against all persons who appear to be

responsible for the offense involved. (2a)

THE REVISED RULES OF CRIMINAL
PROCEDURE Section 3. Complaint defined. A complaint is
a sworn written statement charging a person
(As amended, December 1, 2000) with an offense, subscribed by the offended
party, any peace officer, or other public officer
RULE 110 charged with the enforcement of the law
violated. (3)
Prosecution of Offenses
Section 4. Information defined. An
Section 1. Institution of criminal actions. information is an accusation in writing charging
Criminal actions shall be instituted as follows: a person with an offense, subscribed by the
prosecutor and filed with the court. (4a)
(a) For offenses where a preliminary
investigation is required pursuant to section 1 of Section 5. Who must prosecute criminal
Rule 112, by filing the complaint with the proper actions. All criminal actions commenced by a
officer for the purpose of conducting the complaint or information shall be prosecuted
requisite preliminary investigation. under the direction and control of the
prosecutor. However, in Municipal Trial Courts or
(b) For all other offenses, by filing the complaint Municipal Circuit Trial Courts when the
or information directly with the Municipal Trial prosecutor assigned thereto or to the case is
Courts and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts, or the not available, the offended party, any peace
complaint with the office of the prosecutor. In officer, or public officer charged with the
Manila and other chartered cities, the complaint enforcement of the law violated may prosecute
shall be filed with the office of the prosecutor the case. This authority cease upon actual
unless otherwise provided in their charters. intervention of the prosecutor or upon elevation
(This
of the case to the Regional Trial Court.
Section was repealed by A.M. No. 02-2-07-SC effective May 1, 2002)
The institution of the criminal action shall
interrupt the running period of prescription of
the offense charged unless otherwise provided The crimes of adultery and concubinage shall
in special laws. (1a) not be prosecuted except upon a complaint filed
by the offended spouse. The offended party
Section 2. The Complaint or information. cannot institute criminal prosecution without
The complaint or information shall be in writing, including the guilty parties, if both alive, nor, in
in the name of the People of the Philippines and any case, if the offended party has consented to
the offense or pardoned the offenders.
The offenses of seduction, abduction and acts of the designation of the offense given by the
lasciviousness shall not be prosecuted except statute; the acts or omissions complained of as
upon a complaint filed by the offended party or constituting the offense; the name of the
her parents, grandparents or guardian, nor, in offended party; the approximate date of the
any case, if the offender has been expressly commission of the offense; and the place where
pardoned by any of them. If the offended party the offense was committed.
dies or becomes incapacitated before she can
file the complaint, and she has no known When an offense is committed by more than
parents, grandparents or guardian, the State one person, all of them shall be included in the
shall initiate the criminal action in her behalf. complaint or information. (6a)

The offended party, even if a minor, has the Section 7. Name of the accused. The
right to initiate the prosecution of the offenses complaint or information must state the name
of seduction, abduction and acts of and surname of the accused or any appellation
lasciviousness independently of her parents, or nickname by which he has been or is known.
grandparents, or guardian, unless she is If his name cannot be ascertained, he must be
incompetent or incapable of doing so. Where described under a fictitious name with a
the offended party, who is a minor, fails to file statement that his true name is unknown.
the complaint, her parents, grandparents, or
guardian may file the same. The right to file the If the true name of the accused is thereafter
action granted to parents, grandparents or disclosed by him or appears in some other
guardian shall be exclusive of all other persons manner to the court, such true name shall be
and shall be exercised successively in the order inserted in the complaint or information and
herein provided, except as stated in the record. (7a)
preceding paragraph.
Section 8. Designation of the offense. The
No criminal action for defamation which complaint or information shall state the
consists in the imputation of the offenses designation of the offense given by the statute,
mentioned above shall be brought except at the aver the acts or omissions constituting the
instance of and upon complaint filed by the offense, and specify its qualifying and
offended party. (5a) aggravating circumstances. If there is no
designation of the offense, reference shall be
The prosecution for violation of special laws made to the section or subsection of the statute
shall be governed by the provisions thereof. (n) punishing it. (8a)

Section 6. Sufficiency of complaint or Section 9. Cause of the accusation. The acts

information. A complaint or information is or omissions complained of as constituting the
sufficient if it states the name of the accused; offense and the qualifying and aggravating
circumstances must be stated in ordinary and (a) In offenses against property, if the name of
concise language and not necessarily in the the offended party is unknown, the property
language used in the statute but in terms must be described with such particularity as to
sufficient to enable a person of common properly identify the offense charged.
understanding to know what offense is being
charged as well as its qualifying and (b) If the true name of the of the person against
aggravating circumstances and for the court to whom or against whose properly the offense
pronounce judgment. (9a) was committed is thereafter disclosed or
ascertained, the court must cause the true
Section 10. Place of commission of the name to be inserted in the complaint or
offense. The complaint or information is information and the record.
sufficient if it can be understood from its
allegations that the offense was committed or If the offended party is a juridical person, it is
some of the essential ingredients occurred at sufficient to state its name, or any name or
some place within the jurisdiction of the court, designation by which it is known or by which it
unless the particular place where it was may be identified, without need of averring that
committed constitutes an essential element of it is a juridical person or that it is organized in
the offense or is necessary for its identification. accordance with law. (12a)
(10a)
Section 13. Duplicity of the offense. A
Section 11. Date of commission of the offense. complaint or information must charge but one
It is not necessary to state in the complaint offense, except when the law prescribes a
or information the precise date the offense was single punishment for various offenses. (13a)
committed except when it is a material
ingredient of the offense. The offense may be Section 14. Amendment or substitution. A
alleged to have been committed on a date as complaint or information may be amended, in
near as possible to the actual date of its form or in substance, without leave of court, at
commission. (11a) any time before the accused enters his plea.
After the plea and during the trial, a formal
Section 12. Name of the offended party. amendment may only be made with leave of
The complaint or information must state the court and when it can be done without causing
name and surname of the person against whom prejudice to the rights of the accused.
or against whose property the offense was
committed, or any appellation or nickname by However, any amendment before plea, which
which such person has been or is known. If downgrades the nature of the offense charged
there is no better way of identifying him, he in or excludes any accused from the complaint
must be described under a fictitious name. or information, can be made only upon motion
by the prosecutor, with notice to the offended
party and with leave of court. The court shall or territory where the vessel passed during such
state its reasons in resolving the motion and voyage, subject to the generally accepted
copies of its order shall be furnished all parties, principles of international law.
especially the offended party. (n)
(d) Crimes committed outside the Philippines
If it appears at any time before judgment that a but punishable under Article 2 of the Revised
mistake has been made in charging the proper Penal Code shall be cognizable by the court
offense, the court shall dismiss the original where the criminal action is first filed. (15a)
complaint or information upon the filing of a
new one charging the proper offense in Section 16. Intervention of the offended party
accordance with section 19, Rule 119, provided in criminal action. Where the civil action for
the accused shall not be placed in double recovery of civil liability is instituted in the
jeopardy. The court may require the witnesses criminal action pursuant to Rule 111, the
to give bail for their appearance at the trial. offended party may intervene by counsel in the
(14a) prosecution of the offense. (16a)

Section 15. Place where action is to be

instituted.

(a) Subject to existing laws, the criminal action RULE 111

shall be instituted and tried in the court of the
municipality or territory where the offense was Prosecution of Civil Action
committed or where any of its essential
ingredients occurred. Section 1. Institution of criminal and civil
actions. (a) When a criminal action is
(b) Where an offense is committed in a train, instituted, the civil action for the recovery of
aircraft, or other public or private vehicle while civil liability arising from the offense charged
in the course of its trip, the criminal action shall shall be deemed instituted with the criminal
be instituted and tried in the court of any action unless the offended party waives the civil
municipality or territory where such train, action, reserves the right to institute it
aircraft or other vehicle passed during such its separately or institutes the civil action prior to
trip, including the place of its departure and the criminal action.
arrival.
The reservation of the right to institute
Where an offense is committed on board a separately the civil action shall be made before
vessel in the course of its voyage, the criminal the prosecution starts presenting its evidence
action shall be instituted and tried in the court and under circumstances affording the offended
of the first port of entry or of any municipality
party a reasonable opportunity to make such damages, the offended party shall pay
reservation. additional filing fees based on the amounts
alleged therein. If the amounts are not so
When the offended party seeks to enforce civil alleged but any of these damages are
liability against the accused by way of moral, subsequently awarded by the court, the filing
nominal, temperate, or exemplary damages fees based on the amount awarded shall
without specifying the amount thereof in the constitute a first lien on the judgment.
complaint or information, the filing fees thereof
shall constitute a first lien on the judgment Where the civil action has been filed separately
awarding such damages. and trial thereof has not yet commenced, it may
be consolidated with the criminal action upon
Where the amount of damages, other than application with the court trying the latter case.
actual, is specified in the complaint or If the application is granted, the trial of both
information, the corresponding filing fees shall actions shall proceed in accordance with section
be paid by the offended party upon the filing 2 of this Rule governing consolidation of the
thereof in court. civil and criminal actions. (cir. 57-97)

Except as otherwise provided in these Rules, no Section 2. When separate civil action is
filing fees shall be required for actual damages. suspended. After the criminal action has
been commenced, the separate civil action
No counterclaim, cross-claim or third-party arising therefrom cannot be instituted until final
complaint may be filed by the accused in the judgment has been entered in the criminal
criminal case, but any cause of action which action.
could have been the subject thereof may be
litigated in a separate civil action. (1a) If the criminal action is filed after the said civil
action has already been instituted, the latter
(b) The criminal action for violation of Batas shall be suspended in whatever stage it may be
Pambansa Blg. 22 shall be deemed to include found before judgment on the merits. The
the corresponding civil action. No reservation to suspension shall last until final judgment is
file such civil action separately shall be allowed. rendered in the criminal action. Nevertheless,
before judgment on the merits is rendered in
Upon filing of the aforesaid joint criminal and the civil action, the same may, upon motion of
civil actions, the offended party shall pay in full the offended party, be consolidated with the
the filing fees based on the amount of the check criminal action in the court trying the criminal
involved, which shall be considered as the action. In case of consolidation, the evidence
actual damages claimed. Where the complaint already adduced in the civil action shall be
or information also seeks to recover liquidated, deemed automatically reproduced in the
moral, nominal, temperate or exemplary criminal action without prejudice to the right of
the prosecution to cross-examine the witnesses thereafter is instituted to enforce liability arising
presented by the offended party in the criminal from other sources of obligation may be
case and of the parties to present additional continued against the estate or legal
evidence. The consolidated criminal and civil representative of the accused after proper
actions shall be tried and decided jointly. substitution or against said estate, as the case
may be. The heirs of the accused may be
During the pendency of the criminal action, the substituted for the deceased without requiring
running of the period of prescription of the civil the appointment of an executor or administrator
action which cannot be instituted separately or and the court may appoint a guardian ad
whose proceeding has been suspended shall be litem for the minor heirs.
tolled. (n)
The court shall forthwith order said legal
The extinction of the penal action does not representative or representatives to appear and
carry with it extinction of the civil action. be substituted within a period of thirty (30) days
However, the civil action based on delict shall from notice.
be deemed extinguished if there is a finding in a
final judgment in the criminal action that the act A final judgment entered in favor of the
or omission from which the civil liability may offended party shall be enforced in the manner
arise did not exist. (2a) especially provided in these rules for
prosecuting claims against the estate of the
Section 3. When civil action may proceeded deceased.
independently. In the cases provided for in
Articles 32, 33, 34 and 2176 of the Civil Code of If the accused dies before arraignment, the case
the Philippines, the independent civil action shall be dismissed without prejudice to any civil
may be brought by the offended party. It shall action the offended party may file against the
proceed independently of the criminal action estate of the deceased. (n)
and shall require only a preponderance of
evidence. In no case, however, may the Section 5. Judgment in civil action not a bar.
offended party recover damages twice for the A final judgment rendered in a civil action
same act or omission charged in the criminal absolving the defendant from civil liability is not
action. (3a) a bar to a criminal action against the defendant
for the same act or omission subject of the civil
Section 4. Effect of death on civil actions. action. (4a)
The death of the accused after arraignment and
during the pendency of the criminal action shall Section 6. Suspension by reason of prejudicial
extinguish the civil liability arising from the question. A petition for suspension of the
delict. However, the independent civil action criminal action based upon the pendency of a
instituted under section 3 of this Rule or which prejudicial question in a civil action may be filed
in the office of the prosecutor or the court Section 2. Officers authorized to conduct
conducting the preliminary investigation. When preliminary investigations.
the criminal action has been filed in court for
trial, the petition to suspend shall be filed in the The following may conduct preliminary
same criminal action at any time before the investigations:
prosecution rests. (6a)
(a) Provincial or City Prosecutors and their
Section 7. Elements of prejudicial question. assistants;
The elements of a prejudicial question are: (a)
the previously instituted civil action involves an (b) Judges of the Municipal Trial Courts and
issue similar or intimately related to the issue Municipal Circuit Trial Courts;
raised in the subsequent criminal action, and
(b) the resolution of such issue determines National and Regional State Prosecutors; and
whether or not the criminal action may proceed.
(5a) (d) Other officers as may be authorized by law.

Their authority to conduct preliminary

RULE 112 investigations shall include all crimes
cognizable by the proper court in their
Preliminary Investigation respective territorial jurisdictions. (2a)

Section 1. Preliminary investigation Section 3. Procedure. The preliminary

defined; when required. Preliminary investigation shall be conducted in the following
investigation is an inquiry or proceeding to manner:
determine whether there is sufficient ground to
engender a well-founded belief that a crime has (a) The complaint shall state the address of the
been committed and the respondent is probably respondent and shall be accompanied by the
guilty thereof, and should be held for trial. affidavits of the complainant and his witnesses,
as well as other supporting documents to
Except as provided in section 7 of this Rule, a establish probable cause. They shall be in such
preliminary investigation is required to be number of copies as there are respondents, plus
conducted before the filing of a complaint or two (2) copies for the official file. The affidavits
information for an offense where the penalty shall be subscribed and sworn to before any
prescribed by law is at least four (4) years, two prosecutor or government official authorized to
(2) months and one (1) day without regard to administer oath, or, in their absence or
the fine. (1a) unavailability, before a notary public, each of
who must certify that he personally examined
the affiants and that he is satisfied that they
voluntarily executed and understood their copy them at his expense. If the evidence is
affidavits. voluminous, the complainant may be required
to specify those which he intends to present
(b) Within ten (10) days after the filing of the against the respondent, and these shall be
complaint, the investigating officer shall either made available for examination or copying by
dismiss it if he finds no ground to continue with the respondent at his expense.
the investigation, or issue a subpoena to the
respondent attaching to it a copy of the Objects as evidence need not be furnished a
complaint and its supporting affidavits and party but shall be made available for
documents. examination, copying, or photographing at the
expense of the requesting party.
The respondent shall have the right to examine
the evidence submitted by the complainant Within ten (10) days from receipt
which he may not have been furnished and to