The appellant was convicted of two counts of statutory rape of his 13-year-old stepdaughter. He sought to overturn the conviction on the grounds that the victim’s testimony was not credible and inconsistent.
The Regional Trial Court of Mandaue City and the Court of Appeals found the appellant, guilty of statutory rape of his eight-year-old daughter and acts of lasciviousness against his nine-year-old daughter. He appealed, arguing that the prosecutor had not sufficiently established his guilt and that the victims were not credible witnesses because their testimonies had inconsistencies on when they told others about the abuse. The Supreme Court found that these inconsistencies did not relate to the elements of the crime, nor did they diminish the credibility of the victims.
In this case, a man was convicted of two counts of marital rape. He appealed the conviction arguing that marital rape is different from “ordinary rape” cases because consent is presumed between legally married and cohabiting couples. The Supreme Court rejected this argument as an attempt to revive antiquated and now-rejected standards that a husband could not be convicted of marital rape due to the “implied consent” of his wife.
A 36-year-old member of the Manobo indigenous people was accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl from the community, forcing her to accompany him to various locations, and raping her. He argued that he and the victim were properly engaged under Manobo traditions because the victim’s father allegedly accepted a dowry in exchange for the marriage. He was ultimately convicted of forcible abduction with rape, which he subsequently appealed.
Marivic Genosa admitted that she killed her husband after a quarrel in their house and was sentenced to death in 1998. Genosa appealed her sentence, claiming she acted in self-defense as a victim of battered woman syndrome (BWS). The appeal posited that the consistent abuse Genosa faced at the hands of her husband had caused BWS, which meant that she was in a constantly threatened state and acted in self-defense when she killed him. The Supreme Court ruled that as a victim of BWS, her husband’s cumulative provocation had broken down her self-control and made the murder an act of passion.
The appellant was accused of repeatedly raping and sexually abusing his daughter from the time she was 14 years of age, which resulted in her pregnancy. In 2001, the trial court convicted him of two counts of incestuous rape of a minor, sentenced him to two death penalties, and ordered him to pay the victim a total of PHP 130,000.00 in damages. The Supreme Court affirmed one of the counts of incestuous rape of a minor, asserting that Mendoza failed to proffer a credible defense and instead merely denied the accusations.
Ramirez was accused of offering the sexual services of four women (including two minors), to an undercover police officer. The minor victims both testified that Ramirez had offered their sexual services to others on several occasions and that Ramirez would take a commission from any payment they received. The Regional Trial Court of Lapu-Lapu City convicted Ramirez of trafficking in persons, which the Court of Appeals affirmed.
The Regional Trial Court of Labo and the Court of Appeals found the appellant, Napoles y Bajas, guilty of six counts of rape of his stepdaughter. As a result of this sexual abuse, the victim became pregnant and gave birth. Napoles appealed, arguing that the victim did not resist or show any outrage during his advances; and that of the three instances of intercourse he admitted to, such instances were consensual and between lovers. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, reasoning that the victim’s failure to shout or offer persistent resistance did not imply consent.
The appellant was found guilty of statutory rape of an 11-year-old girl. He appealed, arguing that there was insufficient physical evidence of the rape. However, the Supreme Court noted that the results of the victim’s physical examination did not discount the possibility that she had been raped. The Court further noted that there are only two elements to establish statutory rape: carnal knowledge or sexual intercourse, and that the victim is under 12 years of age.
The Regional Trial Court of Bohol and the Court of Appeals found the appellant, Pedro Rupal, guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl after dragging her to a nearby farm and later threatening the lives of her mother and siblings. Rupal appealed, pointing to inconsistencies in the number of times the victim testified to being raped, and arguing that the prosecution was unable to sufficiently prove his guilt.
