RPC Book II
RPC Book II
RPC Book II
114. TREASON
Elements:
1. Offender – Filipino citizen or alien residing in the Philippines
2. There is a war – Philippine is involved (not civil war)
3. Offender – (a) levies war against the government (declare war) or (b) adheres to
the enemies giving the maid or comfort.
Allegiance - the obligation of fidelity and obedience which the individuals owe to the
government under which they love or to their sovereign, in return for the protection
they receive.
** Treason cannot be committed in time of peace – while there is peace, there are
no traitors. Treason is a war crime; it is punished by the state as a measure of
self-defense and self-preservation.
“Levies war” means an actual assembling of men for the purpose of executing a
treasonable design by force. It is not necessary that there be a formal declaration of
the existence of a state of war. The war must be directed against the government:
organized to overthrow and destroy the established government. Mere public
uprising to inflict an act of hate or revenge upon the persons of public officers does
not constitute treason because it is not directed against the government. The
levying of war must be in collaboration with a FOREIGN COUNTRY.
** Adherence and giving aid or comfort to the enemy must CONCUR TOGETHER.**
The aid and comfort must be given to the enemy by some kind of action – it must be
a deed or physical activity, not merely mental operation. It must be to render
assistance to them as enemies and in furtherance of the enemies’ hostile designs.
** Murder and physical injuries were inherent in the crime of treason characterized
by the giving of aid and comfort to the enemy. These crimes cannot be complexed
with treason.
2. Confession of the accused in open court Two-witness rule: The testimony of two
witnesses is required to prove the overt act of giving aid or comfort. It is not
necessary to prove adherence. Each of the witnesses must testify to the whole overt
act, or if separable, there must be two witnesses to each part of the overt act.
** Proposal to commit treason is committed when in time of war a person who has
decided to levy war against the government or to adhere to the enemies and to give
them aid or comfort, proposes its execution to some other person or persons.
** Does not apply when treason is already committed by someone and the accused
does not report its commission to the proper authority – knowledge of
CONSPIRACY
** His penalty is like the penalty for an accessory, still he is in the state of being the
principal.
117. ESPIONAGE (spy)
Two ways of committing:
A. “Entering” Elements:
1. Offender – enters a Warship, Fort, Naval or Military establishment or reservation
2. He has no authority to do so
3. Purpose – to obtain Information, Plans, Photographs or other data of a
confidential nature relative to the defense of the Philippines
B. “Disclosing” elements
1. Offender – public officer
2. He has in his possession the said articles, data or information by reason of the
public office he holds
3. He discloses their contents to a representative of a foreign nation.
** The intention of the offender is immaterial– the law considers the effects
produced by the act of the accused. Such acts might disturb the friendly relation
that we have with a foreign country, and that are penalized even if they constitute
a mere imprudence.
** Committed in time of peace
119. VIOLATION OF NEUTRALITY
Elements:
1. There is war in which the Philippines is NOT INVOLVED
2. There us a regulation issued by competent authority for the purpose of enforcing
neutrality
3. Offender – violates such regulation
Piracy – robbery or forcible depredation on the high seas without lawful authority
and done with intent to steal.
Mutiny – usually committed by the other members of the complement and may be
committed by the passengers of the vessel. It is the unlawful resistance to
a superior officer or the raising of commotions and disturbances on board a ship
against the authority of its commander.
PIRACY MUTINY
Persons who attack the vessel or seize its cargo are STRANGERS to said vessel,
they are members of the crew or passengers Intent to steal is essential. Intent to
ignore the ship’s officers or they may be prompted by a desire to commit plunder
123. QUALIFIED PIRACY
There should be piracy or mutiny in the high seas. This will be qualified if any of the
following circumstances is present:
1. Whenever the pirates have seized the vessel by boarding or firing upon the same;
2. Whenever the pirates have abandoned their victims without means of saving
themselves;
3. Whenever the crime is accompanied by murder, homicide, physical injuries, or
rape.
** Any person who aids or protects pirate’s or abets the commission of piracy shall
be considered as an accomplice.
TITLE TWO
** Public officers liable – must be vested with authority to detain or order the
detention of persons accused of a crime;
Warrantless arrest:
** Applies only to legal warrantless arrest – if the arrest was made with warrant, the
person arrested can be detained indefinitely until his case is decided by the court or
he posts a bail for temporary release.
** Reason for provision – it is intended to prevent any abuse resulting from confining
a person without informing him of his offense and without permitting him to go on
bail.
126. DELAYING RELEASE
Elements:
1. Offender – public officer or employee
2. There is: judicial/executive order for prisoner’s release proceeding upon a
petition for prisoner’s liberation
3. Offender, without good reason, delays– Service of the notice of such order to the
prisoner Performance of such J/E order for release Proceedings upon a petition of a
petitioner’s liberation (writ of habeas corpus)
** Wardens and jailers are the public officers most likely to violate article 126.
127. EXPULSION
Elements:
1. Offender – public officer or employee
2. Offender – expels any person from the Philippines or compels a person to
change residence
3. Offender – not authorized by law to do so.
** Only the court by a final judgment can order a person to change his residence.
This can be by ejectment proceedings, expropriation proceedings, and the penalty
of destierro.
128. VIOLATION OF DOMICILE
Elements:
1. Offender – public officer or employee
2. Offender – not authorized by judicial order to enter the dwelling and/or to make a
search therein for papers and other effects
3. Does any of the following acts:
Entered a dwelling against the will of the owner thereof searched papers or other
effects found therein without previous consent of such owner refused to leave the
premises after having surreptitiously (secretly) entered said dwelling and having
been required to leave the same.
**Qualifying circumstances:
1. nighttime
2. papers/effects not constituting evidence of a crime are not returned immediately
after the search made by the offender
129. SEARCH WARRANTS MALICIOUSLY OBTAINES AND ABUSE IN THE
SERVICEOF THOSE LEGALLY OBTAINED
Elements: Procuring a search warrant without just cause
1. Offender – public officer or employee
2. Offender – procures a search warrant
3. There is no just cause
Properties to be seized:
1. Subject of the offense
2. Stolen or embezzled and other proceeds or fruits of the offense
3. Used or intended to be used as the means of committing an offense
** A search warrant shall be valid for 10 days from its date. Thereafter, it shall
be void.
Probable cause – facts and circumstances which would lead a reasonably discreet
and prudent man to believe that an offense has been committed, and that the
object sought in connection with the offense are in the place sought to be searched.
** Peace officers may enter the house of an offender who committed an offense in
their presence.
** Clear and present danger – to justify suppression of free speech, there must be
reasonable ground to believe that the danger apprehended is IMMINENT and
that the evil to be prevented is a serious one.
** The offender should be a stranger, and not a participant of the peaceful meeting.
132. INTERRUPTION OF RELIGIOUSWORSHIP
Elements:
1. Offender – public officer or employee
2. Religious ceremonies or manifestations of any religion are about to take place or
going on
3. Offender – prevents or disturbs the same
** Religious acts performed anywhere
**Qualified if committed with violence or threats
TREASON REBELLION
Levying of war against the government, Levying of war against the government for
performed to aid the enemy reasons: remove from allegiance to
government and deprive president and
congress of any of their powers
May be committed by mere adherence to Always involves taking up arms(uprising)
adherence to the enemy giving him aid or against the government;
comfort;
Can be committed by an individual Can be committed by an individual;
Multitude/ crime of masses.
Crime against national security Crime Crime against public order
against public order
134 A. COUP D’ETAT
Elements:
1. Offender – person/s belonging to the military or police holding any public office or
employment
2. Committed – swift attack accompanied by violence, intimidation, threat, strategy
or stealth;
3. Attack – directed against duly constituted authorities of the Philippines or any
military camp or installation, communication networks, public utilities, or
other facilities needed for the exercise and continued possession of power
4. Purpose of attack – to seize/diminish state power Leaders Persons liable for
rebellion, insurrection, and coup d’état are the following:
Participants:
1. Any person who participates or executes the commands of others in a rebellion
or insurrection
2. Any person IN THE GOVERNMENT who participates or executes the commands
of others in a coup d’état;
3. Any person NOT in the government service who participates, supports, finances,
abets, or aids in undertaking a coup d’état.
** There is proposal to commit rebellion when the person who has decided to rise
publicly and take arms against the government for any of the purposes of rebellion
proposes it execution to some other person or persons.
SEDITION REBELLION
Public uprising –tumultuous Taking up of arms against the government
Purpose may be political or social Purpose is always political
Common crimes not absorbed Common crimes are absorbed
Proposal is not punished Proposal is punished
Objects – raising of commotions or Objects: purpose of taking arms against
disturbances in the state government
(5 objects of sedition) (Remove from allegiance and deprive exec.
And legis. of freely exercising their powers)
Offended party –government, public officers Offended party –state as a whole
or employees, private persons and social
class
41. CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT SEDITION
** There must be an agreement and a decision to rise publicly and tumultuously to
attain any of the objects of sedition.
** Proposal to commit sedition is not punishable.
** It is not necessary that the words used should in fact result in a rising of people
against the constituted authorities. Its purpose is to punish utterances which may
endanger public order.
Scurrilous – low, vulgar, mean, or foul. Two rules relative to seditious words:
1. The clear and present danger rule danger of a public uprising –danger should be
clear and imminent. There must be reasonable ground to believe that the danger
apprehended is imminent, and the evil sought to be prevented is a serious one. –
probability of serious injury
2. The dangerous tendency rule: a. words used tend to create a danger of public
uprising; b. when the words uttered or published could easily produce
dissatisfaction among the people and a state of feeling in them incompatible with a
disposition to remain loyal to the government and obedient to laws
143. ACTS TENDING TO PREVENT THEMEETING OF THE ASSEMBLY
ANDSIMILAR BODIES
Elements:
1. There is a projected or actual meeting of congress or any of its
committees, constitutional commission, committees, or division, or any provincial
board, city, municipality, council or board
2. Offender – any person that prevents the meeting by force or fraud.
** One who disturbs the proceedings of the congress may also be punished for
contempt by the assembly.
Elements:
1. Offender – uses force, intimidation, threats, fraud
2. Purpose – prevent any member of the congress to:
** The persons present at the meeting must be armed – NOT ALL persons must be
armed.
** Audience is actually incited. Persons liable are the organizers or leaders of, and
persons merely present at the meeting
Incited to commit rebellion or sedition:
(a) Illegal assembly as regards the organizers or leaders
and persons merely present
(b) inciting to sedition insofar as the once inciting is concerned.
** The persons merely present at the meeting must have a common intent to
commit the felony of illegal assembly. The absence of such intent may exempt the
person present from criminal liability.
Persons liable:
1. Founders, directors, and president of the association
2. Mere members of the association
** The force employed need not be serious when the offended party is a person in
authority.
** When a person in authority or his agent is the one who provokes and attacks
another person, the latter is entitled to defend himself and cannot be held liable for
assault or resistance not for physical injuries, because he acts in legitimate defense.
** When a person in authority or his agent exceeds his power or acts without
authority, it is not the exercise of the functions of his office. When he makes
unnecessary use of force or violence and goes beyond the limits of his power, he
acts as a private person.
** The accused must have the knowledge that the offended party was a person in
authority (or agent) in the exercise of his duties, because the accused must have
the intention to offend, injure or assault the offended party as a person in authority
or agent of such person.
Qualified assault:
1. committed with a weapon
2. Offender is a public officer or employee
3. Offender lays hands upon a person in authority.
1. Person in authority or his agent is the victim of any if the forms of direct assault
2. Another person comes to the aid of such authority or his agent
3. The offender makes use of force or intimidation upon such person coming to the
aid of the authority or his agent.
** The accused must have knowledge that the person arresting him is a peace
officer.
Simple disobedience
Person in authority or his agents –engaged in the performance of official duty or
gives a lawful order to the offender
Offender – disobeys
Disobedience is not of serious nature.
** Directly vested with jurisdiction – power and authority to govern and execute
laws.
** A person delivering a prisoner from jail may be held liable as accessory (treason,
murder, or parricide cases only)
Elements:
1. Offender – convict by a final judgment
2. Offender – serving his sentence which consists of deprivation of liberty
3. Offender – evades service of sentence by ESCAPING the term of his sentence
Qualifying circumstances:
1. Unlawful entry (climbing the wall)
2. Breaking doors, windows, gates, walls, roofs, or floors
3. Using picklocks, false keys, disguise, deceit, violence or intimidation
4. Connivance with other convicts or employees of the penal institution
158. EVASION OF SERVICE DURING DISORDERS
Elements:
Offender – convict by final judgment, confined in a penal institution
Disorder – conflagration, earthquake, explosion, similar catastrophe, mutiny(he has
not participated)
Offender – evades by leaving penal institution on the occasion of such disorder
Offender – fails to give himself up to authorities 48 hours following the issuance of
the Chief Executive announcing the passing away of such calamity
** The offender must be a convict by final judgment, and must leave the penal
institution.
** If the offender fails to surrender, he shall suffer an increase of 1/5 of the time still
remaining to be served under the original sentence, NOT TO EXCEED 6 MONTHS.
160. QUASI-RECIDIVISM
Elements:
1. Offender – already convicted by final judgment of one offense
2. Committed a new felony – (a) Before the beginning to serve such sentence; (b)
While serving the same
RECIDIVISM QUASI-RECIDIVISM
Generic aggravating circumstance Special aggravating circumstances
Maybe offset by mitigating circumstances Cannot be offset by mitigating
circumstances
Two offense embrace in the same code First offense maybe another violation,
second violation should be an offense
Committed after serving the sentence Committed before beginning to serve or
while serving the sentence
TITLE FOUR
CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC INTEREST
Elements:
COUNTERFEITING
1. Intent to imitate, or attempt to imitate
2. The genuine and the forged bear some resemblance to each other
** The person making false statements must be aware of the falsity of the facts
narrated.
** Liability of private individual is the same as the public officer when there is
conspiracy.
Elements:
A. Offender – private individual or public official or employee who did not take
advantage of his official position
B. He committed any of the acts of falsification enumerated in art
** One crime – private document, cannot be complexed with any crime (against
property)
** The act performed must pertain to the government, or to any person in authority
or to any public officer.
a. conceal a crime;
b. evade execution of a judgment
c. cause damage to public interest
** Proceedings – judicial authority for a change of name; name duly recorded in the
proper local civil registry.
180. FALSE TESTIMONY AGAINST ADEFENDANT
Elements:
1. Criminal proceeding
2. Offender – testifies falsely under oath against the defendant
3. Offender knows the falsity of such testimony
4. Defendant – must be convicted or acquitted in a final judgment.
** The false testimony in favor of defendant need not directly influence the decision
of acquittal.
** The false testimony favorable to the defendant need not benefit the defendant.
** The defendant who falsely testified in his own behalf is guilty here.
Material Matter – main fact which is the subject of inquiry, materiality, great
importance to the case.
** Even if there is no law requiring the statement to be made under oath, as long as
it is made for a legal purpose, it is sufficient.
** The acts must be those that can cause public scandal among the persons
witnessing them.
PROSTITUTE
Elements:
1. Offender – woman
2. Habitual indulgence in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct
3. Such act for money or profit