People v. Molina

Summary

This landmark constitutional case involved accused-appellants charged with illegal possession of 946.9 grams of marijuana under the Dangerous Drugs Act. The Supreme Court addressed the fundamental constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, ultimately acquitting the accused. The Court held that the warrantless arrest was illegal as the accused manifested no outward criminal behavior—merely holding a bag while riding a trisikad was insufficient to establish probable cause for a flagrante delicto arrest. The subsequent search was consequently illegal, rendering the seized marijuana inadmissible under the constitutional exclusionary rule. The decision emphasized that law enforcement efforts against drugs must not encroach on fundamental constitutional rights, even for the "basest of criminals." This case reinforced the strict application of constitutional protections and the exclusionary rule in Philippine jurisprudence.