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PEOPLE vs Edgar Lagmay

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. EDGAR LAGMAY y ALARCON, accused-appellant.

G.R. No. 125310 | 1999-04-21

D E C I S I O N


PARDO, J.:

"In our criminal justice system, the overriding consideration is not whether the court doubts the innocence of the accused but whether it entertains a reasonable doubt as to his guilt. This determinant, with the constitution presumption of innocence which can be overthrown only by the strength of the prosecution's own evidence proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt, irresistibly dictate an exoneration in this case."1 [People vs. Salangga, 234 SCRA 407, 423.]

"The constitutional presumption of innocence is not an empty platitude meant only to embellish the Bill of Rights. Its purpose is to balance the scales in...