Statutes: Criminal Law: Presumption against repeal, Statutory Construction

“From another angle the presumption against repeal is stronger. A special law is not regarded as having been amended or repealed by a general law unless the intent to repeal or alter is manifest. Generalia specialibus non derogant. And if this is true although the terms of the general act are broad enough to include the matter in the special statute.” (Valera v. Tuason, Jr., En Banc, G.R. No. L-1276, April 30, 1948, Per Tuason, J., citing Manila Railroad Company vs. Rafferty, 40 Phil., 224.)

“[A] general law is one which embraces a class of subjects or places and does not omit any subject or place naturally belonging to such class, while a special act is one which relates to particular persons or things of a class.” (Statutory Construction, Crawford, p. 2645, cited in Valera v. Tuason, Jr., En Banc, G.R. No. L-1276, April 30, 1948, Per Tuason, J.)