G.R. No. 20343. March 02, 1923

This is a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. It appears that on June 13,
1903, the Court of First Instance of Batangas found the petitioner, Severino
Luna, guilty of vagrancy and sentenced him to one year and one day of
imprisonment under Act No. 519 of the Philippine Commission. While the
petitioner was serving this sentence he was convicted of the crime of theft and
sentenced to undergo three months of arresto mayor, the service of this
sentence to begin at the termination of the service of the sentence for
vagrancy.

After having served seven months and sixteen days of the sentence for
vagrancy and before beginning the service for theft, the petitioner made his
escape and remained at large until January 19, 1923, when he was again
apprehended and recommitted to prison for the continuation of the service of the
sentence mentioned. He now seeks his liberty alleging that the penalties imposed
have prescribed under article 132 of the Penal Code.

That the penalty of three months of arresto mayor has prescribed
admits of no doubt. Arresto mayor is a correctional penalty which, under
article 132 of the Penal Code, prescribes in ten years and in this case the
prescription began to run upon the escape of the convict from the prison.

With respect to the penalty for vagrancy, the situation is different. It was
imposed under Act No. 519, is only simple imprisonment and is not classified in
accordance with the scheme followed in the Penal Code. There is no special
provision for its prescription and if prescribable at all, it must be under the
general provisions for prescription of penalties found in article 132 of the
Code mentioned. Examining this article it will be observed that the prescription
there provided for relates only to classified penalties; for instance, the death
penalty and cadena perpetua prescribe in twenty years; other afflictive
penalties in fifteen years; correctional penalties in ten years, et
cetera. It may be readily seen that it would be wholly impracticable to
attempt to apply this article to unclassified simple imprisonment and there
being no other provision for the prescription of that penalty, it follows that
the petitioner is still liable to serve the remaining portion of his sentence
for vagrancy.

The same conclusion was reached in the case of United States vs. Lao
Lock Hing (14 Phil., 86), though there the decision was based on the ground that
an Act of the Philippine Commission is a special law within the meaning of
article 7 of the Penal Code and that, therefore, offenses punishable under such
Acts are not subject to the provisions of that Code. There may, however, be some
doubt as to the soundness of this reasoning; it is somewhat difficult to see how
an act or law passed by the lawmaking body of the country and which is of
general application can be considered a special law.

The petition for a writ of habeas corpus is denied, with the costs against
the petitioner. So ordered.

Araullo, C.J., Street, Avanceña, Villamor,
Johns, and Romualdez, JJ., concur.

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MALCOLM, J.:

I concur in the result for reasons which
appear in United States vs. Lao Lock Hing (14 Phil., 86) and United
States vs. Serapio (23 Phil., 584).