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Criminal Law

2012 Bar — Criminal Law

96 questions from the 2012 Philippine Bar examination in Criminal Law, with suggested answers.

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Q. 24

A, B and C, all seventeen (17) years of age, waited for nighttime to avoid detection and to facilitate the implementation of their plan to rob G. They entered the room of G through a window. Upon instruction of A, G opened her vault while 8 was poking a knife at her. Acting as lookout, C had already opened the main door of the house when the helper was awakened by the pleading of G to A and B to just take the money from the vault without harming her. When the helper shouted for help upon seeing G with A and B inside the room, 8 stabbed G and ran towards the door, leaving the house with C. A also left the house after taking the money of G from the vault. G was brought to the hospital where she died as a result of the wound inflicted by B. Under the given facts, are A, B and C exempt from criminal liability? If not, what is the proper charge against them or any of them? (A) A, B and C, being under eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the commission of the offense, are exempt from criminal liability and should be merely subjected to intervention program for child in conict with the law. (B) There being no indication of having acted with discernment, A, B and C are exempt from criminal liability, subject to appropriate programs in consultation with the person having custody over the child in conflict with the law or the local social welfare and development officer. (C) Considering the given facts which manifest discernment, A, B and C are not exempt from criminal liability and should be charged with the complex crime of robbery with homicide, subject to automatic suspension of sentence upon finding of guilt. (D) Under the given facts, A, B and C are not exempt from criminal liability because they conspired to commit robbery for which they should be collectively charged as principals, and in addition, B should be separately charged with homicide for the death of G, subject to diversion programs for children over l5 and under 18 who acted with discernment.

Q. 1

The wife of AAA predeceased his mother-in-law. AAA was accused of defrauding his mother-in-law under a criminal information for estafa, but the actual recital of facts of the offense charged therein, if proven, would constitute not only the crime of estafa, but also falsification of public document as a necessary means for committing estafa. AAA invokes the absolutory cause of relationship by affinity. Which statement is most accurate? (A) The relationship by affinity created between AAA and the blood relatives of his wife is dissolved by the death of his wife and the absolutory cause of relationship by affinity is therefore no longer available to AAA. (B) The death of spouse does not severe the relationship by affinity which is an absolutory cause available to AAA for estafa through falsification of public document. (C) If AAA commits in a public document the act of falsification as a necessary means to commit estafa, the relationship by affinity still subsists as an absolutory cause for estafa which should be considered separately from the liability for falsification of public document because there is no specific penalty prescribed for the complex crime of estafa through falsification of public document. (D) Considering that under the given situation, the two (2) crimes of estafa and falsification of public document are not separate crimes but component crimes of the single complex crime of estafa and falsification of public document, the absolutory cause of relationship by affinity is not available to AAA.