1. Generality

Generality

Source limitation: The supplied authorities do not state the generality principle or its exceptions. They support related rules on how penal statutes apply and are construed.

Penal statutes must give a person of common understanding a sufficiently definite warning of prohibited conduct; reasonable certainty, not mathematical precision, is required. Estrada v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 148560, 19 November 2001; Calleja v. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 252578, 7 December 2021. ¹² Their coverage cannot be extended beyond their text: People v. Sullano, G.R. No. 228373, 12 March 2018, held that Section 15 of RA 9165 applies only to persons apprehended or arrested for the offenses specified there, not to a person subjected to mandatory testing under Section 36(e). ³