THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
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, 
S. No. 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANUEL B. VILLAR, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Death, as a penalty for crime, has no place in a society that claims to strongly 
uphold freedom and human rights. 
The death penalty, aside from being an inhuman, cruel and degrading 
punishment, has never been proven to deter the crime more effectively than 
other punishments. For countries with perverted justice system, the said 
penalty might even be imposed on the innocent. 
Hence, it is but just to impose the penalty of redusion perpetua instead of the 
death penalty in cases where the law prescribes death penalty. 
In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
MANUEL B. 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regu 1 ar Session 
SENATE 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANUEL B. VILLAR, JR. 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE IMPOSITION OF THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION PERPETUA 
INSTEAD OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN CASES WHERE THE LAW PRESCRIBES 
THE DEATH PENALTY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
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3 
Be enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. The provision of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary 
notwithstanding, the penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment, as the case 
may be, without entitlement to any allowance for good conduct, special time allowance 
for loyalty, or parole, instead of the death penalty, shall henceforth be imposed in 
cases where the law prescribes the imposition of the death penalty for the violation of 
its provisions. 
SECTION 2. Any person who has been meted out the death penalty by final 
judgment shall have his sentence commuted and serve it in accordance with the 
provisions of the Act. 
SECTION 3. Republic Act No. 7659, as amended by Republic Act No. 8177, and 
all other laws, decrees, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are contrary to or 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 4. Articles 25, 40, 70, 71, and 74 of the Revised Penal Code are 
expressly repealed or modified insofar as they provide for the penalty of death as a 
principal penalty and for its accessory penalties under the Revised Penal Code. 
SECTION 5. Article 63 of the Revised Penal Code is hereby amended to read as 
follows : 
"Article 63. Rules for the Application of Indivisible Penalties. - In 
all cases in which the law prescribes a single indivisible penalty, it shall 
be applied by the courts regardless of any mitigating or aggravating 
circumstances that may have attended the commission of the deed. 
[In all cases in which the law prescribes a penalty composed of 
two indivisible penalties, the following rules shall be observed in the 
application thereof: 
1. When in the commission of the deed there is present only one 
aggravating circumstance, the greater penalty shall be applied. 


2. 
When 
there 
are 
neither 
mitigating 
nor 
aggravating 
circumstances in the commission of the deed, the lesser penalty 
3. When the commission of the act is attended by some mitigating 
circumstances and there is no aggravating circumstance, the 
4. When both mitigating and aggravating circumstances attended 
the commission of the act, the court shall reasonably allow them 
to offset one another in consideration of their number and importance, 
with the 
preceding 
rules, according 
to 
the 
result 
of 
such 
compensation.] 
shall be applied. 
lesser penalty shall be applied. 
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect immediately after its publication in two (2) 
national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,