Criminal Law Case Digests – #AweSAMbar2026

In Criminal Law, the difference between a “pass” and “full credit” often comes down to how you appreciate the facts and identify the specific stage of execution or degree of participation. For the 2026 Bar Exams, you aren’t just answering based on the Revised Penal Code; you are answering through the perspective of Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan.

Justice Gaerlan’s ponencias in Criminal Law are known for their clarity, adherence to the rules of evidence, and precise application of penalties. This course is your roadmap to his judicial mind.

The “One Case, Multiple Digests” Strategy

Criminal cases are often messy. A single case might involve Complex Crimes, Qualifying Circumstances, and Civil Liability all in one go. Standard digests give you a “story” that mixes everything together, but we give you a surgical breakdown:

• The Spliced Method: If one Gaerlan case covers Conspiracy in the first half and Indeterminate Sentence Law (ISL) in the second, we create two separate digests.

• Topic-Specific Facts: When you are studying Justifying Circumstances, you only see the facts relevant to that defense. When you move to Penalties, the same case appears again, but this time the facts and ruling are tailored specifically to the penalty computation.

Mapped Directly to the 2026 Syllabus

We’ve done the tedious work of categorizing every case to match your review schedule exactly. We cover everything from Book I (Fundamental Principles and ISL) to Book II (Specific Crimes) and Special Penal Laws (VAWC, Drugs, Cybercrime).

We understand that a Chairperson’s jurisprudence might not hit every single syllabus item. To ensure you have a complete review, where no Gaerlan case is found for a specific topic, we provide digests of landmark doctrinal cases. You get a seamless learning experience with no “vacuums” in your knowledge.

The Star Rating System 

Not all cases are created equal. To help you prioritize your limited study time, we have implemented a Star Rating System. If, in our view, a Gaerlan case has a high likelihood of being asked in the 2026 Bar, we have flagged it with ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. This tells you exactly where to spend your “deep-dive” energy.

Why These Digests are Bar-Ready

• Months of Review: We spent months ensuring that every fact, issue, and ruling is perfectly aligned with the specific syllabus topic.

• The Gaerlan Precision: We highlight the Justice’s specific keywords. The Chairperson’s phrasing on “moral certainty” or “overt acts” is exactly what you should use to impress the examiners.

• Efficient & High-Yield: We cut the “obiter” so you can focus on the ratio decidendi. You get the most information in the least amount of time.