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PEOPLE vs Bautista

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, appellee, vs. SONNY BAUTISTA y LACANILAO, appellant.

G.R. No. 140278 | 2004-06-03

D E C I S I O N



PANGANIBAN, J.:

In rape, the "sweetheart" defense must be proven by compelling evidence: first, that the accused and the victim were lovers; and, second, that she consented to the alleged sexual relations. The second is as important as the first, because this Court has held often enough that love is not a license for lust.

The Case

Sonny Bautista y Lacanilao appeals the September 13, 1999 Decision[1] of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila (Branch 26) in Criminal Case No. 96-148248, finding him guilty of rape. The dispositive part of the Decision reads as follows:

"WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, this Court finds...