ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | Mar. 19, 2025
Dear Chief Acosta,
May katanungan ako tungkol sa “search warrant” na inihain sa kapitbahay ko noong isang linggo. Nangyari kasi ito ng gabi. Hindi ba dapat ihain ito habang may araw pa? At dahil dito, ang mga nakuhang kagamitan ay hindi na rin maaaring gamitin bilang ebidensya dahil sa maling paraan ng pagkuha nito. Tama po ba? Maraming salamat sa iyong sagot.
— Lourdes Fatima
Dear Lourdes Fatima,
Nakasaad sa Section 9, Rule 126 ng Revised Rules of Court ang oras kung kailan dapat gawin ang paghahain ng isang search warrant. Ayon dito:
“Section 9. Time of making search. – The warrant must direct that it be served in the day time, unless the affidavit asserts that the property is on the person or in the place ordered to be searched, in which case a direction may be inserted that it be served at any time of the day or night.”
Para sa iyong kaalaman, may kasong napagdesisyunan ang ating Korte Suprema na nakasasaklaw sa iyong katanungan. Ayon sa Tumabini vs. People G.R. No. 224495, February 19, 2020, isinulat ni Kagalang-galang na Punong Mahistrado Alexander G. Gesmundo:
“The general rule is that search warrants must be served during the daytime. However, the rule allows an exception, namely, a search at any reasonable hour of the day or night, when the application asserts that the property is on the person or place ordered to be searched. In the instant case, the judge issuing the warrant relied on the positive assertion of the applicant and his witnesses that the firearms and ammunition were kept at private respondent’s residence. Evidently, the court issuing the warrant was satisfied that the affidavits of the applicants clearly satisfied the requirements of Section 8, Rule 126 of the Rules of Court. The rule on issuance of a search warrant allows for the exercise of judicial discretion in fixing the time within which the warrant may be served, subject to the statutory requirement fixing the maximum time for the execution of a warrant. We have examined the application for search warrant, and the deposition of the witnesses supporting said application, and find that both satisfactorily comply with the requirements of Section 8, Rule 126. The inescapable conclusion is that the judge who issued the questioned warrant did not abuse his discretion in allowing a search ‘at any reasonable hour of the day or night.’ Absent such abuse of discretion, a search conducted at night where so allowed, is not improper.”
Kaya naman tungkol sa iyong katanungan, maaaring ihain ang “search warrant” kahit na sa gabi basta’t nakalagay o nakagiit sa aplikasyon nito na ang ari-arian o bagay na tinutukoy ay nasa tao o lugar na iniutos inspeksyunin. Kaya naman, kung ito ay nasunod sa aplikasyon at nag-isyu ang hukom ng “search warrant,” maaari itong ihain kahit anong oras sa umaga o sa gabi. Gayundin, ang mga kagamitan na makukuha sa search ay maaaring gamitin bilang ebidensya at hindi maisasawalang-bisa. Maituturing na legal ang nasabing search o paghahalughog sa iyong kapitbahay kung nasunod sa aplikasyon ng warrant na sinisiguro ang presensya ng bagay na tinutukoy sa lugar o tao na hahanapan.
Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.
Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.
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