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AB!CD L1l1lCnL8S-ALLLLLS: : 1he eople of Lhe hlllpplne lslands
CCSl1C8-ALLLAn1: P. !anssen
onenLe: vllla-8eal !.

P. !anssen appeals Lo Lhls courL from Lhe [udgmenL of Lhe CourL of llrsL lnsLance of
AnLlque convlcLlng hlm of a vlolaLlon of secLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412, and senLenclng
hlm Lo pay a flne of 200, wlLh subsldlary lmprlsonmenL ln case of lnsolvency aL Lhe
raLe of one day for every 12 x "#$#%&$, and Lo pay Lhe courL cosLs.

ln supporL of hls appeal, Lhe appellanL asslgns Lhe followlng alleged errors as
commlLLed by Lhe courL a quo ln lLs declslon, Lo wlL:
1he Lrlal courL erred:
1. ln holdlng LhaL lL ls Lhe duLy of Lhe accused Lo lnqulre lnLo and deLermlne
Lhe resldence of Lhe brlde before solemnlzlng marrlage.
2. ln flndlng LhaL Lhe hablLual resldence of Lhe brlde, !uana S. del 8osarlo ls
Lhe munlclpallLy of 8anga, rovlnce of Caplz, and noL Lhe munlclpallLy of San
!ose, rovlnce of AnLlque.
3. ln holdlng LhaL Lhe accused cannoL solemnlze marrlage wlLhouL publlshlng
or proclalmlng such marrlage 10 days prlor Lo Lhe celebraLlon Lhereof.
4. ln holdlng LhaL Lhe accused has vlolaLed secLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412.
3. ln convlcLlng Lhe accused.
1he followlng facLs were proved aL Lhe Lrlal beyond a reasonable doubL.
Cn uecember 26, 1928, edro n. Cerdena and !uana S. del 8osarlo appeared before
8everend laLher P. !anssen, a CaLhollc parlsh prlesL of Lhe munlclpallLy of San !ose,
AnLlque, Lo have Lhelr names lnscrlbed ln Lhe marrlage reglsLry, LxhlblL 3, whlch
was done. Cn uecember 30, 1928, Lhe banns were publlshed ln hls parlsh ln San
!ose, AnLlque.

1he conLracLlng parLles asked Lhe defendanL Lo marry Lhem before classes sLarL. ln
llne wlLh Lhls, Lhe 8lshop of !aro and Munlclpal SecreLary of San !ose, AnLlque
lssued Lhe defendanL Lhe auLhorlLy Lo solemnlse Lhe marrlage.

8y vlrLue of Lhe dlspensaLlon provlded by Lhe 8lshop of !aro, and ln vlew of sald
auLhorlLy of Lhe munlclpal secreLary of San !ose, AnLlque, Lhe defendanL-appellanL
on !anuary 6, 1929, solemnlzed Lhe marrlage of edro n. Cerdena Lo !uana S. del
8osarlo.
EDDFGHD W/n Lhe defendanL-appellanL vlolaLed secLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412 LhaL enLalls a
vlolaLlon of ArLlcle 9 of Lhe lamlly Code as well.
IBJD ArLlcle 9 (lamlly Code):

A marrlage llcense shall be lssued by Lhe local clvll reglsLrar of Lhe clLy or
munlclpallLy where elLher conLracLlng parLy hablLually resldes, excepL ln marrlages
where no llcense ls requlred ln accordance wlLh ChapLer 2 of Lhls 1lle. (38a)

erLlnenL arL of SecLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412:

1he munlclpal secreLary or clerk of Lhe munlclpal courL of Manlla, as Lhe case may
be, shall posL durlng Len days ln a consplcuous place ln Lhe bulldlng where he has
hls offlce, a noLlce seLLlng forLh Lhe full names and domlclles of Lhe appllcanLs for
marrlage llcenses, Lhelr respecLlve ages, and Lhe names of Lhelr parenLs lf llvlng or
of Lhelr guardlans lf oLherwlse. AL Lhe explraLlon of Lhls Lerm, a llcense shall lssue:
'()*+,#,- .)/#*#(, 1haL ln case any such appllcanL sLaLes ln wrlLlng and under oaLh
LhaL Lhe rules and pracLlces of Lhe church, secL, or rellglon under whlch such
appllcanL deslres Lo conLracL marrlage requlre banns or publlcaLlons prlor Lo Lhe
solemnlzaLlon of Lhe marrlage, lL shall noL be necessary for Lhe munlclpal secreLary
Lo make Lhe publlcaLlon requlred ln Lhls paragraph, and ln Lhls case Lhe llcense shall
lssue lmmedlaLely afLer Lhe flllng of Lhe appllcaLlon and shall sLaLe Lhe church, secL,
or rellglon ln whlch Lhe marrlage ls Lo be solemnlzed.
-KI:ELMD no.

lL ls Lrue LhaL secLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412 quoLed above, requlres Lhe munlclpal
secreLary Lo posL a noLlce for Len days upon a consplcluous place of Lhe bulldlng
where he has hls offlce, seLLlng forLh Lhe names, surnames, and resldence of
appllcanLs for a llcense Lo conLracL marrlage, Lhelr age, Lhe names of Lhelr parenLs,
lf allve, or of Lhelr guardlans, as Lhe case may be, before lssulng Lhe llcense applled
for, Lhe #"<$ #$;N4(/ ;(/N"4/# " )>(+4#( N( N3$ $OO$;N N3"N P3$/ N3$ ;(/N>";N4/Q
)">N4$# R$#4>$ N( <">>S 4/ " ;3T>;3 P34;3 >$UT4>$# )>$+4(T# )>(;*"<"N4(/ =$O(>$
N3$ ;$*$=>"N4(/ (O N3$ <">>4"Q$9 N3$>$ 4# /( /$$R (O #"4R )T=*4;"N4(/,

1he law slmply says LhaL lf Lhe marrlage Lakes place ln a church whose rules and
pracLlces requlre proclamaLlon, Lhe llcense applled for shall aL once be lssued, and
lL does noL say LhaL Lhe proclamaLlon requlred by sald church ls Lo be made durlng
Len days. As secLlon 2 of AcL no. 3412 ls penal ln characLer, lL should be sLrlcLly
consLrued. And as sald secLlon does noL requlre LhaL Lhe proclamaLlon be made
durlng Len days, buL LhaL lL ls sufflclenL LhaL Lhe church ln whlch Lhe marrlage ls Lo
Lake place requlres a proclamaLlon, lL ls lmmaLerlal how many days sald
proclamaLlon ls made ln.

1he Lrlal courL was also of oplnlon LhaL Lhe defendanL-appellanL was bound Lo
lnvesLlgaLe wheLher Lhe llcense was lssued by an offlclal duly auLhorlzed by law,
LhaL ls, by Lhe munlclpal secreLary of Lhe munlclpallLy where Lhe woman hablLually
resldes.
C3$ *"P R($# /(N 4<)(#$ N34# RTNS T)(/ )>4$#N (> <4/4#N$># (O >$*4Q4(/, EN 4#
#TOO4;4$/N N( V/(P N3"N N3$ *4;$/#$ 3"# =$$/ 4##T$R =S " ;(<)$N$/N (OO4;4"*, and lL

may be presumed O>(< N3$ 4##T"/;$ (O #"4R *4;$/#$ N3"N #"4R (OO4;4"* 3"# ;(<)*4$R
P4N3 34# RTNS (O "#;$>N"4/4/Q P3$N3$> N3$ P(<"/ P3( R$#4>$# N( Q$N <">>4$R
>$#4R$# 3"=4NT"**S 4/ 34# <T/4;4)"*4NS,
When a marrlage ls solemnlzed by a church, secL, or rellglon whose rules and
pracLlces requlre proclamaLlon or publlclLy, lL ls noL necessary LhaL sald
proclamaLlon be made durlng Len days, unless sald rules or pracLlces so requlre.

!udgmenL ls reversed and defendanL ls absolved from Lhe lnformaLlon.