This case has been cited 6 times or more.
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2000-05-31 |
BELLOSILLO, J. |
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| The trial court observed the demeanor of the witnesses for the prosecution and for the defense, and believed the former whose testimonies were candid, straightforward and bore the earmarks of truth while characterizing the latter as preposterous and unbelievable.[16] In criminal jurisprudence, when the issue is one of credibility of witnesses, appellate courts will not disturb the findings of the trial court[17] and the Court will respect these findings considering that the trial court is in a better position to decide the question, having heard the witnesses themselves and observed their deportment and manner of testifying during the trial.[18] Of course, the rule admits of certain exceptions: (a) when patent inconsistencies in the statement of witnesses are ignored by the trial court, or (b) when the conclusions arrived at are clearly unsupported by the evidence.[19] But in this case, neither exception can be found, and the Court is not precluded from making its own assessment of the probative value of the testimony of the witnesses on the basis of the transcript of stenographic notes thereof.[20] We have carefully reviewed the records and found no reason to deviate from the conclusions drawn by the trial court; hence, they must prevail. | |||||
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2000-01-31 |
BELLOSILLO, J. |
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| The Court has ruled often enough that its jurisdiction in a petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the Revised Rules of Court is limited to reviewing only errors of law, not of fact, unless the factual findings complained of are devoid of support by the evidence on record or the assailed judgment is based on misapprehension of facts.[4] The reason behind this is that the Supreme Court respects the findings of the trial court on the issue of credibility of witnesses, considering that it is in a better position to decide the question, having heard the witnesses themselves and observed their deportment and manner of testifying during the trial.[5] Thus it accords the highest respect, even finality, to the evaluation made by the lower court of the testimonies of the witnesses presented before it. | |||||