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RA 516 Section 11

RA 516 Section 11

Section 11

SEC. 11. Article thirty of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: "ART. 30. Method of voting.-Voting by members of a general or special court-martial upon questions of challenge, on the findings, and on the sentence shall be by secret written ballot. The junior member of the court shall in each case count the votes, which count shall be checked by the president, who shall forthwith announce the result of the ballot to the members of the court. The law member of a general court-martial, or the president of a special court-martial, shall rule in open court upon interlocutory questions, other than challenge, arising during the proceedings: Provided, That if any member objects to a ruling of the law member of a general court-martial upon a motion for a finding of not guilty or on the question of the accused's sanity, or if any member objects to any ruling of the president of a special court-martial as hereinabove provided, the court shall be cleared and closed and the question decided by a majority vote, viva voce, beginning with the junior in rank. A ruling made by the law member of a general court-martial upon any interlocutory question other than a motion for a finding of not guilty, or the accused's sanity, shall be final and shall constitute the ruling of the court; but the law member in any case may consult with the court, in closed session, before making a ruling and may change any ruling made at any time during the trial. It shall be the duty of the law member of a general court-martial or the president of a special court-martial, before a vote is taken, to advise the court that the accused must be presumed to be innocent until his guilt established by legal and competent evidence beyond a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused, the doubt shall be resolved in the accused's favor and he shall be acquitted; if there is a reasonable doubt as to the degree of guilt, the finding must be in a lower degree as to which there is no such doubt; that the burden of proof to establish the guilt to the accused is upon the government."

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Other provisions in RA 516

Compiled from an official source version. Later amendments or repeals may not be reflected; the official text prevails. · Read the official text ↗ · Data as of July 4, 2026

CitationRA 516 Section 11 (LawPlayer, data as of July 4, 2026)

Source: Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines. Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).

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