Northwestern University

COLLEGE OF LAW
Laoag City

COURSE OUTLINE

LAW 106A: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

SAT 8:00-10:00

I. General Understanding of the Philippine Criminal Justice System

A. Criminal Justice System defined
a) Commutative Justice
b) Distributive Justice

B. Criminal Law

C. History of Philippine Penal System (see “Hopeless Mess in the Criminal Justice
System” by Judge Nitafan)

D. Sources of Criminal Law

a) 1987 Constitution
b) Revised Penal Code
c) Special Penal Laws
d) Jurisprudence

E. Criminal Law Concepts

1) Crimes v. Felonies v. Offenses
2) Principles
a) Territoriality
b) Generality
c) Prospectivity

3) Malum in se v. Malum prohibitum

4) Revised Penal Code v. Special Laws

F. Theories/Schools of Thought in Criminal Justice

1) Classical/Juristic Theory
2) Positivist/Realistic Theory
3) Eclectic/Mixed Theory

G. Constitutional Provisions Relevant to Criminal Justice System

1) Article I (Philippine Territory)
2) Article II (Declaration of Principles and State Policies)
 3) Article III (Bill of Rights)
4) Article VIII (The Judiciary)
5) Article VII (The Executive Branch)
6) Articles IX-C, XI, XIII, XVI and XVIII (some provisions)

H. Introduction to Pillars of the Criminal Justice System

II. The First Pillar: LAW ENFORCEMENT

A. Law Enforcement Agencies

a) National Police Commission/Philippine National Police

1) Constitutional Basis (Article XVI, Section 6)
2) History and Organizational Structure
3) RA 6975 as amended by RA 8551 and RA 11028;
4) Powers and Functions (see PNP Notes)
5) PNP v. AFP
1.1. Concept of Civilian Supremacy (1987 Constitution, Article II,
Section 3)
1.2. IBP v. Zamora, G.R. No. 141284, August 15, 2000

b) Other Law Enforcement Agencies

1) National Bureau of Investigation (RA 157)
2) Office of the Ombudsman (RA 6657, Article XI of the 1987
Constitution)
3) Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (RA 9165)
4) Anti-Money Laundering Council
5) Presidential Commission on Good Government
6) Bureau of Immigration
7) Bureau of Internal Revenue
8) Bureau of Customs (Administrative Code of 1987, Bk 4, Title 2,
Chapter 4, Sec. 23)
9) Optical Media Board (9239)

c) Problem Areas/Issues on Law Enforcement

1) NBI v. PNP v. PDEA
2) Partisan Politics (DILG)
3) PNP Academy
4) Control of Local Chief Executives over Local Police
5) Police Discipline and Accountability

5.1. Commission on Human Rights, PNP-Internal Affairs Service,

DOJ/Ombudsman, People’s Law Enforcement Board
5.2. Administrative and Criminal Liabilities
 5.3. Police Brutality
5.4. Graft and Corruption/Simple Robbery
5.5. Arbitrary Detention (Article 125, RPC)
5.6. Planting of Evidence (RA No. 9165)

B. Law Enforcement Concepts

a) Monitoring/Surveillance/Reconnaissance/Police Visibility Patrolling
1) Surveillance v. Right to Privacy of Individuals (Marynette Gamboa v.
P/Supt. Marlou Chan, G.R. No. 193636, July 24, 2012)
2) Prior Surveillance in Drugs Cases (People v. Reyes, G.R. No. 219953,
April 23, 2018)

b) Checkpoints (Veridiano v. People, G.R. No. 200370, June 7, 2017)

c) Stop-and-Frisks (“Terry search” from Terry v. Ohio); Comerciante v.

People, G.R. No. 205926, July 22, 2015)

d) Investigation

e) Arrests and Seizures

1) Constitutional Requirements of Valid Warrants (1987 Constitution,

Article III, Section 2; Ogayon v. People, G.R. No. 188794, September
5, 2015)
2) Plainview Doctrine
3) Remedy of Writ of Habeas Corpus
4) Dawn Search in Philippine Jurisdiction

f) Entrapment v. Instigation
1) Police Entrapment Forms
2) Buy-Bust Operations
3) Case: People v. Hirang, G.R. No. 223528, January 11, 2017

g) Custodial Investigation
1) Republic Act No. 7438, “Custodial Investigation Act”
2) Miranda Doctrine (Miranda v. Arizona, US jurisprudence)
3) Expanded Miranda (People v. Mahinay, G.R. No. 122485, February
1, 1999)
4) Police Line-up (Corporeal Identification) People v. Pepino, G.R. No.
174471, January 12, 2016, see People v. Almanzor, G.R. No.
124916, July 11, 2002)
5) Police Blotter (People v. Divina, G.R. Nos. 93808-09. April 7, 1993)
6) Police Photogallery
Suggested Course Activities/Requirements:
1) Term Paper
2) Seminar/Dialogue with Law Enforcement Agencies
3) Case Study
4) Graded Recitations
5) Reportorial Sessions

III. The Second Pillar: THE PROSECUTION

A. Prosecutorial Offices
a) Department of Justice (National Prosecution Service)
b) Office of the Ombudsman
c) Commission on Elections
d) Presidential Commission on Good Government
e) MTC Judges
f) Offended party: 1985 Rules of Criminal Procedure
(repealed)

B. Preliminary investigation
a) Meaning
b) Function
1) executive or judicial
2) Case: Secretary Leila M. De Lima v. Mario Joel Reyes,
G.R. No. 209330, January 11, 2016
c) MTC judge determines probable cause
1) Case: Prosecutor Jaime Contreras vs. Judge Eddie
Monseratie, A.M. No. MTJ-02-1437, August 20, 2003
d) Nature (substantive or procedural)
1) Case: Rodrigo Duterte v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 130191 April
27, 1998
e) Procedure in Preliminary Investigation
(Rule 112, Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure)
f) Period (Before arraignment)
1) Case: Even during trial on the merits see Rolito Go v. CA, G.R. No.
101837 February 11, 1992
g) Where to File Motion for Preliminary Investigation
(Court or Prosecutor?) Case: Rolito Go v. CA, supra. Petition for
Review: DOJ, CA
h) Waivability; it can be waived being a staturory right
1) Implied waiver: People v. Selfaison, G.R. No. L-14732, January
28, 1961
j. Preliminary Investigation v. Inquest Proceedings
k. Preliminary Investigation v. Reinvestigation
1) Case: Jose Antonio Leviste v. Judge Elmo Alameda,
 G.R. No. 182677, August 3, 2010
l. Concept of Probable cause
m. Complaint vs. Information
n. Allowing private prosecutors
o. Ombudsman as Prosecutor (RA 6770)
p. Office of the Special Prosecutor (RA 6770)
q. Role of the Office of the Solicitor General (EO 292)

Suggested Course Activities/Requirements:

1) Term Paper
2) Seminar/Dialogue with a Prosecutor
3) Case Study
4) Graded Recitations
5) Reportorial Sessions

III. The Third Pillar: THE COURTS

A. Doctrine of Hierarchy of Courts
a) MTC/RTC
b) Court of Appeals
c) Sandiganbayan
d) Supreme Court

B. Kind of Courts
a) Nature: Criminal/Civil Courts v. Military Courts
b) Number: Single sala v. multi-sala
c) Presiding: One judge system v. Jury system

C. Criminal Jurisdiction
a) Kinds:
1) Jurisdiction over the person of the accused
2) Jurisdiction over the offense
3) Jurisdiction over the subject matter
b) Venue v. Jurisdiction
c) Determination of Probable cause:
d) Warrant of Arrest/Commitment Order
e) Bail
1) Matter of right
2) Matter of discretion
3) Rule 114, Rules of Criminal Procedure
4) Cases
f) Plea-bargaining
g) Order of Trial
h) Quantum of Evidence required
 i) Trial in absentia
j) State Witness
k) Direct and cross-examination
l) Conviction
m) Penalties
n) Appeals

Suggested Course Activities/Requirements:

1) Term Paper
2) Seminar/Dialogue with Judges
3) Case Study
4) Graded Recitations
5) Reportorial Sessions
6) Court Visits

IV. The Fourth Pillar: THE CORRECTIONS

A. Theories of Penalty
a) Montero’s Aim
b) Reductivism
c) Humanitarianism
d) Retributivism
e) Denunciation
f) Vindicative

B. National Penitentiaries
a) New Bilibid Prisons, Muntinlupa
b) Correctional Institution for Women, Mandaluyong
c) Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Palawan
d) Davao Prison and Penal Farm, Panabo, Davao
e) San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, Zamboanga City
f) Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
g) Leyte Regional Prison, Leyte

C. Constitutional Basis and Basic Principles

a) Prohibition on cruel and inhumane punishment
b) Principle of nulla poena sine lege

D. Correctional Supervision
a) Bureau of Corrections
b) Bureau of Jail Management and Penology
c) Provincial Governments
d) PNP Detention Centers/Police Station Detention Cells
E. Forms of Criminal Penalties
a) Death/Judicial Execution
b) Imprisonment (Straight penalties or range of penalties under RPC)
c) Fines and forfeitures
d) Civil interdiction
e) Public censure
f) Exile or destierro
g) Community Service (RA 9208, Anti-Trafficking in Persons)
h) Diversionary Measures/Rehabilitation (RA 9344 and RA 9165)

F. Classification of Imprisonment
a) Capital
b) Afflictive
c) Correctional
d) Light
e) Plus accessory penalties
f) Bond to keep the peace
g) Subsidiary penalty

G. Divisibility (Divisible or indivisible)

H. Reclusion Perpetua v. Life Imprisonment

I. Probation and Parole

J. Executive Clemency/ Pardoning Power of the President

Basis: Section 19, Article VII, 1987 Constitution
Nature: Only the President can exercise this power (Spouses Renato Constantino
v. Hon. Jose B. Cuisi, G.R. No. 106064, October 13, 2005)
Kinds:
a) Amnesty
b) Commutation of Sentence
1) Articles 94-99, RPC, as amended by R.A. No. 10592 (GCTA Law, please
see 2019 Revised IRR 16 September 2019) See also Cruz v. Go, G.R. No.
223446, 28 November 2016
2) Good Conduct Time Allowance (Inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons, et al.
v. Secretary Leila De Lima, G.R. No. 212719, June 25, 2019)
3) Special Time Allowances, Time Allowance for Loyalty, Time Allowance for
Study, Teaching and Mentoring)
4) Credit for Preventive Imprisonment (Article 29, RPC, as amended by RA
10592)
c) Pardon (Villema v. The Secretary of the Interior, G.R. No. L-46570, 21 April
1939)
 1) Conditional or Absolute (Risos-Vidal v. Commission on Elections, Joseph
Ejercito Estrada, G.R. No. 212719, January 21, 2015)

V. The Fifth Pillar: THE MOBILIZED COMMUNITY

A. Community Stakeholders
a) Barangays/LGUs
b) School
c) Church
d) Non-government organizations
e) As individual citizens

B. Forms of Community Involvement

a) Vigilance
b) Collective will-formation
c) Direct involvement through Barangay Conciliation System

C. The Katarungang Pambarangay System

a) Jurisdiction
b) Mediation by Lupon Chairman
d) Conciliation by Pangkat Tagapagkasundo
e) Failure to Conciliate, Lupong Tagapamayapa
d) Role of Punong Barangay

Other materials:
Situation of Philippine Jails
1) OVERCROWDED, FILTHY AND DISEASED: Inside the Philippines most notorious
prison that houses 3,800 inmates”, Guy Birchall, July 30, 2016
Source: The Sun UK
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1526251/inside-the-philippines-most-
notorious-prison-that-houses-3800-inmates/

2) Philippines Overcrowded Prison, Andrew Katz, August 3, 2016

Source: Time Magazine
https://time.com/4438112/philippines-overcrowded-prison-manila-rodrigo-
duterte/