Filing of A Petition For Bail Is Standard For Defense Lawyers
Filing of A Petition For Bail Is Standard For Defense Lawyers
Filing of A Petition For Bail Is Standard For Defense Lawyers
The defense lawyers filed the petition for bail claiming that the evidence of guilt is weak. For
the millions of Filipinos who are following the developments of this case on television and
the Internet, this claim seems highly incredible since the evidence of guilt appears to be
stronger than the steel on a back hoe. But the filing of a petition for bail is a standard tactic of
defense lawyers. Let me explain.
This kind of petition is allowed under the Rules on Criminal Procedure and is in keeping with
the Constitutional presumption of innocence. Once such a petition has been filed, the
prosecution is required to prove that indeed evidence of guilt is strong. After the hearings, the
judge can deny or grant the petition for bail.
The prosecution will present evidence to prove the guilt of the accused. All the
testimonies and evidences presented during the hearings of the petition for bail will become
part of the hearing on the main issues. The witnesses who testified during the hearings for
the petition for bail will not be required to appear and testify again during the hearings on the
main issues of the case.However, since the petition for bail has been granted, the
prosecution is put on notice that it should review its case and strengthen its evidence.
After the prosecution has presented its evidence, the accused may then present
evidence of his innocence. (Before presenting his evidence, he can with the leave or
consent of the court, submit what is called a demurrer to evidence. This is essentially a
motion to dismiss the case. If the court grants the demurrer, the case is dismissed and the
accused is set free. If the court denies the demurrer, then the accused has to present his
evidence.)
For the accused and his lawyers therefore, filing a petition for bail is advantageous for at
least two reasons:
If the petition is granted, he can be released from custody and enjoy his liberty while the
case is going on; and
He can know whether in the mind of the judge the evidence of his guilt is strong or not. If the
judge denies his petition, he has the time to strengthen his defense. He may even consider a
plea bargain.
No bail necessary for cases under the Rules on Summary Procedure (for
example, BP 22)
For cases falling under the Rules on Summary Procedure, the court does not issue a warrant of
arrest. Thus the posting of bail is not necessary (even if the information states a recommended bail).
For example, persons accused of violation of BP 22 (bouncing checks) do not have to post
bail. However, the court may issue a warrant of arrest and require the posting of bail if the
accused fails to appear during the hearings.
Release on recognizance
[3] ROR (Release on recognizance) means that the accused will not post the bail in money or
security; instead, the accused will be released to the custody of a government official like barangay
officials or previously, in the case of minors, of parents. The person to whom custody is entrusted will
guarantee that the accused will be present during the hearings.
the clerks and security guards at fiscals offices and/or the Hall of Justice as to who the bail
bondsmen (pyansador) are. These are men and women who make a living out of helping persons
accused of a crime to avail of the services of surety companies. These companies will pay the
recommended bail and the accused has to pay only the premium. The pyansador will work on all
the papers. (Sometimes, the court staff or the police officers serving the warrant have contacts with
the psyansador. Once the accused has been arrested, the court staff or the police officers will tell
him that they can help work on their release. Needless to say, these practices of court staff and
police officers are against Civil Service rules.)
Pictures needed
[6] The accused, in working on his bail, has to provide pictures of himself (front, left and right
profiles) which will be attached to the documents. There are photographers who hang around fiscals
offices and Halls of Justice, waiting for clients. The pyansador also has contacts with
photographers.
If the accused has not yet been arrested and is working on the posting of his bail, he can go to a
photo studio and ask that his pictures be taken. If he tells the photo studio that he needs the pictures
for posting bail, the studio already knows what kind of pictures to take.
But if the accused does not have any valid reason for being absent during the hearings, he will be
forced to post bail again.
Posted below are the complete provisions of The Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure on
bail.
Sec. 5. Bail, when discretionary. Upon conviction by the Regional Trial Court of an offense not
punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment, admission to bail is discretionary. The
application for bail may be filed and acted upon by the trial court despite the filing of a notice of
appeal, provided it has not transmitted the original record to the appellate court. However, if the
decision of the trial court conviction the accused changed the nature of the offense from non-bailable
to bailable, the application for bail can only be filed with and resolved by the appellate court.
Should the court grant the application, the accused may be allowed to continue on provisional liberty
during the pendency of the appeal under the same bail subject to the consent of the bondsman.
If the penalty imposed by the trial court is imprisonment exceeding six (6) years, the accused shall
be denied bail, or his bail shall be cancelled upon a showing by the prosecution, with notice to the
accuse, of the following or other similar circumstances:
(a) That he is a recidivist, quasi-recidivist, or habitual delinquent, or has committed the crime
aggravated by the circumstance of reiteration;
(b) That he has previously escaped from legal confinement, evaded sentence, or violated the
conditions of his bail without valid justification;
(c) That he committed the offense while under probation, parole, or conditional pardon;
(d) That the circumstances of his case indicate the probability of flight if released on bail; or
(e) That there is undue risk that he may commit another crime during the pendency of the appeal.
The appellate court may, motu proprio or on motion of any party, review the resolution of the
Regional Trial Court after notice to the adverse party in either case.
Sec. 6. Capital offense defined. A capital offense is an offense which, under the law existing at
the time of its commission and of the application for admission to bail, may be punished with death.
Sec. 7. Capital offense or an offense punishable by reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment,
not bailable. No person charged with a capital offense, or an offense punishable by reclusion
perpetua or life imprisonment, shall be admitted to bail when evidence of guilt is strong, regardless
of the state of the criminal prosecution.
Sec. 8. Burden of proof in bail application. At the hearing of an application for bail filed by a
person who is in custody for the commission of an offense punishable by death, reclusion perpetua,
or life imprisonment, the prosecution has the burden of showing that evidence of guilt is strong. The
evidence presented during the bail hearing shall be considered automatically reproduced at the trial
but, upon motion of either party, the court may recall any witness for additional examination unless
he possesses the qualification prescribed in the preceding section. He shall describe the property
given as security, stating the nature of his title, its encumbrances, the number and amount of other
bails entered into by him and still undischarged, and his other liabilities. The court may examine the
sureties upon oath concerning their sufficiency in such manner as it may deem proper. No bail shall
be approved unless the surety is qualified.
Sec. 14. Deposit of cash as bail. The accused or any person acting in his behalf may deposit in
cash with the nearest collector of internal revenue or provincial, city, or municipal treasurer the
amount of bail fixed by the court, or recommended by the prosecutor who investigated or filed the
case. Upon submission of a proper certificate of deposit and a written undertaking showing
compliance with the requirements of section 2 of this Rule, the accused shall be discharged from
custody. The money deposited shall be considered as bail and applied to the payment of fine and
costs while the excess, if any, shall be returned to the accused or to whoever made the deposit.
Sec. 15. Recognizance. Whenever allowed by law or these Rules, the court may release a person
in custody on his own recognizance or that of a responsible person.
Sec. 16. Bail, when not required; reduced bail or recognizance. No bail shall be required when
the law or these Rules so provide.
When a person has been in custody for a period equal to or more than the possible maximum
imprisonment prescribed for the offense charged, he shall be released immediately, without
prejudice to the continuation of the trial or the proceedings on appeal. If the maximum penalty to
which the accused may be sentenced is destierro, he shall be released after thirty (30) days of
preventive imprisonment.
A person in custody for a period equal to or more than the minimum of the principal penalty
prescribed for the offense charged, without application of the Indeterminate Sentence Law or any
modifying circumstance, shall be released on a reduced bail or on his own recognizance, at the
discretion of the court.
Sec. 17. Bail, where filed. (a) Bail in the amount fixed may be filed with the court where the case
is pending, or in the absence or unavailability of the judge thereof, with any regional trial judge,
metropolitan trial judge, municipal trial judge, or municipal circuit trial judge in the province, city or
municipality. If the accused is arrested in a province, city, or municipality other than where the case
is pending, bail may also be filed with any regional trial court of said place, of if no judge thereof is
available, with any metropolitan trial judge, municipal trial judge, or municipal circuit trial judge
therein.
(b) Where the grant of bail is a matter of discretion, or the accused seeks to be released on
recognizance, the application may only be filed in the court where the case is pending, whether on
In all instances, the cancellation shall be without prejudice to any liability on the bail.
Sec. 23. Arrest of accused out on bail. For the purpose of surrendering the accused, the
bondsmen may arrest him or, upon written authority endorsed on a certified copy of the undertaking,
cause him to be arrested by a police officer or any other person of suitable age and discretion.
An accused released on bail may be re-arrested without the necessity of a warrant if he attempts to
depart from the Philippines without permission of the court where the case is pending.
Sec. 24. No bail after final judgment; exception. No bail shall be allowed after a judgment of
conviction has become final. If before such finality, the accused applies for probation, he may be
allowed temporary liberty under his bail. When no bail was filed or the accused is incapable of filing
one, the court may allow his release on recognizance to the custody of a responsible member of the
community. In no case shall bail be allowed after the accused has commenced to serve sentence.
Sec. 25. Court supervision of detainees. The court shall exercise supervision over all persons in
custody for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary detention. The executive judges of the Regional
Trial Courts shall conduct monthly personal inspections of provincial, city, and municipal jails and the
prisoners within their respective jurisdictions. They shall ascertain the number of detainees, inquire
on their proper accommodation and health and examine the condition of the jail facilities. They shall
order the segregation of sexes and of minors from adults, ensure the observance of the right of
detainees to confer privately with counsel, and strive to eliminate conditions inimical to the
detainees.
In cities and municipalities to be specified by the Supreme Court, the municipal trial judges or
municipal circuit trial judges shall conduct monthly personal inspections of the municipal jails in their
respective municipalities and submit a report to the executive judge of the Regional Trial Court
having jurisdiction therein.
A monthly report of such visitation shall be submitted by the executive judges to the Court
Administrator which shall state the total number of detainees, the names of those held for more than
thirty (30) days, the duration of detention, the crime charged, the status of the case, the cause for
detention, and other pertinent information.
Sec. 26. Bail not a bar to objections on illegal arrest, lack of or irregular preliminary
investigation. An application for or admission to bail shall not bar the accused from challenging
the validity of his arrest or the legality of the warrant issued therefore, or from assailing the regularity
or questioning the absence of a preliminary investigation of the charge against him, provided that he
raises them before entering his plea. The court shall resolve the matter as early as practicable but
not later than the start of the trial of the case.
[4] Officers of the law arresting someone by virtue of a warrant need not have the warrant with them
when making the arrest.
[5] If the private complainant executes an affidavit of desistance before the arraignment, the
public prosecutor files a motion to withdraw the information. The court recalls the warrant or
orders the release of the accused.
[6] A buybust operation is an entrapment procedure conducted by the police against drug pushers,
who can be arrested on the spot and then searched, even without a warrant.
[7] If the recommended bail is too high, the accused may file a Motion To Reduce Bail. If
granted, the court requires, however, the posting of cash bail. If the accused does not have a lawyer,
he can file the motion by himself. He can ask around the Hall of Justice for anyone who knows the
format of the motion and who can help him file it.
[8] Please read the history of the Miranda warning or the Miranda rights. The legality of an arrest can
be questioned if the police did not observe the Miranda rights of an accused. These right are
enshrined in our 1987 Constitution.