CECILIO M. LINO, petitioner, vs. VALERIANO E. FUGOSO, LAMBERTO JAVALERA, and JOHN DOE, in their capacity as Mayor, Chief of Police and Officer in charge of municipal jail, all of the City of Manila, respectively, respondents

Summary

This habeas corpus case involved twelve individuals detained by Manila authorities for allegedly inciting to sedition. While ten were released for lack of evidence, two remained in custody and were later charged with light offenses. The Supreme Court En Banc found their detention illegal, ruling that police exceeded the six-hour limit under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code for delivering detainees to judicial authorities. The Court emphasized that for light offenses, arrest should not generally occur without express court order under Rule 108. The City Fiscal lacked authority to validate illegal detention through mere filing of informations without proper arrest warrants. This decision reinforces constitutional protections against arbitrary detention and establishes important precedent on time limits for police custody and proper procedures for light offenses, demonstrating judicial oversight over executive detention powers.