Community Service for Minor Offenses Shall Take Effect On November 2, 2020
On August 08, 2019, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11362 or the "Community Service Act" in lieu of the imprisonment for penalties of arresto menor and arresto mayor. But it was only on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, that the Supreme Court approved the guidelines in the imposition of community service as a penalty, which promotes restorative justice and jail decongestion. These guidelines are contained in A.M. No. 20-06-14-SC which was promulgated by the SC En Banc, which would take effect on November 2, 2020 after the required publication. So, by November 2, 2020, this community service for minor offenses shall take effect. What are these minor offenses? These are the offenses having an imposable penalty of arresto menor and arresto mayor. Arresto menor involves an imprisonment of one (1) day to thirty (30) days while the arresto mayor is an imprisonment of thirty (30) days and one (1) day to six (60) months. What would constitute community ser