Medical examination NOT an indispensable element in prosecution for rape

We have ruled that even the absence of medical findings by a medico-legal officer does not disprove the commission of rape. Medical examination is not an indispensable element in a prosecution for rape, neither is presentation of the victim's torn panty fatal for the prosecution's case. In the case of People vs. Arce, the Court declared that the purpose of the medical examination is merely corroborative in nature. Furthermore, in People vs. Sapurco, it was held that the presence of a laceration in the vagina is not an essential prerequisite to prove that a victim has been raped. [G.R. No. 122359. November 28, 1996]