Probation

I. Ano ang probation?

 Ang probation ay isang pribilehiyo na ginagawad ng isang korte sa isang taong nahatulan na may
sala na manatili sa isang komunidad imbis na maikulong. 1

II. Sino ang maaaring mag-apply para sa probation?

 Kahit sinong nahatulan na at hindi diskwalipikado bago simulan ang sintensya 2

III. Saan at kailan dapat mag-apply?

 Sa trial court kung saan nilitis ang kaso at siyang nagbigay ng hatol at sintensya 3
 Di lalagpas ng 15 na araw matapos mapahayag ang hatol 4

IV. Proceso
1. Mag-apply sa loob ng 15 na araw mula sa paghatol ng korte
2. Susupendihin ng korte ang sintensya at isangguni ang application sa probation office para sa post-
sentence investigation5
3. Sa loob ng 60 na araw mula sa pagsangguni, ang probation officer ay magpapasa ng Post-Sentence
Investigation Report (PSIR). Maaaring pahabain higit pa sa 60 na araw kung karapatdapat ayon sa
korte.6

Habang nagaganap ang Post-Sentence Investigation Report at hindi pa nareresolba ang application,
ang nasasakdal ay maaaring pansamantalang makalaya sa pamamagitan ng bail o recognizance. 7

V. FAQ
1. Maari bang mag-apply para sa probation ang isang akusado na nag-apela kung ang kaso ay binalik sa
trial court?
◦ Ang probation at appeal ay mutually exclusive remedies. Kapag napili na ang probation, hindi na
maaaring umapela ang akusado. Kung ang pag-apela ang napili, hindi na maaaring mag-apply para
sa probation.8

1 Sec. 1 of Republic Act 10707

Section 4 of Presidential Decree No. 968, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 4. Grant of Probation. — Subject to the provisions of this Decree, the trial court may, after it shall have convicted and sentenced a defendant for a probationable penalty and
upon application by said defendant within the period for perfecting an appeal, suspend the execution of the sentence and place the defendant on probation for such period and upon such
terms and conditions as it may deem best.

2 Id.
3 Id.
4 Id.
5 Sec. 5 Presidential Decree 968
Section 5. Post-sentence Investigation. No person shall be placed on probation except upon prior investigation by the probation officer and a determination by the court that the
ends of justice and the best interest of the public as well as that of the defendant will be served thereby.
6 Id. Sec. 7
Section 7. Period for Submission of Investigation Report. The probation officer shall submit to the court the investigation report on a defendant not later than sixty days from
receipt of the order of said court to conduct the investigation. The court shall resolve the petition for probation not later than five days after receipt of said report.

7 Id.
Pending submission of the investigation report and the resolution of the petition, the defendant may be allowed on temporary liberty under his bail filed in the criminal case;
Provided, That, in case where no bail was filed or that the defendant is incapable of filing one, the court may allow the release of the defendant on recognize the custody of a responsible
member of the community who shall guarantee his appearance whenever required by the court.

8 Id. at 1
No application for probation shall be entertained or granted if the defendant has perfected the appeal from the judgment of conviction: Provided, That when a judgment of conviction
imposing a non-probationable penalty is appealed or reviewed, and such judgment is modified through the imposition of a probationable penalty, the defendant shall be allowed to apply for
probation based on the modified decision before such decision becomes final. The application for probation based on the modified decision shall be filed in the trial court where the judgment of
conviction imposing a non-probationable penalty was rendered, or in the trial court where such case has since been re-raffled. In a case involving several defendants where some have taken
further appeal, the other defendants may apply for probation by submitting a written application and attaching thereto a certified true copy of the judgment of conviction.
 ◦ Subalit kung ang hatol na siyang inapela ay non-probationable at ito ay napalitan ng isang
probationable penalty, maaaring mag-apply ang akusado para sa probation batay sa bagong hatol
na sintensya. Sa ganitong sitwayson, ang application para sa probation ay maaaring isumite sa
korte kung saan nilitis at nasintensyahan ang akusado o kung saan man na re-raffle ang kaso. 9

2. Maari bang mag-apply para sa probation ang isang akusado kung ang mga kasama niyang akusado sa
iisang kaso nag-appeal ng kanilang hatol?
 Oo. Sa mga kaso kung saan may maraming akusado, ang isang akusado ay maaaring mag-apply
para sa probation sa pamamagitan ng pag-pasa ng written application kasama ng certified true
copy ng judgement of conviction.
3. Sino ang mga hindi maaaring mag-apply para sa probation? 10
 Mga nahatulan na kung saan ang kanilang sintensya ay lagpas sa 6 na taong pagkabilanggo
 Mga naakusahan at nahatulan na may sala na crime against national security
 Mga nahatulan na nagkasala ng isang krimen na may parusa na pagkakabilanggo na higit pa sa 6
na buwan at isang araw at/o multa sa halaga na higit pa sa P1,000.
 Mga dating nabigyan nang napagkalooban ng probation sa ilalim ng Presidential Decree 968 na
siyang na amendahan ng Republic Act 10707
 Mga nagsisilbi na ng kanilang sintensya nang maging epektibo ang batas ukol sa Probation
 Mga naakusahan at napatunayan na may sala ayon sa mga sumusunod na batas
◦ Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, Section 264 (Omnibus Election Code)
◦ Republic Act 6726/Wage Rationalization Act
◦ Republic Act 9165/Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002
▪ Maliban sa mga napatunayan na nagkasala ayon sa Sec. 12, 14, 17 at 70 ng nasabing batas
4. Lahat ba nang kwalipikado at nahatulan ay automatic na may karapatan sa probation?
 Hindi. Ang pagkakaloob ng probation ay batay pa sa kinalabasan ng imbestigasyon ng probation
officer.
 Kung ang naging resulta ng imbestigasyon ay kahit alinman sa mga sumusunod, mapapabuluanan
ang application para sa probation:
◦ Mas ikabubuti ng nahatulan kung siya ay manatiling nakakulong
◦ Kung ang nahatulan ay nananatiling delikado para sa komunidad
◦ Kung ang pag-kaloob ng probation ay magdudulot nang pagpapahina ng kalubhaan ng krimen

5. Kapag naipagkaloob na ang probation, ano ang maaaring maging kondisyon na ipapataw ng korte sa
isang probationer?11
9 Id.
10 Section 2, Republic Act 10707 amending Section 9 of Presidential Decree 968
SEC. 9. Disqualified Offenders. — The benefits of this Decree shall not be extended to those:

a. sentenced to serve a maximum term of imprisonment of more than six (6) years;

b. convicted of any crime against the national security;

c. who have previously been convicted by final judgment of an offense punished by imprisonment of more than six (6) months and one (1) day and/or a fine of more than one thousand pesos
(P1,000.00);

d. who have been once on probation under the provisions of this Decree; and

e. who are already serving sentence at the time the substantive provisions of this Decree became applicable pursuant to Section 33 hereof.
11 Section 10, PD 968
Conditions of Probation. Every probation order issued by the court shall contain conditions requiring that the probationer shall:
(a) present himself to the probation officer designated to undertake his supervision at such place as may be specified in the order within seventy-two hours from receipt of said
order;
(b) report to the probation officer at least once a month at such time and place as specified by said officer.

The court may also require the probationer to:

(a) cooperate with a program of supervision;
(b) meet his family responsibilities;
(c) devote himself to a specific employment and not to change said employment without the prior written approval of the probation officer;
(d) undergo medical, psychological or psychiatric examination and treatment and enter and remain in a specified institution, when required for that purpose;
(e) pursue a prescribed secular study or vocational training;
  Kung pinatawag ng probation officer, dapat ang probationer ay humarap sa probationer nang hindi
hihigit sa 72 na oras
 Mag-ulat sa probation officer nang isang beses sa isang buwan
 Hindi gumawa ng krimen
 Mga ibang kondisyon pa na maaaring sa tingin ng korte ay karapatdapat na ipataw 12

6. Gaano katagal ang probation period?13

◦ Kung ang probationer ay nahatulan ng pagkakabilanggo nang isang taon o mas mababa pa: Hindi
hihigit sa 2 na taon ang probation
◦ Kung ang probationer ay nahatulan ng pagkakabilanggo ng higit pa sa isang taon: Hindi hihigit sa 6
na taon

7. Maaari bang mapalaya ang isang aplikante habang hindi pa napag-desisyunan ang kanyang application
para sa probation?
 Sa pagpapasiya ng korte, maaaring panandaliang mapalaya ang isang aplikante kung
◦ Nakapag-file ng bond habang nililitis ang kaso laban sa kanya;
◦ Nag-file ng bagong bond; o
◦ Kung hindi makapag-file ng bond, ang aplikante ay maaaring pansamantalang mapalaya sa
ilalim ng kustodiya ng isang respetadong miyembro ng komunidad

8. Ilang beses maaaring pagkalooban ng probation?

 Isang beses lamang

9. Ano ang mangyayari kung ang isang probationer ay di sumunod sa mga kondisyon na ipinataw ng korte
sa kanyang probation?14
◦ Iimbistigahan ng probation officer kung tunay ngang nilabag ng probationer ang mga kondisyong
ng kanyang probation
◦ Batay sa klase ng paglabag, maaaring ibahin ang kondisyon ng probation o di kaya ay ipawalang
bisa ang ipinagkaloob na probation
◦ Maaaring arestuhin muli ang probationer at masampahan siya ng isa pang kaso para sa anumang
krimen na kanyang ginawa habang naka probation
◦ Maaaring mahatulan ang probationer na muling mabilanggo ayon sa naunang hatol ng korte sa
kanya

(f) attend or reside in a facility established for instruction, recreation or residence of persons on probation;
(g) refrain from visiting houses of ill-repute;
(h) abstain from drinking intoxicating beverages to excess;
(i) permit to probation officer or an authorized social worker to visit his home and place or work;
(j) reside at premises approved by it and not to change his residence without its prior written approval; or
(k) satisfy any other condition related to the rehabilitation of the defendant and not unduly restrictive of his liberty or incompatible with his freedom of conscience.

12 Id. at 1
13 Section 14 of PD 968 Period of Probation.

(a) The period of probation of a defendant sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than one year shall not exceed two years, and in all other cases, said period shall not exceed six
years.

(b) When the sentence imposes a fine only and the offender is made to serve subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency, the period of probation shall not be less than nor to be more than
twice the total number of days of subsidiary imprisonment as computed at the rate established, in Article thirty-nine of the Revised Penal Code, as amended.
14 Section 15 of PD 968
Arrest of Probationer; Subsequent Disposition.

At any time during probation, the court may issue a warrant for the arrest of a probationer for violation of any of the conditions of probation. The probationer, once arrested and detained, shall
immediately be brought before the court for a hearing, which may be informal and summary, of the violation charged. The defendant may be admitted to bail pending such hearing. In such a
case, the provisions regarding release on bail of persons charged with a crime shall be applicable to probationers arrested under this provision. If the violation is established, the court may
revoke or continue his probation and modify the conditions thereof. If revoked, the court shall order the probationer to serve the sentence originally imposed. An order revoking the grant of
probation or modifying the terms and conditions thereof shall not be appealable.