RULE 111 – PROSECUTION OF CIVIL ACTION

A. Institution of criminal and civil actions

1. Every person criminally liable is also civilly liable (Art. 100, RPC)

a. Victims of crimes
i. The society or State whose law the offender violated
ii. The individual whose person, right, honor, chastity or property was
actually or directly injured or damaged by the punishable act or
omission

i. Liong vs. Lee, 703 SCRA 240

ii. Ricarze vs. CA, 515 SCRA 302
iii. Cruz vs. Mina, 522 SCRA 382
iv. Hun Hyung Park vs. Eun Wong Choi, 515 SCRA 502
v. Cruz vs. Mina, 522 SCRA 382

b. Aspects of the Criminal Action

i. Criminal
ii. Civil

c. Liabilities of Criminal offender

i. Criminal liability
ii. Civil Liability ex delicto
a. Restitution
b. Reparation
c. Indemnification for consequential damages (Art. 104, 109 RPC)

2. General Rule: Civil action deemed instituted with criminal action (Sec. 1,
Rule 111)

Exceptions: a. Waiver of civil action

b. Reservation of the right to file separate civil action
c. Prior institution of civil action (Sec. 1 [a])

Exception to exception: Violation of BP 22, shall be deemed to

include the civil action. No reservation to
file such civil action separately shall be
allowed. (Sec. 1 [b])

i. Heirs of Eduardo Simon vs. Chan,

644 SCRA 13)
ii. Nissan Gallery-Ortigas vs. Felipe,
709 SCRA 214

But see Lo Bun Tiong v. Balboa, G.R. No.

158177, Jan. 28, 2008 where prior filing of
civil action was allowed

3. Rule on filing fees, if civil action is included in the criminal action (Sec.
1[a] [b], Rule 111)
a Actual damages
i. B.P. Blg. 22
Chua vs. The Executive Judge of MeTC of Manila, 706
SCRA 698
 ii. Estafa (Sec 21 [a], A.M. No. 04-2-04, Aug. 16, 2004)

b. Moral, nominal, temperate or exemplary damages

i. When amount specified in the information/complaint
ii. When amount not specified

c. Purpose of requiring filing fees

4. Rule on counterclaim, cross-claim or third-party complaint – Sec. 1 [a],

Rule 111)
i. Maccay vs. Nobela, 454 SCRA 504

5. Effect of reservation
a. When to make reservation (Sec. 1[a], Rule 111)
b. When there is no need of reservation
c. Effect of failing to make reservation

i. Tactaquin vs. Palilieo, G.R. No. L-20865, Dec. 29, 1967

6. Effect of filing a separate civil

a. Possibility of consolidation with the criminal action
b. Effect of pendency of criminal action on the prescription of civil
liability
c. Preference of criminal action over civil action (Sec. 2, Rule 111)
i. When preference is inapplicable
1. In case of independent civil action
2. In case the separate civil action involves a prejudicial
question

d. Suspension of civil action filed before the criminal action

i. Garcia vs. Florido, G.R. No. L-30595, Aug. 31, 1975

ii. Yakult Phil. Vs. CA, G.R. No. 91856, Oct. 5, 1990
iii. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. vs Ombudsman, 569 scra
59

7. Independent civil action

a. Basis/Sources (Arts. 32, 33, 34 and 2176, Civil Code)
b. Reservation
c. Limitation: double recovery is prohibited
d. Effect of judgment in civil case absolving the defendant (Sec. 5,
Rule 111)
e. Effect of payment of civil liability

i. Casupanan v. Laroya, G.R. No. 145391, Aug. 26, 2002

ii. Heirs of the Late Teodoro Guaring v. CA, Philippine Rabbit,
269 SCRA 283
iii. Phil. Rabbit Bus Lines vs. People, 427 SCRA 456
iv. Domingo vs. Spouses Singson, G.R. No. 203287, Apr. 5, 2017
v. Cabico vs. Dimaculangan-Querijero, 522 SCRA 300

B. Intervention of private offended party

C. Effect of death (of accused) on civil actions – (Sec. 4, Rule 111)

1. Before arraignment
 2. After arraignment
3. After judgment but pending appeal

i. People vs. Paras, 739 SCRA 179

ii. People vs. Soria, G.R. No. 179031, Feb. 24, 2014
iii. People vs. Antindo, G.R. No. 208651, Mar. 14, 2018
iv. People vs. Toukyo, G.R. No. 225593, Mar. 20, 2017
v. People vs. Dimaala, G.R. No. 225054, Jul. 17, 2017
vi. Cabugao vs. People, G.R. No. 163879, Jul. 30, 2014

D. Effect of acquittal (Sec. 2, Rule 111)

General Rule: Extinction of penal action does not carry with it the extinction
of the civil liability

i. Alferez vs. People, 641 SCRA 116

ii. Lim v. Mindanao Wines & Liquor Galleria, G.R. 17551, Jul.
4, 2012
iii. Heirs of Sarah Marie Palma Burgos vs. CA, 612 SCRA 1
iv. Domingo vs. Colina, 698 SCRA 580
v. Nissan Gallery-Ortigas vs. Felipe, 709 SCRA 214
vi. Estate of Honorio Poblador vs. Manzano, G.R. No. 192391,
June 19, 2017

Exception: Civil action is extinguished if there is a finding in the criminal

action that the act or omission from which civil liability may
arise did not exist

E. Suspension due to prejudicial question (Secs. 6 and 7, Rule 111)

1. Concept/Rationale
2. Elements
3. Petition for suspension, by whom filed
4. Petition for suspension, where filed
5. Period of filing
6. Effect of prejudicial question
7. Waiver
8. When it is not applicable

i. Te v. CA, G.R. No. 126746, Nov. 29, 2000

ii. Domingo vs. Spouses Singson, G.R. No. 203287, Apr. 5, 2017
iii. Magestrado vs. People, 527 SCRA 125
iv. Strategic Alliance Devt. Corp. vs. Star Infrastructure Devt.
Corp., 647 SCR 545
v. Torres vs. Garchitorena, 394 SCRA 494
vi. Yap vs. Paras, 205 SCRA 625
vii. Pimentel vs. Pimentel, 630 SCRA 436
viii. People vs. Arambulo, G.R. No. 186597, June 17, 2017
ix. Yap vs. Cabales, 588 SCRA 426
x. Pulido v. People, G.R. No. 220149, 27 July 2021