(
• Any! person! who! aids! or! protects! highway! robbers! or! abets!
the! commission! of! highway! robbery! or! brigandage! shall! be!
considered! as! an! accomplice! under! that! crime,! but! will! be!
penalized!as!principal!under!this!article.!
!
Chapter'3:'Theft'
'
Article'308'C'Who'are'liable'for'theft.'
Theft' is' committed' by' any' person' who,' with' intent' to' gain' but' without' violence' against' or' intimidation' of' persons' nor' force' upon' things,' shall' take' personal' property' of' another' without' the' latter's' consent.'
'
Theft'is'likewise'committed'by:'
1. Any' person' who,' having' found' lost' property,' shall' fail' to' deliver'the'same'to'the'local'authorities'or'to'its'owner;' 2. Any' person' who,' after' having' maliciously' damaged' the'
property'of'another,'shall'remove'or'make'use'of'the'fruits'or' object'of'the'damage'caused'by'him;'and'
3. Any' person' who' shall' enter' an' inclosed' estate' or' a' field' where'trespass'is'forbidden'or'which'belongs'to'another'and' without'the'consent'of'its'owner,'shall'hunt'or'fish'upon'the' same'or'shall'gather'cereals,'or'other'forest'or'farm'products.'
!
POINTS' I.'Definition'
• Theft! !! is! committed! by! any! person! who,! with! intent! to!
gain!but!without!violence!against!or!intimidation!of!persons!
nor! force! upon! things,! shall! take! personal! property! of!
another!without!the!latter’s!consent.!
• Theft!is!not!a!continuing!offense.!
'
II.'Who'are'liable'for'theft:'
1. Those!who,!(a)!with!intent!to!gain,!(b)!but!without!violence!
against!or!intimidation!of!persons!nor!force!upon!things,!(c)!
take,! (d)! personal! property,! (e)! of! another,! (f)! without! the!
latter’s!consent.!
2. Those!who,!(a)!having!found!lost!property,!(b)!fail!to!deliver!
the!same!to!the!local!authorities!or!to!its!owner.!!
3. Those! who,! (a)! after! having! maliciously! damaged! the!
property!of!another,!(b)!remove!or!make!use!of!the!fruits!or!
object!of!the!damage!caused!by!them.!
4. Those!who!(a)!enter!an!inclosed!estate!or!a!field!where!(b)!
trespass! is! forbidden! or! which! belongs! to! another! and,!
without!the!consent!of!its!owner,!(c)!hunt!or!fish!upon!the!
same! or! gather! fruits,! cereals! or! other! forest! or! farm!
products.!
!
III.'Elements'of'theft:'
1. That!there!be!taking!of!personal!property!
2. That!said!property!belongs!to!another!
3. That!the!taking!be!done!with!intent!to!gain!
4. That!the!taking!be!done!without!the!consent!of!the!owner!
5. That!the!taking!be!accomplished!without!the!use!of!violence!
against! or! intimidation! of! persons! or! use! of! force! upon!
things.!
!
IV.'Theft'v.'Robbery'
• In!theft,!the!offender!does!not!use!violence!or!intimidation!
or! does! not! enter! a! house! or! building! through! any! of! the!
means! in! Article! 299! or! Article! 302! in! taking! personal!
property!of!another!with!intent!to!gain.!
!
V.'FIRST'REQUISITE:'Taking'of'personal'property'
The'theft'is'consummated'when'the'offender'is'able'to:'
1. Place! the! thing! taken! under! his! control! and! in! such! a!
situation!as!he!could!dispose!of!it!at!once!(People!v.!Naval).!
2. From! the! moment! the! offender! had! full! possession! of! the!
things,!even!if!he!did!not!have!an!opportunity!to!dispose!of!
the!same.!
!
• It! is! not! an! indispensable! element! of! theft! that! the! thief!
carry,!more!or!less!far!away,!the!thing!taken!by!him.!
!
• Taking! !in! theft! must! have! the! character! of! permanency.!
By!gain!is!meant!not!only!the!acquisition!of!a!thing!useful!to!
the!purposes!of!life!but!also!the!benefit!which!in!any!other!
sense! may! be! derived! or! expected! from! the! act! which! is!
performed! (People! v.! Fernandez).! The! element! of! “taking”!
means! the! act! of! depriving! another! of! the! possession! and!
dominion!of!a!movable!thing!coupled!with!the!intention,!at!
the!time!of!the!“taking”,!of!withholding!it!with!the!character!
of!permanency!(People!v.!Galang)!
o The!offender!must!have!the!intention!of!placing!the!
property! taken! under! his! control! and! of! making!
himself!the!owner!thereof.!
o If!there!is!no!taking!of!personal!property,!the!crime!
of!theft!is!not!committed.!
• People!v.!Diño!applies!only!to!bulky!goods!!!rejected!by!SC!
o Obviously,! while! the! truck! and! the! van! were! still!
within!the!compound,!the!appellant!could!not!have!
disposed! of! the! goods! “at! once.”! This! is! different!
from! the! case! where! a! much! less! bulky! and! more!
common!thing!as!money!was!the!object!of!crime.!
• Character!of!permanency!(Defense)!!The!element!of!taking!
referred!to!in!the!law!means!the!act!of!depriving!another!of!
the!possession!and!dominion!of!movable!thing!coupled!with!
the! intention,! at! the! time! of! the! “taking”! of! withholding! it!
with!the!character!of!permanency.!
'
VI.'SECOND'REQUISITE:'Personal'property'belonging'to'another'
• Personal) property) belonging) to) another! !! includes!
electricity! and! gas! because! electricity! is! valuable!
merchandise! bought! and! sold! like! other! personal! property!
and!is!capable!of!appropriation!by!another.!
• In!the!sale!of!measurable!goods,!transfer!of!ownership!does!
not!take!place!until!after!measuring!or!weighing.!!
'
VI.'THIRD'REQUISITE:'Intent'to'gain'
• Intent) to) gain! !! is! presumed! from! the! unlawful! taking! of!
personal! property! belonging! to! another.! But! if! a! person!
takes!personal!property!from!another!believing!it!to!be!his!
own,! presumption! of! intent! to! gain! is! rebutted! and,!
therefore,!he!is!not!guilty!of!theft.!
• It! is! not! necessary! that! there! was! real! or! actual! gain.! It! is!
enough!that!the!accused,!on!taking!them,!was!actuated!by!
the!desire!or!intent!to!gain.!
o Joy!ride!or!using!car!of!another!to!learn!how!to!drive!
is!sufficient!gain!!!guilty!of!theft.!
• There! is! no! theft! when! the! taking! of! personal! property! is!
with!the!consent!of!its!owner.!
'
VII.'Robbery'v.'Theft'
Robbery' Theft'
It!is!necessary!that!there!should!
be!a!taking!against!the!will!of!
the!owner!
It!suffices!that!consent!on!the!
part!of!the!owner!is!lacking!
Must!be!accomplished!with!
violence!against!or!intimidation!
of!persons!
Must!be!accomplished!without!
violence!against!or!intimidation!
of!persons!
Force!upon!things!is!employed!
to!enter!a!building! Force!upon!things!is!not!
employed!to!enter!a!building!
____________________' PARAGRAPH'1:'Finder'of'lost'property'
'
I.'Definition'
• Lost)property!!!embraces!loss!by!stealing!
'
II.'Presumption'regarding'possession'of'multiple'stolen'items'
• When!a!person!has!in!possession,!part!of!the!recently!stolen!
property,! he! is! presumed! to! be! the! thief! of! all,! in! the!
!
(
absence! of! satisfactory! explanation! of! his! possession.! But!
this! rule! applies! only! when! all! the! goods! were! lost! at! the!
same!time,!in!the!same!place,!and!on!the!same!occasion.!
'
III.'How'to'prove'this'kind'of'theft:'
1. The!time!of!the!seizure!of!the!thing;!
2. That!it!was!a!lost!property!belonging!to!another;!
3. That! the! accused! having! had! the! opportunity! to! return! or!
deliver!the!lost!property!to!its!owner!or!to!local!authorities,!
refrained!from!doing!so.!
• Intent! to! gain! is! inferred! from! deliberate! failure! to! deliver!
the!lost!property!to!the!proper!person.!
o Delay! in! delivery! of! lost! property! to! the! local!
authorities! is! immaterial,! when! the! finder!
surrendered! it! voluntarily! to! the! owner! when! the!
latter!came!to!his!house!to!get!it.!
• This!is!not!limited!to!actual!finder.!!
o Ex:! A! found! a! purse! containing! money! and! jewelry!
left!by!a!passenger.!A!delivered!it!to!B,!a!policeman,!
with!a!request!to!give!it!to!C,!the!owner!thereof.!B!
did!not!give!it!to!C!and!appropriated!it.!B!is!liable!for!
theft,!because!although!B!is!not!a!finder!in!fact,!he!is!
a!finder!in!law.!
• The! law! does! not! require! knowledge! of! the! owner! of! the!
lost!property.!
• The! finder! of! hidden! treasure! on! the! property! of! another!
and! by! chance! is! entitled! to! oneehalf! thereof.! If! he!
misappropriated! the! other! half! pertaining! to! the! owner! of!
the!property!on!which!the!hidden!treasure!was!found!he!is!
liable!to!theft!as!to!that!misappropriated!share.!
____________________!
PARAGRAPH' 2:' Removing' or' making' use' of' fruits' or' object' of' property'maliciously'damaged'
'
• People! v.! Morillo! !! A! defendant! who! shot,! killed! and!
slaughtered! the! cattle! of! another,! which! had! destroyed!
defendant’s! plantation,! and! distributed! the! meat! among!
himself!and!his!neighbors.!
____________________!
PARAGRAPH' 3:' Hunting,' fishing,' or' gathering' fruits,' etc.,' in' enclosed'estate'
'
I.'Elements:!
1. There! is! an! enclosed! estate! or! a! field! where! trespass! is!
forbidden!or!which!belongs!to!another;!
2. The!offender!enters!the!same!
3. The! offender! hunts! or! fishes! upon! the! same! or! gathers!
fruits,!cereals,!or!other!forest!or!farm!products!in!the!estate!
or!field;!and!
4. The! hunting! or! fishing! or! gathering! of! products! is! without!
the!consent!of!the!owner.!
!
II.!Other'Notes:'
• Q:! A! found! a! device! to! make! international! calls.! He!
connected!it!to!the!PLDT!lines!and!sold!the!service.!Theft?' o What!was!taken?!The!international!calls;!a!business!
property!capable!of!appropriation!and!being!stolen.' o From!whom!was!it!taken!(offended!party)?!Provider!
of!the!business!service.' '
• Q:!A!and!B!found!a!P1000!on!the!ground.!A!gets!it!first,!and!
both!spend!all!the!money.!Would!B!also!be!liable!for!theft?' o B! is! an! accessory! because! with! full! knowledge! that!
the!money!was!a!product!of!crime,!profited!himself!
by!joining!A!in!spending!it.'' '
Article'309'C'Penalties'
Any'person'guilty'of'theft'shall'be'punished'by:'
1. The'penalty'of'prision'mayor'in'its'minimum'and'medium' periods,'if'the'value'of'the'thing'stolen'is'more'than'12,000'
!
pesos'but'does'not'exceed'22,000'pesos,'but'if'the'value'of' the' thing' stolen' exceeds' the' latter' amount' the' penalty' shall'be'the'maximum'period'of'the'one'prescribed'in'this' paragraph,'and'one'year'for'each'additional'ten'thousand' pesos,'but'the'total'of'the'penalty'which'may'be'imposed' shall' not' exceed' twenty' years.' In' such' cases,' and' in' connection' with' the' accessory' penalties' which' may' be' imposed'and'for'the'purpose'of'the'other'provisions'of'this' Code,' the' penalty' shall' be' termed' prision' mayor' or' reclusion'temporal,'as'the'case'may'be.'
2. The' penalty' of' prision' correccional' in' its' medium' and' maximum'periods,'if'the'value'of'the'thing'stolen'is'more' than'6,000'pesos'but'does'not'exceed'12,000'pesos.'
3. The' penalty' of' prision' correccional' in' its' minimum' and' medium'periods,'if'the'value'of'the'property'stolen'is'more' than'200'pesos'but'does'not'exceed'6,000'pesos.'
4. Arresto'mayor'in'its'medium'period'to'prision'correccional' in'its'minimum'period,'if'the'value'of'the'property'stolen'is' over'50'pesos'but'does'not'exceed'200'pesos.'
5. Arresto' mayor' to' its' full' extent,' if' such' value' is' over' 5' pesos'but'does'not'exceed'50'pesos.'
6. Arresto'mayor'in'its'minimum'and'medium'periods,'if'such' value'does'not'exceed'5'pesos.'
7. Arresto' menor' or' a' fine' not' exceeding' 200' pesos,' if' the' theft'is'committed'under'the'circumstances'enumerated'in' paragraph'3'of'the'next'preceding'article'and'the'value'of' the' thing' stolen' does' not' exceed' 5' pesos.' If' such' value' exceeds' said' amount,' the' provision' of' any' of' the' five' preceding'subdivisions'shall'be'made'applicable.'
8. Arresto' menor' in' its' minimum' period' or' a' fine' not' exceeding'50'pesos,'when'the'value'of'the'thing'stolen'is' not'over'5'pesos,'and'the'offender'shall'have'acted'under' the'impulse'of'hunger,'poverty,'or'the'difficulty'of'earning' a'livelihood'for'the'support'of'himself'or'his'family.'
'
POINTS' Basis'of'penalty'in'theft:'
1. The!value!of!the!thing!stolen;!in!some!cases…!
2. The!value!and!also!the!nature!of!the!property!taken,!or!
3. The! circumstances! or! causes! that! impelled! the! culprit! to!
commit!the!crime.!
!
Article'310'–'Qualified'Theft.'
The'crime'of'theft'shall'be'punished'by'the'penalties'next'higher' by' two' degrees' than' those' respectively' specified' in' the' next' preceding' article,' if' committed' by' a' domestic' servant,' or' with' grave' abuse' of' confidence,' or' if' the' property' stolen' is' motor' vehicle,' mail' matter' or' large' cattle' or' consists' of' coconuts' taken' from'the'premises'of'the'plantation'or'fish'taken'from'a'fishpond' or' fishery,' or' if' property' is' taken' on' the' occasion' of' fire,' earthquake,' typhoon,' volcanic' erruption,' or' any' other' calamity,' vehicular' accident' or' civil' disturbance.' (As# amended# by# R.A.# 120#
and#B.P.#Blg.#71.#May#1,#1980).' '
POINTS' I.'Theft'is'qualified'–'
1. If!committed!by!a!domestic!servant!
2. If!committed!with!grave!abuse!of!confidence!
3. If!the!property!stolen!is!a!(a)!motor!vehicle,!(b)!mail!matter,!
or!(c)!large!cattle!
4. If! the! property! stolen! consists! of! coconuts! taken! from! the!
premises!of!a!plantation!
5. If!the!property!stolen!is!fish!taken!from!a!fishpond!or!fishery!
6. If! property! is! taken! on! the! occasion! of! fire,! earthquake,!
typhoon!volcanic!eruption,!or!any!other!calamity,!vehicular!
accident!or!civil!disturbance.!
'
II.'Domestic'Servant'
• When!the!offender!is!a!domestic!servant,!it!is!not!necessary!
to! show! that! he! committed! the! crime! with! grave! abuse! of!
!
(
confidence.!
• People! v.! Evangelista! !! house! boy! who! stole! P42.50!
belonging!to!his!master.!
!!
III.'Grave'abuse'of'confidence'
• In! the! second! kind! of! qualified! theft,! there! must! be!
allegation! in! the! information! and! proof! of! a! relation,! by!
reason! of! dependence,! guardianship! or! vigilance,! between!
the!accused!and!the!offended!party,!that!has!created!a!high!
degree! of! confidence! between! them,! which! the! accused!
abused!
• The!grave!abuse!of!confidence!need!not!be!premeditated.!
• Theft! by! housemate! is! not! always! qualified.! The! abuse! of!
confidence!here!is!not!necessarily!grave.!
• The! confidence! gravely! abused! must! be! that! existing!
between!the!offended!party!and!the!offender.!
o Theft!by!a!laborer!may!be!qualified!
*P.D.' No.' 133! !! punishes! theft! of! article! or! spare!
parts!committed!by!laborers!or!employees.!
!
IV.'Property'stolen'is…' A.'Motor'Vehicle'
• The! term! motor) vehicle! includes! all! vehicles! propelled! by!
power,!other!than!muscular!power.!
• When!the!purpose!of!taking!the!car!is!to!destroy!by!burning!
it,!the!crime!is!arson.!
• Theft! of! motor! vehicle! is! punished! under! R.A.' No.6539' (AntiCCarnapping' Act' of' 1992).! This! law! now! covers! the!
unlawful!taking!of!motor!vehicles.!
B.'Mail'Matter'
• What! makes! the! theft! of! mail! matter! qualified! is! the! fact!
that! the! subject! thereof! is! mail! matter,! regardless! of!
whether! the! offender! is! a! postal! employee! or! a! private!
individual.!
• If! it! was! a! postmaster! who! committed! this,! he! would! be!
guilty! of! faithlessness! in! the! custody! of! documents! (US! v.!
Gorospe).!
C.'Large'Cattle'
• Cattle!!!is!defined!as!including!horses,!asses,!mules,!sheep,!
goats!and!swine.!
o All! animals! of! the! bovine! family! (related! to! or!
resembling!oxen!or!cows).!
• Animal!must!be!taken!alive.!
o People! v.! Morillo! !! Killing! a! cow! and! taking! its!
means!is!simple!theft.!
• AntiCCattle'Rustling'Law'of'1974'(P.D.'No.'533)!
!
V.'Coconuts'taken'from'premises'of'a'plantation'
• Stealing! coconuts! when! they! are! still! in! the! tree! or!
deposited!on!the!ground!of!the!plantation!is!qualified!theft.'
• In!any!other!place,!it!is!simple!theft.'
• Purpose:!to!protect!the!coconut!industry.' '
VI.'Fish'taken'from'fishpond'or'fishery'
• Fish!!!includes!other!aquatic!animals.!
• Q:! A! goes! to! the! market,! grabs! a! fish! and! gobbles! it! down.!
Qualified! theft?! No.! The! article! requires! that! the! fish! be!
taken!from!the!fishpond!or!fishery.!
!
ANTICFENCING'LAW'(P.D.'No.'1612)' '
Article'311'C'THEFT'OF'THE'PROPERTY'OF'THE'NATIONAL'LIBRARY' AND'NATIONAL'MUSEUM.'
If' the' property' stolen' be' any' property' of' the' National' Library' or' the'National'Museum,'the'penalty'shall'be'arresto'mayor'or'a'fine' ranging' from' 200' to' 500' pesos,' or' both,' unless' a' higher' penalty' should'be'provided'under'other'provisions'of'this'Code,'in'which' case,'the'offender'shall'be'punished'by'such'higher'penalty.' '
POINTS'
!
• Under! this! article,! the! penalty! is! fix! without! regard! to! the!
value! of! the! property! of! the! National! Library! or! National!
Museum.!
• But! if! the! crime! is! committed! with! grave! abuse! of!
confidence,!the!penalty!for!qualified!theft!shall!be!imposed.!
!