A Philippine legal article on what the law punishes, how penalties are computed, and what affects the outcome

1) The main law and the main idea

Physical injuries are primarily punished under the Revised Penal Code (RPC) as crimes against persons. The “jail time” depends mainly on:

How serious the injury is (permanent impairment, disfigurement, loss of limb/sense, etc.), and/or
How long the injury disables a person from work or requires medical treatment (as shown by medical/medico-legal findings), and
Whether it was intentional or due to reckless imprudence (negligence).

“Fines” exist in some injury offenses, but peso amounts have been amended over time (notably by R.A. 10951, which updated many RPC fines). Courts also commonly award civil damages (separate from criminal fines).

2) Penalty “units” (so the jail time makes sense)

When you see these penalty names, they mean fixed time ranges:

Arresto menor: 1 to 30 days
Arresto mayor: 1 month and 1 day to 6 months
Prisión correccional: 6 months and 1 day to 6 years
Prisión mayor: 6 years and 1 day to 12 years
Reclusión temporal: 12 years and 1 day to 20 years
Reclusión perpetua: 20 years and 1 day to 40 years (in practical sentencing terms)

Penalties are often stated “in its minimum/medium/maximum period,” which is how courts slice a range depending on aggravating/mitigating circumstances and other rules.

3) The core RPC categories for intentional physical injuries

A) Mutilation (RPC Article 262) — the heaviest “injury” offense

This covers intentionally depriving someone of an organ or member, especially those essential for reproduction.

If it deprives the offended party of an organ essential for reproduction: very severe, reaching reclusión temporal up to reclusión perpetua depending on the exact form and circumstances.
Other intentional mutilation: typically punished with prisión mayor.

This is separate from “serious physical injuries” because mutilation is treated as its own graver offense.

B) Serious Physical Injuries (RPC Article 263)

Serious physical injuries can be serious either because of permanent consequences or because of lengthy incapacity/medical attendance.

1) Serious because of permanent/major consequences

These include injuries that result in outcomes like (examples):

Insanity, imbecility, impotence, or blindness
Loss of speech/hearing/smell
Loss of an eye, hand, foot, arm, leg (or similar major loss)
Permanent disfigurement
Permanent loss of the use of a body part or sense

Jail time: ranges upward from prisión correccional to prisión mayor, and for the gravest permanent consequences (e.g., insanity/blindness/impotence), it can reach prisión mayor.

2) Serious because of long incapacity or long medical treatment

If the injury:

incapacitates the victim for labor (work) or
requires medical attendance/treatment

for long periods (commonly treated at more than 30 days for serious injury classification), penalties generally fall within:

arresto mayor up to prisión correccional, depending on the specific number-of-days bracket and the case facts.

Practical note on “days”: courts often rely on medico-legal findings, but disputes happen over whether the relevant number is days of healing, days of medical attendance, or days of incapacity to work. The medical certificate matters a lot.

C) Less Serious Physical Injuries (RPC Article 265)

Generally covers injuries that:

incapacitate the victim or require medical attendance for a moderate duration (commonly in the 10–30 day range), and
do not fall under the “serious” categories.

Typical jail time: arresto mayor (1 month and 1 day to 6 months).

Possible increase: if committed under circumstances showing manifest intent to insult or add ignominy, the penalty can be increased into the prisión correccional range.

D) Slight Physical Injuries and Maltreatment (RPC Article 266)

This typically covers:

Injuries causing incapacity or medical attendance for 1–9 days, and
Maltreatment (physical ill-treatment without causing injury)

Typical jail time: usually arresto menor (1–30 days). For maltreatment without injury, it may be arresto menor or a fine, depending on the facts and the specific charge.

4) Administering injurious substances (RPC Article 264)

If someone administers (e.g., gives) injurious substances or beverages and injury results, the RPC provides punishment that can:

apply as its own offense and/or
be calibrated to the resulting injury (so if it produces serious injury consequences, penalties can align with the seriousness).

5) Physical injuries from fights involving multiple people (tumultuous affray)

The RPC has special provisions for injuries (and death) in a tumultuous affray—a chaotic fight where participants are not clearly identifiable as aggressor/victim in the usual way, or responsibility is hard to pin down.

If the actual author of the injuries cannot be identified, the law may punish those who used violence (depending on proof and roles).
These cases are fact-heavy and hinge on identification evidence.

6) The biggest fork: intentional injuries vs negligent injuries (Article 365)

Not all “physical injuries” cases are intentional. Under RPC Article 365, reckless imprudence or simple imprudence resulting in physical injuries is punished differently.

Key points:

The charge becomes “Reckless Imprudence Resulting in Physical Injuries” (or “Simple Imprudence…”), not Articles 263–266 directly.
Penalties depend on:
- the seriousness of the resulting injury, and
- the degree of negligence (reckless vs simple).

Negligence cases are common in:

vehicular incidents,
workplace safety failures,
accidental discharges, mishandling tools, and similar scenarios.

7) Fines vs. imprisonment (and why amounts can’t be treated casually)

A) When a fine is possible

For lighter injury offenses, the law sometimes allows:

imprisonment, or
a fine, or
imprisonment and a fine, depending on the specific article and circumstances.

B) Updated fine amounts

Many RPC fine amounts were modernized/increased by R.A. 10951, so the current peso ranges depend on the updated codal text used by prosecutors/courts. If you need the exact peso amount, it should be taken from the current codified version being applied in your jurisdiction.

C) Separate from fines: civil damages

Even if the court imposes a fine (or even if the case is dismissed on technical grounds), civil liability may still be an issue. In criminal injury cases, courts often award:

actual damages (medical bills, therapy, medicines)
temperate damages (when expenses are real but not fully receipted)
moral damages (pain, trauma, humiliation—case-dependent)
loss of earning capacity (for severe injuries)
exemplary damages (when aggravating circumstances justify it)
attorney’s fees (in proper situations)

8) What can make the penalty higher or lower

A) Aggravating and mitigating circumstances (RPC general rules)

Penalties can be adjusted depending on:

aggravating circumstances (e.g., treachery doesn’t usually fit injury cases the same way as homicide, but nighttime, abuse of superior strength, dwelling, etc. may be alleged depending on facts),
mitigating circumstances (e.g., voluntary surrender, plea of guilty, incomplete self-defense, lack of intent to commit so grave a wrong).

B) Relationship-based or context-based issues

Sometimes the same act can be charged differently or carry different consequences because of context:

Injuring a person in authority or their agent can trigger assault-related offenses, not just injuries.
Domestic contexts may pull the case under special laws (below).

C) Multiple injuries / complex crimes

If the act also includes other crimes (e.g., threats, coercion, acts of lasciviousness, illegal detention), prosecution may pursue:

separate charges, or
complex/related charging strategies depending on rules and facts.

9) Special laws that can override or reshape “physical injuries” cases

Depending on who the victim is and the relationship/situation, the case may proceed under special statutes, sometimes with different penalties and procedures:

R.A. 9262 (VAWC): violence against women and their children; physical violence may be prosecuted here with protection orders and specialized remedies.
R.A. 7610 (child abuse): injuries to minors can fall under child abuse frameworks.
Anti-Hazing law: injuries/deaths in hazing have their own severe penalty scheme.
Anti-Torture law: injuries inflicted by persons in authority or agents in custodial settings can fall under torture statutes.

These are not merely “extra labels”—they can change the nature of the case, available defenses, and penalty exposure.

10) The most common real-world issue: “Physical injuries” vs “attempted/frustrated homicide”

A huge sentencing difference hinges on intent to kill.

If evidence shows intent to kill (weapon used, manner of attack, targeting vital parts, repeated blows, prior threats, statements, etc.), prosecutors may charge attempted or frustrated homicide/murder, not mere physical injuries.
If there was no intent to kill (or it can’t be proven), it stays under physical injuries.

This is often where legal strategy and evidence make or break the penalty risk.

11) Procedure basics (how cases usually move)

Medical/medico-legal exam (critical for classification)
Police blotter / complaint affidavit
Prosecutor’s Office (inquest if arrested, otherwise regular preliminary investigation where applicable)
Filing in court; arraignment; trial or plea bargaining
Judgment (criminal penalty + civil damages)

For lighter cases and neighborhood disputes, barangay conciliation may be relevant, but it depends on the nature of the dispute and the parties’ residence.

12) Quick reference: typical jail-time ranges by category (intentional injuries)

Slight Physical Injuries / Maltreatment: usually 1–30 days (arresto menor)
Less Serious Physical Injuries: usually 1 month and 1 day to 6 months (arresto mayor), possibly higher in special insulting/ignominious circumstances
Serious Physical Injuries: ranges upward from months into years (prisión correccional to prisión mayor) depending on permanence and/or long incapacity
Mutilation: can reach very long prison terms, up to reclusión perpetua in the gravest form

13) Practical takeaways

The medical classification drives the jail time. Get proper medico-legal documentation early.
Intent matters. The same physical harm can be prosecuted as injuries or as attempted/frustrated homicide depending on proof of intent to kill.
Fines exist but the exact peso amounts should be taken from the currently applicable codal text, while time ranges for imprisonment are stable.
Expect civil damages exposure even in cases where jail time is low.

If you want, describe the situation in plain terms (what happened, what injuries were diagnosed, number of days of medical attendance/incapacity in the medical certificate, relationship of parties, and whether weapons were used). I can map it to the most likely charge(s) and the realistic penalty range (jail vs fine vs both), including common upgrade/downgrade arguments.