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CLJ 101 Group 1 6 Reporting Midterm Coverage
CLJ 101 Group 1 6 Reporting Midterm Coverage
b) Based on the affidavits and documents submitted by the parties, the Fiscal or
State prosecutor shall decide within 10 days whether a crime has been
committed and the person charged is probably guilty thereof.
c) He shall furnish the parties’ copies of his resolution briefly stating his findings
of facts and the law supporting his decision.
e) In such a situation, he shall ask the parties and their witnesses clarificatory
questions.
i) If the Secretary of Justice believes that the person charged is not guilty of the
crime he can order the filing of the proper information if he believes that the
person charged is probably guilty of the offense.
*When a person is lawfully arrested without warrant there is no right for preliminary
investigation
AGENCIES COMPRISING PROSECUTORIAL FUNCTIONS
1. National Prosecution Service
2. Office of the Special Prosecutor
3. Office of the Ombudsman
4. Judge Advocate General’s Office
• This act was enacted to ensure speedy trial of all criminal cases before the Sandigan
Bayan, Regional Trial Court, Metropolitan Trial Court, Municipal Trial Court and
Municipal Circuit Trial Court. Under this act, the following Section gives significant
on the speedy resolution of cases.
SEC. 2. Mandatory Pre-Trial in Criminal Cases. – In all cases cognizable by the Municipal
Trial Court, Municipal Circuit Trial Court, Metropolitan Trial Court, Regional Trial Court,
and the Sandiganbayan, the justice or judge shall, after arraignment, order a pre-trial
conference to consider the following:
a) Plea bargaining;
b) Stipulation of Facts;
c) Marking for identification of evidence of parties;
d) Waiver of objections to admissibility of evidence; and
e) Such other matters as will promote a fair and expeditious trial.
• Modification of the order of trial if the accused admits the charge but interposes a
lawful defense
Sec 3. All agreements or admissions made or entered into during the pre-trial conference
shall be reduced to writing and signed by the accused and counsel, otherwise the same shall
not be used in evidence against the accused.
Sec. 4 Non-appearance at pre-trial conference. Where counsel for the accused or the
prosecutor does not appear at the pre-trial conference and does not offer an acceptable excuse
for his/her lack of cooperation, the pre-trial justice or judge may impose proper sanctions.
Sec 7. The arraignment of an accused shall be held within 30 days from the filing of the
information, or from the date the accused has appeared before the justice, judge or court in
which the charge is pending, whichever date last occurs.
• Thereafter where a plea of not guilty is entered, the accused shall have at least fifteen
15 days to prepare for trial. Trial shall commence within 30 days from arraignment.
• If the accused pleads not guilty to the crime charged, he or she shall state whether
he/she interposes a negative or affirmative defense. A negative defense shall require
the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt, while an
affirmative defense may modify the order of trial and require the accused to prove
such defense by clear and convincing evidence.
Section 13, If an accused is not brought to trial within the time limit required by Section 7
of this Act as extended by section 9, the information shall be dismissed on motion of the
accused. The Accused shall have the burdened of proof supporting such motion, but the
prosecution shall have the burden of going forward with the evidence in connection with
the exclusion of time.
• Failure of the accused to move for dismissal prior to trial or entry of a plea of guilty
shall constitute a waiver of the right to dismissal under this section.
PRE-TRIAL
• It is a mandatory conference and personal confrontation before the judge between the
parties and their respective counsel.
a) Supreme Court: The Highest Court – It is the final arbiter of any and all judicial
issues. It composed of one Chief Justice and fourteen associate justices, all of whom
are presented by the Judicial and Bar Council.
June 11, 1901 marks the birth of the Supreme Court. It was preceded by the
Royal Audiencia, a collegial body established on May 5, 1583.
b) Court of Appeals – it is the second-highest judicial court after the Supreme Court. It
reviews decisions and orders of the lower courts.
c) The Court of Appeals – was established under Batas Pambansa Bilang 129 known as
“The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980” It composed of one presiding judge and
68 Associate Justices.
d) Regional Trial Court (RTC) – court of first instance
e) The Regional Trial Courts – were established among the regions in the Philippines.
R.A 8369 – otherwise known as the “Family Courts Act of 1997” was enacted
establishing the Family Court, granting this court exclusive original
jurisdiction over child and family cases.
All criminal cases where the penalty is higher than six years imprisonment (except
those cases falling within the Sandiganbayan) are within the jurisdiction of the RTC.
In cases where the only penalty provided by law is a fine, the MTC has exclusive
original jurisdiction over offenses punishable with a fine not exceeding 4,000 pesos.
The MTC also has exclusive original jurisdiction over all violations of city or
municipal ordinances committed within its respective territorial jurisdiction. The
MTC has also a special jurisdiction to hear and decide petitions for writ of habeas
corpus or applications for bail in the Province or City where the RTC judges are
absent.
In addition, the following cases should also be filed with the MTC:
Cases involving BP 22
Offenses involving damage to property through criminal negligence (BP 129 as amended by
RA 7691)
The RTC shall exercise original jurisdiction over criminal cases not within the exclusive
jurisdiction of any court, tribunal or body. This is because the RTC is a court of general
jurisdiction.
SPECIAL COURTS
1. THE SHARI’A COURTS – equivalent to the Regional Trial Courts in rank are the
Shari’a District courts which were established in certain specified provinces in
Mindanao where the code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines is being
enforced.
The decision of the SDC, whether on appeal from the SCC or not, is final.
The Shari’a Circuit Court – equivalent to the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts which
were established in certain municipalities in Mindanao where the Code of Muslim
Personal Laws of the Philippines is being enforced. It has original jurisdiction
over;
3. SANDIGANBAYAN – It is special court that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil
cases involving graft and corrupt practices of public officers.
- The Sandiganbayan – It is a special court which was established under the PD No
1606. Its rank is equivalent to the Court of Appeals.
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION DEFINED,
- the authority to hear and try a particular offense and impose the punishment for it.
Criminal jurisdiction is essential because without this the court cannot hear, try and
decide on a particular case.
Requisites for Valid Exercise of Criminal Jurisdiction
A. Jurisdiction over the subject matter – the offense by virtue of the imposable penalty or
its nature, is one which the court is by law authorized to take cognizance of.
B. Jurisdiction over the territory – the offense must have been committed or any of its
essential ingredients must have taken place within the territorial jurisdiction of the
court. It cannot be waived and where the place of the commission was not specially
charged, the place may be shown by evidence.
C. Jurisdiction over the person of the accused – the person charged with the offense must
have been brought for trial, forcibly by warrant of arrest or upon his voluntary
submission to the court.
• JURISDICTION is the power and authority of the court to hear, try, and decide a
case.
• VENUE refers to a place or the geographical area, where the action is to be filed and
tried.
• TRIAL – refers to the presentation of the prosecution and the defendant of their
respective case and arguments before the court.
The following are the defenses the accused might put up:
a) The defense of alibi – is simply a CLAIM by the defendant that he or she WAS IN
ANOTHER PLACE when the crime occurred and therefore could not have committed
it. This is supported by witnesses and documentary evidence.
b) The defense of insanity – is a claim that the defendant should be exonerated from
criminal responsibility because he or she was/is suffering from a mental condition or
mental incapacitation.
c) The defense of instigation – if the defendant can establish that he or she would not
have committed the crime were it not for the encouragement or compulsion of law
enforcement agents, he /she is not criminally liable.
d) The defense of duress – this is based on the claim that the act was the result, not of
any intent on the part of the accused, but of threats of loss of life, limb, or a loved one.
Duress as a valid defense should be based on real, imminent, or reasonable fear for
one’s life or limb and should not be speculative, fanciful or remote fear.
e) The defense of consent – that the victim consented to the act for which the accused
stands charge. This defense is common in rape and acts of lasciviousness.
f) The defense of violation of the provisions of the BILL of RIGHTS. This defense is
invoked if the state or its agents violated the right of the defendant in obtaining
evidence to prove the latter’s guilt. Such evidence is inadmissible in a criminal
proceeding.
TWOFOLD ROLE OF THE COURT
• PARTICIPANT the court must decide the culpability or innocence of the accused
after a careful examination of the records or the case after its trial on the merit
• SUPERIOR it has a mission as a protector of human rights
SUBPOENA
• It is an order to appear and testify at the hearing or trial of an action, or at any
investigation conducted by competent authority.
• Subpoena ad testificandum - the person who will appear to attend and testify or the
subpoenaed
• Subpoena duces tecum – a person is required to bring with him books, documents or
other things
SUMMON
• It is a writ of the court by which the defendant is notified of the action brought against
him.
• It is an order to answer a complaint
BAIL AND RECOGNIZANCE
• BAIL is the security given for the release of a person in custody of law, furnished by
him or a bondsman, conditioned upon his appearance.
FORMS OF BAILS
- Corporate surety
- Property bonds
- Cash deposit
- Recognizance
RECOGNIZANCE refers to an obligation of record, entered into before some court or officer
with a condition to do some particular acts.
• PREVENTIVE DETENTION is an imprisonment that allows judges to hold the accused
inside the jail who could not afford bail.
JUDGMENT AND APPEAL
• JUDGMENT is the adjudication by the court that the accused is guilty of the offense
charged and the imposition of the proper penalty and civil liability provided for by the
law on the accused.
• APPEAL is a remedy available to an accused to obtain reversal or modification of
judgment for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter or grave abuse of discretion in
the findings of facts or of law set out in the decision.
WHAT WAS COURT SYSTEM BEFORE ENACTMENT OF BP 129?
• Indiscriminate filing of cases are very common during those time that clogs court dockets
and makes court inefficient.
• During this time the then President Marcos introduces P.D.1508 or the Katarungang
Pambarangay Law