This case has been cited 1 times or more.
|
2004-04-28 |
QUISUMBING, J. |
||||
| The constitutional right of the accused to be heard on his defense is inviolate. No court of justice under our system of government has the power to deprive him of that right.[22] In the case at bar, however, although there is nothing in the records to show that the trial court advised appellant on the repercussions of his waiver to present evidence in his own defense, this lapse did not work to effectively vacate the findings of guilt made by the trial court because appellant's guilt for the crime of statutory rape has been proven beyond reasonable doubt. Thus, in People v. Nuñez,[23] the Court upheld the conviction of the accused despite procedural defects, i.e., a plea of guilt improvidently made, inasmuch as the conviction was supported by adequate evidence on record. | |||||