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PEOPLE vs Antonio Gastador

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ANTONIO GASTADOR y WAGAS, accused-appellant.

G.R. No. 123727 | 1999-04-14

D E C I S I O N


PANGANIBAN, J.:

Seldom are there eyewitnesses to a rape. Hence, a conviction must often rest on the credible testimony of the offended party. And appellate courts, not having participated in the trial and not having directly evaluated the demeanor of witnesses on the stand, depend to a large degree on the factual assessments of trial judges.1 [Panganiban, Battles in the Supreme Court, 1998 ed., p. 84.]

The Case

Appellant Antonio Gastador seeks the reversal of the January 29, 1996 Decision2 [Rollo, pp. 16-26. Penned by Judge Salvador C. Ceguera.] of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, Branch 82, which convicted him...