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People vs. Masalihit [DECISION]

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. CESAR MASALIHIT y MONDIDO, accused-appellant.

G.R. No. 124329 | 1998-12-14

D E C I S I O N
 
BELLOSILLO, J.:
 
N O T H I N G can really be more abhorring than when the crime (of rape) is perpetrated by the victim's own flesh and blood;[1] and, the perpetrator certainly deserves, without any tinge of hesitation, the supreme penalty of death.

Before we condemn, however, the crime must first be positively established and that the accused is guilty sans any scintilla of doubt. This is elementary and fundamental in our criminal justice system. Any suspicion or belief that the accused is guilty - no matter how strong - cannot substitute for the quantum of evidence that is required to prove his guilt...