APRIL 28, 2026 — The Supreme Court has stunned the public with a ruling that flips the script on one of the country’s most haunting cases. A mother once sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison for killing her five-year-old daughter has been cleared of parricide — because the Court found she was legally insane at the time of the crime.

In a 14-page decision penned by Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the SC’s Third Division granted her appeal, ruling that schizophrenia had robbed her of the ability to understand the nature and wrongfulness of her actions. The decision, promulgated last October but only announced this week, marks a dramatic turn in a case that began at Delpan Bridge in Manila back in January 2010.

That day, the mother jumped off the bridge with her daughter. She survived after being pulled out of the water by a scavenger, but her child’s body was recovered lifeless the next day. The Regional Trial Court convicted her of parricide and sentenced her to reclusion perpetua, a punishment later affirmed by the Court of Appeals. 

But the SC disagreed, citing psychiatric testimony that she had been suffering from schizophrenia since 2004.

Doctors testified that she showed signs of paranoia, delusions, and distorted perceptions, believing she was the target of gossip and envy. In 2013, a psychiatrist confirmed her diagnosis, and another examination in 2018 reaffirmed it. 

The SC concluded: “At the time of the incident, XXX’s mental state deprived her of the ability to appreciate the nature and wrongfulness of her act. Thus, she is exempt from criminal liability.”

Still, the acquittal doesn’t mean she walks away free of responsibility. The Court ordered her to pay damages: ₱75,000 each in civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages, plus ₱50,000 in temperate damages to her daughter’s heirs. She will also be transferred from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong to the National Center for Mental Health for treatment.

Mental health wake-up call

Mental health is often brushed aside, stigmatized, or left untreated until tragedy strikes. The SC’s decision forces us to confront the reality that mental illness is not a moral weakness but a medical condition that can shape lives and, in this case, alter the course of justice.

For a country still struggling to build a strong mental health support system, this case is a reminder that compassion and accountability must go hand in hand.

Do you think this ruling will finally push the Philippines to take mental health as seriously as it takes crime and punishment?

(Image: Supreme Court of the Philippines)