing, the appealed sentence is revoked and the appellant is acquitted, with costs de officio.

Hontiveros, Briones, and Torres, JJ., concur.

The sentence is revoked.