Short answer. Under Article 60 of the Revised Penal Code, the stepped-down rules of Articles 50 to 57 do not apply when the law itself expressly prescribes a specific penalty for the frustrated or attempted form of the felony, or for accomplices or accessories. In those cases the express statutory penalty controls, not the general formula.
What the law says
The provisions contained in articles 50 to 57, inclusive, of this Code shall not be applicable to cases in which the law expressly prescribes the penalty provided for a frustrated or attempted felony, or to be imposed upon accomplices or accessories.
Revised Penal Code, Article 60 — Exception To Articles 50–57. Read the full provision →
What Articles 50 to 57 normally do
Articles 50 to 57 of the Revised Penal Code are the general rules that mechanically reduce penalties based on the stage of the crime and the degree of participation. Article 50 reduces the penalty for a frustrated crime's principal by one degree below the consummated offense; Article 51 reduces the attempted-crime principal's penalty by two degrees; Articles 52 to 57 apply the corresponding reductions for accomplices and accessories across each stage. Together they form the default formula for computing penalties whenever a crime was not completed or when a participant played a lesser role.
The exception: when the law expressly provides its own penalty
Article 60 carves out an exception to that formula. When a specific law expressly states the penalty for a frustrated or attempted form of a felony — or for accomplices or accessories — the general reduction rules of Articles 50 to 57 do not apply. The expressly prescribed penalty governs instead. This means the mechanical stepped-down calculation is displaced whenever the legislature has already addressed the specific form of the crime. The exception prevents the general formula from overriding a deliberate legislative choice to penalize a particular stage or role at a specific level.
Why the exception exists
The legislature sometimes treats certain frustrated or attempted offenses as equally serious as or only slightly less serious than the consummated form. Rather than applying the general formula — which might produce a penalty the legislature considers too light — it prescribes a fixed penalty for the incomplete or accessory form. Article 60 gives that express prescription priority. Without Article 60, the general formula would override those specific provisions, producing a result the law did not intend. The exception preserves the legislature's authority to calibrate penalties offense by offense.
How to identify when the exception applies
The test for Article 60 is straightforward: does the statute defining or governing the specific felony itself state a penalty for the frustrated or attempted form, or for accomplices or accessories? If yes, use that stated penalty rather than the Articles 50 to 57 formula. If the statute is silent on the incomplete or secondary forms and relies on the Revised Penal Code's general rules to fill the gap, Articles 50 to 57 apply normally. When the special statute expressly speaks, the general formula steps aside. This requires reading both the specific offense's defining statute and the general rules together.