BJDC vs. Lanuzo

3/12/22, 10:03 AM SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 719
G.R. No. 161151. March 24, 2014.*

BJDC CONSTRUCTION, represented by its
Manager/Proprietor JANET S. DELA CRUZ, petitioner, vs.
NENA E. LANUZO, CLAUDETTE E. LANUZO, JANET E.
LANUZO, JOAN BERNABE E. LANUZO, and RYAN
JOSE E. LANUZO, respondents.
Remedial Law; Evidence; Burden of Proof; Words and

Phrases; Burden of proof is the duty of a party to present evidence
on the facts in issue necessary to establish his claim or defense by
the amount of evidence required by law.—Burden of proof is the
duty of a party to
_______________
* FIRST DIVISION.
578
present evidence on the facts in issue necessary to establish his

claim or defense by the amount of evidence required by law. It is
basic that whoever alleges a fact has the burden of proving it
because a mere allegation is not evidence. Generally, the party
who denies has no burden to prove. In civil cases, the burden of
proof is on the party who would be defeated if no evidence is given
on either side. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff if the
defendant denies the factual allegations of the complaint in the
manner required by the Rules of Court, but it may rest on the
defendant if he admits expressly or impliedly the essential
allegations but raises affirmative defense or defenses, which if
proved, will exculpate him from liability.
Same; Same; Weight and Sufficiency of Evidence;
Preponderance of Evidence; Words and Phrases; By preponderance
of evidence, according to Raymundo v. Lunaria, 569 SCRA 526
(2008): is meant that the evidence as a whole adduced by one side
is superior to that of the other.—By preponderance of evidence,
according to Raymundo v. Lunaria, 569 SCRA 526 (2008): x x x is
meant that the evidence as a whole adduced by one side is
superior to that of the other. It refers to the weight, credit and
value of the aggregate evidence on either side and is usually
considered to be synonymous with the term “greater weight of
evidence” or “greater weight of the credible evidence.” It is
evidence which is more convincing to the court as worthy of belief
https://central.com.ph/sfsreader/session/0000017f7bdf8563c2a970c3000d00d40059004a/t/?o=False 1/20
than that which is offered in opposition thereto. In addition,

according to United Airlines, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, 357 SCRA
99 (2001), the plaintiff must rely on the strength of his own
evidence and not upon the weakness of the defendant’s.
Civil Law; Damages; Negligence; In order that a party may be
held liable for damages for any injury brought about by the
negligence of another, the claimant must prove that the negligence
was the immediate and proximate cause of the injury.—
Negligence, the Court said in Layugan v. Intermediate Appellate
Court, 167 SCRA 363 (1988), is “the omission to do something
which a reasonable man, guided by those considerations which
ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do, or the
doing of something which a prudent and reasonable man would
not do, or as Judge Cooley defines it, ‘(t)he failure to observe for
the protection of the interests of another person, that degree of
care, precaution, and vigilance which the circumstances justly
demand, whereby such other person suffers
579
injury.’” In order that a party may be held liable for damages for
any injury brought about by the negligence of another, the
claimant must prove that the negligence was the immediate and
proximate cause of the injury. Proximate cause is defined as “that
cause, which, in natural and continuous sequence, unbroken by
any efficient intervening cause, produces the injury and without
which the result would not have occurred.”
Remedial Law; Evidence; Self-Serving Evidence; Words and
Phrases; Self-serving evidence refers to out-of-court statements that
favor the declarant’s interest; it is disfavored mainly because the
adverse party is given no opportunity to dispute the statement and
their admission would encourage fabrication of testimony.—Self-
serving evidence refers to out-of-court statements that favor the
declarant’s interest; it is disfavored mainly because the adverse
party is given no opportunity to dispute the statement and their
admission would encourage fabrication of testimony. But court
declarations are not self-serving considering that the adverse
party is accorded the opportunity to test the veracity of the
declarations by cross-examination and other methods.
Civil Law; Damages; Negligence; Res Ipsa Loquitur; For the
doctrine of res ipsa loquitur to apply, the following requirements
must be shown to exist, namely: (a) the accident is of a kind that
ordinarily does not occur in the absence of someone’s negligence;
(b) it is caused by an instrumentality within the exclusive control
of the defendant or defendants; and (c) the possibility of
contributing conduct that would make the plaintiff responsible is
eliminated.—The doctrine of res ipsa loquitur had no application
here. In Tan v. JAM Transit, Inc., 605 SCRA 659 (2009), the
Court has discussed the doctrine thusly: Res ipsa loquitur is a
Latin phrase that literally means “the thing or the transaction
speaks for itself.” It is a maxim for the rule that the fact of the
occurrence of an injury, taken with the surrounding
circumstances, may permit an inference or raise a presumption of
negligence, or make out a plaintiff’s prima facie case, and present
a question of fact for defendant to meet with an explanation.
Where the thing that caused the injury complained of is shown to
be under the management of the defendant or his servants; and
the accident, in the ordinary course of things, would not happen if
those who had management or control used proper care, it affords
reasonable evidence — in the absence of a sufficient, reasonable
and
580
logical explanation by defendant — that the accident arose from

or was caused by the defendant’s want of care. This rule is
grounded on the superior logic of ordinary human experience, and
it is on the basis of such experience or common knowledge that
negligence may be deduced from the mere occurrence of the
accident itself. Hence, the rule is applied in conjunction with the
doctrine of common knowledge. For the doctrine to apply, the
following requirements must be shown to exist, namely: (a) the
accident is of a kind that ordinarily does not occur in the absence
of someone’s negligence; (b) it is caused by an instrumentality
within the exclusive control of the defendant or defendants; and
(c) the possibility of contributing conduct that would make the
plaintiff responsible is eliminated.
PETITION for review on certiorari of a decision of the

Court of Appeals.
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.
Bongat Law Office for petitioner.
Gilbert P.E. Morandarte for respondents.

BERSAMIN, J.:
The party alleging the negligence of the other as the
cause of injury has the burden to establish the allegation
with competent evidence. If the action based on negligence
is civil in nature, the proof required is preponderance of
evidence.
This case involves a claim for damages arising from the
death of a motorcycle rider in a nighttime accident due to
the supposed negligence of a construction company then
undertaking re-blocking work on a national highway. The
plaintiffs insisted that the accident happened because the
construction company did not provide adequate lighting on
the site, but the latter countered that the fatal accident
was caused by the negligence of the motorcycle rider
himself. The trial court decided in favor of the construction
company, but the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the
decision and ruled for the plaintiffs.
581
Hence, this appeal.

Antecedents
On January 5, 1998, Nena E. Lanuzo (Nena) filed a
complaint for damages[1] against BJDC Construction
(company), a single proprietorship engaged in the
construction business under its Manager/Proprietor Janet
S. de la Cruz. The company was the contractor of the re-
blocking project to repair the damaged portion of one lane
of the national highway at San Agustin, Pili, Camarines
Sur from September 1997 to November 1997.
Nena alleged that she was the surviving spouse of the
late Balbino Los Baños Lanuzo (Balbino) who figured in the
accident that transpired at the site of the re-blocking work
at about 6:30 p.m. on October 30, 1997; that Balbino’s
Honda motorcycle sideswiped the road barricade placed by
the company in the right lane portion of the road, causing
him to lose control of his motorcycle and to crash on the
newly cemented road, resulting in his instant death; and
that the company’s failure to place illuminated warning
signs on the site of the project, especially during night
time, was the proximate cause of the death of Balbino. She
prayed that the company be held liable for damages, to wit:
(a) P5,000.00 as the actual damage to Balbino’s motorcycle;
(b) P100,000.00 as funeral and burial expenses; (c)
P559,786.00 representing the “unearned income in
expectancy” of Balbino; (d) P100,000.00 as moral damages;
(e) P75,000.00 as attorney’s fees, plus P1,500.00 per court
appearance; and (f) P20,000.00 as litigation costs and other
incidental expenses.
In its answer,[2] the company denied Nena’s allegations
of negligence, insisting that it had installed warning signs
and lights along the highway and on the barricades of the
project;
_______________
[1] Records, pp. 2-6.
[2] Id., at pp. 17-22.
582
that at the time of the incident, the lights were working

and switched on; that its project was duly inspected by the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the
Office of the Mayor of Pili, and the Pili Municipal Police
Station; and that it was found to have satisfactorily taken
measures to ensure the safety of motorists.
The company further alleged that since the start of the
project in September 1997, it installed several warning
signs, namely: (a) big overhead streamers containing the
words SLOW DOWN ROAD UNDER REPAIR AHEAD

hung approximately 100 meters before the re-blocking site,
one facing the Pili-bound motorists and another facing the
Naga-bound motorists; (b) road signs containing the words
SLOW DOWN ROAD UNDER REPAIR 100 METERS
AHEAD placed on the road shoulders below the streamers;
(c) road signs with the words SLOW DOWN ROAD
UNDER REPAIR 50 METERS AHEAD placed 50 meters
before the project site; (d) barricades surrounded the
affected portion of the highway, and a series of 50-watt
light bulbs were installed and switched on daily from 6:00
p.m. until the following morning; (e) big warning signs
containing the words SLOW DOWN ROAD UNDER
REPAIR and SLOW DOWN MEN WORKING were
displayed at both ends of the affected portion of the
highway with illumination from two 50-watt bulbs from
6:00 p.m. until the following morning; and (f) the
unaffected portion of the highway was temporarily widened
in the adjacent road shoulder to allow two-way vehicular
traffic.
The company insisted that the death of Balbino was an
accident brought about by his own negligence, as confirmed
by the police investigation report that stated, among
others, that Balbino was not wearing any helmet at that
time, and the accident occurred while Balbino was
overtaking another motorcycle; and that the police report
also stated that the road sign/barricade installed on the
road had a light. Thus, it sought the dismissal of the
complaint and prayed, by way of counterclaim, that the
Nena be ordered to pay P100,000.00 as
583
attorney’s fees, as well as moral damages to be proven in

the course of trial.
The RTC subsequently directed the amendment of the
complaint to include the children of Nena and Balbino as
co-plaintiffs, namely: Janet, Claudette, Joan Bernabe and
Ryan Jose, all surnamed Lanuzo. Hence, the plaintiffs are
hereinafter be referred to as the Lanuzo heirs.
Decision of the RTC
On October 8, 2001, the RTC rendered judgment in favor
of the company, as follows:
Plaintiffs are the survivors of Balbino Los Baños Lanuzo who

met a traumatic death on 30 October, 1997 at about 6:30 p.m.,
when he bumped his motorcycle on a barricade that was lighted
with an electric bulb, protecting from traffic the newly-reblocked
cement road between San Agustin and San Jose, Pili, Camarines
Sur; they claim defendant’s OMISSION in lighting up the
barricaded portion of the reblocking project being undertaken by
defendant was the proximate cause of the accident, leaving them

bereaved and causing them actual and moral damages.
Defendant DENIED the claim of plaintiffs; both parties offered
testimonial and documentary evidence, from which this Court,
FINDS
that: plaintiff DID NOT present an eyewitness account of the
death of their decedent; on the contrary, the flagman of defendant
was present when the accident occurred, which was caused by the
decedent having overtaken a motorcycle ahead of [him] and on
swerving, to avoid the barricade, hit it, instead, breaking the
lighted electric bulb on top of the barricade, resulting in the fall of
the decedent about 18 paces from where his motorcycle fell on the
reblocked pavement; the police investigator, policeman Corporal,
by Exh. 1, confirmed the tale of the
584
flagman, aside from confirming the presence of the warning

devices placed not only on the premises but at places calculated to
warn motorists of the ongoing reblocking project.
OPINION
From the foregoing findings, it is the opinion of this Court that
the plaintiffs were unable to make out a case for damages, with a
preponderance of evidence.
WHEREFORE, Judgment is hereby rendered, DISMISSING
the complaint.[3]
Decision of the CA
The Lanuzo heirs appealed to the CA.

On August 11, 2003, the CA promulgated its decision
declaring that the issue was whether the company had
installed adequate lighting in the project so that motorists
could clearly see the barricade placed on the newly
cemented lane that was then still closed to vehicular
traffic,[4] thereby reversing the judgment of the RTC, and
holding thusly:
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the present appeal is

hereby GRANTED and the decision appealed from in Civil Case
No. P-2117 is hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE. A new
judgment is hereby entered ordering the defendant-appellee to
pay the plaintiff-appellants, heirs of the victim Balbino L. B.
Lanuzo, the sums of P50,000.00 as death indemnity, P20,000.00
by way of temperate damages and P939,736.50 as loss of earning
capacity of the deceased Balbino L. B. Lanuzo.
_______________
[3] Rollo, pp. 52-53; penned by Presiding Judge Nilo A. Malanyaon.
[4] Id., at pp. 40-49; penned by Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr. (now a
Member of the Court), with Associate Justice Cancio C. Garcia (later Presiding
Justice, and a Member of this Court, since retired) and Associate Justice Mario L.
Guariña III (retired), concurring.
585
SO ORDERED.[5]
The CA ruled that the following elements for the

application of the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur were present,
namely: (1) the accident was of such character as to
warrant an inference that it would not have happened
except for the defendant’s negligence; (2) the accident must
have been caused by an agency or instrumentality within
the exclusive management or control of the person charged
with the negligence complained of; and (3) the accident
must not have been due to any voluntary action or
contribution on the part of the person injured.
The CA regarded as self-serving the testimony of
Eduardo Zamora, an employee of the company who
testified that there was an electric bulb placed on top of the
barricade on the area of the accident. It held that Zamora’s
statement was negated by the statements of Ernesto Alto
and Asuncion Sandia to the effect that they had passed by
the area immediately before the accident and had seen the
road to be dark and lit only by a gas lamp. It noted that
SPO1 Corporal, the police investigator, had noticed the
presence of lighted electric bulbs in the area, but the same
had been installed on the other side of the street opposite
the barricade.
The CA ruled that the placing of road signs and
streamers alone did not prove that the electric bulbs were
in fact switched on at the time of the accident as to
sufficiently light up the newly re-blocked portion of the
highway. It opined that “[t]he trial court gave undue
weight to the self-serving statement of appellee’s employee,
Eduardo Zamora, which was supposedly corroborated by
SPO1 Pedro Corporal. SPO1 Corporal arrived at the scene
only after the accident occurred, and thus the electric bulbs
could have already been switched on by Zamora who was at
the area of the project.” It concluded that the negligence of
the company was the proximate cause
_______________
[5] Id., at p. 48.
586
of Balbino’s death; hence, the company was liable for

damages.
The company filed a motion for reconsideration,[6] but

the CA denied the motion in the resolution promulgated on
November 13, 2003.
Issues
In this appeal, the company submits the following

issues, namely:
I. The application by the Honorable Court of Appeals of the

doctrine of res ipsa loquitur to the case at bar, despite and
contrary to the finding, among others, by the trial court that the
proximate cause of the accident is the victim’s own negligence, is
“not in accord with the law or with the applicable decisions of the
Supreme Court” [Sec. 6 (a), Rule 45, Rules of Court].
II. The Honorable Court of Appeals, by substituting its own
findings of fact and conclusion with those of the trial court despite
the lack of “strong or cogent reasons” therefor, “has so far
departed from the accepted and usual course of judicial
proceedings ... as to call for an exercise of the power of
supervision” by this Honorable Supreme Court [Sec. 6 (b), Ibid.]
III. The findings by the Honorable Court of Appeals that
respondents (appellants therein) “had satisfactorily presented a
prima facie case of negligence which the appellee (petitioner
herein) had not overcome with an adequate explanation” and
which alleged negligence is “the proximate cause of death of
Lanuzo” are manifestations of grave abuse of discretion in the
appreciation of facts, and constitute a judgment based on a
misinterpretation of facts, which justify a review by this
Honorable Supreme Court.[7]
_______________
[6] CA Rollo, pp. 90-106.
[7] Rollo, pp. 19-20.
587
The company reiterates the categorical finding of the RTC

that the proximate cause of the accident was Balbino’s own
negligence, and that such finding was based on the
conclusion stated by SPO1 Corporal in his investigation
report to the effect that the incident was “purely self
accident,” and on the unrebutted testimony of Zamora to
the effect that Balbino was driving his motorcycle at a fast
speed trying to overtake another motorcycle rider before
hitting the barricade. On the other hand, it insists that its
documentary and testimonial evidence proved its exercise
of due care and observance of the legally prescribed safety
requirements for contractors.
The company maintains that Balbino was familiar with
the re-blocking project that had been going on for months
because he had been passing the area at least four times a
day during weekdays in going to and from his place of work

in the morning and in the afternoon; and that he could
have avoided the accident had he exercised reasonable care
and prudence.
The company assails the application of the doctrine of
res ipsa loquitur, positing that the Lanuzo heirs did not
establish all the requisites for the doctrine to apply.
Anent the first requisite, the company states that the
Lanuzo heirs did not successfully counter its documentary
and testimonial evidence showing that Balbino’s own
negligence had caused the accident. It cites the fact that
Balbino was familiar with the road conditions and the re-
blocking project because he had been passing there daily;
and that Balbino had been driving too fast and not wearing
the required helmet for motorcycle drivers, which were
immediately evident because he had been thrown from his
motorcycle and had landed “18 paces away” from the
barricade that he had hit.
On the second requisite, the company argues that
Balbino’s driving and operation of his motorcycle on the
day of the accident indicated that the accident was not
within its exclusive management and control; and that as
to the matters that were within its control, it sufficiently
showed its observance of
588
due and reasonable care and its compliance with the legally
prescribed safety requirements.
Regarding the third requisite, the company reminds that
Zamora and SPO1 Corporal revealed that Balbino was
overtaking another motorcycle rider before hitting the
barricade. The credibility of said witnesses was not
challenged, and their testimonies not rebutted; hence, the
CA erred in relying on the recollections of Asuncion Sandia
and Ernesto Alto who were not present when the incident
took place. Sandia and Alto’s testimonies could not be
accorded more weight than Zamora’s eyewitness account,
considering that the latter was believed by the trial judge
who had the first-hand opportunity to observe the
demeanor of the witnesses.
Whose negligence was the proximate cause of the death
of Balbino?
Ruling of the Court
Inasmuch as the RTC and the CA arrived at conflicting
findings of fact on who was the negligent party, the Court
holds that an examination of the evidence of the parties
needs to be undertaken to properly determine the issue.[8]
The Court must ascertain whose evidence was
preponderant, for Section 1, Rule 133 of the Rules of Court
mandates that in civil cases, like this one, the party having
the burden of proof must establish his case by a

preponderance of evidence.[9]
_______________
[8] Sealoader Shipping Corporation v. Grand Cement Manufacturing
Corporation, G.R. Nos. 167363 & 177466, December 15, 2010, 638 SCRA
488, 509-510.
[9] Section 1, Rule 133 of the Rules of Court states:
Section 1. Preponderance of evidence, how determined.—In civil cases,
the party having burden of proof must establish his case by a
preponderance of evidence. In determining where the preponderance or
superior weight of evidence on the issues involved lies, the court may
consider all the facts and circumstances of the case, the witnesses’ manner
of testifying, their intelligence, their means
589
Burden of proof is the duty of a party to present evidence

on the facts in issue necessary to establish his claim or
defense by the amount of evidence required by law.[10] It is
basic that whoever alleges a fact has the burden of proving
it because a mere allegation is not evidence.[11] Generally,
the party who denies has no burden to prove.[12] In civil
cases, the burden of proof is on the party who would be
defeated if no evidence is given on either side.[13] The
burden of proof is on the plaintiff if the defendant denies
the factual allegations of the complaint in the manner
required by the Rules of Court, but it may rest on the
defendant if he admits expressly or impliedly the essential
allegations but raises affirmative defense or defenses,
which if proved, will exculpate him from liability.[14]
By preponderance of evidence, according to Raymundo v.
Lunaria:[15]
_______________
and opportunity of knowing the facts to which there are testifying, the
nature of the facts to which they testify, the probability or improbability of
their testimony, their interest or want of interest, and also their personal
credibility so far as the same may legitimately appear upon the trial. The
court may also consider the number of witnesses, though the
preponderance is not necessarily with the greater number.
[10] People v. Macagaling, G.R. Nos. 109131-33, October 3, 1994, 237
SCRA 299, 320.
[11] Luxuria Homes, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 125986, January
28, 1999, 302 SCRA 315, 325; Coronel v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No.
103577, October 7, 1996, 263 SCRA 15, 35.
[12] Martin v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 82248, January 30, 1992, 205
SCRA 591, 596.
[13] Pacific Banking Corporation Employees Organization v. Court of
Appeals, G.R. No. 109373, March 27, 1998, 288 SCRA 197, 206.
[14] Sambar v. Levi Strauss & Co., G.R. No. 132604, March 3, 2002, 378
SCRA 365.
[15] G.R. No. 171036, October 17, 2008, 569 SCRA 526, 532.
590
x x x is meant that the evidence as a whole adduced by one side

is superior to that of the other. It refers to the weight, credit and
value of the aggregate evidence on either side and is usually
considered to be synonymous with the term “greater weight of
evidence” or “greater weight of the credible evidence.” It is
evidence which is more convincing to the court as worthy of belief
than that which is offered in opposition thereto.
In addition, according to United Airlines, Inc. v. Court of

Appeals,[16] the plaintiff must rely on the strength of his
own evidence and not upon the weakness of the
defendant’s.
Upon a review of the records, the Court affirms the
findings of the RTC, and rules that the Lanuzo heirs, the
parties carrying the burden of proof, did not establish by
preponderance of evidence that the negligence on the part
of the company was the proximate cause of the fatal
accident of Balbino.
Negligence, the Court said in Layugan v. Intermediate
Appellate Court,[17] is “the omission to do something which
a reasonable man, guided by those considerations which
ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do,
or the doing of something which a prudent and reasonable
man would not do,[18] or as Judge Cooley defines it, ‘(t)he
failure to observe for the protection of the interests of
another person, that degree of care, precaution, and
vigilance which the circumstances justly demand, whereby
such other person suffers injury.’”[19] In order that a party
may be held liable for damages for any injury brought
about by the negligence of another, the claimant must
prove that the negligence was the immediate and
proximate cause of the injury. Proximate cause is defined
as “that cause, which, in natural and continuous sequence,
un-
_______________
[16] G.R. No. 124110, April 20, 2001, 357 SCRA 99, 107.
[17] No. L-73998, November 14, 1988, 167 SCRA 363, 372-373.
[18] Id., citing Black’s Law Dictionary, Fifth Edition, 930.
[19] Id., citing Cooley On Torts, Fourth Edition, Vol. 3, 265.
591
broken by any efficient intervening cause, produces the

injury and without which the result would not have
occurred.”[20]
The test by which the existence of negligence in a
particular case is determined is aptly stated in the leading
case of Picart v. Smith,[21] as follows:

The test by which to determine the existence of negligence in a

particular case may be stated as follows: Did the defendant in
doing the alleged negligent act use that reasonable care and
caution which an ordinarily prudent person would have used in
the same situation? If not, then he is guilty of negligence. The law
here in effect adopts the standard supposed to be supplied by the
imaginary conduct of the discreet paterfamilias of the Roman law.
The existence of negligence in a given case is not determined by
reference to the personal judgment of the actor in the situation
before him. The law considers what would be reckless,
blameworthy, or negligent in the man of ordinary intelligence and
prudence and determines liability by that.
The question as to what would constitute the conduct of a
prudent man in a given situation must of course be always
determined in the light of human experience and in view of the
facts involved in the particular case. Abstract speculation cannot
here be of much value but this much can be profitably said:
Reasonable men govern their conduct by the circumstances which
are before them or known to them. They are not, and are not
supposed to be, omniscient of the future. Hence they can be
expected to take care only when there is something before them to
suggest or warn of danger. Could a prudent man, in the case
under consideration, foresee harm as a result of the course
actually pursued? If so, it was the duty of the actor to take
precautions to guard against that harm. Reasonable foresight of
harm, followed by the
_______________
[20] Allied Banking Corporation v. Lim Sio Wan, G.R. No. 133179, March 27,
2008, 549 SCRA 504, 518.
[21] 37 Phil. 809, 813 (1918).
592
ignoring of the suggestion born of this prevision, is always

necessary before negligence can be held to exist. Stated in these
terms, the proper criterion for determining the existence of
negligence in a given case is this: Conduct is said to be negligent
when a prudent man in the position of the tortfeasor would have
foreseen that an effect harmful to another was sufficiently
probable to warrant his foregoing the conduct or guarding against
its consequences.
First of all, we note that the Lanuzo heirs argued in the

trial and appellate courts that there was a total omission
on the part of the company to place illuminated warning
signs on the site of the project, especially during night
time, in order to warn motorists of the project. They claim
that the omission was the proximate cause of the death of
Balbino.[22] In this appeal, however, they contend that the
negligence of the company consisted in its omission to put
up adequate lighting and the required signs to warn
motorists of the project, abandoning their previous
argument of a total omission to illuminate the project site.
During the trial, the Lanuzo heirs attempted to prove
inadequacy of illumination instead of the total omission of
illumination. Their first witness was Cesar Palmero, who
recalled that lights had been actually installed in the site of
the project. The next witness was Ernesto Alto, who stated
that he had seen three light bulbs installed in the site,
placed at intervals along the stretch of the road covered by
the project. Alto further stated that he had passed the site
on board his tricycle on October 30, 1997 prior to the
accident, and had seen only a gas lamp, not light bulbs, on
his approach. Another witness of the plaintiffs, Asuncion
Sandia, claimed that she had also passed the site on board
a bus on the night just prior to the accident, and had seen
the site to be dark, with only one lane open to traffic, with
no light at all. Obviously,
_______________
[22] Records, p. 3; CA Rollo, pp. 31, 38.

593
the witnesses of the plaintiffs were not consistent on their

recollections of the significant detail of the illumination of
the site.
In contrast, the company credibly refuted the allegation
of inadequate illumination. Zamora, its flagman in the
project, rendered an eyewitness account of the accident by
stating that the site had been illuminated by light bulbs
and gas lamps, and that Balbino had been in the process of
overtaking another motorcycle rider at a fast speed when
he hit the barricade placed on the newly cemented road. On
his part, SPO1 Corporal, the police investigator who
arrived at the scene of the accident on October 30, 1997,
recalled that there were light bulbs on the other side of the
barricade on the lane coming from Naga City; and that the
light bulb on the lane where the accident had occurred was
broken because it had been hit by the victim’s motorcycle.
Witnesses Gerry Alejo and Engr. Victorino del Socorro
remembered that light bulbs and gas lamps had been

installed in the area of the project.
Secondly, the company presented as its documentary
evidence the investigation report dated December 3, 1997
of SPO1 Corporal (Annex 1), the relevant portions of which
indicated the finding of the police investigator on the
presence of illumination at the project site, viz.:

SUBJECT: Investigation Report Re: Homicide Thru Reckless

Imprudence (Self Accident)
x x x x
II. MATTERS INVESTIGATED:
1. To determine how the incident happened.
2. To determine the vehicle involved.
III. FACTS OF THE CASE:
3. At 6:45 P.M. October 30, 1997, Elements of Pili
Municipal Police Station led by SPO2 Melchor Estallo,
SPO2 Cesar Pillarda, both members of the patrol section
and SPO1 Pedro D. Corporal, inves-
594
tigator reported having conducted an on the spot

investigation re: vehicular incident (Self Accident) that
happened on or about 6:30 o’clock in the evening of October
30, 1997 along national highway, San Agustin, Pili,
Camarines Sur, wherein one Balbino Lanuzo y Doe, of legal
age, married, a public school teacher, a resident of San Jose,
Pili, Camarines Sur while driving his Honda motorcycle 110
CC enroute to San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur from
Poblacion, this municipality and upon reaching at road re:
blocking portion of the national highway at barangay San
Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur and while overtaking another
motorcycle ahead incidentally side-swiped a road
sign/barricade installed at the lane road re: blocking of the
national highway, causing said motorcycle rider to swerved
his ridden motorcycle to the right and stumble down and
fell to the concrete cemented road. Victim was rushed to
Bicol Medical Center, Naga City for treatment but was
pronounced dead on arrival.
4. That upon arrival at the scene of the incident it was
noted that road sign/barricade installed on the road has
a light.
5. That said road was under repair for almost a month which
one lane portion of the national highway is possible of all
passing vehicles from south and north bound.
6. That said motorcycle stumble down on the newly repair
portion of the national highway and the driver lying down
beside the motorcycle.
x x x x
8. That one of the passerby revealed that the victim possibly
be miscalculated the road block that made him to tumble down
when he applied sudden brake.
IV. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
9. The time of the incident was at about 6:30 o’clock in the
evening a time wherein dark of the night is approaching the
vision of the driver is affected with
595
the changing condition and it is all the time when driver

should lights his driven vehicle, as to this case, the driver
Balbino Lanuzo y Doe (victim has exercise all precautionary
measures to avoid accident but due to self accident he
incidentally sideswiped the road sign/barricade of the re:
Blocking portion of the national highway resulting him to
stumble down his motorcycle and fell down to the concrete
cement road.
10. The driver/victim met unexpectedly (sic) along that one lane
potion of the re: blocking and considering it was night time,
confusion overthrew him and because of sudden impulse, he
lost control on the motorcycle he was driving.
11. That the driver/victim has no crush (sic) helmet at the time
of the incident considering that it should be a basic
requirement as to prevent from any accident.
V. RECOMMENDATION:
12. Basing on the above discussion and facts surroundings the
case was purely self accident resulting to Homicide Thru
Reckless Imprudence and the case must be closed. (Emphasis
ours.)[23]
Additionally, the company submitted the application for

lighting permit covering the project site (Annex 7) to prove
the fact of installation of the electric light bulbs in the
project site.
In our view, the RTC properly gave more weight to the
testimonies of Zamora and SPO1 Corporal than to those of
the witnesses for the Lanuzo heirs. There was justification
for doing so, because the greater probability pertained to
the former. Moreover, the trial court’s assessment of the
credibility of the witnesses and of their testimonies is
preferred to that of the appellate court’s because of the trial
court’s unique
_______________
[23] Records, pp. 178-179.
596
first-hand opportunity to observe the witnesses and their

demeanor as such. The Court said in Cang v. Cullen:[24]
The findings of the trial court on the credibility of witnesses

are accorded great weight and respect — even considered as
conclusive and binding on this Court — since the trial judge had
the unique opportunity to observe the witness firsthand and note
his demeanor, conduct and attitude under grueling examination.
Only the trial judge can observe the furtive glance, blush of
conscious shame, hesitation, flippant or sneering tone, calmness,
sigh of a witness, or his scant or full realization of an oath — all of
which are useful aids for an accurate determination of a witness’
honesty and sincerity. He can thus be expected to determine with
reasonable discretion which testimony is acceptable and which
witness is worthy of belief.
Absent any showing that the trial court’s calibration of the
credibility of the witnesses was flawed, we are bound by its
assessment. This Court will sustain such findings unless it can be
shown that the trial court ignored, overlooked, misunderstood,
misappreciated, or misapplied substantial facts and
circumstances, which, if considered, would materially affect the
result of the case.[25]
The Court observes, too, that SPO1 Corporal, a veteran

police officer detailed for more than 17 years at the Pili
Police Station, enjoyed the presumption of regularity in the
performance of his official duties.[26] The presumption,
although
_______________
[24] G.R. No. 163078, November 25, 2009, 605 SCRA 391, 398.
[25] Id., at pp. 401-402.
[26] Section 3 (m), Rule 131 of the Rules of Court states:
Section 3. Disputable presumptions.—The following presumptions are
satisfactory if uncontradicted, but may be contradicted and overcome by
other evidence:
x x x x
(m) That official duty has been regularly performed;
x x x x
597
rebuttable, stands because the Lanuzo heirs did not adduce

evidence to show any deficiency or irregularity in the
performance of his official duty as the police investigator of
the accident. They also did not show that he was impelled
by any ill motive or bias to testify falsely.
Thirdly, the CA unreasonably branded the testimonies
of Zamora and SPO1 Corporal as “self-serving.” They were
not. Self-serving evidence refers to out-of-court statements
that favor the declarant’s interest;[27] it is disfavored
mainly because the adverse party is given no opportunity
to dispute the statement and their admission would

encourage fabrication of testimony.[28] But court
declarations are not self-serving considering that the
adverse party is accorded the opportunity to test the
veracity of the declarations by cross-examination and other
methods.
There is no question that Zamora and SPO1 Corporal
were thoroughly cross-examined by the counsel for the
Lanuzo heirs. Their recollections remained unchallenged
by superior contrary evidence from the Lanuzo heirs.
Fourthly, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur had no
application here. In Tan v. JAM Transit, Inc.,[29] the Court
has discussed the doctrine thusly:
Res ipsa loquitur is a Latin phrase that literally means “the

thing or the transaction speaks for itself.” It is a maxim for the
rule that the fact of the occurrence of an injury, taken with the
surrounding circumstances, may permit an inference or raise a
presumption of negligence, or make out a plaintiff’s prima facie
case, and present a question of fact for defendant to meet with an
explanation. Where the thing that caused the injury com-
_______________
[27] National Development Co. v. Workmen’s Compensation Commission, 19
SCRA 861, 865-866.
[28] Hernandez v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 104874, December 14, 1993, 228
SCRA 429, 436.
[29] G.R. No. 183198, November 25, 2009, 605 SCRA 659, 667-668.
598
plained of is shown to be under the management of the defendant

or his servants; and the accident, in the ordinary course of things,
would not happen if those who had management or control used
proper care, it affords reasonable evidence — in the absence of a
sufficient, reasonable and logical explanation by defendant — that
the accident arose from or was caused by the defendant’s want of
care. This rule is grounded on the superior logic of ordinary
human experience, and it is on the basis of such experience or
common knowledge that negligence may be deduced from the
mere occurrence of the accident itself. Hence, the rule is applied
in conjunction with the doctrine of common knowledge.
For the doctrine to apply, the following requirements

must be shown to exist, namely: (a) the accident is of a kind
that ordinarily does not occur in the absence of someone’s
negligence; (b) it is caused by an instrumentality within the
exclusive control of the defendant or defendants; and (c) the
possibility of contributing conduct that would make the
plaintiff responsible is eliminated.[30]
The Court has warned in Reyes v. Sisters of Mercy
Hospital,[31] however, that “res ipsa loquitur is not a rigid
or ordinary doctrine to be perfunctorily used but a rule to

be cautiously applied, depending upon the circumstances of
each case.”
Based on the evidence adduced by the Lanuzo heirs,
negligence cannot be fairly ascribed to the company
considering that it has shown its installation of the
necessary warning signs and lights in the project site. In
that context, the fatal accident was not caused by any
instrumentality within the exclusive control of the
company. In contrast, Balbino had the exclusive control of
how he operated and managed his motorcycle. The records
disclose that he himself did not take the necessary
precautions. As Zamora declared, Balbino overtook
_______________
[30] Macalinao v. Ong, G.R. No. 146635, December 14, 2005, 477 SCRA
740, 755.
[31] G.R. No. 130547, October 3, 2000, 341 SCRA 760, 772.
599
another motorcycle rider at a fast speed, and in the process

could not avoid hitting a barricade at the site, causing him
to be thrown off his motorcycle onto the newly cemented
road. SPO1 Corporal’s investigation report corroborated
Zamora’s declaration. This causation of the fatal injury
went uncontroverted by the Lanuzo heirs.
Moreover, by the time of the accident, the project, which
had commenced in September 1997, had been going on for
more than a month and was already in the completion
stage. Balbino, who had passed there on a daily basis in
going to and from his residence and the school where he
then worked as the principal, was thus very familiar with
the risks at the project site. Nor could the Lanuzo heirs
justly posit that the illumination was not adequate, for it
cannot be denied that Balbino’s motorcycle was equipped
with headlights that would have enabled him at dusk or
night time to see the condition of the road ahead. That the
accident still occurred surely indicated that he himself did
not exercise the degree of care expected of him as a prudent
motorist.
According to Dr. Abilay, the cause of death of Balbino
was the fatal depressed fracture at the back of his head, an
injury that Dr. Abilay opined to be attributable to his head
landing on the cemented road after being thrown off his
motorcycle. Considering that it was shown that Balbino
was not wearing any protective head gear or helmet at the
time of the accident, he was guilty of negligence in that
respect. Had he worn the protective head gear or helmet,
his untimely death would not have occurred.
The RTC was correct on its conclusions and findings

that the company was not negligent in ensuring safety at
the project site. All the established circumstances showed
that the proximate and immediate cause of the death of
Balbino was his own negligence. Hence, the Lanuzo heirs
could not recover damages.[32]
_______________
[32] The Civil Code states:
600
WHEREFORE, the Court GRANTS the petition for

review on certiorari; REVERSES and SETS ASIDE the
decision promulgated on August 11, 2003 by the Court of
Appeals; REINSTATES the decision rendered on October
8, 2001 by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 32, in Pili,
Camarines Sur dismissing the complaint; and MAKES no
pronouncements on costs of suit.
SO ORDERED.
Sereno (CJ.), Leonardo De-Castro, Brion** and Reyes,

JJ., concur.
Petition granted, judgment reversed and set aside.
Notes.—Res Ipsa Loquitur is a maxim for the rule that

the fact of the occurrence of an injury taken with the
surrounding circumstances may permit an inference or
raise a presumption of negligence or make out a plaintiff’s
prima facie case and present a question of fact for
defendant to meet with an explanation. (Tan vs. JAM
Transit, Inc., 605 SCRA 659 [2009])
Res ipsa loquitur is not a rigid or ordinary doctrine to be
perfunctorily used but a rule to be cautiously applied,
depending upon the circumstances of each case. (Bontilao
vs. Gerona, 630 SCRA 561 [2010])
——o0o——
_______________
Article 2179. When the plaintiff’s own negligence was the
immediate and proximate cause of his injury, he cannot recover
damages. But if his negligence was only contributory, the immediate and
proximate cause of the injury being the defendant’s lack of due care, the
plaintiff may recover damages, but the courts shall mitigate the damages
to be awarded.
** Vice Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr., who penned the
decision under review, pursuant to the raffle of May 8, 2013.
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3/12/22, 10:03 AM SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 719

G.R. No. 161151. March 24, 2014.*

Remedial Law; Evidence; Burden of Proof; Words and

present evidence on the facts in issue necessary to establish his

than that which is offered in opposition thereto. In addition,

logical explanation by defendant — that the accident arose from

PETITION for review on certiorari of a decision of the

Hence, this appeal.

that at the time of the incident, the lights were working

words SLOW DOWN ROAD UNDER REPAIR AHEAD

attorney’s fees, as well as moral damages to be proven in

Plaintiffs are the survivors of Balbino Los Baños Lanuzo who

defendant was the proximate cause of the accident, leaving them

flagman, aside from confirming the presence of the warning

The Lanuzo heirs appealed to the CA.

WHEREFORE, premises considered, the present appeal is

The CA ruled that the following elements for the

of Balbino’s death; hence, the company was liable for

The company filed a motion for reconsideration,[6] but

In this appeal, the company submits the following

I. The application by the Honorable Court of Appeals of the

The company reiterates the categorical finding of the RTC

day during weekdays in going to and from his place of work

the burden of proof must establish his case by a

Burden of proof is the duty of a party to present evidence

x x x is meant that the evidence as a whole adduced by one side

In addition, according to United Airlines, Inc. v. Court of

broken by any efficient intervening cause, produces the

The test by which to determine the existence of negligence in a

ignoring of the suggestion born of this prevision, is always

First of all, we note that the Lanuzo heirs argued in the

the witnesses of the plaintiffs were not consistent on their

remembered that light bulbs and gas lamps had been

SUBJECT: Investigation Report Re: Homicide Thru Reckless

tigator reported having conducted an on the spot

the changing condition and it is all the time when driver

Additionally, the company submitted the application for

first-hand opportunity to observe the witnesses and their

The findings of the trial court on the credibility of witnesses

The Court observes, too, that SPO1 Corporal, a veteran

rebuttable, stands because the Lanuzo heirs did not adduce

to dispute the statement and their admission would

Res ipsa loquitur is a Latin phrase that literally means “the

plained of is shown to be under the management of the defendant

For the doctrine to apply, the following requirements

or ordinary doctrine to be perfunctorily used but a rule to

another motorcycle rider at a fast speed, and in the process

The RTC was correct on its conclusions and findings

WHEREFORE, the Court GRANTS the petition for

Sereno (CJ.), Leonardo De-Castro, Brion** and Reyes,

Petition granted, judgment reversed and set aside.

Notes.—Res Ipsa Loquitur is a maxim for the rule that

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