Short answer. The victim's civil claim is enforced first against the property of the principals. Article 110 of the Revised Penal Code sets a clear order: principals first, then accomplices, then accessories. Each class is jointly liable among themselves but bears subsidiary liability for the others.
What the law says
The subsidiary liability shall be enforced, first against the property of the principals; next, against that of the accomplices, and, lastly, against that of the accessories.
Revised Penal Code, Article 110 — Several And Subsidiary Civil Liability, And Order Of Payment. Read the full provision →
The strict order for enforcing civil liability
Article 110 of the Revised Penal Code settles the sequence for collecting civil liability when multiple offenders are convicted together. The victim or their heirs go first against the principals — those who directly committed or are most responsible for the felony. Only when the principals cannot satisfy the judgment does the claim move to the accomplices. The accessories — those who aided after the fact — are last in line. This hierarchy reflects the graduated culpability that criminal law assigns to different roles in a crime.
Joint liability within each class
Within each class, Article 110 imposes joint liability — liability in solidum. This means all principals are jointly responsible for their combined quota: the victim can collect the full amount from any one principal, who must then seek reimbursement from the others. The same applies within the accomplice class and within the accessory class. The joint-and-several structure within a class makes it easier for the victim to collect; they do not need to chase each co-offender for their individual share — one can be made to pay the whole of their class's share.
Subsidiary liability across classes
Beyond the within-class joint liability, Article 110 also imposes subsidiary liability across classes. If the principals cannot pay — if their property is insufficient to cover the judgment — the shortfall falls on the accomplices subsidiarily. If the accomplices also cannot cover it, the accessories bear the residual burden. This cascading structure ensures the victim has the best possible chance of recovering damages, working through each class of offenders in turn until the liability is fully satisfied or all available assets are exhausted.
Right of action for reimbursement
Article 110 does not leave the paying party without a remedy. Whenever joint or subsidiary liability is enforced — whether it is a principal who paid on behalf of co-principals, or an accomplice who paid subsidiarily on behalf of principals who could not — the person who made the payment has a right of action against the others for the amount of their respective shares. The legal obligation to pay the victim does not extinguish the internal claim among co-offenders. The one who paid can sue the others for their share of what was owed.