The Supreme Court, during its En Banc deliberations, has issued Clarificatory Guidelines on Plea Bargaining in Drugs Cases, thus reaffirming the primacy and exclusivity of its rule-making power under the Constitution, and guaranteeing its precedence in governing over the plea bargaining process in drugs cases.
The guidelines shall serve to resolve the conflict between Department of Justice (DOJ) Circular No. 27, which prohibits plea bargaining for illegal sale of dangerous drugs to the lesser offense of illegal possession of drug paraphernalia under Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and the Court’s Resolution in A.M. No. 18-03-16-SC adopting the Plea Bargaining Framework in Drugs Cases.
Read more at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/28879/.
In the leading case of Pulido v. People, G.R. No. 220149, 27 July 2021, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc exonerated the accused from criminal liability for bigamy when during the pendency of the bigamy case, a judicial declaration of nullity of the first marriage was entered. Previous decisions had held that a person who contracts a second marriage without a prior court declaration of nullity of his first marriage is liable for bigamy even if the first marriage is subsequently declared void by a court. The High Court held that the requirement of a prior judicial declaration of nullity under Article 40 of the Family Code, which is for purposes only of remarriage, should not have been extended to criminal cases.
Read the full decision here: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/22851/
Oh My Kwento!!!! 