MORIGO Versus. Anybody
FACTS: Both provided to get married, thus they were married on August 30, 1990 at the Iglesia de Filipina Nacionalat Catagdaan, Pilar, Bohol.
On August 19, 1991, Lucia recorded toward Ontario Judge (Standard Office) a petition for separation and divorce up against appellant which was offered because of the court on January 17, 1992 and to take effect on February 17, 1992.
On October 4, 1992, appellant Lucio Morigo partnered Maria Jececha Lumbago at the Virgen sa Barangay Parish, Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
Bringing this dispute in order to its analytical achievement, having courtroom motives, petitioner was not married to Lucia at the time he developed the wedding that have Maria Jececha
On September 21, 1993, implicated recorded a problem having judicial report off nullity of relationship in the Local Demonstration Court off Bohol, docketed just like the Municipal Situation Zero. 6020. The new grievance look for (sic) and others, the new statement away from nullity out-of accused’s marriage having Lucia, on the ground you to zero wedding service in reality happened.
ISSUE: Claimed Morigo have to have submitted statement towards nullity from their wedding which have Barrete just before his next y situation.
RATIO: According to the principle of retroactivity of a married relationship becoming stated emptiness abdominal initio, the 2 were never ever hitched right away. Brand new bargain off matrimony are null; they carries no legal feeling. The fresh new existence additionally the validity of your earliest wedding are an enthusiastic extremely important part of the fresh new crime off bigamy, it’s however, analytical one a belief to have told you crime do not become sustained where there’s absolutely no first wedding to speak off. This new petitioner, must, perforce be acquitted of your instant charges.
The present case is analogous to, but must be distinguished from Mercado v. Tan . . In the latter case, the judicial declaration of nullity of the first marriage was likewise obtained after the second marriage was already celebrated. We held therein that:
An official statement out-of nullity away from a previous marriage will become necessary just before a consequent you can feel legitimately contracted. Individual who adopts a subsequent relationship instead of earliest acquiring for example official y. Which idea enforce even if the earlier commitment are described as rules as emptiness.
They carries stressing no matter if one from inside the Negocio, the original marriage had been solemnized just immediately following, however, twice: basic just before a courtroom in which a wedding certificate are duly approved and again 6 months after ahead of a great priest into the spiritual rites. Basically, at the least, the initial relationships appeared to keeps went down, no matter if later on declared emptiness ab initio.
In the quick circumstances, although not, no wedding party whatsoever is actually did by a duly subscribed solemnizing administrator. Petitioner and you can Lucia Barrete only finalized a wedding contract on their individual. The fresh mere personal operate off signing a married relationship package bears zero semblance to help you a valid matrimony which means that, demands zero judicial declaration of nullity. Eg operate by yourself, instead significantly more, cannot be considered in order to constitute a fundamentally legitimate marriage by which petitioner would be stored accountable for bigamy unless of Latin Sites dating app course the guy first obtains a judicial statement regarding nullity prior to he contracts a subsequent wedding.
The law abhors an injustice and the Court is mandated to liberally construe a penal statute in favor of an accused and weigh every circumstance in favor of the presumption of innocence to ensure that justice is done. According to the affairs of your establish case, we kept you to petitioner has never committed bigamy. Further, we also find that we need not tarry on the issue of the validity of his defense of good faith or lack of criminal intent, which is now moot and academic.