Article 11 Flashcards
The circumstances affecting criminal liability (5)
- Justifying circumstances
- Exempting circumstances, and other absolutory causes
- Mitigating circumstances
- Aggravating circumstances
- Alternative circumstances
Define imputability
The quality by which an act may be ascribed to a person as its author or owner. It implies that the act committed has been FREELY and CONSCIOUSLY done and may, therefore, be put down to the doer as his very own
Define responsibility
The obligation of SUFFERING the CONSEQUENCES of a crime. It is the obligation of taking the penal and civil consequences of the crime
Distinguish imputability from responsibility
Imputability implies that a deed may be imputed to a person, responsibility implies that the person must take the consequence of such a deed
Define guilty
It is an element of responsibility, for a man cannot be made to answer for the consequences of a crime unless he is guilty
Define justifying circumstances
Those where the act of a person is said to be in accordance with law, so that such person is deemed not to have transgressed the law and is free from both criminal and civil liability
The only paragraph in Article 11 of RPC that provides where civil liability is borne by the persons benefited by the act
Paragraph 4 of Article 11 of the RPC
The basis of justifying circumstances
The law recognizes the non-existence of a crime by expressly stating in the opening sentence of Article 11 that the persons therein mentioned “do not incur any criminal liability”
What are the justifying circumstances as provided by Article 11 of the RPC (6)
- Anyone who acts in defense of his person or rights
- Anyone who acts in defense of the person or rights of his spouse, ascendants, descendants, or legitime, natural or adopted brothers or sisters, or of his relatives by affinity in the same degrees, and those by consanguinity within the fourth civil degree
- Anyone who acts in defense of the person or rights of a stranger
- Any person who, in order to avoid an evil or injury, does an act which causes damage to another
- Any person who acts in the fulfillment of a duty or in the lawful exercise of a right or office
- Any person who acts in obedience to an order issued by a superior for some lawful purpose
In claiming a justifying circumstance, who has the burden of proof?
The accused, in order to avoid criminal liability, to prove that the justfiying circumstance claimed by him to the satisfaction of the court
Does someone who claims a justifying circumstance admit to the commission of the acts?
Yes. Under Article 11, an accused who pleads a justifying circumstance admits to the commission of the acts, which would otherwise engender criminal liability. However, accused asserts that he is justified in committing the acts
Is it enough to claim self-defense as a justifying circumstance when prosecution evidence is weak?
No. The claim of self-defense must be proved with certainty by sufficient, satisfactory and convincing evidence
Requisites of self-defense (3)
URL
1. Unlawful aggression
2. Reasonable necessity of the means employed to prevent or repel it
3. Lack of sufficient provocation on the part of the person defending himself
English for sine qua non
Without which, not. Meaning it is an indispensible requisite/requirement.
It is the sine qua non for self-defense
Unlawful aggression
Two (2) kinds of aggression
- Lawful
- Unlawful
Define unlawful aggression
Assault or at least threatened assault of an immediate and imminent kind. There is unlawful aggression when the peril to one’s life, limb, or right is either actual or imminent
Requisites for peril to one’s life (2)
- Actual - That the danger must be present,that is, actually in existence
- Imminent - That the danger is on the point of happening. It is not required that the attack already begins, for it may be too late
Is a slap on the face considered to be unlawful aggression?
Yes. Under Decision of the SC of Spain of Jan. 20, 1904; People v Roxas, 58 Phil. 733.
Reason: The face represents a person and his dignity, slapping it is a serious personal attack
Differentiate retaliation from self-defense
In retaliation, the aggression that was begun by the injured party already ceased to exist when the accused attacked
In self-defense, the aggression was still exisiting when the aggressor was injured or disabled by the person making a defense
Should the attack made by the deceased and the killing of the deceased by the defendant succeed each other without appreciable interval of time?
Yes. It is essential that the killing of the deceased by the defendant be SIMULTANEOUS with the attack made by deceased, or at least both acts succeeded each other without appreciable interval of time
If the accused had time and occasion for deliberation and cool thinking in killing of the deceased, can the accused claim self-defense?
No. The accused must have no time nor occasion for deliberation and cool thinking. This is because at the time, the uppermost thought in the accused’s mind is that their life was in danger and that to save their life, he had to do something to stop the aggression
Can the accused claim self-defense when the aggressor is not the deceased?
No. In claiming self-defense, the aggressor must be the deceased that unlawfully attacked the accused and it cannot be another person
Is unlawful aggression still present even if the aggressor is disarmed?
Yes. Provided, that the aggressor still poses a threat to the lives of the accused
When the aggressor flees, is there still unlawful aggression?
No. Under People v Alconga, et al. 78 Phil. 366, when the deceased ran away after receiving several wounds, it no longer posed any danger to the life of the accused, hence unlawful aggression was not present anymore from the time the deceased ran away
However, if it is clear that the deceased ran away to retreat to take a more advantageous position, unlawful aggression is considered to be still continuing
What is a concerted fight? Is there unlawful aggression in said situation?
It is when two persons agree to a fight. In this situation, there is no unlawful aggression.
This is because when the fight is agreed upon, each one is at once assailant and assaulted, and neither can invoke the right of self-defense
Explain the rule on “stand ground when in the right”
This is where the accused is where he has the right to be, the law does not require him to retreat when his assailant is rapidly advancing upon him with a deadly weapon.
The reason for the rule is that if one flees from an aggressor, that person runs the risk of being attacked in the back by the aggressor
In a concerted fight, is it unlawful even though the aggression was ahead of the stipulated time and place?
Yes. The acceptance of the challenge did not place on the offended party the burden of preparing to meet an assault at any time even before reaching the appointed time and place agreed (Severino Justo v. Court of Appeals, 53 O.G. 4083)
If you voluntarily joined a fight, can you claim self-defense?
No. The Court holds that when one agrees to engage in a fight, they cannot plead self-defense because there is no unlawful aggression to speak of. (Rugas v. People, G.R. No. 147789, January 14, 2004)
Three (3) kinds of defense of rights according to Art. 11 Paragraphs 1, 2, 3
- Defense of woman’s honor
- Defense of property
- Defense of home
What could constitute as an attack upon a woman’s honor and, therefore, an unlawful aggression? (2)
- Embracing a woman, touching her private parts and her breasts, and throwing her to the ground for the purpose of raping her in an uninhabited place when it was twilight
- Placing a hand by a man on the woman’s upper thigh
Legal basis for the defense of property
Article 429 of the Civil Code
In defense of home, does the owner need to wait for a blow before repelling the aggression?
No. The owner need not wait for a blow before repelling the aggression, as that blow may prove fatal.
Principle or basis in defense of home
A man’s house is his castle
What kind of circumstances should be considered in determining the existence of unlawful aggression? Should it be the actual and objective circumstances at the time of the incident?
The circumstances as the accused perceived them at the time of the incident
What is the law of nature?
The foundation of the privilege to use all reasonable means to repel an aggression that endangers one’s own life and the lives of others. This is the only way to judge a man in self-defense or in the defense of others
When a toy pistol is used by the aggressor, is there still self-defense?
Yes. There is self-defene provided that the accused believe it was a real gun
Does a mere threatening or intimidating attitude, not preceded by an outward and material aggression constitute unlawful aggression?
No. It does not constitute unlawful aggression because it is required that the act be offensive and positively strong, showing the wrongful intent of the aggressor to cause an injury
Does merely holding a knife in a threatening manner constitute as unlawful aggression?
No. There must be an attack or material aggression or an offensive act that positively determines the intent of the aggressor to cause injury
Two (2) requisite adverbs/adjectives for a threatening attitude showing the wrongful intent of the aggressor to cause an injury so as to constitute unlawful aggression
- Offensive
- Positively strong