Retroaktibong aplikasyon ng batas kriminal

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | November 29, 2025

Dear Chief Acosta,

Kailan maaaring magkaroon ng retroaktibong epekto ang mga batas penal o kriminal? Mayroon bang mga sitwasyon kung kailan ang isang bagong batas kriminal ay hindi maaaring bigyan ng retroaktibong epekto kahit na pabor ito sa akusado? Maraming salamat sa paglilinaw. -- Martin

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Dear Martin, 

Ang sagot sa iyong katanungan ay makikita sa Artikulo 22, kaugnay ng Artikulo 62, ng Act No. 3815, o mas kilala bilang Revised Penal Code, at pati na rin sa mga kaugnay na kaso.

Ayon sa Artikulo 22 ng nasabing batas, ang isang batas penal o kriminal ay maaaring magkaroon ng retroaktibong epekto kung ito ay pabor sa taong nagkasala sa isang krimen, maliban kung siya ay isang habitual delinquent. Ipinatutupad ang retroaktibidad kahit pa, sa oras ng paglalathala ng bagong batas, ay mayroon nang pinal na hatol at ang nasentensiyahan ay nagsisilbi na ng parusa:

“Article 22. Retroactive effect of penal laws. -- Penal laws shall have a retroactive effect in so far as they favor the person guilty of a felony, who is not a habitual criminal, as this term is defined in rule 5 of article 62 of this Code, although at the time of the publication of such laws a final sentence has been pronounced and the convict is serving the same.” 

Samantala, itinatakda ng Artikulo 62 ng parehong batas ang kahulugan ng habitual delinquent. Ayon dito:

“Article 62. Effects of the attendance of mitigating or aggravating circumstances and of habitual delinquency. xxx 

5. xxx For the purposes of this article, a person shall be deemed to be habitual delinquent, if within a period of ten years from the date of his release or last conviction of the crimes of robo, hurto, estafa, or falsification, he is found guilty of any of said crimes a third time or oftener.” 

Ganoon pa man, ipinahayag sa kasong Tavera v. Valdez (G.R. No. L-922, November 8, 1902), sa panulat ni Honorable Associate Justice Fletcher Ladd, na ang retroaktibong pagpapatupad sa isang bagong batas ay hindi maaari kung ito ay hayagang idineklarang hindi naaangkop sa mga nakabinbing aksyon o umiiral na mga sanhi ng aksyon:

“Act No. 277 xxx Section 13 of the same act provides as follows: “All laws and parts of laws now in force, so far as the same may be in conflict herewith, are hereby repealed: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall operate as a repeal of existing laws in so far as they are applicable to pending actions or existing causes of action, but as to such causes of action or pending actions existing laws shall remain in full force and effect.” This act went into effect October 24, 1901, subsequent to the publication of the article in question, and during the pendency of the prosecution. By article 22 of the Penal Code “Penal laws shall have a retroactive effect in so far as they favor the person guilty of a crime of misdemeanor,” etc. The court below in fixing the punishment proceeded upon the theory that by the operation of this general rule the penalty prescribed in the Penal Code for the offense in question was necessarily modified and could not be inflicted in its full extension. In so doing we think the court overlooked or improperly construed the proviso in the section of Act No. 277, above cited, by virtue of which the previously existing law on the subject covered by the act is left intact in all its parts as respects pending actions or existing causes of action. The language is general and embraces, we think, all actions, whether civil, criminal, or of a mixed character. In this view of the case we have no occasion to consider the question argued by counsel for the private prosecutor as to whether the provisions of Act No. 277 respecting the penalty are more favorable to the accused than those of the former law or otherwise. The punishment must be determined exclusively by the provisions of the former law.” 

Sa madaling salita, bagaman ang isang batas penal o kriminal ay maaaring magkaroon ng retroaktibong pagpapatupad kung ito ay pabor sa taong nagkasala, ito ay hindi maaari kung (a) tahasang hinahayag ng bagong batas na ito ay hindi angkop sa mga nakabinbing aksyon o umiiral na mga cause of action; at (b) ang nagkasala ay isang habitual delinquent, kagaya ng tinukoy sa Rule 5, Article 62 ng Revised Penal Code.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay. 

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.