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People vs Peralta

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Appellee, Versus SANTIAGO PERALTA y POLIDARIO (at large), ARMANDO DATUIN JR. y GRANADOS (at large), ULYSSES GARCIA y TUPAS, MIGUELITO DE LEON y LUCIANO, LIBRANDO FLORES y CRUZ and ANTONIO LOYOLA y SALISI, Accused, / ULYSSES GARCIA y TUPAS, MIGUELITO DE LEON y LUCIANO, LIBRANDO FLORES y CRUZ and ANTONIO LOYOLA y SALISI, Appeellants.

G.R. No. 145176 | 2004-03-30

D E C I S I O N

PANGANIBAN, J.:

The right of the accused to counsel demands effective, vigilant and independent representation. The lawyer's role cannot be reduced to being that of a mere witness to the signing of an extra-judicial confession.

The Case

Before the Court is an appeal from the August 21, 2000 Decision[1] of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila (Branch 18) in Criminal Case No. 92-112322. Appellants Ulysses Garcia y Tupas, Miguelito de Leon y Luciano, Librando Flores y Cruz and Antonio Loyola y Salisi, as well as their co-accused -- Santiago Peralta y Polidario and Armando Datuin Jr. y Granados -- were convicted therein of...