Pagkakilala ng taong gumawa ng krimen

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | July 01, 2021

Dear Chief Acosta,

Binugbog ang pinsan ko ng dalawang lalaki at nagtamo siya ng mga sugat sa katawan. Hindi niya alam ang pangalan ng isang nambugbog sa kanya ngunit kilala niya ito sa pisikal na itsura. Materyal ba sa kaso na hindi masabi ng pinsan ko ang buong pangalan ng kanyang pinatutungkulan na taong nambugbog sa kanya? – Bobby

Dear Bobby,

Para sa inyong kaalaman, ang inyong katanungan ay tinalakay ng Kagalang-galang na Korte Suprema sa kasong People of the Philippines vs. Salvador Dela Cruz (G.R. No. 131035, February 28, 2003) kung saan nakasaad ang sumusunod:

“This Court has previously held that identification of a person is not solely through knowledge of his name. In fact, familiarity with physical features, particularly those of the face, is the best way to identify a person. One may be familiar with the face but not necessarily the name. Thus, it does not follow that to be able to identify a person, one must necessarily know his name. "Experience shows that precisely because of the unusual acts of bestiality committed before their eyes, eyewitnesses, especially the victims to a crime, can remember with a high degree of reliability the identity of criminals. We have ruled that the natural reaction of victims of criminal violence is to strive to see the appearance of their assailants and observe the manner the crime was committed. Most often, the face and body movements of the assailant create an impression which cannot easily be erased from their memory." Relatives of the victim have a natural knack for remembering the face of the assailant for they, more than anybody else, would be concerned with seeking justice for the victim and bringing the malefactor to face the law” (Binigyang-diin)

Sang-ayon sa nabanggit, hindi kinakailangang matukoy ang pangalan ng tao upang siya ay maaaring mapanagot sa krimen. Sapat na ang taong pinatutungkulan ay matukoy base sa itsura at physical features nito. Binanggit ng Korte Suprema na natural na reaksiyon ng biktima o eyewitness na kilalanin ang appearance ng assailant at ang kanyang mga aksiyon habang ginagawa ang krimen at ang mga bagay na ito ay hindi karaniwang nabubura sa kanilang ala-ala.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang inyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyon na inyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng inyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.