Revisiting"ISLAW"

InmyfiveyearsnowasaCourtAttorney,Ihad,onseveraloccasions,comeacrosslowercourtdecisions
incorrectlyapplyingtheIndeterminateSentenceLaw(I.S.Law)orActNo.4103.Itisseriouslydisturbingthat
despiteitsseemingsimplicityandbrevity,somejudgeshadbeenperpetuallymisapplyingit.
ThebasicmandateoftheI.S.Lawistheimpositionofanindeterminatesentencewhichiscomprisedbya
MINIMUMtermandaMAXIMUMterm.ItisindeterminateinthesensethatafterservingtheMINIMUM,the
convictmaybereleasedonparole,orifheisnotfittedforrelease,heshallcontinueservinghissentenceuntil
theendoftheMAXIMUM.ItisthefixingoftheMINIMUMandMAXIMUMtermswhichgeneratesalotof
confusionandistheconstantsourceoferrorofsomejudges.
Thereisnotmuchdifficultyinascertainingtheindeterminatesentenceifthecrimeisaviolationofaspecial
lawbecauseinsuchacase,theI.S.LawmerelyrequiresthattheMAXIMUMtermthereofshallnotexceedthe
maximumfixedbythespeciallawwhiletheMINIMUMshallnotbelessthantheminimumprescribedtherein.
Accordingly, if a special law imposes a penalty of three (3) to nine (9) years of imprisonment, the
MINIMUM oftheindeterminate sentence cannot beless than 3 years whilethe MAXIMUM thereof
cannotbemorethan 9 years.Hence,theindeterminatesentencemaybedecreedas 39years, 3
years&9months7years&8months, 34years, 35years, 58years, 89years,etc.,
dependingonthesounddiscretionofthejudge.
However,itshouldbestressedthatthereferencetospeciallawinthisregardrefertothosewhichprovidefor
onespecificpenaltyorarangeofpenaltieswithdefinitivedurations,suchasimprisonmentforeightyears
orforoneyeartofiveyearsbutwithoutdivisionintoperiodsoranytechnicalstatutorycognomen.Where
thepenaltyinthespeciallawadoptsthetechnicalnomenclatureandsignificationofthepenaltiesunderthe
Revised Penal Code (RPC), such asprision mayor, prision correccional maximum,etc., the
ascertainmentoftheindeterminatesentencewillbebasedontheruleintendedforthosecrimespunishable
undertheRPC.
TheruleforascertainingtheindeterminatesentenceforcrimespunishableundertheRPCismucharcaneand
complicatedthantheruleappliedinthosecrimespunishableunderaspeciallaw.Incrimespunishableunderthe
RPC,theindeterminatesentenceisarrivedatbydeterminingtheMAXIMUMterm,which,inviewofthe
attendingcircumstances,couldbeproperlyimposedundertherulesoftheRPC,andtheMINIMUMterm,
whichshallbewithintherangeofthepenaltynextlowertothatprescribedbytheRPCfortheoffense.
PriortotheeffectivityoftheI.S.Law,prisonsentenceswereimposedandfixedasastraightpenaltyexactlyas
providedforundertheRPC,modifiedonlybytheapplicablerulestherein,towit:Articles46,48,50to57,61,
62,64,65,68,69,and71.TheMAXIMUMtermoftheindeterminatesentenceisdeterminedexactlyinthat
mannerasiftheIndeterminateSentenceLawhadneverbeenenacted.Thus,samerulesandprovisions(except
par.5ofArt.62)mustbetakenintoaccountindeterminingtheMAXIMUMtermoftheindeterminatepenalty.
IndeterminingtheMAXIMUMoftheindeterminatesentence,thefollowingquestionsmaybeaskedbywayof
aguideorchecklist:(a)Whatistheimposablepenaltyforthecrime?,(b)Istheconvictedfelonaprincipal,
accessoryoraccomplice?,(c)Wasthecrimeconsummated,frustratedorattempted?,(d)Isthecrimecommitted
acomplexcrime?,(e)Isthecommissionofthecrimeattendedbyanymitigatingoraggravatingcircumstances?,
(f)Isthepenaltyforthecrimeindivisibleorcomposedofthreeperiods,i.e.minimum,mediumandmaximum
periods?,and(g)Istheaccusedentitledtoaprivilegemitigatingcircumstance?

Forinstance,ifapersonisconvictedasaprincipalinthecrimeofhomicide,theimposablepenaltyunderArt.
249oftheRPCisreclusiontemporal,adivisiblepenalty.Intheabsenceofanymitigatingoraggravating
circumstance, the MAXIMUM of the indeterminate penalty will be taken anywherewithin the
rangeofreclusiontemporalmedium,i.e.from14years,8monthsand1dayto17yearsand4months.The
emphasisisonthephrasewithintherangewhichmeansthatanywherewithinthatperiodmaybefixedthe
MAXIMUMtermoftheindeterminatesentence.Thus,thejudge,athissounddiscretion,mayfixitat 14
years,10monthsand26days,17years,2monthsand6days,16years,etc.
AgreaterdifficultyinfixingtheMAXIMUMtermoftheindeterminatepenaltyariseswheretherangeofthe
penaltyprovidedforintheRPCiscomposedofonlytwoperiods.Forexample,inthecrimeofestafaunder
Article315oftheRPC,theimposablepenaltyisprisioncorreccionalmaximumtoprisionmayorminimum.In
suchcase,thetotalnumberofyearsincludedinthetwoperiodsshouldbedividedintothreeequalperiodsof
time,formingoneperiodforeachofthethreeportions.Thus:minimumperiod4yrs.,2mos.&1dayto5yrs.,
5mos.&10days;mediumperiod5yrs.,5mos.&11daysto6yrs.,8mos.&20days;andmaximumperiod
6yrs.,8mos.&21daysto8yrs.
IndeterminingtheMINIMUMtermoftheindeterminatesentence,theI.S.Lawmandatesthatthesamebe
withintherangeofthepenaltynextlowertothatprescribedbytheRPCfortheoffense.Inthisregard,wide
latitudeofdiscretionisgiventothecourtstofixtheMINIMUMoftheindeterminatepenaltyanywherewithin
therangeofthepenaltynextlower,withoutregardtoanymodifyingcircumstancesandwithoutreferencetothe
periods into which it may be subdivided.In the previous example involving the crime of homicide, the
imposablepenaltyisreclusiontemporal.Thepenaltynextlowerwouldthereforebeprisionmayor.Withinthe
rangeofprisionmayor,thecourtmayfixtheMINIMUMoftheindeterminatepenalty.Thus,thejudgemayfix
itat6yearsand1day,6yearsand5months,8years,12years,etc.Whileamplediscretion
isgiventocourtsinfixingtheMINIMUMoftheindeterminatesentence,thedeterminationthereofnonetheless
presentstwoaspects:first,themoreorlessmechanicaldeterminationoftheextremelimitsoftheminimum
imprisonmentperiod;andsecond,thebroadquestionofthefactorsandcircumstancesthatshouldguidethe
discretionofthecourtinfixingtheminimumpenaltywithintheascertainedlimits.
ThecommonpracticehasbeentofixtheMINIMUMoftheindeterminatesentenceexactlyonedegreelowerto
the MAXIMUM arrived at. Thus, for example, if the MAXIMUM fixed by the court isreclusion
temporalmedium,theMINIMUMisusuallyfixedatprisionmayormedium,whichisexactlyadegreelower.
WhiletheMINIMUMarrivedatinthatcaseistechnicallycorrect,suchnonethelessignoresthetheoretical
significationofthephrasepenaltynextlowerundertheI.S.Law.
ConscientiousadherencetotheprovisionsoftheI.S.Lawisanindispensablecomponentofafairandimpartial
judgment.Forwhatcouldbethedifferenceofevenonlyonedayintheperiodofimprisonmentofaconvict
couldmeansomuchtothepreciousandcherishedlibertyoftheperson.