Manila, June 3 -- The Supreme Court has updated plea bargaining guidelines in drug cases requiring the prosecution to raise all grounds for objections or waive them.

The SC ruled that in drug cases, prosecutors must raise all their objections when an accused offers to plead guilty to a lesser crime, and any objections not raised are considered waived, according to a news release on Tuesday.

This was underscored by the SC en banc in a decision dated Jan. 28, 2025 that reinstated the Regional Trial Court's (RTC) ruling that found Rodulfo Ferraren Aquino guilty of illegal possession of drug paraphernalia under Section 12 of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The SC also updated its Clarificatory Guide...