FIRST DIVISION
[G.R. No. 230623. March 18, 2021.]
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee,vs. MARK ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ y SALVACION, accused-appellant.
NOTICE
Sirs/Mesdames :
Please take notice that the Court, First Division, issued a Resolution dated March 18, 2021which reads as follows:
"G.R. No. 230623 — (PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee,v. MARK ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ y SALVACION,accused-appellant). — After judicious review of the records of the case, this Court resolves to modify the Decision 1 dated August 24, 2016 of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 07380. The CA affirmed with modifications the Joint Decision 2 dated February 25, 2015 of the Regional Trial Court of Caloocan City, Branch 131 in Criminal Case Nos. C-75284 and C-75316. HTcADC
The CA, in addition to the award of P50,000.00 as civil indemnity and P50,000.00 as moral damages, ordered the accused-appellant to pay the private complainant the amount of P30,000.00 as exemplary damages. In view of the prevailing jurisprudence, 3 this Court finds it proper to increase the amount of the awards of civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages to P75,000.00 each for every count of rape.
WHEREFORE, the appeal is DISMISSED for lack of merit. The Decision dated August 24, 2016 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR-HC No. 07380 finding accused-appellant Mark Anthony Rodriguez y Salvacion GUILTY beyond reasonable doubt of two (2) counts of rape is hereby AFFIRMED with MODIFICATIONS. Accused-appellant is ordered to PAY private complainant, for each count of rape, P75,000.00 as civil indemnity, P75,000.00 as moral damages, and P75,000.00 as exemplary damages. The amount of damages awarded is subject to interest of six percent (6%) per annum from the finality of this judgment until fully satisfied.
SO ORDERED."Zalameda, J., penned the assailed CA Decision;Delos Santos, J.,designatedAdditional Member per Raffle dated February 17, 2021.
By authority of the Court:
(SGD.) LIBRADA C. BUENADivision Clerk of Court
by:
MARIA TERESA B. SIBULODeputy Division Clerk of Court
Footnotes
1.Rollo, pp. 2-16; penned by Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda (now a Member of this Court), with the concurrence of Associate Justices Sesinando E. Villalon and Pedro B. Corales.
2. CA rollo, pp. 44-52; penned by Presiding Judge Ma. Teresa E. De Guzman-Alvarez.
3.People v. Jugueta, 783 Phil. 806 (2016).