EN BANC
[G.R. No. 47669. May 3, 1941. ]
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. JOAQUIN LIPANA, Accused. ELIODORA LIPANA, offended party-appellant.
Eleuterio A. Beltran for Appellant.
H. B. Aranda for accused-appellee.
Assistant Solicitor-General Amparo and Solicitor Kapunan for Plaintiff-Appellee.
SYLLABUS
1. CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE; DISMISSAL OF ACTION ON MOTION OF FISCAL; APPEAL BY OFFENDED PARTY. — Whether or not the offended party has claimed indemnity for damages, if the criminal action is dismissed by the court on motion of the provincial fiscal upon the ground of insufficiency of evidence, the offended party has no right to appeal, his remedy being a separate civil action after proper reservation is made therefor.
2. ID.; ID.; ID. — For the purpose of preserving his civil rights, the offended party may intervene, personally or by attorney, in a criminal action while it is being prosecuted by the provincial fiscal, and to that effect he may appeal from any ruling of the trial court adverse to such civil rights. In other words, the continuation of the offended party’s intervention in a criminal action depends upon the continuation of such action by the provincial fiscal. Once the criminal action is dismissed by the trial court on petition of the provincial fiscal, the offended party’s right to intervene ceases, and he cannot appeal from the order of dismissal, otherwise it "would be tantamount to giving said offended party the direction and control of the criminal proceeding in violation of the provisions of the above-cited section 107 of General Orders No. 68." (Gonzalez v. Court of First Instance of Bulacan, 36 Off. Gaz., 2059.)
2. ID.; ID.; ID. — For the purpose of preserving his civil rights, the offended party may intervene, personally or by attorney, in a criminal action while it is being prosecuted by the provincial fiscal, and to that effect he may appeal from any ruling of the trial court adverse to such civil rights. In other words, the continuation of the offended party’s intervention in a criminal action depends upon the continuation of such action by the provincial fiscal. Once the criminal action is dismissed by the trial court on petition of the provincial fiscal, the offended party’s right to intervene ceases, and he cannot appeal from the order of dismissal, otherwise it "would be tantamount to giving said offended party the direction and control of the criminal proceeding in violation of the provisions of the above-cited section 107 of General Orders No. 68." (Gonzalez v. Court of First Instance of Bulacan, 36 Off. Gaz., 2059.)
D E C I S I O N
MORAN, J.:
Eliodora Lipana charges Joaquin Lipana in the Court of First Instance of Cavite with the crime of estafa for alleged malicious destruction of a will, not then as yet admitted to probate, in which complainant was supposedly instituted as the sole heir of the properties of the testatrix, Manuela Lipana. The information having been dismissed on motion of the provincial fiscal, complainant appealed.
The primary question raised in this appeal is whether or not the offended party in a criminal case may appeal from an order dismissing said case on petition of the provincial fiscal. In People v. Moll, G. R. No. 46252, September 30, 1939, reiterating the rule laid down in Gonzalez v. Court of First Instance of Bulacan, 36 Off. Gaz., p. 2059, we held:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Dijimos y declaramos en la mencionada causa y volvemos a hacerlo en la presente y en esta ocasion, que la parte ofendida en una causa criminal no tiene derecho para apelar de una orden de sobreseimiento que se dicte o expidapor el Juzgado en una investigacion preliminar, a mocion del Ministerio Fiscal, basada en la insuficiencia de pruebas. Si la parte ofendida apela, en dichas circunstancias, los hace indudablemente, no con el fin principal de pedir el castigo del acusado, sino para hacer valer su pretendido derecho a una indemnizacion por daños y perjuicios. Esta accion que tiene para pedir indemnizacion esta subordinada a la del Ministerio Fiscal, que es para pedir el castigo del culpable; y en manos de dicho funcionario esta encomen dado por la ley el procesamiento y castigo de aquel, y desde luego, la direccion de dicho tramite o proceso. A la parte ofendida, le asiste, despues de todo, al remedio de ejercitar una accion civil independientemente de la accion criminal pues esto esta de perfecto acuerdo con las disposiciones del articulo 111 en relacion con el articulo 117 de la ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal de 14 de septiembre de 1882, que debe entenderse aun en vigor como supletoria del Codigo de Procedimiento Criminal por disposicion expresa del articulo l.
The primary question raised in this appeal is whether or not the offended party in a criminal case may appeal from an order dismissing said case on petition of the provincial fiscal. In People v. Moll, G. R. No. 46252, September 30, 1939, reiterating the rule laid down in Gonzalez v. Court of First Instance of Bulacan, 36 Off. Gaz., p. 2059, we held:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Dijimos y declaramos en la mencionada causa y volvemos a hacerlo en la presente y en esta ocasion, que la parte ofendida en una causa criminal no tiene derecho para apelar de una orden de sobreseimiento que se dicte o expidapor el Juzgado en una investigacion preliminar, a mocion del Ministerio Fiscal, basada en la insuficiencia de pruebas. Si la parte ofendida apela, en dichas circunstancias, los hace indudablemente, no con el fin principal de pedir el castigo del acusado, sino para hacer valer su pretendido derecho a una indemnizacion por daños y perjuicios. Esta accion que tiene para pedir indemnizacion esta subordinada a la del Ministerio Fiscal, que es para pedir el castigo del culpable; y en manos de dicho funcionario esta encomen dado por la ley el procesamiento y castigo de aquel, y desde luego, la direccion de dicho tramite o proceso. A la parte ofendida, le asiste, despues de todo, al remedio de ejercitar una accion civil independientemente de la accion criminal pues esto esta de perfecto acuerdo con las disposiciones del articulo 111 en relacion con el articulo 117 de la ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal de 14 de septiembre de 1882, que debe entenderse aun en vigor como supletoria del Codigo de Procedimiento Criminal por disposicion expresa del articulo l.
