ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | April 22, 2024
Dear Chief Acosta,
Kasama ng aking mga anak, lumayas ako mula sa bahay ng magulang ng aking kinakasama dahil sa sobrang panggigipit, at diskriminasyon na sinapit ko sa kanila. Balak ko ngayong kumuha ng protection order mula sa korte upang patuloy pa ring makatanggap ang aking mga anak ng suporta mula sa kanilang ama, habang ako naman ay naghahanap pa ng mapapasukang trabaho. Dahil kasabwat ang mga magulang ng aking ex-partner sa verbal at sikolohikal na pang-aabuso sa aming mag-ina, maaari ko ba silang isama kung magsasampa ako ng kasong paglabag ng R.A. No. 9262? — Luningning
Dear Luningning,
Ang konsepto ng pakikipagsabwatan o conspiracy ay nakasaad sa Revised Penal Code (RPC):
“Article 8: Conspiracy and proposal to commit felony – Conspiry and proposal to commit felony are punishable only in the cases in which the law especially provides a penalty therefore.
A conspiracy exists when two or more persons come to an agreement concerning the commission of a felony and decide to commit it.”
Ang taong nakikipagsabwatan sa isang krimen ay maaaring mapanagot sa batas kung mapatunayan ang partisipasyon nito. Sa tanong kung ang konsepto ng pakikipagsabwatan o conspiracy sa ilalim ng RPC ay maaari bang gamitin sa Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9262 o Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, ito ang positibong sagot ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman sa kaso ni Sharica Mari Go-Tan vs. Spouses Tan, G.R. No. 168852, September 30, 2008, na isinulat ni Honorable Associate Justice Alicia Austria-Martinez:
“While the said provision provides that the offender be related or connected to the victim by marriage, former marriage, or a sexual or dating relationship, it does not preclude the application of the principle of conspiracy under the RPC.
Indeed, Section 47 of R.A. No. 9262 expressly provides for the suppletory application of the RPC, thus:
SEC. 47. Suppletory Application. - For purposes of this Act, the Revised Penal Code and other applicable laws, shall have suppletory application.
Parenthetically, Article 10 of the RPC provides:
ART. 10. Offenses not subject to the provisions of this Code. – Offenses which are or in the future may be punishable under special laws are not subject to the provisions of this Code. This Code shall be supplementary to such laws, unless the latter should specially provide the contrary.
Hence, legal principles developed from the Penal Code may be applied in a supplementary capacity to crimes punished under special laws, such as R.A. No. 9262, in which the special law is silent on a particular matter. x x x
With more reason, therefore, the principle of conspiracy under Article 8 of the RPC may be applied suppletorily to R.A. No. 9262 because of the express provision of Section 47 that the RPC shall be supplementary to said law. Thus, general provisions of the RPC, which by their nature, are necessarily applicable, may be applied suppletorily.
Thus, the principle of conspiracy may be applied to R.A. No. 9262. For once conspiracy or action in concert to achieve a criminal design is shown, the act of one is the act of all the conspirators, and the precise extent or modality of participation of each of them becomes secondary, since all the conspirators are principals. x x x”
Malinaw sa nasabing desisyon na maaaring gamitin ang konsepto ng conspiracy sa mga paglabag sa Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9262 or Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. Samakatuwid, maaari ring isama ang mga magulang ng iyong ex-partner kung mapatunayan ang pakikipagsabwatan nila sa mga pang-aabusong inyong naranasan.
Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.
Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.