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Statute
Philippine Revised Penal Code
Article
Art. 269
Topic
Unlawful arrest
Status
In force, as amended
Year
1930
Cited by
A Supreme Court decision

The provision

Art. 269. Unlawful arrest. — The penalty of arresto mayor and a fine not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000) shall be imposed upon any person who, in any case other than those authorized by law, or without reasonable ground therefor, shall arrest or detain another for the purpose of delivering him to the proper authorities.

Intellegal Wiki · In plain terms

It is a crime to seize or hold another person with the aim of turning them over to the authorities when you have no legal basis or reasonable ground to do so. Even a well-meaning citizen's arrest becomes punishable if it falls outside the situations the law allows. Someone who does this faces imprisonment (arresto mayor) and a fine capped at ₱100,000.

An editorially maintained plain-language explanation of this provision — not legal advice.

As amended: the fines and monetary thresholds in this provision reflect the amendments introduced by RA 10951 (2017).

Cases applying this article

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Reviewed by the Intellegal Legal Team for currency against amending laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence.

Research aid — not legal advice. Verify the current text against the Official Gazette. Provisions may have been amended or repealed. Using this page creates no attorney-client relationship. For legal advice, consult a Philippine lawyer.