REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3019

ANTI-GRAFT AND
CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT
By: Yasmine Monique Sandoval
Persons Covered by Law
Public Officer
• Under R.A No. 3019, the term "Public officer" includes elective and
appointive officials and employees, permanent or temporary, whether
in the classified or unclassified or exempt service receiving
compensation, even nominal, from the government as defined in the
preceding subparagraph.

Public officers are those who, by direct provision of law, popular election, or appointment by
competent authority, take part in the performance of public functions. (People of the Philippines vs
Ricardo Mendoza, G.R. No. L-39275, December 20, 1933)
Public Official
Section 3 of R.A No. 6713 otherwise known as the “Code of Conduct
and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.“” defines
public official which are either elective or appointive officials and
employees, permanent or temporary, whether in the career or non-
career service, including military and police personnel, whether or not
they receive compensation, regardless of amount.
Private Persons/Individuals
Section 4 of R.A No. 3019 prohibits any person having family or close personal relation
with any public official to take advantage of such family or close personal relation by
directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any present or gift from any other person
having some business transaction or request in which such public officer has to intervene.
Furthermore, the word “close personal relation” includes close personal friendship,
social and fraternal connections, and professional employment all giving rise to intimacy
which assures free access to such public officer.
The liability of private persons/individuals arises when they acted in conspiracy with such
public officer.
Conspiracy is said to exist where two or more persons come to an agreement concerning
the commission of a felony and decide to commit it. (People vs Jesalva, June 19, 2017, G.R.
No. 227306)
Certain Relatives
Section 5 provides that the spouse or any relative of the President of the
Philippines, Vice-President, Senate President, or the Speaker of the House of
the Representatives, by consanguinity or affinity, within the third civil degree,
are prohibited to intervene, directly or indirectly, in any business transaction,
contract or application with the Government

Exception: 1. If such person has been already dealing with the Government
prior to the assumption of office of any of the above officials;
2. If the application is not discretionary on the part of the public officer but
depends in the requisites provided by law; and
3. If the act is lawfully performed or in the exercise of a profession.
Graft and Corruption Defined
• Graft is a form of political corruption defined as the unscrupulous use
of a politician's authority for personal gain.
• Corruption is the act of unfairly or illegally influencing a decision-
making process through the giving or receiving of a benefit
(gratification) for the person making the decision or a third party
connected to the decision maker.
Acts or Omissions Covered by Law
Under Section 3 of R.A. 3019, the following are the acts or omissions
that constitute corrupt practices of any public officer and are hereby
declared to be unlawful, to wit:

• Persuading, inducing or influencing another public officer to perform

an act constituting a violation of rules and regulations duly
promulgated by competent authority or an offense in connection with
the official duties of the latter, or allowing himself to be persuaded,
induced, or influenced to commit such violation or offense.
• Directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share,
percentage, or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in
connection with any contract or transaction between the Government
and any other part, wherein the public officer in his official capacity
has to intervene under the law.

Republic Act No. 6713 prohibits public officials and employees to solicit or accept, directly or
indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value "from any
person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by,
or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office".
• Directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present or other
pecuniary or material benefit, for himself or for another, from any person
for whom the public officer, in any manner or capacity, has secured or
obtained, or will secure or obtain, any Government permit or license, in
consideration for the help given or to be given, without prejudice to
Section thirteen of this Act.

EXAMPLE: In the case of Raquil-Ali M. Lucman vs. People of the Philippines, the Supreme Court is
convinced that the Snadiganbayan correctly convicted Lucman for violating Section 3(c) of R.A
No. 3019. It is undisputed that Lucman was a public officer at the time the offense was
committed, then being the OIC-RED of the DENR, Region XII. As the OIC-RED, he had the
authority to grant applications for Free Patents, such as the ones filed by private complainants.
• Causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted
benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through
manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. This provision shall apply to officers and
employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other
concessions.

In the case of Roberto Fuentes vs. People of the Philippines, the Supreme Court made a thorough discussion on the
elements of Section 3(e) of R.A 3019, to wit:
Anent the first element, it is undisputed that Fuentes was a public officer, being the Municipal Mayor of Isabel,
Leyte at the time he committed the acts complained of. As to the second element, it is worthy to stress that the
law provides three modes of commission of the crime, namely, through "manifest partiality", "evident bad faith",
and/or "gross negligence." In Coloma, Jr. v. Sandiganbayan,20 the Court defined the foregoing terms as follows:
"Partiality" is synonymous with "bias" which "excites a disposition to see and report matters as they are
wished for rather than as they are." "Bad faith does not simply connote bad judgment or negligence; it
imputes a dishonest purpose or some moral obliquity and conscious doing of a wrong; a breach of sworn
duty through some motive or intent or ill will; it partakes of the nature of fraud."
• Accepting or having any member of his family accept employment in a private enterprise which
has pending official business with him during the pendency thereof or within one year after its
termination.
• Neglecting or refusing, after due demand or request, without sufficient justification, to act
within a reasonable time on any matter pending before him for the purpose of obtaining,
directly or indirectly, from any person interested in the matter some pecuniary or material
benefit or advantage, or for the purpose of favoring his own interest or giving undue advantage
in favor of or discriminating against any other interested party.
• Entering, on behalf of the Government, into any contract or transaction manifestly and grossly
disadvantageous to the same, whether or not the public officer profited or will profit thereby.
• Director or indirectly having financing or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or
transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in
which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.
• Directly or indirectly becoming interested, for personal gain, or having a material interest in
any transaction or act requiring the approval of a board, panel or group of which he is a
member, and which exercises discretion in such approval, even if he votes against the same
or does not participate in the action of the board, committee, panel or group.
Interest for personal gain shall be presumed against those public officers responsible for
the approval of manifestly unlawful, inequitable, or irregular transaction or acts by the
board, panel or group to which they belong.
• Knowingly approving or granting any license, permit, privilege or benefit in favor of any
person not qualified for or not legally entitled to such license, permit, privilege or
advantage, or of a mere representative or dummy of one who is not so qualified or entitled.
• Divulging valuable information of a confidential character, acquired by his office or by him
on account of his official position to unauthorized persons, or releasing such information in
advance of its authorized release date.
Penalties
1. Imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than ten years;
2. Perpetual disqualification from public office, and
3. Confiscation or forfeiture in favor of the Government of any
prohibited interest and unexplained wealth manifestly out of
proportion to his salary and other lawful income.
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction of Sandiganbayan
P.D No. 1606, as amended by R.A No. 10660 provides the exclusive original jurisdiction
of Sandiganbayan over cases involving violation of R.A No. 3019, as amended, by the
following public officials, to wit:
(1) Officials of the executive branch occupying the positions of regional director and
higher, otherwise classified as Grade ’27’ and higher, of the Compensation and Position
Classification Act of 1989 (Republic Act No. 6758), specifically including:
(a) Provincial governors, vice-governors, members of the sangguniang
panlalawigan, and provincial treasurers, assessors, engineers, and other provincial
department heads:
(b) City mayors, vice-mayors, members of the sangguniang panlungsod, city
treasurers, assessors, engineers, and other city department heads;
(c) Officials of the diplomatic service occupying the position of consul and higher;
(d) Philippine army and air force colonels, naval captains, and all
officers of higher rank;
(e) Officers of the Philippine National Police while occupying the
position of provincial director and those holding the rank of senior
superintendent and higher;
(f) City and provincial prosecutors and their assistants, and officials and
prosecutors in the Office of the Ombudsman and special prosecutor;
(g) Presidents, directors or trustees, or managers of government-
owned or controlled corporations, state universities or educational
institutions or foundations.
(2) Members of Congress and officials thereof classified as Grade ’27’
and higher under the Compensation and Position Classification Act of
1989;
(3) Members of the judiciary without prejudice to the provisions of the
Constitution;
(4) Chairmen and members of the Constitutional Commissions, without
prejudice to the provisions of the Constitution; and
(5) All other national and local officials classified as Grade ’27’ and
higher under the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989.
• Other offenses or felonies whether simple or complexed with other
crimes committed by the public officials and employees mentioned in
subsection a. of this section in relation to their office.
• Civil and criminal cases filed pursuant to and in connection with
Executive Order Nos. 1, 2, 14 and 14-A, issued in 1986.
Jurisdiction of Regional Trial Courts
1. The Regional Trial Court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction where the
information: (a) does not allege any damage to the government or any bribery; or
(b) alleges damage to the government or bribery arising from the same or closely
related transactions or acts in an amount not exceeding One million pesos
(P1,000,000.00).

2. In cases where none of the accused are occupying positions corresponding to

Salary Grade ’27’ or higher, as prescribed in the said Republic Act No. 6758, or
military and PNP officers mentioned above, exclusive original jurisdiction thereof
shall be vested in the proper regional trial court, metropolitan trial court, municipal
trial court, and municipal circuit trial court, as the case may be, pursuant to their
respective jurisdictions as provided in Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, as amended.