8/28/2015 Samsom vs Aguirre : 133076 : September 22, 1999 : J.

Quisumbing : En Banc

ENBANC

[G.R.No.133076.September22,1999]

MOISES S. SAMSON, petitioner, vs. HON. ALEXANDER AGUIRRE, in his

DECISION
QUISUMBING,J.:

OnFebruary23,1998,PresidentFidelV.RamossignedintolawRepublicActNo.8535,creatingthe
City of Novaliches out of 15 barangays of Quezon City. Petitioner Moises S. Samson, incumbent
councilorofthefirstdistrictofQuezonCity,isnowbeforetheCourtchallengingtheconstitutionalityof
RepublicActNo.8535.
Petitioner also seeks to enjoin the Executive Secretary from ordering the implementation of R.A.
8535, the COMELEC from holding a plebiscite for the creation of the City of Novaliches, and the
DepartmentofBudgetandManagementfromdisbursingfundsforsaidplebiscite.Lastly,hepraysforthe
issuanceofapreliminaryinjunctionortemporaryrestrainingorder,throughamotionwedulynoted.
Petitionerbaseshispetitiononthefollowinggrounds:

a) R.A. No. 8535 failed to conform to the criteria established by the Local Government Code particularly,
Sections 7, 11(a) and 450(a), as to the requirements of income, population and land area; seat of
government; and no adverse effect to being a city of Quezon City, respectively, and its Implementing
Rules as provided in Article 11(b)(1) and (2), as to furnishing a copy of the Quezon City Council of
barangay resolution; and

b) The said law will in effect amend the Constitution.[1]

Petitioner asserts that certifications as to income, population, and land area were not presented to
CongressduringthedeliberationsthatledtothepassageofR.A.No.8535.This,heargues,isclearfrom
the minutes of the public hearings conducted by the Senate Committee on Local Government on the
proposedcharteroftheCityofNovaliches.PetitionerparticularlycitesitshearingsheldonOctober3and
27, 1997. He is silent, however, on the hearings held by the appropriate Committee in the House of
Representatives.
Likewise,petitionerpointsoutthatthereisnocertificationattestingtothefactthatthemotherlocal
governmentunit,QuezonCity,wouldnotbeadverselyaffectedbythecreationoftheCityofNovaliches,
intermsofincome,population,andlandarea.
In their Comment, respondents through the Office of the Solicitor General, traversed all the
allegationsofpetitioner.Theyclaimedhefailedtosubstantiatesaidallegationswithconvincingproof.In
their memorandum, respondents argued that petitioner had the burden of proof to overcome the legal
presumption that Congress considered all the legal requirements under the Local Government Code of
1991inpassingR.A.8535.Further,respondentsstatedthatthepetitionitselfisdevoidofanypertinent
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document supporting petitioners claim that R.A. 8535 is unconstitutional. Respondents pray that the
presentpetitionbedismissedforlackofmerit.

InVictorianov.ElizaldeRopeWorkersUnion,[2]wehadoccasiontostressthat:

All presumptions are indulged in favor of constitutionality; one who attacks a statute, alleging
unconstitutionality must prove its invalidity beyond a reasonable doubt; that a law may work hardship
does not render it unconstitutional; that if any reasonable basis may be conceived which supports the
statute, it will be upheld, and the challenger must negate all possible bases; that the courts are not
concerned with the wisdom, justice, policy, or expediency of a statute; and that a liberal interpretation of
the constitution in favor of the constitutionality of legislation should be adopted.[3]

Every statute is presumed valid.[4] Every law is presumed to have passed through regular
congressional processes.[5] A person asserting the contrary has the burden of proving his allegations
clearlyandunmistakably.Havingthisinmind,wenowproceedtoexaminewhetherornotpetitionerwas
abletosuccessfullyovercomethepresumptionofvalidityaccordedR.A.No.8535.
TheLocalGovernmentCodeof1991providesunderSection7:

SECTION 7. Creation and Conversion. As a general rule, the creation of a local government unit or its
conversion from one level to another level shall be based on verifiable indicators of viability and
projected capacity to provide services, to wit:

(a) Income. It must be sufficient, based on acceptable standards, to provide for all essential government
facilities and services and special functions commensurate with the size of its population, as expected of
the local government unit concerned;

(b) Population. It shall be determined as the total number of inhabitants within the territorial jurisdiction
of the local government unit concerned; and

(c) Land Area. It must be contiguous, unless it comprises two or more islands or is separated by a local
government unit independent of the others; properly identified by metes and bounds with technical
descriptions; and sufficient to provide for such basic services and facilities to meet the requirements of its
populace.

Compliance with the foregoing indicators shall be attested to by the Department of Finance (DOF), the
National Statistics Office (NSO), and the Land Management Bureau (LMB) of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Corollarily,theRulesandRegulationsImplementingtheCodeprovideinArticle11:

ART. 11. Cities. (a) Requisites for creation A city shall not be created unless the following requisites on
income and either population or land area are present:

(1)Incomean average annual income of not less than Twenty Million Pesos (P20,000,000.00), for the
immediatelyprecedingtwo(2)consecutiveyearsbasedon1991constantprices,ascertifiedbyDOF.
Theaverageannualincomeshallincludetheincomeaccruingtothegeneralfund,exclusiveofspecial
funds,specialaccounts,transfers,andnonrecurringincomeand
(2)PopulationorlandareaPopulationwhichshallnotbelessthanonehundredfiftythousand(150,000)
inhabitants,ascertifiedbytheNSOorlandareawhichmustbecontiguouswithanareaofatleast
onehundred(100)squarekilometers,ascertifiedbyLMB.Theterritoryneednotbecontiguousifit
comprisestwo(2)ormoreislandsorisseparatedbyacharteredcityorcitieswhichdonotcontribute
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totheincomeoftheprovince.Thelandarearequirementshallnotapplywheretheproposedcityis
composedofone(1)ormoreislands.Theterritorialjurisdictionofacitysoughttobecreatedshallbe
properlyidentifiedbymetesandbounds.
Thecreationofanewcityshallnotreducethelandarea,population,andincomeoftheoriginalLGU
or LGUs at the time of said creation to less than the prescribed minimum requirements. All expenses
incidentaltothecreationshallbebornebythepetitioners.
Petitioner argues that no certifications attesting compliance with the foregoing requirements were
submitted to Congress, citing in particular public hearings held by the Senate Committee on Local
Government.
However, we note that the bill that eventually became R.A. No. 8535 originated in the House of
Representatives.ItsprincipalsponsorisCong.DanteLibanofQuezonCity.Petitionerdidnotpresentany
proof, but only allegations, that no certifications were submitted to the House Committee on Local
Government,asistheusualpracticeinthisregard.Allegations,withoutmore,cannotsubstituteforproof.
ThepresumptionstandsthatthelawpassedbyCongress,basedonthebillofCong.Liban,hadcomplied
withalltherequisitestherefor.
Moreover, present during the public hearings held by the Senate Committee on Local Government
were resource persons from the different government offices like National Statistics Office, Bureau of
Local Government Finance, Land Management Bureau, and Department of Budget and Management,
asidefromofficialsofQuezonCityitself.
TherepresentativefromtheBureauofLocalGovernmentFinanceestimatedthecombinedaverage
annualincomeofthe13barangays[6]fortheyears1995and1996tobearoundP26,952,128.26.[7]Under
the Local Government Code, a proposed city must have an average annual income of only at least
P20,000,000.00fortheimmediatelyprecedingtwoyears.TherepresentativefromtheNSOestimatedthe
populationinthebarangaysthatwouldcomprisetheproposedCityofNovalichestobearound347,310.
[8]Thisfigureismorethanthe150,000requiredbytheImplementingRules.Thereisnoneedtoconsider
the land area, given these figures, since under the Local Government Code, the proposed city must
comply with requirements as regards income and population or land area. Other than the income
requirement, the proposed city must have the requisite number of inhabitants or land area. Compliance
with either requirement, in addition to income, is sufficient. Judicial notice may also be taken that
Novalichesisnowhighlyurbanized.
Petitioneraversthattheoralmanifestationmadebytherepresentativesofgovernmentofficesisnot
enough certification. But respondents reply that in the hearings, particularly by the Local Government
CommitteeheadedbySenatorSotto,onOctober3and27,1997,theDBM,DILG,andFinanceOfficials
were present along with other officers armed with official statistics and reference materials. In their
official capacity, they spoke and shed light on population, land area and income of the proposed city.
Theirofficialstatementscouldservethesamepurposecontemplatedbylawrequiringcertificates.Their
affirmation as well as their oath as witnesses in open session of either the Senate or the House of
Representativesgiveevengreatersolemnitythanacertificationsubmittedtoeitherchamberroutinely.
Moreover,petitionerfailedtoshowthat,asidefromtheoraldeclarationsduringthepublichearings,
the representativespresent did not also submit written certifications.Note that under the Implementing
Rules, written certifications are required to be attached to the petition for the creation of a city, to be
submitted by interested municipalities or barangays to Congress in the form of a resolution. Petitioner,
however,didnotevenbothertopresentacopyofsaidpetitionifonlytoprovethatitwaswithoutthe
written certifications attached as required by law. We are thus constrained to presume, as respondents
urge,thattheserequirementsweremetappropriatelyinthepassageoftheassailedlegislativeact.
PetitionerthenarguesthatR.A.No.8535failedtospecifytheseatofgovernmentoftheproposed
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CityofNovalichesasrequiredunderSection11(a)oftheLocalGovernmentCode:

SECTION 11. Selection and Transfer of Local Government Site, Offices, and Facilities. (a) The law or
ordinance creating or merging local government units shall specify the seat of government from where
governmental and corporate service shall be delivered. In selecting said site, factors relating to
geographical centrality, accessibility, availability of transportation and communication facilities, drainage
and sanitation, development and economic progress, and other relevant considerations shall be taken into
account.

Indeed, a reading of R.A. No. 8535 will readily show that it does not provide for a seat of
government. However, this omission, to our mind, is not as fatal to the validity of R.A. No. 8535 as
petitioner makes it to be. We agree with respondents that under Section 12 of the Local Government
Code,whichappliestotheproposedCityofNovalichesbyvirtueofSection54ofR.A.No.8535,[9]the
City of Novaliches can still establish a seat of government after its creation. For said Code already
providesasfollows:

SECTION 12. Government Centers. Provinces, cities, and municipalities shall endeavor to establish a
government center where offices, agencies, or branches of the National Government, local government
units, or government-owned or controlled corporations may, as far as practicable, be located. In
designating such a center, the local government unit concerned shall take into account the existing
facilities of national and local agencies and offices which may serve as the government center as
contemplated under this Section. The National Government, local government unit or government-owned
or controlled corporation concerned shall bear the expenses for the construction of its buildings and
facilities in the government center.

WhileSection12speaksofthesiteofgovernmentcenters,suchsitecanverywellalsobetheseatof
government,fromwheregovernmentalandcorporateserviceshallbedelivered.[10]
WithregardtotheallegedadverseeffectonQuezonCitybythecreationoftheCityofNovaliches,
petitioneragainfailedtopresentanyconcreteevidenceonthispoint.QuezonCityMayorIsmaelMathay,
Jr., was present during the deliberations of the Senate Committee on Local Government, and made no
mentionofanythingconcerningsuchadverseeffects.AschiefexecutiveofQuezonCity,MayorMathay
wouldbethefirstpersontoprotestanydevelopmentthatmightprovedetrimentaltoQuezonCity.The
factthathedidnotraiseanyadverseissueduringthepublichearingsonR.A.No.8535,stressinginstead
hisconcernonthematterofinclusionofallQuezonCityvotersintheplebiscitethatwoulddecidethe
fateoftheCityofNovaliches,isindicativeofthenonexistenceofsuchnegativeissues.Moreover,inthe
plebiscite as contemplated on R.A. 8535, all persons concerned will obviously have the opportunity to
raisethoseissuesevenbeforetheyvoteontheprincipalquestionofthecityhoodofNovaliches.
That the Quezon City Council was not furnished a copy of the petition of concerned barangays
callingforthecreationoftheCityofNovaliches,iftrue,willalsonotrenderinvalidR.A.No.8535.The
evidentpurposeofthisrequirement,foundintheImplementingRules,istoinformtheCityCouncilof
themovetocreateanothercityandtoenableittoformulateitscommentsandrecommendationsonsaid
petition. The Quezon City Council members are obviously aware of the petition. The matter has been
widelypublicizedinthemassmedia.SurelymembersoftheQuezonCityCouncil,includingpetitioner,
couldnotnowbeheardtoclaimtheyhavenotknownofthecontentsofthebarangayspetitiontocreate
theCityofNovaliches.
TheproposedcreationoftheCityofNovalicheswillinnowayresultinaprohibitedamendmentof
the Constitution,contraryto petitionerscontention.The ordinance appended to the Constitution merely
apportions the seats of the House of Representatives to the different legislative districts in the country.
NowheredoesitprovidethatMetroManilashallforeverbecomposedofonly17citiesandmunicipalities
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as claimed by petitioner.Too literal a reading of the ordinance in or appendix of the Constitution will
onlyresultinitserroneousinterpretation.
Clearly,fromtheforegoingconsiderations,petitionerhasfailedtopresentclearandconvincingproof
to defeat the presumption of constitutionality being enjoyed by R.A. No. 8535. Nor did he succeed to
convincetheCourtwithsubstantialandpersuasivelegalreasonsforustograntthereliefsheseeks.
WHEREFORE,theinstantpetitionisherebyDISMISSED.
SOORDERED.
Davide, Jr., C.J., Bellosillo, Melo, Puno, Vitug, Kapunan, Mendoza, Purisima, Pardo, Buena,
GonzagaReyes,andYnaresSantiago,JJ.,concur.
Panganiban,J.,intheresult.

[1]Rollo,p.233.

[2]59SCRA54(1974).

[3]Id.at66.

[4]Bascov.PAGCOR,197SCRA52,59(1991)Peraltav.COMELEC,82SCRA30(1978).

[5]Tobiasv.Abalos,239SCRA106,111(1994).

[6]BeforetheinclusionofGreaterLagroandNorthFairview.

[7]Rollo,p.129.

[8]Id.at199.

[9] SEC.54.Applicability of Laws.The provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government
Code of 1991, other laws pertaining to Quezon City, and such laws as are applicable to cities shall govern the City of
NovalichesinsofarastheyarenotinconsistentwiththeprovisionsofthisAct.
[10]LOCALGOVERNMENTCODE,Sec.11(a).

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