Art. 48. Penalty for complex crimes.

When a single act constitutes two or more grave

3)

that both or all the offenses must be punished under the same statute

or less grave felonies, or when an offense is a necessary means for committing the other,

the penalty for the most serious crime shall be imposed, the same to be applied in its
maximum period.

a)

When 2 persons are killed one after the other, by different acts, although these 2 killings

The 2 or more grave or less grave felonies must be the result of a single act, or an offense

were the result of a single criminal impulse, the different acts must be considered as distinct

must be a necessary means to commit the crime.

crimes.

Complex crime one crime only as there is only one criminal intent only one
information need be filed.

a)

No single act in the following cases:

b)

When the acts are wholly different, not only in themselves, but also because they are

directed against 2 different persons, as when one fires his gun twice in succession, killing one
and injuring the other.

2 kinds of complex crimes:

Light felonies produced by the same act should be treated and punished as separate
offenses or may be absorbed by the grave felony.

compound crime single act constitutes 2 or more grave or less grave felonies

Requisites:

Examples:

1)

that only one single act is committed by the offender

a) several light felonies resulting from one single act not complex

2)

that the single act produces

Juan hit Pedros car, resulting in several light injuries and light felony of damage to property. No

a)

2 or more grave felonies

b)

one or more grave and one or more less grave felonies

many penalties as there are light felonies committed, even though they are produced by a single

c)

2 or more less grave felonies

act of the offender.

complex crime because the crime of slight physical injuries and damage to property are light
felonies. There are as many crimes as there are persons injured w/ light physical injuries and as

b) when the crime is committed by force or violence, slight physical injuries are absorbed.
b)

complex crime proper when an offense is a necessary means for committing another

Requisites:
1)

that at least 2 offenses are committed

2)

that one or some of the offenses must be necessary to commit the other

a)

Examples of complex crimes:

Juan was a barangay captain who was killed while discharging his duty, the crime is a

complex crime of homicide w/ assault upon a person of authority.

b)

Juan raped Petra, causing her physical injuries w/c required a months worth of medical

Necessary means does not mean indispensable means. Indispensable would mean it is

attention. This is a complex crime of rape w/ less serious physical injuries. The injuries were

an element of the crime. The crime can be committed by another mean. The means

necessary to the commission of the rape.

actually employed (another crime) was merely to facilitate and insure the consummation
of the crime.

when in obedience to an order, several accused simultaneously shot many persons,

without evidence how many each killed, there is only a single offense, there being a single

complex crime.

criminal impulse.

When in the definition of a felony, one offense is a means to commit the other, there is no

when various acts are executed for the attainment of a single purpose w/c constitutes an
offense, such acts must be considered only as one offense.

Ex. Murder committed by means of fire. Murder can be qualified by the circumstance of fire so
no complex crime even if Art 321 and 324 punishes arson. Its plain and simple murder.

Example: Juan falsified 100 warehouse receipts from April to June which enabled him to
swindle the bank of 100 million. Theres only one complex crime of estafa through multiple

Not complex crime when trespass to dwelling is a direct means to commit a grave
offense. Like rape, there is no complex crime of trespass to dwelling with rape. Trespass

falsification of documents.

will be considered as aggravating (unlawful entry or breaking part of a dwelling)

There is no complex crime of arson w/ homicide

Art 48 is applicable to crimes through negligence

No complex crime when one offense is committed to conceal another

Example: Juan set the school on fire after committing homicide. 2 crimes.
Example: Juan lit a cigarette as he poured gas in the tank of his car in his garage. The gas caught
fire and the house burned. His sister died and the maid suffered serious physical injuries. The

When the offender had in his possession the funds w/c he misappropriated, the

crimes of arson, homicide, serious physical injuries and damage to property constitute a

falsification of a public or official document involving said funds is a separate offense. But

complex crime. There is only one penalty but there are 3 civil liabilities.

when the offender had to falsify a public or official document to obtain possession of the
funds w/c he misappropriated, the falsification is a necessary means to commit the

No complex crime when one of the offenses is penalized by a special law

Example of complex crime proper (at least 2 crimes must be committed):

malversation.

There is no complex crime of rebellion with murder, arson, robbery or other common
crimes. They are mere ingredients of the crime of rebellion absorbed already.

Kidnapping the victim to murder him in a secluded place ransom wasnt paid so victim was

When 2 crimes produced by a single act are respectively within the exclusive jurisdiction

killed. Kidnapping was a necessary means to commit murder. But where the victim was taken

of 2 courts of different jurisdiction, the court of higher jurisdiction shall try the complex

from his home for the sole purpose of killing him and not for detaining him illegally or for the

crime.

purpose of ransom, the crime is simple murder.

Example: Although the forcible abduction which was supposedly commenced in Manila was not

penalty for the more serious crime should not be judged by the classification of each of

proven, and although the rape which was proven was actually committed in Cavite, still the RTC

the penalties involved, but by the nature of the penalties.

of Manila had jurisdiction to convict the accused of rape. The complex crime of forcible
abduction with rape was charged in the complaint on the basis of which the case was tried.

Example: Even if the fine for damage to property through reckless imprudence is P40,000, an
afflictive penalty, and the penalty for the physical injuries resulting from the same act is only 4

Art. 48 is intended to favor the culprit.

The penalty for complex crime is the penalty for the most serious crime, the same to be

mos of arresto mayor, a correccional penalty may be imposed.

applied in its maximum period. If the different crimes resulting from one single act are

more severe than destierro and arresto menor is higher in degree than destierro.

punished with the same penalty, the penalty for any one of them shall be imposed, the

same to be applied in the maximum period. The same rule shall be observed when an
A complex crime of the second form may be committed by two persons.

But when one of the offenses, as a means to commit the other, was committed by one of

Art 48 applies only to cases where the Code doesnt provide a specific penalty for a
complex crime.

the accused by reckless imprudence, the accused who committed the crime by reckless

imprudence is liable for his acts only.

Example: Juan cooperated in the commission of the complex offense of estafa through

Fine is not included in the list of penalties in the order of severity and it is the last in the
order.

offense is a necessary means to commit the other.

In the order of severity of the penalties, arresto mayor and arresto menor are considered

Art 48 doesnt apply when the law provides one single penalty for single complex crimes
like the ff:

a)

robbery w/ homicide

and this being a fact, there would be no reason to exculpate him from liability. Even assuming

b)

robbery w/ rape

he had no intention to defraud Tomas if his co-defendants succeeded in attaining the purpose

c)

kidnapping w/ serious physical injuries

d)

rape w/ homicide

falsification by reckless imprudence by acts without which it could not have been accomplished,

sought by the culprits, Juans participation together w/ the participation of his co-defendants in
the commission of the offense completed all the elements necessary for the perpetration of the
complex crime of estafa through falsification of documents.

When two felonies constituting a complex crime are punishable by imprisonment and
fine, respectively, only the penalty of imprisonment shall be imposed.

When a single act constitutes two grave or less grave or one grave and another less grave,
and the penalty for one is imprisonment while that for the other is fine, the severity of the

When a complex crime is charged and one offense is not proven, the accused can be
convicted of the other.

Plurality of crimes consists in the successive execution by the same individual of

different criminal acts upon any of w/c no conviction has yet been declared.

Kinds of plurality of crimes:

a)

formal or ideal only one criminal liability

b)

b)

real or material there are different crimes in law as well as in the conscience of the

Juan stole 2 books belonging to 2 different persons. He commits only one crime because

there is unity of thought in the criminal purpose of the offender.

offender, in such cases, the offender shall be punished for each and every offense that he

committed.

A continued crime is not a complex crime as offender does not perform a single act but a
series of acts. Therefore:

Example: Juan stabbed Pedro, then Juan stabbed Tomas too. There are 2 committed as 2 acts
were performed.
PLURALITY OF CRIMES
No conviction of the crimes committed

RECIDIVISM
There must be conviction by final judgment of
the first prior offense

Formal/ideal plural crimes are divided into 3 groups: (a person committing multiple
crimes is punished w/ one penalty in the ff cases)

a)

when the offender commits any of the complex crimes defined in art 48

b)

when the law specifically fixes a single penalty for 2 or more offenses committed: robbery

w/ homicide, kidnapping w/ serious physical injuires

c)

when the offender commits continued crimes

Continued crimes refers to a single crime consisting of a series of acts but all arising
from one criminal resolution. Although there is a series of acts, there is only one crime
committed, so only one penalty shall be imposed.

a)

Examples of continued crimes:

a collector of a commercial firm misappropriates for his personal use several amounts

collected by him from different persons. There is only one crime because the different and
successive appropriations are but the different moments during which one criminal resolution
arises.

a)

penalty not to be imposed in the maximum

b)

no actual provision punishing a continued crime its a principle applied in connection w/

2 or more crimes committed w/ a single intention.

Continued crime is different from a transitory crime. Transitory crime is moving crime.

Example: kidnapping someone for ransom and moving him to another venue. The offenders can
be prosecuted and tried in either of the 2 areas.
REAL/MATERAIAL PLURALITY
There is a series of acts performed by the
offender
Each act performed constitutes a separate
crime because each act is generated by a
criminal impulse

CONTINUED CRIME
Same
Different acts constitute only one crime
because all of the acts performed arise from
one criminal resolution.