Answer
Presidential Decree No. 1829 penalizes any person who knowingly or willfully obstructs, impedes, frustrates, or delays the apprehension of suspects and the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases. The punishable acts include preventing witnesses from testifying through force, intimidation, or a bribe; altering, destroying, suppressing, or concealing evidence; harboring or concealing a person the offender knows to have committed a crime in order to prevent his arrest; and giving false or fabricated information to mislead investigators.
Other punishable acts include obstructing the service of process or court orders so as to delay a prosecution, and threatening a person, directly or indirectly, with a wrong to his person, honor, or property in order to prevent him from appearing in the investigation of or the official proceedings in a criminal case. The decree protects the integrity of criminal investigations and proceedings.
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