Full Title
AN ACT SHORTENING THE PRESCRIPTIVE PERIOD FOR LIBEL AND OTHER SIMILAR OFFENSES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE NINETY OF THE REVISED PENAL CODE.
Digital Resource
House Bill No.
H. No. 1037
Legislative History (PDF)
Date of Approval
June 18, 1966

Legislative History

Legislative History
  Introduced by Congressmen Mitra, Pelaez, Sagun, Perez, L., Ocampo and Ilarde;
May 4, 1966

Submitted to the Senate;

Referred to the Committee on Codes and Constitutional Amendments.

May 7, 1966 Returned by said Committee with the Committee Report No. 233, recommending that it be approved without amendment
May 9, 1966 Submitted said Report to the Senate on May 9, 1966
May 12, 1966

Passed on second reading by the Senate without amendment;

Printed copies distributed to the Senators.

May 13, 1966 For immediate enactment by the President of the Philippines.
May 18, 1966 Passed on third reading without amendment by the Senate.
June 18, 1966 Approved by the President of the Philippines.
  Converted into Republic Act No. 4661.

 

Other Details

Issuance Category
Legislative Issuance Type
Bill Note

Official Gazette

Official Gazette Source
Official Gazette volume 64 number 46 (November 11, 1968) page 11769

Full Text of Issuance

H. No. 1037 / 64 OG No. 46, 11769 (November 11, 1968)

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4661, June 18, 1966 ]

AN ACT SHORTENING THE PRESCRIPTIVE PERIOD FOR LIBEL AND OTHER SIMILAR OFFENSES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE NINETY OF THE REVISED PENAL CODE.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Article ninety of the Revised Penal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

"ART. 90. Prescription of crimes.—Crimes punishable by death, reclusion perpetua or reclusion temporal shall prescribe in twenty years.

"Crimes punishable by other afflictive penalties shall prescribe in fifteen years.

"Those punishable by a correctional penalty shall prescribe in ten years; with the exception of those punishable by arresto mayor, which shall prescribe in five years.

"The crime of libel or other similar offenses shall prescribe in one year.

"The offenses of oral defamation and slander by deed shall prescribe in six months.

"Light offenses prescribe in two months. 

"When the penalty fixed by law is a compound one, the highest penalty shall be made the basis of the application the rules contained in the first, second and third paragraphs of this article."

SEC. 2. The provision of this amendatory Act shall not apply to cases of libel already filed in court at the time of approval of this amendatory Act.

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, June 18, 1966.

 

Source: Supreme Court E-Library