REPUBLIC ACT NO.

4661 - AN ACT SHORTENING THE PRESCRIPTIVE PERIOD FOR LIBEL AND

OTHER SIMILAR OFFENSES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE NINETY OF THE
REVISED PENAL CODE
 

Section 1.    Article ninety of the Revised Penal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Art. 90.    Prescription of crimes. — Crimes punishable by death, reclusion perpetua or reclusion
temporal shall prescribe in twenty years.
(List-up crimes. what are those?)

What are the crimes punishable by reclusion perpetua?

Whenever the crime of rape is committed with the use of a deadly weapon or by two or more
persons, the penalty shall be reclusion perpetua to death. ... When the rape is attempted or
frustrated and a homicide is committed by reason or on the occasion thereof, the penalty shall be
reclusion perpetua to death.

"Crimes punishable by other afflictive penalties shall prescribe in fifteen years.

(A fine, whether imposed as a single or as an alternative penalty, shall be considered an:

a. afflictive penalty, if it exceeds 6,000 pesos; a correctional penalty, if it does not exceed
6,000 pesos but is not less than 200 pesos; and a light penalty if it be less than 200 pesos.)

"Those punishable by a correctional penalty shall prescribe in ten years; with the exception of
those punishable by arresto mayor, which shall prescribe in five years.

"The crime of libel or other similar offenses shall prescribe in one year.

"The offenses of oral defamation and slander by deed shall prescribe in six months.

"Light offenses prescribe in two months.

"When the penalty fixed by law is a compound one, the highest penalty shall be made the basis
of the application of the rules contained in the first, second and third paragraphs of this
article."

Sec. 2.    The provision of this amendatory Act shall not apply to cases of libel already filed in
court at the time of approval of this amendatory Act.

Sec. 3.    This Act shall take effect upon its approval.