G.R. No.

108229
August 24, 1993
DASMARIAS GARMENTS, INC., petitione,
!s.
"#N. R$%EN T. RE&ES, 'u(ge, Region)* Ti)* Cout, M)ni*), %)n+, -0, )n( AMERICAN .RESIDENT
/INES, /TD., espon(ents.
0ACTS
1. In 1997, American President Lines, Ltd. sued Dasmarias Garments, Inc. to recover the sum of US $!,""#.$
%efore &'( )ani*a.
". In its ans+er, Dasmarias Garments, Inc. s,ecifica**- denied an- *ia%i*it- to APL, and set u, com,u*sor-
counterc*aims a.ainst it.
!. APL ,resented its first +itness +hose testimon- +as com,*eted on /ovem%er 1", 19##.
$. 'he case +as reset to )a- !, 19#9 for rece,tion of the testimon- of t+o 0"1 more +itnesses in APL2s %eha*f.
. At the hearin. of )a- !, 19#9, instead of ,resentin. its +itnesses, APL fi*ed a motion to ta3e the de,ositions of
4. Lee and 5eon. 6an. 5eh in 'ai,ei, 'ai+an and ,ra-ed that for this ,ur,ose, a 7commission or *etters
ro.ator- %e issued addressed to the consu*, vice8consu* or consu*ar a.ent of the Phi*i,,ines in 'ai,ei . 7
9. 6ive 01 da-s *ater APL fi*ed an amended motion statin. that since the Phi*i,,ine Government has no consu*ate
office in 'ai+an in vie+ of its 7one (hina ,o*ic-,7 there %ein. in *ieu thereof an office set u, %- the President
7,resent*- occu,ied %- Director :oa;uin &oces +hich is the Asia <=chan.e (enter, Inc.,7 it +as necessar- >
and it therefore ,ra-ed > 7that commission or *etters ro.ator- %e issued addressed to Director :oa;uin &oces,
to hear and ta3e the ora* de,osition of the aforenamed ,ersons.7
7. 'he motion +as o,,osed %- Dasmarias.
#. It contended that 0a1 the motion +as 7fata**- defective in that it does not see3 . . . that a forei.n court e=amine a
,erson +ithin its ?urisdiction@7 0%1 issuance of *etters ro.ator- +as unnecessar- %ecause the +itnesses 7can %e
e=amined %efore the Phi*i,,ine (ourt@7 and 0c1 the &u*es of (ourt 7e=,ress*- re;uire that the testimon- of a
+itness must %e ta3en ora**- in o,en court and not %- de,osition.7
9. &'( )ani*a reso*ved the incident in favor of APLA 'he A<( thru Director :oa;uin &. &oces is here%-
(B))ISSIB/<D to ta3e do+n the de,osition. (om,*iance +ith the &u*es on the ta3in. of testimon- %-
de,osition u,on +ritten interro.atories under Sections "8"9 of &u*e "$, &u*es of (ourt is en?oined.
1C. 'he (ourt o,ined that 7the A<(. %ein. the authoriDed Phi*i,,ine re,resentative in 'ai+an, ma- ta3e the
testimonies of ,*aintiff2s +itnesses residin. there %- de,osition, %ut on*- u,on +ritten interro.atories so as to
.ive defendant the o,,ortunit- to cross8e=amine the +itnesses %- servin. cross8e=amination.7
11. Dasmarias sou.ht reconsideration %- motion on the fo**o+in. .roundsA 011 authorit- of the Asian <=chan.e
(enter, Inc. 0A<(I1 to ta3e de,ositions has not %een esta%*ished, it not %ein. one of those so authoriDed %- the
&u*es of (ourt to ta3e de,ositions in a forei.n state@ 0"1 A<(I2s artic*es of incor,oration sho+ that it is not
vested +ith an- such authorit-@ 0!1 to ,ermit de,osition8ta3in. %- commission +ithout the authorit- of the
forei.n state in +hich de,osition is ta3en constitutes infrin.ement of ?udicia* soverei.nt-@ and 0$1 de,ositions
%- +ritten interro.atories have inherent *imitations and are not suita%*e to matters de,endent on the credi%i*it-
of +itnesses@ ora* testimon- in o,en court remains the 7most satisfactor- method of investi.ation of facts27 and
72affords the .reatest ,rotection to the ri.hts and *i%erties of citiDens.7
1". Dasmarias instituted a s,ecia* civi* action of certiorari in the (A to nu**if- the orders of &'( )ani*a.
1!. (A restrained enforcement of the order in order to maintain the status ;uo and to ,revent the inf*iction of
irre,ara%*e dama.e and in?ur- u,on the ,etitioner.
1$. Bnce a.ain Dasmarias has avai*ed of the remed- of a,,ea*. It has come to this (ourt and ,ra-s for the reversa*
of the (AEs Decision.
SC R$/ING
1#N t)2ing o3 (eposition is ) 4o(e o3 peti)* (is+o!e5 to 6e )!)i*e( o3 6e3oe t,e )+tion +o4es to ti)*
1. Dasmarias contends that the 7ta3in. of de,osition is a mode of ,retria* discover- to %e avai*ed of %efore the
action comes to tria*.7 /ot so. De,ositions ma- %e ta3en at an- time after the institution of an- action, +henever
necessar- or convenient. 'here is no ru*e that *imits de,osition8ta3in. on*- to the ,eriod of ,re8tria* or %efore it@
no ,rohi%ition a.ainst the ta3in. of de,ositions after ,re8tria*. Indeed, the *a+ authoriDes the ta3in. of
de,ositions of +itnesses %efore or after an a,,ea* is ta3en from the ?ud.ment of a &e.iona* 'ria* (ourt 7to
,er,etuate their testimon- for use in the event of further ,roceedin.s in the said court7 0&u*e 1!$, &u*es of
(ourt1, and even durin. the ,rocess of e=ecution of a fina* and e=ecutor- ?ud.ment 0<ast Asiatic (o. v. (.I.&.,
$C S(&A "1, $$1.
1#N t)2ing o3 (eposition un(e t,e +i+u4st)n+es is ) 7(ep)tue 3o4 t,e )++epte( )n( usu)* 8u(i+i)*
po+ee(ings o3 e9)4ining :itnesses
". Dasmarias further c*aims that the ta3in. of de,osition under the circumstances is a 7de,arture from the
acce,ted and usua* ?udicia* ,roceedin.s of e=aminin. +itnesses in o,en court +here the demeanor cou*d %e
o%served %- the tria* ?ud.e@7 that it is 7inherent*- unfair7 to a**o+ APL, 7a forei.n entit- suin. in the
Phi*i,,ines, to ,resent its evidence %- mere de,osition of its +itnesses a+a- from the 2,enetratin. scrutin-2 of
the tria* :ud.e +hi*e ,etitioner is o%*i.ated to %rin. and ,resent its +itnesses in o,en court su%?ect to the ,r-in.
e-es and ,ro%in. ;uestions of the :ud.e.7
!. In the case at %ar is a 7de,arture from the acce,ted and usua* ?udicia* ,roceedin.s of e=aminin. +itnesses in
o,en court +here their demeanor cou*d %e o%served %- the tria* ?ud.e@7 %ut the ,rocedure is not on that account
rendered i**e.a* nor is the de,osition there%- ta3en, inadmissi%*e.
$. It ,recise*- fa**s +ithin one of the e=ce,tions +here the *a+ ,ermits such a situation, i.e., the use of de,osition
in *ieu of the actua* a,,earance and testimon- of the de,onent in o,en court and +ithout %ein. 7su%?ect to the
,r-in. e-es and ,ro%in. ;uestions of the :ud.e.7
. 'his is a**o+ed ,rovided the de,osition is ta3en in accordance +ith the a,,*ica%*e ,rovisions of the &u*es of
(ourt and the e=istence of an- of the e=ce,tions for its admissi%i*it- > e..., 7that the +itness if out of the
,rovince and at a .reater distance than fift- 0C1 3i*ometers from the ,*ace of tria* or hearin., or is out of the
Phi*i,,ines, un*ess it a,,ears that his a%sence +as ,rocured %- the ,art- offerin. the de,osition@ or . . . that the
+itness is una%*e to attend to testif- %ecause of a.e, sic3ness, infirmit-, or im,risonment, etc.7 0Sec. $ &u*e "$,
su,ra, em,hasis su,,*ied1 > is first satisfactori*- esta%*ished 0See Lo,eD v. )aceren, 9 Phi*. 7$1.
9. 'he &e.iona* 'ria* (ourt sa+ fit to ,ermit the ta3in. of the de,ositions of the +itnesses in ;uestion on*- %-
+ritten interro.atories, removin. the ,ro,onent2s o,tion to ta3e them %- ora* e=amination, i.e., %- .oin. to
'ai,ei and actua**- ;uestionin. the +itnesses ver%a**- +ith the ;uestions and ans+ers and o%servations of the
,arties %ein. recorded steno.ra,hica**-.
7. 'he im,osition of such a *imitation, and the determination of the cause thereof, are to %e sure +ithin the (ourt2s
discretion. 'he ostensi%*e reason .iven %- the 'ria* (ourt for the condition > that the de,osition %e ta3en 7on*-
u,on +ritten interro.atories7 > is 7so as to .ive defendant 0Dasmarias1 the o,,ortunit- to cross8e=amine the
+itnesses %- servin. cross8interro.atories.7
#. 'he statement im,*ies that o,,ortunit- to cross8e=amine +i** not %e accorded the defendant if the de,ositions
+ere to %e ta3en u,on ora* e=amination, +hich, of course, is not true. 6or even if the de,ositions +ere to %e
ta3en on ora* e=amination in 'ai,ei, the adverse ,art- is sti** accorded fu** ri.ht to cross8e=amine the de,onents
%- the *a+, either %- ,roceedin. to 'ai,ei and there conductin. the cross8e=amination ora**-, or o,tin. to
conduct said cross8e=amination mere*- %- servin. cross8interro.atories.
PREMISES CONSIDERED, the Court Resolved to DISMISS the petition for review on certiorari. Costs against
petitioner.