MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed a lower court's 2014 decision that convicted former Quezon City congressman and actor Dennis Roldan – Mitchell Gumabao in real life – of kidnapping a Filipino-Chinese boy in 2005.
The appellate court's Fourteenth Division sustained the decision of Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 159 that found Roldan and two others guilty beyond reasonable doubt of kidnapping for ransom.
"This Court agrees with the court a quo that the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused through testimonial and documentary evidence," said the CA decision dated April 20 and penned by Associate Justice Ronaldo Roberto Marin, with concurrences from Associate Justices Ricardo Rosario and Eduardo Peralta.
Roldan was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014, after which he elevated the case to the CA, contesting the testimony of state witness Albert Pagdanganan.
Pagdanganan had admitted to picking up the boy as instructed by Roldan. Weeks later, Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) rescued the boy alive. Both the boy and PACER operatives positively identified Roldan.
The two other people allegedly hired by Roldan had died.
Roldan also said PACER operatives should have produced photos of him supposedly in the safehouse, and that the boy's testimony should not be trusted, owing to his young age.
The CA rejected all of it.
"Appellant failed to raise any significant error as to the factual findings of the trial court. Appellant merely tried to fault the court a quo for considering only certain pieces of evidence which were found by this Court to be competent evidence while rejecting some parts thereof," the CA said.
The CA denied Roldan's appeal and affirmed the trial court in toto, or in whole. – Rappler.com
