Rules on Criminal Procedure

RULE 114

Bail

SECTION 1. Bail defined. - Bail is the security given for the release of a person in custody of
the law, furnished by him or a bondsman, to guarantee his appearance before any court as
required under the conditions hereinafter specified. Bail may be given in the form of corporate
surety, property bond, cash deposit, or recognizance. (1a)

SECTION 2. Conditions of the bail; requirements. - All kinds of bail are subject to the following
conditions:

(a) The undertaking shall be effective upon approval, and unless cancelled, shall remain in
force at all stages of the case until promulgation of the judgment of the Regional Trial Court,
irrespective of whether the case was originally filed in or appealed to it;

(b) The accused shall appear before the proper court whenever required by the court or these
Rules;

(c) The failure of the accused to appear at the trial without justification and despite due notice
shall be deemed a waiver of his right to be present thereat. In such case, the trial may proceed
in absentia; and

(d) The bondsman shall surrender the accused to the court for execution of the final judgment.

The original papers shall state the full name and address of the accused, the amount of the
undertaking and the conditions required by this section. Photographs (passport size) taken
within the last six (6) months showing the face, left and right profiles of the accused must be
attached to the bail. (2a)

SECTION 3. No release or transfer except on court order or bail. - No person under detention
by legal process shall be released or transferred except upon order of the court or when he is
admitted to bail. (3a)

SECTION 4. Bail, a matter of right; exception. - All persons in custody shall be admitted to bail
as a matter of right, with sufficient sureties, or released on recognizance as prescribed by law
or this Rule (a) before or after conviction by the Metropolitan Trial Court, Municipal Trial Court,
Municipal Trial Court in Cities, or Municipal Circuit Trial Court, and (b) before conviction by the
Regional Trial Court of an offense not punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life
imprisonment. (4a)
SECTION 5. Bail, when discretionary. - Upon conviction by the Regional Trial Court of an
offense not punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment, admission to bail is
discretionary. The application for bail may be filed and acted upon by the trial court despite the
filing of a notice of appeal, provided it has not transmitted the original record to the appellate
court. However, if the decision of the trial court convicting the accused changed the nature of
the offense from non-bailable to bailable, the application for bail can only be filed with and
resolved by the appellate court.

Should the court grant the application, the accused may be allowed to continue on provisional
liberty during the pendency of the appeal under the same bail subject to the consent of the
bondsman.

If the penalty imposed by the trial court is imprisonment exceeding six (6) years, the accused
shall be denied bail, or his bail shall be cancelled upon a showing by the prosecution, with
notice to the accused, of the following or other similar circumstances:

(a) That he is a recidivist, quasi-recidivist, or habitual delinquent, or has committed the crime
aggravated by the circumstance of reiteration;

(b) That he has previously escaped from legal confinement, evaded sentence, or violated the
conditions of his bail without valid justification;

(c) That he committed the offense while under probation, parole, or conditional pardon;

(d) That the circumstances of his case indicate the probability of flight if released on bail; or

(e) That there is undue risk that he may commit another crime during the pendency of the
appeal.

The appellate court may, motu proprio or on motion of any party, review the resolution of the
Regional Trial Court after notice to the adverse party in either case. (5a)

SECTION 6. Capital offense, defined. - A capital offense is an offense which, under the law
existing at the time of its commission and of the application for admission to bail, may be
punished with death. (6a)

SECTION 7. Capital offense or an offense punishable by reclusion perpetua or life

SECTION 8. Burden of proof in bail application. - At the hearing of an application for bail filed
by a person who is in custody for the commission of an offense punishable by death, reclusion
perpetua, or life imprisonment, the prosecution has the burden of showing that evidence of
guilt is strong. The evidence presented during the bail hearing shall be considered
automatically reproduced at the trial but, upon motion of either party, the court may recall any

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witness for additional examination unless the latter is dead, outside the Philippines, or
otherwise unable to testify. (8a)

SECTION 9. Amount of bail; guidelines. - The judge who issued the warrant or granted the
application shall fix a reasonable amount of bail considering primarily, but not limited to, the
following factors:

(a) Financial ability of the accused to give bail;

(b) Nature and circumstances of the offense;

(c) Penalty for the offense charged;

(d) Character and reputation of the accused;

(e) Age and health of the accused;

(f) Weight of the evidence against the accused;

(g) Probability of the accused appearing at the trial;

(h) Forfeiture of other bail;

(i) The fact that the accused was a fugitive from justice when arrested; and

(j) Pendency of other cases where the accused is on bail.

Excessive bail shall not be required. (9a)

SECTION 10. Corporate surety. - Any domestic or foreign corporation, licensed as a surety in
accordance with law and currently authorized to act as such, may provide bail by a bond
subscribed jointly by the accused and an officer of the corporation duly authorized by its board
of directors. (10a)

SECTION 11. Property bond, how posted. - A property bond is an undertaking constituted as
lien on the real property given as security for the amount of the bail. Within ten (10) days after
the approval of the bond, the accused shall cause the annotation of the lien on the certificate
of title on file with the Registry of Deeds if the land is registered, or if unregistered, in the
Registration Book on the space provided therefor, in the Registry of Deeds for the province or
city where the land lies, and on the corresponding tax declaration in the office of the provincial,
city and municipal assessor concerned.

Within the same period, the accused shall submit to the court his compliance and his failure to
do so shall be sufficient cause for the cancellation of the property bond and his re-arrest and
detention. (11a)

SECTION 12. Qualifications of sureties in property bond. - The qualifications of sureties in a

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property bond shall be as follows:

(a) Each must be a resident owner of real estate within the Philippines;

(b) Where there is only one surety, his real estate must be worth at least the amount of the
undertaking;

(c) If there are two or more sureties, each may justify in an amount less than that expressed in
the undertaking but the aggregate of the justified sums must be equivalent to the whole
amount of the bail demanded.

In all cases, every surety must be worth the amount specified in his own undertaking over and
above all just debts, obligations and properties exempt from execution. (12a)

SECTION 13. Justification of sureties. - Every surety shall justify by affidavit taken before the
judge that he possesses the qualifications prescribed in the preceding section. He shall
describe the property given as security, stating the nature of his title, its encumbrances, the
number and amount of other bails entered into by him and still undischarged, and his other
liabilities. The court may examine the sureties upon oath concerning their sufficiency in such
manner as it may deem proper. No bail shall be approved unless the surety is qualified. (13a)

SECTION 14. Deposit of cash as bail. - The accused or any person acting in his behalf may
deposit in cash with the nearest collector of internal revenue or provincial, city, or municipal
treasurer the amount of bail fixed by the court, or recommended by the prosecutor who
investigated or filed the case. Upon submission of a proper certificate of deposit and a written
undertaking showing compliance with the requirements of Section 2 of this Rule, the accused
shall be discharged from custody. The money deposited shall be considered as bail and
applied to the payment of fine and costs while the excess, if any, shall be returned to the
accused or to whoever made the deposit. (14a)

SECTION 15. Recognizance. - Whenever allowed by law or these Rules, the court may
release a person in custody on his own recognizance or that of a responsible person. (15a)

SECTION 16. Bail, when not required; reduced bail or recognizance. - No bail shall be
required when the law or these Rules so provide.

When a person has been in custody for a period equal to or more than the possible maximum
imprisonment prescribed for the offense charged, he shall be released immediately, without
prejudice to the continuation of the trial or the proceedings on appeal. If the maximum penalty
to which the accused may be sentenced is destierro, he shall be released after thirty (30) days
of preventive imprisonment.

A person in custody for a period equal to or more than the minimum of the principal penalty
prescribed for the offense charged, without application of the Indeterminate Sentence Law or
any modifying circumstance, shall be released on a reduced bail or on his own recognizance,

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at the discretion of the court. (16a)
SECTION 17. Bail, where filed. - (a) Bail in the amount fixed may be filed with the court where
the case is pending, or, in the absence or unavailability of the judge thereof, with any regional
trial judge, metropolitan trial judge, municipal trial judge, or municipal circuit trial judge in the
province, city, or municipality. If the accused is arrested in a province, city, or municipality other
than where the case is pending, bail may be filed with any regional trial court of said place, or,
if no judge thereof is available, with any metropolitan trial judge, municipal trial judge or
municipal circuit trial judge therein.

(b) Where the grant of bail is a matter of discretion, or the accused seeks to be released on
recognizance, the application may be filed only in the court where the case is pending, on trial
or appeal.

(c) Any person in custody who is not yet charged in court may apply for bail with any court in
the province, city or municipality where he is held, (17a)

SECTION 18. Notice of application to prosecutor. - In the application for bail under Section 8
of this Rule, the court must give reasonable notice of the hearing to the prosecutor or require
him to submit his recommendation. (18a)

SECTION 19. Release on bail. - The accused must be discharged upon approval of the bail by
the judge with whom it was filed in accordance with Section 17 of this Rule.

When bail is filed with a court other than where the case is pending, the judge who accepted
the bail shall forward it, together with the order of release and other supporting papers, to the
court where the case is pending, which may, for good reason, require a different one to be
filed. (19a)

SECTION 20. Increase or reduction of bail. - After the accused is admitted to bail, the court
may, upon good cause, either increase or reduce its amount. When increased, the accused
may be committed to custody if he does not give bail in the increased amount within a
reasonable period. An accused held to answer a criminal charge, who is released without bail
upon filing of the complaint or information, may, at any subsequent stage of the proceedings
and whenever a strong showing of guilt appears to the court, be required to give bail in the
amount fixed, or in lieu thereof, committed to custody. (20a)

SECTION 21. Forfeiture of bail. - When the presence of the accused is required by the court
or these Rules, his bondsmen shall be notified to produce him before the court on a given date
and time. If the accused fails to appear in person as required, his bail shall be declared
forfeited and the bondsmen given thirty (30) days within which to produce their principal and to
show cause why no judgment should be rendered against them for the amount of their bail.
Within the said period, the bondsmen must:

(a) produce the body of their principal or give the reason for his non-production; and

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(b) explain why the accused did not appear before the court when first required to do so.

Failing in these two requisites, a judgment shall be rendered against the bondsmen, jointly and
severally, for the amount of the bail. The court shall not reduce or otherwise mitigate the
liability of the bondsmen, unless the accused has been surrendered or is acquitted. (21a)

SECTION 22. Cancellation of bail. - Upon application of the bondsmen, with due notice to the
prosecutor, the bail may be cancelled upon surrender of the accused or proof of his death.

The bail shall be deemed automatically cancelled upon acquittal of the accused, dismissal of
the case, or execution of the judgment of conviction.

In all instances, the cancellation shall be without prejudice to any liability on the bail. (22a)

SECTION 23. Arrest of accused out on bail. - For the purpose of surrendering the accused,
the bondsmen may arrest him or, upon written authority endorsed on a certified copy of the
undertaking, cause him to be arrested by a police officer or any other person of suitable age
and discretion.

An accused released on bail may be re-arrested without the necessity of a warrant if he

SECTION 24. No bail after final judgment; exception. - No bail shall be allowed after a
judgment of conviction has become final. If before such finality, the accused applies for
probation, he may be allowed temporary liberty under his bail. When no bail was filed or the
accused is incapable of filing one, the court may allow his release on recognizance to the
custody of a responsible member of the community. In no case shall bail be allowed after the
accused has commenced to serve sentence. (24a)

SECTION 25. Court supervision of detainees. - The court shall exercise supervision over all
persons in custody for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary detention. The executive
judges of the Regional Trial Courts shall conduct monthly personal inspections of provincial,
city, and municipal jails and the prisoners within their respective jurisdictions. They shall
ascertain the number of detainees, inquire on their proper accommodations and health and
examine the condition of the jail facilities. They shall order the segregation of sexes and of
minors from adults, ensure the observance of the right of detainees to confer privately with
counsel, and strive to eliminate conditions inimical to the detainees.

In cities and municipalities to be specified by the Supreme Court, the municipal trial judges or
municipal circuit trial judges shall conduct monthly personal inspections of the municipal jails
in their respective municipalities and submit a report to the executive judge of the Regional
Trial Court having jurisdiction therein.

A monthly report of such visitation shall be submitted by the executive judges to the Court

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Administrator which shall state the total number of detainees, the names of those held for
more than thirty (30) days, the duration of detention, the crime charged, the status of the case,

the cause for detention, and other pertinent information. (25a)

SECTION 26. Bail not a bar to objections on illegal arrest, lack of or irregular preliminary
investigation. - An application for or admission to bail shall not bar the accused from
challenging the validity of his arrest or the legality of the warrant issued therefor, or from
assailing the regularity or questioning the absence of a preliminary investigation of the charge
against him, provided that he raises them before entering his plea. The court shall resolve the
matter as early as practicable but not later than the start of the trial of the case. (n)

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