RR
EVISEDEVISED
OO
RTEGARTEGA
LL
ECTUREECTURE
NN
OTESOTES
ONON
CC
RIMINALRIMINAL
LL
AWAW
CRIMINAL LAW
Criminal law is that branch of municipal law which defines crimes, treats of their nature and provides for their punishment.It is that branch of public substantive law which defines offenses and prescribes their penalties. It issubstantive because it defines the state’s right to inflict punishment and the liability of the offenders. It is public law because it deals with the relation of the individual with the state.
Limitations on the power of Congress to enact penal laws
1.Must be general in application.2.Must not partake of the nature of an
ex post facto
law.3.Must not partake of the nature of a bill of attainder.4.Must not impose cruel and unusual punishment or excessive fines.
Characteristics of Criminal Law
1.Generality2.Territoriality3.Prospectivity.
GENERALITY
Generality of criminal law means that the criminal law of the country governs all persons within thecountry regardless of their race, belief, sex, or creed. However, it is subject to certain exceptionsbrought about by international agreement. Ambassadors, chiefs of states and other diplomatic officialsare immune from the application of penal laws when they are in the country where they are assigned.Note that consuls are not diplomatic officers. This includes consul-general, vice-consul or any consul in a foreign country, who are therefore, not immune to the operation or application of the penal law of the country where they are assigned. Consuls are subject to the penal laws of the country where they are assigned.It has no reference to territory. Whenever you are asked to explain this, it does not include territory. It refers to persons that may be governed by the penal law.
TERRITORIALITY
Territoriality
means that the penal laws of the country have force and effect only within its territory. Itcannot penalize crimes committed outside the same. This is subject to certain exceptions broughtabout by international agreements and practice. The territory of the country is not limited to the landwhere its sovereignty resides but includes also its maritime and interior waters as well as itsatmosphere.
Terrestrial jurisdiction is the jurisdiction exercised over land.Fluvial jurisdiction is the jurisdiction exercised over maritime and interior waters. Aerial jurisdiction is the jurisdiction exercised over the atmosphere.
1
RR
EVISEDEVISED
OO
RTEGARTEGA
LL
ECTUREECTURE
NN
OTESOTES
ONON
CC
RIMINALRIMINAL
LL
AWAW
The Archipelagic Rule
All bodies of water comprising the maritime zone and interior waters abounding different islandscomprising the Philippine Archipelago are part of the Philippine territory regardless of their breadth,depth, width or dimension.On the fluvial jurisdiction there is presently a departure from the accepted International Law Rule,because the Philippines adopted the Archipelagic Rule. In the International Law Rule, when a strait within a country has a width of more than 6 miles, the center lane in excess of the 3 miles on both sidesis considered international waters.
Question & Answer
If a foreign merchant vessel is in the center lane and a crime was committed there, under theInternational Law Rule, what law will apply?
The law of the country where that vessel is registered will apply, because the crime is deemed to have been committed in the high seas.Under the Archipelagic Rule as declared in Article 1, of the Constitution, all waters in the archipelagoregardless of breadth width, or dimension are part of our national territory. Under this Rule, there is nomore center lane, all these waters, regardless of their dimension or width are part of Philippine territory.So if a foreign merchant vessel is in the center lane and a crime was committed, the crime will be prosecuted before Philippine courts.
Three international law theories on aerial jurisdiction
(1) The atmosphere over the country is free and not subject to the jurisdiction of the subjacent state, except for the protection of its national security and public order.Under this theory, if a crime is committed on board a foreign aircraft at the atmosphere of acountry, the law of that country does not govern unless the crime affects the national security.(2) Relative Theory – The subjacent state exercises jurisdiction over its atmosphere only to theextent that it can effectively exercise control thereof. The Relative Theory Under this theory, if a crime was committed on an aircraft which is already beyond the control of the subjacent state, the criminal law of that state will not govern anymore. But if the crime iscommitted in an aircraft within the atmosphere over a subjacent state which exercises control,then its criminal law will govern.(3) Absolute Theory – The subjacent state has complete jurisdiction over the atmosphere above it subject only to innocent passage by aircraft of foreign country.Under this theory, if the crime is committed in an aircraft, no matter how high, as long as it canestablish that it is within the Philippine atmosphere, Philippine criminal law will govern. This isthe theory adopted by the Philippines.
PROSPECTIVITY
This is also called irretrospectivity. Acts or omissions will only be subject to a penal law if they are committed after a penal law had already taken effect. Vice-versa, this act or omission which has been committed before the effectivity of a penal law could not be penalized by such penal law because penal laws operate only prospectively.
2
RR
EVISEDEVISED
OO
RTEGARTEGA
LL
ECTUREECTURE
NN
OTESOTES
ONON
CC
RIMINALRIMINAL
LL
AWAW
In some textbooks, an exemption is said to exist when the penal law is favorable to the offender, inwhich case it would have retroactive application; provided that the offender is not a habitual delinquent and there is no provision in the law against its retroactive application.The exception where a penal law may be given retroactive application is true only with a repealing law.If it is an original penal law, that exception can never operate. What is contemplated by the exceptionis that there is an original law and there is a repealing law repealing the original law. It is the repealing law that may be given retroactive application to those who violated the original law, if the repealing penal law is more favorable to the offender who violated the original law. If there is only one penal law,it can never be given retroactive effect.
Rule of prospectivity also applies to administrative rulings and circulars
In
Co v. CA, decided on October 28, 1993,
it was held that the principle of prospectivity of statutesalso applies to administrative rulings and circulars. In this case, Circular No. 4 of the Ministry of Justice, dated December 15, 1981, provides that “where the check is issued as part of an arrangement to guarantee or secure the payment of an obligation, whether pre-existing or not, the drawer is not criminally liable for either estafa or violation of BP22.” Subsequently, the administrative interpretationof was reversed in Circular No. 12, issued on August 8, 1984, such that the claim that the check wasissued as a guarantee or part of an arrangement to secure an obligation or to facilitate collection, is nolonger a valid defense for the prosecution of BP22. Hence, it was ruled in Que v. People that a check issued merely to guarantee the performance of an obligation is, nevertheless, covered by BP 22. But consistent with the principle of prospectivity, the new doctrine should not apply to parties who had relied on the old doctrine and acted on the faith thereof. No retrospective effect.
Effect of repeal of penal law to liability of offender
In some commentaries, there are references as to whether the repeal is express or implied. What affects the criminal liability of an offender is not whether a penal law is expressly or impliedly repealed;it is whether it is absolutely or totally repealed, or relatively or partially repealed.
Total or absolute, or partial or relative repeal.
-- As to the effect of repeal of penal law to the liability of offender, qualify your answer by saying whether the repeal is absolute or total or whether the repeal is partial or relative only. A repeal is absolute or total when the crime punished under the repealed law has been decriminalized by the repeal. Because of the repeal, the act or omission which used to be a crime is no longer acrime. An example is Republic Act No. 7363, which decriminalized subversion. A repeal is partial or relative when the crime punished under the repealed law continues to be a crimeinspite of the repeal. This means that the repeal merely modified the conditions affecting the crimeunder the repealed law. The modification may be prejudicial or beneficial to the offender. Hence, thefollowing rule:
Consequences if repeal of penal law is total or absolute
(1) If a case is pending in court involving the violation of the repealed law, the same shall bedismissed, even though the accused may be a habitual delinquent. This is so because all persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent until they are convicted by final judgment.Therefore, the accused shall be acquitted.(2) If a case is already decided and the accused is already serving sentence by final judgment, if the convict is not a habitual delinquent, then he will be entitled to a release unless there is areservation clause in the penal law that it will not apply to those serving sentence at the time of the repeal. But if there is no reservation, those who are not habitual delinquents even if they are already serving their sentence will receive the benefit of the repealing law. They are entitled to release.This does not mean that if they are not released, they are free to escape. If they escape, they commit the crime of evasion of sentence, even if there is no more legal basis to hold them in the penitentiary. This is so because prisoners are accountabilities of the government; they are not
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