1.

Fr
anci
scov
.HouseofRep

Fact
s:
An impeachmentcompl aintagainstChi efJusti
ce Hilario Davide and seven
Asociat
eJust i
ceswasf il
edon2June2003butwasdi smi ssedon22Oct ober
2003.On23Oct ober2003,Repr esentati
veGi l
ber
tTeodor oandFel i
xFuentabell
a
fi
ledanew i mpeachmentcompl ai
ntagai nsttheChiefJust ice.Thusar osethe
i
nstantpetit
ionsagai nstt heHouseofRepr esent
ativ
esetal ,mostofwhi ch
contendthatthefil
i
ngoft hesecondi mpeachmentcompl aintisunconsti
tuti
onal,
“noimpeachmentpr oceedingsshallbei nit
iat
edagainstt hesameof fi
cialmore
thanoncewi t
hintheper i
odofoney ear.
”

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hesecondi
mpeachmenti
sconst
it
uti
onal
?

Hel d:Thesecondi mpeachmentcompl ainti sbarredunderSect i

on3( 5)ofAr ti
cle
XIoft heConst i
tuti
on.Appl y i
ngt hepr inci plesofconstitutionalconst ructi
on,ut
magi sv aleatquam per eat.TheConst itutioni stobei nterpr etedasawhol e,the
saidpr ov isionshouldf unctiont othef ullext entofitssubst anceandf orm andi ts
terms,i nconj uncti
onwi thallotherpr ov isionsoft heConst ituti
on.TheCour t
,in
det er
mi ning t he mer it
s oft he i ssues r aised in a petition bef orei t,must
necessar il
yt urnt ot he Const it
ut i
on i tselfwhi ch empl oy st he wel l-
set t
led
principlesofconst i
tuti
onalconst ruct i
on.I ncaseofdoubt ,t heCour tresor t
st o
thef oll
owi ng:( 1)Verbal egis,thati s,wher everpossibl
e,t hewor dsusedi nt he
Const it
ut ionmustbegi vent heiror dinarymeani ngexceptwher etechni calterms
areempl oyed.( 2)Wher et hereisambi gui ty,rati
olegisestani ma.Thewor dsof
the Const i
tuti
on shoul d be i nter
pr eted i n accordance wi tht he intentofi ts
framer s.( 3).Utmagi sv al
eatquam per eat .TheConst it
utioni stobei nterpreted
asawhol e.

2.Gonzal
esv
.COMELEC
Facts:InJune1967,Republ i
cAct4913waspassed.Thi slaw pr
ovidedf orthe
COMELECt oholdaplebiscitefortheproposedamendment stotheConst it
uti
on.
I
twaspr ovi
dedinthesaidl awt hattheplebi
sci
teshallbeheldonthesameday
thatthegeneralnat
ionalelectionsshallbeheld(November14,1967) .Thiswas
questionedbyRamonGonz alesandot herconcer
nedgr oupsasthey 
 arguedthat
 thiswasunlawfulasther
ewoul dbenopr opersubmissi
onoft hepr
oposal
sto
thepeopl
ewhowoul dbemor ei
nter
estedintheissuesinv
olv
edi nt
hegeneral
elect
ionr
athert
hanintheissuesi
nvol
vingtheplebi
sci
te.

Issue:Whet
herornotapl
ebi
sci
temaybehel
dsi
mul
taneousl
ywi
thagener
al
electi
on.

Held:Yes.Ther eisnopr ohibi

ti
ont otheeffectthataplebi
scitemustonl ybehel d
onaspeci alelecti
on. SChel dthatthereisnothinginthi
spr ovisi
onoft he[1935]
Constit
uti
ont oindicat
et hattheel ect
ionthereinrefer
redtoi saspeci al
,nota
generalel ecti
on.The ci r
cumst ance thatt he previ
ous amendmentt ot he
Constit
uti
onhadbeensubmi t
tedt othepeopleforrati
fi
cat
ioni nspecialelect
ions
merelyshowst hatCongr essdeemedi tbestt odosoundert hecircumst ances
thenobtaining.Itdoesnotnegat ei t
sauthorit
yt osubmitproposedamendment s
forrat
if
icationingeneralelecti
ons.
3.Sant
iagov
.COMELEC
Fact s:On6Dec1996,At t
y.JesusS.Del fi
nf i
ledwi t
hCOMELECa“ Petiti
ont o
Amendt heConst i
tut
iont oLi ftTer m Li mitsofel ectiveOf ficialsbyPeopl e’s
Init
iati
v e”TheCOMELECt hen,uponi t
sappr ov al
,
 a.) 
sett het imeanddat esf or
signatur egat heri
ngallov ert hecount r
y, b.
) causedt henecessar ypubl i
cat i
onof
thesai dpet iti
oni npaper sofgener alcirculation,and c.) i
nstructedl ocalelection
registrarstoassi stpetiti
onersandv olunt eersi nestablishi
ngsi gni ngst ati
ons.On
18Dec1996,MDSant iagoetalf i
ledaspeci alciv
ilactionf orpr ohi bit
ionagai nst
theDel fi
nPet iti
on.Sant i
agoar guesamongot her
st hatt hePeopl e’sInit
iativeis
l
imi tedt oamendment st otheConst i
tuti
onNOTar ev i
siont hereof .Theext ension
ort hel i
fti
ngoft heter ml imitsoft hosei npower( parti
cular l
yt hePr esident)
const i
tutesr evisi
onandi sthereforebey ondt hepowerofpeopl e’si niti
ative.

Issue:Whetherornott
heproposedDelf
inpet
it
ionconst
it
utesamendmentt
othe
constit
uti
onordoesitconst
it
utearev
isi
on

Held:TheDel fi
nproposaldoesnotinvolveamer eamendmentt o,butar ev i
sion
of,t heConstit
uti
onbecause,inthewor dsofFr .Joaqui
nBernas,SJ. ,itwoul d
i
nv olveachangef rom apoli
ti
calphi
losophyt hatrej
ectsunl
i
mitedt enuret oone
thataccept sunli
mitedtenur
e;andalthought hechangemi ghtappeart obean
i
sol ated one,itcan af
fectotherprovisions,such as,on synchronization of
elect i
onsandont heStatepoli
cyofguar anteei
ngequalaccesst ooppor tuni
ties
 f
orpubl
i
cser
viceandpr
ohi
bit
ingpol
i
tical
dynast
ies.

4.Tol
ent
inov
.COMELEC
Facts:TheConst i
tutionalConv enti
onof1971appr ovedOr ganicResol ut
ionNo1
tolowert hevoti
ngaget o18andt hattheplebi
scit
ef orpartialamendmentt o
takeplacewiththel ocalelecti
onsonNov ember1971i nadv ance,beforetherest
ofthedr af
toftheConst i
tuti
ont henunderrevi
sionhasbeenappr oved.Petit
ioner,
ArturoTolenti
nocont endedthatunderSect i
on1Ar ticl
eXVoft heConst it
ution,
thepr oposedamendmenti nquest ioncannotbepr esentedt ot hepeopl ef or
rati
fi
cationseparatelyfrom eachandal loft
heot heramendment stobedr afted
andpr oposedbyt heConv ention.

Issue:Whet
herornottheConv ent
ionmaycallf
orapl
ebi
sci
teont
hesol
e
amendmentcont
ainedi
nOrgani
cResolut
ion1?

Held:Theuseoft hewor d“ el
ection”i nthesi
ngular,accor di
ngt ot heSupr eme
Court,meantt hattheentir
eConst i
tuti
onmustbesubmi ttedforr ati
ficati
onat
onepl ebi
scit
eonl y
.Furt
hermor e,thepeopl ehavetobegi v ena“ properf rameof
ref
erence”inar r
ivi
ngattheirdecision.Thus,submissionforr ati
fi
cationofpi ece-
mealamendment sbytheConst i
tutionalConvent
ion( whichi staskedt orevise
theConstitut
ion)wasdisall
owedsi ncethepeoplehad, att
hatt i
me, noi deay etof
whatther estoftherev
isedConst ituti
onwouldbe.

5.I
nRe:
Laur
etav
.Mar
avi
l
la
Facts:Ev aMaravill
a-I
lust resentl etterst oJusticesoft heFi rstDivision.Ilust
re
using contemptuousl anguagecl ai
med t hatmember soft hecour tr endered
unjustdecisionont hecaseGR 68635.I l
ustr
ecl ai
medt hatt heCour tacted
unjustl
ywhenJust i
cePedr oYapf ailedtoi nhibi
thimsel ffrom par t
icipati
ngwhen
i
nf acthei sal aw-partneroft hedef ensecounselAt tySedf reyOr donez.On27
October1986,t heCour tenbancr eviewedt hehi storyoft hecaseandf oundno
reasont otakeact i
on,st at
ingt hatJust iceYapi nhibi
tedhi msel ffrom t hecase
andwasonl ydesignatedasChai rmanofFi r
stDiv i
sionon14Jul y1986af terthe
resolut
ionofdismi ssalwasi ssuedon14May1986.Pet i
ti
oneragai naddr essed
l
etterstoJust i
cesNar v asa,Her reraandCr uzwi thawar ningofexposi ngt he
caset oanotherfor um ofj usti
ce,t owhi chshemadet ruebyf i
li
nganAf fi
davit
-
Compl aintt
oTanodbay an( Ombudsman)on16Decemeber1986.
 I
ssue:
Whet
herornotSepar
atat
ionofPower
swasv
iol
ated?
Held:Judici
alpoweri sbynomeansa“ di
splayofar r
ogance”butar estat
ement
ofthef undament alpri
ncipl
eofsepar at
ionofpower sandchecksandbal ances
underar epubl
icanf orm ofgov ernment,thatthethreeco-equalbranchesofthe
government-execut ive,legislati
ve,and judici
al– ar e each supr eme and
i
ndependentwi thinthelimit
sofi tsownspher e.Nei
theronecani nt
erferewit
hthe
perfor
manceoft hedutiesoftheot her
.

6.Demet
ri
av.Al
ba
Facts:Demet ri
oDemet riafil
edapet it
ionf orprohibit
ionwi thpr ayerforawr i
tof
prel
iminaryinjunct
ionint heconsti
tuti
onalityofthef i
rstpar agraphofSect i
on44
ofPresidenti
alDecr eeNo.1177, ot
herwi seknownast he“BudgetRef or
m Decree
of1977.” ThesaidPDaut hor
izesthePr esidenttot r
ansferanyf undappropri
ated
fordiff
erentdepartment stoanypr ogram,pr ojectoract iv
ityofanydepar t
ment.
TheSol i
citorGeneralfi
ledar ejoi
nderwi thamot iontodi smi ss,stati
ngthatthe
null
i
tyofSect ion16( 5)Ar t
icl
eVI IIoft he1973Const it
utionbyt heFreedom
Constit
utionofMar ch25,1986hasal l
egedl yrenderedt heinstantpet i
ti
onmoot
andacademi c.
I
ssue:
Whet
herornotBudgetRef
orm Decr
eei
sconst
it
uti
onal
?
Held: Instantpet
iti
oni sgranted.Paragr
aph1ofSect i
on44ofPr esi
denti
al Decr
ee
No.1177i sdecl
arednul landv oi
dforbeingunconsti
tut
ional.TheSupremeCour t
i
snotonl ythehighestar bit
eroflegalquesti
onsbutalsot heconscienceoft he
gov ernment .Therear etimeswhenal t
houghthedisputehasdi sappeareditsti
ll
oughtt o ber esolved.Just i
cedemandst hattheCour tactnotonl yf orthe
vindicationoftheone’ srightbutalsoforthegui
danceofandasar estr
aintupon
thef uture.

7.Angar
av.El
ect
oral
Commi
ssi
on
Facts:Pet i
ti
oner,JoseAngar awont heel ect
ionf orNationalAssemblyforthe
fi
rstdist
rictofTayabasPr ovince.TheNat ionalAssemblypassedResol uti
onNo8
declari
ngt hedeadlinef orfil
ingpr ot
eston3December1935. Ontheotherhand
the ElectoralCommi ssion sett he deadl i
ne on 9 December1935.Losi ng
candidate,Pedr o Ynsua f i
led beforet he ElectoralCommi ssi
on a Motion of
Protestagai nsttheel ection ofAngar a.Angar a contended in hi
sMot ion to
Dismisst heProtestthat Resol ut
ionNo.8oft heNat i
onalAssembl ywasadopted
i
nt helegiti
mat eexerciseofi tsconsti
tutionalprerogati
vet oprescri
betheperi
od
 dur
ingwhichprotest
sagainstt
heel
ect
ionofitsmembersshoul
dbepr
esent
ed
andthatt
heprotestwasf
il
edoutoft
heprescr
ibedper
iod.
I
ssue:Whetherornott
heCourthasjuri
sdi
cti
ontorevi
ew ther
uli
ngsoft
he
El
ector
alCommissi
onor
gani
zedundert
he 
Nati
onal
Assembly
.
Hel d:Incasesofconf li
ctbetweensev er
aldepartment sandamongt heagenci es,
thej udiciaryist heonlyconst i
tut
ionalmechani sm dev isedt oresol vetheconf l
ict
andal locat econst it
utionalboundaries.Thej udi
cialsupr emacyi sbutt hepower
ofj udicialrev i
ew inact ualandappr opriat
ecasesandcont rov ersi
es,andi sthe
powerand dut yt o see thatno one br anch oragencyoft he gov ernment
transcendst heConst itut
ion,whichi sthesour ceofal lauthor i
ty.Thegr antof
powert ot heEl ectoralCommi ssi
ont ojudgeallcont estsr el
atingt otheel ect
ion,
returnsandqual i
fi
cati
onsofmember soft heNationalAssembl y,isint
endedt o
beascompl eteanduni mpai r
edasi fithadr emainedor iginal
lyint helegi
slatur
e.

8.Mi
randav
.Agui
rr
e
Facts:Republi
cActNo.7720conv er
tedthemuni ci
palit
yofSant i
ago,Isabelainto
ani ndependentcomponentci tywassi gnedi ntol aw.Thepeopl eofSant i
ago
rati
fi
edR. A.No.7720i napl ebisci
te.Republi
cActNo.8528wasenact ed.It
amendedR. A.No.7720,itchangedt hestatusofSant iagofrom anindependent
componentci tyt
oacomponentci ty.Pet
iti
oner,JoseMi randa,mayorofSant i
ago
assailedtheconstit
utional
ityofRA 8528duet ol ackofr ati
fi
cati
ont hr
ough
plebisci
t.Peti
ti
oner
sal socont endt hepeti
tionraisesapol i
ti
calquestionov er
whicht heCourtl
acksjuri
sdicti
on.
I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
heCour
thasj
uri
sdi
cti
ononpol
i
tical
quest
ion.
Held:Pet i
ti
oni sgr anted.Republ icActNo.8528i sdecl ar edunconst itut
ionaland
thewr itofpr ohi
bitioni sher ebyissuedcommandi ngt her espondent stodesi st
from i mplement ingsai dlaw.Thepl eathatt hecour tbackof ffrom assumi ng
j
ur i
sdict i
onov erthepet i
tionatbaront hegroundt hati ti nvol
vesapol i
ti
cal
quest i
onhast obebr ushedasi de.Thispleahasl onglosti tsappealespeci al
lyin
l
ightofSect ion1ofAr ti
cleVI I
Iofthe1987Const i
tutionwhi chdef i
nesj udicial
powerasi ncludi
ngt hedutyoft hecour t
sofj ust
icetoset tl
eact ualcont r
ov er
sies
i
nv olvingr i
ght swhi charel egall
ydemandabl eandenf orceabl e,andt odet ermine
whet herornott her ehasbeenagr aveabuseofdi scretionamount i
ngt olackor
excess ofj uri
sdiction on t he partofanybr anch ori nstrument ali
tyoft he
gov ernment .

9.LaBugal
-B’
l
aanv
.Ramos
 Facts:The pr esent peti
tion for mandamus and pr ohibi
ti
on assai l
st he
constit
utional
ityofRepubli
cActNo.7942,ot her
wi seknownast hePHI LI
PPI NE
MININGACTOF1995, alongwi t
ht heImplement i
ngRulesandRegul ati
onsi ssued
pursuantt heret
o,DepartmentofEnv i
ronmentandNat uralResources( DENR)
Admi ni
strati
ve Order96-40,and oft he Financialand TechnicalAssi stance
Agreement( FTAA)entered int
o on Mar ch 30,1995 byt heRepubl i
coft he
Phil
ippinesandWMC( Phil
ippi
nes) ,I
nc.(WMCP) ,acor por
ationorganizedunder
Phil
ippinelaws. 
I
ssue:MaytheJudi
ciaryi
nterf
erewiththedueexer
cisebyco-
equalbr
anchesof
t
hegovernmentoft
heirof
fi
cialfunct
ions
Held:No.I nLaBugal -B’LaanTr i
balAssoci at
ionvRamos,G. R.No.127882,
December1,2004,t heCour trest
rainedi t
selffrom i ntr
udingintopol icymat ter
s
toallow t hePresi dentandCongr essmaxi mum di screti
oni nusingt hemi neral
resour cesofourcount ryandi nsecur ingtheassi stanceoff oreigngr oupst o
eradi
cat et hegr indingpov ert
yofourpeopl eandanswert hei
rcr yforv iabl
e
employ mentoppor t
uni
tiesinthecount r
y.“TheJudi ci
aryisloathtoi nter
ferewi t
h
the due exer cise byco- equalbr anches oft he gov ernmentoft hei
rof fici
al
functions”.Lett hedev elopmentoft hemi ningi ndustrybet her esponsibil
ityof
thepol i
ti
calbranchesofgov ernment .Thequest i
onedpr ovi
sionsofR. A.7942
(Phil
ippineMi ni
ngActof1995)ar enotunconst i
tutional.

10.
PACUv
.Secr
etar
yofEducat
ion
Facts:Thepet i
ti
onerschal lengedar egul
at i
onofther espondentrequi
ri
ngall
pri
vatecol l
egesanduni ver
siti
estofir
stobtainapermitf r
om theDepartmentof
Educat i
onbef or
etheycoul dopenandoper ate.I
tappeared,however
,thatal
lthe
peti
tioners had previouslyobt ai
ned t
he requir
ed permitand thattheywer e
questioningtheregulationonlybecauseoft hepossi
bil
i
tythatsuchpermitmight
bedeni edthem inthef utur
e
I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
her
eisj
ust
ici
abl
econt
rov
ersyt
obeset
tl
edbyt
heCour
t?
Held:TheSupr emeCour tdeclaredt hatthecasewaspr ematur
east her
ewasno
showi ngatt hetimeofanyconf li
ctofl egalri
ghtsthatwoul dj
ust
if
yassumpt i
on
ofjurisdict
ionbyt hej udici
ary.TheCour tsaidthat“mer eappr
ehensionthatt
he
SecretaryofEducat ionmi ght,undert helaw,withdraw thepermi
tofoneoft he
peti
tioners does notconst i
tuteaj usti
ciabl
e controversy
.”A r
equestf oran
advisory opini
on i s notan act ualcase orcont rov
ersy.Butan act i
on for
declaratoryrel
iefi
spr operf orjudi
cialdeterminat
ion.

11.
Mar
ianov
.COMELEC
 Facts:JuanitoMar iano,residentofMakat ifil
edapet i
ti
onforprohi
bit
ionand
declarator
yr eli
ef,assail
ing unconstituti
onalsect i
ons in RA 7854 (“
An Act
Conv ert
ingtheMuni ci
pali
tyofMakat iIntoaHi ghlyUrbani
zedCit
ytobeknownas
theCi t
yofMakat i”)
.Peti
tionerscontendt hatthatthenewcorporat
eexist
enceof
thenew ci tywi l
lrestar
tt het er
m oft hepr esentmuni ci
palel
ecti
vemaki ngi
t
favourabletoincumbentMay orJejomarBi nay.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotRA7854i
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.

Held:Thepetit
iontodeclareR.A.No.7854( Conv erti
ngthemunicipal
it
yofMakat i
i
ntoaHi ghlyUrbanizedCity)asunconstit
utionalwasdi smi
ssed,becauseitwas
premisedonacont ingenteventsthehappeni ngofwhi chwasuncer t
ain(Binayis
notyetsureifwil
lrunorwi l
lwin);thepeti
ti
oner ,thus,posedahypotheti
calissue
whichhadnoty etri
penedintoanact ualorcontrov er
sy.

12.
Mont
escl
arosv
.COMELEC
Facts:TheLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991l i
mit
edi t
smember shiptoy out hs“at
l
east15butnomor et han21y ear
sofage.”On11Mar ch2002t heBi cameral
Commi tteeconsoli
datedSenat eBil
l2050andHouseBi l
l4456,resetti
ngt heSK
elect
iont o15July2002andl oweredthemembershipagetoatl east15butno
mor ethan18y earsofage.Thi swassignedbyt
hePr esi
denton19Mar ch2002.
Thepet i
tioner
sfil
edpr ohi
bit
ionandmandamusf ortemporar
yrest r
ainingor der
seekingthepreventi
onofpost ponementoftheSKelecti
onandr eductionofage
requir
ementon11Mar ch2002.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotJudi
cial
Rev
iewi
snescessar
y?

Held:Peti
ti
ondismissedf orutterl
ackofmer i
t.
 Apr oposedbillisnotsubjectt
o
j
udicialr
eview becausei tisnotal aw.A proposedbillcreatesnor ightand
i
mposesno dut ylegall
yenf orceablebyt heCourt.Hav i
ngno l egaleffectit
vi
olatesnoconstit
utionalri
ghtordut y.Att
het i
mepet i
ti
onersf i
ledthi
spet i
ti
on,
RANo.9164wasnoty etenactedintolaw.

13.
Atl
asv
.Fer
ti
li
zer
 Facts:Pet it
ioner,Atl
asFer t
il
izerengagedi ntheaquacul tur eindust
ryut ili
zing
fi
shpondsandpr awnf ar
ms. Assai ledSections3( b),11, 13, 16(d),17and32of
R.A.6657( Compr ehensi
v eAgrarianRef orm Law) ,aswel last hei mplement ing
guideli
nesandpr ocedurescont ainedi nAdmi ni
strati
veOr derNos.8and10
Seriesof1988i ssuedbypubl icr espondentSecr etaryoft heDepar tmentof
AgrarianRef orm asunconst i
tuti
onal .Theycont endt hatR. A.6657,byi ncluding
ther aisi
ngoff i
shandaquacul tureoper ationsincludingf ishpondsandpr awn
ponds,t reatingthem asi nthesamecl assorcl assificati
onasagr i
cultureor
farmingv i
olatestheequalpr otectionclauseoft heConst ituti
onandt herefore
void.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotRA6657i
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.

Held:Peti
tiondismissed.
 R.
A.No.7881appr ovedbyCongresson20Febr uary
1995expr essl
yst at
et hatfi
shpondsandpr awnf ar
msar e excl
uded 
fr
om t he
coverage ofCARL.I nv i
ew oft he for
egoi
ng,the quest
ion concer
ning the
constit
uti
onali
tyoftheassail
edprovi
sionshasbecomemootandacademi cwith
thepassageofR. A.No.7881.

14.
Lacsonv
.Per
ez
Facts: On01May2001, Glori
aAr royo,facedbyanangr yandviolentmobar med
withdeadl yweaponsassaul ti
ngandat tempti
ngtobr eaki
ntoMal acaang,issued
ProclamationNo.38decl ar i
ngt hattherewasast ateofrebel
l
ioni ntheNat i
onal
CapitalRegion.Shel i
kewi sei ssuedGener alOrderNo.1di rectingtheAr med
Forcesoft hePhilippi
nesandt hePhi l
ippi
neNat i
onalPoli
cet osuppr esst he
rebell
ionint heNationalCapi talRegion.On06May2001sheor deredthel i
fti
ng
ofthedecl arati
onofast ateofr ebell
ioninMetroMani l
a.Petit
ionersassailthe
declarati
onofast ateofr ebell
ionbyGl or
iaArr
oyoandt hewar rantl
essar r
ests
all
egedlyef f
ectedbyv i
rtuet hereof,ashav i
ngnobasisbothinfactaninlaw.

Issue:Whetherornott
hePr
ocl
amat
ionNo38andGener
alOr
derNo1ar
e
consti
tut
ional
.

Held: Pet
it
ionsar
edismi
ssed.
 Theinst
antpeti
ti
onshavebeenr ender
edmoot
andacademi casGl
ori
aAr
royoorder
edtheli
ft
ingofthedecl
arat
ionofastat
eof
rebel
li
onon06May2001.
15.
Sanl
akasv
.Execut
iveSecr
etar
y
Facts:Some 300 j uniorof fi
cer s ofAFP,st ormed the Oakwood i n Makat i
demandi ngfort her esignati
onoft hePr esi
dent ,SecofDef enceandChi efoft he
PNP.  Stateofr ebelli
onwasdecl aredant heAFP andPNP wer edirectedt o
suppresst her ebel
lion.Thest ateofr ebell
ionwasl i
ft
ed.Pet iti
onswer ef i
led
chal
lengingt hev ali
dityofPr oclamat ionofSt ateofRebel l
ionandcal li
ngoutof
theAFP.  Sanlakascont endthatSect ion18,Ar ticl
eVIIoft heConst it
uti
ondoes
notrequirethedecl arationofast ateofr ebel l
iontocal loutthear medf orces.
Becauseoft hecessat i
onoft heOakwoodoccupat i
on,thereexistsnosuf fi
cient
fact
ualbasi sf orthepr oclamationbyt hePr esidentofast ateofr ebell
i
onf oran
i
ndef i
nit
eper iod.Sol i
citorGener alarguest hatt hepetit
ionshav ebeenr ender ed
mootbyt helif
tingoft hedeclaration.

I
ssue:Whet
herornotdecl
ari
ngst
ateofr
ebel
l
ioni
sneededt
odecl
areGener
al
or
derNo4?

Held:Petit
ionsdi
smissed.Thest ateofr ebell
i
onhasceasedt oexistandhas
renderedthecasemoot .Nevert
heless,courtswilldeci
deaquesti
on,ot
herwi
se
moot ,
ifiti
scapabl
eofr epet
it
ionyetevadingreview.Thecaseatbari
sonesuch
case.

16.
Piment
elv
.Er
mit
a
Facts:Gl oriaAr r
oy oi ssuedappoi ntment st ovariousact ingsecr
etarieson23
August2004.TheCongr esscommencedr egul
arsessi onon26Jul y2004and
somesenat orsfil
edpet i
t i
onf orcer ti
orariandpr ohibit
ionagainstrespondents.
TheSenat orscont endedt hatpur suantt oSect i
on10( 2)BookI VofEO292t he
under secretaryshallbedesi gnatedasact ingsecretaryincaseofv acancy.Also,
peti
tioners asser tt hat whi le Congr ess isi n sessi on ther
e can be no
appoint ment s wi thout f i
rst obt ai
ning consent f r
om Commi ssi
on on
Appoi ntment s.WhenCongr essadj our nedon22Sept ember2004,Gl oriaAr
royo
i
ssuedadi nter
im appoi ntment stot hesamer espondent s.

I
ssue:Whetherornott
hePresi
dentmayappoi
nti
nanact
ingsecr
etar
ieswi
thout
t
heconsentoftheCommissi
ononAppoint
mentswhi
l
eCongressi
sinsessi
on.
 Held:Pet i
ti
on for cer
ti
or ar
iand pr ohibit
ion were di
smissed.
 Due tot he
appoint
mentofGl or
iaArr
oy otot herespondent sasadi
nter
imimmedi atel
yaf
ter
therecessoft heCongr ess,thepet it
ionhasbecomemoot .Howev erasan
exemptiontotherul
eofmoot ness,courtswilldeci
deaquest
ionotherwisemoot
i
fitiscapableofr
epeti
ti
ony etevadingrev i
ew.

17.
Joy
av.PCCG
Facts:ThePCGG Chai r
manwr ot
et oPr esidentCor azonAquinor egardi
ngthe
schedul edsal ebet weentheRepubl icoft hePhi l
ippinesandChr i
stie’
sof82Ol d
Maser sPai ntinghousedi nMet ropoli
tanMuseum ofMani laand7boxesof
anti
quesi l
verwar einthecust odyofCent r alBank.Theasset ssubjectofauct
ion
werehi st ori
calr el
icsandhadcul t
uralsigni fi
canceandt her
ebyprohibit
edbylaw.
AsFi li
pi no citizens,taxpayersand ar t
ist s,peti
tioner sDeanJoseJoy aetal
contendedt hatt heyhavel egalper sonalityt orestrainrespondentfrom act
ing
contraryt opr eser vi
ngarti
sticcreationspur suanttoSec14- 18Ar t
icleXIVofthe
Const i
tut i
on.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ioner
shav
elegal
standi
ng.

Held:Petiti
onf orpr ohibit
ionandmandamusdi smissedf orl ackofmer it.
 Legal
standingmeansaper sonalandsubst ant
ialint
erestint hecasesucht hatt he
partyhassust ainedorwi llsustai
ndirectinj
uryasar esultoft hegov ernment al
actthatisbei ngchal lenged.Whent heMar cosadmi nistr
ati
onwast oppl edand
thesai dobjectswer econf iscat
editdidnotmeant hatowner shiphaspassedt o
the gov ernment wi thout compl y
ing wi t
h const itut
ional and st atutor y
requir
ement sofduepr ocessand j ustcompensat ion.I ft hesewer eal ready
acquired,anydef ecti nt heacquisi
tion mustber aised byt het r
ueowner s.
Petit
ionersfail
edt oshowt hatt
heyaret helegalowner soft hesaidobj ectst hat
havebecomepubl i
clyowned.
18.
Aganv
.PI
ATCO
Facts:Pet i
ti
onersfi
ledinst
antpeti
ti
onsf orprohi
bit
ionseekingt oprohibi
tt he
Mani l
a Internati
onal Air
port Aut
hori
ty ( MIAA) and t he Depar tment of
Transportati
on and Communi cat
ions ( DOTC) and i ts Secr etary from
i
mpl ement i
ngt hevari
ousagreementex ecutedbyt hePhi l
i
ppineGov er
nment
throughtheDOTCandt heMIAAandt hePhi li
ppi
neInter
nationalAirTerminals
Co.,Inc.(
PIATCO)
 I
ssue:Whet
herornotpet
it
ioni
ngempl
oyeeshasl
egal
standi
ngt
orai
sev
ali
dit
yof
t
hePIATCOcontr
acts?

Held:Petit
iongr antedandcont r actsdecl arednul landv oi
d. Pet
it
ioner’
shav e
di
rectandsubst anti
alinter
esttopr otectbyr easonofthei mplementati
onoft he
PIATCOcont racts.Theystandt ol oset heirsourceoflivel
i
hood,apr opertyri
ght
whichisprotectedbyt heConstitut i
on.Subsi sti
ngagreement sbetweenMI Aand
peti
ti
oners stand to be terminat ed byt he PIATCO cont r
acts.The financial
prej
udicebr oughtaboutbyt hePI ATCO cont ractto peti
ti
onersisl egit
imate
i
nterestssuffi
ci
enttogi v
ethem legal standingtofil
ethepetit
ion.

19.
CHREmpl
oyeesAssocv
.CHR
Facts: Peti
tioner Commi ssion on Human Ri ghts Empl oyee Associ ati
on
chall
enged the CA and Ci vi
lServi
ce Commission’s decision af
firming the
upgradi
ngandr ecl
assif
icationofcert
ainper
sonnelpositi
onsi nt heCHRdespi t
e
thedisapprovalofDepar t
mentofBudgetandManagement .Theassai lthatthe
recl
assif
icati
on and upgr ading onl
ybenefi
ted selectfew i nt he upperl evel
resul
ti
ngt odemor al
izat
ionont her
ankandfi
lemember s.

I
ssue:Whet
herornotCHREAhasl
egalst
andi
ngt
ofi
l
epet
it
ionf
orr
evi
ewagai
nst
CHR?

Held:Pet i
ti
on granted.
 A properpar tyis one who has sust
ained ori sin
i
mmedi at
edangerofsust ai
ningani nj
uryasar esul
toftheactcompl ainedof
.
Peti
tionerprotest
sthattheupgr adi
ngandcol l
apsi
ngofpositi
onsbenef i
tedonl
y
aselectfewi ntheupperlevelposit
ionsi
ntheCommi ssi
on.Thi
ssuffi
cientl
ymeet
theinjur
ytest.

20.
Aut
omot
iveI
ndust
ryWor
ker
sAl
l
iancev
.Romul
o
Fact s:ExecutiveOrderNo.185dat ed10Mar ch2003pr ovi
dedsupervisionof
NLRCr evertedtotheSec.ofLaborandEmpl oyment .Peti
ti
oners,composedof
tenl aborunionsassailedtheconsti
tuti
onali
tyofEO185f orall
egedlyr
ev ertthe
set -
uppr i
ort oRA6715whi chonlyCongresscando.Sol ici
torGeneralcont end
thatpet i
tionershaveno locusstandi 
toassailthev ali
dit
yofE. O.No.185,not
ev enint heircapacit
yast axpay
ers,consideri
ngt hatlaboruni onsareexempt
from pay i
ngt axes,
citi
ngSec.30oft heTaxRef orm Actof1997.Ev enassumi ng
 thattheirindi
vidualmembers aretaxpay
ers,r
espondent
s maintai
nt hata
taxpayersuitwillnotpr
osperas E.O.No.185 does notrequi
re addi
ti
onal
appropri
ati
onforitsi
mpl
ementat
ion.

Issue:Whetherornott
hetenl
abouruni
onshav
elegalst
andi
ngt
oassai
lthe
consti
tut
ional
it
yofEO185?

Held:Petit
iondismi ssedforlackofmer i
t.
 Foraci t
izent ohavest anding,hemust
establi
shthathehassuf fer
edsomeact ualorthreatenedi nj
uryasar esultofthe
al
legedlyill
egalconductoft hegov ernment ;theinjuryi sfai
rlytraceabletot he
chall
engedact ion;andt heinjur
yi sli
kelyt ober edressedbyaf avorableacti
on.
Petit
ioners have notshown t hatt heyhav e sustained orar ei n dangerof
sustaini
nganyper sonalinj
uryattri
butablet otheenact mentofE. O.No.185.As
l
aboruni onsi tcannotbesai dthatE. O.No.185wi llprej
udicet heirri
ghtsand
i
nterests considering thatt he scope oft he aut hori
ty conferred upon t he
SecretaryofLabordoesnotext endt othepowert or evi
ew,r everse,revi
seor
modi fyt
hedeci si
onsoft heNLRCi ntheex erci
seofi tsquasi-j
udicialfuncti
ons.

21.
Tañadav
.Tuv
era

I
nv okingt hepeople'srightt obei nformedonmat tersofpubl i
cconcer n,aright
1
recogni zedinSection6, Articl
eIVoft he1973Phi li
ppineConst i
tution,
  aswellas
thepr i
nciplethatlawst obev alidandenf orceablemustbepubl i
shedi nt he
OfficialGazetteorot herwiseef fecti
velypromul gated,peti
tionersseekawr i
tof
mandamust ocompelr espondentpubl icof fi
cial
st opublish,and/ orcauset he
publ i
cationi ntheOf ficialGazet teofv ar
iouspr esident
ialdecr ees,l ett
ersof
i
nst ructions, general or ders, proclamations, execut i
ve or ders, lett
er of
i
mpl ement at
ionandadmi nistr
ati
v eorders.

Ther espondent
s,thr
oughtheSolici
torGener
al,wouldhavethi
scasedismi
ssed
outr
ightont hegroundthatpet
it
ionershavenol egalper
sonal
it
yorstandi
ngto
bri
ngt heinst
antpeti
ti
on.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ioner
shav
elegal
standi
ng
 Held:Yes.Cl
ear
ly,
therightsoughtt obeenforcedbypet it
ionershereinisapublic
ri
ghtrecogni
zedbynol esst hant hefundament allaw oftheland.Ifpetiti
oners
werenotal l
owedt oinst i
tutet hi
spr oceedi
ng,i twoul dindeedbedi ff
icultto
conceiveofanyotherper sont oinit
iat
et hesame,consi deringthattheSol i
cit
or
General,t
hegovernmentof f
icergener al
l
yempower edtor epresentthepeopl e,
hasenteredhi
sappearancef orrespondent si
nt hiscase.

22.
Chav
ezv
.PEAandAmar
i
Fact s:Thepetit
ionseekst ocompelt hePubl icEstatesAuthor i
tytodiscl
oseal l
facts on PEA’ st hen on- going renegotiati
ons with Amar iCoast alBay and
Dev elopmentCor porationt or ecl
aim portionsofMani l
aBay .PEA ar guest hat
petitionerhasnost andingt oi nsti
tute 
mandamuspr oceedi
ngst oenforcehi s
const it
uti
onalri
ghttoinf ormationwithoutashowi ngt hatPEAr efusedtoperform
anaf fi
rmati
vedutyi mposedonPEAbyt heConst i
tuti
on.PEAal soclai
mst hat
petitionerhasnotshownt hathewi l
lsufferanyconcr eteinj
ur ybecauseoft he
signing ori mplement ation oft he Amended JVA.Thus,t herei s no actual
cont rover
syrequir
ingtheexer ciseoft hepowerofj udici
alrevi
ew.

I
ssue:Whetherornotpet
it
ionerhasl
egalst
andi
ngt
ocompelPEAt
ocompl
ywi
th
i
tsconst
it
utional
duti
es?

Held:Peti
ti
ongr anted. 
Thepet i
ti
onerhasst andi
ngtobringthistaxpayer’
ssuit
becausethepet iti
onseekst ocompelPEA t ocomplywi t
hi t
sconst it
uti
onal
duti
es.Therightofci t
izenstoi nformat
iononmat ter
sofpubli
cconcer nandt he
appli
cat
ion ofa const i
tut
ionalpr ovi
sion int
ended t
oi nsuret he equit
able
dist
ri
buti
onofal ienablelandsoft hepubli
cdomai namongFi l
i
pinociti
zensar e
twoconsti
tuti
onal ri
ghtsinvolved.

23.
KMULaborCent
erv
.Gar
cia
Facts:Pet i
tion forcerti
orariwas fil
ed byl abourgroup KMU t o assai
lt he
consti
tut
ional i
tyandval
idityofcert
ainmemor anda,ci
rcular
sand/oror der
sfrom
DOTCi nrelat i
ont oi
ncreaseinpublictranspor
tati
onfares.Respondentcont
end
thatpeti
tionerhasnol egalstandi
ngt osueandt hati tiswithi
nDOTC and
LTFRB’saut horit
ytosetaf ar
erangescheme.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornorKMUhasl
egal
standi
ngt
omai
ntai
nthesui
t?
 Held:Pet it
iongrant
ed.
 Ther ul
er equir
est hatapar tymustshowaper sonalstake
i
nt heout comeoft hecaseorani njurytohi mselfthatcanber edressedbya
favorabledeci si
onsoast owar rantani nv ocati
onoft hecour t
’sjuri
sdict
ionand
tojusti
fyt heexerci
seofthecour t’
sremedi al powersinhisbehalf.KMUmember s,
whoav ailoftheuseofbuses, tr
ainsandj eepneysev er
yday,aredirectl
yaf f
ected
bythebur densomecostofar bit
raryincreasei npassengerfares.Theyar epartof
themi l
lionsofcommut er
swhocompr i
set her i
dingpubli
c.Cer t
ainl
y,theirri
ghts
mustbepr ot
ected,
notneglectednori gnored.

24.
IBPv
.Zamor
a
Facts:PresidentEjerci t
oEstradadir
ectedt heAFPChi efofStaffandPNPChi ef
tocoordinatewi theachot herforthepr operdeploymentandut il
i
zat
ionoft he
Marinest o assistt hePNP i npreventi
ngorsuppr essingcriminalorlawless
viol
ence.TheI ntegrat edBarofthePhi l
i
ppinesfil
edapet it
ionseeki
ngtodeclare
thedeploy mentoft hePhili
ppineMar i
nesnul landv oidandunconst i
tut
ional
.
Soli
cit
orGener alcont endthatpeti
ti
onerhasnol egalstandi
ngtoassail
.

I
ssue:Whet
herornotI
BPhaslegalst
andingtoassailconst
it
uti
onal
i
tyofcal
l
ing
t
heAFPtoassistPNPt
osuppr
esslawlessvi
olence,
invasi
onorrebel
l
ion?

Held:IBPpr i
mar i
lyanchor sit
sstandingoni t
sal l
egedr esponsi bi
li
tyt
oupholdthe
rul
eofl awandt heConst i
tut
ion.
 Apar tfr
om t hi
sdecl arati
ont heIBPassert
sno
otherbasisi n supportofi ts l
ocus standi
.Whi le undoubt edl
yt r
ue i
tis not
suffi
cientt
omer i
tstandi ng.Howev er,whent heissuesr ai
sedar eofparamount
i
mpor tancetot hepubl ic,theCour tmaybr ushasi det echnicali
ti
esofprocedure.
TheCour trelaxedther ulesonst andingandr esolvedthei ssuenow.

25.
Execut
iveSecr
etar
yv.CA
Facts:Republ i
cAct8042( MigrantWor ker
sandOv er
seasFi li
pinoActof1995)
tookef fecton15Jul y1995.Pr iortoitseffecti
vi
ty,AsianRecr ui t
mentCounci l
Phil
ippineCHapt rInc(ARCO-Phil)fi
ledpeti
ti
onf ordeclar
atoryrelief.Theyall
eged
thatSect i
on6,subsect ions(a)to( m)isunconst i
tuti
onalbecausel icensedand
authorized recrui
tmentagenci es ar e pl
aced on equalf ooti
ng wi thill
egal
recrui
ters.Itcont ended thatwhi l
et he LaborCode di sti
ngui shed between
recrui
terswhoar eholdersofli
censesandnon- holder
sther eofint heimpositi
on
 ofpenalt
ies,
Rep.ActNo.8042doesnotmakeanydi sti
ncti
on.Int
hei
ranswerto
thepeti
ti
on,theycontendt hatARCO-Phi
lhasnolegalstandi
ng,i
tbeinganon-
stock,
non-prof
itor
ganizat
ion;hence,
notther
ealpart
y-i
n-i
nter
estaspeti
ti
oneri
n
theacti
on.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotARCO-
Phi
lhasl
egal
standi
ngt
oassai
lRA8042?

Hel
d:Themoder nv i
ewi sthatanassoci ati
onhasst andingtocompl ai
nofi njuri
es
toi
tsmember s.Thisv i
ewf usesthel egalident
ityofanassoci ati
onwi tht hatof
i
tsmember s.Anassoci ati
onhasst andi ngtofi
lesui tfori
tsworker sdespi t
eits
l
ackofdirectinterestifit
smember sareaf fect
edbyt heacti
on.Anor ganization
hasst
andingt oasser ttheconcernsofi tsconsti
tuents.However,therespondent
hasno 
locusst andi t
of i
lethepetit
ionforandi nbehal fofunskil
l
edwor kers.We
not
ethatitevenf ail
edtoi mpleadanyunski l
ledwor kersini
tspeti
ti
on.

26.
Kil
osbay
anv
.Gui
ngona
Facts:Sometimebef oreMar ch1993, af t
erlearni
ngthatthePCSOwasi nt
erested
i
noper ati
nganon- l
inel ot
terysystem, theBer j
ayaGroupBer had(PGMC)became
i
nterestedtoofferi
t sservi
cesandr esourcest oPCSO.KI LOSBAYANsubmi tthat
thePCSOcannotv alidl
yenterintotheassai ledContractofLeasewiththePGMC
becauseitisanar rangementwher einthePCSOwoul dholdandconducttheon-
l
inelotter
ysy st
em in“ col
laborat
ion”or“ associati
on”wi t
hthePGMC,i nviol
ation
ofSection1(B)ofR. A.No.1169, asamendedbyB. P.Blg.42.Respondent
sallege
thatthepeti
ti
onershav enost andingt omai ntai
ntheinstantsui
t.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotKi
l
osbay
anhasst
andi
ngt
omai
ntai
ninst
antsui
t?

Held:Issueont he  l
ocusst andi
 ofthepet i
ti
onersshould,i
ndeed,ber esol
vedin
theirf
avor.Apar ty’
sst andi
ngbef orethisCour tisaprocedur altechni
calit
ywhich
i
tmay , i
ntheexer ciseofitsdiscreti
on, setasideinvi
ewoft hei mportanceofthe
i
ssuesr aised.Int helandmar k 
Emer gencyPower sCases, 29t hi
sCour tbrushed
asidethistechnicalit
ybecause“ thetranscendentalimportancet othepublicof
thesecasesdemandst hattheybeset tl
edpr ompt l
yanddefini t
ely,br
ushingaside,
i
fwemust ,technicali
ti
esofpr ocedure.
27.
ITFv
.COMELEC
Facts:GloriaAr r
oyoal locatedphp2. 5bi l
l
ionfundf ortheaut omatedelect
ion
system on24Januar y2003.Thebi ddi
ngpr ocesscommencedont hesame
mont handoutoft he57bi ddersitwasawar dedt oMPC andTI MC.DOST’ s
evaluati
onr eportstatest hatthetwoobt ai
nedanumberoff ail
edmar ksinthe
technicalevaluat
ion.ITFpr otestedthemat t
ertoCOMELECChai r
manBenj amin
AbalosSr .Abalosrejectedthepr ot
est,
hencethepr esentpet
it
ion.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotI
TFhasst
andi
ngt
ofi
l
ethecase?

Held:Thecaseatbari samat terofpublicconcernandi mbuedwi thpublic

i
nterest
,itis ofpar amountpubli
ci nt
erestand t ranscendentalimportance.
Taxpayersareall
owedt osuewhent her
ei sacl ai
m of“ i
ll
egaldisbursementof
publi
cfunds”orifpubli
cmoneyi
sbeing“deflectedtoanyi mproperuse,”orwhen
peti
ti
onerseektor estr
ain“
wast
ingofpubl i
cf undsthrought heenforcementof
anunconsti
tuti
onallaw.”

28.
Tol
ent
inov
.COMELEC
Facts:Gl oriaAr r
oyonomi natedSenatorTeof i
st aGui ngonaasv ice-
pr esident.
Afterconf irmati
onasVP,Resol uti
on84waspassedbyt heSenat ecal li
ngt he
COMELECt ofil
lthev acancywi t
haspeci alel ecti
ont obehel dsi mul taneously
withthe2001Mayr egul
arel ecti
on.I
talsopr ovidedt hatthecandi dategar neri
ng
the13t h 
hi ghestvotewillser v
ef ort
heunexpi redt erm ofGui ngona.Pet i
tioners,
ArturoTol enti
noandAr t
ur oMoj i
casoughttoenj oi
nCOMELECf rom pr oclaiming
thewi nner.Theycont endt hatitiswit
houtjur i
sdictionbecausei tf ail
edt onot if
y
theelect orateoft heposi ti
ont obef i
ll
edi n( speci alelecti
on)duet ot histhe
peoplev otedwi t
houtdistincti
oninoneel ect
ionf or13seat sir
respect i
veoft er
m.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotpet
it
ioner
’shav
est
andi
ngt
omai
ntai
nsui
t?

Held: Inquesti
oningt hev ali
dit
yofspeci alelect
ion,peti
tioner
sasser tharm
classi
fi
edas“ general
izedgr i
evance.” Theyfai
ledt oestabl
ishdirectinj
uryt
hey
suffer
ed fr
om t he said gov er
nment alact .Howev er,the Courtr el
axed t
he
requir
ementonst anding and exercised i
tsdiscreti
ont o giveduecour seto
voter’
ssui
tinvol
vingtherightofsuffrage.
29.Opl evTor res
Facts:
 
Thepet it
ionatbari sacommendabl eef f
ortont hepar tofSenat orBlasF.Opl eto
preventt heshr i
nki
ngoft her i
ghttopriv
acy,whi chther everedMr .JusticeBrandei
s
consideredas" t
hemostcompr ehensi
v eofrightsandt heri
ght mostvaluedbycivil
i
zed
men. " Petit
ioner Ople prayst hat we inv al
idat
e Admi nistrat
ive Order No.308
enti
tled"AdoptionofaNat i
onalComput eri
zedI dent
if
icati
onRef erenceSystem"ont wo
i
mpor t
antconst i
tut
ional
grounds,
vi
z 

:
(1)i
ti s a 
usurpation oft he powerof  
Congr ess tolegi
slat
e,and( 2)i
timper mi ssi
bly
i
ntrudesonourci t
izenry'spr ot
ectedzoneofpr ivacy.
Wegr antthepet i
ti
onf orther i
ghts
sought t o be v indicated by t he petit
ioner need st ronger bar r
iers agai nst
fur
therer
osion.A.O.No.308waspubl i
shedinf ournewspapersofgener alcirculat
ionon
January22,1997andJanuar y23,1997.On Januar y24,1997,pet
iti
onerfil
edt heinstant
peti
ti
onagai nstrespondent s,thenExecuti
veSecr et
aryRubenTor resandt heheadsof
the government agenci es,who as member s of the Inter
-Agency Coor di
nating
Commi tt
ee,arechar gedwi t
ht heimplementationofA. O.No.308.OnApr il8,1997,we
i
ssuedat empor aryr estr
ainingorderenj
oini
ngitsi mplementat
ion.

I
ssue:
WONthepet
it
ionerhast
hest
andt
oassai
lthev
ali
dit
yofA.
O.No.308

Held:
 
Yes.Petit
ionerOpl
eisadi st
inguishedmemberofourSenate.AsaSenat
or,
petit
ioneri
s
possessedoft her
equisi
testandingt obri
ngsui
trai
singt
hei ssuet
hatt
heissuanceof
A.O.No.308isausurpati
onofl egisl
ati
vepower
.

Rati
onale:
Asisusuali nconsti
tut
ionall
it
igat
ion,respondent
sraisethet hreshol
dissuesr
elati
ngto
thestandingt osueoft hepetit
ionerandt hejust
iciabi
li
tyoft hecaseatbar .More
specif
ical
l
y ,r
espondentsaverthatpeti
tionerhasnolegalinteresttouphol
dandt hatt
he
i
mpl ementingrul
esofA. O.No.308hav eyettobepromul gated. 
Thesesubmissionsdo
notdeserveoursy mpatheti
cear.

As t axpayerand memberoft he Gov ernmentSer v

ice I nsur
ance Sy stem ( GSIS),
peti
tionercanal soi mpugnt hel egalit
yoft hemi sali
gnmentofpubl icfundsandt he
misuseofGSI Sf undstoimpl ementA. O.No.308.  
Ther ipenessf oradjudicati
onoft he
Peti
tionatbari snotaf f
ectedbyt hefactthatthei mplement ingrulesofA. O.No.308
havey ettobepr omulgated.Petit
ionerOpleassailsA.O.No.308asi nval
idperseandas
i
nfir
medoni tsface.Hisact i
oni snotpr emat ur
ef orther ulesy ettobepr omul gat
ed
cannotcur eitsfataldefects.Mor eover,t
her espondentst hemsel v
eshav estartedthe
i
mpl ement ati
onofA. O.No.308wi thoutwaiti
ngf orther ules.Asear lyas Januar y19,
1997, respondentSocialSecurit
ySy stem (
SSS)causedt hepubl i
cati
onofanot icet obi
d
fort hemanuf actureoft heNat ionalIdenti
fi
cation( I
D)car d.RespondentExecutive
Secr etaryTorr
eshaspubl iclyannouncedt hatrepresentat
ivesfrom theGSI Sandt he
SSShav ecompl etedthegui deli
nesf orthenat i
onali dent
if
icati
onsy stem.Allsi
gnals
from t herespondent sshow t heirunswer v
ingwi llt
oi mplementA. O.No.308andwe
neednotwai tfort hefor
mal it
yoft herul
est opassj udgmentoni tsconstit
uti
onal
it
y.In
thisl i
ght,thedi ssenter
’si nsi
stencet hatwet ightent heruleonst andi
ngisnota
commendabl est anceasi tsr esultwouldbet ot hrott
leani mpor t
antconstit
uti
onal
principleandaf undamental ri
ght.

30.Peopl
evsVer
a
GRNo4568516November
 1937

Facts:
MarianoCuUnj i
engisoneoft hedefendantsi nacr iminalcasewher ehewasconv i
cted.
CuUnj iengappeal edupt ot heSupr emeCour tbutwasdeni ed.On27Nov ember1936he
fi
ledf anappl icati
onf orpr obati
onundert hepr ov isi
onsofAct4221oft hedef unct
Phil
ippineLegi slat
ure.CuUnj iengstatesinhi spet i
tiont hathei sinnocentoft hecr i
me
ofwhi chhewasconv i
ct ed,thathehasnocr iminalr ecor dandt hathewoul dobser ve
goodconducti nt hefut ure.TheCFIofMani l
adeni edt hepet i
ti
onon18June1937.
Thereaf t
er,thesev enthbr anchof  CFIofMani l
a,sett hepet it
ionforhear ingon5Apr i
l
1937.The Fi scaloft he Ci tyofMani l
a and t he pr iv ate prosecut i
on also filed an
oppositionon5Apr il1937t hatAct4221,assumi ngt hati thasnotbeenr epealedby
secti
on 2 ofAr ti
cleXV oft heConst it
uti
on,i snev er thelessv iolati
veofsect ion 1,
subsect i
on( 1),Arti
cleIIIoft heConstituti
onguar anteei ngequalpr otecti
onoft hel aws
forther easont hatitsappl icabil
it
yisnotuni f
ormt hroughoutt heIslandsandbecause
secti
on11oft hesai dActendowst hepr ovincialboar dswi ththepowert omakesai d
l
awef fectiveorot herwisei ntheirr
espectiveorot herwi sei nt heirr
espect i
vepr ovinces

I
ssue: 
Whethert
hePeopl
eoft hePhil
i
ppi
nes,t
hroughtheSol
i
cit
orGener
alandFi
scaloft
he
Ci
tyofManil
a,i
saproperpar
tyi
npr
esentcase.

Held: 
ThePeopl eoft hePhi l
i
ppi nes,r
epr esentedbyt heSol icit
or -
GeneralandtheFiscaloft he
CityofMani la,isapr operpar tyi nthepr esentpr oceedi ngs.Theunchallengedr ulei s
thatt heper sonwho i mpugnst hev alidi
tyofast atutemusthav eaper sonaland
subst anti
alinteresti
nt hecase.IfAct4221r eallyviolatest heconsti
tut
ion,thePeopl eof
thePhi li
ppines,inwhosenamet hepr esentact ionisbr ought ,hasasubstantialinterest
i
n hav i
ng itsetasi de.Ofgr eat erimpor tt han t he damage caused byt he il
legal
expendi t
ureofpubl i
cfundsi st
hemor t
alwoundi nfli
ctedupont hefundament allawby
theenf orcementofani nval
idst atut
e.Hence,t hewel l
-settl
edrulethatthest atecan
challengethev al
idi
tyofi t
sownl aws.
Adv erti
sement s
31.Est
radav
sSandi
ganbayan
GRNo14856019Nov ember 
2001

Fact s:
 
On4Apr il2001,anInformationforplunderwasf il
edagainstf or
merPr esi
dentJoseph
Ejercit
oEst r
ada.Petit
ionerJosephEj ercitoEstrada,thehi ghest
-ranki
ngof f
icialtobe
prosecutedunderRA7080( AnActDef iningandPenal i
zingt heCr i
meofPl under),as
amendedbyRA7659,  assai
ledthesaidl aw f
orbei ngunconst i
tuti
onal.
  
Hecont ends
that( a)i
tsuf f
ersfrom t hev i
ceofv agueness;( b)itdispenseswi ththe“ r
easonabl e
doubt ”st
andardincriminalprosecut
ions; and,
(c)itaboli
shest heelementofmensr ea 
in
crimesalreadypunishableunder TheRevi
  sedPenalCode,  allofwhicharev i
olati
onsof
fundament alri
ghtofduepr ocess.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
hecr
imeofpl
underi
sunconst
it
uti
onal
forbei
ngv
ague?

Hel d: 
Thet esti ndet ermini ngwhet heracr iminalst atutei sv oidf oruncer taint yiswhet hert he
l
anguageconv eysasuf f
icient l
ydef i
nitewar ningast ot hepr oscr ibedconductwhen
measur edbycommonunder st
andi ngandpr actice. The“ vagueness”doct rinemer ely
requi resar easonabl edegr eeofcer t
aintyf orthest atutet obeuphel d–notabsol ute
preci sionormat hemat icalexact i
tude.Af acialchal l
engei sallowedt obemadet oa
vaguest atuteandt oonewhi chi sov erbroadbecauseofpossi ble“ chill
ingef f
ect ”upon
prot ectedspeech.   Thet heor yi sthat“ [w]henst atutesr egulateorpr oscr ibespeechand
no r eadi lyappar entconst ruct i
onsuggest si tselfasav ehiclef orr ehabil
itati
ng t he
statut esi nasi nglepr osecut ion,thet ranscendentv aluet oal lsoci etyofconst ituti
onal l
y
prot ectedexpr essioni sdeemedt ojust i
fyal l
owingat tacksonov erlybr oadst atuteswi th
nor equi r
ementt hatt heper sonmaki ngt heat tackdemonst ratet hathi sownconduct
coul dnotber egulat edbyast atutedr awnwi thnar rowspeci f
icit
y.” 
Thepossi blehar mt o
soci etyi nper mitti
ngsomeunpr otectedspeecht ogounpuni shedi sout weighedbyt he
possi bilit
yt hatt he pr otected speech ofot hers may be det erred and per ceived
griev ancesl efttof est erbecauseofpossi bleinhibitoryef fectsofov erlybr oadst atutes.
Adv er ti
sement s

32.Umal
iVsGui
ngona
GRNo13112429March 
1999
Facts: 
OsmundoUmal iwasappoi ntedRegi onalDi rectoroft heBureauofI nternalRev enue.
Howev er,aconf identialmemor andum agai nsthi m wassentt oPresidentRamosand
thus f orwarded t o Pr esidenti
alCommi ssi on on Ant i-
Graft and Cor ruption f or
i
nv esti
gat i
on.Umal icompl i
edwi ththepleadi ngsandhear ingssetbyPCAGC.Umal iand
hislawy erdidnotr aiseclarfi
catoryquest i
onsdur ingthehear i
ng.PCAGCf oudpr ima
facieev i
dencetosuppor tthechar gesandPr esidentRamosi ssuedAO152di smi ssi
ng
Umal i
.Heappeal edt otheOf fi
ceoft hePr esidentbutwasdeni ed.Heel evatedi ttoRTC
all
egingt hathewasnotaccor dedduepr ocessanddepr i
vedofsecur ityoft enure.
Petiti
onf orCert
iorariwasdeni ed.CAr eversedt hedecisi
onandwasel ev at
edt oSC.One
ofUmal i
r ai
sedthei ssueoft heconstitut
ionalityofPCAGCasagov ernmentagency .

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
hecont
ent
ionofUmal
iwasr
aisedatt
heear
li
estoppor
tuni
ty?

Held:
 
I
nl i
euoft hesuperveningeventsAO152wasl i
fted.Regardingtheconsti
tut
ional
i
tyof
PCAGC, itwasonlyposedbypet i
tioneri
nhismoti
onf orr
econsiderat
ionbef
oretheRTC.
I
twascer t
ainl
ytoolatetoraisethesaidissuef
orthef i
rstti
meatsuchal atestageof
theproceedings.

33.Ar
cet
avsMangrobang
GRNo15289515June 2004

Facts:
 
On16Sept ember1998,Ofel
iaAr cetaissuedacheckt oOscarCastropay abl
et ocash
fortheamountofPhp740kev enwi thfullknowl edgethattheaccounthasnosuf fi
cient
fundforthesai damount.Thecheckwassubsequent l
ydishonour
edbyt hebank.The
CityProsecutorofMet r
o Mani lachar gedAr cetaofv iol
ati
ngBP Blg22( Bounci ng
ChecksLaw) .Shedidnotmov edf orthechar get obedismissedandpleadednotgui lty
.
She t hen petiti
oned for certi
orari, prohibiti
on and mandamus assai l
ing t he
consti
tuti
onali
tyofBPBlg22ci t
ingtheLozanodoct r
ine.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
heconst
it
uti
onal
i
tyofBPBl
g22i
sthel
i
smot
aoft
hecase?

Held:
 
Peti
ti
ondi smi
ssedforutt
erl
ackofmerit
.Ever
ylawhasi
nit
sf avourt
hepresumpti
onof
consti
tut
ional
i
ty.Tojust
if
yit
snul
li
fi
cat
ionther
emustbeaclearandunequiv
ocalbr
each
oftheconsti
tuti
onandnotonethati
sspecul
ati
ve,doubt
fulorar
gumentat
ive.Peti
tioner
fai
ledt
oshowt hatBPBl
g22byi t
sel
forbyimplementat
iontr
ansgr
essedapr ovi
sionof
theConsti
tut
ion.
34.MaciasvsCOMELEC
GRNo1868414Sept ember 
1961

Facts:
 
Pet i
tionerLamber toMaciasrequest sfortheprev enti
onofi mpl
ementingAct3040t hat
appor ti
onsr epresentat
ivedi
stri
ctsi nt hecount ryont hegroundthatitapporti
oned
distr
icts withoutr egardtot he numberofi nhabitants ofthe severalprov
inces.
RespondentCOMELECcont endt hattheyar emer elycomplyingwit
hthestatut
eandt hat
thecensussubmi tt
edonNov ember1960t hatbecamet hebasisoft hebil
lalt
hough
“prel
iminary”shouldbeconsidered“ off
icialf
orallpurposes.”

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotAct3040wasconst
it
uti
onal
?

Held:
 
Act3040declaredv oi
dasitinf ri
ngest
heConstit
ution.TheConsti
tuti
ondirectst
hatthe
120 member s oft he House ofRepr esent
atives shal
lbe apporti
oned among t he
provi
ncesasnear l
yasmaybeaccor di
ngtothememberoft hei
rrespect
iveinhabi
tants.
Act3040v i
olat
edt hisprovisionwheni tgaveCebu,Mani l
a,Pangasinanet cmor e
member sthanRi zal,Cot
abat o,etcwithabi ggerpopulati
on.Suchdi spropor
ti
onof
repr
esentat
ionclearl
yviol
atest heConst
it
uti
onalprovisi
on.

35.Tanv
sCOMELEC
GRNo7315511Jul
y 
1986

Facts:
 
BatasPambansaBi l
ang885wasenact edcreati
nganew pr ovincei ntheIslandof
Negrostobeknownast hepr ovi
nceofNegr osdelNor te,whicht ookeffecton03
December1985.Pat ri
cio Tan fi
l
ed acasef orpr ohibi
ti
on to stop COMELEC f rom
conducti
ngapl ebi
scit
eandi mplementi
ngthesame.Duet oChri
stmashol i
day ,t
hiswas
notacteduponandt heplebisci
tewasheldandr at
ifi
edonlytoi
nhabi t
antsofNegr osdel
Norteexcludi
ngt herestofNegr osOccident
alpr ovi
nce.Peti
ti
onermov etost opt he
i
mpl ementati
onofthesaidlaw.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
hecr
eat
ionoft
henewpr
ovi
nce,
Negr
osdel
Nor
tewasconst
it
uti
onal
?

Hel
d:  
No.BPBi l
ang885declaredunconsti
tut
ional.Thepr ocl
amationoft henew pr
ovince
NegrosdelNor teandtheappoi nt
mentofi tsoffi
cialsweredecl arednullandv oid.
PursuanttoArt
icl
e11Sect i
on3,itsii
mperativet
oobt ainapprov
alofmaj ori
tyofvotes
i
napl ebi
sci
tei
nt heuni
tsaffect
edwhenev eraprovi
ncei screated,divi
dedormer ged
and ther
ei s subst
ant
ialal
ter
ati
on oft he boundari
es.The boundar
y ofNegros
Occident
alwouldbealt
eredbythedivi
sionofitsexi
ti
ngboundar
iestocreat
ethenew
provi
nce.Ther
ei sno wayt oreconci
lein holdi
ng aplebi
sci
tethatelimi
nat
esthe
part
ici
pati
onofthetwocomponentpol
it
icaluni
ts.

36.Vet
eransFeder
ati
onPartyv
sCOMELEC
GRNo13678106Oct ober
 2000

Facts:
 
Undert heparty-li
stsy stem,av oterelect
s,apar
tfrom t
hedi st
rictr
epresent
ati
ve,a
regi
steredpar t
y,or ganizati
onorcoalit
ionthatwil
lbeenti
tl
edt oamaxi mum oft hr
ee
party-
li
strepresentativesintheHouseofRepr esent
ati
vesdependingonitsobtai
ninga
requir
edper centageoft henati
onalvot
e.RA7941pr ovi
desforthemannerofselecti
on
fortheparty-l
i
str epresentat
ives.

I
ssue:
 
Whetherornotther espondentpart
y-l
i
stsareenti
tl
edtoaar
ty-
li
stseatdespi
tet
hei
r
f
ail
uretogetatl
east2%oft henati
onalvot
eintheel
ecti
on?

Held:
 
Peti
ti
on par
ti
ally gr
anted.14 sitt
ing party
-l
istrepr
esent
atives were aff
ir
med.The
COMELECgr avelyabuseditsdiscret
ioninruli
ngthe38par t
iesentit
ledtoaparty -
li
st
seat as i
tv iol
ated RA 7941 r equi
rements of 2% threshold and propor
tional
repr
esent
ati
on.Thei mposit
ionofthresholdensur
esthatonlyparti
eshav i
ngsuff
icient
numberofconsti
tuentsdeserv
ingrepresent
ati
onareactual
l
yrepresentedinCongr
ess.

37.BagongBay
aniOFW LaborPar
tyv
sCOMELEC
GRNo14758926June 2001

Facts: 
Peti
tionerschallengeOmni busResol ut
ionNo3785i ssuedbyCOMELECt hatappr oved
thepar ti
cipat
ion of154 or ganizationsand par ti
esi nt he2001 par ty
-l
istel ecti
ons.
Peti
tionerscontendt hattheparty-l
istsy stem wasi ntendedtobenefitthemar ginali
zed
andunder represented.Thei ncl
usionoft hepoli
ticalparti
esi sobj
ectionable.Sol i
cit
or
Gener alar
guedt hatRA7941al lowpol iticalpart
iestopar ti
cipat
east hisisopent oall
regi
sterednational,regionalandsect oral part
iesororganizati
on.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornotpol
i
tical
par
ti
esmaypar
ti
cipat
eint
hepar
ty-
li
stel
ect
ions?

Held: 
Peti
tiondismissed.PursuanttoRA7941,r espondent
smaynotbedi squal
i
fiedfr
om
part
icipat
ingonthegroundt hatt
heyarepoli
ti
calpar
ti
es.TheConst
it
uti
onalsoprovi
des
thatmember soft heHouseofRepr esent
ati
vesmay“ beelect
edthroughapar t
y-l
ist
sy
stem ofr
egi
ster
ednat
ional
,regi
onal
andsect
oral
par
ti
esoror
gani
zat
ions.
”

38.Aqui
nov
sCOMELEC
GRNo12026518Sept
ember
 1995

Facts:
 
Agapit
oAquinof il
edhi scerti
ficateofcandidacyf orthenew 2nd 
dist
ri
ctofMakat i
stat
ing t
hathehasbeenr esiding t
heref
ort enmont hs.Whenhiscandi dacywas
opposedhef i
l
edanot hercerti
ficat
eofcandidacyst atingthathehasbeenr esidingin
Makatiformoret hanay earbyv i
rt
ueofacont ractofl ease.COMELEC dismi ssed
peti
ti
onf orAquino’
sdi squal
if
icati
onand gar nered maj or
it
yv ot
eon1995 el ecti
on.
MateoBedonf i
ledforsuspensionofhi spr
oclamat ion.COMELECdeci dedinfav ourof
Bedonhencethepetit
ionforcertior
ari
.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotAqui
nof
ail
edt
heconst
it
uti
onal
resi
dencyr
equi
rement
?

Held:
 
Petit
iondi smissed,COMELECdeci si
onaf f
irmed.Inorderf
orAquinotoqualif
yhemust
provet hathehasest abl
ishednotjustresidencebutdomi ci
leofchoice.Clear
ly,t
he
pl
ace“ whereapar tyact ual
lyorconstr
uct i
velyhashi spermanenthome”wher ehe
event
ual l
yintendstoretur
nandr emain–hi sdomicil
e–i swhattheConsti
tuti
onspeaks
ofresidencef orpurposesofelecti
onlaw.Pr opert
yowner shi
pisnotani ndi
ciaofthe
ri
ghttov oteortobev otedupon.

39.Mar
cosvsCOMELEC
GRNo11997618Sept
ember
 1995

Fact
s: 
Imel
daMar cosfil
edhercer t
if
icat
eofcandi dacyforthe1st di
str
ictofLeytestat
ingthat
shehasbeenr esi
dingt her
ef orsevenmont hs.Incumbent ,Cir
il
oMont ej
ofiledfor
moti
on fordisqualif
icat
ion ofMar cos forf ai
li
ng t he requi
red resi
dency.Mar cos
amended hercer t
ifi
cate ofcandidacytor esi
ding int he di
stri
ctsince chi
ldhood.
COMELECdeci dedinf av
ourofMont ejo.Marcosr eceivedthehighestnumberofv otes
andherprocl
amat i
onwassuspended, hencet hepetit
ion.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotMar
cosf
ail
edt
heconst
it
uti
onal
resi
dencyr
equi
rement
?

Held:
 
No.COMELECr esolut
ionwassetasi deanddi
rect
edtoproclai
m Marcosasdul
yel
ected
st
repr
esent
ati
veoft he1   di
str
ictofLeyt
e.Theessenti
aldisti
nct
ionbet
weenresi
dence
anddomicil
einlawi sthatresidencei
nvol
vestheint
enttoleavewhenthepur
posefor
whichther esi
denthastakenhisabodeends.I
faper son’
sint
entbet oremain,i
t
becomeshisdomi ci
l
e;i
fhi
sintenti
stol
eav
ethenassoonashispurposei
sestabl
i
shed
i
tisresi
dence.

40.Tor
aynov
sCOMELEC
GRNo13732909August
 2000

Fact s: 
Vicent eEmanowaspr ovinci
algover
norofMi samisOr ient
alforthreetermsunt i
l1995
electionandhi scerti
fi
cateofcandidacyshowedt hathisresidencewasi nTagoloan,
Mi sami sOriental.On14June1997, whil
est i
llgovernorheexecut edav oterregi
str
ati
on
recor dinCagay andeOr oCi t
ywhichi sgeogr aphicall
ylocatedi nMi samisOr i
ental,
claiming20y earsofresidence.Hefi
ledcandi dacyformay orinthesaidci t
yandst ated
thathi sresidencef ortheprecedi
ngt woy earsandf i
vemont hswasi nt hesameci ty
.
Rogel ioTor aynoSrf i
ledpet i
ti
onfordisqualifi
cati
onofEmanof of ai
l
ingt omeett he
residencyr equirement.Emanowont hemay oralpostandpr oclai
medwi nner.Toray
no
fi
ledf orannulmentofel ecti
onofEmano.COMELECuphel ditsdecisi
on.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotEmanof
ail
edt
heconst
it
uti
onal
resi
dencyr
equi
rement
?

Hel d: 
No.Pet i
tiondismissed,COMELECr esol
utionaf fi
rmed.Emanowast heov erwhelming
choi ceoft hepeopleofCagay andeOro.Thecour tfinditapttorei
terat
et hepr i
nciple
thatt hemani festwi
llofthepeopl
easexpr essedt hr
ought heball
otbegi venthef ul
l
est
effect.Emanowasact ual
lyandphysi
call
yr esi
dinginCDOwhi l
edischarginghi sduties
asgov ernorandev enpai dhiscommunityt axcer t
if
icateinthesame.Ther esi
dency
requi r
ementi ntendstopr eventt
hepossi bil
it
yofa“ st
rangerunacquaintedwi ththe
condi ti
onsandneedsoft hecommuni t
yf rom seeinganel ecti
veofficet oservethat
communi ty.”

41.Sant
iagov
sGui
ngona
GRNo13457718November
 1998

Fact
s: 
TheSenateconv eningon27Jul y1998,SenatorMarcel
oFernanandFr anci
scoTatad
werenominatedf orpresident.Fernanwonbyav ot
eof20t o2anddeclaredPresi
dent
ofSenate.SenatorOpl ewaspr esidentprot
empor eandSenatorDri
lonasmaj orit
y
l
eaderwerelikewi seelected.Senat orTatadmanif
estedthathewil
lassumemi norit
y
l
eader
.Thiswascontest
edbySenat orFl
avierst
ati
ngt hattheirpart
ybei
ngt
hemi nor
it
y
gr
oupwi l
ldeter
minetheholderoft hesaidpost.Ther eaft
er,theyvot
edforSenat
or
Gui
ngona.Hencethepet
it
ionforquowarrantobyTatad.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
her
ewasanact
ualv
iol
ati
onoft
heconst
it
uti
oni
ntheel
ect
ionofSenat
e
of
fi
cers?

Held:
 
Peti
ti
ondi smissed.Theter
m“ major
it
y”simplemeans“ t
henumbergr eat
erthanhal
for
moret han halfofanyt otal
.
”The plain and unambiguous wor
ds ofthe subj
ect
consti
tut
ionalclausemeant hattheSenatePresidentmustobtai
nthev ot
esofmor e
thanonehalfofalltheSenat
ors.

42.Avel
inovs.Cuenco
G.R.No.L-
2821,March4,
1949

Facts:
Thepet i
ti
oners,SenatorJoseAv eli
no, i
naquowar rant
opr oceeding,askedt hecour
tto
declarehimther i
ghtful Senat
ePr esidentandoustt herespondent ,Mari
anoCuenco.I na
sessionoft heSenat e,Tanada’sr equestt odeliveraspeechi nor dert oformul
ate
chargesagainstthenSenat ePresidentAv eli
nowasappr oved.Wi ththeleadershi
pofthe
SenatePr esi
dentfoll
owedbyhi ssuppor ter
s,theydeli
beratelytr
iedtodel ayandprev
ent
Tanadaf r
om del i
veri
nghi sspeech.TheSP wi t
hhi ssuppor ter
sempl oyeddelayi
ng
tact
ics,thetri
edt oadj ournthesessi ont henwalkedout .Onl y12Senat orswerelef
tin
thehall.Themember soft hesenat eleftconti
nuedthesessi onandSenat orCuencowas
appointedast heActingPr esi
dentoft heSenateandwasr ecognizedthenextdaybyt he
PresidentofthePhili
ppi nes.

Issues:
1.Whetherornotthecourthasj
uri
sdi
cti
onofthecase.
2.WhetherornotResolut
ions67&68wasv al
i
dlyapproved.

Held:
1.TheCour thasnoj uri
sdictionoft hecasebecauset hesubj ectmat terispol
it
icalin
natureandi ndoi ngso, thecour twi l
lbeagai nstthedoctri
neofsepar at
ionofpowers.To
thefirstquest i
on,theansweri si nthenegat ive,i
nv i
ewoft hesepar ati
onofpower s,the
polit
icalnatureoft hecont rover sy( Alejandrinov s.Quezon, 46Phi l
.83;Veravs.Aveli
no,
77Phi l.192;Mabanagv s.LopezVi to,78Phi l
.1)andt heconst it
uti
onalgranttot he
Senat eoft hepowert oel ecti tsownpr esident,whichpowershoul dnotbei nt
erfered
with,nort akenov er,byt hej udi ciar
y .Wer efusedt otakecogni zanceoft heVeracase
eveni ft her i
ghtsoft heel ect orsoft hesuspendedsenat or
swer eal l
egedaffected
withoutanyi mmedi ater emedy .Af orti
or iweshoul dabst aini
nt hi
scasebecauset he
selectionoft hepresidingof fi
ceraf fectonl yt heSenatorsthemsel veswhoar eatli
ber t
y
atanyt i
met ochooset heirofficer s,changeorr einst
atethem.Any way,if
,asthepetit
ion
musti
mplyt
obeacceptabl
e,t
hemajor
it
yoft
heSenatorswantpet
iti
onert
opr
esi
de,
his
r
emedyli
esi
ntheSenat
eSessionHal
l—noti
ntheSupremeCourt.

2.Itwashel dt hatt hereisaquor um t hat12bei ngt hemaj orityof23.I nf i

ne,al lthefour
j
usticeagr eet hatt heCour tbeingconf ront
edwi tht hepract icalsi tuationt hatoft he
twentyt hreesenat orswhomaypar tici
patei nt heSenat edel iberationsi nt heday s
i
mmedi atelyaf t
ert hisdeci si
on,twel vesenat orswi llsuppor tSenat orCuencoand,at
most ,elevenwi llsidewi thSenatorAv eli
no,itwoul dbemosti nj udicioust odecl arethe
l
atterast her ightfulPr esi
dentoft heSenat e,thatof fi
cebei ngessent i
all
yonet hat
dependsexcl usivel
yupont hewi l
loft hemaj or i
tyoft hesenat or s, t
her uleoft heSenat e
aboutt enureoft hePr esidentoft hatbodybei ngamenabl eatanyt i
mebyt hatmaj or
ity
.
Andatanysessi onher eaft
erhel dwi ththirt
eenormor esenat or s,inor dert oav oi
dall
controversyar isingf r
om t hedi vergenceofopi nionher eaboutquor um andf orthe
benefitofal lconcer ned,thesaidt welv esenatorswhoappr ov edt her esolutionsher ein
i
nvolvedcoul dr atif
yalltheiractsandt herebyplacet hem bey ondt heshadowofadoubt .

43.Pacet
evsTheSecret
aryofCommi
ssi
ononAppoi
ntment
s
GRNo2589523Jul y 
1971

Facts: 
Fel
icianoPacet ewasappoi ntedbythePresidentasmuni ci
paljudgeofPi gcawayan,
Cotabato.Heassumedof f
iceon11Sept ember1964.Hi sappoi ntmentwasmade
duri
ngr ecessofCongr essandwasonl ysubmi tt
edtoCOAi n1965sessi onandwas
unanimousl yconfi
rmedon20May1965.On07Febr uary1966t heSecret
aryofJustice
advisedhi mt ovacatehispostont hegroundt hathi
sappoi ntmentwasby -
passed.
Pacetecl ari
fi
edthematterwithCommissi
ononAppoi ntments.COAt ooknoact i
onand
theSecr etaryofJusti
cestillmovedtoPacet et ovacat
ehi spostandwi thhel
dhi s
sal
ar i
es.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornotamot
ionf
orconsi
der
ati
onwi
thCOAwi
thoutbei
ngact
edoni
sanew
one?

Held: 
Peti
ti
ongr anted.Theconst i
tut
ionalrequi
rementisclear;
ther
emustbeei t
herar ej
ecti
on
byCOAornonact i
ononi tspart.Pacete’sconfi
rmationbecamef inalandi r
revocabl
e
upont headj ournmentoft heFi f
thCongr essasnor uleoft heCommi ssionast oa
motion forr econsi
derati
on coul d havet he f
orece and ef f
ectofdef eati
ng the
consti
tut
ionalpr ovi
sionthatanadi nter
im appoi
ntmentiseffecti
veunti
ldisapprovedby
COAorunt ilnextadjournmentoft heCongress.

44.Ar
roy
ovsDeVeneci
a
GRNo12725514August
 1997
Facts:
 
RA8240whi chamendscer tai
npr ovi
sionsoft heNationalI nternalRevenueCodeby
i
mposi ngso-call
ed”si
ntaxes”ont hemanuf actureandsal eofbeerandci garett
eswer e
chal
lengedbyRepr esent
ati
v eJokerAr r
oy o.Thebi cameralcommi t
teeaftersubmitt
ing
i
tsr eporttot heHouse,t hechai rman oft hecommi t
teepr oceeded to del
iverhis
sponsorshi
pspeechandwasi nter
pell
ated.Ar royoalsointerruptedt omov etoadjourn
forl
ackofquor um.Hismot ionwasdef eatedandputt oav ot
e.Thei nter
pell
ati
onoft he
sponsorproceededandthebi ll
wasappr ov edoni t
sthir
dr eading.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotAr
roy
oshoul
dhav
ebeenhear
dforhi
scal
ltoadj
our
nforl
ackofquor
um?

Held: 
Petit
ion dismissed.Itis unwarranted invasi
on oft he prerogati
ve ofa coequal
depar t
mentoft heCour teit
hertosetasi deal egislat
iveactionasv oidbecausethe
Courtt hi
nkstheHousehasdi sr
egardedi t
sownr ulesofpr ocedureortoallow t
hose
defeated inthepol i
ti
calarena to seeka r ematch int hejudicialfor
um when the
peti
tionerscanfindt
heirremedyintheirowndepartment .

45.Al
ejandr
inov
sQuezonGRNo2204111Sept
ember
 1924

Facts: 
SenatorJose Alejandri
no was decl
ared gui
l
ty ofdisorderl
y conductand flagr
ant
viol
ationofthepr i
vil
egesoftheSenat eforhavi
ngt r
eacherousl
yassaul t
edSenator
VicentedeVera.Hewasdepr i
vedofhi sprer
ogati
ves,pri
vil
egesandemol umentsof
being a senator
.He f il
ed mandamus and inj
uncti
on againstr espondentSenate
PresidentManuelQuezonf r
om executi
ngthesaidresoluti
onandt odeclarethesaid
resol
ut i
onnul
landv oi
d.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
her
esol
uti
ondi
sci
pli
ningAl
ejandr
inoi
snul
landv
oid?

Held: 
Peti
tiondi smissed.NeitherthePhili
ppineLegislat
urenorabranchthereofcanbe
di
rectlycontrol
ledintheexerci
seoftheirlegi
slat
ivepower
sbyanyj
udi
cialprocess.The
courtlacksjuri
sdict
iontoconsidert
hepet i
ti
on.

46.OsmeñaJrv
sPendat
unGRNo1714428Oct
ober
 1960

Fact
s:
 
CongressmanSer
gioOsmeñaJrdur
inghi
spr
ivi
l
egespeechmadechar
gesagai
nstt
he
Of fi
ceoft hePr esi
dent .HouseResoluti
on59cr eat
edaSpeci alCommi tteeheadedby
Congr essmanSal i
padaPendat un.Thecommi t
teerequir
ed him to substantiat
ehis
allegat i
onsagainstPresidentGarci
aandi fhefai
ledtodosohemustshowcausewhy
theHouseshoul dnotpuni shhim.Osmeñaf i
ledpeti
ti
onfordeclar
ator
yr eli
ef,cert
ior
ari
and pr ohi
bit
ion wit
h pr el
iminar
yi nj
unct
ion.He contended t
hatt he saidr esol
uti
on
violatedhisparli
ament aryimmunity.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotHR59v
iol
atedOsmeña’
spar
li
ament
aryi
mmuni
ty?

Hel d: 
Pet i
tion dismissed.Par li
ament aryimmuni t
y guarantees t he l
egi
slati
ve complete
freedom ofexpr essionwithoutfearofbeingmader esponsibleincr
iminalorcivi
lact
ion
befor eanycour tout si
deCongr essionalHall
.Howev er,i
tdoesnotpr otecthimf r
om
responsi bil
i
tybeforethelegisl
ati
v ebodywheneverhiswor dsorconductar econsi
dered
byt hel att
erdisorderl
yorunbecomi ng.Forunparli
ament aryconduct,member sof
Congr esscanbecensur ed,commi t
tedtopri
son,suspendedorexpel l
edbyt hevotesof
theircol l
eagues.

47.Santi
agovSandi
ganbayan
G.R.No.128055,
Apr
il18,200

PowerofSandiganbay
an to suspend members ofCongress vi
s-a-
vis Congr
ess'
pr
erogat
ivet
odi
scipl
i
neitsownmember s:
thef
ormerisnotpuni
ti
ve,
thelatt
eris

Facts:
Agr oupofempl oyeesoft heCommi ssi
onofI mmi gr
ationandDepor tat
ion(CI
D)f i
l
eda
compl aintforviolati
on ofAnt i
-Gr
aftand Cor r
uptPr acti
ces Actagai nstthen CID
Commi ssi
onerMi r
iam Defensor-
Santi
ago.Itwasal legedt hatpet i
ti
oner,wit
hev i
dent
badf aithandmani festpart
ial
i
tyintheexerci
seofherof f
icialfuncti
ons,approvedthe
appli
cat i
onforl
egal i
zati
onofthestayofseveraldi
squalifi
edal iens.TheSandiganbayan
thenissuedanor derforhersuspensi
oneffect
ivefor90day s.

Issue: 
Whet herornott he Sandiganbay
an has aut
hor
it
yto decree a 90-
day pr
event
ive
suspensionagai
nstaSenatoroftheRepubl
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes.

Held:
Yes.Theauthorit
yoft heSandiganbayant oor derthepreventi
vesuspensi
onofan
i
ncumbentpublicoffi
ci
alchargedwithv i
olat
ionoft hepr
ov i
sionsofRepubli
cActNo.
3019hasbot
hl egalandjur
ispr
udent
ialsupport.xxx
Itwouldappear,i ndeed,t obeami nist
erialdutyoft hecour ttoi ssueanor derof
suspensi
onupondet erminat
ionoft hev al
idityoft heinformationfi
ledbef orei
t.Once
theinf
ormationisf oundt obesufficientinf orm andsubst ance,thecour tisboundto
i
ssueanor derofsuspensi onasamat terofcour se,andt her
eseemst obe“noifsand
butsaboutit
.”Explainingthenatur
eoft hepr eventi
v esuspension,t
heCour tinthecase
ofBayotvs.Sandiganbay anobserv
ed:

“xxxI ti
snotapenalt
ybecauseiti
snotimposedasar esul
tofjudi
cialpr
oceedi
ngs.In
fact,i
facqui
tt
ed,theoff
ici
alconcer
nedshallbeent
it
ledt orei
nstat
ementandt ot he
salari
esandbenef
it
swhichhefai
ledtor
ecei
veduri
ngsuspension.”

I
ni ssuingthepreventi
vesuspensi
onofpet i
ti
oner,t
heSandiganbayanmer elyadheredto
thecl earanunequivocalmandateofthelaw,aswel lasthejur
isprudenceinwhi chthe
Cour thas,morethanonce, uphel
dSandiganbayan’
sauthori
tytodecr eethesuspension
ofpubl icof
fi
ci
alsandempl oyeesindi
ctedbefor
eit.

Power of Sandiganbay
an t
o Decree Pr
event
ive Suspensi
on v
is-
à-v
is Congr
ess’
Prer
ogat
ivet
oDi sci
pli
neit
sMember
s

Thepronouncement,uphol
dingthev al
i
dit
yoftheinf
ormati
onfi
ledagainstpet
it
ioner
,
behoov
edSandiganbayantodischar
geitsmandat
eddutyt
ofort
hwit
hissuetheorderof
prev
enti
vesuspensi
on.

Theorderofsuspensi
onpr escri
bedbyRepubl i
cActNo.3019i sdisti
nctfrom t
hepower
ofCongresst
odiscipl
ineit
sownr anksundertheConst i
tuti
onwhichpr ovi
desthateach-
“xxxhousemaydet er
mi nether ulesofi t
spr oceedings,punishi t
sMember sfor
di
sorder
lybehavi
or,and,withtheconcurrenceoftwo-thi
rdsofallitsMember s,suspend
orexpelaMember .Apenaltyofsuspension,whenimposed, shal
lnotexceedsixtydays.”

The suspensi
on cont
emplated i
nt he above const
it
uti
onalprovi
sion i
s a puni
ti
ve
measuret hatisi mposed upon deter
minati
on by the Senate orthe house of
Repr
esentati
ves,
asthecasemaybe, uponanerringmember.

xxx
Republi
cActNo.3019doesnotexcludefrom i
tscover
agethemembersofCongr
ess
and that
,ther
efor
e,theSandi
ganbayan di
d noterrinthusdecr
eei
ng t
heassail
ed
prev
entiv
esuspensi
onorder
.

48.DeVeneciavSandiganbay
an
G.
R.No.
130240,F
eb.05,
2002

Facts:
 
On12  March1993,anInf
ormationwasf il
edwi t
htheSandi ganbayan against
thenCongressmanCef
eri
noS.Par
edes,Jr
.,ofAgusandelSur.Itwasforprosecution
fil
eda“ Mot i
ontosuspendtheAccusedPendent eLite”.Init
sResolut
iondated6
June 1997. The Sandi ganbayan gr ant
ed the mot ion and ordered the Speakerto
suspend the accused,butt he Speakerdi d notcompl y.On 12 August1997,t he
SandiganbayanissuedaResol uti
onr equi
ri
nghi mt oappearbef orei t,t
oshow cause
whyheshoul d notbehel di n cont emptofcour t
.TheSpeakerf il
ed,thr
ough
counsel,amot i
onf orr econsiderati
on,invo-i
ngt heruleonsepar ati
onofpower sand
clai
mi ng thathecan onl yactasmaybedi ctated byt heHouseasabody
pursuant .On 29  August1997,t heSandi ganbayanr enderedaResol ut
iondeclari
ng
SpeakerJoseC.de  Venecia,
Jr.incont emptofcour tandor deri
nghi mt opayaf i
neof
P10,000.00wit
hin10day sfrom notice.

I
ssue:
Whether or not the Suspension 
provi
ded i
n the 
Anti
graft
l
aw  is 
a penalty or 
a pecuniarymeasure.

Hel d:
Thesuspensi onprovidedf orintheAnt i-graftlawi s mandat oryandi s 
ofdifferentnature
andpur pose.Itisi mposedbyt hecour t
,notasapenal t
y,butasapr ecaut i
onary
measurer esort
edt ouppont hef i
lingofv ali
dI nf ormat i
on.I tspurposeist opr eventthe
accusedpubl icoffi
cerf rom f r
ust rati
nghi spr osecut ionbyi nf
luenci
ngwi tnessesor
tamperi
ngwi thdocument aryevi
d enceandf romc ommi tt
i
ngf u
rtherac
tsofma l
f
e asancewh i
l
ein
off
i
ce.I
ti
st husaninci
denttothecrimi nalpr oceedi ngsbef oret hecourt.Ontheot herhand,
the suspensi on or expul sion cont empl ated i
n t
he Const i
ti
tion i
s a House-
i
mposed  sancti
on agai nst its member s. I
t 
is,
therefor e, a penal ty for disor der ly behavi or  to enf orce discipl ine, mai
ntain order  in i
ts pr oceedi ngs,orvi ndi cat ei tshonorandi nt egr ity.

49.CascoPhi
li
ppi
neChemicalCov
sGi
menez
GRNo1793128February
 1963

Facts: 
RA2609knownast heFor eignExchangeMar ginFeeLaw, fi
xedaunif
orm mar gi
nf eeof
25% on f or
eign exchange t r
ansacti
ons.On Nov emberand December1959 Casco
Phil
ippine Chemicalpur chased urea and f ormal
dehyde,t he maini ngredi
entsi n
manuf act
uri
nggl ues,andpai dcorrespondingmar gi
nf ees.Casco soughtar efund
pursuanttoSecti
on2RA2609,“ shallnotbei mposed…ur eaf ormal
dehyde…”TheBank
AuditorofCentr
alBankdi dnothonurt hevoucher sforrefundandwasaf fir
medbyt he
AuditorGeneral
.Respondentcont endt hat“ ureaformaldehyde”isclearl
yaf inished
productanddisti
nctl
ydifferentfr
om “urea”and“ for
maldehy de.
”

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
her
ewaser
rori
npr
int
ingofbi
l
l?

Hel
d: 
No.Deci
sionappeal
edf
rom i
saf
fi
rmed.I
fther
ehasbeenanymistakeinthepri
nti
ngof
t
hebil
lbeforei
twascer
ti
fi
edbyCongr
essandappr
ovedbytheExecuti
ve,
theremedyis
byamendmentorcur
ati
vel
egi
slat
ionnotbyj
udi
cial
decr
ee.

50.CascoPhi
li
ppi
neChemicalCov
sGi
menez
GRNo1793128February
 1963

Facts: 
RA2609knownast heFor eignExchangeMar ginFeeLaw, fi
xedaunif
orm mar gi
nf eeof
25% on f or
eign exchange t r
ansacti
ons.On Nov emberand December1959 Casco
Phil
ippine Chemicalpur chased urea and f ormal
dehyde,t he maini ngredi
entsi n
manuf act
uri
nggl ues,andpai dcorrespondingmar gi
nf ees.Casco soughtar efund
pursuanttoSecti
on2RA2609,“ shallnotbei mposed…ur eaf ormal
dehyde…”TheBank
AuditorofCentr
alBankdi dnothonurt hevoucher sforrefundandwasaf fir
medbyt he
AuditorGeneral
.Respondentcont endt hat“ ureaformaldehyde”isclearl
yaf inished
productanddisti
nctl
ydifferentfr
om “urea”and“ for
maldehy de.
”

I
ssue: 
Whetherornott
her
ewaser
rori
npr
int
ingofbi
l
l?

Held: 
Decisi
onappeal
edfr
om i saffi
rmed.Ift
herehasbeenanymi st
akeinthepr
int
ingoft
he
bi
llbefor
eitwascer
ti
fiedbyCongr essandapprovedbytheExecut
ive,t
her
emedyisby
amendmentorcurat
ivelegi
slati
onnotbyjudi
cial
decree.

51.Uni
tedSt
atesv
sPons
GRNo1153012August 
1916

Facts: 
JuanPonswaschar gedandconv ict
edofbr ingingopium to Phil
i
ppinesonboar d
steamerLopezYLopez .Ponscont end 
thatthelastdayoft hespeci
alsessionofthe
Phili
ppineLegi
slat
urefor1914wast he28thdayofFebr uary
;thatActNo.2381,under
whichPonsmustbepuni shediffoundguilt
y,wasnotpassedorappr ov
edont he28th
ofFebruarybutonMar ch1ofthatyear;andthat
,theref
ore,t
hesamei snullandvoi
d.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotAct2381i
sval
i
d?

Held:
 
Judgmentaffi
rmed.When t helegi
slat
ivejour
nal
sshow wi th cert
aintythetimeof
adj
ournmentoftheLegislat
ureandar eclearandunambiguoust heyareconclusi
ve.
Extr
aneousev
idencecannotbeadmitt
edt oshowadif
fer
entdateofadj ournment
.
52.PHI
LCONSAv
sEnri
quez
GRNo11310519August
 1994

Facts: 
The Gener alAppr opriati
ons Actappr opriated Php 86. 3 billi
on fordebtser vi
ces.
Congr essaddedaspeci alpr ov i
sionwhi chpr ov i
dedt hattheamountappr opr
iatedshall
beusedf orpay mentoft henat ionaldebtonl yandnott obepai dt otheliabil
i
t i
esofthe
Cent r
alBank.Theappr opr i
ationf orDPWHal sopr ovi
dedt hatt hemaxi mum amountt o
becont ractedfort hemai ntenanceofnat i
onal roadsandbr idgesshoul dnotexceed30%
the appr opriat
ion f ormedi cines byt he Ar med For ces oft he Phil
ippines requir
ed
approv alCongressf orther eleaseoff unds.
IntheGener alAppr opriati
onsActof1994t heappr opr
iati
onf ort heArmedFor cesofthe
Phili
ppinescont ainsapr ovisionaut horizi
ngt heChi efofSt afftousesav i
ngsi nthe
appropr i
ati
ont oaugmentt hepensi onandgr atuityfundoft heAr medFor cesoft he
Phili
ppines.ThePr esidentv et oedt heaut horizationgi v
enbyt heChi efofSt afftouse
savingst oaugmentt hepensi onandgr atuityfund.Sev eralSenat orsquest ionedthe
vali
dityofthev et o.
Issue: 
Whet herornott hePr esident ’
sv etoisv ali
d?

Held: 
Peti
tiondi smissed.Congresscannoti ncludeinthegener alappr opriat
ionsmat t
ersthat
shouldbeenact edinasepar atelegi
slati
onandi fitdoesso, t
hei nappropr
iateprovi
sion
mustbet reatedasanitem andcanbev etoedbythePr esident.
Thepr ovi
sioni nGAA aut hori
zingt heChi efofSt afftousesav i
ngst oaugmentt he
pensionandgr atui
tyf
undv iol
atesSect i
on25( paragraph5)andSect ion29( par
agraph1)
ofArticle6oft he1987Const i
tuti
on.Onl ythePresidentisauthorizedtoaugmenti tems
fr
om sav i
ngsi nt hegeneralappr opri
ationtotheexecut ivebranch.Al sopursuantt o
Secti
on29–nomoneyshal lbepai doutoft het r
easuryexcepti npursuanceofan
appropr i
ationmadebyl aw.

53.Li
gotv
sMathay
GRNo3467630April
 1974

Facts: 
Petit
ionerwasr e-el
ectedtoat hi
rdterm(December30, 1965toDecember30, 1969)but
washel dnotent i
tl
edt othesal ar
yincreaseofP32, 000.00dur i
ngsucht hir
dt erm by
vir
tueoft hisCour t
’sunani
mousdeci sionin 
Phi l
consav s.Mathay.Helosthisnextbi d
andf i
ledforreti
rementclaim.HouseofRepr esentat
iveissuedat r
easurywarrantusing
theunappr ovedamount .CongressAuditordi
dnotsi gnt hewarrant.Pet
it
ioner
’srequest
forreconsiderat
ionwasdeni ed,hencethepetit
ion.

I
ssue: 
Whetherornotpet
it
ioneri
sent
it
ledt
oret
ir
ementusi
ngphp32k?
Held: 
No.Petiti
ondeni ed.Tograntret
ir
ementgr at
uit
ytomember sofCongr esswhoset erms
expir
ed on December30,1969 comput ed on thebasisofan i ncreased salaryof
P32,000.00perannum ( whichtheywer eprohi
bit
edbyt heConsti
tuti
onf rom receiving
duri
ngt heirt
erm ofoffi
ce)wouldbet opaythem prohi
bit
edemolument swhichinef fect
i
ncreaset hesalarybeyondthatwhichtheywerepermit
tedbytheConst i
tuti
ontor eceive
duri
ngt heiri
ncumbency .

54.Peopl
evsJal
osj
os
GRNo132875-7603Febr
uar
y 2000

Facts:
 
The accused-appell
ant,Romeo G.Jal osjos isaf ul
l-
fl
edged memberofCongr ess
confi
nedatt henat ionalpenitent
iar
ywhi lehisconv i
cti
onf orstatutor
yr apeontwo
countsand act sofl asciv
iousnessonsi xcounts 
ispending appeal .Theaccused-
appell
antfi
ledthismot ionaskingthathebeal l
owedtof ul
l
ydi schargetheduti
esofa
Congressman,includingattendanceatl egisl
ati
vesessionsandcommi tt
eemeeti
ngs
despit
ehishav i
ngbeenconv i
ctedi
nt hefi
rstinst
anceofanon- bail
ableoff
ense.

I
ssue: 
WhetherornotmembershipinCongr
essexemptanaccusedf
rom st
atut
esandr
ules
whi
chapplytoval
i
dlyi
ncarcer
atedper
sonsi
ngener
al?

Held:
Peti
ti
on deni ed.Electi
on tothe positi
on ofCongr essman i s nota reasonabl
e
cl
assif
icati
oni ncri
minall
awenforcement.Thefunctionsanddutiesoftheoff
icear
enot
subst
antialdisti
ncti
onswhichli
fthimf r
om thecl assofpr i
sonersinter
rupt
edinthei
r
fr
eedom andr estr
ict
edi nli
ber
tyofmov ement.Lawf ularrestandconf i
nementare
germanet othepurposesofthel
awandappl ytoall t
hosebelongingtothesameclass.

30.
NicanorJi
menezv
sBar
tol
omeCabangbang

Facts
InNov ember 
1958,whi l
econgr esswasnoti nsession,def endantmemberoft he
HouseofRepr esentat
iveswhowasal soChai rmanofi t
sCommi t
teeonNat i
onal
Defensecausedt hepubl i
cati
oni nsev eralnewspapersofanopenl ett
ertot he
PresidentofthePhil
ippinesstatingt hatcer t
ainmember soft hearmedFor cesofthe
Phil
ippines have been pr epari
ng f ora coup and wor king fort he pr
esi
dential
candidacyoft heSecr etaryofnat ionaldef ense.Thepl ainti
ffswerenamedi nt he
openl ett
erasbeingcont rol
ledbyt he“ Planners”oft
hecoup, thusthecasewasf i
led
tocoll
ectasum ofdamagesagainstthedef
endantall
egi
ngt hatthest atementis
l
ibel
ous.Defendantpeti
ti
onedforthecasetobedi smissedclaimingt hatasa
memberoft hel owerhouse 
heisimmunef r
om suit
,thathei scov eredbyt he
pri
vi
legedcommunicati
onrul
eandthatt
hesai
dlet
teri
snotev enli
belous.

I
ssue:Whet
herornott
heopenlet
teri
spr
ivi
l
egedcommunicat
ionandcov
eredbyt
he
pr
ivi
l
egeofspeechanddebat
eendowedt
omember sofCongr
ess

Held:No,t heopenl ett

eri snotcoveredbyt hespeechanddebat eclauseoft he
Const i
tuti
on and thusnoti mmune f rom sui t
.Pursuantt ot he Constit
uti
on,no
membershal lbequest ionednorbehel dli
ableinanyot herplacef oranyspeechor
debatei nt heCongressori nanycommi t
teet her
eof(ArticleVI,Section15).This
pri
vil
egecov ersutterancesmadebyCongr essmen int heper formanceoft hei
r
offi
cialfuncti
ons,whi l
econgr essi
sinsessi on.Inthecaseathandt hecourtfound
thatt he defendantwas notper for
mi ng his off
ici
aldut yei t
heras memberof
congressorasof fi
certhereofasCongr esswasnoti nsessi onatt heti
met helett
er
waspubl ished.Hencet hecommuni cat
ionisnotabsol ut
elypr i
vi
leged.

31.HomobonoAdazav sFer nandoPacana, Jr.

Facts
Peti
ti
onerAdaza and r espondentPacana wer e elect ed governorand Vi ce
Governorrespecti
velyi
nt he1980el ectionswi t
htheirtermsofof f
icesettoexpire
i
n1986.OnMar ch27,1984,bot hf iledt heircandi dacyf orBP el ect
ionsas
Mambabat asPambansawi t
hAdazawi nningandt akingof f
iceasMP.Hav i
nglost
theBPelect i
ons,Pacanar evertedtohisr oleinthelocalgov ernmentandt ookhis
oathofof f
iceasgov ernorofMi samisOr ientalandst artedt operfor
mt heduties
ofgovernoronJul y1984.Thi speti
tioni sraisedtoexcl udet herespondentfrom
thegovernorsoffi
ce,witht heclaimthatsai dpet i
ti
oneri sst i
llt
helawfuloccupant
ofthesaidof f
iceandwi l
l servehisfull
ter m unti
lMar ch1986.

Issue:Whet herornotaprovi
nci
algov ernorwhowaselect
edasaMambabatas
Pambansa [ MP]can exerci
se and dischar
ge t
he f
uncti
ons ofbot
h of
fi
ces
simultaneously.

Held:No,t he peti
ti
onermay notexer ci
se and di scharge bothf unct
ions
simultaneousl y.Section10,Ar ti
cleVI I
Ioft he1973Const it
uti
onpr ovi
desas
fol
lows:
“Section10. Amemberoft heNat ionalAssembly[nowBat asanPambansa]shal l
nothol danyot herof fi
ceorempl oymenti nthegov ernmentoranysubdi vi
sion,
agencyori nstrument al
it
yt hereof,incl
uding gover
nment -owned orcont roll
ed
corpor ati
ons,dur i
nghi stenure,exceptt hatofpri
memi ni
sterormemberoft he
cabinet... ”
Theabov epr ovisi
onpr ohibit
samemberf r
om occupy i
ng simultaneouslyan
i
ncompat ibleof fi
ce.Ani ncompat i
bleof f
iceisapostt hatamembercannot
acceptunl esshewai vesorf orfei
tshisseati nCongr ess.Thepur poseofsai d
provisioni st opreventamemberf orm owingloyal
t ytoanot herbr anchoft he
gover
nmenttothedet
ri
mentoft
helegi
slat
ive.Towi
t,pet
it
ionermaynotexer
cise
anddischar
gebothfunct
ionsofLegisl
atorandGov er
norast heoffi
cesar e
i
ncompatibl
e.

32. Eugeni oPuy atv sSixtoDeGuzman, Jr.

Fact s:OnMay25, 1979, agroupofdi rectorsofI nter
nationalPipeI ndust ri
esf i
l
ed
a quowar ranto case beforetheSECquest i
oni ngt heelectionofdi r
ector shel
don
May15 st ati
ng t hatv otes wer e notpr oper lycount ed t herein.Att he SEC
conf erences,Assembl ymanFer nandezent eredhi sappear anceascounself or
the compl ainants, the el ected di rector s pr otest
ed ar guing t hat i ti s
unconst i
tuti
onalf or an assembl yman t o appear as counselbef ore any
admi ni
strati
vebody .Fernandezt heninhibitedhi msel ff
rom appear ingascounsel
fort hegr oupandi nsteadonMay31f i
ledanUr gentMot i
onf orI nter
v enti
onf or
himt ointervene, notasacounsel ,butasal egalownerofI PIshar eswi t
hal egal
i
nt erestint hemat terinlit
igationhav ingbought10shar esofst ockf rom oneof
thedi r
ectorswi tht hedeedofsal esignedonMay15andnot arizedonMay30.
TheSECCommi ssionersubsequent lygrant edt hemot ional l
owi ngFer nandezt o
i
nt ervenei nthepr oceedings.

Issue:WhetherornotFernandezas a stockhol
derofI PI
,can appearand
i
nt er
veneintheSECcasewithoutvi
olat
ingtheconst
it
uti
onalprovi
siont
hatan
assemblymanmustnotappearascounseli
nsuchcour
tsorbodies?

Held:Thecour treversedandsetasi det her espondentCommi ssioner '

sOr der .
Thecour tf indst hatbecauseofsal i
entf actsi nthecase,t herehasbeenan
i
ndirect"appear anceascounselbef ore..
.anadmi ni
strat i
vebody "whi chinef fect
i
saci r
cumv entionoft heConst it
uti
onalpr ohibit
ion.Thesal ientf actsbei ngthat
heacqui redonl y10shar es( P200.00)of262, 843out standingshar es,thatt he
shareswer eacqui r
edaf terthecont estedel ecti
onofDi rectors, andt hatthedeed
wasnot arizedaf terthequowar rant
osuithadbeenf i
ledandj ustonedaybef or e
theschedul edhear ingoft hecasebef oret heSEC onMay31.Fur t
hermor e,
beforehemov edt ointer
v ene,hehadsi gnifiedhisintent i
ont oappearascounsel .
Thecour tf indst hatt he" i
ntervent
ion"wasanaf terthoughtt oenabl ehi mt o
appearact ivel
yi nthepr oceedi ngsinsomeot hercapaci tyandar ul
inguphol di ng
the"int
ervent i
on"woul dmaket heconst i
tutionalprovisioni neffective.Thatwhi ch
theConst i
tutiondi r
ectlypr ohi
bitsmaynotbedonebyi ndirection.

33.Fir
dausi Abbasetal v
sTheSenat eElectoralTribunal
Facts:InOct ober1987,Fi r
dausiAbbasetalf i
ledbef or
et heSETanel ection
contestagai nst22candi dat
esoft heLABAN coal it
ionwhower eprocl
aimed
senators-
electint heMay11  (
1987) congressionalelecti
onsbyt heCOMELEC.
TheSETi scomposedoft hree(3)Just icesoft heSupr emeCour tandsix( 6)
Senators.Inconsi derati
onofpubl icpol i
cyandt henor msoff airpl
ayanddue
processAbbasf i
ledf orthedi squali
ficati
onoft he6senat ormember sfrom
acti
ngont hesai delecti
onpr otestasal loft hem arei nt
erest
edparti
estosai d
case.TheTr i
bunal’
sRul es( Secti
on24)r equir
est heconcur r
enceoff i
ve( 5)
 member sf ort headoptionofr esol
uti
onsofwhat evernatur
ei nrelationt othe
protest.Shoul dthedisquali
fi
cat i
onbegr anted,Abbassuggest edamendment sto
saidr ul
eswi thapr ovi
sot hatwher emor ethanfour( 4)member saredi squalif
ied,
ther emainingmember sshal lconsti
tut
eaquor um,andwi t
hami ni
mum oft hree
(3)includingone( 1)Justice,theymayadoptr esoluti
onsbymaj orit
yv otewi t
hno
abstent i
ons.Thesuggest i
oni st ai
lor
edt ot hesi tuati
onhy pothesizedbyt he
petit
ionf ordi squal
if
icat
ion,whi chwoul dleavet her esol
uti
onoft hecont estto
theonl yt hreeMember swhowoul dr emain,allJust i
cesoft hi
sCour t
,whose
disqualif
icationisnotsought .

I
ssue:
 Whet
herornotAbbas’
proposal
isconst
it
uti
onal

Held:TheConst i
tutionpr ovidesfort heTr i
bunaltobest aff
edbybot hJust i
cesof
theSupr emeCour tandMember soft heSenat ewi t
ht hei ntentthatbot hthose
"j
udici
al'and'l
egislativ
e'component scommonl yshar et hedut yandaut hori
tyof
decidi
ng allcont estsr elating t
ot he election,returns and qual if
icati
ons of
Senators.Thepr oposedmassdi squalifi
cati
on, i
fsanctionedandor dered,would
l
eav etheTr i
bunalnoal ternati
vebutt oabandonadut yt hatnoot hercour tor
bodycanper for
m, adut yitcannotl awf ul
lydischargewi thoutthepar t
icipat
ionof
i
tsentir
emember shi pofSenat ors.

34.Emi gdioBondocv sMar cianoPi neda

Facts:Bondoc( NationalistaPar ty)andPi neda( LabanngDemokr at
ikongPi lipino)
t
h
wer erival
sf oraCongr essionalseati nthe4 Di stri
ctofPampangawi t
hPi neda
winningi nt hatelect ion.Howev er,Bondoccont est edt heresultint heHRET
(HouseofRepr esent ativesElect oralTribunal)
.Bondocwoni nt heprotestandhe
wassett obedecl aredast hewi nnerbyt heHRET.Congr essmanCamasur a, Jr.a
representativeoft heLDP t ot heHRET madeaconsci encev otei nf av orof
Bondocf orwhichhewasexpel ledf rom theLDP.TheHouseofRepr esent atives
throughar esol
uti
onmov edtor emov eCamasur afrom theHRETf ordisloyal tyto
thepar ty.Ast hef av orabledeci siononhi sel ect
or alprotestisbeingt hwar ted
becauseoft heissue,Bondocquest i
onedsuchact ionbef oretheSupr emeCour t
(SC)byf il
ingapet i
tiont o,amongot hers,annult hedeci sionoft heHOR t o
withdrawandr escindt henomi nationofRep.Camasur atotheHRETandt oi ssue
awr itofmandamusor deringsai dRept oi mmedi atelyr
eassumeanddi schar ge
hisfunct i
onsasamemberoft heHRET.

I
ssue:WhetherornottheremovalofCamasurafr
om t
heHRETatt her
equestoft
he
dominantpar
tyi
mpairstheTri
bunalspr
erogat
ivet
obethesol
ejudgeofpr
otest
s.

Held:The courtf ound t

hatt her esolut
ion oftheHouse ofRepr esent
ati
ves
removing Congressman Camasur af rom t he House ElectoralTri
bunalfor
disl
oyalt
ytotheLDP,i sacl earimpai r
mentoft heconsti
tutionalpr
erogat
iveof
theHouseElectoralTri
bunaltobet hesolejudgeoftheel
ect i
oncontestbetween
PinedaandBondoc.Fur t
her,theruli
ngst at
esthatthedecisionoftheHouseof
Repr
esentat
iveswi
thdr
awingthenominati
onandresci
ndingtheelect
ionofRep.
Camasuraasamemberoft heHRETi sher
ebydecl
arednullandvoidabini
ti
ofor
bei
ngviol
ati
veoftheConsti
tut
ion,andi
sor der
edr
einst
atedtohispositi
onasa
memberoftheHRET.

35.Codi ll
av s.deVeneci a
Facts:Att het imeoft heelect
ionsonMay14, 2001,thedi squalifi
cat
ioncasewas
stil
lpendi ngagai nstthepetit
ionerCodil
laandt hushi snamer emainedint helist
ofcandi datesasRepr esentat
iveandobt ainedthehighestnumberofv otesi nthe
electi
ons wi th Locsin coming in second.Hi s procl amat i
on was suspended
pendi ngthedi squali
fi
cati
oncase.Subsequent l
y,theCOMELECSecondDi visi
on
resolvedi nfav orofdisquali
fi
cationandLocsi nwast huspr onouncedast hedul y
electedRepr esentati
veandsubsequent lyt ookheroat hofof fice.Howev er,this
decisionwasr eversedbyt heCOMELECenbancandonSept12,2001Codi l
la
wasdecl aredt hewi nnerandt ookhisoat h.Locsinr efusedt oacknowl edget he
decisionoft heCOMELECenbancandar guedt hathav i
ngbeenpr ocl
aimedand
hav i
ngt akenoat hasr epresentati
veoft he4t hlegislati
vedi stri
ctofLey te,any
quest ionrelati
v etoherelecti
onandel i
gibil
ityshouldbebr oughtbeforetheHRET
pursuantt osect i
on17ofAr ti
cleVIofthe1987Const ituti
on.

I
ssue:Whet herornott heHRET hasj uri
sdictionov erthev al
idi
tyofLocsi ns
pr
oclamat ion
Hel d:No.TheHRETdoesnothav ej ur
isdiction.Thecourtr ej
ectedLocsi ns
cont ent ionsst ati
ngt hata.TheResol ut
ionoft heCOMELECSecondDi vi
sion
was y ett o be r esolved bythe COMELEC en banc att he time ofher
procl amat ionthatbeingsot heHREThasnoj urisdi
cti
onovertheissueasi tis
thev alidityoft heCOMELECpr onouncementt hatisinquest i
onwhi chmay
onl yber esolvedbyt heCOMELECenbanc( b)TheHRETonl yhasj ur
isdi
ction
ov ert heel ectionandqual i
ficat
ionofadul yel ectedandproclai
medmember ,
Locsi nspr oclamat i
ondoesnotqual i
fyasi twasanul l
i
tyandv oidf rom the
begi nni ng.

36.Piment elvHRET
Facts:ThePar ty-
ListSy stem Actt ookef fectonon3Mar ch1995andf orthef ir
st
ti
meonMay111998,i naccor dancewi thsai dact ,t
heel ectiont hroughpopul ar
voteofpar ty-
li
stgr oupsand or gani zationswhosenomi neeswoul d become
member soft heHousewashel dal ongwi t
ht henat i
onalel ections.Pr oclaimed
winner swer e14par ty
-listrepresent ativesf rom 13or ganizat i
ons.Subsequent ly
,
theHouseconst it
utedi t sHRETandCAcont ingentbyel ecti
ngi t
sr epresentatives
tot hese t wo const it
ut i
onalbodi es.I n pr act i
ce,the pr ocedur ei nvolves t he
nomi nationbyt hepol i
ticalparti
esofHousemember swhoar et ooccupyseat sin
theHouseofRepr esent ativesElect oralTr ibunal( HRET)andt heCommi ssionon
Appoi ntment s(CA) .Fr om av ai
labler ecor ds,i tdoesnotappeart hatafterthe11
May1998el ect
ionst hepar t
y-li
stgr oupsi nt heHousenomi natedanyoft hei
r
repr
esent ati
vest ot heHRETort heCA.Asoft hedateoff ili
ngoft hepr esent
peti
tions f orpr ohibiti
on and mandamus wi th prayerf orwr itofpr eli
mi nary
i
njunct
ion,
t heHouseconti
ngentstot
heHRETandt heCAwer ecomposedsol
ely
ofdist
ri
ctrepresent
ati
vesbel
ongingt
othedi
ff
erentpol
i
tical
part
ies.

I
ssue:Whet hert
hepresentcomposi
ti
onoftheHouseElect
oralTr
ibunalviol
ates
theconsti
tuti
onalr
equir
ementofpropor
ti
onalr
epresent
ati
onbecauset hereare
noparty
-l
istrepr
esent
ati
vesintheHRET.

Hel d: No.TheConst itutionexpr esslygr antstot heHouseofRepr esent ativest he

prer ogat ive,wi thinconst itutional l
ydef ined li
mi ts,to choosef r
om among i ts
dist ri
ctandpar ty-
listr epresent ativest hosewhomayoccupyt heseat sallot tedt o
theHousei ntheHRETandt heCA( Ar t
icleVISect i
on17and18) .Thedi scr etion
oft heHouset ochoosei tsmember st ot heHRETandt heCAi snotabsol ute,
bei ngsubj ectt othemandat oryconst it
ut i
onal r
uleonpr opor ti
onal represent at i
on.
Howev er
, undert hedoct ri
neofsepar ationofpower s, theCour tmaynoti nt erfere
wi tht heexer cisebyt heHouseoft hisconst it
utionallymandat eddut y ,absenta
clearv iolationoft heConst it
ut i
onorgr aveabuseofdi scret i
onamount ingt ol ack
orexcessofj uri
sdi ction.Nei thercant heCour tspecul ateonwhatact iont he
Housemayt akei fpar ty
-listrepr esent ativesar edul ynomi natedf ormember ship
i
nt he HRET and t he CA.The pet iti
ons ar e ber eftofany al legation t hat
respondent spr event edt hepar ty-l
istgr oupsi nt heHousef rom par t
icipat ingi n
theel ect i
onofmember soft heHRETandt heCA.Nei therdoesi tappeart hat
aftert he11May1998el ections,t heHousebar redt hepar t
y-li
str epresent atives
from seeki ngmember shipi nt heHRETort heCA.Rat her ,i
tappear sf rom t he
av ailabl ef actst hatt he par ty-
listgr oups i nt he House att hatt ime si mpl y
refrai nedf r
om par ti
ci patingi nt heel ectionpr ocess.Ast hepr imar yr ecour seof
thepar ty-l
istrepresent ativ esl i
eswi tht heHouseofRepr esent atives,‘theCour t
cannotr esol v
et hei ssuespr esent edbypet i
ti
oner satt histime.

37. DazavSi ngson

FACTS:TheHoR pr oporti
onallyappor ti
onedi ts12seat sint heCoA among
sev eralpol it
icalparti
esr epresentedi nthatchamberi naccor dancewi thAr t
.VI
Sec18.TheLabanngDemokr atikongPi l
ipinowasr eorganized,r esulti
ngi na
politi
calr ealignmentintheHoR.24member soft heLi beralPar tyjoi
nedt heLDP,
reduci ngt heirfor
merpar tyt oonl y17member s.Asaconsequenceoft hi
s
dev elopment ,thechamberel ectedanewsetofr epr esentativ
esconsi stingoft he
originalmember sexceptt hepet i
tionerandi ncludi ngt herei
nLui sC.Si ngsonas
theaddi tionalmemberf r
om t heLDP.Dazacamet ot heSupr emeCour tto
chal l
engehi sr emovalfrom theCoAandt heassumpt i
onofhi sseatbySi ngson.
Pet i
tionerar guest hathecannotber emov edf rom t heCoAbecausehi sel ecti
on
theret oisper manent .Pet i
ti
onercl aimst hatt her eorganizationoft heHouse
represent at i
oni nt
hesaidbodyi snotbasedonaper manentpol it
icalreali
gnment
becauset heLDPi snotadul yregister
edpol iti
calpar tyandhasnoty etat tai
ned
politi
cal stabi l
it
y.

I
SSUE: 
 Whet
herornottheHoRwaswithinit
saut hor
it
yinwi
thdr
awi
ngt
heseatof
Dazabasedonthereal
i
gnmentofpol
i
ticalpart
ies.
Held:Thecour tresol v est hei ssuei nf av oroft heaut horit
yoft heHouseof
Represent atives t o change i ts r epr esent at i
on i n t he Commi ssion on
Appoi ntment st or eflectatanyt imet hechangest hatmayt ranspi reint he
polit
icalal ignment sofi tsmember ship.Iti sunder stoodt hatsuchchangesmust
beper manentanddonoti ncl udet het empor aryal l
iancesorf actionaldi vi
sions
not i nvolv i
ng sev er ance of pol i
ticall oy alties or f ormaldi saf fili
ati
on and
permanentshi f
tsofal legiancef rom onepol it
ical partytoanot her.
38.Coset engv smi tra
Facts:OnAugust26,1987,t heHouseofRepr esent ati
v es,uponnomi nati
onby
the Maj ority Fl oor Leader ,Cong.Fr anci sco Sumul ong,el ect ed f rom t he
CoalescedMaj orit
y ,elev en( 11)outoft wel ve( 12)congr essment or epresentt he
Housei nt heCommi ssi ononAppoi ntment s.
OnFebr uar y1,1989,Congr esswomanCoset engandherpar t
y,theKAI BA,filed
thisPet i
tionf orExt r
aor dinaryLegalWr its( whichmaybeconsi deredasapet i
tion
forquowar r
ant oandi nj unction)pr ay i
ngt hisCour ttodecl areasnul landv oidt he
electi
onofr espondentAbl an,Ver ano-Yap,Romer o,Cuenco,Mer cado,Bandon,
Cabochan,I mper ial,Lobr egat ,Bel t
ran,Locsi n,andSi ngson,asmember soft he
Commi ssi ononAppoi nt ment s,t oenj oint hem f rom act ingassuchandt oenj oin
also t he ot her r espondent sf rom r ecogni zi ng them as member s of t he
Commi ssi on on Appoi ntment s on t he t heor yt hat t heir elect ion tot hat
Commi ssi onv i
olatedt heconst itut
ionalmandat eofpr opor ti
onalr epr esentation
because

I
ssue:Whet herornott he members ofthe House i
nt he Commi ssion on
Appoint
mentswerechosenont hebasi
sofpropor
ti
onalrepr
esentat
ionfrom the
pol
it
icalpar
ti
esaspr
ovidedinSecti
on18,Ar
ti
cleVIoft
he1987Const it
uti
on

Held:Thecour tsr ul
edt hatthepet i
ti
onbedi smissed, becausetherevi
sionofthe
House r epresentation i nt he Commi ssion on Appoi ntmentsis based on
proport
ionalrepresent ati
onoft hepol i
ticalparti
est herei
naspr ovi
dedi nSecti
on
18,Arti
cleVIoft he1987
Thereisnomer i
ti nt hepet it
ioner'
scont enti
ont hattheHousemember sinthe
Commi ssiononAppoi ntmentsshoul dhav ebeennomi natedandelectedbytheir
respecti
vepol i
ti
calpar ti
es.Thepet i
tioni t
selfshowst hatt heywer
enomi natedby
thei
rrespectivefloorl eadersi ntheHouse.Theywer eelectedbytheHouse( not
byt hei
rpar ty)aspr ovidedinSect i
on18,Ar t
icleVIoft heConst i
tut
ion.The
vali
dit
yoft heirelectiont otheCommi ssiononAppoi ntment s—eleven(11)fr
om
theCoalescedMaj orityandonef rom themi nor
it
y—i sunassail
abl
e.
Thepet i
ti
oni sdismi ssed.

39.GuingonavGonzales
Facts:Tosuffi
cetherequir
ementthateachhousemusthav e12r epr
esentat
ives
i
nt heCoA, t
heparti
esagreedtousethetradi
ti
onalfor
mula:(No.ofSenat
orsofa
poli
ti
calparty)x12seat s)÷Tot alNo.ofSenat orsel
ected.Thesenat ewas
composedof15LDPsenat or
s,5NPCsenat ors,3LAKAS-NUCDsenat or
s,and1
LP-PDP-LABAN senator
.Applyingthefor
mul awouldproduce7.5member sfor
LDP,2.5member sforNPC,1. 5member sforLAKAS- NUCD,and0.5memberf or
LP-PDP-LABAN.Romul o,asthemajori
tyfl
oorleader,
nominated8senatorsfr
om
thei
rpartybecauseher oundedoff7.5to8andt hatTaňadafrom LP-
PDP-LABAN
shouldr epresentt he same partytot he CoA.A memberofLAKAS- NUCD,
opposed t he nomi nations on t
he basist hatt he compr omi
se is agai
nst
propor
ti
onal r
epresentation.

Issue:Whethertheel
ecti
onofRomuloandTañadaasmembersoftheCoAi si
n
accordancewiththepr
ovisi
onofSect
ion18ofAr
ti
cleVIoft
he1987Const
it
uti
on.

Held:Thecour tdecl aredt heel ectionofSenat orAl bertoRomul oandSenat or

Wigber toTañadaasmember soft heCommi ssiononAppoi ntment sasnul land
voidf orbeingi nv i
olat i
onoft her uleonpr oportional represent ati
onunderSect i
on
18ofAr t
icleVIoft heConst i
tution.Thecour tf oundt her espondent s'claimt o
member shi pi ntheCommi ssi ononAppoi ntment sbynomi nationandel ecti
onof
theLDPmaj orit
yint heSenat easnoti naccor dancewi thSect i
on18ofAr ti
cleVI
ofthe1987Const i
tutionandt heref orev i
olati
veoft hesamebecausei tisnoti n
compl i
ancewi thther equi rement st hattwelvesenat or sshal lbeel ectedont he
basisofpr opor t
ional represent ationoft heresul t
ingfr actionalmember shipoft he
poli
tical par ti
es repr esent ed t her ein. To di sturb t he r esult
ing f ractional
member shi poft hepol i
ticalpar ti
esi ntheCommi ssiononAppoi ntment sby
adding t oget hert wo hal v es t o make a whol ei s a br each oft he r ul
e on
propor ti
onalr epresent ationbecausei twil
lgivet heLDPanaddedmemberi nt he
Commi ssionbyut il
izingt hef ractionalmember shipoft hemi norit
ypol i
ticalpar t
y,
whoi sdepr i
v edofhal far epr esent ation.

40.TiovVi deogram Regul atoryBoar d

Facts:Inanef fortt oaddr esst hepr ol
iferati
onandunr egul
atedci rculati
onof
videogramsandi tseconomi ceffectstot hemov i
ei ndustr yPDNo.1987ent it
led
“AnActCr eat
ingt heVi deogr am Regul atoryBoar d”wasenact edwhi chgav e
broadpower st ot heVRB t or egulateandsuper v iset hev ideogram i ndustry.
Sections2and5oft hepr eambl eexpoundont heneedt opr operl
yt axt he
activi
ti
es of t he industryi n order tor ati
onalize t he bef ore uncont rol
led
distr
ibutionofv ideogramsandal sot ocompensat ef ort hel ostgov er
nment
revenuesasar esul toft hedecl inei nmov iehousesal esandconsequent l
y
i
ncome,amusementandot hertaxes.Pet i
ti
onerquest ionedt heconst i
tuti
onalit
y
oft he law on sev er
algr ounds and on Sect i
on 10 t hereof,quest i
oned t he
i
mposi tionoft he30%t axongr ossr eceipts,stat
ingt hatsai dsect ionisar i
der
andi snotger manet othesubj ectmat teroft helaw.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hePDcompl
i
eswi
tht
heonet
it
leonesubj
ectr
ule.

Held:Thecour tfoundthattheti
tl
eoft heDECREE,whichisthecreati
onoft he
Videogram Regulator
yBoard,i
scompr ehensi
veenoughtoincl
udethepur poses
expressed ini t
s Preamble and reasonabl
y cover
s allit
s provisi
ons.The
requir
ementt hat" ev
erybil
lshallembr ace onl
yone subj
ectwhi ch shal
lbe
expressed int he t
itl
et hereof" is suf
fici
entlycomplied withift he ti
tl
e be
compr ehensiveenought oincludethegeneralpur posewhichast atuteseeksto
achieve.I ti
sunnecessar yfort heti
tl
et oexpr esseverythingthatt hestatut
e
wishest oaccompl i
shsol ongast hepar tsoft hestatutearerelated,andare
germanet othesubjectmat terexpr
essedi nthet i
tl
e,oraslongast heyarenot
i
nconsi stentwit
horf or
eignt othegeneralsubjectandtitl
ethenther equir
ement
i
ssat i
sf i
ed.

41. LidasanvComel ec
Fact s:Republ i
cActNo.  4790,ent i
tl
ed “AnActCr eati
ng t heMuni cipalit
yof
Dianat oni nthePr ovi
nceofLanaodelSur ,”waspassed.Pur suanttot hislaw,
COMELEC pr oceededt oest abli
shpr eci
nctsf orvoterr egi
st r
ationint hesai d
territ
oriesofDi anaton.Thepet iti
onerLidasanquest ionedt hef actthatt hehis
barr i
oi nCot abatowasnow i ncludedi nthenew Muni ci
palityofDi anat ont hus
effect i
vel
yt ransferr
ed Lanao DelSur .Pet i
ti
onerf il
ed a case assai ling the
const it
utionali
tyoftheRAont hegr oundsthatt helaw di
dnotcl ear
lyindi catein
i
tst i
tl
et hat in creat
ing Di anaton,i t woul d be including i ni ts terr
it
ory
sev eral 
barri
osf r
om Cotabato.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hePDcompl
i
eswi
tht
heonet
it
leonesubj
ectr
ule.

Held:Thecourtheldt hatt
het i
tl
edi dnotsatisfytheonet it
leonesubj ectr
uleby
fai
li
ngtoinformthemember sofCongr essast ot heful
l i
mpactoft helaw;also,i
t
didnotinfor
mt hepeopl einthet ownsofBul donandPar anginCot abatoandi n
theprovi
nceofCot abatoit
sel
ft hatpartoftheirterr
it
oryisbeingtakenawayf r
om
thei
rtownsandpr ovincetobeaddedt ot headj acentProvi
nceofLanaodel Sur;i
t
keptthepubli
cinthedar kastowhatt ownsandpr ovi
nceswer eactuall
yaffected
bythebill
.

42.CruzvPar as
Facts: Witht heaimt oexer ci
sepolicepowert opr omot egener alwel fare,Ord.No.
84,Ser .of1975ort hePr ohibi
ti
onandCl osur eOr dinanceofBocaue, Bulacanwas
passed.The pet it
ioners being club and Cabar et operat or
s assai led t he
constitutionalit
yofsai dordinancestati
ngt hatitv iolatestheirrightt oengagei na
l
awf ulbusi nessf orthesai dordinancewoul dcl oseoutt hei
rbusi ness.Thel ocal
ordi
nancewasenact edpur suanttoRA938whi chr eads“ AN ACTGRANTI NG
MUNI CI PALORCI TYBOARDSANDCOUNCI LSTHEPOWERTOREGULATETHE
ESTABLI SHMENT,MAI NTENANCEAND OPERATI ON OFCERTAI N PLACESOF
AMUSEMENTWI THI N THEIRRESPECTI VETERRI TORI ALJURI SDI CTIONS” ,t he
fi
rstsect ionofwhi chsay sthatthemuni cipalorci tyboardorcounci lofeach
charteredci tyshallhav ethepowert oregulate,butl i
kewi seprohi bitbyor dinance
theest abl i
shment ,mai nt
enanceandoper ationofni ghtclubs,cabar ets,danci ng
school s… andt hel i
ke.Thel owercour t
sr ul
edt hatt hepr ohibitioni sav ali
d
exerciseofpol i
cepowert opromot egeneralwel far e,thustheappeal totheSC.

I
ssue:Whet
herornott
hepower
sgr
ant
edbyRA938i
ncl
udespr
ohi
bit
ionasi
de
 f
rom r
egul
ati
on

Held:TheCour truledthatthepowergr antedr emainst hatofregul

ati
on,not
prohibit
ionf
oll
owi ngtherul
et hat"Everybi
ll
shallembr aceonlyonesubj
ectwhich
shallbeexpressedi ntheti
tl
et her
eof."Thecourtfindsthattherei
snodisput
eas
thet i
tl
elimi
tsthepowert oregulat
ing.Ordi
nancesbyv ir
tueofthegener
alwelf
are
clausemustber easonabl
e,inconsonancewi ththel awsandpublicpoli
cyofthe
state.

43.Tobi asvsAbal os
Facts:Pr i
ort oRepubl icActNo. ,7675al soknownas“ AnActConv ertingt he
Muni ci
palit
yofMandal uy ongi ntoaHi ghl
yUr bani zedCi t
yt obeknownast heCi t
y
ofMandal uyong”,Mandal uy ongandSanJuanbel ongedt oonl yonel egisl
at i
ve
di
strict.Petit
ionersmov et odecl areunconst i
tutionalR. A.No.7675,speci f
icall
y
Art
icleVI I
I,Secti
on49t her eof.Arti
cleVII
I,Section49ofR. A.No.7675pr ov i
des:
Asahi ghly-
urbanizedci t
y ,theCi tyofMandal uy ongshal lhaveitsownl egisl
at i
ve
di
strictwi t
ht hef i
rstrepr esent at
ivet obeel ectedi nt henextnat i
onalelections
aft
ert hepassageoft hisAct .Ther emainderoft hef ormerl egi
slati
vedistri
ctof
SanJuan/ Mandaluy ongshal lbecomet henewl egislat
ivedistri
ctofSanJuanwi th
i
tsfirstrepresentati
v et obeel ectedatthesameel ecti
on.

I
ssue:Whetherornott he cr
eat
ion ofa separ
ate congr
essionaldi
str
ictf
or
Mandal
uyongunderRA7675compl
i
eswi t
htheonet
it
leonesubjectrul
e

Held:Yes,t hecreationofasepar atecongressionaldi st

rictforMandaluy
ongi s
notasubj ectseparateanddi sti
nctf rom t
hesubj ectofi tsconver
sioni ntoa
hi
ghl yurbanizedcit
ybuti sanat uralandlogicalconsequenceofi tsconv ersion
i
ntoahi ghl yurbani
zedcity.Thetitl
enecessar i
lyincludesandcont emplatest he
subject treated under Secti
on 49 r egar
ding t he creat i
on of a separ at e
congressionaldistr
ictforMandaluy ong.Aliberalconst r
uctionofthe"onet i
tle-
onesubject "rul
ehasbeeni nvari
ablyadoptedbyt hiscour tsoasnottocr i
ppleor
i
mpedel egi sl
ati
on.

44.Demetri
oDemet ri
avsManuel Alba
Facts:Thepet i
ti
onersastaxpayersandmember soft heBatasanPambansa
soughttopr ohi
bitManuelAlba,thenMi ni
steroftheBudget,from di
sbursi
ng
fundspursuanttoPresi
dent
ialDecreeNo.1177ort heBudgetRefor
m Decreeof
1977.Peti
tioner
sassail
edtheconst i
tut
ionali
tyofparagr
aph1,Secti
on44oft he
saidPD.ThisSecti
onprovi
desthat:
“ThePresidentshallhavetheaut hori
tytotr
ansferanyf und,appropri
atedf
orthe
dif
fer
ent depar tments,bur eaus,of fi
ces and agenci es of t he Executi
ve
Department,whi ch areincluded int he GeneralAppr opri
ations Act,t
o any
progr
am,pr ojectoractivi
tyofanydepar tment,bureau,orof f
iceincl
udedinthe
GeneralAppropriat
ionsActorappr ovedaft
erit
senact ment.”

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotpar
agr
aph1Sect
ion44ofPDNo.1177i
sconst
it
uti
onal
Held:No,theprohi
biti
ont otransferanappropri
ationforoneit
em t
oanot herwas
expli
citandcategor
icalundert he1973Const i
tuti
on.Theleewaygrantedt othe
heads of t he di
fferent branches of the gov er
nment and those of t he
consti
tuti
onalcommi ssionsi slimit
edtoaugment i
nganitem f
rom sav i
ngsin
anotheri t
em int he appr opri
ation onl
y wi t
hint he gover
nmentbr anch or
consti
tuti
onalbodyconcer ned.Theext ension oft hepowersgranted t othe
presi
dentbypar agraph1Sect ion44ofPD No.1177i sunconsti
tut
ionaland
amount stounduedelegationoflegisl
ati
vepower s.

45.Guingona, Jr.vs.Car ague

Facts:The1990budgetconsi stsofP98. 4Bill
ioni nautomat i
cappr opri
ation( wit
h
P86.8Billi
onf ordebtser vi
ce)andP155. 3Bill
ionappr opri
atedunderRepubl icAct
No.6831,ot herwiseknownast heGener alAppr opriat
ionsAct ,orat otalof
P233.5 Billi
on.The pet it
ioners are quest i
oning the const i
tuti
onalit
y oft he
automat i
cappr opriati
onf ordebtser v
iceinsai dbudget .Automaticappr opriati
on
fordebtser vi
cei saut horizedbyR. A.No.4860,asamended,Sect ion31ofP. D.
No.1177andP. D.No.1967.Howev er
,peti
tionersarguet hatbeingaut omat i
c, t
he
l
awsar einconsistentwi t
hSect ion24,Ar t
icleVIoft heConst i
tut
ion,wher ebyal l
appropriat
ionbillsshal or
l i
ginateexclusi
velyint heHouseofRepr esentatives.
Issue:Whet herornott heaut omat i
cappropr iati
onfordebtser vi
cei nthe1990
budgetpur suantt oR. A.No.4860,asamended,Sect ion31ofP. D.No.1177and
P.D.No.1967const i
tutelawf ulauthori
zati
onsorappr opri
ations

Held:Yes,t heaut omat icappr opr i

ati
onf ordebtser vi
cepr ov i
desf lexibil
it
yf or
eff
ect i
vedebtmanagementwi thoutneedf orper i
odicenact mentofl aws.The
Courtf indst hatint hiscaset hequest ioned lawsar ecompl etei n allt heir
essentialtermsandcondi t
ionsandsuf f
icientstandardsar ei ndicatedt herein.
Thepur poseoft hesel awsi st oenabl et hegov ernmentt omakepr omptpay ment
and/oradv ancesf oral lloanst opr otectandmai nt
ainthecr editst andingoft he
country.Althought hespeci fi
camount st obepai dar enotcer t
ain,t herear e
l
egislati
v eparamet erspr ovidedt hatist opayonl ytheprinci pal
,i nt
erest ,taxes
andot hernor malbanki ngchar gesont hel oans,credi
tsori ndebtedness,oron
thebonds,debent ur esorsecur ityorot herev i
dencesofi ndebt ednesssol din
i
nternationalmar ket sincur red byv i
rtueoft hel aw,asand whent heyshal l
becomedue.

46.PHILCONSAVSENRI QUEZ
Facts:RA 7663 orGener alAppropri
ati
ons Actof1994 cont ains a speci al
provi
sionthatall
owsanymemberof Congr esst heaut hori
tyt or eali
gnhi s
all
ocati
onforOper ati
onalExpenses,pr
ovidedthatthetotalofsai dal l
ocati
oni s
notexceeded.Peti
tioner
squestiontheval
idit
yofsaidprovisionargui ngthatonl y
theSenatePr esi
dentandt heSpeakeroft heHouseofRepr esent ati
vesar e
authori
zedundert heConst i
tut
iontoreali
gnsav i
ngsf orthel egislati
vebr anch
pursuantt
oAr t
icl
eVISect i
on25oft heConsti
tuti
on.
I
ssue
Whetherornotthespecialprov
isi
oni
nRA7663al
l
owi
ngmember
sofcongr
ess
t
oreali
gnhisal
locat
ionisv al
i
d

Held
No.Onl yt
heSenatePr esidentandt heSpeakeroftheHousehav ethepowert o
real
ign al
locat
ions made.The member may det ermine and propose the
real
ignmentbutitissubjectf orapprovaloftheSpeakerofthehouseandt he
Senate Presi
dentpur suantt o Ar ti
cle VISect
ion 25 of the Constit
uti
on.
Further
more,twocondi ti
onsmustbemet :1)thef undstober eali
gnedar e
actuall
ysavi
ngs,and2)t het r
ansferisforthepur
poseofaugment i
ngt heit
ems
ofexpendit
urestowhichsai dtransf
ertobemade.

47.Ar t
uroTol enti
nov sSecretaryofFinance
Fact:Tol enti
noetali squest i
oni ngtheconst i
tut
ionalit
yofRA7716ot herwise
knownast heExpandedVal ueAddedTax( EVAT)Law.H.No.11197wasf il
edin
theHouseofRepr esentati
veswher eitpassedt hreereadi ngsandt hatafterward
i
twassentt ot heSenatewher eaf t
erf i
rstreadingitwasr eferr
edtot heSenat e
Way sandMeansCommi tt
ee,t heSenat edi dnotpassi tonsecondandt hi
rd
readingsandi nst
eadpassedi tsownv ersi
on( S.No.1630)appr ovedonMay24,
1994.Thepet iti
onersarguedt hatast heenr oll
edbi l
lwasnott heversi
onpassed
byt he HoR buti nst
ead was t he Senatev ersi
on,t hereforethe bil
ldi d not
exclusivelyorigi
natefrom theHouseofRepr esentativesandv i
olat
esSect ion24,
Arti
cle6oft heConst i
tut
ion.

I
ssue:WhetherornottheSenat
emaypr oposeanamendmentt
o aHouse
r
evenuebi
l
lbyenact
ingi
tsownver
sionofar
evenuebi
l
l?

Held:Thecour tfi
ndsthatwhi leArt.VI,
Section24pr ovi
dest hatal lappr opriati
on,
revenueort ar i
ffbil
l
s,bill
saut hori
zingincreaseoft hepubl i
cdebt ,bil
lsofl ocal
appli
cat i
on,and pr i
vate bill
s must" ori
ginat e excl
usivelyi nt he House of
Representatives,"i
talsopr ov i
des,"buttheSenat emaypr oposeorconcurwi th
amendment s."Thecour truledthatintheexer ciseofthispower ,theSenat emay
proposeanent ir
elynewbi llasasubst i
tutemeasur e,f
urt
her mor e,thecour tfi
nds
thatthereisal sonopr ohibit
iontot hefi
li
ngofaSenat eBilli
nant icipationoft he
receiptoftheBi l
lcomingf rom theHouse, asl ongast hereisnof urtheract ionby
theSenat ependi ngreceiptoft heHouseBi l
l.Towi t
,whatt heConst ituti
ononl y
requiresisthattheinit
iati
v emustcomef rom t heHoRont het heor ythatt heyar e
mor esensiti
vet otheneedsandpr oblemsoft hei rl
ocali
ty.

48.LUNGCENTEROFTHEPHI LIPPINESVSQUEZONCI TY
Facts:TheLungCent erofthePhili
ppineswasassessedRealPr opertyTaxesby
theCityAssessorofQuezonCi t
y.Petit
ionercontendsthatitisexemptf rom Real
PropertyTaxesasaChar i
tabl
einstit
uti
onpur suanttoAr t
icl
eVI ,Secti
on28( 3)of
theConst i
tuti
on.Thehospit
alinitsoperati
onsadmi t
spat i
ents,rendersmedical
servi
ces,leasesport
ionsofthelandt oprivat
epar t
ies,andrentsoutpor ti
onsof
thehospi
talt
opr i
vat
emedi calpr
act
it
ioner
sfr
om whi
chi
tder
ivesi
ncomet
obe
usedforoper
ati
onalexpenses.

I
ssue:Whet
herornottheLungCenterasachari
tabl
einst
it
uti
oni
sexemptf
rom
RealPr
oper
tyTaxesontheproper
tyi
toccupi
es

Hel d:Theexempt i
onf rom RealPr opertyTaxesispartial
l
ygr anted.Thecour t
ruledt hatonlyt hepor t
ionsoft helandoccupiedbythehospitalandusedf orits
pat i
entswhet herpayingornonpay ingareexemptf r
om realpropertytaxeswhi l
e
thepor t
ionsoft helandl easedt opr i
vat
eent i
ti
esaswel last hosepartsoft he
hospi t
all easedt opr i
vatei ndi
v i
dualsarenotexemptf rom sucht axes.Hewho
claimst heexempt ionmustbeart hebur dentoprove,byclearandunequi vocal
proof ,that( a)i tis a char i
tabl
ei nsti
tuti
on;and (b)itsrealpr operti
es are
ACTUALLY,DI RECTLY and EXCLUSI VELY used forchar i
table purposes the
pet i
ti
onerwasf oundwant ingthust hedecisi
on.

49. Tanv .DelRosario

Fact s:Thepet i
ti
oner schal lenget heconstituti
onal i
tyofRepubl i
cActNo.7496,
commonl yknownast heSi mpl i
fiedNetIncomeTaxat i
onScheme( "
SNIT")
,which
amendscer t
ainprov i
si onsoft heNationalI nternalRevenueCode.RA7496i n
effect l i
mited the al lowabl e deduct i
ons f rom gr oss i ncome of si ngl
e
propr iet
orshi
psandpr of essional si
nthecomput ati
onoft heirtaxabl
enetincome.
Petitionerarguest hatRA No.7496desecr atest heconst ituti
onalrequi
rement
thatt axati
on"shallbeuni for m andequitable"int hatthel awwoul dnowat tempt
tot axsi nglepropriet
or shi psandpr of
essional sdi ff
erentlyf r
om themanneri t
i
mposest hetaxoncor por ationsandpar t
ner ships.

I
ssue:Whet
herornotRepubl
i
cActNo.7496compl
i
eswi
tht
her
uleonuni
for
mit
y
oft
axati
onandther
efor
econsti
tut
ional
.

Hel d:ThecourtruledthatRA7496i sconsti

tuti
onal
.Uniformi tyoft axati
onmer ely
requirest hatallsubject
sorobj ectsoft axati
on,similarlysi tuated,aret obe
treatedal i
kebot hi npriv
ilegesandl i
abil
it
ies.Classi
ficationdoesnotv i
olate
uniformityforaslongas:( 1)thestandardsthatareusedt hereforar esubstanti
al
andnotar bi
tr
ary,(2)thecat egori
zati
oni sger manet oachi ev ethelegislat
ive
purpose,( 3)thelaw appli
es,al lt
hingsbeingequal ,tobot hpr esentandf uture
condi t
ions,and(4)theclassifi
cati
onappliesequall
ywel ltoal lthosebelongingt o
thesamecl ass.

50.Enri
queGar ci
avsExecuti
v eSecretary
Facts:ThePr esi
denti
ssuedsev eralExecut iveOrderswhichi mposedaddi t
ional
duti
esoni mport
ati
on.Peti
tionersquest ionedt heconstit
utional
i
tyofExecut ive
OrderNos475and478pur santtoSect ion24, Art
icl
eVIoft he1987Const i
tution
whichpr ovi
desthatallappropri
ation,rev enueort ar
iffbil
l
set c,shalloriginate
exclusi
velyintheHouseofRepr esent at
ives.ExecutiveOrderNo.475i ssuedon
15August1991i mposedanaddi tionaldut yonal limpor tedarti
clesoff ive
percent( 5%)adv al
orem,exceptinthecasesofcrudeoilandot heroi
lproducts
whi chshal lbesubjectt otheadditi
onaldutyofninepercent( 9%)adv alor
em.
Execut iv
e Or derNo.478,dat ed 23 August1991,levi
ed (in additi
on tot he
afor ementionedaddi t
ionaldut
yofni nepercent(9%)adv alorem andal lother
exist ngadv
i alorem dutes)aspeci
i aldut
yofP0.95perlit
erorP151. 05perbar rel
ofimpor t
edcr udeoilandP1.00perli
terofi
mportedoil
products.

Issue:WhetherornotthePresidentisact
ingwithi
nhispowersinthelevyof
additi
onalduti
es and i
nissuing laws i
nt he nat
ure ofr
evenue gener
ati
ng
measur es

Held:Thecour tr ulethatt hePr esidenti sact ingwi thinhi spower sinthei ssuance
ofEONos475and478.Gener ally
,rev enuel awset cshal lor
iginatefrom t heHoR,
howev erthereisanexcept ioni nSect i
on28( 2)ofAr t
icl
eVIoft heConst i
tution
whichsay st hatt heCongr essmay,byl aw,aut horizet hePresidentt of i
xwi thin
specif
iedlimits,andsubj ectt osuchl imi t
at i
onsandr estri
cti
onsasi tmayi mpose,
tar
iffrates,impor tandexpor tquot as,t onageandwhar agedues,and ot
f her
duti
esori mpost swi thinthef r
amewor koft henat i
onaldev elopmentpr ogr am of
theGov ernment .Ther eist husexpl icitconst ituti
onalper mi
ssiont oCongr esst o
authori
zet hePr esident" subjectt osuchl i
mi tationsandr estr
icti
onsi s[Congr ess]
mayi mpose"t of ix"wi thi
nspeci fi
cl imits"" tarif
fr ates...andot herdut iesor
i
mpost s... "Thedel egationoft axpower st ot hePr esidentmustbet hr ougha
l
aw andi nt hisi nstance,t her el
evantcongr essionalst at
utei stheTar iffand
CustomsCodeoft hePhi l
i
ppi nes,speci fi
callySect ions104and401t hereof .

51.JOHNHAYPACVLi m
Facts:Procl
amat i
onNo.420,seri
esof1994,wasi ssuedbyt henPr esidentFidel
Ramos“ CREATI NGANDDESI GNATINGAPORTI ONOFTHEAREACOVEREDBY
THEFORMERCAMPJOHN[ HAY]ASTHEJOHNHAYSPECI ALECONOMI CZONE
PURSUANTTOREPUBLI CACTNO.7227” .Peti
tionersal l
eget hatPDNo.420i s
unconsti
tuti
onalin so faras itgrant
st ax exempt ions mer elythrough the
presi
dent,when such powerr esi
des withthe legislati
vet hrough Ar t
icl
e VI,
Section28( 4)oftheConsti
tut
ionwhichprovi
dest hatNol aw gr ant
inganyt ax
exempt i
onshallbepassedwi t
houttheconcur renceofamaj ori
tyofal lthe
member sofCongr ess.

I
ssueWhet herornotPr ocl
amati
onNo.420i sconst
itut
ionali
nprovi
dingfor
nat
ionalandlocalt
axexemptionwit
hinandgr
ant
ingothereconomi
cincenti
ves
tot
heJohnHaySpeci al
EconomicZone

Held:Thecourtrul
edt hatitisthelegisl
ature,
unlessl
i
mi t
edbyaprovisi
onofthe
stateconsti
tuti
on,thathasf ul
lpowert oexemptanyper sonorcorporat
ionor
classofpropert
yfrom taxation,i
tspowert oexemptbeingasbroadasitspower
totax.Inthecaseathand, thetaxexempt ionwouldci
rcumventt
heConstit
uti
ons
requir
ementthatalawgr ant i
nganyt axexempt i
onmusthavetheconcurr
enceof
amaj ori
tyofal
lthemember sofCongr ess.
52. TeresitaFabi anv sAni anoDesi erto
Fact s:TheOmbudsmangr antedthemot i
onf orreconsi derati
onofandabsol ved
privater espondent sfrom admi ni
strat
ivechar gesf orinteral i
agravemi sconduct
commi ttedast henAssi stantRegi onalDi r
ect or,oft heDepar t
mentofPubl i
c
Wor ksandHi ghway s(DPWH) .Thepet i
tionerappeal st ot heSupremeCour tthe
deci si
onpur suantt oSect ion27ofRepubl i
cActNo.6770( OmbudsmanActof
i
1989) whi chper t
inentlypr ovi
des-I nalladmi nistrati
vedi cipl
inar
ycases,or ders,
directivesordeci sionsoft heOf fi
ceoft heOmbudsmanmaybeappeal edt othe
Supr emeCour tbyf i
li
ngapet iti
onforcer tiorariwithinten( 10)day sfr
om r ecei
pt
oft hewr i
ttennot iceoft heor der,dir
ecti
v eordeci sionordeni alofthemot ionfor
reconsi derat i
oni naccor dancewi t
hRul e45oft heRul esofCour t
.(Emphasi s
suppl i
ed)
Issue:Whet herornotSect i
on27ofRA6770i sv ali
dt hust hecourthasappel l
ate
j
ur i
sdict i
onov eradmi nistrati
vecasesdeci dedbyt heombudsman.

Hel d:No,thecour truledt hatSection27ofRepubl icActNo.6770( Ombudsman

Actof1989) ,t
oget herwi thSection7,Rul eI IIofAdmi nistr
ativeOr derNo.07
(RulesofPr ocedur eoft heOf fi
ceoft heOmbudsman) ,andanyot herpr ovisionof
l
awori ssuancei mplement i
ngtheaf oresaidActandi nsofarast heypr ovidef or
appeal sinadmi nistrativedisci
pli
nar ycasesf r
om t heOf fi
ceoft heOmbudsman
tot heSupr emeCour t
,areher ebydecl ar edINVALI Dandofnof urtherf orceand
effect.Takingall t
hef oregoingcircumst ancesint hei
rtruelegalrolesandef fects,
therefore,Secti
on27ofRepubl i
cActNo.6770cannotv al
idlyauthorizeanappeal
tot hisCour tfr
om deci sionsoft heOf ficeoft heOmbudsmani nadmi ni
strative
discipli
narycases.I tconsequent lyv iol
at esthepr oscr
ipti
oni nSect i
on30,Ar t
icle
VIoft heConst ituti
onagai nstalawwhi chi ncreasestheAppel latejur i
sdictionof
thisCour t
.Thei nstantpet i
ti
onisref err
edandt ransfer
redt otheCour tofAppeal s
forf i
naldi
sposition.

53. Artur
oTol enti
nov sSecret
aryofFi nance
Fact s:Tolent i
noetali squesti
oningt heconst i
tuti
onalit
yofRA7716ot herwise
knownast heExpandedVal ueAddedTax( EVAT)Law.H.No.11197wasf iledin
theHouseofRepr esentati
veswher ei tpassedt hr
eer eadingsont hesamedat e
andt hatafterwarditwassentt ot heSenat ewher eaf t
erf i
rstreadingi twas
referredtotheSenat eWay sandMeansCommi tt
ee.ThePr esi
dentcer t
ifi
edt he
senat ev er
sionS.No.1630asur gentandt hust heSenat edidnotpassf or
secondandt hir
dreadingsandinsteadpassedi tsownv ersi
onappr ovedonMay
24,1994.Thepet iti
onersarguedagai nstt heconstit
uti
onalityofthelawont he
groundst hatt hebil
ldidnotpassther equiredthreereadingsonsepar ateday s.

I
ssue:WhetherornotRA 7716isconst
it
uti
onaldespit
enothav ingpassed3
r
eadingsonsepar
ateday
sbyv i
rt
ueoft
hepresi
dent
ialcer
tif
icat
ion.

Hel
d:Yes,pur
suantt
oAr
ti
cleVISec26oft
heconst
it
uti
ont
hephr
ase"
except
whent hePresi
dentcert
if
iestothenecessit
yofi t
simmediateenact
ment,etc."
dispenseswit
hnotonlytherequir
ementthat"pr
int
edcopies[
ofabill
]ini
tsfinal
form[ mustbe]di
str
ibut
edt othemember sthreedaysbeforei
tspassage"but
alsotherequi
rementthatbeforeabil
lcanbecomeal aw i
tmusthav epassed
"thr
eereadi
ngsonseparatedays."

54.PhilconsavEnr iquez
Facts:I npassi ngRA 7663orGener alAppr opriat
ionsActof1994Congr ess
addedSpeci alProv isi
onstoArticleXLVI II(Appr opri
ati
onsf orDebtSer vi
ce).The
Presidentv etoedt heenti
reparagr aphoneoft heSpecial Provi
sionswhi chreads:
1.Use oft he Fund.The appr opr i
ati
on aut hori
zed her ein shallbe used f or
paymentofpr incipaland inter estoff oreign and domest ici ndebtedness;
PROVI DED,Thatanypaymenti nexcessoft heamounther einappr opr
iat
edshal l
be subj ectt ot he approvaloft he Pr esidentoft he Phili
ppines wi t
ht he
concurrenceoft heCongr essoft hePhi l
ippines; PROVI DED,FURTHER,Thati nno
caseshal lthisfundbeusedt opayf orthel iabili
ti
esoft heCent ralBankBoar dof
Li
quidat ors.

I
ssue:Whetherornott
hePr
esi
denthast
hepowert
ovet
o"pr
ovi
sions"ofan
Appr
opri
ati
onsBil
l
?

Held:Thecour tsust ainedt hePr esi dentialv etoonlywi t

hr espectt ot hepr ov i
so
ther
einr equir
ingt hat" anypay menti nexcessoft heamounther ein,appr opriat
ed
shallbesubj ectt ot heappr ovaloft hePr esi
dentoft hePhi li
ppineswi t
ht he
concurrenceoft heCongr essoft hePhi lippines...".Thev etoedpr ovisionwas
deemed an “ inappr opr iatepr ovi
si on”i nsof arasi text ended i ni tsoper ati
on
beyondani tem ofappr opr iati
onal sobecauset heprovisi
onwasi nsertedwi ththe
i
ntentofamendi ngot herl awswhi chhav enopl aceinanappr opr i
ati
onsbi l
l.The
i
ntentt oamendt heaut omat icappr opriationf ordebtser v i
cei samat t
erof
generallegislationmor eappr opriatelydeal twi thinsepar ateenact ment s.Ast o
therestoft hepr ovi
sions,t hecour tf i
ndst hatthesepr ovisi
onsar eger manet o
andhav eadi r ectconnect ionwi tht heitem ondebtser v i
ce.Inher entint hepower
ofappropr i
ationi st hepowert ospeci fyhowt hemoneyshal lbespent .Thesai d
provi
sos,bei ngappr opr iatepr ovisions,cannotbev etoedsepar ately.Hencet he
i
tem vetoofsai dpr ov i
si onsi sv oi
d.

55.NeptaliGonzal esvsMacar aig

Facts:On29December1988, thePr esidentsignedi ntolawHouseBi ll No.19186,
ortheGener al Appropri
ationsBi ll
fortheFi scalYear1989, anddeclaredt hesame
tohav ebecomeRep.ActNo.6688.I nt heprocess,sev en(7)SpecialPr ovisions
andSect ion55,a" Gener alProv i
sion,"wer ev etoed.On2Febr uary1989,t he
Senate,inissuingResol utionNo.381.expr essed“ thatt hevetobythePr esident
ofSect i
on55oft heGENERALPROVI SIONSoft heGener alAppropriati
onBi llof
1989( H.B.No.19186)i sunconst i
tuti
onaland,t her efore,voi
dandwi t
houtany
for
ceandef fect;hence,theafor esai
dSect i
on55r emai ns” .
The v et
oed pr ovi
sions is“ SEC.55.Pr ohi
biti
on Agai nstthe Rest orati
on or
Incr
ease ofRecommended Appr opr
iati
ons Di
sappr
ov ed and/orReduced by
Congress…”ThePeti
ti
onf orProhibi
ti
on/Mandamuswasf il
edbypet i
ti
oners
assail
i
ngmainlyt
heconst
it
uti
onali
tyorlegal
i
tyofthePresi
dentialv
etoofSect
ion
55,andseeki
ngtoenj
oinr
espondentsfrom i
mplementi
ngRep.ActNo.6688.

I
ssue:Whetherornott
hePr
esi
denthast
hepowert
ovet
o"pr
ovi
sions"ofan
Appr
opri
ati
onsBil
l
?

Held:Theconst i
tuti
onali
tyoft heassai l
edPr esi dentialv etoi sUPHELDandt his
Peti
t i
oni sher ebyDI SMISSED.Thev et
opoweroft hePr esidenti sexpr essedi n
Arti
cleVI ,Section27oft he1987Const it
uti
on.Expl icitist her equirementt hata
provisi onint heAppr opri
at i
onsBi l
lshouldrel atespeci f
icallyt osome"par ti
cular
appropr i
ati
on"t herei
n.Thechal l
enged" pr
ovisi ons"fal lshor toft hi
sr equirement .
Fir
stly ,the v etoed "provisi
ons"do notr elatet o anypar ticularordi stinctive
appropr i
ati
on.Theyappl ygener allyto alli tems di sappr ov ed orr educed by
Congr essint heAppr opr
iati
onsBi l
l.Secondly ,thedi sappr ov edorr educedi tems
arenowher et obef oundont hefaceoft heBi ll
.Thirdl y,thev etoedSect ionsar e
mor eofanexpr essi
onofCongr essionalpolicyi nrespectofaugment ati
onf rom
savingsr athert hanabudget aryappr opri
ation.Consequent ly ,Sec55al t hough
l
abel led as" provisi
ons,"ar eactuallyinappr opriat
epr ovisionst hatshoul d be
tr
eat edasi t
emsf orthepur poseoft hePresi
dent ’
sv etopower .

56.BengzonvDr il
on
Facts:The i ssue i nthispet it
ion ist he consti
tutionalit
yoft he veto byt he
Presidentofcer t
ainpr ov i
sionsi ntheGener alAppr opr i
ationsActf orFY1992
rel
atingtot hepay mentoft headj ustedpensi onsofr etir
edJust i
cesoft he
SupremeCour tandt heCour tofAppeal si nordertoassur et hoseser vi
ngi nt he
Supreme Cour t
,Cour tofAppeal s and Const i
tutionalCommi ssi
ons r eceive
adequateol dagepensi onsev endur ingt hetimewhent hepur chasi
ngpowerof
thepesohasbeendi mini shedsubst antiall
ybywor ldwi der ecessionori nflati
on.
ThePr esidentv etoedunder li
nedpor tionsofSect i
on1andt heent i
reSect ion4
theSpecialPr ov i
sionsf ort heSupr emeCour toft hePhi l
ippinesandt heLower
Courtsandt heunder li
nedpor ti
onsofSect ion1andt heent ireSecti
on2,oft he
SpecialPr ovisionsf ort heCour tofAppeal sand t heunder l
ined port
ionsof
Section 1.3 ofAr ti
cle XLV oft he Speci alProvisions oft he Gener alFund
Adjustment s.

I
ssue:Whetherornott
hev
etobyt
hePr
esi
denti
sani
tem v
etoi
naccor
dance
wi
ththeconsti
tut
ion

Held: Thequest i
onedv etoi sSETASI DEasi ll
egalandunconst itutional
.The
Presi
dentshallhav et he powert oveto anypar ti
cularitem ori tems in an
appropr
iat
ion,rev
enueort arif
fbillbutt
hev etoshallnotaffecttheitem oritems
towhichhedoesnotobj ect.(Secti
on27(2),Ar t
icl
eVI,Const it
uti
on).Howev er
,
whatwer evetoedwer emet hodsorsy stemspl acedbyCongr esstoi nsurethat
permanentandcont inuingobl igati
onstocer tai
nof fi
cial
swoul dbepai dwhen
 theyfel
ldue.Anexami nati
onoftheentir
esectionsandtheunderl
inedpor ti
onsof
thelawwhi chwer evetoedwillr
eadil
yshowt hatport
ionsoftheitem hav ebeen
choppedupi nt
ov et
oedandunv et
oedparts.Lessthanallofani tem hasbeen
vetoed.Mor eover
,thev et
oedpor t
ionsarenoti t
ems.Theyar epr ovi
sions.The
vetoed provisi
ons oft he 1992 Appropr
iati
ons Actar e decl
ared v ali
d and
subsist
ing.

57.Mil
lervMardo
Facts:
 Republ
ic Act991 provi
ded thatthe reorganizati
on pl
an drafted by
Depart
mentofLaborandEmpl oymentandsubmi t
tedi ttothepresidentfor
approvalshal
ldeemedasapprovedbytheCongressaf t
eritsadj
our
nmentunl ess
i
nt hemeant i
me,Congressbyresolut
iondi
sapprovedt heplanandassai ledi
ts
consti
tuti
onal
it
y.

I
ssue:
 Whet
herornotenact
mentofl
awbyl
egi
slat
ivei
nact
ioni
sval
i
d?

Decision:
 The contempl ated pr
ocedurevi
olates t
he consti
tuti
onalpr ov
isi
ons
requiri
ngpositi
veandsepar ateacti
onsofeachhouse.I tiscont rar
yt othe
“sett
ledandwel l
-understoodpar l
i
amentar
yl aw”whichr equi
rest hatthe“two
houses ar et o hold separ ate sessi
ons for thei
r deli
berati
ons,and t he
determinati
onoftheoneuponapr oposedl
awi stobesubmi tt
edtot hesepar
ate
determinati
onoftheot her.”

82.Tanadav
sTuv
era
Fact
s:
.Peti
ti
onersfil
edawr i
tofmandamust ocompelr espondentpubl
icof f
ici
alst
opubli
sh
vari
ous pr
esident
ialdecr
ees,l
ett
ers ofinstruct
ions,generalorders,procl
amat
ions,
execut
iveorder
s,l
etter
sofimpl
ementati
ons,andadmi ni
str
ati
veorders.
I
ssue:Whetherornotpubl
i
cat
ioni
ntheOf
fi
cialGazet
tei
srequi
redbef
oreanyl
aw
becomesef
fecti
ve.
Held:Articl
e2oft heci vilcodedoesnotdoawaywi thther equirementofpubl i
cati
oni n
theOf f
icialGazett
e,ev eni fthelaw i
tselfprov i
desforthedat eofi tseffect
ivi
ty.The
objecti
veoft hisprovisioni st oinf
ormt hepubl i
candgi venot iceoft hevari
ouslaws
whichar et oregul
atet hei racti
ons.Thepubl icati
onofpr esidentialissuancesofpublic
natureorofgener alappl icabil
it
yisar equir
ementofduepr ocess.Itisar ul
eoflawt hat
beforeaper sonmaybeboundbyl aw,hemustf i
rstbeof fici
allyandspeci f
ical
ly
i
nformedofi tscont ents.TheCour tdecl aredt hatpresidenti
ali ssuancesofgener al
appli
cationwhi chhavenotbeenpubl ishedhav enoforceandef fect.

83.Execut
iveOr
derNo.200
Fact
s:
Arti
cle2oft heCivi
lCodepartl
yprovi
desthat“l
awsshal
ltakeeff
ectafterf
if
teendays
fol
lowing the complet
ion ofthei
rpubl
icati
on i
nthe Offi
cialGazet
te,unless i
tis
otherwiseprov
ided.
.”
Ther equir
ementt hatforlawstobeeffecti
veonlyapubl i
cati
ont her
eofintheOffi
cial
Gazet tewil
lsuf
ficehasent ail
edsomepr obl
ems,apoi ntrecognizedbyt heSupr
eme
Cour tinTanadav sTuv er
awheni tobserv
edt hatt
hereismucht obesai dofthethe
viewt hatt
hepublicati
onneednotbemadei ntheOffi
cialGazet
te,consider
ingi
tser
rati
c
releaseandlimi
tedr eader
ship.
I
ssue:
WhetherornotArti
cl
e2oftheCiv
ilCodeshoul
dbeamendedsothelawstobeeffect
ive
mustbepublishedeit
heri
ntheOff
ici
alGazet
teori
nanewspaperofgener
alci
rculat
ion
i
nthecountry.
Hel
d:
Ar
ti
cle2oft
heCi
vi
lCodei
sher
ebyamended.

Sec.1.Lawsshal ltakeeffectafterfif
teendaysfoll
owingthecompleti
onofthei
r
publ
icati
oneit
herintheOffi
cialGazet
teori nanewspaperofgener
alci
rcul
ati
oni
nthe
Phil
i
ppines,
unlessi
tisother
wi sepr
ovided.

Sec.2.Ar ti
cle2ofRepubli
cActNo.386,ot her
wiseknownast he"Civ
ilCodeofthe
Phil
ippines,
"and al
lotherlaws inconsi
stentwiththi
s Execut
ive Or
derare her
eby
repealedormodif
iedaccor
dingl
y.

Sec.3.ThisExecut
iveOr
dershal
ltakeef
fecti
mmedi
atel
yaf
teri
tspubl
i
cat
ioni
nthe
Offi
ci
alGazet
te

84.Ar
naul
tvsNazar
eno
Fact
s:
TheSenat einvestigatedthepur chasebyt hegov ernmentoftwopar cel
sofland,known
asBuenav i
staandTambobongest ates.Ani nt
ri
guingquestionthatt heSenatesoughtto
resol
v ewast heappar entirr
egulari
tyofthegov ernment ’
spaymentt ooneErnestBurt,a
non-resi
dentAmer i
cancitizen,ofthetotalsum ofPhp1. 5mi l
li
onf orhisall
egedinter
est
i
nt het woest atest hatonl yamount edtoPhp20, 000.
00,whichheseemedt ohav e
forf
eitedanywayl ongbef ore.TheSenat esoughtt odeterminewhower eresponsibl
efor
andwhobenef i
tedf rom t
het ransacti
onatt heexpenseoft hegov ernment.

Arnault
 wast
her
eforecit
ed i
n cont
emptbyt heSenat
eand was 
committ
ed t
othe
custody oft
he Senat
e Ser
geant-
at-
Arms f
orimpri
sonmentunti
lhe answer
sthe
questi
ons.Het her
eaf
terfi
ledapeti
ti
onfor 
habeascor
pus 
dir
ect
lywi
tht
heSupr
eme
Courtquest
ioni
ngtheval
idi
tyofhi
sdet
ent
ion.

I
ssues:
Whetherornotthesenat
ehast heauthori
tyt
ocommi
tpet
it
ionerf
orcont
emptf
ora
t
erm beyondi
tsper
iodofl
egi
slat
ivesessi
on.

Hel
d:

Yes,theSenatehadt heaut hori

tytocommi tpet
it
ionerforcontemptf orater
m beyond
i
tsper i
odofl egisl
ati
vesessi on.Thereisnosoundr easont oli
mi tt
hepoweroft he
l
egislat
ivebodytopunishf orcontempttotheendofev er
ysessi onandnottotheendof
thelastsessi
ont er
minat
ingt heexist
enceofthatbody.Thev eryreasonfort
heexerci
se
ofthepowert opunishforcont empti stoenablethel egi
slat
ivebodyt operf
ormits
constit
uti
onalfunct
ionwithoutimpedimentorobstruct
ion.

85.Ar
naul
tvsBal
agt
as

Fact s:
Thi swasapet it
ionf orhabeascor pusf il
edbyJeanAr naultagainsttheDi rect
orof
Pr i
sons,Bal agtas.Ar naultwasi ncarceratedpur suanttoar esol
uti
onbyt heSenat e
fi
ndi ngAr naultincont emptf orrefusingt odi sclosethenameofaper sonwi t
hwhom he
transact edbusi nessi nrelati
ont oagov ernmentpur chaseofoft heBuenav i
staand
Tambobongest ates.Theci r
cumst ancesofAr nault
'sincarcerati
onaredescr i
bedinthe
compani oncase  Ar naultv
s.Nazar eno (1950)  whichaffir
medt heLegislat
ure'
spowert o
hol daper soni ncont emptf ordefy i
ngorr efusi ngtocompl ywi thanorderinal egi
slat
ive
i
nqui ry.Ar naultev entuall
ydivulgedt hathehadt r
ansactedwi thoneJessD.Sant osi n
relationt ot heBuenav istaandTambobongdeal .Thesenat ewasnotsat isfi
edwi th
Ar nault’
sexpl anations.TheCour tofFi rstInstancer uledinf avourofPetiti
onerArnault
andor deredhi srelease.

I
ssue:
Whetherornott
heCour
tofFi
rstI
nst
ancehast
her
ightt
orev
iew t
hef
indi
ngsoft
he
Senat
e.

Held:
NO.I nthefirstpl
ace,theCFIdi dNOThav et herighttoreviewthefi
ndingsoft heSenat e.
Int heabov equot edr esoluti
on,theSenat einst ati
ngt hatpeti
ti
oner“hasf ai
ledand
refused,andcont i
nuest of ai
landr ef
use,t orevealtheper sontowhom hegav ethe
amountofP440, 000”andt hatthesit
uationofpet it
ioner“hasnotmat er
ial
lychar ged
sincehewascommi t
tedt opr i
son”,cl
ear
lyshowst hattheSenate bel
iev
est hatAr nault
wasst i
lltr
yingt odecei v
et hem.TheCFIont heot herhandar rogatedunt oitselfto
review suchf i
ndingandhel dthatArnaul
tsat i
sfactori
lyansweredt hequestionsoft he
Senatei nitsinvesti
gationoft heBuenavistaandTambobongdeal .Theonl yinstances
whenjudici
ali
nter
venti
onmaylawf
ullybeinv
okearewhentherehasbeenavi
olati
onof
aconsti
tuti
onali
nhibi
ti
on,
orwhentherehasbeenanar
bit
raryexer
ciseoft
hel
egisl
ati
ve
di
scret
ion.

86.Bengzonv
sSenat
eBl
ueRi
bbonCommi
tt
ee

Facts:
I
twasal legedthatBenj ami nRomual dezandhi swi fet ogetherwi t
ht heMar coses
unlawful
lyandunjustlyenrichedt hemselvesatt heexpenseoft heFi li
pinopeopl e.That
theyobtainedwitht
hehel poft heBengzonLawOf fi
ceandRi car doLopa.Senat orJuan
PonceEnr i
l
esubsequent lydel i
veredapr i
vil
egespeechal l
egingt hatLopat ookov er
vari
ousgov er
nmentownedcor porati
onswhi chi sinv i
olati
onoft heAnt i-
Graftand
CorruptPracti
cesAct.Cont ainedint hespeechi samot iont oinv estigateont hemat ter
.
Themot ionwasr eferredtot heCommi t
teeonAccount abili
tyofPubl i
cOf f
icersort he
BlueRibbonCommi ttee.Enrilesubsequent l
yt ookadv antageoft heSenat e’spr i
vi
lege
houruponwhi chhei nsist
edt ohav eani nquir
yr egar
dingthemat ter.TheSBRCr ejected
Lopa’sandBengzon’spl ea.Hencet hispetit
ion.
I
ssue:
Whetherornott
hei
nqui
ryt
hatI
ssoughtbyt
heSenat
eBl
ueRi
bbonCommi
tt
eeshoul
d
begrant
ed.

Held:
No,t he inquirycannotbe gi ven due course.The speech ofEnr il
e contai
ned no
suggestionofcont empl atedlegi
slati
on;hemer elycal
ledupont heSenatetolooki ntoa
possibleviol
at ionofSec.5ofRANo.3019,ot herwi
seknownas“ TheAnti-
Gr aftand
CorruptPracticesAct .”Inotherwor ds,t
hepur poseoftheinquir
ytobeconduct edbyt he
BlueRibbonCommi t
teewast ofindoutwhet herornotther el
ati
vesofCory,particularl
y
Lopa,had v i
ol ated the l aw in connecti
on wi ththe all
eged sale ofthe 36 or39
corporati
onsbel ongingt oKokoyt otheLopaGr oup.Thereappearstobe,therefore,no
i
ntendedl egislationinv olved.Hence,thecontempl at
edinquirybytheSBRCi snotr eall
y
“i
nai dofl egislation”becausei tisnotr el
atedt oapur posewi t
hinthejuri
sdictionof
Congress.

87.Senat
evsEr
mit
a

Facts:
Thiscasei nvolvestheprojectoftheNor thLuzonRail
waysCor porationwi tht heChina
NationalMachi neryandEqui pmentGr oup.TheSenateCommi tteessenti nvi
t at
ionsto
vari
ousof fici
alsoft heExecut i
veDepar tmentandAFP offici
alsf ort hem t oappear
beforetheSenat eonSeptember29, 2005.OnSeptember28,2005, thePr esidentissued
EO464,ef fectiveimmedi atel
y which,among ot her
s,mandat ed t hat“ allheads of
departmentsoft heExecutiveBranchoft hegover
nmentshallsecuret heconsentoft he
Presidentpriortoappeari
ngbef oreeitherHouseofCongress.”Pur suantt ot hisOrder
,
ExecutiveSecr etar
yErmitacommuni catedtotheSenatethatt heexecut i
veandAFP
off
ici
alswouldnotbeabl et oatt
endthemeet ingsincethePresi
denthasnotyetgiven
herconsent.Despit
et helackofconset,Col
.BalutanandBr i
g.Gen.Gudani,amongall
theAFPof f
ici
alsinvi
ted,att
endedtheinvest
igati
on.Bothfacedcourtmarshal
lforsuch
att
endance.

I
ssue:
Whethert
heExecut
iveOr
der464cont
rav
enest
hepowerofi
nqui
ryv
est
edi
nCongr
ess.

Hel d:
TheLegi slature’
spowert oconducti nquir
yinai dofl egisl
ationisexpr essl
yrecognized
i
nAr ti
cl
e6, Section21oft heConstit
ut i
on.
Thepowerofi nquir
yi naidoflegisl
at i
onisi nherenti nt hepowert olegisl
atebutthere
areexempt ionst ot hepowerofi nquiry,whi chexempt ionsf allunderther ubri
cof
“executivepr i
vil
ege”.Thisisthepoweroft hegov ernmentt owithholdinfor
mat i
onfrom
thepubl i
c,t hecour ts,andtheCongr ess.Thi sisr ecogni zedonl ytocer tai
ntypesof
i
nf ormat i
onofasensi ti
vecharacter.WhenCongr essexer ciseitspowerofi nquir
y,the
onlywayf ordepar t
mentheadst oexemptt hemsel vest herefr
om i sbyav ali
dclaim of
privil
ege.Theyar enotexemptbyt hemer ef actthatt heyar edepartmentheads.Onl y
oneof ficialmaybeexempt edfr
om thi spower ,thePr esident.

88.Sabi
ovsGor
don

Facts:
Senat orMi r
iam Def ensor-Santiagoint r
oducedSenat eResol ut
ionNo.455“ di
recti
ngan
i
nqui r
yi n ai d of legisl
at i
on on t he anomal ous l osses i ncur r
ed by t he POTC,
PHILCOMSAT,andPHCduet otheal legedi mpr oprietiesi nt heiroperat
ionsbyt heir
respectiveBoar dofDi rectors.SenatorRi chardGor donwr otetoChai r
manCami loSabio
ofthePCGGi nvi
ti
nghimt obeoneoft her esourceper sonsi nthepubl icmeet i
ngjointly
conduct edbyt heCommi tteeonGov ernmentCor porat i
onsandPubl icEnterpri
sesand
Commi tteeonPubl i
cSer vices.ChairmanSabi odecl inedt heinv i
tati
onbecauseofpr i
or
commi tment .Atthesamet ime,hei nvokedSect ion4( b)of  E.O.No.1“ Nomemberor
staffoft heCommi ssionshal lber equiredt otestifyorpr oduceev i
denceinanyj udici
al,
l
egislative or admi nistr
at i
ve proceedi ng concer ning mat t
ers wi thi
n i t
s of fi
cial
cognizance. ”Apparently,thepur posei stoensur ePCGG’ sunhamper edperformanceof
i
tst ask.Gor don’sSubpoenaeAdTest if
icandum wasr epeat edlyignoredbySabi ohence
hethr eatenedSabi otobeci t
edwi thcont empt .

I
ssue:
WhetherornotSect
ion4ofEONo.
1isunconst
it
uti
onal

Hel
d:
No. 
Itcanbesai
dthattheCongress’powerofinquir
yhasgainedmoresoli
dexist
ence
andexpansiv
econstr
ual.
 TheCour t’
shi ghregardtosuchpoweri srender
edmor e
evi
dentin 
Senat
ev.Ermita,whereitcategor
ical
lyrul
edthat
 “thepowerofinqui
ryis
broadenought ocov eroff
ici al
soft heexecut i
vebr anch.” Veri
ly,t
heCour tr einfor
cedt he
doct r
inei n Arnaul
t that“theoper at i
onofgov ernment ,beingal egitimat esubj ectf or
l
egi sl
ation, isapr opersubj ectfori nvestigat
ion”and t hat“thepowerofi nquir
yi sco-
extensi v
ewi t
ht hepowert ol egislate”.Subjectt or easonableconditionspr escr
ibedby
l
aw,t heSt ateadopt sand i mpl ement sapol icyoff ullpubli
cdi sclosur eofal lits
transactionsi nvol
vingpubl icinterest.
Theset winpr ovi
sionsoft heConst itut
ionseekt opr omot etranspar encyi npol icy-
maki ngandi ntheoper ati
onsoft hegov ernment ,aswel lasprovidethepeopl esuf f
icient
i
nf ormat i
ont oenabl ethem t oexer ciseef f
ectivelytheirconsti
tuti
onal ri
ght s.Ar medwi th
ther ighti nformation,citizenscan par ti
cipatei n publ i
cdiscussionsl eadi ng tot he
formul ati
onofgov ernmentpol i
ciesandt heireffecti
v eimplementati
on.

89.Ner
ivsSenat
e

Facts:
DOTCent er edi ntoacont ractwi thZhongXi ngTel ecommuni cationsEqui pment( ZTE)
fort hesuppl yofequi pmentandser v
icesf ort heNat ionalBroadbandNet wor k(NBN)
Project .ThePr ojectwast of i
nancedbyt hePeopl e’sRepubl icofChi na.TheSenat e
passedv ariousr esol ut
ionsr el
at iv
et otheNBNdeal .Ont heot herhand, JoeDeVeneci a
i
ssuedast atementt hatsev eralhighexecut i
veof fi
cial
sandpowerbr oker swer eusi ng
theirinf l
uencet opusht heappr ovaloftheNBNPr ojectbyt heNEDA.
Ner i
,t heheadofNEDA,wast heni nvi
tedt ot est i
fybef oretheSenat eBl ueRi bbon.He
appear edi nonehear i
ngwher einhewasi nterrogat edf or11hr sanddur i
ngwhi chhe
admi t t
edt hatAbal osofCOMELECt ri
edt obr ibehi m wi t
hP200M i nexchangef orhis
appr ov aloft heNBN pr oject.Hef urt
hernar r
at edt hathei nformedPr esidentAr royo
aboutt hebr iber yat t
emptandt hatshei nstr
uct edhi m nottoacceptt hebr ibe.Howev er
,
whenpr obedf urtheronwhatt heydiscussedaboutt heNBN Pr oject,Ner i 
refusedt o
answer ,inv oki ngt heex ecut i
vepr i
vil
ege.Her efusedt oanswerquest ionsf r
om t he
commi tt
ee.I npar ti
cul
ar,her efusedt oanswert hequest i
onson( a)whet herornot
Presi dentAr r
oy of ol
lowedupt heNBNPr oject,(b)whet herornotshedi rectedhi mt o
pri
or iti
zei t,and( c)whet herornotshedi rectedhi mt oappr ove.Hel aterr efusedt o
attend t he ot herhear i
ngsand Er mita senta l ett
ert ot he SBRC  averring thatt he
communi cat i
onsbet weenGMAandNer iispr ivilegedandt hatt hej urisprudencel aid
downi n Senat ev sEr mit
a beappl i
ed.TheSBRC  citedNer iforcontempt .

Issue:
Whet herornotthet
hreequest
ionssoughtbyt
heSBRC 
tobeanswer
edf
all
sunder
executiv
epri
vi
lege

Held:
 
Theov er
sightf unct
ionofCongressmaybef acil
itatedbycompulsor
yprocessonl
yto
theext
entthatitisperformedinpur
suitofl
egi
slat
ion.
Thecommuni cati
onselici
tedbythethree(
3)quest i
onsarecov
eredbythe pr
esi
dent
ial
communicationspr i
vi
lege.
Fi
rst
,thecommuni
cat
ionsr
elat
etoa“
qui
ntessent
ialandnon-
del
egabl
epower
”oft
he
President,i
.e.t hepowert oent erintoanexecut iv
eagr eementwithot hercountri
es.This
authorit
yoft hePr esidentt oent eri nto executi
veagr eements 
withouttheconcur rence
oftheLegi sl
at urehast radit
ionallybeenr ecognizedinPhi l
i
ppinejuri
sprudence.
Second,t hecommuni cationsar e“ recei ved”byacl oseadv i
soroft hePresident.Under
the“oper ati
onalpr oximi t
y”t est,
 petitionercanbeconsi deredacl oseadv i
sor,beinga
memberofPr esidentAr royo’scabi net .And
Lastl
y,t herei sno adequat eshowi ng ofacompel li
ng need thatwoul djustif
yt he
l
imitati
onoft hepr i
vi
legeandoft he  unav ai
l
abil
it
y oftheinfor
mat ionelsewherebyan
appropriateinv est
igatingauthor i
ty.

90.Pi
ment
elv
sJoi
ntCommi
tt
eeofCongr
ess

Facts:
PimentelJr
.fi
l
edapet i
ti
onforProhi
bit
ionseekingajudgementdeclari
ngnullandvoid
theconti
nuedexistenceoftheJointcommi t
tee.Thepeti
ti
onisseekingfort
heissuance
ofa wr itofprohibiti
on di
rect
ing the Joi
ntCommi ttee t
o cease and desi
stf r
om
conducti
nganyfurtherproceedi
ngspursuanttotheRulesoftheJointPubli
cSessionof
CongressonCanv assing.

Thepetit
ionerquest
ionst hattheadjournmentofther
egul
arsessi
ont ermi
nat
edand
expi
redtheCongresstherefor
eallpendingmatter
sandpr
oceedi
ngster
mi nat
eupont
he
expi
rat
ionoftheCongress.

I
ssue:
Whetherornott he Joi
ntCommi t
tee per
formi
ng el
ect
ion canv
ass ev
en af
tert
he
t
erminat
ionofcongr
ess’sessi
oni
sconsti
tut
ional
.

Held:
Sec.15.Ar tVI-TheCongr essshal lconveneonceev eryy earont hefour thMondayof
Julyforitsr egul
arsession,unlessadi ff
erentdatei sfi
xedbyl aw,andshal lcontinueto
bei n 
sessionf orsuchnumberofday sasi t 
maydet ermi neunt i
lthirt
y daysbef orethe
openingof  i
tsnextregularsessi on,excl
usiveofSat ur
day s,Sunday s,andl egalholidays.
ThePr esidentmaycal laspecialsessionatanyt i
me.Cont rarytopet i
ti
oner '
sar gument ,
howev er,thet er
m oft hepr esentTwel f
thCongr essdi dnot  t
erminateandexpi reupon
theadjournmentoft heregul arsessionofbot hHousesonJune11,2004. Section15,
Arti
cleVIoft heConsti
tuti
onci tedbypet i
ti
onerdoesnotper t
aintothet erm ofCongr ess,
butt oit
sr egular 
annuallegi
s l
ati
ves e
ssi
onsandt hemandat ory30- dayrecessbef orethe
openingofi tsnextr egularsessi on(subjecttot hepower  ofthePr esidentt ocal la
specialsessi onatanytime).

Thelegisl
at
ivefunct
ionsoft heTwelft
hCongr essmayhav ecomet oacl oseupont he
fi
naladjournmentofi t
sr egul
ar 
sessi
onsonJune11,2004,butt hi
sdoesnotaf f
ectits
non-l
egisl
ative
funct
ions.Infact,t
he j
ointpubli
csessionofbothHousesofCon
gres
sc on
v e
nedbyexpr
ess
dir
ect
i
veofSe ct
ion4,Arti
cleVI
Ito canv asst
he vot
esf orand to 
proclai
m the newly
elect
edPresi
dentand VP hasnot ,andcannot ,adj
ournunt i
lithasaccompl
ishedi ts
consti
tuti
onal
lymandatedt asks.Foronlywhenaboardofcanvasser
shascompletedits
functi
onsisitrender
edf unctusof f
ici
o.I t
smember shi
pmaychange,butitretainsi
ts
authori
tyasaboarduntil
ithasaccompl i
shedit
spurposes.

91.Republ
i
cvsSandi
ganbay
an

Facts:
Thev eryfirstExecut i
veOr deri ssuedbyt henPr esidentCor azonAqui no uponher
assumpt iont oof fi
cewasEONo.1.I tcreat edthePCGGort hePr esident ialCommi ssion
onGoodGov ernmentwi tht het askofassi sti
ngt hePr esidentint her ecov er yofal lthei l
l
gottenweal thaccumul atedbyt heFor merPr esidentFer dinandMar cos.I nal l t
heal leged
i
ll-
gotten weal t
h cases f iled by t he PCGG,t his Cour thas seen f itt o setasi de
technical
iti
esandf ormalit
iest hatmer elyser vet odelayori mpedej udiciousr esolution.
ThisCour tpr eferstohav esuchcasesr esolvedont hemer itsattheSandi ganbay an.But
substantialj usti
ce t ot he Fi l
ipino peopl e and to al lpar ti
es concer ned,notmer e
l
egal i
smsorper fecti
onoff orm,shoul dnowber el
entlesslyandf i
rml ypur sued.Al most
twodecadeshav epassedsi ncet hegov ernmenti nit
iatedi tssearchf orandr ev er
sionof
suchi l
l-
gottenweal th.Thedef i
nitiv
er esol uti
onofsuchcasesont hemer itsist husl ong
overdue.Ifther eispr oofofi ll
egalacqui siti
on, accumul ation,misappr opriation, f
raudor
i
lli
citconduct ,l
eti tbebr oughtoutnow.Lett heowner shipoft hesef undsandot her
assetsbef inal l
ydet erminedandr esol vedwi t
hdi spatch,f reef rom al lthedel ay i
ng
technical
iti
esandannoy ingpr ocedur alsi detr
acks.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotPr esi
dentMarcos commi
tt
ed pr
ohi
bit
ed and i
nhi
bit
ed act
s as a
pr
esidentdur
inghi
ster
m ofof
fi
ce.

Held:
Yes.Thesum of$304, 372.43shouldbehel dast heonlyknownl awf ulincomeof
respondentssi ncet heydi dnotf i
leanySt atementofAsset sandLi abi l
iti
es(SAL),as
requi
redbyl aw,f rom whi chtheirnetwor thcoul dbedet ermined. 
Besi des,underthe
1935 Const it
ution,Fer dinand E.Mar cosasPr esidentcoul d notrecei ve anyother
emolumentf rom t heGov ernmentoranyofi tssubdi visi
onsand i nstrumental
it
ies.
 
Likewise,undert he1973Const i
tut
ion,Fer dinandE.Mar cosasPr esidentcoul dnot
recei
vedur inghi st enureanyot heremol umentf rom t heGov ernmentoranyot her
source.
 Infact,hismanagementofbusi nesses, l
iket headmi nist
rati
onoff oundati
onst o
accumul atefunds,wasexpr essl
ypr ohibi
t edundert he1973Const i
tut i
on.Theironl y
knownl awfulincomeof$304, 372.43cant hereforel egal
lyandf ai
rlyserv easbasisf or
determiningtheexi stenceofa pri
maf acie caseoff orfei
tureoftheSwi ssf unds.

Respondentsarguethatpeti
ti
onerwasnotabl
etoestabl
isha pr
imafaci
e casefort he
forf
eit
ureoft heSwissf undssincei
tfail
edtoprovetheessenti
alelement sunder
Secti
on3,par agr
aphs( c)
,(d)and(e)ofRA1379. AstheActi sapenalst at
ute,its
provi
sionsaremandatoryandshouldthusbeconst
ruedstri
ctl
yagai
nstthepet i
tioner
andl
i
ber
all
yinf
avorofr
espondentMar
coses.

Weholdthati twasnotf orpeti

ti
onertoestabli
shtheMar cosesotherlawfuli
ncomeor
i
ncomef r
om l egit
imatel
yacqui r
edpropertyforthepresumpt i
ontoappl ybecause,as
bet
weenpet i
tionerandrespondents,t
helatterwereinabetterposi
tiontoknowi fthere
weresuchot hersourcesofl awfuli
ncome. Andifindeedtherewassuchot herlawful
i
ncome,respondent sshouldhav especi
fi
callyst
atedthesamei nthei
ranswer .
 I
nsofar
aspeti
ti
onerRepubl i
cwasconcer ned,itwasenought o specif
yt heknownl awful
i
ncomeofr espondents.

92.Est
radav
sAr
roy
o

Facts:
FormerPr esidentJoseph Est r
ada was succeeded by hi s Vice Presi
dentGloria
MacapagalAr royo.Due t ot he all
egati
ons againstf ormerpr esi
dentEst r
ada,he
eventual
l
ycal ledf orasnapel ect
ion.TheSupr emeCour tdeclaredtheseatoft he
presi
dencyv acant,sayingthatEstr
adaconst r
uctivel
yr esi
gnedhispost.Ont hatsame
day,Glor
iaAr r
oy otookheroat hofof f
iceinthepr esenceofthecr owdatEDSA.Lat er
thatsameday ,Estradarel
easedal ett
ersayi
ngt hathehadst rongandser i
ousdoubt s
aboutthelegalit
yandconst i
tut
ional
ityofherprocl
amat ionaspresi
dent.

I
ssue:
Whetherornotthecaseatbarapoli
ticalorj
usti
ciabl
eissue.I
fjust
ici
abl
e,whet
heror
notpeti
ti
onerEst
radawasapresi
dent
-on-l
eaveordidhetrul
yresi
gn.

Hel d:
TheCour tdef i
nesapol i
ti
calissueas“ thosequest ionswhi ch,undert heConst i
tuti
on,
aret obe  decidedbyt hepeopl e int heirsov ereigncapaci ty,ori nr egar dt owhi ch ful
l
discr eti
onar yauthor i
ty 
hasbeendel egatedt ot hel egislati
veorexecut i
vebr anchoft he
gov er nment .
 Itisconcer nedwi thi ssuesdependentupont he wi sdom,not  l
egality 
ofa
par ti
cularmeasur e.”
TheCour tmadeadi st
incti
onbet weent heAqui nopr esidencyandt heAr roy opr esidency.
TheCour tsai dthatwhi letheAqui nogov ernmentwasagov er nmentspawnedbyt he
directdemandoft hepeopl ei ndef i
ancet othe1973Const i
tuti
on,ov erthrowi ngt heol d
gov er nmentent i
rely,theAr royo gov ernmentont heot herhandwasagov ernment
exer cisi
ngundert he1987const it
ut i
on,wher einonl ytheof f
iceoft hepr esidentwas
affect ed.Int hef ormer ,itThequest ionofwhet hert hepr eviouspr esident( president
Est rada)t rul
yr esignedsubj ectsi ttoj udici
alr evi
ew.TheCour thel dt hatt hei ssuei s
l
egal andnotpol i
tical.
Fort hepr esidentt obedeemedashav ingr esigned,  
theremustbeani ntentt or esign
andt heint entmustbecoupl edbyact sofr eli
nquishment .
  
Itisi mpor tantt of oll
owt he
successi onofev entst hatstruckpet it
ionerpr iorhisl eavingthepal ace.Fur t
her mor e,the
quot ed st atement s ext r
acted f r
om t he Angar a di ari
es,det ail
ed Est rada’si mplied
resignat i
on On t op of al lt hese,t he pr ess r elease he i ssued r egarding i s
acknowledgementoftheoath-
taki
ngofArr
oy oaspr esidentdespit
ehisquestioni
ngof
i
tslegali
tyandhisemphasi
sonl eavi
ngt
hepr esident
ialseatforthesakeofpeace.The
Courtheldthatpeti
ti
onerEstr
adahadresignedbyt heuseoft he 
total
i
t yt
est: 
pri
or,
contemporaneousandposteri
orfact
sandcir cumstanti
alevidencebearingamat er
ial
rel
evanceont hei
ssue.

93.CLUv
sExecut
iveSecr
etar
y

Facts:
PresidentCor azonAqui noi ssuedExecut iveOr derNo.  284whi challowedmember sof
theCabi net,theirundersecr etari
esandassi stantsecretariestohol dot hergov ernment
offi
cesorposi tionsinaddi ti
ont ot heirprimar ypositionssubjectt ol i
mitati
onsset
therei
n.TheCi vi
lLibertiesUni on( CLU)assai l
edt hi
sEO av er
ri
ngt hatsuchl aw is
unconst i
tutional.Theconst itut
ionali
tyofEO 284i sbei ngchal l
engedbyCLU ont he
pri
ncipal submi ssionthati taddsexcept i
onst oSec13, Articl
e7oft heConst i
tuti
on.
CLUav erst hatbyv ir
tueoft hephr ase“unlessot herwisepr ovi
dedi nt hisConst i
tut
ion“
,
theonl yexcept ionsagai nstholdinganyot herofficeorempl oymentinGov ernmentar e
thosepr ovidedi ntheConst i
tuti
on,namel y:(i
)TheVi ce-Presidentmaybeappoi ntedasa
Memberoft heCabi netunderSec3, par.(2),Arti
cle7;and( i
i
)theSecr etaryofJust i
ceis
anex- off
iciomemberoft heJudicialandBarCounci lbyv ir
tueofSec8( 1)
,Arti
cle8.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotEO284i
sconst
it
uti
onal

Hel d:
No,i tisunconst ituti
onal.
 Itiscleart hatt he1987Const it
utionseekst oprohibitthe
Pr esi
dent,Vice-President,member soft heCabi net,theirdeput i
esorassi stantsf r
om
hol di
ngdur i
ngthei rtenur
emul ti
pleof f
icesorempl oymenti nt hegov ernment
, exceptin
thosecasesspeci f i
edint heConst i
tuti
oni tsel
fandasabov ecl arif
iedwithrespectt o
post sheldwithoutaddi ti
onalcompensat ioni nanex- off
iciocapaci t
yaspr ovi
dedbyl aw
andasr equi
redbyt hepri
mar yf uncti
onsoft heirof
fice,thecitati
onofCabi netmember s
(thencal l
edMi nisters)asexampl esdur ingt hedebat eanddel i
berationonthegener al
rulel ai
d down f oral lappoi nti
veof f
ici
alsshoul d beconsi dered asmer eper sonal
opi ni
onswhi chcannotov er
ridet heconst i
tuti
on’smani f
esti ntentandt hepeopl e’
s
under st
andingther eof.
Int
helightoftheconst r
uctiongi
v ent oSec13, Ar t7inrel
ationt oSec7, par.(
2),ArtI
X-B
ofthe1987Const it
ution,EO284i sunconst it
utional.Ostensiblyrestr
ict
ingthenumber
ofposit
ionsthatCabi netmember s,undersecret
ar i
esorassi stantsecretar
iesmayhol d
i
nadditiontotheirprimar yposit
iont onotmor ethan2posi ti
onsint hegovernmentand
gover
nmentcor porations,EO 284act uall
yal l
owst hem to holdmul ti
pleofficesor
employmentindi r
ectcont ravent
ionoft heexpr essmandat eofSec13, Art7ofthe1987
Consti
tuti
onpr ohibit
ingt hem from doi ngso,unl essother wisepr ovi
dedi nthe1987
Consti
tuti
onit
self.
 
94.Cr
uzv
sCOA

Facts:
The NHA Resi dentaudi tori ssued a not ice ofdi sallowance on Oct ober23,1997
disallowi ngt hepay mentt othepet i
ti
oner s,whoar emember soft heBoar dofDi rectors
oft heNat ionalHousi ngAut hority(NHA) ,oft heirr epresent at
ional l
owancesandper
diemsi nt het otalamountofP276, 000. 00.Suchdi sallowancewaspur suantt oCOA
Memor andum No.97- 038i ssuedbyt heCOA,di rect i
ngal luni theads/ audi tors/team
l
eader soft henat i
onalgov ernmentagenci esandgov ernment -
ownedandcont roll
ed
oper ationswhi chhav eaf fectedpay mentofanyf orm ofaddi ti
onalcompensat iont o
cabinetsecr et ari
es,t heirdeput i
esandassi st ants,orr epresent ati
v es,inviolationoft he
ruleonmul tipleposi tions.Thepet it
ioner sappeal edf r
om t heNot iceofDi sall
owancet o
theCOA,cl aimi ngt hatt heaf orement ionedSupr emeCour tdeci sionappl iesonl yto
member s oft he cabi net,t heirdeput i
es orassi stant s and does notcov erot her
appoi ntiveof ficialswi thequi valentr ankort hosel owert hant heposi ti
onofAssi stant
Secr etary .Theyaddedt hatNHA Di rectorsar enotSecr etari
es,Under secr etariesor
Assist antSecr etari
es and t hatt heyoccupyposi ti
ons l owert han the posi ti
on of
Assist antSecr etary.
TheCOAi ssuedadeci si
ondeny i
ngpet it
ioner sappeal ,st r
essingt hatthepet i
tioners
wer enotsi ttingi nt heNHABoar di nt heirownr ightbutasr epresent ati
vesofcabi net
member sandwhoar econst i
tuti
onal lypr ohi bit
edf rom hol dinganyot herof ficeor
empl oy mentandr eceivecompensat i
ont her ef or,dur i
ngt heirtenur e.

I
ssue:
Whetherornott
hepeti
ti
oner
sar
eenti
tl
edtotheirr
epr
esent
ati
onal
l
owancesandper
di
emsasmember soft
heNHABoardofDi
rect
ors.

Held:
As heldint he ci
villi
berti
es case,Offi
cials are notall
owed t orecei
ve addit
ional
compensation forpositionsheld exof i
cio capacityast hesepositi
onsar emer ely
addit
ional
imposi ti
onofdut i
es.I
nthiscase,thepetiti
onersarehol
dingthei
rposit
ionsas
memberoft heboar dareconsideredasalternati
ves,theprohi
bit
ionli
kewi
seappl i
esto
them.

95.NACv
sCOA

Facts:
Peti
tionerNat ionalAmnest yCommi si
on( NAC)isagov ernmentagencycr eatedon
March25,1994byt henPr esidentFidelV.Ramost hroughPr oclamationNo.347.The
NACi staskedt oreceive,processandr evi
ewamnest yappli
cations.Itiscomposedof
sevenmember s:AChai r
person, thr
eer egul
armember sappointedbyt hePr esi
dent,
and
theSecr etari
esofJut i
ce,Nat ionalDefenseandI nteri
orandLocalGov ernmentasex
off
iciomember s.Itappearst hatafterpersonal
lyatt
endingthei niti
alNACmeet i
ngs,the
thr
eeexof f
ici
omember sturnedov ersaidresponsibi
li
tytot heirrepresentat
iveswho
werepaidhonorar
ibeginni
ngDecember12,1994.Howev er,onOctober15,1997,NAC
resi
dentaudit
orEulali
a disall
owed on auditthe paymentofhonor ari
at ot hese
repr
esent
ati
veamountingtoP255, 750fortheperi
odofDecember12,1994toJune27,
1997,pur
suanttoCOAMemor andum No.97-038.

I
ssue:
Whetherr
epr
esent
ati
vescanbeent
it
ledt
opay
menti
ntendedf
orex-
off
ici
omember
s

Held:
The represent
ativ
esi nfactassumed t hei
rr esponsi bil
iti
esnotbyv i
rt
ue ofa new
appointmentbutby mer e designati
on from t he ex of fi
cio member s who wer e
themselvesalsodesignatedassuch.Ther ei saconsi derabl ediff
erencebet weenan
appointmentanddesignat
ion.Anappoi ntmenti sthesel ecti
onbyt heproperauthorityof
an indivi
dualwho ist o exer ci
se the power s and f unctions ofa gi ven of f
ice;a
designati
onmer el
yconnot esani mpositi
onofaddi t
ionaldut ies,usuall
ybyl aw,upona
personalreadyinpubli
cser vi
cebyv i
rtueofanear l
ierappoi nt ment.Designati
ondoes
notentailpaymentofaddi ti
onalbenefitsorgrantupont heper sonsodesi gnationt he
ri
ghttoclaimthesalaryat
tachedt otheposition.Wi t
houtanappoi nt
ment ,adesignation
doesnotent i
tl
etheoffi
cert orecei
vethesalaryoft heposi ti
on.

96.Mar
cosv
sMangl
apus

Facts:
FormerPr esidentMarcos,
afterhisandhisfamil
yspentthr
eeyearexi
lei
nHawaii,
USA,
soughtt oreturnt ot
hePhi l
ippi
nes.Thecallisaboutt or
equestofMarcosfamil
yto
orderther espondent
st oissuet r
avelor
dertot hem andtoenjoi
nthepeti
ti
onofthe
President
'sdecisiont
obartheirret
urntothePhil
i
ppines.

I
ssue:
Whetherornot,i
ntheexerci
seoft
hepowersgrant
edbyt heConst
it
uti
on,
thePr
esi
dent
mayprohibi
ttheMarcosesfr
om r
etur
ningt
othePhil
ippi
nes.

Held:
Yes
Accordingt oSection1,Ar ti
cleVI Iofthe1987Const itut
ion:"
Theexecut i
vepowershal l
bev estedi nthePr esidentoft hePhili
ppines."Thephr ase,howev er,doesnotdef ine
whati smeantbyexecut ivepoweral t
hought hesamear ti
clet acklesonexer cisesof
cer
tain power s by the Pr esidentsuch as  appoi
nting powerdur i
ng recess oft he
Congress (S.16)cont
,
  rolofallt heexecutivedepar t
ment s,bureaus,andof fi
ces (Secti
on
17),
 powert o grantr epri
eves,commut ations,and par dons,and r emitf i
nes and
for
feit
ures,af t
erconvicti
onbyf i
naljudgment  (
Secti
on19) ,t
 r
eatymaki ngpower (Secti
on
21),
 borrowing power  (
Section 20) budget
,
  ary power  (Section 22) ,
 i
nforming
power (Section23).
TheConst ituti
onmayhav egrantpower stot hePresident,i
tcannotbesai dtobel imited
onl
yt ot hespecifi
cpower senumer atedint heConst i
tuti
on.What everpowerinher entin
t
hegov
ernmentt
hati
snei
therl
egi
slat
ivenorj
udi
ci
alhast
obeexecut
ive.
 

97.DENRv
sDENRRegi
on12Empl
oyees

Facts:
DENRReg12Empl oyeesfil
edapeti
ti
onf ornull
i
t yofthememorandum orderi
ssuedby
theRegionalExec.Direct
orofDENR,directi
ngt heimmediat
etransferoftheDENR12
RegionalOffi
cesf rom Cotabat
oto Kor onadalCity.
 Thememor andum wasi ssued
pursuantt
oDENRExecut i
veOrderi
ssuedbyt heDENRSecr et
ary
.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotDENRSecr
etar
yhast
heaut
hor
it
ytor
eor
gani
zet
heDENRRegi
on12
Off
ice.

Held:
Thequal i
fiedpol iti
calagencydoct ri
ne,allexecutiveandadmi nistrat
iveor ganizati
ons
areadjunct soft heExecutiveDepar tment,andt heactsoft heSecr etar
iesofsuch
department s,performedandpr omul gatedintheregularcourseofbusi ness, ar
e, unl
ess
disapprovedorr eprobat
edbyt heChi efExecutive,arepresumpt iv
elyt heact soft he
ChiefExecut ive.Itiscoroll
arytot hecont rolpoweroft hePr esidentaspr ovi
dedf or
underAr t
.VI ISec.17oft he1987Const i
tut
ion:"ThePresidentshallhav econt r
olofall
theexecut ivedepar tments,bureaus,andof fi
ces. Heshal lensuret hatthel awsbe
fait
hful
lyexecut ed."

Inthecaseatbar,t
heDENRSecretarycanv ali
dlyr
eorgani
zetheDENRbyor deringthe
tr
ansferoftheDENR XIIRegi
onalOf fi
cesf rom Cotabat
oCi tytoKor onadal,South
Cotabat
o. Theexerci
seofthi
saut hori
tybyt heDENRSecr etary
,asanal t
erego,i s
presumedtobetheactsoft
hePresidentforthelat
terhadnotexpressl
yrepudiatedthe
same.

98.Bl
aquer
avsAl
cal
a

Fact s:
OnFeb.21,1992,t henPr es.Aqui noissuedAO 268whi chgr antedeachof fi
cialand
empl oyeeoft hegov er
nmentt hepr oductivi
tyincenti
vebenefitsinamaxi mum amount
equiv alentto30%oft heempl oy ee’
sonemont hbasi csalar
ybutwhi chamountnotbe
l
esst hanP2,000. 00.SaidAOpr ovi
dedt hattheproducti
v i
tyincent i
vebenefitsshallbe
grant edonl yforthey ear1991.Accor dingly,
allheadsofagenci es,incl
udi
nggov ernment
boar dsofgov ernment -ownedorcont roll
edcor porat
ionsandf i
nanciali
nstituti
ons,are
stri
ct lyprohibit
edf rom grant i
ngpr oductivi
tyincenti
vebenefitsf ortheyear1992and
futurey earspendi ngt her esultofacompr ehensiv
est udybei ngunder takenbyt he
Officeoft hePres. 

Thepeti
ti
oner
s,whoar
eoffici
alsandemployeesofsev
eralgover
nmentdepart
ments
andagenci
es,wer
epai
dincenti
vebenef
it
sf orthey
ear1992.Then,onJan.19,1993,
thenPr es.Ramosi ssuedAO29aut hori
zi
ngt hegr antofproducti
vi
tyi ncenti
vebenef it
s
forthey ear1992int hemaxi mum amountofP1, 000.00andr ei
ter
atingt heprohibiti
on
underSec.7ofAO268,enj oi
ningthegr antofpr oducti
vi
tyincenti
vebenef i
tswithout
pri
orappr ovalofthePr esident.Sec.4ofAO29di r
ectedalldepartment s,off
icesand
agencieswhi chauthori
zedpay mentofproductiv
ityincenti
vebonusf ort heyear1992i n
excessofP1,000. 00t oimmedi at
elycauset her efundoft heexcess.I ncompl iance
ther
ewi th,t
heheadsoft hedepar tmentsoragenci esoft hegov ernmentconcer ned
causedt hededucti
onf rom petiti
oners’
salari
esoral l
owancesoft heamount sneededt o
covertheallegedov er
payment s.

Issue:
Whet herornotAO 29andAO 268wer e 
i
ssued 
i
nthev
ali
dexer
cise 
ofpr
esi
dent
ial
controlov
ert
heexecut
ivedepar
tment
s 

Held:
The Pres.i
st he head ofthe gover
nment. Gov
ernment
al 
powerand author
it
y are
exerci
sedandimplementedthr
oughhim.Hi spowerincl
udesthecont
rolofexecut
ive
depart
mentsasprovi
dedunderSec.17,Ar
t.VIIoft
heConsti
tut
ion.

Controlmeanst hepowerofanof fi
certoalt
erormodifyorsetasidewhatasubordi
nate
off
icerhaddonei ntheperformanceofhi sduti
esandtosubstitutet
hejudgmentofthe
for
merf ort hatofthel at
ter.ThePr es.can,byvi
rtueofhispowerofcont rol
,revi
ew,
modify,alt
erornul li
fyanyact ion ordecisi
on ofhissubor dinat
eint heexecut
ive
departments,bureauorofficesunderhim. 

Whent hePres.
 i
ssued 
AO29l i
miti
ngt heamountofi ncent
ivebenefi
ts,
enj
oini
ngheads
ofgovernment 
agenci
es 
fr
om grant
ingincentiv
ebenef i
tswithoutapprov
alf
rom hi
m and
dir
ecti
ngt herefundoftheexcessov erthepr escri
bedamount ,thePres.wasjust
exerci
singhi
spowerofcontr
oloverexecuti
v edepartments.

ThePres. 
issued  subj ectAOst oregulat
et hegr antofproductiv
ityi
ncent i
vebenefi
tsand
toprevent 
discont ent, dissat i
sfacti
on anddemor ali
zati
onamonggov ernmentpersonnel
bycommi tti
ngl imitedr esour cesofgov ernmentf ortheequalpaymentofi ncent
ivesand
awards.ThePr es.wasonl yexer cisi
nghispowerofcont rolbymodi f
y i
ngtheactsoft he
headsoft hegov er nment  agencies 
whogr antedi ncent
ivebenef i
tstot hei
rempl oyees
wit
houtappr opriate clearance  fr
om t heOf ficeoft hePr es.
,therebyr esul
ti
ngi nt he
unevendistr
ibut i
onofgov ernmentr esources. 

ThePresi
dent’
sdutytoexecut
ethel
awi
sofconst
it
uti
onalor
igi
n.So,
too,
ishi
scont
rol
ofexecut
ivedepar
tment
s.

99.Hut
chi
sonPor
tsv
sSBMA

Fact
s:
I
n1996,Hut
chi
sonPor
tsPhi
l
ippi
nesLi
mit
ed (
HPPL)
wonapubl
i
cbi
ddi
ngmadebyt
he
SubicBayMet ropol
it
anAut hor
it
y( SBMA) .Theprojectwast odev el
opandoperatea
modernmar inecontainerterminalwithi
nt heSubi
cBayFr eepor tZone.TheSBMABoard
ofDirector
sal readydecl ared HPPL ast hewinnerbutl at
eron,t heOffi
ceofthe
Presi
dentreversedthedeci sionoft heBoar dandorderedar ebidding.I
ntherebi
ddi
ng
however,HPPLwasnol ongeramongt hequali
fi
edbi dders.Ev ent
uall
y,HPPLfi
leda
peti
ti
onforinjuncti
ontoenj oinSBMAf r
om conducti
ngther ebidding.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotHut
chi
sonhast
her
ightt
ofi
l
eani
njunct
ioncaseagai
nstSBMA.

Held:
No.Thedecl arati
onmadebyt heSBMABoar ddeclari
ngHPPLast hewi nni
ngbidder
wasneitherfinalnorunassail
able.UnderLOINo.620,al lproj
ectsunder t
akenbyt he
SBMAar esubj ecttotheapprovaloftheOffi
ceoft hePresident.Hence,theBoardof
SBMAi sundert hecontr
olandsupervi
sionoft
hePresidentofthePhili
ppines.Ther
efore,
thedecl
arat
ionmadebyt heBoarddidnotvestanyr
ightinfavorofHPPL.
Furt
her
,HPPLcannotsueint
hePhi li
ppi
nes.I
tisaforei
gncorpor
ati
onregist
eredunder
thel
awsoftheBr
it
ishVir
ginI
slands.I
tdi
dnotregi
sterherei
nthePhil
i
ppines.
HPPLcannoti nvoket hati twassui ngonlyonani solatedt r
ansacti
on.Theconductof
biddi
ngisnotani solatedt ransaction.Iti
s“doingbusi ness”her einthePhi li
ppi
nes.The
Supreme Cour temphasi zed t hatas a gener alrule,“ doing”or“ engaging in”or
“tr
ansacti
ng”busi nessi nthePhi l
ippinesisacaset ocasebasi s.Ithasof tenbeenheld
thata single actort r
ansact i
on maybe consi dered as “ doing business”when a
corporat
ionper f
ormsact sf orwhi chi twascreatedorexer ci
sessomeoft hefuncti
ons
forwhichi twasor ganized.Theamountorv olumeoft hebusi nessisofnomoment ,f
or
evenasi ngul
aractcannotbemer elyinci
dentalorcasuali fi ti
ndicatest heforei
gn
corporat
ion’sint
ent i
ont odobusi ness.
Parti
cipati
ngi nthebiddingprocessconstit
utes“doingbusi ness”becauseitshowsthe
for
eign cor porat
ion’
si ntent
ion to engage in business here.The bi dding f
orthe
concessioncont ractisbutanexer ciseoft hecor porat
ion’sreasonf orcreati
onor
exi
stence.Ther efor
e,HPPLhasdonebusi nessher ewi t
houtl i
cense.Itcannotnowsue
i
nt hePhi l
ippineswithoutli
censebecausei t
spar t
ici
pationi nthebiddingisnotmerel
y
anisolatedtransacti
on.
Theprimar ypurposeoft hel i
censerequir
ementistocompelaf oreigncorpor
ati
on
desi
ri
ngt odobusi nesswithinthePhil
i
ppinestosubmi
tit
selftothejur
isdi
cti
onofthe
cour
tsoft hestateandtoenabl ethegovernmentt
oexer
cisejur
isdi
cti
onoverthem f
or
ther
egulationofthei
ract
ivit
iesinthi
scountry.

100.NEAv
sCOA

Fact
s:
ThePresi
denti
ssuedanexecut
iveor
derent
it
led“
Impl
ement
ingt
heFour
thandFi
nal
YearSal aryIncreases Authorized byJoi ntSenate and House ofRepr esentati
ves
ResolutionNo.01, Seri
esof1994. ”I
tdirect
edthepay mentofthef ourt
handf inalsal
ary
i
ncreasesi ntwot ranches.Howev er
,theNEAdi dnotimpl ementthesal ar
yincreasesin
accordancewi ththeschedul eofpay mentandi nst
eadi mplementedi nonel umpsum
thet wot ranches.I notherwor ds,NEAaccel er
atedt heimplement at
ionoft hesalary
i
ncrease by pay ing the second tranche al
ong wi t
ht he fi
rstt r
anche.Hence,t he
Commi ssion’
sr esidentaudi
torinNEAi ssuedanot i
ceofsuspensionand, consequently
,
anot iceofdi sall
owance.Thepet i
ti
oneraskedf orareconsideredbuti twas,howev er
,
denied.Hence, thepet i
ti
onatbar .

I
ssue:
Didt heCOA commi tagraveabuseofdi screti
onamount
ingtol ackorexcessof
j
urisdicti
onindi
sal
lowi
ngtheincreasedsalar
ies?Inot
herwords,isNEA al
lowedto
acceleratet
hei
mplement
ati
onofthesalar
iesduetoavai
l
abi
li
tyoffunds?

Held:
No,theCOAdidnotcommitanygraveabuseofdi
screti
on.Nei
theri
sNEAal
l
owedt
o
accel
erat
ethei
mpl
ementat
ion.Thepet
it
ionwasdi
smissedforl
ackofmer
it
.

101.Pi
ment
elv
sAgui
rr
e

Facts:
Thisi s a pet
it
ion forcert
iorariand pr ohibi
ti
on seeki ng t o annulSecti
on 1 of
Admi ni
str
ati
veOr derNo.372,i ssuedbyt hePr esident,i nsof
arasi trequi
reslocal
governmentunitst oreducetheirexpendi t
uresby25% oft hei
rauthori
zed r
egular
appropri
ati
onsfornon-per
sonalservicesandt oenjoinr espondentsfrom i
mplementi
ng
Section4oftheOrder,whi
chwithholdsapor ti
onoft heirinternalr
evenueal
lot
ments.

Issue:
Whet herSect
ions1and4ofAO372ar
eval
i
dex
erci
sesofPr
esi
dent
’spowerofgener
al
supervisi
onoverLGUs.

Held:
Section1oft heAOdoesnotv i
olatelocalf iscalautonomy .Localfi
scalaut onomydoes
notruleoutanymannerofnat ionalgov ernmenti nterv
ent i
onbywayof super
  visi
on,in
ordert oensur ethatlocalprograms,f iscalandot herwise,areconsi stentwithnat i
onal
goals. 
 AO372i mer
s  elydi r
ect
ory andhasbeeni ssuedbyt hePr esi
dentconsi stentwith
his power s ofsuper vi
sion overl ocalgov ernment s. 
 A directory ordercannotbe
charact eri
zedasanexer ciseoft hepowerofcont rol.
  
TheAOi si nt
endedonl ytoadv i
se
allgov ernmentagenci esandi nstrument al
iti
estounder takecost -
reduct i
onmeasur es
thatwi llhelp maintain economi cst abilit
yi nt hecount ry
. 
 I
tdoesnotcont ain any
sanctioni ncaseofnoncompl i
ance.

TheLocal
GovernmentCodealsoal
lowsthePresi
dentt
oint
erf
ereinl
ocalfi
scalmatters,
prov
idedt
hatcert
ainr
equisi
tesar
emet :
 
 (1)anunmanagedpubli
csectordefi
citofthe
nationalgover
nment;(2)consultati
onswi t
ht hepresi
dingoffi
cersoftheSenateandthe
HouseofRepr esent
ativesandt hepr esi
dentsoft hev ari
ousl ocall
eagues;(3)the
correspondi
ng recommendat ion oft he secretar
ies ofthe DepartmentofFi nance,
Int
er i
orandLocalGovernment ,andBudgetandManagement ;and(4)anyadjust
mentin
theal l
otmentshalli
nnocasebel essthan30% oft hecol l
ecti
onofnationalint
ernal
revenuetaxesofthethir
dfiscalyearprecedingthecurrentone. 

Secti
on4ofAO372cannotbeuphel d. 
 Abasicfeat
ureoflocalfi
scalautonomyi sthe
automat i
cr eleaseoft hesharesofLGUsi nthenat i
onalinternalrev
enue. 
 Thisis
mandat edbyt heConst
itut
ionandtheLocalGovernmentCode. 
 Secti
on4whi chorders
thewithholdingof10% oft heLGU’
sIRAclearl
ycontravenestheConst i
tut
ionandt he
l
aw.

102.Ber
mudezv
sTor
res

Facts:
Atty.ConradoQuiaoitwasappoi ntedbyPr es.Ramosfort heposit
ionofPr ov
incial
Prosecutor
Peti
ti
onerBer mudezchal lengedt heappoint
mentofQui aoi
tpr i
mar i
l
yont he
ground thatthe appointmentl acks t he recommendation oft he Sec.OfJust i
ce
prescri
bedundertheRev isedAdmi nistrat
iveCodeof1987.Sect ion9,Chap.I I
,Ti
tl
eI II
,
BookI V ofthe Revised Administrativ
e Code pr ovi
dest hat“allpr
ovincialand city
prosecutor
s and their assistants shal lbe appoi nt
ed by t he Pres. upon t he
recommendationoftheSecr et
ary.”

I
ssue:
Whetherornottheabsenceofarecommendati
onoftheSecr
etar
yofJust
icet
othe
Pr
esidentcanbehel
dfatal
tot
heappoint
mentofQui
aoi
t

Held:
Thephrase“ uponrecommendat i
onoft heSecretary
”foundi nSec.9,Chap.II,Ti
tl
eI I
I,
BookIVoft heRev i
sedAdmi nistr
ativ
eCodeshoul dbei nter
pretedtobeamer eadvi
ce,
exhort
ati
onori ndorsement,whi chisessent
ial
lypersuasiv
einchar act
erandnotbinding
orobli
gator
yupont hepartyt owhom i tismade.Ther ecommendat i
onisherenothing
real
lymor et han advisor
yi n nat ure.The Pres.,bei
ng the head oft he Execut
ive
Depart
ment, couldverywelldisregardordoawaywi t
htheact i
onofallof
ficesunderthe
Executi
ve.

103.Sar
mient
ovsMi
son

Facts:
RespondentSal vadorMisonwasappoi ntedast heCommi ssioneroftheBureauof
Customsbyt henPresi
dent(Corazon)Aqui no.Thesai dappointmentmadebyt he
Presidentisbeingquesti
onedbypet it
ionerUl pi
anoSarmient
oI IIandJuani
toArci
l
la,
stat
ingt hatt
hesaidappoint
mentisnotv al
idsincet
heappointmentwasnotsubmitt
ed
totheCommi ssi
onOnAppoi nt
ment( COA)f orapprov
al.Undert heConst
it
uti
on,t
he
appoi
ntment
smadef
ort
he"
HeadsofBur
eau"r
equi
rest
heconf
ir
mat
ionf
rom COA.

I
ssue:
WHETHERORNOTtheappoi
ntmentmadebyt
hePr
esi
dentwi
thoutt
heconf
ir
mat
ion
f
rom COAi
sval
i
d.

Held:
Yes,undert
he1987Consti
tuti
on,HeadsofBureauar
eremovedfr
om thel
istofoff
icers
thatneededconf
ir
mationfrom theCommi ssi
onOnAppointment.I
tenumeratedt he
four(
4)groupswhom t
hePresidentshal
lappoi
nt:

104.Concepci
on-
Baut
ist
avsSal
onga

Fact
s:
ThePresidentappoint
edMar yConcepcionBauti
staastheChai r
manoft heCommi ssi
on
onHumanRi ghtspursuanttothesecondsent enceinSect i
on16,Ar t.VII
,wi t
houtthe
conf
irmationoftheCoAbecauset heyar eamongt heoff
icersofgov ernment" whom he
(t
hePr esi
dent)maybeaut hori
zedbyl awtoappoint.
"Section2(c),Executi
veOr derNo.
163,authori
zesthePresi
denttoappointtheChair
manandMember soft heCommi ssi
on
on Human Ri ghts.CoA disappr
oved Bautist
a'sall
eged ad interi
m appoi ntmentas
Chai
rpersonoft heCHR i nv i
ew ofherr efusaltosubmi ttot hej uri
sdi
ctionoft he
Commi ssiononAppointments.

I
ssues:
Whether or not Baut i
sta'
s appoint
ment i
s subject to CoA's conf
ir
mat
ion.
2.WhetherornotBaut
ist
a'sappoi
ntmenti
sanadi
nter
im appoi
ntment
.

Held:
No.Thepositi
onofChai
rmanofCHRisnotamongtheposi
ti
onsmenti
onedi
nthefi
rst
sentenceofSec.16Art7oftheConst
it
uti
on,whi
chprovi
desthatt
heappoi
ntments
whicharetobemadewitht
heconf
ir
mati
onofCoA.

UndertheConst i
tuti
onaldesi
gn,adi
nteri
m appoi
ntmentsdonotappl
ytoappointments
sol
elyforthePresidenttomake.Adint
eri
m appoi
ntments,
bythei
rverynat
ureunderthe
1987Const it
uti
on,extendonl
ytoappoint
mentswheretherev
iewoftheCommi ssi
onon
Appoint
ment sisneeded.
105.CalderonvsCar al
e

Facts:
CoryassignedCaraleetalastheChai
rmanandtheCommissi
oner
srespecti
vel
yofthe
NLRC,t heappoint
mentwasnotsubmi tt
edtotheCoAf ori
tsconfi
rmati
on.Calder
on
questi
onedt heappoi nt
mentsayi
ngthatw/otheconfi
rmati
onbyt heCoA,suchan
appoint
menti si
nviolati
onofRA6715.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotCongressmay, bylaw,r
equi
reconf
ir
mationbytheCoAofappointments
ext
ended by the Presi
dentto gov er
nmentoffi
cers addi
ti
onaltothose expressl
y
menti
oned int he fi
rstsentence ofSec.16,Ar t.7 oft he Const
it
uti
on whose
appoi
ntmentsrequi
reconfi
rmationbytheCoA.

Hel
d:
Conf
ir
mationisnotrequi
redwhent hePresidentappoi
ntsothergover
nmentof f
icers
whoseappoi
ntment
sar enotother
wiseprovi
dedf orbylaworthoseoff
icer
swhom he
may be aut
hori
zed by l
aw to appoint(l
ike the Chair
man and Member s oft he
Commissi
ononHumanRi ghts)
. 

106.Manal
ovsSi
stoza

Facts:
RA6975wasenact edbyCor azonAquino,cr
eat
ingDILG.Secs26and31per tai
nt othe
ChiefofPNPaswel l asPNPof f
icer
sandmember sashavingtobeconf i
rmedbyt heCA
beforeassumingthei rduti
es.Executi
veSecret
aryDri
lonpromot edthe15r espondent
off
icersandappoi
nt edt hem tothePNPi napermanentcapaci
ty.Thepetit
ioner
sassail
the legal
i
ty ofsuch appoi ntmentbecause,invoki
ng said pr
ov i
sions ofRA 6975,
confirmat
ionofCAisneeded.

I
ssue:
WhetherornotPNPof
fi
cer
sar
eaki
ntot
heAFP,
whoseposi
ti
onsneedCAconf
ir
mat
ion 

Held:
No.Theconstitut
ionexpressl
yprovi
desforthei
rdi
sti
ncti
on(SeeSecs24and6ofArt
16).Also,RA6975pr ovi
desthat“noelementofthepoli
ceforceshal
lbemi
li
tar
ynor
shall
anyposit
ionther
eofbeoccupiedbyacti
vemember soft
heAFP.” 

107.At
ty.El
pidi
oSor
ianoI
IIv
sReubenLi
sta

Facts:
Eightofficersoft
hePhi l
ippineCoastGuar d(PCG)werepr omot
edbyt hePresi
dentto
ViceAdmi ral
,RearAdmi r
al,Commodor e,NavalCaptai
n,and theyassumed offi
ce
withoutconf ir
mati
on byt heCommi ssion on Appoi
ntments(COA).Peti
ti
oner,asa
taxpayer,fil
edapet i
ti
onwi ththeSupr emeCour tquesti
oningtheconst
it
uti
onali
tyof
theirassumpt i
onofoff
ice,whichrequi
resconfir
mationoftheCOA.

Issue:
Ist he offi
cers ssumpt
ion of of
fi
ce,whi
ch r
equi
res conf
ir
mat
ion of t
he COA
consti
tut
ional?

Hel
d:
Pet
it
ionerhasnol
ocusst
andi
.Apar
tybr
ingi
ngasui
tchal
l
engi
ngt
heconst
it
uti
onal
i
tyof
anactorst at
utemustshownotonl ythatt
helaworacti sinval
id,butalsot hathehas
sustained,orisini mmediat
eori mmi nentdangerofsustainingsomedi recti njur
yasa
resul
tofi tsenforcementandnotmer el
ythathesufferstherebyinsomei ndefinit
eway .
Thei nstantpetit
ioncannotev enbecl assi
fi
edasat axpayer’ssuitbecausepet it
ioner
hasnoi nt
erestassuchandt hiscasedoesnoti nvol
vetheexer cisebyCongr essofi ts
taxi
ngpower .

108.Pi
ment
elv
sEr
mit
a

Facts:
Whi l
eCongr esswasi nsessi on,GMAappoi nt
edAr thurYapetalassecr et
ariesoftheir
respect i
vedepar t
ments. SenatorAqui l
i
noPi mentelaverredthatGMAcannotmakesuch
appoint mentwi thoutt he consentoft he Commi ssion on Appointment.Execut iv
e
SecretaryEduar doErmitaav erredthatthepresi
denti sempower edbySect i
on16, Art
icl
e
VIIoft he1987Const i
tuti
ont oi ssueappointmentsinanact ingcapacit
yt odepartment
secretaries wit
houtt he consentoft he Commi ssion on Appoi nt
ment s even whil
e
Congr essi sinsession.Further ,EO292i t
selfall
owst hepresidenttoi
ssuet emporary
designat i
ont oanof fi
ceri nt heci v
ilser
viceprovidedt hatthet emporarydesignati
on
shallnotexceedoney ear.

I
ssue:
Whetherornott
heappoi
ntment
smadebyexPGMAi
sval
i
d.

Held:
Yes.Thear gumentr ai
sedbyEr mi t
ai scor
rect
.Fur t
her,EO 292itselfprovi
dedt he
safeguardsot hatsuchpowerwill
notbeabusedhencet heprovi
sionthatthetemporar y
designati
onshal lnotexceedoney ear.I
nthi
scase,inlessthanay earaftertheini
tial
appointmentsmadebyGMA, andwhent heCongresswasi nr
ecess,GMAi ssuedthead
i
nterim appointments–thisal
soprov est
hatt
hepr esi
dentwasingoodf ai
th.

109.I
nregar
dingappoi
ntment
sofVal
enzuel
a

Facts:
Referredt otheCour tenbancar etheappoi ntmentssignedbyt hePr esidentdat ed
March30,1998ofHon.Mat eoVal
enzuel aandHon.Pl acidoVal
lar
taasj udgesoft he
RTCofBagoCi tyandCabanat uanCit
y,respecti
vel
y.Theseappointmentsappearpr i
ma
faci
e, atl
east,tobeexpresslyprohi
bit
edbySec.15, Art.VIIoft
heConstit
ution.Thesai d
constitut
ionalprovi
sionpr ohibi
tsthePr esi
dentfrom maki nganyappoi ntmentst wo
mont hsimmedi atel
ybeforethenextpresidenti
alel
ecti
onsandupt otheendofhi sterm,
exceptt empor aryappointmentsto execut i
ve posi
ti
ons when continued v acancies
ther
einwi llpr
ejudi
cepublicservi
ceorendangerpublicsafety.

I
ssue:
Whetherornot
,duri
ngt heper
iodofthebanonappoint
mentsimposedbySec.15,Art
.
VI
Ioft heConsti
tut
ion,thePresi
denti
snonethel
essrequi
redtofi
llvacanci
esi
nt he
j
udi
ciar
y,i
nvi
ewofSecs.4(
1)and9ofAr
t.VI
II

Held:
Duringt
heper iodstatedinSec.15, Ar
t.VI
Ioft
heConstit
uti
on“t
womont hsimmedi atel
y
beforethenextpr esident
ialelect
ionsanduptotheendofhi sterm”thePr esi
dentis
nei
therr equi
red to make appoi ntmentstothe court
s norall
owed to do so;The
appoint
ment sofVal enzuelaandVal l
art
awereunquesti
onabl
ymadedur i
ngt heperiod
oftheban.Theycomewi t
hintheoperati
onoft
heprohibi
ti
onrel
ati
ngtoappointments.

110.DeRamav
.Cour
tofAppeal
s
Fact
s: 
Uponhi sassumpt iont ot heposi ti
onof  
May or 
ofPagbi l
ao,Quezon,pet itoner
ConradoDeRamawr otealet t
ert ot heCi vi
lSer vi
ceCommi ssi onseeki ngther ecallof
theappoi nt
ment sof14muni cipalempl oyees.Pet iti
onerj ustifiedhi sr ecal
lrequeston
theallegati
ont hattheappoi ntment sofsai dempl oy eeswer e“ mi dni ght”appointment s
ofthef ormer mayor ,doneinv iolat i
onofAr t.VI I
,Sec.15oft heConst i
tuti
on.TheCSC
deniedpet i
ti
oner’srequestfort her ecalloft heappoi ntment soft he14empl oyeesf or
l
ackof  
mer i
t.TheCSC di smi ssedpet i
ti
oner ’
sallegat i
ont hatt hesewer e“ midnight”
appointments,poi nti
ngoutt hatt he consti
tuti
onal  
prov i
sionr eli
eduponbypet i
tioner
prohibit
sonlythoseappoi ntment smadebyanout goingPr esidentandcannotbemade
toappl ytolocalel ecti
ve 
officials.TheCSCopi nedt hatt heappoi nti
ngaut horitycan
vali
dlyissueappoi ntmentsunt ilhi sterm hasexpi red,asl ongast heappoi nteemeet s
thequalifi
cati
onst andardsfort heposi t
ion.

I
ssue:
 
Whetherornott heappointmentsmadebyt
heout
goi
ngMay
or 
aref
orbi
dden
underAr
t.VI
I,Sec.15oftheConsti
tut
ion.
Secti
on15. Twomont hsimmedi at
elybeforethenextpr esident
ialel
ecti
onsandupt o
theendofhi sterm,aPr esi
dentorAct ingPresidentshallnotmakeappoi ntments,
excepttempor ar
yappointmentst o executi
ve posit
ions when continued vacanci
es
ther
einwil
lprej
udicepubl
icservi
ceorendangerpubl i
csafety.

Hel
d: 
TheCSC  corr
ectl
y 
ruledt hatt
he consti
tuti
onal
 prohibi
ti
ononso- call
ed“midni
ght
appointments,
”specifi
call
yt hosemadewi thi
n2mont hsimmedi atelypri
ortothenext
presi
denti
alelecti
onsappliesonl ytothePresidentorAct i
ngPr esident.Therei
snol aw
thatprohi
bit
sl ocalel
ecti
ve offi
cial
s f
rom makingappoi ntmentsdur ingthelastdaysof
hisorhertenure.
111.Mat
ibagv
.Beni
pay
o

Fact
s:
Ma.J.Angel
i
naBeni
pay
owasappoi
ntedasAct
ingDi
rect
orI
Voft
he
’
sEI Dbyt henComel ecChai rpersonHar ri
etDemet ri
oui nat empor arycapaci ty
.
Alfredo Beni payo was appoi nt ed as Comel ec Chai rman t oget her wi th ot her
commi ssioner sinanadi nterim appoi ntment .Whileonsuchadi nt eri
m appoi nt
ment ,
respondentBeni payoi nhi scapaci tyasChai rmani ssued aMemor andum addr ess
transf err
ing pet i
ti
onert ot he Law Depar t
ment .Pet i
tionerr equest ed Beni pay ot o
reconsi derherr eli
efasDi rectorI V oft he EI D and herr eassignmentt othe Law
Depar tment .Sheci t
edCi vi
lSer viceCommi ssionMemor andum Ci rcul arNo.7r emi nding
headsofgov ernmentof f
icest hat“ tr
ansf eranddet ailofempl oy eesar epr ohibited
during t heel ecti
on period.Beni pay o denied herr equestf orreconsi der
ation,citing
COMELECResol uti
onNo.3300exempt i
ngCOMELECf rom t hecov erageoft hesai d
MemoCi rcular.Petit
ionerappeal edt hedeni alofherr equestf orreconsi derati
ont ot he
COMELEC enbanc.Sheal sof iledanadmi ni
strat
iveandcr i
minalcompl ai
ntagai nst
Beni pay o alleging thatherr eassi gnmentv i
olat
ed Sect ion 261 ( h)oft heOmni bus
ElectionCode,COMELECResol utionNo.3258,Ci vi
lServ i
ceMemor andum Ci rcularNo.
07,s.001,and ot herper ti
nentadmi nistrati
ve and ci vilservice l aws,r ules and
regul ati
ons.
Duringthependencyofhercompl ai
ntbef
oretheLawDepar tment
,peti
ti
onerfi
l
ed
theinstantpet i
ti
onquest i
oningtheappointmentandt herighttoremaininoffi
ceof
Benipayo,Bor ra and Tuason,as Chairman and Commi ssioner
s ofthe COMELEC,
respecti
vely.Peti
ti
onerclai
mst hattheadi nt
eri
m appoint
ment sofBeni
payo,Bor
raand
Tuasonv iolat
etheconstit
uti
onalprovi
sionsontheindependenceoftheCOMELEC.

I
SSUE:
Whetherornottheassumpti
onofoffi
cebyBenipayo,Bor
raandTuasononthe
basi
sof
theadi
nter
im amountstoat empor
aryappoi
ntmentpr
ohibi
tedbySect
ion1(2)
,Ar
ti
cle
I
X-CoftheConsti
tut
ion.
Section1( 2)
,Articl
eIX-C.TheChairmanandt heCommi ssi
onersshallbeappointedby
thePr esi
dentwiththeconsentoftheCommi ssiononAppoi ntmentsforaterm ofseven
yearswi t
houtreappoint
ment .Ofthosefi
rstappoint
ed,threeMember sshallholdoffi
ce
forsevenyear s,twoMember sforf i
veyears,andt helastMember sf orthreeyears,
withoutreappointment.Appointmenttoanyvacancyshal lbeonl yfortheunexpi r
ed
ter
m oft hepredecessor.InnocaseshallanyMemberbeappoi nt
edordesi gnatedina
tempor ar
yoractingcapacity.
RULI
NG:
No.Anadi nteri
m appointmentisaper manentappoi ntmentbecausei ttakes
eff
ectimmedi atel
yandcannol ongerbewithdr
awnbyt hePresidentoncetheappointee
hasqualifiedint
oof f
ice.Thefactthatiti
ssubjecttoconf i
rmat i
onbyt heCommi ssion
onAppoi ntmentsdoesnotal t
eri t
spermanentcharacter.TheConst i
tut
ionitsel
fmakes
an ad int er
im appointmentper manenti n char
acterby maki ng iteffecti
ve unti
l
di
sapprov edbyt heCommi ssi
ononAppoi ntmentsorunt i
lthenextadj ournmentof
Congress.”
Int hei nstantcase,t hePr esidentdi di nf actappoi ntper manentCommi ssioners
tof i
llthev acanci esi nt heCOMELEC,subj ectonl yt oconf i
rmat i
onbyt heCommi ssion
onAppoi ntment s.Beni pay o, BorraandTuasonwer eext endedper manentappoi ntment s
duringt her ecessofCongr ess.Theywer enotappoi nt
edordesi gnatedinat empor aryor
actingcapaci t
y,unl i
keCommi ssionerHay deeYor acinBr i
ll
ant esv s.YoracandSol i
cit
or
Gener al FelixBaut istainNaci onalistaPar t
yv s.Baut i
sta.Theadi nteri
m appointment sof
Beni pay o,Bor raandTuasonar eexpr esslyal l
owedbyt heConst ituti
onwhi chaut horizes
thePr esident ,dur i
ngt her ecessofCongr ess,t omakeappoi ntment st hattakeef f
ect
i
mmedi ately. Whi le t he Const i
tuti
on mandat es t hat t he COMELEC “ shall be
i
ndependent ”,thispr ovisionshoul dbehar moni z
edwi tht hePr esi dent’
spowert oext end
adi nterim appoi nt ment s.Tohol dt hatt hei ndependenceoft heCOMELECr equi r
est he
Commi ssion on Appoi nt ment st of i
rstconf i
rm ad i nteri
m appoi ntees bef oret he
appoi nteescanassumeof fi
cewi llnegat et hePr esident’spowert omakeadi nteri
m
appoi ntment s.Thisi scont raryt other uleonst atutoryconst ruct i
ont ogivemeani ngand
effectt oev erypr ovisionoft helaw.I twi llal sor uncount ert ot heclearintentoft he
framer soft heConst it
ut i
on. ”

112.Lar
inv
.Execut
iveSecet
ary
Fact
s:
Aquil
i
noLar i
nwasanAssi st
antCommi ssi
onerint heBureauofInternalRevenue
(BI
R).He was i n charge oft he offi
ce ofthe Exci se Tax Ser
vice.In 1992,t he
Sandi
ganbayanconv i
ctedLar i
nf orgravemisconduct.Hi sconvi
cti
onwasr eportedto
theOffi
ceofthePr esident,att
hesamet i
me,anadmi nistr
ativ
ecomplaintwasf il
edwi t
h
thesameoffice.ThePr esidentthen,basedontheSandi ganbayanconv i
cti
on,createda
commi t
teetoi nvesti
gateLar i
n.Ev entual
l
y,Lari
n’sremov alwasrecommended.The
Presi
dentdi
smi ssedLar i
n.
I
SSUE:
 
Whet
herornotLar
inwasr
emov
edf
rom of
fi
cepr
oper
ly.
HELD:
 
 No.Lar i
nisapr esidential appointeewhobel ongst othecar eerserviceoft heCivi
l
Service.Al t
houghi tisagener al rulethatt hepowert oremov ei sinherentint hepowert o
appoi ntsuchpowert or emov ewi t
hlimitati
ons.I nthecaseatbar ,thelimitationcanbe
foundi nt hefactthatLar i
nisacar eerser vi
ceoff i
cerandundert heAdmi nist r
ativeCode
of1987suchof fi
cerswhof allundercar eerser vi
cear echar acter
izedbyt heexi stence
ofsecur it
yoft enure,ascont ra- disti
nguishedfrom non- careerser vi
cewhoset enureis
co-termi nuswiththatoft heappoi nti
ngaut hori
tyorsubj ecttohi spleasure, orlimit
edt o
aper iodspeci f
iedbyl awort ot hedur ati
onofapar ti
cularpr ojectforwhichpur poset he
empl oy mentwasmade.Asacar eerserviceofficer,Larinenj oysther i
ghtt osecur ityof
tenure.He can onl ybe r emov ed from hi s offi
ce on gr ounds enumer ated int he
Admi nist r
ati
veCodeof1987.I nt hecaseatbar ,t hebasi sf orhi sremov alwashi s
conv i
ctioni ntheSandi ganbay an.Thi sisnotoneoft hosegr oundsenumer atedint he
Admi nist r
ati
veCode.Fur ther,theSupr emeCour tnot est hatwhenLar i
n’sconv i
ctionwas
appeal edt otheSupr emeCour t.TheSupr emeCour tact uall
yabsol vedLar i
n.
113.Bar
ri
oqui
ntov
sFer
nandez
Fact
s:
Nor ber
to Jimenezand Lor eto Barri
oqui nto were charged wi tht he cri
me of
mur der.Jimenezwas  sentenced toli
feimpr isonmentwhi leBar r
ioquintor emainedat
l
arge. Beforet he period f orappealhad expi red,Jimenez became awar e ofthe
Proclamat i
onNo.8,whi chgr ant
samnest yinf av orofallpersonswhomaybechar ged
withanactpenal i
zedundert heRevi
sedPenalCodei nf urt
heranceoft her esist
anceto
theenemyoragai nstper sonsai di
ngi nthewaref f
ort
soft heenemy ,andcommi tt
ed
duri
ngt heper i
odf rom December8,1941,t ot hedat ewhenpar ticularareaoft he
Phil
ippineswher ethe of fense wasact uallycommi t
ted wasl i
berated f r
om enemy
controlandoccupat i
on.Ji menezdeci dedt oappl yf
oramnest y
.Bar r
ioquinto,whohad
thenbeenal r
eadyappr ehended,didthesame.TheAmnest yCommi ssionr etur
nedthe
casesoft hepetit
ionerst ot heCourtofFi r
stI nstanceofZamboangawi thoutdecidi
ng
onthecasesay i
ngthatsi ncet heBarr
ioquintoandJi menezdenyhav ingcommi tt
edthe
cri
me.Pet i
ti
onerscannoti nv okethebenefit
sofamnest y. 
I
ssue:
Whet
herornotadmi
ssi
onofgui
l
tisnecessar
yinamnest
y.
Rul
i
ng:
No.Amnest yisgr antedtoclassesofpersonsorcommuni ti
eswhomaybegui lty
ofpoli
ticaloffenses, generall
ybeforeoraf t
ert
hei nstitut
ionofthecri
minalprosecut
ion
andsomet i
mesaf terconv i
cti
on.Amnest ybyPr oclamat ionofthePresi
dentwi ththe
concurrenceofCongr ess,anditisapubl i
cactofwhi chthecourtsshoul
dtakej udi
cial
noti
ce.Inor dertoent itl
eaper sontothebenefit
soft heAmnest yProcl
amation,i
tisnot
necessar ythatheshoul d,asacondi t
ionprecedentorsi nequanon,admi thaving
commi ttedthecr i
mi nalactorof f
ensewi thwhi
chhei schar ged,
andall
egetheamnest y
asadefense; i
tissuf
fi
cientt
hattheev i
dence,ei
therofthecomplai
nantortheaccused,
shows thatt he off
ense commi t
ted comes wi t
hint he t
erms of said Amnest y
Procl
amation.Hence,i
tisnotcorrectt
osayt hat“i
nvocati
onofthebenefi
tsofamnest y
i
sinthenat ur
eofapleaofconfessionandav oi
dance.”
Ont heot her,Par donisgr ant edbyt hePr esidentandassuchi tisapr i
vateact
whichmustbepl eadedandpr ovedbyt heper sonpar donedbecauset hecour tstakeno
noticet hereof.Par doni sgr antedt ooneaf terconv ict
ion.Pardonlooksf orwardand
rel
iev estheof fenderf rom t heconsequencesofanof f
enseofwhi chhehasbeen
conv ict
ed,t hatis,i tabol i
shesorf or gi
vesthepuni shment ,andforthatr easonitdoes
“norwor kther estor ati
onoft her ightstohol dpubl icoffi
ce,orther ightofsuf frage,
unlesssuchr ight sbeexpr esslyrest oredbyt het ermsoft hepardon,”andi t“i
nnocase
exempt st hecul pri
tf rom thepay mentoft heci vili
ndemni tyimposeduponhi m byt he
sentence”( ar t36,RPC) .Whi leamnest ylooksbackwar dandabol i
shesandput si nto
obliviontheof f
ensei tself
,itsoov erlooksandobl i
ter
atest heoff
ensewi thwhi chhei s
char gedthatt heper sonr el
easedbyamnest yst andsbef orethel
awpr eciselyast hough
hehadcommi ttednoof fense.

114.Ver
av.Peopl
e
Fact
s:
Ver
a,Figueras,Ambas,Fl orido,Bay r
anand92ot her swerechar gedwi ththe
complexcr i
meofki dnapping with mur derofAmadeo Lozanes.Theyi nvoked the
benefi
tsoftheamnest yproclamationoft hepr esidentandt hecasewasr ef
err
edt othe
8thGueril
laAmnest yCommi ssion.Noneoft hepet iti
onersadmi tt
edhav i
ngcommi tt
ed
thecrime.Verawast heonlyonewhot ookt hewi t
nessstandanddeni edhavingkill
ed
Lozanes.TheCommi ssi
onsai ditcoul dnott akecogni zanceoft hecasebecauset he
benefi
tsofamnest ycouldonl ybei nvokedbydef endantsi nacr i
minalcasewho,
admitti
ng commission oft hecr i
me,pl ead thatt he said cri
me wascommi tted i
n
pursuanceoftheresist
ancemov ementandper petr
atedagai nstpersonswhoai dedthe
enemydur i
ngtheJapaneseoccupat i
on.
WhenVer aappeal ed,theamnest ycommi ssi
ondeni edi t
,r easoni
ngt hatt he
victi
m wasamemberofanot herguer i
l
lagroupandt hatt hemur derseemedt ohav e
stemmedf r
om ar i
valr
ybet weenthet wogr oups.Verabroughtt hecaset otheCour tof
Appeals,askingtheCAt oalsorule,onewayoranot her
, ofthemur dercase.ButtheCA
ruledthatamnestyappliesonlytothosewhohadadmi t
tedt hef actbutsaidtheyshoul d
notbepuni shedforthecrimedonewasi npursuanceofresist
ancet otheenemy .Italso
saiditcoul dnottakecogni zanceoft hemur dercasebecauset hatcamef r
om t he
amnest ycommi ssi
on,whi chhadnoj uri
sdi
cti
onov erthemur dercase.Thecasewas
broughttot heCourtonappeal ,whi chci t
edPeopl evsLl ani
ta,whi chsaidt hatitwas
i
nconsi st
entforanappel l
anttojusti
f yanactorseekf or gi
venessf orsomet hingwhi ch
hesai
dhehasnotcommi
tt
ed.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotadmi
ssi
onofgui
l
tisnecessar
yinamnest
y.
Hel
d:
Yes.Amnest ypresupposesthecommi ssionofacr i
meandwhent heaccused
mai nt
ainst hathehasnotcommi tt
edacr ime,hecannothav eanyusef oramnest y
.
Wher eanamnest yprocl
amationimposescer t
ai ncondit
ions,asi nt hiscase,i tis
i
ncumbentupont heaccusedt oprovetheexistenceofsuchcondi tions.Thei nv
ocation
ofamnest yisi
nt henatureofapleaofconfessionandav oi
dance,whichmeanst hatthe
pleaderadmi tstheallegati
onsagainsthi
m butdi scl
aimsliabi
l
itythereforeonaccount
ofinter
v eningfactswhich,ifpr
oved,wouldbringt hecrimechargedwi thinthescopeof
theamnest yproclamati
on.

115.Cr
ist
obalv
sLabr
ador
Fact
s:
Teofi
lo Santos was conv icted ofestafa and sentenced to 6 mont hs of
i
mpr i
sonmentandt or eturntheamountt aken.Despi
tethis,Santoscontinuedt obea
registered el
ectorinMal abon,Rizal,and bet
ween1934 and 1937 ev enser ved as
Muni cipalPresi
dent.OnAugust221938t heElecti
onCodewasappr oved,whi chhada
prov i
sionthatdisqual
ifiesSantosfrom voti
ng.Havingbeendecl ar
edbyf inaljudgment
guilt
yofacr i
meagai nstpr oper
ty,Santosappli
edwi t
hthePr esi
dentforanabsol ute
pardonwhi chwasgi venhi m onDecember241939.Hi sfullciv
ilandpoli
ti
cal r
ightswere
restoredexceptt hathisr i
ghttoholdpublicoffi
cewasl i
mi t
edonl ytopositi
onswhi ch
i
nv olvednomoneyorpr opert
yresponsibi
li
ty.
Cristobalf i
ledapet it
iontohav eSant osexcludedfrom t hev oters’li
stont he
basisofSect i
on94oft heCommonweal thActno.357.Thecour truledt hatt hepar don
giv
enSant osexcl udedhimf rom thedisqualif
icati
oncreatedbyt heNewEl ect
ionCode.
Cri
stobalappeal ed, ar
guingthatthepar doningpowerdoesnotext endt ot heenj oy
ment
ofpol i
ti
calr i
ghts.Forthatwoul dall
owt hePresidenttoencroachont hepower soft he
l
egislatur
e;i neffectexempt i
ngsomepeopl ef rom theeff
ectsoft hel aw.Cr i
stobalsaid
thepar doningpoweroft heExecut i
vedoesnotappl ytol egislati
vepr ohibi
tionsand
wouldamountt oanunl awfulexer
ciseoft heExecutiveofalegislativef unct i
on.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hepar
doni
ngpowerexer
cisedher
ewoul
damountt
oanunl
awf
ul
exer
cise 
oft
hePr
esi
dentofal
egi
slat
ivef
unct
ion.
Rul
i
ng:
No.Thepar doningpowercannotber est
ri
ctedorcont roll
edbyl egislativ
eact i
on.
Itmustr emai nwheret hesov erei
gnaut horityhaspl aceditandmustbeexer cisedbyt he
highestaut hori
tytowhom i tisent rusted. Anabsol utepardonnotonl y blots outthe
crimecommi t
tedbutr emov esall 
disabil
iti
es  r
esult
ingfrom theconv i
ct i
on.I nthiscase,
thedisabi li
tyisther esul
toft heconv i
ctionwi thoutwhi cht her
ewoul dnobasi sfor
disqual
ificati
on from v oti
ng.Whi l
et he par don extended tor espondentSant os is
conditi
onali nthesenset hathewi l
lbeel igibleforappointmentonl ytoposi t
ionswhi ch
areclericalormanuali nnat ureinvolvingnomoneyorpr oper tyresponsi bil
i
ty,itis
absolutei nsof
arasitrestorest herespondentt oful
l ci
vi
landpol it
ical
r i
ghts. 
Thesuggesti
ont hatthedisqual
i
ficati
oni
mposedi ntheElecti
onCodedoesnot
fal
lwithi
nt hepurv
iew ofthepardoningpoweroftheChi efExecuti
ve.Itwoul
dleadto
theimpairmentofhispardoningpowernotcontemplat
edi nt
heConst i
tuti
onandwould
l
eadf urther
moretot her esultt
hattherewouldbenowayofr est
ori
ngt hepol
it
ical
pri
vi
legei nacaseofthi
snat ur
eexceptthroughl
egi
slat
ive.

116.Pel
obel
lov
sPal
ati
no,
72Phi
l441
Fact
s:
In1912, Gregor
ioPalati
nowasconv ict
edofacr imef orwhichhewasi mpr i
soned
for2year
s, f
ourmont hsandoneday ,di
squali
fiedfrom v oti
ngandbei ngvotedupon.In
1915,hewasgr antedacondi t
ionalpar
donbyt heGov ernorGeneralandon1940,an
absol
ute pardon byt he Presi
dent.Pell
obell
oi nsti
tuted quo warranto proceedi
ngs
quest
ioni
nghi sri
ghttoholdof f
iceasmay orelectofTor ri
jos,Mari
nduque.Itwasbased
onsec94( a)oftheElect
ionCode.

I
ssue:
Whether or not t
he absol
ute pardon gr
ant
ed exempt
ed hi
m fr
om t
he
di
squali
fi
cat
ioninci
denttocr
iminalconvi
cti
onunderpar
agraphaofsec94oft
he
El
ecti
onCode.

Rul
i
ng:
Yes.Cit
ingCr i
stobalvLabrador,t
hecour theldthatt
hepar doningpowerisonly
subjecttot helimit
ati
onsi mposedbyt heConst i
tuti
onandcannotbecont r
oll
edor
restr
icted bylegisl
ati
veaction.Thereafter
,hehad exer ci
sed ther ightofsuffr
age;
electedcounci
lorofTor r
ij
os,Mari
nduquef ortheperi
od1918t o1921; elect
edmunici
pal
presidentoft hatmuni ci
palit
ythreet i
mesi nsuccessi on(1922- 1931);
andf i
nall
yelected
may oroft hemuni ci
pal
ityintheel ecti
onf orl ocaloff
icialsinDecember1940.Under
theseci r
cumst ances, i
tisevidentthatthepur posei ngrantinghim absolut
epar donwas
toenabl ehi mt oassumet hepositionindef erencet othepopul arwil
l.Thepar donwas
thusext endedont hedatement ionedher einabov eandbef orethedatefi
xedi nsecti
on4
oft he El ect
ion Code f orassumi ng office.We see no r eason fordefeating t
his
wholesomepur posebyar estr
icti
vejudiciali nter
pretat
ionoft heconsti
tut
ionalgrantto
theChi efExecut i
ve.

117.I
nReLont
ok
Mar cel
i
noLont okwasconvict
edofbigamyandsent encedto8y ear
simprisonment.He
waspar donedbyt heGovernorGeneralontheconditionthatheshal
lnotagainbeguilt
y
ofanymi sconduct.Acasewasf i
ledbyt heAt t
orneyGener altohavehim disbarr
ed
becausehehasconv i
ctedofacrimei nvol
vi
ngmor alt ur
pit
ude.Lont
ok,however,ar
gued
thatpardonr eachest
heoffenseandbl otsitoutsot hathemaynotbel ookeduponas
guil
tyofit.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
heef
fectofpar
donmaypr
eventLont
okf
rom di
sbar
ment
.
Rul
i
ng:
Yes.Whenproceedingstost ri
keanat t
orney’
snamef rom ther ol
l
sar efounded
on,anddependalone,onast atutemaki ngthefactofaconvicti
onf oraf el
onyground
fordi
sbarment,i
thasbeenhel dthatapar donoperat
estowipeoutt heconv i
cti
onandis
abart oanyproceedi
ngf orthedi sbar
mentoft heattor
neyafterthepar donhasbeen
grant
ed.
Where proceedings to disbaran at tor
neyaref ounded on t he professional
misconductinvolvedinat ransacti
onwhi chhasculminatedinaconv i
ctionoff elony
,it
hasbeen hel dt hatwhi l
et heef fectoft hepardon istor el
iev ehim oft hepenal
consequencesofhi sact,itdoesnotoper ateasabart othedi sbarmentpr oceeding,
i
nasmuchast hecr i
minalactsmaynev er
thelessconst
it
uteprooft hattheatt
orneydoes
notpossessagoodmor alcharacterandi snotaf i
torpr operper sont or etainhis
l
icensetopracti
cel aw.
Expart
eGar l
andwasci t
ed,inwhichal awyerpar
donedbythepresi
dentbeinga
memberoftheconfederat
econgr essduri
ngthesecessionoft
heSouthwasallowedt o
pr
acti
celaw,alt
houghlawyerswer esupposedt otakeanoathsayi
ngtheyhavenev er
ai
dedanygovernmenthosti
letotheUS.
I
twasheldthattheexcl
udethepet i
ti
onerfr
om thepract
iceofl
awfortheof
fensewoul d
betoenf
orceapuni
shmentfort
heof
fense,whenhehasal
readybeenpar
donedf
ori
t.
Thi
sthecour
thadnori
ghtt
odo.

118.Tor
resv
sGonzal
es
Fact
s:
In1978,Wi l
fredoTor r
eswasconv i
ctedofest afa.In1979,hewaspar donedby
thepr esidentwiththecondi t
ionthatheshallnotv i
olat
eanypenall awsagai n.In1982,
Torreswaschar gedwi t
hmul tipl
ecri
mesofest afa.In1986, t
henChairmanoft heBoard
ofPar olesNeptaliGonzalespet i
ti
onedforthecancellat
ionofTorres’pardon.Hence,the
presidentcancelledt hepardon.Tor r
esappealedt heissuebef oretheSupr emeCour t
averri
ng t hatthe Execut i
ve Departmenter r
ed in conv ict
ing hi
m f orv i
olati
ng the
conditionsofhispar donbecauset heestafachargesagai nsthi
m wer enotyetf i
naland
execut oryastheywer esti
llonappeal.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotaconv
ict
ioni
snecessar
ytor
evokeacondi
ti
onal
par
don.

Rul
i
ng:
 
No.Inproceedi
ngagai nstaconv ictwhohasbeencondi tionall
ypardonedand
whoi sal
legedtohavebreachedthecondi ti
onsofhispardon,theExecut i
veDepart
ment
has two opti
ons:(1)Section 64 (i)oft he Revi
sed Admi nist
rati
ve Code,a purely
executi
veact,notsubj
ectt ojudici
alscruti
ny,or(2)Ar t
icl
e159oft heRevisedPenal
Code,aj udi
ci
alactconsisti
ngoft ri
alforandconv ict
ionofv iol
at i
onofacondi ti
onal
pardon.
Wher
et he Presi
dentopt sto pr oceed underSection 64 ( i
)oft he Revi
sed
Administ
rat
iveCode,no j udicialpronouncementofgui l
tofasubsequentcr i
mei s
necessar
y,muchl essconv i
ctionthereforbyfinaljudgmentofacour t,i
norderthata
convi
ctmayber ecommendedf ort
hev iol
ati
onofhi scondit
ionalpardon.Underart
.159
oftheRPC,parol
eeorconv i
ctwhoi sregardedashav i
ngvi
olatedthepr ov
isi
onsthereof
mustbecharged,prosecutedandconv i
ctedbyf i
naljudgmentbeforehecanbemadet o
suff
erthepenal
typrescri
bed.
I
nthecaseatbar,Presi
denthaschosentoproceedagainstthepet
it
ionerunder
Secti
on64( i
)oft heRevi
sedAdmi nist
rat
iveCode.Thatchoiceisanexerciseoft he
Presi
dent’
sexecut
ivepr
erogati
veandisnotsubj
ecttojudi
cial
scrut
iny.

119.I
BPv
.Zamor
a
Fact
s: 
  
  
  
 
ThePr esi
dentorderedthePNPandt heMar i
nestoconductj
ointvi
sibil
it
ypatrols
forthepur poseofcr
imepr eventionandsuppr essi
on.OnJanuray17,2000,theIBPf i
l
ed
theinstantpetit
iontodecl ar
et hedeploymentofPhi li
ppi
nesMar i
nesunconst i
tut
ional
thusnullandv oi
dall
egingt hatnoemer gencysituat
ionwouldj
usti
fytheempl oymentof
soldi
ersf orlaw enfor
cementwor kandt hatt hesamei sinderogati
onofAr ti
cleII
Section3oft heConsti
tuti
on.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornotthejoi
ntv i
sibi
li
typat
rol
svi
olat
etheConst
it
uti
onalpr
ovi
sionson
ci
vi
li
ansupr
emacyoverthemili
tary.

HELD:
No.Thecal l
ingoft heMar i
nesinthiscaseconstit
utespermissibleuseofmi litar
y
assetsforci vi
li
anenf or cementandt hatitdoesnotcont r
aveneSect ion3,Ar t
icl
eI Iof
theConst it
ution.Thel imi t
edpar t
ici
pati
onoft heMar i
nesisevidenti nt heLOIi tsel
f
which suf f
ici
ent l
ypr ovides t
he met es and bounds oft he Marines’aut hor
ity.The
deploymentoft heMar inestoassistthePNPdoesnotunmaket heci vil
iancharacterof
thepolicef orce.Ther ealaut hori
tyintheseoper at
ionsislodgedwi ththeheadofa
civ
il
iani nsti
tuti
onandnotwi ththemi l
it
ary.Whati si nhereismut ualsuppor tand
cooperationbet weent hemi li
taryandtheci v
il
ianauthori
ti
es,notderogat ionofciv i
li
an
supremacy .

120.SANLAKASv
.Execut
iveSecr
etar
y
Fact
s: 
Duri
ngt heweehour sofJul y27,2003,somet hree-hundredjunioroffi
cersand
enl
ist
edmenoft heAFP, acti
nguponi nstigati
on,commandanddi r
ecti
onofknownand
unknownl eadershav eseizedtheOakwoodBui l
dinginMakat i
.Theycompl ainedoft he
corr
uptionint heAFPanddecl aredtheirwi t
hdrawalofsuppor tforthegov ernment,
demandi ngtheresi gnati
onoft hePr esident,Secretar
yofDef enseandt hePNPChi ef.
Theseact sconstituteav i
olati
onofAr ti
cle134oft heRev i
sedPenalCodeandbyv i
rtue
ofProclamat i
onNo.427andGener alOr derNo.4,t hePhi li
ppineswasdecl aredunder
theStateofRebel l
ion.Negotiati
onst ookpl aceandt heof fi
cerswentbackt otheir
barr
acksi ntheev eningoft hesameday .OnAugust1, 2003, boththeProclamat i
onand
GeneralOrderswer el i
ft
edanPr ocl
amat i
onNo.435decl aringthecessationoft heState
ofRebelli
on. 
Fi
rst
,pet
it
ioner
scont
endthatSec.18,Ar
ti
cleVIIoftheConst
it
uti
ondoesnot
r
equi
rethedecl
arati
onofastat
eofrebel
li
ontocallouttheAFPandthatther
eisno
factualbasisforsuchpr oclamat ion.Second,thepr ocl
amat i
onisaci rcumv ent
ionoft he
reportrequirementundert hesameSect i
on18, Articl
eVI I
,commandi ngt hePresidentto
submi tareporttoCongr esswi t
hin48hour sfrom thepr ocl
amat i
onofmar t
iall
aw.Thi rd,
theycont endt hatthepr esidentialissuancescannotbeconst ruedasanexer ciseof
emer gencypower sasCongr esshasnotdel egatedanysuchpowert othePr esident.
Fourth,therewasusur pationoft hepowerofCongr essgrantedbySect i
on23( 2), Art
icl
e
VIoft heConst it
uti
on.Finall
y ,petit
ionerfear
st hatthedeclarati
onofast at
eofr ebelli
on
"openst hedoort ot heunconst ituti
onalimplement ati
onofwar rantl
essar rest
s"f orthe
cri
meofr ebell
ion. 
I
ssues:
 
Whet
herornotPr
ocl
amat
ionNo.427andGener
alOr
derNo.4ar
econst
it
uti
onal
.
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ioner
shav
eal
egal
standi
ngorl
ocusst
andi
tobr
ingsui
t.

Rul
i
ng:
 
Yes.Pr oclamat i
onNo.427andGener alOrderNo.4ar econstit
uti
onal.Sect i
on18,
Arti
cleVI Idoesnotexpr esslypr ohibitdecl ar
ingst at
eorr ebell
ion.ThePr esidenti n
additi
ont oi t
sCommander -i
n-ChiefPower sisconf err
edbyt heConst i
tuti
onexecut ive
power s.Itisnotdi sputedt hatthePr esidenthasf ulldi
scr eti
onarypowert ocal loutt he
armedf orcesandt odet ermi net henecessi tyfort heexerciseofsuchpower .Whi l
et he
Courtmayexami newhet hert hepowerwasexer ci
sedwi thinconstit
uti
onallimitsori na
mannerconst i
tutinggr aveabuseofdi screti
on,noneoft hepet it
ionersherehav e,byway
ofproof ,supportedt heirasser t
iont hatthePr esidentact edwithoutfactualbasi s.The
i
ssueoft heci r
cumv enti
onoft herepor tisofnomer i
tast herewasnoi ndicationt hat
mili
taryt r
ibunalshav er eplacedci vilcour t
sort hatmi l
itaryauthorit
ieshavet akenov er
thefunct i
onsofCi v
ilCour ts.
No.Thei ssueofusur pationofthelegislat
ivepoweroft heCongr essisofno
momentsi ncet hePresi dent
,indeclari
ngast ateofrebel
li
onandi ncalli
ngoutt he
armedf orces,wasmer elyexercisingaweddingofherChiefExecuti
veandCommander -
i
n-Chi efpower s.These ar e purelyexecuti
ve powers,vested on the Presidentby
Sections 1 and 18,Ar ticl
e VII,as opposed t othe del
egated legi
slati
ve powers
contempl ated by Sect ion 23 ( 2),Art
icl
e VI.The f earon war rant
less ar r
estis
unreasonabl e,sinceanyper sonmaybesubj ecttothi
swhetherthereisrebell
ionornot
ast hisi sacr imepuni shableundert heRev i
sedPenalCode,andasl ongasav ali
d
warrant l
essar r
estispresent .
 

121.Aqui
nov
.Enr
il
e
Fact
s:
JuanPonceEnr i
le,thenMini
sterofNat i
onalDefense,pursuantt
ot heor
derof
Marcosi ssuedandor deredthearr
estofanumberofi ndivi
dualsincl
udingBeni
gno
Aqui
no, Jr.evenwithoutanychargeagainstthem.Hence,Aquinoandsomeot hersf
il
ed
forhabeas cor pus againstJuan Ponce Enr i
l
e.Respondent ’
s answercontai
ned a
commonandspeci alaffi
rmativ
edefenset hatthearr
estisv al
idpursuanttoMarcos’
decl
arationofMar t
ialLaw.
I
ssue:
 
WhetherornotAqui
no’
sdet
ent
ioni
slegali
naccor
dancet
othedecl
arat
ionof
Mar
ti
alLaw.
Rul
i
ng:
Yes.Thear restisthenavalidexercisepur suanttot hePr esident’
sor der
.The
Consti
tuti
onpr ovidesthatincaseofi nvasion,insurrecti
onorr ebel l
ion,orimmi nent
dangeragai nstthest at
e,whenpubli
csafetyr equir
esit,thePr esidentmaysuspendt he
pri
vi
legeoft hewr i
tofhabeascorpusorpl acet hePhili
ppinesoranypar tthereinunder
Marti
alLaw.I nthecaseatbar ,t
hest at
eofr ebell
ionplaguingt hecount r
yhasnoty et
di
sappear ed, t
herefore,
therei
saclearandimmi nentdangeragai nstt hestate.

122.Ol
aquerv
.Mi
li
tar
yCommi
ssi
onNo.4
Fact
s:
I
n1979,Olaguerandsomeot herswer edetainedbymi l
it
aryper sonnelandt hey
wereplacedinCampBagongDi wa.Logauerandhi sgroupar eallcivil
ians.Theywer e
charged wi
th( 1)unl awfulpossessi on ofexpl osives and incendiary dev ices;( 2)
conspir
acytoassassi natePresidentandMr s.Mar cos;(3)conspi racyt oassassi nate
cabinetmember s Juan Ponce Enr i
l
e,Fr ancisco Tatad and Vi cent e Pat erno;( 4)
conspir
acytoassassinat eMessr s.ArturoTangco,JoseRoñoandOnof reCor pus;( 5)
arsonofninebui l
dings;( 6)att
empt edmur derofMessr s.Leonar doPer ez,Teodor o
Valenci
aandGener alsRomeoEspi noandFabi anVer ;and( 7)conspiracyandpr oposal
tocommi tr
ebell
ion,andi ncit
ingtor ebell
i
on.OnAugust19,1980,t hepet i
tionerswent
totheSCandf i
l
edt hei nst
antPetiti
onf orprohi
biti
onandhabeascor pus.
I
SSUE:
 
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ionf
orhabeascor
pusbegr
ant
ed.
HELD:
 
Thepet
it
ionforhabeascor
pushasbecomemootandacademicbecausebythe
t
imet
hecasereachedtheSCOlaguerandhi
scompani
onswerealr
eadyrel
easedfr
om
mili
taryconfi
nement .“
Whent hereleaseoft heper sonsinwhosebehal ftheapplicat
ion
forawr i
tofhabeascor puswasf i
ledisef f
ected, thePeti
tionf orthei
ssuanceoft hewr i
t
becomes mootand academi c.18 I nasmuch as t he herein peti
ti
oner s have been
rel
easedf r
om theirconfinementinmi li
tarydet entioncenters,theinstantPetit
ionsfor
theissuanceofawr i
tofhabeascor pusshoul dbedi smissedf orhav i
ngbecomemoot
andacademi c.
”Butt hemi li
tar
ycour tcr eatedt otrythecaseofOl aguer(andt he
deci
sionitrendered)st
ill
conti
nuest osubsist.

123.Nav
alesv
sGen.Abay
a
Fact
s
OnJul y27,2003,mor et hant hreehundr edj uniorofficersandenl istedmen,
most lyf rom theel i
teuni t
sofPhi l
i
ppineAr my ’
sScoutRanger sandt hePhil
ippineNav y ’
s
Speci al WarfareGr oup( SWAG) .Theyqui etlyenteredthepr emisesoft heAy alaCent erin
Makat iCi t
y.Theydi sarmedt hesecur i
tyguar dsandt ookov ert heOakwoodPr emi er
Apar t
ment s( Oakwood) .Theypl antedexplosivesar oundt hebui l
dingandi nitsvicinity
.
Bet ween4: 00t o5:00a. m.,thesol dierswer eablet oissueapubl icstatementt hrough
theABS- CBNNews( ANC)net wor kandcl aimedt hattheywentt oOakwoodt oairtheir
grievancesagai nstt headmi nistrati
on ofPr esi
dentGl ori
a MacapagalAr royo.They
declar edt heirwi t
hdrawalofsuppor tfrom thechai nofcommandanddemandedt he
resignat i
onofkeyci v i
li
anandmi l
it
aryleadersoft heAr royoadmi nistr
ati
on.PGMAgav e
them unt i
l5p.m.t ogiv eupt heirposi t
ionsandr eturntot hebarracks.Atabout1: 00p. m. ,
shedecl aredt heexistenceofast ateofr ebell
i
onandi ssuedanor dertouser easonabl e
forcei nput ti
ngdownt herebellion.
Presi
dentAr r
oyoannouncedthatt
heoccupat
ionofOakwoodwasov er.DOJ
charged321oft hosesol
dier
swhotookparti
nthemuti
nywi
thvi
olat
ionofAr
ti
cle134-
A
(coupd'etat
)oftheRevi
sedPenalCode
I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ioner
sar
eent
it
ledt
othewr
it
sofpr
ohi
bit
ionandhabeas
cor
pus.
Rul
i
ng:
No.Thewr it
sofpr ohibi
ti
onand  habeascorpus  prayedforbyt hepeti
tioner
smust
perforcefail.Asagener al rul
e,t
hewr itof 
habeascor pus  wil
lnotissuewher etheperson
al
legedt ober estr
ainedofhi sl i
bert
yi sinthecust odyofanof f
icerunderapr ocess
i
ssued byt he cour twhi ch has jur
isdict
ion to do so.Fur ther,t he writof  
habeas
corpus shoul dnotbeal lowedaf t
erthepar tysoughtt ober eleasedhadbeenchar ged
beforeanycour torquasi -j
udici
albody .
 Theterm cour tnecessar i
l
yi ncludestheGener al
Cour t
-Martial.Theser ulesappl yt oCapt .Reaso, etal .,ast heyar eunderdet enti
on
pursuantt ot heCommi tmentOr derdatedAugust2, 2003i ssuedbyr espondentChiefof
St
affoft
heAFPpur
suantt
oAr
ti
cle70oft
heAr
ti
clesofWar
.
Ontheot herhand,t
heof f
iceofthewr i
tofprohibi
ti
oni stoprev entinferi
orcourt
s,
cor
porati
ons, boardsorpersonsf r
om usurpi
ngorexer ci
singaj ur
isdicti
onorpowerwi th
whichtheyhav enotbeenv estedbylaw. Asearl
ierdiscussed,theGener alCourt-
Marti
al
hasjuri
sdict
ionov erthechargesfil
edagainstpeti
ti
oners1Lt .Navales, etal.underRep.
ActNo.7055.Awr itofprohibi
ti
oncannotbei ssuedt opr eventitf r
om exer cisi
ngits
j
uri
sdicti
on.
124.Lansangv
.Gar
cia
FACTS:
Duet othethr owingoft wohandgr enadesi naLi beralPartycaucusin1971
causi
ngt hedeathof8peopl e,MarcosissuedPr oclamati
onNo.889whi chsuspended
thepri
v i
l
egeoft hewr itofhabeascor pus.Mar cosur gedthatt herei
saneedt ocur tai
l
thegrowt hofMaoi stgr oups.Subsequent l
y,Lansangetalwer einv
itedbyt hePC
headedbyGar ci
af ori nt
errogat
ionandi nvestigation.Teodosi oLansang,Rodolfodel
Rosari
o, andBayaniAl cal
aquest i
onedthev ali
dityoft hesuspensi onofthewri
tav er
ri
ng
thatt
hesuspensiondoesnotmeett heconst it
uti
onal r
equi
sites.
I
SSUE:
 
Whet
herornott
hesuspensi
oni
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.
HELD:
No.Thedoct ri
neest abli
shedi nBar celonandMont enegr owassubsequent l
y
abandonedi nt hiscasewher et heSupr emeCour tdecl aredt hatithadt hepowert o
i
nqui r
ei ntothef act
ualbasi soft hesuspensi onoft hepr ivi
legeoft hewr itofhabeas
corpusbyMar cosi nAugust1971.Andt oannult hesamei fnol egalgroundcoul dbe
establi
shed.Accor dingly
,hearingswer econduct edt or eceiv
eev i
denceont hismat t
er,
i
ncluding two cl osed-doorsessi ons in which r elev antcl assif
ied i
nformat ion was
divul
gedbyt hegov ernmentt ot hemember soft heSCand3sel ect
edlawy er
soft he
petit
ioners.I
nt heend,af tersat i
sfy
ingi t
selfthatt herewasact ual
l
yamassi v
eand
systemat i
cCommuni st-
ori
entedcampai gnt oov erthrow t hegov ernmentbyf orce,as
cl
aimedbyMar cos,t heSC unani mousl ydeci dedt ouphol dthesuspensi onoft he
pri
v i
l
egeoft heWr i
tofHabeasCor pus

125.
InReDeVi
ll
a
12-
yearol
dAileenMendozawokeupt ofindReynal
doDeVi l
l
aont opofher.She
wasunabletocallforhel
pbecauset helat
tercover
edhermout hwit
hapi l
l
ow and
t
hreat
enedtokil
lher.Hethenproceededtorapeher.Ail
eenbecamepregnant.Ail
een
wasexaminedbyDr.Cosi
don,whoconfir
medherpregnancy(shewasal
ready8mont hs
pregnantatthatti
me) ,andfoundheal edlacer
ati
onsi nherhymen.Dur i
ngthet r
ial,De
Vill
apleadednotguil
tybecauseatt hetimeoftheal l
egedrape,hewasal r
eady67y ears
old,andwasincapableofaner ect
ion.Heal soi
nterposedanalibit
hathewasnoti nthe
sceneoft hecri
meatt hetimeoft herape.DeVill
awasf oundgui l
tybeyondreasonable
doubtbyt het
ri
alcourtfortherapeofAi l
eenMendoza, hi
sniecebyaffi
nity
.
Threey earsaf
t erthedeci
sion,June( thesonofReynaldo)al l
egedt hatduringt he
tri
alofthecase,hewasunawar et hatther ewasascientif
ictestt hatcoul ddeter mi
ne
whetherRey nal
dowasLeahl yn’
sf ather.Theysoughtf orDNAt est i
ngt or esol
v ethe
i
ssueofpat erni
tybutt hesamewasdeni ed.Atthepeti
ti
oner’
si nsistence,theygat her
ed
sampl esfrom Leahlyn,f r
om t
hegr andchil
drenofReynaldo,andf rom Rey naldohimsel f
andwassubmi tt
edtot heDNALabor atory.TheDNALabor atoryrender edapr eli
mi nary
reportshowi ngthatt
her ewasnomat chbet weentheDNAsampl es.
I
ssue:
Whetherornott
heDNAr
esul
tisav
ali
dbasi
sforhabeascor
pus,newt
ri
al,and
acqui
tt
al.
Rul
i
ng:
Not
oal
lcount
s.
Ast
oHabeasCor
pus
Themostbasi ccrit
eri
onf ortheissuanceoft hewrit,theref
ore,i
st hatthe
i
ndividualseeki
ngsuchrel
iefbeil
l
egall
ydeprivedofhisfr
eedom ofmov ementorplaced
undersomef or
m ofi
ll
egalrest
rai
nt.I
fanindividual
'
sli
bert
yisrest
r ai
nedviasomel egal
process,thewri
tofhabeascorpusisunavai
li
ng
Ast
onewt
ri
al
Amot ionf ornewt r
ialbasedonnewl y-
di scoveredevidencemaybegr ant
edonl y
i
ft hefollowingr equisi
tesaremet :(a)thattheev i
dencewasdi scov
er edaftert
rial;(b)
thatsaidev idencecoul dnothav ebeendi scov eredandpr oducedatt hetri
alevenwi th
theexer ciseofr easonabledili
gence;(c)t hati tismat eri
al,notmer el
ycumul ati
ve,
corroborativ
e ori mpeaching;and (d)t hatt he ev idence i
sofsuch wei ghtthat ,if
admi t
ted, i
twouldpr obablychangethejudgment .Lackofknowl edgeoft heexist
enceof
DNAt estingspeaksofnegl i
gence.Ineit
herinst ance, however,thi
snegl i
genceisbinding
uponpet iti
oner.
Ast
oacqui
tt
al
Evenwi
thal lofthecompelli
ngandpersuasi
vescienti
fi
cevi
dencepresent
edby
peti
ti
onerandhi scounsel,wear enotconvi
ncedthatReynaldodeVill
aisentit
ledt
o
outr
ightacqui
ttal.As correct
lypoint
ed outbyt he Soli
cit
orGeneral
,even ifiti
s
conclusi
vel
yprovent hatReynaldodeVil
laisnotthef at
herofLeahlynMendoza,hi
s
convict
ioncoul d,intheory,st
il
lstand,wi t
hAileenMendoza’ st
estimonyandposi t
ive
i
dentifi
cationasi tsbases.TheSol ici
torGeneralrei
ter
ates,andcor r
ectl
yso,thatt he
pregnancyoft hev i
ctim hasneverbeenanel ementofthecrimeofr ape.Theref
ore,t
he
DNA ev idencehasf ail
edtoconcl usi
velyprovetot hi
sCour tthatRey nal
dodeVi ll
a
shouldbedi scharged.

126.Dav
idv
.Ar
roy
o
Fact
s:
PresidentArroyoi ssuedProclamat i
onNo.1017decl aringast ateofnat i
onal
emer gency.Thiscasecov ersthesevenconsol idatedpeti
tionsf orceti
orariassail
i
ngt he
constit
uti
onalityofProclamat i
onNo.1017andGener alOr derNo.5i mplement i
ngt he
former.Itisal l
egedt hatindoi ngso,Pr esidentGl or
iaMacapagal -Arr
oy ocommi tted
graveabuse  ofdiscreti
onandt hatrespondentof fi
cial
soft heGov er
nment ,intheir
professedef f
ortstodefendandpr eservedemocr ati
cinsti
tutionsar eactuall
ytrampling
upont heveryfreedom guar ant
eedandpr otectedbyt heconst i
tution.
 

I
SSUE:
Whet
herornotPr
ocl
amat
ionNo.1017i
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.
Whet
herornotGener
alOr
derNo.5i
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.

HELD:
Yes.Theassai l
edPr oclamat i
on1017i sunconst it
utionali nsof arasi tgr ants
PresidentAr royot heauthorit
yt opr omulgat edecrees.Legi slati
vepoweri specul iarl
y
withinthepr ov i
nceoft heLegislat
ur e,Section1,Ar t
icleVIcat egor i
cal l
yst at
est hat"the
l
egislativepowershal lbev ested i
nt heCongr essoft hePhi l
ippines, whichshal lconsist
ofaSenat eandaHouseofRepr esent at
ives".Tobesur e,nei
thermar tiallawnorast ate
ofr ebelli
on nora st ate ofemer gencycan j usti
fyPr esi
dentAr royo's exercise of
l
egislative powerbyi ssuing decr ees.I tf ol
lows thatt hese decr ees ar ev oid and,
therefore,cannotbeenf orced.Wi thr espectt o"laws",shecannotcal lthemi l
itar
yt o
enforceori mplementcer t
ainl awssuchascust omsl aws,lawsgov erningf ami l
yand
propertyr el
ations,lawsonobl i
gationsandcont racts,andt hel ike.Shecanonl yorder
themi l
it
aryunderPP1017,t oenf orcel awsper ti
nentt oitsdut yt osuppr essl awless
viol
ence.
AsofGener alOrderNo.5,i tis consti
tut
ional
 
sinceitpr ov
idesast andardby
whichtheAFPandt hePNPshoul dimplementPP1017, i
.e.whateveris“
necessaryand
appropri
ate act
ions and measur es t o suppress and pr event act
s of l awl
ess
vi
olence.”
  
Consi
deringthat“actsofterr or
ism”hav enoty etbeendef i
nedandmade
punishabl
ebytheLegisl
ature,suchpor
tionofG. O.No.5isdeclared 
unconst
it
ut i
onal
.
127.Const
ant
inov
.Cui
sia
Duringt heCor azonAqui nor egime, heradmi nistrati
oncameupwi thaschemet o
reducet hecount ry’
sext ernaldebt .Thesol utionr esortedt owast oincurf oreigndebt s.
Threer estr
uctur i
ngpr ogr amswer esoughtt oi nit
iatet hepr ogram f orf orei
gndebt s.
Theyar ebasical l
ybuy backpr ogr amsandbond- conv ersionprogr ams.Thespouses
Renat o Constant i
no,Jr .and Lour desConst ant i
no wi thFFDC ( Freedom Fr om Debt
Coaliti
on)av erredt hatt hebuy backandbond- conversionschemeswer eoner ousand
theydonotconst it
ut ethel oan“cont r
act”or“ guarantee”cont empl atedi nSec.20,Ar t.
VIIoft heConst i
tut
ion.Andassumi ngt hatt hePr esidenthassuchpower ,unlikeother
power swhi chmaybev ali
dlydel egatedbyt hePr esident,thepowert oi ncurf or
eign
debtsi sexpressl yreser vedbyt heConst itutioni ntheper sonoft hePr esident.Hence,
therespondent sher ein,Cent ralBankGov ernorJoseCui sia,cannoti ncurdebt sforthe
Phil
ippinesorsuchpowercanbedel egatedt ot hem.  Const anti
noar guet hatthegr avity
bywhi cht heexer ciseoft hepowerwi l
laf fectt heFi l
ipinonat i
onr equi rest hatthe
Presidentalonemustexer ciset hispower .Theyar guet hatther equirementofpr i
or
concurrence of an ent ity specificall
y named by t he Const it
ution–t he Monet ar y
Board–r ei
nforcest hesubmi ssi
ont hatnotr espondent sbutt hePr esident“ aloneand
personally
”canv ali
dlybi ndt hecount ry.
I
ssue:
 
Whetherornott
he Pr
esi
dentcan v
ali
dly del
egat
e herdebtpowert
othe
r
espondent
s.
Rul
i
ng:
 
Yes. Ther
ei snoquest iont hatthepr esidenthasbor rowingpower sandt hatt he
Presi dentmaycont ractorguar anteef orei
gnl oansi nbehal foft hiscount rywithprior
concur renceoft heMonet aryBoar d.Itmakesnodi st
inctionwhat soeverandt hef act
thatadebtoral oanmaybeoner ousisi r
relevant
.Ont heot herhand, thePr esi
dentcan
delegat et hi
spowert oherdi rectsubor dinates.Theev identexi gencyofhav ingt he
Secr etaryofFinancei mplementt hedecisionoft hePr esi
dentt oexecut ethedebt -
rel
ief
cont ractsismademani f
estbyt hef actthatt heprocessofest abl
ishingandexecut inga
strategyf ormanagi ngt hegov ernment ’
sdebti sdeepwi thint herealm oft heexper t
ise
oft heDepar t
mentofFi nance,pr i
medasi ti storaisether equir
edamountoff unding,
achiev eitsr i
skandcostobj ectives,andmeetanyot hersov er
eigndebtmanagement
goal s.
Ift hePresi
dentwer etoper sonal
l
yexer ci
seever
yaspectoftheforei
gnbor rowing
power ,shewoul dhavetopausef r
om runningthecountr
ylongenought of ocusona
welteroft i
me-consumingdet ai
ledacti
vit
ies.Thissortofconsti
tut
ionalint
erpretati
on
wouldnegat ethev er
yexistenceofcabinetpositi
onsandtherespect
iveexpertisewhich
thehol dersthereofareaccor dedandwoul dundulyhamperthePresi
dent’seffecti
vit
yin
runningt hegov er
nment. 
128.Peopl
e’sMov
ementf
orPr
essFr
eedom,
etalv
.Mangl
apus
*
**Paant
ay,Ti
ngankosal
i
brar
ykungmayav
ail
abl
enacase.Wal
aakongmahanapsa
i
nter
netngful
ltext
.
 
129.Commi
ssi
onerofCust
omsv
.East
ernSeaTr
adi
ng
Fact
s:
Easter
nSeaTr adi
ng( EST)wasashi ppingcompanywhi chimports 
from Japan
oni
onandgar li
cintothePhi l
ippines.I
n1956, theCommi ssi
onerofCustomsor deredthe
sei
zur eandf orf
eitureoft heimpor tgoodsbecauseESTwasnotabl etocompl ywith
CentralBankCi rcular
s44and45.Thesai dci rcular
swer epursuanttoExecut iveOrder
328.Ont heot herhand,EO328wast heimpl ementinglawoft heTradesandFi nancial
Agreements,anexecut iv
eagr eement,enteredi nt
obet weenthePhi l
i
ppinesandJapan.
The said execut i
ve agreementst at
es,among ot hers,thatal li
mpor ttransactions
betweenJapanandt hePhi l
ippinesshouldbei nvoi
cedi ndoll
ar.Inthiscase,t hesaid
i
temsi mpor t
edbyESTf r
om Japanwer enotinvoicedindoll
ar.
ESTquest
ionedt hev
ali
dit
yoft
hesaidEOav err
ingt
hattheexecut
iveagreement
thattheEOwasi mplementi
ng 
wasneverconcurr
eduponbyt heSenat
e.Theissuewas
elevat
ed tothe CourtofTax Appeals and t
he lat
terr
uled i
nf avorofEST.The
Commi ssi
onerappealed.
I
ssue:
 
Whet
herornott
heExecut
iveAgr
eementi
ssubj
ectt
otheconcur
renceby
 the
Senat
e.
Rul
i
ng:
 
No.Execut i
v e Agreements ar
e notl i
ke t
reat
ies which are subj
ectt ot he
concurrenceofatl east2/3oft hemember softheSenate.Agreementsconcludedby
the Presidentwhich fallshortoft r
eat
ies ar
e commonl yreferr
ed to as execut
ive
agreement sandarenol esscommoni nourschemeofgov ernmentthanar ethemor e
for
mali nstr
uments— t reati
esandconv enti
ons.Theysomet imest akethef orm of
exchangesofnot esandatot herti
mest hatofmoreformaldocument sdenominated
‘
agreement s’or‘
protocol
s’.
Theycov ersuchsubj
ectsastheinspect
ionofv essel
s,navi
gationdues,i
ncome
t
axonshippingpr of
it
s,t
headmissi
onofcivil
air
craf
t,customsmat ter
s,andcommer ci
al
r
elat
ionsgenerall
y,i
nter
nati
onalcl
aims,post
almatters,theregi
str
ati
onoft r
ade-marks
and copyri
ghts,etc.Someoft hem wereconcl uded notbyspecificcongressional
aut
hor i
zati
onbuti nconf or
mitywithpol
i
ciesdeclaredinactsofCongresswithrespect
tothegener alsubjectmat t
er,suchastari
ffacts;whil
estil
lother
s,parti
cul
arlythose
wit
hr especttotheset tl
ementofclaimsagainstforei
gngovernments,wereconcluded
i
ndependent l
yofanyl egi
slati
on.

130.GoTekv
.Depor
tat
ionBoar
d
Fact
s:
GoTekwasar restedbyt heNat ionalBur eauofI nv estigati
onaf tert hesear chof
anof f
icewhi chwasbel ievedt obet heheadquar tersofaguer i
ll
auni toft he" Emer gency
Intelli
genceSect ion,Ar myoft heUni tedSt ates".Hewasal legedt ohav ewi thhim att he
timeoft hear r
estaf akedol larchecksi nv iolationofAr ti
cle168oft heRev isedPenal
Codeandr enderedhi msel fanundesi rableal ien.Thepr osecut orpr ayedt hataf t
ert ri
al
the Boar d shouldr ecommend t othe Pr esidentoft he Phi li
ppi nes t he i mmedi ate
depor tationofGoTekasanundesi rabl eal ien.Consequent ly
,hi spr esencei nt his
count ryhav ingbeen,andwi l
lal waysbeandamenacet ot hepeace,wel f
are,and
secur ityoft hecommuni ty .GoTekf i
ledamot iont odismi ssont hegr oundt hatt he
compl aintwaspr emat urebecauset her ewasapendi ngcaseagai nsthi mi nt heci ty
fiscal'
sof fi
ceofMani laf orv i
olationofAr ti
cle168.Hecont endedt hatt heboar dhadno
j
ur i
sdi ctiont otrythecasei nv iewoft heobi terdi ctum inQuaCheeGant hatt heboar d
maydepor tali
ensonl yont hegr oundsspeci fiedi nt helaw.TheBoar d,initsr esolution,
deni edGoTek' smot ion.TheBoar dreasonedoutt hataconv icti
oni snotapr erequisit
e
bef oret heSt atemyexer ci seitsr i
ghtst odepor tanundesi rablealien.Fur ther ,theBoar d
i
sonl yaf actfindingbodywhosef unct i
oni st omakear epor tandr ecommendat ionto
thePr esi dentinwhom i sl odgedt heexcl usivepowert odepor tanal ien.
I
ssue:
Whet
herornottheDeport
ati
onBoar
dcanentert
ainadeport
ati
onpr
oceedi
ng
basedonagroundwhi
chi
snotspeci
fi
edi
nsect
ion37oft
heImmigr
ati
onLaw.
Rul
i
ng:
Yes.Secti
on37oft heImmigrat
ionLaw provi
desthatcertainal
iensmaybe
arr
estedupont hewarrantoftheCommi ssi
onerofImmigr
ati
onorofanyot her 
offi
cer
designat
edbyhi mf orthepurposeanddepor t
edupontheCommi ssi
oner'
swar rant-
"af
teradeterminat
ionbytheBoardofCommi ssi
oner
softheexi
stenceofthegr oundfor
deportat
ionaschargedagai
nstthe 
ali
en.
Undertheexi
sti
ngl aw,thedeportationofanundesi r
ableal
ienmaybeeff
ectedby
orderofthePresi
dent,afterdueinvestigati
on,pursuanttoSect i
on69oftheRevised
Administ
rat
iveCodeandbyt heCommi ssionerofImmi grat
ionuponrecommendat
ionof
theBoardofCommi ssionersundersect ion37oft heI mmi gr
ati
onLaw.Thestat
ehas
thei nherentpowertodeportundesir
abl
eal i
ens.Thatpowermaybeexer ci
sebyt he
Chi efExecutiv
e"whenhedeemssuchact ionnecessar yforthepeaceanddomest i
c
tranquil
it
yoft henati
onJusti
ceJohnson'sist hattheretheChiefExecut
iveri
ndsthat
ther ear
eal i
enswhosecont
inuedinthecountr
yi si
njuri
oustothepubli
cint
eresthemay ,
ev enintheabsenceofexpr
esslaw,deportt
hem.
Athoroughcomprehensi
onofthePresi
dent'
spowertodeportal
iensmayshow
thebasel
essnessoft
heinstantpr
ohi
biti
onacti
onofGoTekThePr esi
dent'
spowert
o
depor
tali
ensandthei
nvesti
gati
onofal
ienssubj
ecttodepor
tat
ion.
SEC.69.Depor
tat
ionofsubj
ectoff
orei
gnpower
.Asubj
ectofaf
orei
gnpowerr
esi
ding
i
nt hePhi li
ppineIslandsshal lnotbedeport
edexpelled,orexcl
udedf rom saidIslandsor
repat r
iat
edt ohi sowncount rybytheGov ernor-
Generalexceptuponpr iorinv
est i
gator
,
conduct edbysai dExecut i
veorhi sauthorizedagent,ofthegrounduponwhi chsuch
actioni scont emplated.Insuchcaset heper sonconcernedshal lheinformedoft he
char georchar gesagai nsthim andheshal lbeall
owednotl essthant hreeday sforthe
prepar at
ionofhi sdef ense.Heshal lalsohav ether i
ghtt obehear dbyhi msel for
counsel ,topr oducewi tnessesinhisownbehal f
,andt ocross-examinet heopposi ng
witnesses.

131.Bel
tr
anv
.Makasi
ar
Fact
s:

PresidentCor azonAqui nof i

ledacr iminalcompl aintforl i
belagainstLui sBel t
r an.
Thel att
erar guest hatt her easonswhi chnecessi tatepr esidentialimmuni t
yf r om sui t
i
mposeacor rel
ativedi sabili
tyt of i
lesui t
.Hecont endst hati fcr i
minalpr oceedi ngs
ensuebyv irtueoft hePr esident'sfil
ingofhercompl aint-
af f
idav i
t,shemaysubsequent ly
havet obeawi tnessf orthepr osecut i
on, bri
ngingherundert hetrialcourt
'sjurisdicti
on.
Thiswoul dinani ndirectwaydef eatherpr i
v i
l
egeofi mmuni tyf r
om sui tasbyt estif
y i
ng
ont hewi t
nessst and.Bel tranal socont endst hathecoul dnotbehel dliablef orlibel
becauseoft hepr ivi
legedchar acteroft hepubl i
cation.Heal sosay sthattoal low the
l
ibelcaset oproceedwoul dproducea“ chill
ingeffect”onpr essf reedom.

I
ssue:

Whetherornott hePresidentoft
hePhi l
ippi
nes,undertheConst
it
uti
on,may
i
nit
iat
ecriminalpr
oceedingsagainstt
hepet
it
ionersthr
ought hefi
l
ingofacomplai
nt-
af
fi
davit
.
Rul
i
ng:

Yes.Thi spri
vil
egeofi mmuni tyf r
om sui t
,pertai
nst ot hePresidentbyv i
rtueof
theof f
iceandmaybei nv okedonl ybyt heholderoftheof f
ice;notbyanyot herper soni n
thePr esident'sbehalf
.Thus,anaccusedi nacr i
mi nalcasei nwhicht hePr esidenti s
compl ainantcannotr aiset hepr esidentialpri
vil
egeasadef ensetopr eventt hecase
from pr oceedingagainstsuchaccused.Mor eover,thereisnot hi
ngi nourl awst hat
woul dpr eventthePresidentf rom waivingthepr i
vi
lege.Thus,ifsomi ndedthePr esident
mayshedt hepr ot
ecti
onaf f
or dedbyt hepr i
vil
egeandsubmi ttothecour t
'sjuri
sdi cti
on.
Thechoi ceofwhet hert oexer ci
sethepr i
vi
legeort owai veitissolel
yt hePr esident's
prerogative.Iti
sadeci siont hatcannotbeassumedandi mposedbyanyot herper son.

Ther ati
onaleforthegranttot hePresidentofthepri
vi
legeofimmunityfr
om sui
t
i
stoassur etheexerciseofPresidenti
aldutiesandfuncti
onsfreef
rom anyhindr
anceor
di
str
action,consi
deringthatbeingt heChiefExecuti
veoft heGovernmentisajobthat
,
asi
defrom requir
ingalloftheoffi
cehol der
'stime,al
sodemandsundi v
idedatt
enti
on.
 

132.Gl
ori
av.Cour
tofAppeal
s
Fact
s:

Pr i
vaterespondent  
Dr.Bienv eni
doI casi
anowasappoi nt
ed asSchool sDi vi
sion
Super i
nt endent of Quezon  City i
n 1989. Upon r ecommendat ion of DECS
Secr et
ar y 
RicardoGl or
ia,Icasi
anowasr eassi
gnedas  Super i
ntendentoft heMar i
kina
Insti
tuteofSci enceand Technol ogy( MIST)t of i
l
lup t hev acuum cr eated byt he
reti
rementofi ts Super i
ntendenti n 1994.I casi
ano f i
led a TRO and pr eli
minary
mandat oryinjunctionenj oi
ningt hei mplementationofhi sr eassignment .The  Courtof
Appeal s grantedt hepet iti
onhol di
ngt hatt heindefini
ter eassignmenti s 
violati
veof
Icasiano’sr i
ghtt osecur i
tyoft enur e.TheDECSSecr etaryar guedt hatthef i
l
ingoft he
case  i
si mpr operbecauset hesameat tacksanactoft hePr esident,inv i
ol ati
onof
the doctr i
ne 
ofpr esidenti
al i
mmuni tyfr
om suit.

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
hef
il
ingoft
hecasev
iol
atest
he“
presi
dent
ial
immuni
tyf
rom sui
t”
doct
ri
ne.
Rul
i
ng:
No.Petit
ioner
s’contenti
on 
isuntenablebecausethepeti
ti
onisdirectedagainst
peti
ti
oners and notagai nstthe President
.DECS Secr et
aryis an 
alt
erego  oft he
presi
dent.Hecannoti nvokethePresident’
simmunityfr
om suiti
nacasef i
ledagainst
hi
m becauset hequestionedactsar
enott heactsofthePresi
dentbutmerelythoseofa
departmentsecretary.Moreover,presi
denti
aldecisionsmaybequest ionedbeforethe
court
swher ethereisgraveabuseofdi scret
ionort hatthePr esi
dentact edwit
houtorin
excessofj uri
sdict
ion.Thequest ionedactsar et hoseofpet it
ioner
sandnotoft he
Presi
dent.Furthermore,presi
dentialdecisi
onsmaybequest i
onedbef or
ethecourts
wherethereisgraveabuseofdi screti
onorthatthePr esidentactedwithoutorinexcess
ofjur
isdi
cti
on.

133.MMDAv
.JANCOM

Fact
s:
A Buil
d-Operate-
TransferCont ract 
forthewast etoener gyproj
ectwassi gned
betweenJANCOM andt hePhi l
ippi
neGov ernment .TheBOTCont r
actwassubmi tt
edt o
Presi
dentRamosf orapprov albutwast hentoocl osetot heendofhi stermt hathi s
term expir
edwi thouthim si gningt hecont r
act.He,howev er
,endorsedt hesamet o
i
ncomi ngPr esi
dentEst r
ada.Wi tht
hechangei nadmi ni
strat
ioncamechangesi npol icy
andeconomi cenvironment,t hustheBOTcont ractwasnotpur suedandi mplement ed.
JANCOM appeal edt othePr esidentforreconsiderat
ionanddespi t
ethependencyoft he
appeal,MMDA caused t he publ i
cati
on ofan i nvi
tati
on to pre-
quali
fyand submi t
proposalsforsoli
dwast emanagement .

I
ssue:
Whet
herornott
her
eisav
ali
dandbi
ndi
ngcont
ractbet
weent
heRepubl
i
coft
he
Phi
l
ippi
nesandJANCOM.

Hel
d:
Yes.Ther eisav ali
dandbi ndingcont r
actbetweenJANCOM andt heRepubl i
cof
thePhili
ppines.UnderAr ti
cles1305oft heCi vi
lCode,“ Acont ractisameet ingoft he
mindsbet weent woper sonswher ebyonebi ndshi msel f,wit
hr especttot heother ,to
giv
esomet hi
ngort or endersomeser vice.”Ar t
.1315oft heCivilCodeprov i
dest hata
contr
actisper fectedbymer econsent.Consent ,ont heot herhand, i
smani f
estedbyt he
meetingoft heof ferandt heacceptanceupont het hingandt hecausewhi char et o
consti
tutethecont ract.I nthecaseatbar ,thesigningandexecut i
onofthecont ractby
theparti
escl earlyshowt hat,asbetweent hepar ti
es,ther ewasaconcur r
enceofof fer
andaccept ancewi thr espectt othemat erialdetail
soft hecont ract
,ther
ebygi v
ingr ise
totheper f
ectionoft heabsenceofPr esident’ssignaturei suntenable.Si
gnifi
cantly,the
contr
acti t
selfpr ov i
dest hatt hesignatureoft hePr esidentisnecessar yonl yf orits
eff
ectivi
ty,
noti tsper fect i
on.
Therebeingaperfect
edcontr
act,MMDAcannotr
evokeorrenouncethesame
wi
thouttheconsentoft
heother
.From t
hemomentofper
fect
ion,
thepart
iesarebound
notonlyt othef ul
fi
lmentofwhathasbeenexpr essl
ystipul
atedbutalsotoal lt
he
consequenceswhi ch,accor
dingtot hei
rnatur
e,maybei nkeepingwit
hgoodf ai
th,
usageandl aw.Itisageneralpr
inci
pleoflawthatnoonemaybeper mi
ttedtochange
hi
smi ndandgobackuponhi sownact s,
ortoproceedcont
raryt
heret
o,t
ot hepr
ejudi
ce
oftheotherpart
y.

134.Peopl
ev.Gacot
t
Fact
s:
Forfai
lureto 
check 
theci
tat
ionsoft
hepr osecuti
on,t
heorderofrespondentRTC
JudgeEust aquioGacott,Jr.di
smissi
nga cri
minalcase wasannull
edbyt heSC.The
respondentjudgewasal sosancti
onedwi t
har epri
mandandaf ineofP10, 000.
00
for 
gross 
ignoranceofthelaw.Thejudgmentwasmadebyt heSecondDivisi
onofthe
SC.

I
ssue:
 
WhetherornottheSecondDivisionoft
heSupr
emeCour
thast
hecompet
ence 
to
admi
nist
rat
ivel
ydisci
pli
nerespondentjudge.

Hel
d: 

No.Sec.11,Art.VII
Ioft heConst i
tut
ionclearlyshowst hatthereareactuall
ytwo
si
t uati
onsenv i
sagedt herei
n.Thef i
rstclausewhi chst atest hat“theSCen  banc shal
l
hav ethepowert odiscipl
i
nej udgesofl owercourts,”isadecl arat
ionofthegr antofthat
discipli
nar
ypowert o,andt hedet erminati
onoft hepr ocedureint heexercisethereof
by, t
heCour t 
en banc.Itwasnott her
eini nt
endedt hatalladmi nist
rati
vedi sci
pli
nary
casesshoul dbehear danddeci dedbyt hewhol eCour tsincei twouldr esultinan
absur di
ty.
Thesecondcl ause,whi ch refer
s tothesecondsi t
uati
oncont emplatedtherei
n
andisi ntenti
onallyseparatedf r
om t hef i
rstbya comma,decl aresont heot herhand
that
 t
heCour t
 en banc can“or
dert heirdismissalbyav ot
eofa  major
it
y  
oftheMember s
whoact uallytookpar tinthedeli
ber ati
onsont heissuesint hecaseandv otedther
ein.
”
I
nt hi
si nstance,theadmi nist
rati
vecasemustbedel i
berateduponanddeci dedbythe
ful
lCour ti
tself.
Pursuanttot hefir
stcl ausewhi chconfer
sadmi ni
str
ati
vedisci
pli
nar
ypower
to 
theCour t
 en 
banc,adecisi
onen  banc 
i
sneededonl ywher
ethepenal
tyt
obei mposed
i
st hedismissalofajudge,off
icerorempl oyeeoft
heJudici
ary
,di
sbarmentofalawyer,
oreitherthesuspensionofanyoft hem foraperiodofmor ethan1y earoraf i
ne
exceedingP10,000.00orboth.
 To r equi
re t he enti
re Courtt o del i
berat
e upon and par t
ici
pat
e in all
administrat
ive 
mat t
ers 
orcasesr egardl
essoft hesanctions,i
mposabl
eori mposed,
wouldr esul
tinacongest eddocketandunduedel ayintheadjudi
cati
onofcasesi
n t
he
Court,especiall
yinadmi nistr
ati
ve matt
ers,sinceev en 
casesinvol
vi
ng 
thepenal
tyof
repr
imandwoul drequir
eactionby t
heCour t
 en 
banc. 

135.Mer
alcov
.PasayTr
ansCo.
Fact
s:
Secti
on11oft heActno.1446pr ov
ides:"Whenev eranyfranchiseorri
ghtofway
i
s gr ant
ed to any ot herperson orcor porati
on,now orher eaft
erin exist
ence,
over 
porti
ons ofthelinesandtracksofthegr anteeher ei
n,thetermsonwhi chsaidother
personorcor porati
onshallusesuchr ightofway ,andt hecompensat i
ontobepaidt o
thegranteeher ei
nbysuchot herpersonorcor porationforsaiduse, shal
lbefi
xedbyt he
member soft heSupr emeCour t,sit
ti
ngasaboar dof  
arbi
tr
ators,thedecisi
onofa
majorit
yofwhom shal lbefi
nal
."
Pur suanttosaidAct ,Meralcof il
eda  petit
ion request
ingt hemember softhe
Supr emeCour t
,sit
ti
ngasaboar dof  arbi
tr
ator s,tof i
xt hetermsuponwhi chcer
tai
n
transportati
oncompani esshallbe  permit
ted touset hePasigbr i
dgeoft heManil
a
Electri
cCompanyandt hecompensat iontobepai dt ot heManilaElectr
icCompanyby
such t r
anspor t
ati
on companies.Copi esoft he petit
ion weredirected t
o besentto
transportati
on compani es aff
ected by t he peti
tion. Oppositi
on was ent er
ed to
the peti
ti
on byanumberofpubl icuti
lit
yoper ators.

I
ssue:
Whetherornotmember
soft
heSupr
emeCour
tcansi
tas 
arbi
tr
ator
s andf
ixt
he
t
ermsandcompensati
on.
Rul
i
ng:
TheSupr emeCour tofthePhili
ppineIslandsr
epr esent soneoft hethreedivi
sions
ofpoweri nourgov ernment .Itisj udi
cialpowerandj udicialpoweronl ywhichi s
exerci
sed by t he Supreme Cour t.Justas t he Supreme Cour t
,as t he guardian
of 
const i
tut
ional 
ri
ghts,
shoul dnot sancti
on usurpat
ionsbyanyot herdepartmentoft he
government ,soshouldi tasst r
ict
lyconf i
neitsownspher eofi nfl
uencetot hepower s
expresslyorby i
mpl i
cat
ion conferr
edoni t
.TheSupr emeCour tanditsmember sshould
notandcannotber equiredt o 
exerci
se anypowerort oper form anyt r
ustort oassume
anydut ynotpertai
ningtoorconnect edwi ththeadmi ni
steringofj udici
alf
unctions.
Sect
ion11ofActNo.1446contr
avenesthe 
maxims whichgui
detheoper
ati
onof
ademocr
ati
cgovernmentconst
it
uti
onall
yestabli
shed,andthatitwoul
dbei mproper
andil
legalfort
hemembersoft heSupr
emeCour t
,si
tt
ingasaboar dof 
arbi
tr
ator
s,t
he
deci
si
onofamaj or
it
yofwhom shal
lbefi
nal
,toactonthe 
pet
it
ion 
oftheManilaEl
ect
ri
c
Company .

136.Gar
ciav
.Macar
aig
JudgeCat al
inoMacar ai
g,Jr.tookhi soathasJudgeoft heCFIofSanPabl oCi t
y,
LagunaonJune29,1970.Thecour t,beingoneoft he112newl ycreatedCFIbr anches,
hadt obeor ganizedf rom scratch.Fr om July1,1970t oFebr uary28,1971,Macar ai
g
wasnotabl et oassumet heduti
esandf uncti
onsofaj udgeduet ot hefactt hathis
Cour tRoom cannotbepr oper
lyestabl i
shedduet oproblemsast ol ocati
onandast o
appropr i
ati
onst omakehi sCour tupandr unning. WhenMacar aigreali
zedthati twoul d
besomet imebef orehecoul dactual
lypr esideov erhiscour t,
heappl i
edf oranext ended
l
eav e(duringthe16y earshehadwor kedi ntheDepar t
mentofJust i
ce,he had,duet o
pressur eofduties,nev ergoneonext endedl eave, r
esult
ingi nhisforfei
tingallthel eave
benef i
tshehadear nedbey ondt hemaxi mum t enmont hsallowedbyt hel aw) .The
SecretaryofJust i
ce,howev er
,convincedMacar aig t
ofor egohi sleaveandi nst eadt o
assisttheSecr etary,withoutbeingext endedaf or maldet ail
,whenev erhe wasnotbusy
attendingtotheneedsofhi scourt.
Paz Garci
a on the otherhand fil
ed a complaintallegi
ng thatMacar aigis
i
ncompet ent,di
shonestandhasact edi
nv i
olat
ionofhisoathasaj udge. Garci
asaid
thatMacar ai
ghasnotsubmi ttedtheprogressofhi sCourtsasr equi
redbyl aw. And
thatMacaraighasr ecei
vedsalar
iesasaj udgewhi l
ehei sfull
yawar ethathehasnot
beenper f
ormingthedutiesofajudge.Alsoquest i
onedwast hefactthatamemberof
the j
udici
aryi shelpi
ng thetheDOJ,a depar tmentoft heexecut i
ve oicharge of
prosecuti
onofcases.
I
ssue:
 
Whet
herornotMacar
aighasact
edwi
thi
ncompet
enceanddi
shonest
yasJudge.
Rul
i
ng:
 
No.
 Macaraig’
sinabil
it
ytoperfor
m hi sjudicialduti
esundert heci r
cumstances
mentionedabov edoesnotconst i
tut
eincompet ence.Macar aig waslikeev er
ylawyer
whoget shi
sf i
rstappoi
ntmenttothebench, eagertoassumehi sjudi
cialduti
esandrid
hi
msel fofthestigmaofbei ng‘aj
udgewi thoutasal a’
,butforcesandci r
cumstances
beyondhiscontrolpr
eventedhimfr
om discharginghi sjudi
cial
dut i
es.
Ontheotherhand,noneoft heseist
obet akenasmeani ngt
hattheCourtlooks
wit
hf avoratthepracti
ceofl ongstandi
ng,tobesure,ofj udgesbei
ngdetail
edi nthe
DOJtoassisttheSecretar
yev enifi
twereonlyi
nconnect i
onwi t
hhisworkofexercisi
ng
administ
rat
iveauthori
tyovert hecourt
s.Theli
nebet weenwhataj udgemaydoand
whathemaynotdoi ncollaborati
ngorworki
ngwi t
hot heroffi
cesoroffi
cer
sundert he
othergreatdepart
mentsofthegovernmentmustalway sbekeptcl earandjealousl
y
observ
ed,lestthepri
nci
pleofsepar
ati
onofpowersonwhi chourgovernmentrestsby
mandate oft he peopl
et hr
ut he Const
it
uti
on be graduall
y eroded by practi
ces
purpor
tedlymotiv
atedbygoodint
enti
onsi
ntheint
erestofthepubli
cservice.

137.Ni
taf
anv
sCI
R

Fact
s:Petit
ioners,thedulyappointedandqualif
iedJudgespr esidi
ngov erBranches52,
19and53,r espectivel
y,oftheRegionalTri
alCour t
,Nat i
onalCapi t
alJudici
alRegion,al
l
wit
hst ati
onsi nMani la,seektopr ohi
bitand/orper petual
lyenjoinrespondents,the
Commi ssi
onerofI nter
nalRevenueandt heFinancialOf f
iceroftheSupremeCour t
,fr
om
makinganydeduct ionofwithhol
dingtaxesfrom theirsalari
es.

In a nutshell
,they submi tthat "
any t ax withheldf r
om t hei
r emoluments or
compensationasjudicialoffi
cer
sconsti
tutesadecr easeordiminuti
onofthei
rsalar
ies,
contr
arytot hepr
ovisionofSect i
on10,Articl
eVIIIofthe1987Const it
uti
onmandating
that"
(d)ur
ingthei
rcont inuancei
noffi
ce,theirsal
aryshallnotbedecreased,
"evenasi t
i
s anathema t othe I dealofan independentj udici
aryenvisi
oned in and bysaid
Consti
tuti
on."

I
ssue:Whetherornotthepay mentofincomet
axv i
olat
estheconsti
tut
ionalpr
otect
ion
agai
nstdecr
easeoftheirsal
ari
espursuantt
oSect
ion10,Ar
ticl
eVII
IoftheConsti
tuti
on.

Held:TheCourtherebyreit
erat
esthatthesalari
esofJusticesandJudgesar eproperl
y
subjecttoagener alincomet axlaw appl
icabl
et oallincomeear nersandt hatthe
paymentofsuch i ncome tax by Justi
ces and Judges does notf allwithi
nt he
constit
uti
onalpr
otecti
onagainstdecreaseoftheirsal
ari
esduringtheircont
inuancein
off
ice.

WHEREFORE,
thei
nst
antpet
it
ionf
orPr
ohi
bit
ioni
sher
ebydi
smi
ssed.

138.I
nreGonzal
es:

Facts:Ananonymousl et
terby"Concer nedEmpl oyeesoftheSupr emeCour t"addr essed
toHon.RaulM.Gonzal ezr ef
err
ingt ochar gesf ordisbarmentbr oughtbyMr .Miguel
Cuenco againstMr .Justice Mar cel
o B.Fer nan and asking Mr .Gonzal ez " to do
somet hi
ngaboutt hi
s."Thesecondat tachmenti sacopyofat elegram fr
om Mr .Miguel
Cuencoaddressedt oHon.RaulM.Gonzal ez,wher eMr.Cuencor ef
erstopl eadingshe
apparentl
yfi
l
edon29Febr uary1988wi t
htheSupr emeCour ti
nAdmi ni
strat
iveCaseNo.
3135,which,i
nt heopinionofMr .Cuenco, madei mproperany"intervent
ion"byMr .Raul
Gonzalez.Mr .Cuenco,nonet heless,encour ages Mr .Gonzalez " tofiler esponsive
pl
eading Supreme Cour ten banc t o compl y with Peti
ti
on Concer ned Empl oyees
SupremeCour taskingTanodbay an'sinterv
ent i
on.

I
ssue:wont
hecour
tiscor
recti
ndi
smi
ssi
ngt
heMot
ionf
orr
econsi
der
ati
onofMr.
Cuenco.

Held:.A Memberoft heSupr emeCourtmustf ir

stber emov edfrom officev i
athe
consti
tuti
onalrouteofi mpeachmentunderSect i
ons2and3ofAr ticl
eXIoft he1987
Consti
tuti
on.Shoul dthet enur
eoft heSupremeCour tJust icebethust erminat edby
i
mpeachment ,hemayt henbehel dtoanswerei t
hercri
mi nall
yoradmi ni
strat
iv ely(
by
di
sbarmentpr oceedings)foranywrongormi sbehavi
orthatmaybepr ovenagai nsthi
m
i
nappr opri
ateproceedings.Theremedyofaper sonwithalegi t
imat
egr i
evancei st of
il
e
i
mpeachmentpr oceedings.

139.Sant
iagov
sBaut
ist
a

Facts:Ast heschoolyear1964-1965wast henaboutt oend,t he" CommitteeOnThe

RatingOfSt udentsForHonor "wasconst itutedbyt het eachersconcernedatsai d
schoolforthepurposeofsel
ectingthe" honorst udent
s"ofitsgr aduati
ngclass.Tedoro
Sant i
agoagr adesi
xstudentandr epresentedbyhi smother,fi
ledacompl aintall
eging
thatt he committ
ee commi t
ted grave abuse ofdi scr
etion in choosing the honor
studentsasTeodorowasonl ygi
v enthet hi
rdr ankwhil
ePat ri
ciaLiñgatwhowasal ways
behindhim wassecondinrank.

TheCFIofCotabatodi
smi
ssedthecaseonthegroundt
hatt
hecompl
aintt
herei
nst
ates
nocauseofact i
on,andmovedforreconsi
der
ati
onbutthesamepr
ov edtobefuti
le,
hence,
thi
sappeal.

I
ssue:
whet
herornotacer
ti
orar
iwi
l
lli
eint
hiscase

Held:Thesaidcommi tt
eeofteachersdoesnotfal
lwit
hint
hecat
egor
yoft t
he r
ibunal
,
board,orof
fi
cerexer
cisi
ngjudi
cialf
uncti
ons 
cont
emplat
edbyRul
e65.

I
nor derthataspeci
alci
vi
lacti
onofcert
ior
arimaybei
nvokedi
nthi
s
j
uri
sdict
ionthef
oll
owi
ngci
rcumst
ancesmustexi
st:

(1)thatt
her
emustbeaspecif
iccontroversyinvol
vi
ngr i
ghtsofpersonsor
propert
yandsai
dcontr
over
syisbroughtbef oreatri
bunal,
boardorof f
icer
forheari
nganddet
ermi
nati
onofthei
rr especti
veri
ghtsandobligat
ions.

(2)t
het r
ibunal,boar
doroffi
cerbefor
ewhom thecontrover
syi
sbr ought
musthav ethepowerandaut hor
it
yt opr
onouncejudgmentandrendera
deci
sionont hecontr
over
syconst
rui
ngandapplyi
ngthelawstot
hatend.

(3)thetr
ibunal
,board oroffi
cermustper taintothatbranch ofthe
sov
erei
gnpowerwhichbelongstothejudi
ciar
y,oratl
east
,whichdoesnot
bel
ongtot
helegi
slat
iveorexecut
ivedepar
tment.

Hencet
hepet
it
ioni
sdi
smi
ssed.
140.Fel
ipev
sLeut
eri
o

Facts:Inanorat
oricalcont
estheldinNaga, Camar i
nesSur ,fi
rsthonorwasgi venbythe
boardoff iv
ejudgest oNest orNosce,andsecondhonort oEmmaI mper i
al.Sixdays
l
ater,Emmaaskedt hecourtofthefi
rstinstanceoft hatprovincetorever
sedt hataward,
al
legingthatoneoft hejudgeshadf allent oerr
ori ngr adi
ngherper for
mance.Af tera
hearing,andov ertheobject i
onoft heot herfourj udgesoft hecontest,thecour t
declared Emma Imper i
alwi nneroft he firstplace.Hence t hisspecialci vi
lacti
on
chall
engingthecourt'
spowert omodifyt heboard'sverdict.

I
ssue:whet
herornott
hecour
tshavet
heaut
hor
it
ytor
ever
set
heawar
doft
heboar
dof
j
udgesofanorat
ori
cal
competi
ti
on.

Held:Nor i
ght
stot hepri
zesmaybeasser t
edbyt hecontestants,becauset
hei
r'
swas
merelythepri
vil
eget ocompetefortheprize,andt hatprivi
legedidnotr i
penint
oa
demandableri
ghtunlessandunti
ltheywereproclaimedwi nnersoft hecompet
it
ionby
theappoint
edarbi
tersorr
efer
eesorjudges.

"Wrong"asusedintheaforesai
dl egalpr
inci
pleisthedepr
ivat
ionorv
iol
ati
onofari
ght
.
Asst atedbef
ore,acontestant
 hasnor i
ght tothepri
zeunlessandunti
lheorsheis
declaredwi
nnerbytheboardofr ef
ereesorjudges.

Grant
ingt
hatImper
ialsuff
eredsomelossorinj
ury
,yeti
nlaw t
her
ear
einst
ancesof
"
damnum absquei
njur
ia"
.Thisi
soneofthem.

Thej
udi
ciar
yhasnopowert
orev
erset
heawar
doft
heboar
dofj
udgesofanor
ator
ical
cont
est
,li
ter
ary
,beaut
ycont
estandsi
mil
arcompet
it
ions.

141.PRUDENTI
AL BANK 
vs JUDGE JOSE P.CASTRO and ATTY.BENJAMI
N M.
GRECI
A, 
.

Facts:Actingont he"Peti
ti
onforRedr
essandExoner at
ionandf orVolunt ar
yInhibi
ti
on"
fi
ledbyr espondentBenjaminM.Greci
ahimself,datedFebruar
y8, 1988, prayi
ngthatthe
decisi
onofNov ember12,1987,andther esoluti
onoft hedeni aloft hemot i
onf or
reconsiderat
ionofthesaiddecisi
onbesetasi deandanewoneent eredbyt hisCourt
dismissingtheadmi ni
str
ati
vecomplai
ntandexoner at
ingtherespondent .

Thedecisi
onwasal soquesti
onedbyther
espondentduet ol
ackofcerti
fi
cat
ionbythe
ChiefJust
icet
hattheconclusi
onsoft
heCourtwerereachedinconsul
tat
ionbefor
ethe
casewasassignedtoamemberf ort
hewri
ti
ngoftheopinionoftheCourt
.

I
ssue:Whetherornott
hedeci
sionv
iol
atedt
hecer
ti
fi
cat
ionr
equi
rementundert
he
Const
it
uti
on

Held:Thecer
tif
icati
onrequi
rementrefer
stodecisi
onsinjudi
cial
,notadmi ni
str
ati
ve
cases.Buteveni fsuchacer t
if
icat
ionwererequi
red,i
tisbey ond doubtthatthe
conclusions oft he Courtinits deci
sion were ar r
ived ataf t
erconsul t
ation and
del
iberation.Thesignat
uresofthemember swhoact uall
yt ookpartinthedeli
berati
ons
andv otedat t
esttothat
.Besi
des,bei
nga percuriam decision,oranopinionoftheCourt
asawhol e,ther
ei ponent
sno  e al
thoughanymemberoft heCourtmaybeassi gnedto
wri
tet hedr af
t.I
nsuchcases,aformalcerti
fi
cat
ionisobv i
ouslynotrequir
ed.

142.Consi
ngv
sCA

Fact
s:Acr i
minalcomplai
ntf
il
edbySantosagainstMerli
nConsingchargi
nghim with
thecri
meofVi olat
ionofMunici
palOrdi
nanceNo.7,Ser i
esof1964ofMar iki
naf or
cont
ract
ingtosellt
oherthetwolot
sinquesti
onwi t
houtfi
rstsecur
ingt
heapprovalof
theMunici
palCouncil
ofMari
ki
naforhi
ssubdiv
isi
onplan.

OnAugust28, 1981,t
heCFIr enderedjudgmentfi
ndi
ngt hatalt
hought heConsingsmay
have"corr
ectedtheir
regular
it
iesand/or[hav
e]compli
edwi ththelegalrequi
rementsf
or
theoperat
ionofthei
rsubdivi
sion,t
heycannotescapetheirl
iabi
li
tyto[Santos]f
orhavi
ng
soldtoherpor t
ionsoft heroadsorst reet
sdenominat edasr i
ght-
of -
waywhi chwas
aff
ir
medbyt heCA.

Issue:Whetherornott
hedeci
sionrender
edbyther
espondentCourtofAppeal
sint
his
casedoesnotcompl ywi
thther equi
rement
sofArti
cleVII
I,sect
ion13,oftheNew
Constit
uti
on;

Held:Theabsence,howev er,ofthecer t
if
icati
onwoul dnotnecessari
lymeant hatt he
case submi tted f
ordeci sion had notbeen r eached i
n consul
tati
on bef or
e bei ng
assignedt oonememberf ort hewr i
ti
ngoft heopi ni
onoft heCourtsincether egular
performanceofof f
ici
aldut yi spresumed[ Sec.5( m)ofRule131,RulesofCour t
].The
l
ackofcer tif
icati
onatt heendoft hedeci
sionwoul donlyserveasevi
denceoff ail
uret o
observet he certif
icat
ion r equirementand may be basi sf orholding the official
responsibl
ef ortheomi ssiont oaccountt herefor[SeeIRecor doftheConst it
utional
Commi ssi
on 460] .Such absence ofcer ti
fi
cation would nothavet he eff
ectof
i
nv al
idati
ngthedeci si
on.

Deci
sionoft
heCour
tofAppeal
sisaf
fi
rmed.

143.CRUZVSDENR

Fact
s:Peti
ti
onersassailtheconst i
tut
ionali
tyofthef
oll
owingpr
ovi
si onsoft heIPRA
andit
sImplementi
ngRul esont hegroundt hattheyamounttoanunlawf uldepri
vation
oftheSt
atesownershipov erlandsoft hepublicdomainaswellasmi neralsandot her
nat
uralr
esourcesther
ein,inv iolat
ionoft heregali
andoctr
ineembodiedi nSect i
on2,
Art
icl
eXIIoft
heConstit
ution.
I
tprayedthatSect
ions3,5,6,7,8,52[I
],57,58,59,63,65and66andot
herr
elat
ed
pr
ovi
sionsofR.A.8371areunconsti
tut
ionalandinvali
d;
I
ssue:
WONt
hepr
ovi
sionsassai
l
edar
eunconst
it
uti
onal
 Held:Asthev oteswer
eequall
ydivided(7consti
tut
ionaland7unconst i
tut
ional
)and
thenecessarymaj ori
tywasnotobtained,thecasewasr edeli
ber
atedupon. However
,
aft
erredeli
berat
ion,thevoti
ngremainedt hesame.Accor dingl
y,pursuanttoRule56,
Secti
on7oft heRulesofCivi
lPr
ocedure,thepet
iti
onisDISMI SSED.

144.VALLADOLI
D, 
vsI
nci
ong

Fact
s:RicardoVal
ladol
i
d,wasempl oyedbyJRM i
n1977asat el
ephoneswitchboar
d
oper
ator
.Hewassubsequentlyt
ransfer
redt
otheposi
ti
onofcl
erk-
col
lect
orbecausehe
gi
vesoutinf
ormati
ontothecompeti
torsoft
hecompany.

Val
ladoli
dfil
edawr itt
enrequestf orav acat i
onleav eandst ati
ngthereinthathe
4
wouldreportforwor konJanuar y5,1979.   Hedidnotr eportforworkonJanuar y5but
sentat el
egram fr
om Bi colonJanuar y8,1979r equestingf or15day ssickleaveashe
5
wasconf ined forflu att heDr.Est rell
ado Clinic.
   
Valladoli
dr eport
ed forwor kon
February16,1979.TheExecut i
veVi ce-Pr esi
dent ,Mr .Dani elYu,all
egedl
yr efusedto
admithim andinsteadaskedhi mtor esign.

OnFebruary22,1979,Vall
adoli
dfi
ledaComplaintforIl
l
egalDismissalwi
thvacati
on
andsickleav
epay. TheMinist
erorLaboror
deredhisrei
nstat
ement.JRM questi
oned
theor
derandall
egingthati
twasdepri
vedofdueprocessofaheari
ng.

I
ssue:WONtheMini
sterofLabordepr
ivedt
hepet
it
ionerofduepr
ocessbydi
sregar
ding
t
heprocedur
alr
equi
rement

Held:Theor derwasnotv i
olati
veofSection9,Ar ti
cleX oft heConst i
tution,which
requiresast atementofthefactsandt heconclusionsofl aw uponwhi chi tisbased.
Thatpr escri
ptionappl
iestodecisionsofCourtsofr ecord.TheMi ni
str
yofLabori san
admi nist
rati
vebodywi t
hquasi-j
udici
alf
unct
ions.Sect i
on5, Rul
eXIII
,BookV, I
bid,states
thatpr oceedingsintheNLRC shal lbenon-li
ti
giousandsummar yinnat urewi t
hout
regardt olegaltechni
cal
it
iesobtaini
ngincourtsofl aw.Hencepet it
ionforcer ti
orariis
denied.

145.Nunal
vsCOA

Facts:Peti
ti
oner'
sMot ionforReconsiderati
onoft heMi nut
eResolut
ionofthisCour tof
11 May1988 di smi ssing t
he Petit
ion forcer
  t
iorari
 
"forfai
lur
e ofthe petiti
onert o
suffi
cient
lyshowt hatthepubl i
crespondenthadcommi t
tedgr
aveabuseofdiscretionin
holdi
ng,among ot hers,thatt he compr omise agr eementoft he parti
es i s not
enforceabl
eagainstt heMuni ci
pali
tyofIsabela,
thel at
ternothavi
ngbeenimpl eadedas
anindispensabl
epar tyinthecase.

I
ssue:
WONt hepet
it
ioner'
scontenti
onthatt
heResol
uti
onoft
hisCour
tunderdat
eof11
May1988i
snotinaccordancewiththeConst
it
uti
on
Hel
d:Sect
ion14,
Art
icl
eVI
IIoft
he1987Const
it
uti
onpr
ovi
des:

Sec.14.Nodecisi
onshallberenderedbyanyCour
twit
houtexpressi
ng
ther
eincl
ear
lyanddist
inct
lyt
hefact
sandthelawonwhi
chiti
sbased.

Nopet i
ti
onf orreview ormot
ionforreconsi
derat
ionofadeci
sionofthe
Courtshallberefusedduecourseordeni
edwithoutst
ati
ngt
helegalbasi
s
ther
efor.

Inthef i
rstplace,our" Resoluti
on"of11May1988wasnota" Decisi
on"withi
nt he
meaningoft heConst it
utionalrequirement.Thismandateisappl i
cableonlyincases
"submitt
ed fordeci si
on,"i.e.,given due course and aft
erthe f i
l
ing ofBr i
efs or
Memor andaand/ orotherpleadings,asthecasemaybe.I tisnotapplicabl
etoanOr der
orResoluti
onr efusi
ngduecour set oaPet i
ti
onf orCer
  ti
orari
.Inthesecondpl ace,the
assai
ledResolutiondoesst atethelegalbasisforthedi
smissalofthePet i
ti
onandt hus
complieswit
ht heConst i
tuti
onal pr
ovisi
on.

146.PEOPLEOFTHEPHI
LIPPI
NES,
 
vs.Bugar
in
Fact
s:Theaccusedappel
l
antappeal
edthedecisi
onofRTC,fi
ndinghi
m gui
lt
yof
f
ourcountsofconsummat
edrapeandonecountofatt
empt
edrapeandsent
enci
nghim.
Heassai
l
edhedeci
sionoft
het
ri
alcour
tasi
tdoesnotst
atet
hef
act
sandl
awupon
whi
chi
twasbased.
Held:Ther equi rementt hatthedeci sionsofcour t
smustbei nwr i
ti
ngandt hatt hey
mustsetf ort
hcl ear lyanddi sti
nctlythef actsandt hel aw onwhi cht heyar ebased
servesmanyf unct ions.  
Itisintended,amongot hert hings,toinformt hepartiesoft he
reasonorr easonsf ort hedeci si
onsot hatifanyoft hem appeals,hecanpoi ntoutt o
theappel l
atecour tt hef i
ndingsoff actsort her uli
ngsonpoi ntsofl aw withwhi chhe
disagrees.
 Moret hant hat,ther equi r
ementi sanassur ancet ot hepar ti
est hat ,in
reachingjudgment ,thej udgedi dsot hrought hepr ocessesofl egal r
easoning. I
tis, t
hus,
asaf eguardagai nstt heimpet uosityoft hejudge,pr ev enti
nghi mfrom decidingby i
 pse
dixi
t. 
Vouchsafednei thertheswor dnort hepur sebyt heConst it
uti
onbutnonet heless
vestedwi t
hthesov ereignpr erogativeofpassi ngjudgmentont heli
fe,li
bertyorpr oper ty
ofhi sf el
lowmen,t he j udge mustul t
imatelydepend on t he powerofr eason f or
sustainedpubl i
cconf i
dencei nt hej ustnessofhi sdeci sion.
 Thedeci si
onoft het rial
courtinthiscasedi sr espectsthej udici
al f
unction.
I
nCr
imi
nal
Caset
heaccused-
appel
l
anti
sACQUI
TTED.

147.Her
nandezv
sCA

Fact
s:Petit
ionerwasaconsist
entbuy
erofpiecesofjewel
ryofRemedi
osdeLeon.He
wil
leit
herpayi ncashorpostdatedchecks.Howeveronthelatt
erpartofbusi
ness
tr
ansact
ionsbet weent
he,thecheckissuedbyhim bounceduetoinsuff
ici
encyand
cl
osedaccount
TheRTCrender
edadecisi
onconv i
cti
nghim of9discti
nctof
fenseswhichwasaf
fir
med
bytheCAexcepttheonecri
mechar ged.Accor
dingtopetit
ioner
,theCour
tofAppeals
di
d notmake it
sown " i
ndependentjudi
cialopini
on"bysuch actofadopt i
ng the
st
atementoff
actsmadebytheadvanceparty

I
ssue:WONthedeci
sionmadebyt
heCAi
svi
olat
iveofAr
t.VI
II
,sec.14,
par
.1and2of
t
heConsti
tut
ion

Hel
d:Ini t
sdecisi
ontheCour tofAppeal
smer el
ystat
ed:"Thefact
soft hecaseas
summar i
zedi
ntheAppell
ee'sBri
efar
easfoll
ows:"andthequot
edinful
lthest
atement
offact
softheSoli
ci
torGeneral

Whatt heCour
tofAppeals,
inef f
ect
,saidwasthatitfoundt
hef actsaspresent
edbythe
Soli
cit
orGeneralas suppor t
ed byt he ev
idence.The const i
tut
ionalmandate onl
y
requi
resthatthedeci
sionshoul dstatethefactsonwhi chi tisbased.Ther eisno
proscri
pti
onmadeinthebr iefsormemor andaoft hepart
ies,insteadofrewri
ti
ngthe
samei nit
sownwords.

Thedenial,theref
ore,wasbasedont hegr
oundt hatt
heCourtofAppeal
sdidnotfind
any"cogentreasont hatcoul
djust
if
yamodi
ficat
ionorrev
ersal
oft
hedecisi
onsoughtto
bereconsidered."

Hencet
hedeci
si
onoft
heCour
tofAppeal
sisAFFI
RMED.

148.Yaov
sCA

Facts:Yaowasconv ictedofunf ai
rcompet i
tioninMeTCf orissuingl ocall
yGener al
el
ectri
cl ampst ar
terswhi chwasaf fir
medbyRTCwi t
houtsay i
ngmor e.On4Oct ober
[
12]
1994,YAOappeal edt otheCour tofAppeal sbyf i
li
nganot iceofappeal . However,on
[14]
25Apr il1995t heCour tofAppeal spr omulgatedaResol uti
on   declaringthat[t]
he
deci
sionr enderedonJul y27,1994byt heRegionalTrialCourt,
 Br anch121,hasl ong
become  fi
nalandexecut oryandor deringther ecordsoft hecaser emandedt osaid
courtfortheproperexecut i
onofjudgment .
 Hencethiscert
iorari
I
ssue:
WONt
hedeci
sionappeal
edi
svi
olat
iveoft
heConst
it
uti
on
Held:Fai t
hfuladher encetot her equi
r ementsofSect ion14,Ar ti
cleVIIIoft he
[
37]
Constituti
oni sindisputablyaparamountcomponentofduepr ocessandf ai
rpl ay
. 
Thepar ti
est oal i
ti
gationshouldbeinformedofhowi twasdecided, wi
thanexpl anati
on
ofthef actualandlegal r
easonsthatledtot heconclusionsofthecour t.
  
Mor ethanthat,
therequirementi sanassur ancetothepar tiesthat,
inreachi
ngj udgment ,t
hej udgedi d
so through t he processes oflegalr easoning. 
Itis,thus,a saf eguard againstthe
i
mpet uosityoft hejudge,prev
enti
nghi mf r
om deci di
ng i
psedixi
t. 
ThustheCour thasstr
uckdownasv oid,deci
sionsoflowercourtsandev enofthe
CourtofAppealswhosecar el
essdi
sregardoftheconst i
tut
ionalbehestexposedthei
r
someti
mescav ali
eratt
it
udenotonlyt
ot heirmagi
st er
ialr
esponsibi
l
iti
esbutli
kewiseto
t
hei
rav
owedf
eal
tyt
otheConst
it
uti
on.

149.Di
zonv
s.JudgeLopez
Facts:Facts:OnApr i
l22,1993,judgmentwasr ender
ed,convi
cti
ngcomplainantof
fal
sificat
ion ofpr i
v ate document.
 The promulgat
ion ofthe j
udgmentconsisted of
readingthedi sposi
t i
vepor ti
onoft
hedeci si
onsentenci
nghimt oi
mprisonment,wit
hout
servingacopyoft hedeci si
ononhi m. 
Whent heJudgefini
shedthedecisi
on,shejust
readt hedisposit
ivepor t
ionofthedecisi
ont ot
heaccused.
I
ssue:Whetherornotthefai
lur
eofr espondentj
udgetof urni
shacopyoft
he
deci
si
onconst
it
utesavi
olat
ionofArt
.VI
II
,Sec.14oftheConst
it
ution
Hel
d:Thejudgmentmustberead,st
ati
ngthefact
sandt helaw onwhi
chsuch
j
udgmenti
sbasedwhi
chisv
erycl
earinArt
.VI
II
,Sec14oftheConst
it
uti
on.
Whatr espondentdi dinthiscasewast or ender 
whatisknownasasi nper j
uici
o
j
udgment ,whi chisaj udgmentwi t
houtast atementoft hef actsinsuppor tofi t
s
[
1]
conclusiont obel at ersupplementedbyt hef i
naljudgment. Asear l
yas1923,t hi
s
Cour t already expr essed its disapprov
al of t he pr actice of r enderi
ng si
n
perjui
cio j
udgment s,whatwi thalltheuncertaint
iesentail
edbecauseoft hei mpli
ed
reservati
on t hat iti s subject to modificati
on when t he deci sion is fi
nall
y
[
3]
rendered.  Thus,ther espondenti
sREPRI MANDEDwi thWARNI NGt hatrepet
it
ionofthe
sameact scompl ainedofwi l
lbedealtwit
hmor esev erel
y.

150.ASI
AVESTv
. CAandPHI
LIPPI
NENATI
ONALCONSTRUCTI
ONCORPORATI
ON,
 
.
Facts:The peti
ti
onerAsiav
estMerchantBanker
s( M)Ber had i
s a cor
porati
on
organizedundert helawsofMal ay
siawhilepri
vat
er espondentPhi
li
ppi
neNat ional
Constructi
on Corporati
on i
s a cor
porat
ion dul
yincorporat
ed and exi
sti
ng under
Phil
ippinelaws.
In1983,petit
ioneri
nit
iatedasuitforcoll
ectionagainstprivat
er espondent,whi ch
[
6]
wasf avoredbyt heHighCour tofMal aysi
a.Butduet ounsuccessf ulat
tempt s  to
securepay mentfrom pri
vaterespondentundert hejudgment ,peti
tioneri
niti
atedon
September5,1988t hecompl ai
ntbeforeRegionalTri
alCour tofPasi g,toenforcet he
j
udgmentoft heHi ghCourtofMalaya.Thecasewasdi smi ssedbyRTCwhi chdecisi on
wasaf f
ir
medbyt heCA.Hencet hispeti
ti
on.
I
ssue:WONt heCAer
redi
ndeny
ingr
ecogni
ti
onandenf
orcementoft
heMal
aysi
an
cour
tjudgment
.
Held:Gener al
ly,i
ntheabsenceofaspeci alcompact,nosov erei
gni sboundt ogi ve
eff
ect wi thi
ni ts domini
on toaj udgment r ender
ed by a t r
ibunalof anot her
[13]
country;  however,the r
ules ofcomi ty,uti
li
ty and conv eni
ence ofnat i
ons hav e
establ
ishedausageamongci v
il
izedstatesbywhi chfi
naljudgment soff oreigncourts
ofcompet entjur
isdi
cti
onar erecipr
ocal
lyrespectedandr enderedefficaciousunder
 [
14]
cer
tai
ncondi
ti
onst
hatmayv
aryi
ndi
ff
erentcount
ri
es.
Int hisjurisdi
cti
on,a v ali
dj udgmentr endered by a f orei
gn t
ri
bunalmay be
recognizedi nsofarast heimmedi ateparti
esandt heunder l
y i
ngcauseofactionare
concernedsol ongasi tisconvinci
nglyshownt hattherehasbeenanoppor tuni
tyfora
fullandf ai
rhear i
ngbef oreacour tofcompet entj uri
sdi
ction.Havi
ngthuspr oven,
throught heforegoingev i
dence,theexist
enceandaut henti
cit
yoft hef
orei
gnjudgment
enjoyspr esumpt i
vevali
dit
y.

151.Ti
changcov
sEnr
iquez
Fact
s:Thepet it
ionersassailedthedecisi
onsoft heCour tofAppeal s(CA)i nCA-GRSP
No.54648.The assai led Deci
sion affir
med t he fi
ndings oft he t hen Land
Regist
rationAut hori
ty(LRA)admi nist
rator,Al
fredoEnriquez,thatt herewereno
l
egalgr oundst oinit
iateappropr
iateproceedingst onull
if
yOr i
ginalCer ti
fi
cateof
Tit
le(OCT)Nos.820and7477andt hesubsequentt i
tl
esder i
v edt heref
rom:
TransferCer t
if
icateofTitle(
TCT)Nos.128240t o128249,incl
usive, andTCTNo.
128270- -allcoveri
ngpar cel
soflandinTondo, Mani l
aregister
edint henamesof
pri
vaterespondent s.
ThePet i
ti
oner
sattacktheval
idi
tyoftheassailedCA Decisi
onf oritsfail
ureto
ment i
onthatamagneti
csur v
eywascompletedonlyonNov ember15,
1906, afactt
hat
theypercei
vedtobecrucialt
othedeter
minati
onoft hecase.Theunt
enabi l
it
yofsuch
graspi
ngatstrawscaneasil
ybedemonstr
ated.Hencethi
spetit
ionf
orreview.
I
SSUE:
WONt
heCAcompl
i
edwi
thSect
ion14ofAr
ti
cleVI
IIoft
he1987Const
it
uti
on.
Held:Ini
tsassail
edDeci si
on,theCAaf fi
rmedt heresol
uti
onofLRAAdmi ni
str
ator
Enriquez.Theappel
lat
ecour tdeli
berat
edont helawandt hereasonsitrel
i
eduponi nits
determinati
on ofthe issues presented only aftergiving a detai
led accountand
assessmentoft hef
actualantecedentsfoundbyr espondentadmi ni
str
ator
.
Ther eissuffi
cientcompliancewit
ht heconst
it
uti
onalr
equir
ementwhenacol l
egiat
e
appel
latecour t
,afterdeli
berati
on,decidestodenyamot i
on;stat
esthatthequesti
ons
rai
sed ar efactualorhav e alr
eadybeen passed upon;orci t
es some ot
herl egal
[
33]
basi
s.  Thereisnoneedt oexplai
nfullythecour
tsdeni
al,si
ncethefact
sandt helaw
havealreadybeenl aidouti
nt heassai
ledDecisi
on.
Hencet
hepet
it
ioni
sdeni
ed.

152.Fr
.Mar
ti
nezv
sCA
Facts:Thisisapet i
ti
onf orr
evi
ewoncer ti
orariofthedeci si
on,dat edSept
ember7,
1995,andr esolution,datedJanuary31,1996,oft heCour tofAppeal s,whi
chaff
ir
med
[1] [2]
thedecisionsoft heRegi onalTri
alCourt
,Br anches25   and28,  Cabanat
uanCity
,
fi
ndi
ngpr ivater espondent sspousesReynaldoandSusanVener acionowner softhe
l
andindisput e,
subj ectt
opet i
ti
oner
sri
ghtsasabui l
deringoodf ait
h.
 Pet i
ti
onercontendsthattheresol
uti
onoftheCour
tofAppeal
sdenyi
nghismot
ion
forreconsider
ationwasr ender
edinv i
olat
ionoft
heConst
it
uti
onbecausei
tdoesnot
stat
et helegalbasi
sther
eof .
Issue:Whetherornott heresolut
ionoft heCourtofAppealsdeny
ingpeti
tioners
mot
ionforreconsi
der
ationiscontr
arytotheconsti
tut
ionalr
equi
rementthatadenialof
amoti
onf orr
econsi
derati
onmuststatethelegalr
easonsonwhichiti
sbased.
Held. Art.VI II
,Sec.14oft heConst it
utionprovidesthatNopet it
ionforrev i
ew or
mot ionforr econsi der
ati
onofadeci sionoft hecour tshal
lberefusedduecour seor
deniedwi thoutst ati
ngthebasi stherefor
.Thi srequirementwasf ullycompliedwi th
whent heCour tofAppeal s,indeny ingreconsiderati
onofi t
sdeci si
on,statedi nits
resoluti
ont hatitf oundnoreasont ochangei tsrul
ingbecausepeti
tionerhadnotr aised
[
47]
anything new.  Thus,it
sr esolut
iondeny ing peti
ti
onersmot i
onf orr econsiderat
ion
states:

Forr esol
ution i
st he Mot
ion forReconsi
derati
on ofOurDeci sion f i
led by t
he
peti
tioners.Evi
dent
ly,t
hemotionposesnothi
ngnew.  
Thepoi
ntsandar gumentsrai
sed
byt hemov ant
shav ebeenconsi
deredandpasseduponi ntheDecisionsoughtt obe
reconsidered. 
Thus,Wefi
ndnoreasontodi
sturbthesame.Hencet
hemot i
onisdeni
ed.

153.RE:PROBLEM OFDELAYSI
NCASESBEFORETHESANDI
GANBAYAN.
Fact
s:OnJul y31,2000,t heI BP,t hroughi t
sNat i
onalPresi
dent
,Ar t
hurD.Li
m,
[
1]
tr
ansmi t
tedtot heCour taResol ution  addressi
ngthepr obl
em ofdel aysi
ncases
pendingbeforet heSandi ganbayan.I tr ecommendedani nquir
yintothecausesof
delaysintheresolut
ionofi nci
dentsandmot i
onsandint hedecisi
onofcasespendi
ng
beforetheSandi ganbayan.Accor dingt oI BP,thedelaysresulttotoincompet
ence,
i
nef f
ici
ency,
grossneglectofdut yandmi sconductinof
fice.
 I
ssues:WON Ar
t.VI
IISec15(
1)and(
2)oft
he1987Const
it
uti
oni
ncl
udest
he
Sandi
ganbayan
Held:Ar
ti
cleVI I
I,Sect
ion15(1)and(2)
,oft
he1987Constituti
onprov
isi
onr
efer
sto
regularcour
tsofl owercol l
egi
atel
evelt
hatint
hepresenthi
erarchyappl
i
esonl
ytothe
[23]
CourtofAppeals.
[
26]
TheSandiganbay
anisnotar egularcourtbutaspeci alone.  
UnderArti
cleVIII
,
Sect
ion5(5)oftheConst
it
uti
onRulesofpr ocedur
eof specialcourts andquasi
-j
udi
cial
bodi
esshal
lremaineff
ect
iveunl
essdisappr
ov edbytheSupremeCour t.
1606[34]  [
35]
Thel aw creat
ingtheSandiganbayan,P.D.
 No.  i
sclearonthi
si ssue.  It
provi
des“..t
hatcasesbef
oretheSandiganbayanoncecommencedshal lbecontinuous
unti
lter
mi natedandthej
udgmentshal lberenderedwithint hr
ee(3)monthsfrom t he
datethecasewassubmi t
tedf
ordecision”
154.I
nreDemet
ri
a
Facts:I
twasal l
egedthatJusti
ceDemetri
ai nt
ervenei
nt hecasef
ort
heaccused
drugqueenYuYukLaiwhenhecal l
edandinstr
uctedtheprosecut
ort
owithdr
aw t
he
motiontoinhi
bitofJudgeMuro,thejudgewhohandlethecaseandwasal
legedtobe
part
ialt
oYuYukLai .
I
n2000,t henati
onalnewpaperscollect
ivel
yrepor
ted thatJust i
ceDemet
ri
o G.
Demetr
iatr
iedtoi
nter
cedeonbehalfofsuspectedChi
nesedrugqueenYuYukLai,al
ias
[2]
SzeYukLai
, whowenti
nandoutofprisontoplayinaManil
acasino.
Issue:WONJusticeDemetr
iavi
olat
edtheCodeofJudi
cialConductandi
ssubj
ect
t
oappropri
atedi
sci
pli
nar
yact
ionbytheSC
Held:I n sum,t he t
esti
monies ofthe pr
osecuti
on wi
tnesses conv
inci
ng and
tr
ustworthy,ascomparedtothoseofthedef
ensewhichdonotonlydefynat
uralhuman
experi
encebutar ealsoriddl
edwithmajori
nconsi
stenci
eswhichcreatewell
-founded
andoverridi
ngdoubts.
Theconductandbehav i
orofev er
yoneconnect
edwi t
hanof fi
cechargedwit
ht he
dispensati
on ofj ust
ice i
s circumscribed wit
hthe heavyburden ofresponsi
bil
i
ty.
 
Unfortunat
ely,respondent Just i
ce Demet ri
o Demetr
iaf ai
l
ed tol i
ve up t othis
expectati
on. 
Throughhisindiscreti
ons,Justi
ceDemetri
adidnotonlymakeamocker y
ofhishighoffi
ce,butalsocausedi ncal
culabl
edamagetotheenti
reJudi
ciary
. 
HenceJusti
ceDemet r
ioG.Demetr
iais GUILTYofv i
olat
ingRul
e2.
04oftheCode
ofJudici
alConduct. Hei sorder
edDISMI SSEDf r
om t heservicewi
thf
orf
eit
ureofal l
benefi
tsandwi t
hpr ejudicetohisappointmentorr eappoint
menttoanygovernment
off
ice,agency ori nstrumental
i
ty,i
ncluding any gov er
nmentowned orcont r
oll
ed
corpor
ati
onorinsti
tution.

155.Peopl
eoft
hePhi
li
ppi
nesv
sPi
lot
in

Facts:VincentCri
sol
ogothroughcounselfil
edaveri
fi
edmot i
onprayi
ngforthetransf
er
totheNewBi l
ibi
dPri
sonsor ,t
oCampsCr ame,Agui
naldoorOl i
vas,
oftheplaceoft r
ial
ofCr i
minalCaseNo.3949oft hemuni ci
palcour
tofVi gan,Il
ocosSur,wherei
nhe,as
sol
edef endant,i
schargedwit
hi l
l
egalpossessi
onoffi
rearmsandammuni t
ions.

Heal
legedt hathisli
fewoul
dbei njeopar
dyifheweret obeconfinedi
ntheVigan
muni
cipalj
ailduri
ngthet
ri
albecauset
herearemanypol
i
ticalenemi
esoftheCr
isol
ogo
f
amil
yinthatv i
ci
nit
y

Provi
nci
alFi
scalofIl
ocosSursi
gni
fi
edhi
sconf
ormi
tyt
othet
ransf
eroft
hev
enueoft
he
tr
ial
totheNewBi l
i
bidPri
sons.

I
ssue:
WONt
hechangeofv
enuei
nthi
scasei
sinconf
ormi
tywi
tht
heConst
it
uti
on

Hel
d:Sect
ion5(
4),
Art
icl
eXoft
heConst
it
uti
onexpr
essl
yempower
sthi
sCour
tto"
order
achangeofv enueorpl
aceoftri
alt
oavoidami scar
ri
ageofjusti
ce"
.Here,whatis
i
nvolvedisnotmer el
yami scar
ri
ageofjusti
cebutthepersonalsaf
etyofmov ant
Cr
isologo,t
heaccused.I
twouldbeabsur
dt ocompelhimtoundergotri
alinaplace
wherehisli
fewouldbei
mperi
ll
ed.

Wef i
ndCri
sol
ogo'
smot i
ontobemeri
tor
ious.Thechangeofvenueinvol
vesnotmer
ely
thechangeoft
heplaceofheari
ngbutalsothetr
ansferoft
he expedi
ente 
ofCr
imi
nal
CaseNo.3949toanot
hercour
t.

156.Mondi
gui
ngv
sAbad

Facts:Al
ipi
oMondi guingandAndresDunuanar et
wooft hetendefendantsaccusedof
doublemur der
,fr
ustratedmurderandattemptedmurder.I
nt hati
ncidenttheyharmed
GovernorGualber
toLumaui gofIf
ugao.HenceonSept ember4,1975t hepetit
ioner
s
fi
ledapetit
iontotr
ansf ert
hevenueofthecasetoBagui
oCityorQuezonCi ty.

Theyclaimedthattheycouldnotexpectafairandimpar t
ialtr
iali
nLagawe,I f
ugao
becauseJudgeFranci
scoMenAbadoft heCourtofFir
stInstanceofthatprovi
nceisa
prot
ege'ofGovernorLumauigandhi
sbr ot
her
,formerCongressmanRomul oLumauig,
andbecausetheirwitnesseswoul
dbeaf rai
dt otest
if
yf orfearofhar assmentand
repr
isal
s.

TheAct
ingSoli
cit
orGenerali
nter
posednoobj
ect
iont
othechangeofv
enuebutJudge
Abadi
tisnotnecessar
y.

I
ssue:
WONMondi
gui
ng'
spl
eaf
orachangeofv
enuei
sjust
if
ied.

Hel
d:ThisCour
tisi
nvest
edwiththeprer
ogat
iveoforder
ing"achangeofvenueorpl
ace
oft
ri
altoavoi
damiscarr
iageofj
usti
ce"(
Sec.5[4]
,Ar
t.XoftheConsti
tut
ion)
.

Afteracarefulconsi
derat
ionofthecir
cumst
ancesreci
tedi
nMondigui
ng'
speti
ti
onto
supporthi
sr equestf
orachangeoft hepl
aceoftr
ial
,wehaver
eachedtheconcl
usi
on
thathi
spetit
ionismerit
ori
ous..

Intheint
erestofaf ai
randimparti
altr
ialandtoav oi
dami scar
ri
ageofjusti
ceand
consi
deri
ngt hathi
sli
fewoul
dbeindangeri fheweretobetr
iedinLagawe,I
fugao,he
shoul
dbet r
iedbytheCir
cui
tCri
minalCourti
ntheCit
yofBagui
o..

157.Peopl
evsSol
a

Fact s:OnSept ember23andOct ober1,1980,t hePCpr ovi

ncialcommanderofNegr os
Occi dentalfil
edsev en(7)separ at
ecompl aintsformur deragainsttheaccusedPablo
Solaandot her s.Whi l
eonat emporaryrelease,thewi t
nessesi nt hemurdercases
i
nf ormedt hepr osecut
ionoft heirfear
st hati fthetr
ialisheldatt heCourtofFir
st
Instancebr anchi nHimamay lanwhi chisbut10ki lomet er
sf rom Kabankal
an,thei
r
safet ycouldbej eopar
dized.Atleasttwooft heaccusedar eoffici
alswi
thpowerand
i
nfl
uenceinKabankal
anandt
heyhav
ebeenr
eleasedonbai
l
.Henceapet
it
iont
ochange
t
hev enue.

(Solicit
orgener
al:TheJudgewhowassupposedt ohandlethecasehadami ldatt
ackof
cerebr althr
ombosis and thatthe said Branch V ist he near
estcourtst at
ion to
Himamay l
an.Thecommentofr espondentsont hepetit
ionto cancelbail
,wi t
hout
prejudicetothepubli
coffi
cial
sconcernedtakingthenecessarymeasur est
oassur ethe
9
safet yofthewit
nessesofthepr osecuti
on.
"  Thus,thei
ssueofachangeofv enuehas
becomemootandacademi c)(-
youmayormaynotputt hi
sone)

I
SSUE:WONt hechangeofvenueorpl
aceoft
ri
aloft
hesamecr
imi
nalcasest
oav
oida
miscar
ri
ageofj
usti
cebeconsider
edi
nthi
scase

Held:TheSupremeCour tcoul
dor der" achangeofv enueorpl aceoft ri
altoav oida
miscarr
iageofjusti
ce.Theexerci
sebyt hi
sHonor ableCour tofit
sabov econst i
tutional
powerint hi
scasewi l
lbeappropri
ate.Thewi tnessesi nthecasear ef earf
ulf ortheir
l
ives.Theyareafraidtheywouldbeki l
l
edont heirwayt oorf r
om Himamay l
andur i
ng
anyoftheday soft r
ial
.Becauseoff ear,t
heymayei t
herr efusetotesti
fyort esti
mony
fal
selytosavetheirli
ves.
 Theprimor di
alaim andintentoft heConst i
tuti
onmustev er
bekeptinmind.Incaseofdoubt ,
itshouldberesolvedi nfavorofachangeofv enue.

158.Zal
div
arv
sGonzal
es:

Facts:Therespondentpr ay edt hi
scour tthatthemot ionf orreconsider at
ionber ev iewed
andmodi fi
edr el
atingt othe percur i
am  Resolut i
onoft heCour tdatedOct ober7,1988.
Int percur
he  iam Resol uti
on( page50) ,t heCour tconcludedt hat" respondentGonzal ez
i
sgui l
tybothofcont emptofcour t
 i
n f
aci ecuriae andofgr ossmi sconductasanof fi
cer
ofthecour tandmemberoft hebar."Thecour tsoughtt oconv eyt hatitr egar dedt he
contumaciousact sorst atement s(whichwer emadebot hinapl eadi ngfiledbef oret he
Courtand i n st
atement s given tot he medi a)and t he mi sconductofr espondent
Gonzalezasser iousact sf l
auntedint hefaceoft heCour tandconst itutinga  f r
ont al
assault
 upontheint egri
tyoft heCourtand, t
hrought heCour t,theent i
rejudi cialsy stem.

I
ssue:WONthecour
tiscor
recti
nimposi
ngani
ndef
ini
tesuspensi
onofGonzal
esi
nthe
pr
acti
ceofl
aw

Held:Thecour thasnosuff
ici
entbasi stomodifytheconclusi
onsandr ul
ingsembodied
i
nt hatResol ut
ion.Thej
udgewhof indshimselfcompelledtoexercisethepowert o
punishforcontemptdoessonotr eall
yt oav
engeawr onginf
li
cteduponhisownperson;
rat
herheuphol dsandv i
ndicatest heauthori
ty,dignit
yandi nt
egr
ityoft hej
udicial
i
nstitut
ion anditscl
aimtorespectfulbehavi
ouront hepartofallper
sonswhoappear s
beforeit,
andmostespecial
lyfrom thosewhoar eoffi
cersofthecourt.

Theindefi
nitenessoftherespondent
'ssuspensi
onisnotcruel,degr
adi
ngor"inhuman.
Hewasgi venachancet orestorehi
sr i
ghtsandpri
vil
egesbybyacknowledgingsuch
misconduct,exhibi
ti
ngappropri
aterepentanceanddemonstrati
nghiswil
l
ingnessand
capaci
tyt
oliv
eupt otheexacti
ngstandardsofconductr
ight
lydemandedf
rom ev
ery
memberofthebarandoff
iceroft
hecourts.

159.I
nRe:Cunanan

Facts:RepublicActNo.972,popul ar
lyknownast he" BarFlunkers'Actof1953was
enactedbyCongr ess.I
tprovidesthatanybarcandi datewhoobt ainedagener alaverage
of70% ( 1946-
1951);71%( 1952);72%( 1953)
;73%( 1954);74%( 1955)and wi thouta
candidateobtaini
ngagr ade50%i nanysubj ect,shallbeallowedt otakeandsubscr i
be
thecor r
espondingoathofof f
iceasmemberoft hePhi li
ppineBar :
 Pr
ovided,however ,
Thatf orthepur poseoft hi
sAct ,anyexactone- halformor eofaf r
acti
on,shallbe
consideredasoneandi ncludedaspar tofthenextwhol enumber .

I
ssue:
WONRANo.972i
sconst
it
uti
onal

Hel d:Republ i
cActNo.972i sunconst i
tutionalbecauseI nthej udi ci
alsy stem f r
om
whi chour shasbeenev ol
v ed,theadmi ssion,suspensi on, di
sbarmentandr ei
nstat
ement
ofat t
orneysatl aw i nthepr acticeoft hepr ofessionandt hei
rsuper visi
onhav ebeen
disput ablyajudicialfunctionandr esponsibili
ty .Becauseoft hisat t
ribute,itsconti
nuous
andzeal ouspossessi onandexer cisebyt hej udi
cialpowerhav ebeendemonst r
ated
dur ingmor et hansi xcent uri
es,whi chcer tai nly"constitutest hemostsol i
doft itl
es.
"
Evenconsi deringt hepowergr ant edt oCongr essbyourConst it
utiont or epeal,alt
er
suppl ementt her ulespromul gat edbyt hisCour tregardingt headmi ssiont othepr acti
ce
ofl aw, t
oourj udgmentandpr opositi
ont hatt headmi ssion,suspensi on, disbarmentand
reinstatementoft heat t
or neysatl aw isal egi sl
ati
v ef uncti
on,pr oper lybelongingt o
Congr ess,isunaccept able.Anyat temptont hepar tofanyoft heset heLegi slati
veand
Execut ivedepar t
ment swoul dbeacl earusur pat i
onofi tsf unctions,asi st hecasewi th
thel awi nquest i
on.

160.DONNAMARI
ES.AGUI  v
RRE, s.
 EDWI
NL.RANA,
 
.
Fact
s:RespondentEdwi nL.Rana( r
espondent)wasamongt hosewhopassedt he
2000BarEx aminati
ons.Onedaybef orethescheduledmassoat h-
takingofsuccessful
barexami nees,DonnaMar i
eAguirr
e( complai
nant)fil
edagainstrespondenta Pet
iti
on
forDenialofAdmi ssi
ont otheBar.
 Compl ai
nantchargedrespondentwi t
hunauthori
zed
practi
ceoflaw, gr
avemi sconduct
,vi
olati
onoflaw,andgr avemisrepresent
ati
on.
Complainantal
legest
hatrespondent,whi
l
enotyetal
awyer,appear
edascounsel
foracandidateint heMay2001el ect
ionsbef
oretheMuni
cipalBoardofEl
ecti
on
Canvasser
s( MBEC)ofMandaon,Masbate. 
TheCourtal
l
owedrespondentt
ot akehisoat
hbutnotal
lowedhimtosi
gnt
heRol
l
ofAtt
orney
suptonowpendingtheresolut
ionoft
hechar
geagainsthi
m.
I
ssue:
WONt
her
espondentbeadmi
tt
edt
othepr
act
iceofl
aw
Hel
d:Ther i
ghtt
opracti
celaw isnotanaturalorconst
it
utionalr
ightbutisa
pr
ivi
l
ege.
 I
tisl
i
mi t
edt
opersonsofgoodmoral
charact
erwi
thspecialqual
i
ficat
ionsdul
y
ascertainedandcer t
if
ied.Theexerciseoft hispr i
vi
legepresupposespossessi onof
[4]
i
ntegr i
ty,l
egalknowledge,educat
ionalattai
nment ,andevenpublictr
ust  si
nceal awyer
i
sanof fi
ceroft hecourt.
 Abarcandi datedoesnotacqui r
et her i
ghtt opr acti
celaw
simplybypassi ngt hebarexaminations.Thepr acti
ceoflaw isapr iv
ilegethatcanbe
withheldev enfrom onewhohaspassedt hebarexami nat
ions,iftheper sonseeking
[
5]
admi ssi
onhadpr acti
cedlaw wit
houtal i
cense. HenceRanai sDENI EDadmi ssi
ont o
thePhi l
ippi
neBar .

161.I
nreEdi
ll
on:

Facts:TherespondentMar ci
alA.Edi l
loni sadul yl i
censedpr acti
cingat t
orneyinthe
Phil
i
ppines.OnNov ember29,1975,theI nt
egratedBaroft hePhi l
ippi
nes( IBPforshort
)
BoardofGov ernorsunanimouslyrecommendt otheCour ttheremov alofthenameof
therespondentfrom it
sRollofAttorneysf or"stubbornrefusaltopayhi smember shi
p
dues"totheIBPsincethelatt
er'
sconstituti
onnot withst
andingduenot i
ce.

Therespondentstatedt hattheCour
tiswithoutpowert ocompelhimt obecomea
memberoft heIntegratedBarofthePhi
li
ppi
nes,hence,Secti
on1oft heCourtRulei
s
unconst
it
uti
onalforitimpingesonhi
sconst
it
utional
rightoff
reedom t
oassoci
ate.

I
ssue:WONthenon-pay
mentofduesi
sagr
oundf
ort
her
emov
aloft
henamef
rom t
he
Rol
lofAt
tor
neys.

Held:Tocompelal awy ert obeamemberoft heInt egratedBari snotv iolativeofhis

constituti
onalfreedom t oassociate.
 I
ntegrati
ondoesnotmakeal awyeramemberof
anygr oupofwhi chhei snotalreadyamember .Hebecameamemberoft heBarwhen
hepassedt heBarexami nati
ons. 
Theonl ycompul sion( just
ifi
edasexer ciseofPol i
ce
poweroft hest at
e)t owhi chhei ssubj ect
edi st hepay mentofannualdues.The
SupremeCour t,inordertof urt
hertheSt ate'
slegit
imat einterestinelevat
ingt hequalit
y
ofprof essi
onallegalser vi
ces,mayr equirethatthecostofi mpr ovingthepr of essi
onin
thi
sf ashionbeshar edbyt hesubjectsandbenef i
ciariesoft her egul
ator
ypr ogr am t
he
9
l
awy ers. Hence, Edi
llonisdisbarr
ed.

162.I
nre:I
BPel
ect
ions

Fact s: Thenewl y -electedofficerswer esett otakethet hei

roat hofof fi
ceonJul y
4,1989,bef oretheSupr emeCour tenbanc.Howev er,r
eportsreceivedthattherewere
i
nt ensive electi
oneer i
ng and ov erspending by the candidates,l ed by the main
protagonistsf ortheof f
iceofpr esidentoft heassociat
ion,namel y
,At t
orneysPaculdo,
Nisce,andDr i
lon,theal l
egeduseofgov ernmentplanes,andtheof fici
ousinterv
enti
on
ofcer tai
npubl icof fi
cialstoinfluencet hev oti
ng,al
lofwhichwer edonei nviol
ati
onof
theI BPBy -
Lawswhi chpr ohi
bitsuchact i
vit
ies.TheSupremeCour tenbanc,r
  esol
vedto
suspendt heoat h-takingoft heIBPof f
icers-
elect.

I
ssue:
WONt
hef
oll
owi
ngof
fi
cer
svi
olat
edAr
tI,
Sec4oft
heI
BPBy
-Laws.
Held:Itisevidentt hatthemannerinwhi chthepr i
nci
palcandidatesforthenat i
onal
posit
ionsintheIntegratedBarconductedthei
rcampaignprepar
atorytotheelect
ionson
June3, 1989,vi
olatedSect i
on14oftheI BPBy-Lawsandmadeat ravest
yoftheideaof
a"str
ictl
ynon-poli
tical"I
ntegr
atedBarenshri
nedinSecti
on4oftheBy -
Laws.

Thecandidatesandmanyoft hepar t
ici
pantsint hatelect
ionnotonlyviolat
edt heBy -
LawsoftheIBPbutal sot heethicsoft helegalprofessi
onwhichimposesonal l l
awyers,
asacorollar
yoft heirobligat
iont oobeyanduphol dtheconst
itut
ionandt helaws,the
dut
yto"pr omoter espectf orlaw andl egalprocesses"andt oabstai
nf rom 'acti
vi
ti
es
ai
medatdef ianceoft helaworatl esseningconfidenceinthelegalsy
stem"( Rule1.02,
Canon1,CodeofPr ofessi
onal Responsibil
it
y).

163.DELALLANAv
sALBA

Facts:Batas Pambansa Bl g.129,entit

led "An act r eorgani
zi
ng the Judici
ary
,
Appropri
ati
ngFundsTher ef
orandf orOtherPur poses”wasenact ed.Iti
ncl
udest he
reor
ganizat
ionoft heentir
eJudici
arywhichshallembracealllowercourt
s,i
ncl
udingthe
CourtofAppeal s,theCour t
sofFi r
stInst
ance,theCi tyandMuni ci
palCourt
s,andall
Special
Cour t
s,butexcludingtheSandi
ganbayan.

Peti
ti
onerscont
endthattheabol
i
tionoftheexist
ingi
nferi
orcourt
scoll
ideswit
hthe
securi
tyoft
enur
eenjoyedbyi
ncumbentJusti
cesandjudgesunderArt
icl
eX,Sect
ion7
oftheConst
it
uti
on.

I
ssue:WONtheBat
asPambansaBl
g.129col
l
ideswi
thsecur
it
yoft
enur
eofJudgesand
Just
ices.

Hel d:TheCour tisempower ed" todiscipli

nej udgesofi nferiorcour tsand, byav oteofat
76
l
eastei ghtmember s,or dert heirdismi ssal."   Thusi tpossessest hecompet enceto
remov ejudges.Undert heJudi ciaryAct, i
twast hePr esidentwhowasv est edwi thsuch
77
power .   Remov alis,ofcour se,tobedi stinguishedf rom t erminat i
onbyv i
r t
ueoft he
abol i
tionoft heof fice.Ther ecanbeno t enur et o anon- existentof f i
ce.Af t
erthe
abol i
tion,t herei sinl aw nooccupant .I ncaseofr emov al,t
her eisanof ficewi than
occupantwho woul dt herebyl ose his posi tion.I ti si nt hatsense t hatf rom the
standpoi ntofst r
ictlaw,t hequest i
onofanyi mpai rmentofsecur ityoft enur edoesnot
arise.Nonet heless,f ort hei ncumbent sofi nferiorcour t
sabol ished,t heef fectisoneof
separ ation.Ast oitsef fect,nodi sti
nctionexi stsbet weenr emov alandt heabol i
ti
onof
theof fi
ce.( Real i
sti
cal l
y,itisdev oidofsi gni f
icance.Heceasest obeamemberoft he
j
udi ciary.I nthei mpl ement ationoft heassai l
edl egisl
ation,t herefore,itwoul dbei n
accor dance wi th accept ed pr i
ncipl
es ofconst i
tuti
onalconst r
uct i
on t hatas f aras
i
ncumbentj usticesandj udgesar econcer ned,t hisCour tbeconsul tedandt hati t
sv i
ew
beaccor dedt hef ul
lestconsi deration.
)

ADDI
TIONALCASES:
Aqui
no/
Robr
edov
sCOMELEC

Peti
ti
onerscont endt hatther eapportionmenti nt
roducedbyRepubli
cActNo.9716, runs
afouloftheexpl i
citconst it
utionalrequi r
ementunderAr ti
cleVISec.5par .(1)and( 3)
andSection3oft heOr dinanceappendedt her
etowhichrequir
esami ni
mum population
5
oftwohundr edfift
yt housand( 250,000)f orthecreati
onofal egislat
ivedist
ri
ct. 
The
peti
ti
onerscl ai
mt hatt her econfigurati
onbyRepubl i
cActNo.9716oft hef i
rstand
second distr
ict
sofCamar inesSuri sunconst i
tuti
onal
,becauset hepr oposed fir
st
dist
ri
ctwillendupwi thapopul at
ionofl essthan250,000oronly176,383.

I
ssue:
WONRA9716i
sconst
it
uti
onal

Held:Plainl
yr ead,Sect
ion 5(
3)oft he Constit
ution requir
es a 
250,
000 mini
mum
populat
iononlyforaci
tytobeentit
ledtoarepresentati
ve,butnotsoforapr
ovi
nce.The
requi
rement of populat
ion i
s not an indispensabler equi
rement
,but is merel
y
an al
ter
nativ
e addi
ti
ontothei
ndispensabl
eincomer equirement.

Tobecl earaboutourj udgment ,wedonotsayt hatinthereapporti

onmentoft hefir
st
andsecondl egislati
vedi stri
ctsofCamar i
nesSur,thenumberofi nhabitantsinthe
resul
ti
ngaddi ti
onaldi st
rictshouldnotbeconsi
dered.Ourrul
ingisthatpopul ati
onisnot
theonl yfactorbuti sjustoneofsev er
alotherfact
orsint hecomposi ti
onoft he
addit
ionaldistr
ict.Suchset tl
ementisinaccordwithboththet extoft heConst i
tut
ion
andthespi r
itofthel ett
er,sov er
yclear
lygi
venformintheConst i
tut
ional debatesonthe
exactissuepresent edbyt hispeti
ti
on.Hencepeti
ti
onisdismissed.

55.TecsonvComel
ec
G.R.
No.151434,
March3,
2004

Fact s:
On31December2003,Ronal dAl l
anKellyPoe,al soknownasFer nandoPoe,Jr .(FPJ) ,
fi
ledhi scer t
ifi
cateofcandi dacyf ortheposi t i
onofPr esidentoft heRepubl i
coft he
Phi l
ippinesundert heKoalisy onngNagkakai sangPi li
pino( KNP)Par ty,int he2004
nat i
onalel ections.I nhiscer tifi
cateofcandi dacy ,FPJ,r epresent inghi msel ftobea
nat ural
-bor nci ti
zenoft hePhi lippines,statedhi snamet obe" Fer nandoJr .
,"or"Ronal d
Allan"Poe,hi sdat eofbirthtobe20August1939andhi spl aceofbi r t
ht obeMani la.
Vict ori
noX.For nier,(GR161824)i ni
ti
ated,on9Januar y2004,apet ition( SPA04- 003)
bef oret heCommi ssiononEl ect i
ons( COMELEC)t odi squalifyFPJandt odenydue
cour seort ocancelhi scer tificateofcandi dacyupont het hesist hatFPJmadea
mat eri
almi srepresentati
oninhi scerti
fi
cat eofcandi dacybycl aimi ngt obeanat ural-
bor nFilipinoci ti
zenwheni ntr uth,accordingtoFor ni
er,hispar ent swer ef oreigners;hi s
mot her,Bessi eKel leyPoe,wasanAmer ican,andhi sf ather,Al l
anPoe,wasaSpani sh
nat i
onal ,beingt hesonofLor enzoPou, aSpani shsubject.Gr anting,For nierassev er
ated,
thatAl l
anF.PoewasaFi lipinoci ti
zen,hecoul dnothav et ransmi ttedhi sFi l
ipino
cit
iz enshipt oFPJ, thelat
terbei ngani ll
egitimat echil
dofanal ienmot her .Fornierbased
theal l
egat ionoft hei ll
egi
timat ebirthofFPJont wo asser t
ions:( 1)Al lanF.Poe
contractedapr iormarr i
aget oacer tai
nPaul i
taGomezbef orehi smar riaget oBessi e
Kell
eyand,( 2)ev enifnosuchpr iormarr i
agehadexi sted,All
anF.Poe,mar ri
edBessi e
Kell
yonl yay earaf t
erthebi rt
hofFPJ.On23Januar y2004,t heCOMELECdi smissed
SPA04- 003f orl ackofmer it
.3day slat er,oron26Januar y2004,For ni
erf i
ledhi s
mot i
on f orr econsiderati
on.The mot ion was deni ed on 6 Febr uary 2004 by t he
COMELECenbanc.On10Febr uary2004, For nierassailedthedeci si
onoft heCOMELEC
beforet heSupr emeCour tconf ormablywi thRul e64,i nrelationt oRul e65,oft he
Revised Rul es ofCi v
ilPr ocedur e.The pet iti
on likewise pr ayed fora t empor ary
rest
rainingor der,awr i
tofpr el
iminaryinjunct i
onoranyot herresoluti
ont hatwoul dst ay
thef i
nalityand/ orexecut i
onoft heCOMELEC r esolut i
ons.Theot herpet it
ions,later
consolidated wi th GR 161824,woul di ncl ude GR 161434 and GR 161634,bot h
chall
engi ng thej uri
sdicti
on oft heCOMELEC and asser ti
ng t hat
,underAr ti
cleVI I
,
Section4,par agraph7,oft he1987Const i
tution,onlyt heSupr emeCour thador i
ginal
andexcl usiv
ej urisdi
cti
ont oresolvethebasi ci ssueont hecase.

I
ssue:
WhetherFPJwasanaturalbor
nci
ti
zen,soast
obeal
l
owedt
orunf
ort
heof
fci
eoft
he
Pr
esidentoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes.

Hel d:
Yes.Sect i
on2,Ar t
icleVI I
,oft he1987Const i
tutionexpr essest hat" Noper sonmaybe
electedPr esidentunl esshei sanat ural-
bor nci ti
zenoft hePhi l
ippines, aregi ster edv oter,
ablet or eadandwr i
te,atl eastf ortyy ear sofageont hedayoft heel ect ion,anda
residentoft hePhi li
ppi nesf oratl eastt eny earsi mmedi at elyprecedi ngsuchel ection."
Thet er m" nat ural-
bor nci t
izens, "isdef i
nedt oi nclude" thosewhoar eci tizensoft he
Phi l
ippi nesf rom bi rthwi thouthav ingt oper form anyactt oacqui r eorper fectt heir
Phi l
ippi necitizenshi p."Her ein,thedat e,mont handy earofbi r
thofFPJappear edt obe
20August1939dur ingt her egimeoft he1935Const i
tution.Thr oughi tshi stor y,four
modesofacqui r
ingci ti
zenshi p-nat ural
izat i
on, j
ussol i
,resj udicat aandj ussangui nis–
hadbeeni nv ogue.Onl ytwo,i .
e.,jussol iandj ussangui nis,coul dqual ifyaper sont o
beinga“ nat ural-
bor n”citizenoft hePhi lippines.Jussol i,perRoav s.Col l
ect orof
Cust oms( 1912) ,didnotl astl ong.Wi ththeadopt ionoft he1935Const i
tutionandt he
rever salofRoai nTanChongv s.Secr etar yofLabor( 1947) ,jussangui nisorbl ood
relationshipwoul dnow becomet hepr imar ybasi sofci tizenshi pbybi rth.Consi der i
ng
ther eser vationsmadebyt hepar ti
esont hev eracityofsomeoft heent riesont hebi r
th
cer t
ificateofFPJandt hemar ri
agecer tif
icat eofhi spar ent s,theonl yconcl usionst hat
coul dbedr awnwi thsomedegr eeofcer taintyfrom t hedocument swoul dbet hat(1)
Thepar entsofFPJwer eAl lanF.PoeandBessi eKel ley;(
2)FPJwasbor ntot hem on20
August1939;( 3)Al lanF.PoeandBessi eKel leywer emar ri
edt oeachot heron16
Sept ember ,1940; (
4)Thef atherofAl l
anF.PoewasLor enzoPoe; and( 5)Att het imeof
his deat h on 11 Sept ember1954,Lor enzo Poe was 84 y ear s old.The mar r
iage
cer t
ificateofAl lanF.PoeandBessi eKel ley ,thebi rthcer ti
ficateofFPJ,andt hedeat h
cer t
ificateofLor enzoPouar edocument sofpubl icrecor di nt hecust odyofapubl i
c
officer .Thedocument shav ebeensubmi tt
edi nev idencebybot hcont endi ngpar ti
es
dur i
ngt hepr oceedi ngsbef oret heCOMELEC.Butwhi l
ethet otali
tyoft heev idencemay
notest abli
shconcl usivel
yt hatFPJi sanat ural-bornci tizenoft hePhi li
ppi nes,t he
evi
denceonhandst i
l
lwoul dpr eponder
ateinhisfavorenought ohol dthathecannotbe
hel
dgui lt
yofhav ingmadeamat eri
almisrepr
esentat
ioninhiscerti
ficateofcandidacyin
vi
olationofSect i
on78,i nr elati
ontoSect i
on74,oft heOmni busElect i
onCode.For ni
er
hasut terlyfai
ledt osubst antiatehiscasebeforetheCour t
,notwit
hst andingtheampl e
oppor tunit
ygiv ent ot hepar ti
est opresentthei
rpositi
onandev idence,andt opr ove
whet herornott here has been mat eri
almi sr
epresentat
ion,whi ch,as so r ul
ed in
Romual dez-Marcosv s.COMELEC,mustnotonl ybemat eri
al,butal sodeliber
ateand
wil
lful.Thepet it
ionswer edi smissed.

56.MaryGracePoe-
Llamanzar
esv
sCOMELEC
G.R.NO.221697221698-
700

Fact s:Gr acePoe( Poe)wasf oundabandonedi nachur chi nJar oI loilosomet ime1968.
Par ent alcar ewaspassedt ot her elativesofEdgar doMi lit
ar ,theper sonwhof oundt he
child.Ther elativest henr epor tedandr egisteredt hechi l
dasaf oundi ngwi ththeCi v i
l
Regi strarofI loil
o.The chi l
d was t hen named Mar yGr ace Mi lit
ar .The chi l
d was
subsequent lyadopt ed byFer nando Poe,Jrand Susan Roces somet ime i n 1974.
Necessar yannot at i
onswer epl acedi nt hechi ld’sf oundl i
ngcer ti
ficatebuti twasonl yin
2005t hatSusanRocesdi scov eredt hatt heirlawy erf ailedt osecur eanewCer tif
icateof
LiveBi rthi ndicat i
ngPoe’ snew nameaswel last henameoft headopt ivepar ents.
Rocest hensubmi t t
edanaf fi
dav itandi n2006, aCer tifi
cateofLi veBi rt
hint henameof
Mar yGr acePoewasr eleasedbyt heCi vilRegist ryofI l
oi l
o.
Att heageof18, Poewasr egist eredasav oterofSanJuan.I n1988, shewasi ssueda
Philippi nepasspor t.In1991, Poemar riedTeodor oLl amanzar esandf lewt ot heUSr i
ght
aftert heweddi ng.Shet hengav ebi rthtoherel destchi ldint heUS.I n2001, Poebecame
anat uralizedAmer icanCi tizenandsheobt ainedaUSPasspor tthatsamey ear .
In Apr il2004,Poecamebackt ot hePhi li
ppi nesi n or dert o suppor therf ather’s
candi dacy .I twasatt hist i
met hatshegav ebi rtht ohery oungestdaught er.Shet hen
returnedt ot heUSi nJul y2004wi thhert wodaught er s.Poer eturnedi nDecember2004
afterl earni ngofherf ather ’sdet erioratingcondi tion.Thel atterdi edandPoest ayedunt i
l
Febr uar y2005t ot akecar eoft hef uner alar r
angement s.
Poest atedt hatshewant edt obewi t
hhergr i
ev i
ngmot herhence, sheandherhusband
deci dedt omov eandr esideper manent l
yi nt hePhi lippinessomet i
mef i
r stquar terof
2005.Theypr epar edf orr eset tlementi ncludingnot i
f i
cat i
onoft hei rchi l
dren’ sschool s,
coor dinat ionwi thpr oper tymov er sandi nquirywi thPhi li
ppineaut hor iti
esast ohowt hey
canbr ingt hei rpetdog.Accor dingt oPoe,asear lyas2004,sheal readyqui therj obin
theUS.
PoecamehomeonMay24,2005andi mmedi atel ysecur edaTI Nwhi leherhusband
stay edi nt heUS.Sheandherf ami l
yst ay edwi thhermot herunt ilsheandhusbandwas
ablet opur chaseacondomi nium i nSanJuansomet imeFebr uar y2006.OnFebr uary14,
2006, Poer eturnedt ot heUSt odi sposet heot herf ami l
ybel ongi ngs.Shet rav el
ledback
i
nMar ch2006.I near ly2006, Poeandhusbandacqui redapr oper t
yi nCor int hianHi ll
sin
QuezonCi tywher et heybui ltthei rf ami l
yhome.
OnJul y7,2006,Poet ookherOat hofAl l
egi ancet ot heRepubl icoft hePhi li
ppines
pursuantt o R. A.9225.On Jul y10,2006,shef iled a swor n pet i
ti
on t or eacquire
Philippi neci ti
zenshi pt oget herwi thpet it
ionsf order iv ati
v eci tizenshi ponbehal fofher
thr
eechi ldren.TheBur eauofI mmi gr ationact edi nf av oroft hepet i
tiononJul y18, 2006.
Sheandherchi ldrenwer et henconsi der eddualci tizens.Poet henr egi ster edasv oteri n
August2006andsecur edaPhi lippi nepasspor tt her eaf ter .
OnOct ober6, 2010, shewasappoi nt edasChai r per sonoft heMTRCB.Bef or eassumi ng
herpost ,sheexecut edanAf fidav i
tofRenunci at i
onofAl legi ancet ot heUSbef orea
notarypubl ici nPasi gCi tyonOct ober20,2010.Thef ollowi ngday ,shesubmi ttedt he
Affi
dav itt ot heBur eauofI mmi gr ationandt ookheroat hasMTRCB Chai rper son.
Accor dingt oPoe, shest oppedusi ngherAmer icanpasspor tf rom t henon.
OnJul y12,2011,Poeexecut edanOat h/Af fir
mat ionofRenunci ationofNat i
onal ityof
theUSbef oret heVi ceConsuloft heUSEmbassyi nMani la.OnDecember9,2011,t he
USVi ceConsul i
ssuedaCer tificat eofLossofNat ional ityoft heUSef f
ect iveOct ober21,
2010.OnOct ober2,2012,Poef iledwi t
hCOMELECherCer t i
ficat eofCandi dacyf or
Senat orst atingt hatshewasar esi dentoft hePhi l
ippi nesf oraper i
odof6y ear sand6
mont hsbef or eMay13,2013.Shewast henpr ocl aimedaSenat oronMay16,2013.On
October15, 2015, Poef i
ledherCOCf ort hePr esi dencyf ort heMay2016el ect ions.She
declaredt hatshei sanat ur albor nandherr esi dencei nt hePhi li
ppi neupt ot heday
beforeel ect i
onwoul dbe10y ear sand11mont hscount edf rom May24,2005.Sev eral
peti
tions wer e f il
ed agai nst Poe al leging t hat ( 1) she commi tted mat er i
al
misrepr esent at ioni nherCOCwhenshest atedt hatshei sar esi dentoft hePhi li
ppi nes
foratl east10y ear s11mont hsupt ot hedaybef or eMay9,2016El ect i
ons,( 2)shei s
notnat uralbor nconsi deringt hatPoei saf oundl ing.I twasar guedt hati nter nationall aw
doesnotconf ernat ur albor nst atusandFi li
pinoci tizenshi pt of oundl i
ngshence,shei s
notqual i
fiedt oappl yf orr eacqui si ti
onofFi l
ipinoci tizenshi punderR. A. 9225asshei s
notanat uralci tizent obegi nwi th.Assumi ngt hatPoewasanat ur albor nci tizen,she
l
osti twhenshebecameaUSCi ti
zen.I naddi t i
on,oneoft hepet i
ti
oner s,Fr anci sco
Tatad,t heor izedt hat :1)Phi lippi nesadher et ot hepr incipl eofj ussangui nisandhence
personsofunknown par ent age,par ticular l
yf oundl ings,ar enotnat uralbor nFi li
pino
cit
izens.2) Usi ng st atut or y const ruction,consi der i
ng t hatf oundl ings wer e not
expressl yincl udedi nt hecat egor i
esofci t
izensi nt he1935Const it
ut i
on, thef ramer sar e
saidt ohav et he i nt entiont oexcl udet hem.3)I nt ernat ionalconv ent ionsar enotsel f-
execut oryhence, l
ocall egi slat i
onsar enecessar yt o gi veef fectt oobl igat ionsassumed
bythePhi l
ippi nes.4)Ther ei snost andar dpr act icet hataut omat i
callyconf ersnat ural
bornst atust of oundl i
ngs.
Petit
ionerVal dezal legedt hatPoe’ sr epat ri
ationunderR. A9225di dnotbest ow upon
herthest atusofanat uralbor nci tizenast hosewhor epat riat esonl yacqui resPhi lippine
cit
izenshi pandnott heiror iginal st atusasnat ur al bor nci tizens.
Poecount eredt hesepet itionsbyal l
egi ngt hat :
1)Thegr oundsi nv okedbyt hepet itioner swer enotpr opergr oundsf oradi squal ificat i
on
case asenumer atedunderSect ion12and68oft heOmni busEl ect i
onCode.
2)Whatt hepet iti
oner sfiledf ocusonest ablishi ngheri neligi bili
t y,hence, theyf al lwi thin
the excl usiv ej urisdictionoft hePr esi dent ialElect or al Tribunal , nott heCOMELEC.
3)TheJul y18,2006Or deroft heBur eauofI mmi grat i
ondecl ar ingherasnat ur albor n,
herappoi ntmentasMTRCBChai randt hei ssuanceoft hedecr eeofadopt ionr einf orced
herposi tionasanat ural bor nci tizen
4)Asear l
yasf irstquar terof2005,shest ar tedt or eest abl ishherdomi cilei nt he
Phil
ippi nes andt hatshecanr eest ablishherdomi ci
leofchoi ceev enbef oreshe
renouncedherAmeri
cancit
izenshi
p.
5)Theper i
odofr
esi
dencyasstatedi
nherCOCf
orsenat
orwasami
stakei
ngoodf
ait
h.

COMELECr uledagai
nstthepeti
ti
onerresol
vi
ngt hatsheisnotanatur
albornci
ti
zenand
thatshefail
edt ocompl et
ethe10y earresi
dencyr equi
rement.Hence,thepresent
peti
ti
onforcert
ior
ari
beforetheSupremeCour t
.

Issue:
1)Whet hert heCOMELEChasj uri
sdi ct i
ont odi squal i
fyPOE Thepr ocedur eandt he
conclusionsf rom whi cht heResol ut i
onsoft heCOMELECemanat edar et ai ntedwi t
h
graveabuseofdi scretionamount i
ngt ol ackofj urisdiction.
Thei ssuebef oretheCOMELECi swhet hert heCOCshoul dbedeni edduecour se‘ ont he
exclusivegr ound’t hatshemadei nt hecer tificateaf alsemat erialr epr esent ati
on.
COMELEC shoul dr est r
aini t
selff rom goi ng i nt ot hei ssueofqual i
ficat i
onsoft he
candidat e.I tcannot ,int hesamecancel l
at i
oncase,deci det hequal i
ficationorl ack
thereofofacandi dat e.Notoneoft heenumer at edpower soft heCOMELECasst at edin
Arti
cleI XC,Sec.2oft heConst itutiongr antst hecommi ssiont hepowert odet er mine
thequal ificat i
onsofacandi date.Suchpower sar egr antedt ot heEl ector alTr ibunalas
statedinAr ti
cleVISect ion17andt heSupr emeCour tunderAr ticleVI I,Sect ion4oft he
Const i
tution.
Insofarast hequal i
ficationofacandi dat ei sconcer ned,Rul e25andRul e23oft he
COMELECr ulesdonotal low,ar enotaut hor i
zat ionandar enotv estmentofj urisdi ct
ion
fort he COMELEC t o det ermine t he qual i
f i
cat i
on ofa candi date.The f act s of
qualifi
cat i
onmustf i
rstbeest ablishedi napr iorpr oceedi ngbef or eanaut hor i
tyv ested
withjurisdi ction.Priordet er minationofqual i
ficat ionmaybebyst atute,byanexecut i
ve
orderorbyaj udgmentofacompet entcour tort ribunal .
Lackingt hispr i
ordet ermi nati
on,t hecer ti
ficat eofcandi dacycannotbecancel ledor
denied due cour se on gr ound off al se r epr esent ati
ons r egar ding a candi dat e’
s
qualifi
cat i
ons except i ft here exi sts sel f-ev i
dent f acts of unquest ioned or
unquest ionabl everaci tyandj udi ci
alconf essi ons.I nt hisl i
ghtt heCOMELEC cannot
cancelPoe’ scer ti
ficateofcandi dacyl acki ngpr iordet er minationofherqual i
ficat i
onsby
acompet entbody .

2)Whetheritcanbeconcl udedt
hatPoe’sparent
sareFi l
i
pinos.Presumpti
onregarding
pat
ernit
yisnei therunknownnorunacceptablei
nPhilippineLaw.Thereismor et han
suf
fi
cientevidencethatPoehasFil
i
pinoparentsandisther ef
oreanatur
al-
bornFil
i
pino.
Hence,theburdenofpr oofwasonpriv
aterespondentstoshowt hatpeti
ti
onerisnota
Fi
li
pinocit
izen.

Pri
vat
erespondent
sshouldshow t
hatPoe’
sparent
swerealiens.Heradmi
ssi
onthat
sheisafoundl
ingdidnotshi
ftt
heburdent
oherbecausesuchstatusdi
dnotexcl
ude
thepossi bil
i
tythatherpar entswereFil
ipinos.Infact,t
hereisahighpr obabil
i
tythather
parentsar eFili
pinos.TheSol i
cit
orGeneralofferedoffi
cialSt
ati
sti
csf rom t
hePhi l
i
ppine
Stati
sti
csof f
icet hatfrom 1965t o1975,t het otalnumberoff oreignersborni nthe
Phil
ippineswas15, 985.Whi l
et heFil
i
pinosbor nint hecountrywer emoret han10
Mill
ion.Ont hisbasi s,t
hereisa99%chancet hatthechi l
dborninthePhi l
ippi
neswoul d
beaFi li
pinowhi chint urn,wouldindicatemor et hanampl epr obabil
it
yt hatPoe’s
parentsar eFil
ipi
nos.

Ot
herci
rcumst
ant
ial
evi
denceoft
henat
ional
i
tyofPoe’
spar
ent
sar
ethef
actt
hat
:

1.
Shewasabandonedi
naRomanCat
hol
i
cChur
chi
nIl
oil
o

2.
Shehast
ypi
cal
Fil
i
pinof
eat
ures

Therearedi
sputabl
epresumpti
onsthatt
hingshavehappenedaccor
dingt
otheordinar
y
courseofnat
ure.Onthi
sbasis,
iti
ssafertoassumethatPoe’spar
entsar
eFil
i
pinos.To
assumeotherwisei
stoacceptt
heabsurd.

3)Whet herasaf oundling,PoeisanaturalbornCiti

zen Foundli
ngsar easacl ass,
naturalbor
ncit
izens.Whi l
ethe1935Constit
uti
onissilentast
of oundl
ings,t
her
eisno
restr
icti
vel
anguaget hatwouldexcl
udethem eit
her.Becauseofsil
enceandambi guit
y
i
nt heenumerati
on,thereisaneedtoexaminetheint
entofthefr
amer s.

Theamendmentt ot heConst i
tuti
onpr oposedbyconst i
tuti
onal istRaf olst oi ncl ude
foundli
ngsasnat uralbor nci tizenswasnotcar riedout ,notbecauset herewasany
objecti
ont ot henot iont hatper sonsofunknownpar entagear enotci tizens,butonl y
becauset heirnumberwasnotenought omer i
tspeci f
icment ion.Ther ewasnoi nt entor
l
anguaget hatwoul dper mi tdiscr i
mi nati
onagai nstf oundli
ngs.Ont hecont rary, allt hree
Const i
tut
ionsguar anteet hebasi cr ightt o equalpr otection oft hel aws.Li kewi se,
domest iclawsonadopt ionsuppor tthepr inciplet hatfoundl ingsar eFi li
pinos.These
l
awsdonotpr ovi
det hatadopt ionconf ersci t
izenshipupont headopt ee,r ather ,t he
adopteemustbeFi li
pinoi nt hef i
rstplacet obeadopt ed.Recentl egisl
ational lexpr essly
referto“Fil
ipi
nochi ldren”andi ncludef oundlingsasamongFi lipinochi l
drenwhomaybe
adopted.
Thear gumentt hatthepr ocesst odet erminet hatt hechildisaf oundl i
ngl eadi ngt ot he
i
ssuanceofaf oundlingcer ti
ficatear eact stoacqui reorper fectPhi li
ppineci ti
zenshi pis
withoutmer i
t.Hence,t hear gumentt hatasaf oundl i
ng,Poeunder wentapr ocessi n
ordertoacqui reorper fectherPhi li
ppineci t
izenshi p,isuntenabl e.
“Hav i
ngtoper form anact ”meanst hattheactmustbeper sonal l
ydonebyt heci tizen.I n
thi
scase,t hedet erminat ionoff oundlingst atuswasdonebyaut hori
ti
es,notbyPoe.
Second,t heobj ectoft hepr ocessi st odeter mi net hewher eabout soft hepar ent s,not
theci ti
zenshi poft hechi ldandl ast ly,t hepr ocessi snotanal ogoust onat ur alization
proceedi ngs.
Underi nt ernat i
onall aw,f oundl i
ngs ar e ci ti
zens.Gener ally accept ed pr inci ples of
i
nt er nat ionall awwhi chi ncl udei nter nat i
onalcust omsf orm par toft hel awsoft hel and.
Thecommont hreadoft heUni ver salDecl arat i
onofHumanRi ght s,t heConv ent i
onon
theRi ght soft heChi l
dandt heI nt ernat i
onalConv entonCi vilandPol iti
calRi ghts
obligat est hePhi lippi nest ogr antnat ional it
yf r
om bi rthandt oensur et hatnochi ldis
stat eless.Thepr i
nci plesst atedi nt he:
HagueConv ent iononCer tai nQuest ionsRel ationt ot heConf l
ictofNat ional i
tyl aws( t
hat
af oundl i
ngi spr esumedt ohav et henat ional i
tyoft hecount ryofbi r th)
Conv ent i
onont heReduct ionofSt at elessness( f
oundl ingi spr esumedbor nofci tizens
oft hecount rywher ehei sf ound)
bindt hePhi li
ppi nesal thoughwear enotsi gnat or ytot heseconv ent ions.
Althoughwear enotasi gnat or yt ot heHagueConv ent i
on,wear easi gnat or yt ot he
Uni ver salDecl arat ionofHumanRi ght s( UDHR)whi chaf f
ir msAr ticle14oft heHague
Conv ent i
on.Li kewi se, theConv entionont heReduct ionofSt atelessnessaf fir
msAr ticl
e
15oft heUDHR.Byanal ogy ,al thought hePhi l
ippineshasnotsi gnedt heI nt ernat i
onal
Conv ent i
on f ort he Pr otect ion ofPer sons f rom Enf orced Di sappear ance,we ( the
Supr eme Cour t)r uled t hatt he pr oscr ipt ion agai nstenf orced di sappear ance was
nonet hel essbi ndi ngasagener allyaccept edpr i
ncipl eofi nter nat i
onal law.
Poe’ sev idenceshowst hatatl east60count ri
esi nAsi a,Nor thandSout hAmer icaand
Eur opehav epassedl egi slationr ecogni zingf oundl ingsasi tsci tizens.166outof189
count riesacceptt hatf oundl ingsar er ecogni zedasci tizens.Hence,t her ei sagener all
y
accept edpr incipleofi nt er nat ional lawt opr esumef oundl i
ngsashav i
ngbeenbor nanda
nat i
onal oft hecount ryinwhi chi tisf ound.
Hence, asaf oundl ing, Poei sanat ur al bor nFi li
pinoci tizen.
4)Whet herPoe’ sr epat riat ionr esul tedt or eacqui sitionofnat uralbor nci tizenshi p.The
COMELEC ar rogant lydi sr egar dedj urispr udenceont hemat t
erofr epat ri
ationwhi ch
stat est hatr epat riationr esul tsi nther ecov er yoft heor i
ginalnat ional ity.Anat ur albor n
citi
z enbef orehel osthi sPhi li
ppi nenat ional itywi llber estor edt ohi sf ormerst at usas
nat ur albor nFi li
pi noaf terr epat r i
ation( Bensonv .HRET, Par enov .Commi ssi ononAudi t
etc) .I npassi ngR. A.9225,Congr esssaw i tf ittodecr eet hatnat uralbor nci tizenshi p
mayber eacqui redev eni fi thasbeenl ost .I tisnotf ort heCOMELECt odi sagr eewi t
h
theCongr ess’ det er minat ion.
Nei theri sr epat riat i
onanactt o‘ acqui r eorper fect ’one’ sci ti
zenshi p.I nt hecaseof
Bengson, theCour tpoi ntedoutt hatt her ear eonl yt wot ypesofci tizensundert he1987
const itut i
on:nat ur albor nandnat ur alized.Ther ei snot hirdcat egor yf orr epat r i
ated
citi
z ens.The COMELEC cannotr ev erse a j udi cialpr ecedent .Hence,COMELEC’ s
deci si oni swr appedwi thgr aveabuseofdi scr etion.
5)Whet herPoei sar esi dentoft hePhi li
ppi nef or10y ear s Poeal l
egedt hather
residencyshoul dbecount edf rom May24,2005whensher eturnedf orgoodf r om t he
US.Ther ear et hr eer equi si test oacqui reanewdomi cile1.Resi denceorbodi lypr esence
i
nanew l ocal it
y2.I ntent iont or emai n( ani musmanendi )and3.I ntent i
ont oabandon
theol ddomi cile( ani musnon- rever tendi ).Thepur poset oremai ni noratt hedomi cileof
choi cemustbef orani ndef initeper iodoft i
me,t hechangeofr esi dencemustbe
volunt ar yandt her esi denceatt hepl acechosenf ort henewdomi cilemustbeact ual .
Poepr esent edv olumi nousev i
denceshowi ngt hatsheandherf amilyabandonedt heir
USdomi cil
eandr elocat edt ot hePhi l
ippi nesf orgood.Theseev idencei ncl udef or mer
USpasspor tshowi ngherar rivalonMay24, 2005andherr etur ntothePhi lippinesev ery
ti
meshet r
av ell
edabr oad,emai lcor r
espondenceswi thf reightcompanyt oar r
angef or
theshi pmentofhousehol di temsaswel laswi tht hepetBur eau;schoolr ecor dsofher
chil
drenshowi ngenr olmenti nt hePhi lippinet ot hePhi li
ppi neschool sst ar ti
ngonJune
2005et c.
COMELECr efusedt oconsi dert hepet i
tioner ’
sdomi cilehasbeent i
mel ychangedasof
May24,2005andmai ntainedt hatal thought her ei sphy sicalpr esenceandani mus
manendi ,ther eisnoani musr ev ertendi .Respondent scont endt hatthest ayofanal i
en
formerFi l
ipinocannotbecount edunt i
lhe/ sheobt ainsaper manentr esi dentv i
saor
reacqui redPhi li
ppineci tizenshi psi nceshei sst il
lanAmer i
canunt ilJuly7,2006ont he
basisofpr ev i
ouscasesr uleduponbyt heSupr emeCour t
.
SChel dt hatt heot hercasespr ev iouslydeci dedbyt hecour twher einr esi dencewas
count ed onl yf rom t heacqui siti
on ofper manentr esidencewer edeci ded assuch
becauset her eisspar seev i
denceonest abl ishmentofr esi dence.Thesecasescannot
beappl i
edi nt hepr esentcase.I nt hecaseatbar ,ther eisov erwhelmi ngev i
dencet hat
l
eadst onot oot herconcl usiont hatPoedeci dedt oper manent l
yabandonherUS
residenceandr esidei nthePhi lippinesasear lyasMay24, 2005.
Theseev i
dence, coupl edwi t
hherev entual appl icat i
ont or eacqui rePhi l
ippine
cit
izenshi piscl eart hatwhensher eturnedi nMay2005, i
twasf orgood.
Thest ampi nherpasspor tasabal ikbay andoesnotmakePoeanor dinar yt ransi ent.
Poewasabl et opr ov et hatherst atementi nher2012COCwasonl yami stakei ngood
fait
h.Suchami stakecoul dbegi veni nev i
denceagai nstherbuti twasbynomeans
conclusi veconsi der ingt heov er whel mi ngev idencesubmi ttedbyPoe.Consi der i
ngt hat
theCOMELECf ail
edt ot akei ntoconsi der ationt heseov erwhel mi ngev idence, i
ts
decisioni staintedwi t hgr aveabuseofdi scr et i
on.Thedeci sionoft heCOMELECi s
herebyannul ledandsetasi de.Poei sthusdecl aredqual i
fi
edt obeacandi dat ef or
Presidenti nt heNat i
onal andLocal Elect i
ononMay9, 2016.

Kil
usangMay oUnov sNEDADi rectorGeneral
 
Facts:Pr esi
dentGlor i
aMacapagal Ar royo 
issuedExecutiveOrderNo.420
thatdirectsaunifi
edI Dsyst em amonggover nmentagenci esand
Governmentownedandcont roll
edcor porati
onsi nordertohaveauni f
ormID
forallgovernmentagenci es.Ki l
usangMayoUnoand  otherrespondent
s
assailedthisexecutiveorderf orbeinga usur pati
onoflegislat
ivepower
sby
thepresident andi tinfr
ingest heciti
zens r i
ghtt opri
vacy.

I
ssue:Whet
herornotExecut
iveOr
derNo.420i
sval
id.

Decision:Executi
veOr der420isapr opersubj
ectof  
executiveissuance
undert hepresi
dent’
sconst i
tuti
onalpowerofcont rolovergover nment
enti
tiesintheexecutivedepartment,aswellast hepresident’
sconst i
tut
ional
dutytoensur ethatal
ll awsarefai
thfull
yexecuted,thussaidexecut i
veorder
isnot  ausurpati
onoflegi
slati
vepower .Furt
her more,i
tisnotusurpati
onof
legislati
vepowerbecauset heact  ofissui ngI Dcardsandt hecollect i
onof
somenecessar yinformationt oimpr intint hem donot  r
equireal egislati
on.
Whatneedsl egisl
ationisthe system of  appr opri
ationtoenforce theuni fi
ed
IDsyst em,whenuni fiedIDsyst em includest heciti
zensandwhenper sonal
datat hatar ebeyondofwhati srout i
nelyneededi scollectedfort heIDt he
resultoftheconsoli
dati
onof2di st
inctbil
ls,H.No.11197andS.No.1630.Ther ei
salso
acont ent
ionthatS.No.1630di dnotpass3r eadingsasrequi
redbytheConst i
tuti
on.

AmendmentvsRevi
sion
Lambi nowasabl et
ogat hert hesi gnaturesof6, 327,952i ndivi
dualsf orani ni
tiati
vepet i
ti
on
toamendt he1987Const itution.Thatsai dnumberofv otescompr isesatl east12per
centum ofallregist
eredv oterswi t
heachl egi
slat i
vedi str
ictatleastr epresentedbyatl east
3percentum ofi tsregi
steredv ot ers.Thishasbeenv er i
fi
edbyl ocal COMELECr egistr
arsas
well.Theproposedamendmentt ot heconst i
tut i
onseekst omodi fySecs1- 7ofAr tVIand
Sec1- 4ofAr tVIIandbyaddi ngAr tXVIIIent
itled“ TransitoryProvisions”.Thesepr oposed
changes wi l
l shi f
tt he pr esi dent bi camer al-pr
esident ial syst
em t o a Uni camer al
-
Parli
amentaryf orm ofgov ernment .TheCOMELEC,on31Aug2006,deni edt hepet i
ti
onof
theLambinogr oupduet othel ackofanenabl ingl awgov erninginit
iativepetit
ionst oamend
theConstit
ution–t hisisi npur suantt ot herulingi nSant iagov sCOMELEC.Lambi noetal
contendedthatt hedecisionint heaf or
ement i
onedcasei sonl ybindingt othepar t
ieswithin
thatcase.
ISSUE:
 Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ionf
ori
nit
iat
ivemett
her
equi
rement
sofSec2Ar
tXVI
Ioft
he
1987Consti
tut
ion.
HELD:  The pr oponent s oft he i ni
ti
ati
ve secur ethe si gnat ures f rom the peopl e.The
proponent ssecur et hesignatur esintheirprivatecapaci tyandnotaspubl i
cof f
icials. The
proponent sar enotdi sinterestedpar t
ieswhocani mpar tiall
yexpl aint headv antagesand
disadvantages oft he proposed amendment st othe peopl e. The pr oponents pr esent
favorablyt heirpr oposalt ot hepeopl eanddonotpr esentt hear gumentsagai nstt heir
proposal. Thepr oponent s,ort heirsuppor t
ers,of t
enpayt hosewhogat herthesi gnat ures.
Thus, t
her eisnopr esumpt iont hattheproponent sobserv edt heconst i
tuti
onalrequirement s
i
ngat heringt hesi gnatures.  
 Thepr oponent sbeart hebur denofpr ov i
ngthattheycompl i
ed
witht he const i
tutionalr equirement si n gat heri
ng the si gnatures – t hatt he pet i
ti
on
contained,ori ncor poratedbyat t
achment ,thef ullt
extoft hepr oposedamendment s.The
proponent sf ai
ledt opr ovet hatal lt
hesi gnator i
estothepr oposedamendment swer eable
toreadandunder st andwhatt hepet i
ti
oncont ains.Peti
tioner smer elyhandedoutt hesheet
wher epeopl ecan si gn butt heydi d notat tach theret ot hef ulltextoft hepr oposed
amendment s.
Lambinoetalar eal
soact uall
yproposi
nga revi
sion 
oftheconsti
tut
ionandnotamer e
amendment.Thi
si sal
soi nviol
ati
onofthelogrol
l
ingrulewherei
napr oposedamendment
shoul
donlycontai
nonei ssue.Theproposedamendment /sbypeti
ti
onersevenincl
udesa
tr
ansi
tor
yprovi
sionwhichwoul denabl
ethewould-
bepar l
i
amenttoenactmor er
ules.
Thereisnoneedt orevi
sittheSanti
agocasesincetheissueathandcanbedeci
dedupon
otherf
acts.Therul
eis,theCourtavoidsquest
ionsofconsti
tut
ional
i
tysol
ongasther
eare
othermeanstoresol
veani ssueatbar.
USv
sNI
XON
Facts.
 Thespecial prosecutorint
heWat ergatescandalsubpoenaedt het aperecordingsof
conversat
ionsinv ol
vingthePr esi
dentandhi sadviser
sregardi
ngt hescandal.ThePr esi
dent’
s
counselmov edtoquasht hesubpoenaci t
ingAr t
icleI
IoftheUnitedSt at
esConst i
tution(the
“Consti
tut
ion”)andi tsgrantofpriv
il
egetot hePresident
.ThePr esident’
scounsel alsoarguedit
wasanon- justi
ciablequestionbecauseitwasadi sagr
eementbet weenpar tsoftheexecut i
ve
branch.

I
ssue.
 I
sthePr
esi
dent
’sAr
ti
cleI
Iconst
it
uti
onal
pri
vi
legeabsol
ute?

Held:ThePresi
dent
’sexecuti
vepri
vi
legei
snotabsol
uteandmustbendtoAmendment
4 and Amendment5 r equir
ementsofspeedyand fai
rtri
alsand oftheabi
li
tyof
defendant
stofacet
heiraccuser
s.

Cour
tsarenotrequi
redt
opr
oceedagai
nstt
hePr
esi
dentasi
fthePr
esi
dentwasany
ot
herindi
vi
dual
.

Cour
tsshoul
drevi
ewcommuni
cat
ionscl
aimedt
obepr
ivi
l
egedi
ncamer
a(byt
hej
udge
onl
yinchamber
s).

Discussi
on. TheSupr emeCour toft heUnitedSt at
es( “Supr emeCour t
”)hadtobalance
theexecutiv
epr i
vi
legeagai nstther i
ghtsofci t
izenstof acet hei
raccusersandtohav ea
speedyandf airt
ri
al.TheCour tmadet hepoi ntthatt
hePr esidentisnotanormalcit
izen,
andt her
eforeshoul dreceivegr eatdeferencer egardingexecut iveclai
msofpr ivi
l
ege.
Howev er,execut
ivepr i
vi
legei snotabsolut eandmustbebal ancedagainstt
herightof
theaccusedi ncri
mi nalpr oceedings.TheCour ttookgr eatcar etol i
miti
tsopinion
becausei twasdel vingintoapol it
icaldisputebet weent hePr esi
dentandCongr ess,
somet hi
ngtheSupr emeCour tisloathtodo.

Facts. Beforethei naugurati
onofPr esidentJefferson,outgoingPr esi
dentAdamsat tempt edt o
secureFeder al
istcont r
oloft hej udiciar
ybycr eati
ngnew j udgeshipsandf il
li
ngt hem wi th
Federalistappointees.Includedint heseef fort
swast henomi nati
onbyPr esi
dentAdams, under
theOr ganicActoft heDistri
ctofCol umbi a( t
heDi st
ri
ct),
of42newj usti
cesofthepeacef ort he
Distr
ict,whi chwer econfir
medbyt heSenat ethedaybef orePr esidentJeffer
son’si
nauguration.
Af ew oft hecommi ssions,includingMar bury
’s,wer eundel i
veredwhenPr esi
dentJefferson
tookof fi
ce.Thenew pr esidenti nst
r uct
ed Secr et
aryofSt ateJamesMadi son t
o withhol d
deli
veryoft hecommi ssions.Mar burysoughtmandamusi nt heSupr emeCour t,r
equi
ri
ngJames
Madisont odeli
v erhiscommi ssi
on.

I
ssue.
 I
sMar
bur
yent
it
ledt
omandamusf
rom t
heSupr
emeCour
t?
Held. 
No.Casedi smissedforwantofj urisdicti
on.
Ast hePr esi
dentsi gnedMar bury’
scommi ssionaf terhisconf irmati
on,theappointment
hasbeenmade, andMar buryhasar ighttot hecommi ssion
Givent hatthel aw imposedadut yont heof fi
ceoft hepr esidenttodeliv
erMar bury’
s
commi ssion,t hattheSupr emeCour thast hepowert or evi
ew executi
veactionswhen
theexecut iv
eact sasanof f
iceroft helawandt henat ureoft hewritofmandamust o
dir
ectan of ficeroft he gov er
nment“ to do a par ti
culart hi
ng therei
n specif
ied,”
mandamusi stheappr opri
ater emedy ,
ifavai l
abletot heSupr emeCour t
.
Toi ssuemandamust otheSecr etaryofSt ater eal
lyi st osust ai
nanor igi
nalaction,
whichi s( i
nt hiscase)out sidetheconst i
tuti
onall i
mi tsofj uri
sdicti
onimposedont he
SupremeCour t.

Discussi
on. 
TheimportanceofMar bur
yv.Madi sonisbothpol
it
icalandlegal
.Although
thecaseest abl
i
shest hetradit
ionsofj udici
alrevi
ew andal i
tigabl
econst i
tut
ionon
whichtheremainderofconstit
utionall
awr ests,i
talsotr
ansf
ormedt heSupremeCour t
from anincongruousinsti
tuti
ont o anequi potentheadofabr anchoft hef ederal
government.
Thi
scasepar
ti
all
yabandonedt
he 
rul
i
ngsi
n AngBagongBayanivsCOMELEC  BANAT
and 
vsCOMELEC.
AtongPagl
aum,Inc.and51otherpar
ti
eswer edisquali
fi
edbytheCommissiononEl
ect
ions
i
nt heMay2013party-
li
stel
ecti
onsforvar
iousreasonsbutprimari
l
yfornotbei
ngqual
ifi
ed
asrepr
esent
ati
vesformargi
nali
zedorunderr
epresentedsect
ors.
AtongPagl
aum etalt
henfi
l
edapeti
ti
onforcert
ior
ariagainstCOMELECal
l
egi
nggr
ave
abuseofdi
scr
eti
onont
hepar
tofCOMELECi
ndisqual
if
yingthem.
I
SSUE:
 Whet
herornott
heCOMELECcommi
tt
edgr
aveabuseofdi
scr
eti
oni
ndi
squal
i
fyi
ng
t
hesai
dpart
y-l
i
sts.
HELD:  
No.TheCOMELECmer el
yfoll
owedt heguideli
nesseti
nt hecasesof AngBagong
 
Bayani  BANAT.However
and  ,the Supreme Cour tremanded the cases back tothe
COMELECast heSupr
emeCourtnowpr ovi
desfornewguideli
neswhi chabandonedsome
pri
ncipl
esestabl
i
shedi
nthet
woaf or
estatedcases.Thenewguidel
inesareasfoll
ows:
I
. 
Par
amet
ers.I
nqual
i
fyi
ngpar
ty-
li
sts,
theCOMELECmustuset
hef
oll
owi
ngpar
amet
ers:
1.Threedif
fer
entgroupsmaypar t
ici
pat
einthepar
ty-l
istsyst
em:(1) 
nati
onalparti
esor
organi
zat
ions, (
2) 
regi
onal par
ti
es or organi
zat
ions, and (3)
 sector
al part
ies or
organi
zat
ions.
2.Nationalpar
ti
esoror gani
zat
ionsandregi
onalpar
ti
esoror gani
zat
ionsdonotneedt o
organi
ze along sect
oralli
nes and do notneed t
or epr
esentany “ mar
ginal
i
zed and
underr
epresent
ed”sector
.
3.Poli
t i
calparti
escanparticipat
ei npar ty
-l
istelectionspr ov
idedt heyr egi
sterundert he
par
ty-l
istsystem anddonotfieldcandidatesinlegislati
vedistr
ictelections.Apolit
icalparty
,
whethermaj orornot,
thatf
ieldscandidatesinlegislativ
edistri
ctelectionscanpar ti
cipatein
par
ty-l
istelecti
onsonlythroughi t
ssect oralwi ngt hatcansepar atelyregisterundert he
par
ty-
li
stsystem.Thesect
oralwi
ngisbyi
tsel
fani
ndependentsect
oralpar
ty,andi
sli
nked
toapoli
ti
calpart
ythr
oughacoali
ti
on.
4.Sector alpart
iesoror ganizati
onsmayei therbe“ mar gi
nal
izedandunder represented”or
l
ackingi n“ well
-defi
nedpoliti
calconstit
uencies.”I
tisenought hatthei
rpr i
ncipaladv ocacy
pert
ains t ot he speci
ali nterestand concer ns oft heirsector.The sect orst hatar e
“marginalized and under r
epr esent
ed” incl
ude labor ,peasant,f i
sherfolk,ur ban poor ,
i
ndigenous cul turalcommuni ti
es,handicapped,v eterans,and ov erseas wor kers.The
sector
st hatlack“ wel
l-
definedpol i
ti
calconstit
uencies”incl
udepr ofessionals,theel der
ly,
women, andthey outh.
5.A maj ori
tyoft hemember sofsect oralparti
esoror ganizat
ionst hatr epresentt he
“marginali
zed and under r
epresented” must bel ong t o t he “ mar ginali
zed and
underrepresented”sect ortheyr epresent.Simil
arl
y ,amaj or
it
yoft hemember sofsect oral
parti
esoror gani zat
ionst hatl ack“well-
definedpoliti
calconsti
tuencies”mustbel ongt othe
sectortheyr epresent .Thenomi neesofsect or
alpar t
iesororganizationsthatr epresentthe
“marginali
zed and under represented,
”ort hatr epresentthose who l ack “ wel l
-def
ined
poli
ti
cal constit
uenci es,”eithermustbel ongtotheirrespecti
vesectors,ormusthav eatrack
recordofadv ocacyf ort heirrespectiv
esect ors.Thenomi neesofnat i
onalandr egi
onal
parti
esoror ganizationsmustbebona- f
idemember sofsuchpar ti
esoror ganizations.
6.Nati
onal
,regional
,andsect
oralpar
ti
esororgani
zati
onsshal
lnotbedisqual
i
fiedifsome
ofthei
rnomi neesar edi
squal
ifi
ed,prov
idedthattheyhaveatleastonenomi neewho
remai
nsqualif
ied.
II
. 
Int he BANAT case,maj orpol
i
ticalparti
es are di
sall
owed,as has always been the
practi
ce,f rom partici
pat i
ng inthe party-
li
stel ect
ions.But ,si
nce ther
e’sr eal
l
y no
consti
t ut
ionalprohibit
ion nora st at
utor
y prohibi
ti
on,maj orpoli
ti
calparti
es can now
parti
cipateintheparty-
listsyst
em 
pr ovi
dedthattheydosot hrought
heirbonafidesectoral
wing (
seepar ameter3abov e).
All
owing majorpoli
ti
calpar
ti
es topart
ici
pate,albei
tindi
rect
ly,
int heparty
-li
stel
ecti
onswil
l
encourage t
hem toworkassiduousl
yinextendingtheirconst
it
uenci estothe“marginal
i
zed
andunder r
epresent
ed”andtothosewho“ l
ackwel l-
defi
nedpoli
ticalconsti
tuenci
es.
”
Ultimatel
y,t he Supreme Cour tgav e weightt ot he deli
berat
ions ofthe Consti
tutional
Commi ssi
onwhent heywer edr af
tingthepar ty
-li
stsystem provi
sionoft heConstit
ution.
TheCommi ssioner
sdel i
berat
edt hatitwast heirint
enti
ont oincl
udeallpart
iesi
ntothepar t
y
-
listelecti
onsi nordert odevelopapol i
ticalsystem whichispl ur
ali
sti
candmul ti
party.(In
the BANAT  case,JusticePunoemphasi zedt hatthewi l
loft hepeopleshoulddef eatt he
i
nt entofthef ramers;andthatt heintentoft hepeople,inrati
fyi
ngthe1987Const i
tution,is
thatthepart y-
li
stsystem shoul
dber eservedf orthemarginali
zedsectors.
)
II
I.TheSupr emeCour talsoemphasi zedt hattheparty-l
i
stsy stem isNOTRESERVEDf orthe
“marginali
zed and under represented” orf orparti
es who l ack “well-defined poli
ti
cal
consti
tuencies”.I
tisal sof ornati
onalorr egionalpart
ies.Itisalsof orsmal lideology-
based
andcause- ori
entedpar ti
eswhol ack“ well
-defi
nedpol iti
calconst i
tuencies” .Thecommon
denomi natorhowev eri sthatalloft hem cannot ,t
heydonothav ethemachi ner
y–unl ike
majorpol i
ti
calpart
ies, tofiel
dorsponsorcandi datesint helegislat
ivedistrictsbuttheycan
acquir
et heneededv otesinanat ionalelect
ionsy st
em likethepar ty-
li
stsy stem ofelecti
ons.
I
fthepar
ty-
li
stsy
stem i
sonl
yreser
vedf
ormar
ginal
i
zed 
repr
esent
ati
on,t
hent
hesy
stem
i
tsel
fundul
yexcl
udesot
hercause-
ori
ent
edgr
oupsf
rom r
unni
ngf
oraseati
nthel
ower
house.
Asexpl ai
nedbyt heSupremeCour t
,part
y-l
istrepresentat
ion shouldnotbeunder st
oodt o
i
nclude onl y 
l
abor,peasant,fisher
fol
k,ur ban poor ,indigenous cul t
uralcommuni t
ies,
handi capped,v eter
ans,ov er
seas workers,and ot her sect or
st hat by thei
r nat ur
e
are 
economi call
y 
atthemar gi
nsofsociety.Itshouldbenot edt hatSection5ofRepubl i
c
Act7941i ncl
udes,amongot hers,init
spr ovisi
onf orsect oralrepresentat
iongroupsof
professionals,whicharenotperseeconomi call
ymar ginalizedbutar est i
llquali
fi
edas
“mar ginal
ized,underr
epr
esented,anddonothav e well
-defi
nedpol i
ti
calconstit
uencies”as
theyar e i
deologi
call
ymarginali
zed.
 
Jul
yandAugust2007,t
heCOMELEC,si
tt
ingast heNati
onalBoardofCanvasser
s,madea
par
ti
alpr
ocl
amati
onofthewi
nner
sinthepart
y-l
i
stelect
ionswhichwashel
di nMay2007.
I
npr ocl
aimi
ngthewi
nner
sandappor
ti
oni
ngt
hei
rseat
s,t
heCOMELEC consi
der
edt
he
f
oll
owingrul
es:
1. 
Int
hel owerhouse,80% shal
lcompr
isetheseatsforlegi
slat
ivedi
str
icts,whi
lethe
remai
ning 20% shal
lcome f r
om par
ty-
li
strepr
esent
ati
ves (Sec.5,Articl
e VI,1987
Const
it
uti
on);
2.Pur
suantt
oSec.11bofR.
A.7941ortheParty
-Li
stSystem Act,apart
y-l
i
stwhi
chgarner
s
atl
east2%ofthet
otal
vot
escasti
nthepart
y-l
i
stelect
ionsshallbeenti
tl
edtooneseat
;
3.Ifaparty-
li
stgar
nersatleast4%,thenitisent
itl
edto2seats;i
fitgarnersatleast6%,
then i
tis enti
tl
ed to 3 seat
s– t hisis pur
suanttot 2-
he  4-6rule 
ort Pangani
he  ban
Formula 
fr
om thecaseofVet
  eransFeder
ati
onPartyvsCOMELEC.
4.Innowayshallapar
tybegivenmor ethanthr
eeseat
seveni
fifgarner
smor
ethan6%of
thevot
escastf
orthepart
y-l
i
stelect
ion(3seatcapr
ule,
samecase).
TheBar angayAssoci ati
onf orNati
onalAdvancementandTransparency(BANAT) ,aparty
-
l
istcandidate,questionedt heproclamati
onaswel lastheformul abeingused.BANAT
averr
edt hatthe2% t hresholdi
sinvali
d;Sec.11ofRA7941i sv oidbecauseitsprovi
sion
thatapar ty-
li
st,toqualif
yf oracongressi
onalseat
,mustgarneratl east2% ofthevotes
castint hepar ty
-l
istelecti
on,isnotsupportedbytheConstit
ution.Further
,the2% rule
creat
esamat hematicalimpossibi
li
tytomeett he20% party
-l
istseatpr escr
ibedbyt he
Consti
tution.
BANATal soquesti
onsifthe20%ruleisamer eceil
ingorisitmandat
ory.I
fitismandator
y,
thenwi
tht he2%qualif
yingvote,t
herewoul dbeinstanceswhenitwoul
dbei mpossi
blet
o
fi
llt
heprescri
bed20%shar eofparty-
li
stsinthel
owerhouse.BANATal sopr oposesanew
computati
on(whichshallbedi
scussedinthe“HELD”por ti
onoft
hisdi
gest)
.
Ontheot herhand,BAYANMUNA,anotherpar
ty-
li
stcandidate,quest
ionstheval
i
dit
yofthe
3seatr ule(Secti
on11aofRA 7941)
.I tal
soraisedthei ssueofwhet herornotmajor
pol
i
ticalparti
esareall
owedtopar
ti
ci
pateintheparty
-l
istelecti
onsori st
hesaidel
ect
ions
l
imi
tedt osector
alpart
ies.
I
SSUES:
I
.Howi
sthe80-
20r
uleobser
vedi
nappor
ti
oni
ngt
heseat
sint
hel
owerhouse?
II
.Whetherornott
he20% al
l
ocat
ionf
orpar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
vesmandat
oryoramer
e
ceil
i
ng.
I
II
.Whet
herornott
he2%t
hreshol
dtoqual
i
fyf
oraseatv
ali
d.
I
V.Howar
epar
ty-
li
stseat
sal
l
ocat
ed?
V.Whet
herornotmaj
orpol
i
tical
par
ti
esar
eal
l
owedt
opar
ti
cipat
eint
hepar
ty-
li
stel
ect
ions.
VI
.Whet
herornott
he3seatcapr
ule(
3SeatLi
mitRul
e)i
sval
i
d.
HELD:
I.
 The 80-20 r uleisobser ved i nthe f oll
owing manner :forev ery5 seat sallott
ed for
l
egislati
vedi stri
cts,t
her eshallbeoneseatal l
ottedforapar t
y-l
istrepresentativ
e.Or i
ginal
ly,
the1987Const i
tuti
onpr ovidest hatther eshal notmor
lbe  ethan 250member soft helower
house.Usi ngt he80- 20r ul
e,200oft hatwi l
lbef r
om legisl
ati
vedi st
ricts,and50woul dbe
from party-
listrepresentati
v es.Howev er,theConstit
utionalsoallowedCongr esst ofixthe
numberoft hemember shipoft helowerhouseasi nfact,i
tcancr eateaddi t
ionallegi
slati
ve
dist
ri
ct sasi tmaydeem appr opriat
e.Ascanbeseeni ntheMay2007el ecti
ons, t
herewer e
220di str
ictr epr
esent at
ives,henceappl yingthe80-20r ul
eort he5: 1r ati
o,thereshouldbe
55seat sallottedforpar t
y-l
istrepresent ati
ves.
Howdi
dtheSupr
emeCour
tar
ri
veat55?
 Thi
sist
hef
ormul
a:
(Cur
rentNumberofLegisl
ati
veDist
rict
Repr
esent
ati
ves 
÷0.
80)x(
0.20)=NumberofSeat
s
Avai
labl
etoPar
ty-
ListRepr
esent
ativ
es
Hence,
(
220 
÷0.
80)x(
0.20)=55
II
. 
The20% all
ocati
onf orpart
y-l
i
strepresent
ati
vesismerelyacei
li
ng– meaning,t
he
numberofparty-l
i
strepresent
ati
vesshallnotexceed20% ofthetot
alnumberofthe
membersofthelowerhouse.However
,iti
snotmandator
ythatt
he20%shal
lbef
il
led.
II
I.No.Sect i
on11bofRA7941i sunconsti
tut
ional
.Thereisnoconsti
tuti
onalbasi
stoall
ow
thatonl ypart
y-l
i
stswhichgarner
ed2%oft hevotescastare 
quali
fi
ed f
oraseatandthose
which gar ner
ed less than 2% are di
squali
fi
ed.Further,the 2% thr
eshold cr
eat
es a
mat hemat i
calimpossi
bili
tytoatt
aintheideal80-20appor t
ionment.TheSupremeCour t
explained:
Toi l
lustr
ate:Therear e55avai l
ablepar ty-listseats.Supposet hereare50mi l
l
ionvot escast
forthe100par ticipantsi nthepar t
ylistel ect i
ons. Apartythathast woper centofthevot es
cast,oronemi ll
ionvot es,get saguar ant eedseat .Letusf urtherassumet hatt hef i
rst50
parti
esal lgetonemi l
lionvot es.Only50par ti
esgetaseatdespi tetheavai l
abil
it
yof55
seats.Becauseoft heoper ati
onoft het woper centthreshold,thi
ssituati
onwi l
lrepeati t
sel
f
eveni fwei ncreaset heavai l
ablepar t
y-listseat sto60seat sandeveni fwei ncreaset he
votescastt o100mi ll
ion.Thus,eveni ft hemaxi mum numberofpar t
iesgett woper centof
thevot esforeverypar ty,itisalwaysi mpossi bleforthenumberofoccupi edpar t
y-l
istseats
toexceed50seat sasl ongast hetwoper centt hr
esholdispr esent.
Iti
st her
efor
eclearthatthetwopercentthresholdpresent
sanunwar rant
edobstacletothe
ful
li mplement
ation ofSect i
on 5(2)
,Ar t
icle VIoft he Consti
tut
ion and pr
eventst he
att
ainmentof“thebr oadestpossi
blerepr
esentationofparty
,sect
oralorgroupinter
estsin
t
heHouseofRepr
esent
ati
ves.
”
IV.I
nstead,the2%ruleshoul
dmeant hatifapar
ty-
li
stgar
ner
s2%oft hevotescast,t
henit
i
s guaranteed 
aseat,andnot“qual
i
fied”
.Thisal
lowsthosepar
ty-
li
stsgar
neringlessthan
2%t oalsogetaseat
.
Buthow?TheSupr
emeCour
tlai
ddownt
hef
oll
owi
ngr
ules:
1.Thepar
ti
es,or
gani
zat
ions,andcoal
it
ionsshal
lberankedfrom t
hehi
ghestt
othel
owest
basedont
henumberofvotestheygar
neredduri
ngt
heelecti
ons.
2.Thepart
ies,or
gani
zati
ons,andcoali
ti
onsreceivi
ngatleastt
wopercent(2%)oft
het
otal
vot
escastforthepar
ty-
li
stsyst
em shal
lbeenti
tledtooneguarant
eedseateach.
3.Thosegarneri
ngsuffi
cientnumberofvotes,
accor
dingtother
anki
ngi
nparagr
aph1,
shal
l
beentit
ledtoaddi t
ionalseatsinproport
iontotheirtot
alnumberofvot
esunti
lal
lthe
addi
ti
onalseatsareall
ocated.
4.Eachpar
ty,
organi
zat
ion,
orcoal
i
tionshal
lbeent
it
ledt
onotmor
ethant
hree(
3)seat
s.
I
n comput i
ng the addi
ti
onalseat
s,t he guar
anteed seats shal
lno longerbe i ncl
uded
becauset heyhavealreadybeenal
located,atoneseateach,t oever
ytwo- percent
er.Thus,
ther emaini
ngav ai
l
ableseatsforall
ocati
onas“ addi
ti
onalseat s”ar
et hemaxi mum seats
reservedundert hePar t
yListSystem lesstheguar anteedseats.Fr act
ionalseatsare
disregar
dedi ntheabsenceofapr ovi
sioninR.A.No.7941al l
owingforar oundi
ngoffof
fracti
onalseats.
Inshort,thereshallbetwor oundsindet er
mi ni
ngtheal locati
onoft heseat s.Int hef i
rst
round,al
l part
y-l
ist
swhichgarneredatleast2%oft hevotescast( cal
ledthe t
wo- percenters)
aregivent hei
roneseateach.Thet otalnumberofseat sgi ventotheset wo-percentersar e
thendeduct edfrom t
hetotalavail
abl
eseat sforparty
-l
ists.Inthiscase,17par ty-
li
stswer e
abletogar ner2%each.Therear eat ot
al55seat savail
ablef orpart
y-l
istshence,55mi nus
17=38r emainingseat
s.(Pl
easer ef
ertothefullt
extofthecasef ort
het abul
ation).
Thenumberofr emaini
ng seats,inthi
scase38,shal lbeused i nt hesecond round,
parti
cul
arl
y,i
ndeter
mining,f
ir
st,theaddi
ti
onalseatsforthetwo-percent
ers,andsecond,i
n
determini
ngseat
sfortheparty
-l
istst
hatdidnotgarneratleast2%oft hevotescast,
andin
theprocessf
il
li
ngupthe20%al l
ocati
onforpart
y-l
istr
epresentat
ives.
Howi
sthi
sdone?
Getthetot
alpercent
ageofvotesgarner
edbyt hepart
yandmul t
iplyitagai
nsttheremai
ning
numberofseats.Theproduct
,whichshallnotberoundedoff
,willbetheadditi
onalnumber
ofseatsal
lot
tedforthepar
tyl
ist–butthe3seatlimitrul
eshal
lstil
lbeobserved.
Exampl
e:
I
nt hi
scase,theBUHAYparty-
li
stgar
neredthehighestt
otalvot
eof1,
169,
234whi
chi
s
7.
33%ofthetotal
vot
escastf
orthepar
ty-
li
stel
ect
ions(15,
950,
900).
Appl
yingt
hef or
mul
aabov
e:(
Per
cent
ageofv
otegar
ner
ed)x(
remai
ningseat
s)=numberof
addi
ti
onalseat
Hence,
7.33%x38=2.
79
Roundi
ngof
ftot
henexthi
ghernumber 
i
snotal
l
owedso2.
79r
emai
ns2.BUHAYi
sat
wo-
percent
erwhichmeansithasaguaranteedoneseatPLUSaddit
ional2seatsoratotalof3
seats.Now i
fitsohappensthatBUHAYgot20%oft hevotescast,itwi
l
lsti
llget3seats
becausethe3seatl
imitr
uleprohi
bit
sitfr
om hav
ingmorethan3seat s.
Nowaf teral
lthet
w0-percentersweregiv
enthei
rguarant
eedandaddit
ionalseat
s,andther
e
aresti
llunoccupi
edseats,thoseseatsshal
lbedistr
ibut
edtotheremainingpart
y-l
ist
sand
thosehigheri
nranki
nt hevotingshall
bepri
ori
ti
zeduntil
all
theseat
sareoccupied.
V. 
No.Byavot
eof8-7,
t heSupr
emeCour tcont
inuedt
odisal
lowmajorpol
i
ticalpar
ti
es(
the
l
ikesofUNI
DO,LABAN,etc)f
rom par
ti
ci
pati
nginthepar
ty-
li
stel
ect
ions.
Althought heponenci a( JusticeCar pio)didpoi ntoutthattherei snopr ohibit
ionei therfrom
theConst itutionorf rom RA7941agai nstmaj orpoli
ti
calpartiesf rom par t
icipati
ngi nt he
party-
li
stel ectionsast hewor d“ par ty”wasnotqual if
iedandt hatev ent hef ramer soft he
Const i
tut
ioni nt heirdeliberationsdel iberatel
yal l
owedmaj orpol i
ti
calpar tiest opar ti
cipate
i
nt hepar ty-l
istelectionspr ov i
dedt hatt heyest abl
ishasect oral wingwhi chr epresentst he
mar gi
nali
zed( i
ndir
ectpar ti
ci
pat ion),Just icePuno,i nhissepar ateopi ni
on,concur redby7
otherjusti
ces,expl ai
nedt hatt hewi lloft hepeopl edefeatsthewi l
loft hef r
amer soft he
Const i
tut
ionpr eci
selybecausei tist hepeopl ewhoul ti
mat elyr
at if
iedt heConst it
uti
on–and
thewi l
loft hepeopl eist hatonl yt hemar ginali
zedsect i
onsoft hecount r
yshal lparti
cipate
i
nt hepar ty-l
istelections.Hence,maj orpol i
ti
calparti
escannotpar t
icipatei nt hepar t
y -
li
st
electi
ons,di r
ect l
yorindi rectl
y .
VI.
 Yes,the3seatlimitrulei
sval
i
d.Thi
sisonewayt
oensur
ethatnoonepar
tyshal
l
dominatethepar
ty-
li
stsystem.

KI vs.
LOSBAYAN   MANUELL.MORATO
G.
R.No.118910.Nov
ember16,
1995.

FACTS:  
I
nJan.25,1995,PCSO andPGMCsi gnedanEqui pmentLeaseAgr eement( ELA)wher ei
nPGMC
l
easedonl inelott
er yequi pmentandaccessor i
est oPCSO.( Rentalof4. 3%oft hegr ossamountof
ti
cketor  
atl east 
P35, 000pert ermi nalannual ly
).30%oft henetr eceiptsisallot t
edtochar i
ty.Term
ofleasei sf or8y ears.PCSOi st oempl oyitsownper sonnelandr esponsiblef orthef aci
l
iti
es.Upon
theexpi r
ationofl ease, PCSOmaypur chaset heequi pmentf orP25mi ll
i
on.Feb.21, 1995.Apet it
ion
wasf i
ledt odecl areELA i nvali
dbecausei tist hesameast heCont ractofLeasePet i
ti
oner '
s
Content i
on:ELA wassamet ot heCont ractofLease. .Itisst il
lviolati
veofPCSO' scharter.Itis
viol
ativeoft helawr egar dingpubl i
cbi dding.Itvi
olatesSec.2( 2)ofAr t
.9- Doft he1987Const i
tuti
on.
Standingcannol ongerbequest i
onedbecausei thasbecomet helawoft hecaseRespondent '
sreply:
ELAi sdifferentfrom t heCont ractofLease.Ther ei snobi ddingrequired.Thepowert odetermineif
ELA isadv antageousi sv estedi nt heBoar dofDi rectorsofPCSO.PCSO doesnothav ef unds.
Petit
ionersseekt of ur t
hert heirmor al crusade.Petiti
onersdonothav eal egal standi
ngbecauset hey
werenotpar ti
estot hecont ract 

I
SSUES:
 
Whet
herornott
hepet
it
ioner
shav
est
andi
ng?

HELD:
NO.STAREDECI
SIScannotappl
y.Thepr
evi
ousr
uli
ngsust
aini
ngt
hest
andi
ngoft
hepet
it
ioner
sisa
depar t
uref rom t heset t
ledruli
ngson r ealparti
esi ninterestbecausenoconst i
tuti
onalissueswer e
act uall
yinv olved.  LAW OFTHECASEcannotal soappl y.Sincethepr esentcasei snotthesameone
l
itigatedbyt hepar ti
esbef oreinKilosbay anvs.Gui ngona,Jr .
,therulingcannotbei nanysensebe
regar dedast hel aw oft hiscase.Thepar ti
esar ethesamebutt hecasesar enot .RULEON
CONCLUSI VENESScannotst il
lapply.Ani ssueact uall
yanddi rectl
ypasseduponanddet ermineina
formersui tcannotagai nbedr awni nquest ioni nanyf utureact i
onbet weent hesamepar t
ies
i
nv olv i
ngadi f
fer entcauseofact i
on.Butt her ul
edoesnotappl yt oi ssuesofl aw atl eastwhen
subst antiall
yunr elatedclaimsar einvol
v ed.Whent hesecondpr oceedi nginvolv
esani nst r
umentor
transact i
oni dent icalwith,butinaf orm separablefrom t heonedeal twi thinthefir
stproceeding,the
Cour tisf reei nthesecondpr oceedingt omakeani ndependentexami nati
onoft helegalmat ter
sat
i
ssue.Si nceELAi sadi f
ferentcontract,thepreviousdeci si
ondoesnotpr ecludedeterminati
onoft he
pet i
tioner'
sst andi ng.STANDI NG isaconcepti n constitut
ionallaw and her eno const it
uti
onal
quest ioni sact uallyinvolved.Themor eappr opriateissuei swhet hert hepet i
ti
onersar eREAL
PARTI ESi nINTEREST.  

Fr
anci
scov
sHouseofRepr
esent
ati
ves
I
mpeachment
;Pol
i
ticalQuest
ion;
Judi
cialBr
anch
 
 
FRANCI
SCOVS.HOUSEOFREPRESENTATI
VES
G.
R.NO.160261.Nov
ember10,
2003
ERNESTOB.FRANCI SCO, JR.,
 peti
ti
oner,
NAGMAMALASAKI TNAMGAMANANANGGOLNGMGAMANGGAGAWANGPI LIPI
NO, I
NC.,I
TS
OFFICERSANDMEMBERS,  
petit
ioner
-in-
int
ervent
ion,
WORLDWARI IVETERANSLEGI ONARI ESOFTHEPHI LI
PPINES,I
NC.,
 
peti
ti
oner
-i
n-i
nter
vent
ion,
vs.
THEHOUSEOFREPRESENTATI VES, REPRESENTEDBYSPEAKERJOSEG.DEVENECI A,THE
SENATE,REPRESENTEDBYSENATEPRESI DENTFRANKLI NM.DRILON,REPRESENTATIVE
GILBERTOC.TEODORO, JR.ANDREPRESENTATI VEFELI XWILLI
AM B.
FUENTEBELLA, 
respondents.
JAIMEN.SORIANO,  
respondent-i
n-I
nterv
ention,
SENATORAQUI LINOQ.PI MENTEL,  r
espondent-i
n-i
nterv
enti
on.
 
 
 
Fact
s:

1. On28Nov
ember2001,
the12t
hCongr
essoft
heHouseofRepr
esent
ati
vesadopt
edand
appr
ovedt
heRul
esofPr
ocedur
einI
mpeachmentPr
oceedi
ngs,
super
sedi
ngt
hepr
evi
ousHouse
I
mpeachmentRul
esappr
ovedbyt
he11t
hCongr
ess.
2. On22Jul
y2002,
theHouseofRepr
esent
ati
vesadopt
edaResol
uti
on,
whi
chdi
rect
edt
he
Commi
tt
eeonJust
ice“
toconductani
nvest
igat
ion,
inai
dofl
egi
sl
ati
on,
ont
hemannerof
di
sbur
sement
sandexpendi
tur
esbyt
heChi
efJust
iceoft
heSupr
emeCour
toft
heJudi
ci
ary
Dev
elopmentFund(
JDF)
.
3. On2June2003,
for
merPr
esi
dentJosephE.Est
radaf
il
edani
mpeachmentcompl
aint(
fi
rst
i
mpeachmentcompl
aint
)agai
nstChi
efJust
iceHi
l
ari
oG.Dav
ideJr
.andsev
enAssoci
ate
Just
icesoft
heSupr
emeCour
tfor“
cul
pabl
evi
olat
ionoft
heConst
it
uti
on,
bet
ray
aloft
hepubl
i
c
t
rustandot
herhi
ghcr
imes.
”Thecompl
aintwasendor
sedbyHouseRepr
esent
ati
ves,
andwas
r
efer
redt
otheHouseCommi
tt
eeonJust
iceon5August2003i
naccor
dancewi
thSect
ion3(
2)
ofAr
ti
cleXIoft
heConst
it
uti
on.TheHouseCommi
tt
eeonJust
icer
uledon13Oct
ober2003t
hat
t
hef
ir
sti
mpeachmentcompl
aintwas“
suf
fi
cienti
nfor
m,”butv
otedt
odi
smi
sst
hesameon22
Oct
ober2003f
orbei
ngi
nsuf
fi
cienti
nsubst
ance.
4. Thef
oll
owi
ngdayoron23Oct
ober2003,
thesecondi
mpeachmentcompl
aintwasf
il
edwi
tht
he
Secr
etar
yGener
aloft
heHousebyHouseRepr
esent
ati
vesagai
nstChi
efJust
iceHi
l
ari
oG.
Dav
ide,
Jr.
,foundedont
heal
l
egedr
esul
tsoft
hel
egi
sl
ati
vei
nqui
ryi
nit
iat
edbyabov
e-ment
ioned
HouseResol
uti
on.Thesecondi
mpeachmentcompl
aintwasaccompani
edbya“
Resol
uti
onof
Endor
sement
/Impeachment
”si
gnedbyatl
east1/
3ofal
ltheMember
soft
heHouseof
Repr
esent
ati
ves.
5. Var
iouspet
it
ionsf
orcer
ti
orar
i,pr
ohi
bit
ion,
andmandamuswer
efi
l
edwi
tht
heSupr
emeCour
t
agai
nstt
heHouseofRepr
esent
ati
ves,
et.al
.,
mostofwhi
chpet
it
ionscont
endt
hatt
hef
il
ingof
t
hesecondi
mpeachmentcompl
ainti
sunconst
it
uti
onal
asi
tvi
olat
est
hepr
ovi
si
onofSect
ion5
ofAr
ti
cleXIoft
heConst
it
uti
ont
hat“
[n]
oimpeachmentpr
oceedi
ngsshal
lbei
nit
iat
edagai
nstt
he
sameof
fi
cial
mor
ethanoncewi
thi
naper
iodofoney
ear
.”

I
ssues:

1. Whet
herornott
heof
fensesal
l
egedi
ntheSecondi
mpeachmentcompl
aintconst
it
utev
ali
d
i
mpeachabl
eof
fensesundert
heConst
it
uti
on.
2. Whet
herornotSect
ions15and16ofRul
eVoft
heRul
esonI
mpeachmentadopt
edbyt
he12t
h
Congr
essar
eunconst
it
uti
onal
forv
iol
ati
ngt
hepr
ovi
si
onsofSect
ion3,
Art
icl
eXIoft
he
Const
it
uti
on.
3. Whet
hert
hesecondi
mpeachmentcompl
ainti
sbar
redunderSect
ion3(
5)ofAr
ti
cl
eXIoft
he
Const
it
uti
on.

 
 
Rul
i
ngs:

1. Thi
sissuei
sanon-
just
ici
abl
epol
i
tical
quest
ionwhi
chi
sbey
ondt
hescopeoft
hej
udi
ci
alpower
 oft
heSupr
emeCour
tunderSect
ion1,
Art
icl
eVI
IIoft
heConst
it
uti
on.
1. Anydi
scussi
onoft
hisi
ssuewoul
drequi
ret
heCour
ttomakeadet
ermi
nat
ionofwhat
const
it
utesani
mpeachabl
eof
fense.Suchadet
ermi
nat
ioni
sapur
elypol
i
tical
quest
ion
whi
cht
heConst
it
uti
onhasl
eftt
othesounddi
scr
eti
onoft
hel
egi
sl
ati
on.Suchani
ntenti
s
cl
earf
rom t
hedel
i
ber
ati
onsoft
heConst
it
uti
onal
Commi
ssi
on.
2. Cour
tswi
l
lnott
oucht
hei
ssueofconst
it
uti
onal
i
tyunl
essi
tist
rul
yunav
oidabl
eandi
sthe
v
ery
 l
ismot
a or
 cr
ux 
oft
hecont
rov
ersy
.
2. TheRul
eofI
mpeachmentadopt
edbyt
heHouseofCongr
essi
sunconst
it
uti
onal
.
1. Sect
ion3ofAr
ti
cl
eXIpr
ovi
dest
hat“
TheCongr
essshal
lpr
omul
gat
eit
srul
eson
i
mpeachmentt
oef
fect
ivel
ycar
ryoutt
hepur
poseoft
hissect
ion.
”Cl
ear
ly,
itspowert
o
pr
omul
gat
eit
srul
esoni
mpeachmenti
sli
mit
edbyt
hephr
ase“
toef
fect
ivel
ycar
ryoutt
he
pur
poseoft
hissect
ion.
”Hence,
theser
ulescannotcont
rav
enet
hev
erypur
poseoft
he
Const
it
uti
onwhi
chsai
drul
eswer
eint
endedt
oef
fect
ivel
ycar
ryout
.Mor
eov
er,
Sect
ion3of
Ar
ti
cleXIcl
ear
lypr
ovi
desf
orot
herspeci
fi
cli
mit
ati
onsoni
tspowert
omaker
ules.
2. I
tisbasi
cthatal
lrul
esmustnotcont
rav
enet
heConst
it
uti
onwhi
chi
sthef
undament
all
aw.
I
fasal
l
egedCongr
esshadabsol
uter
ulemaki
ngpower
,theni
twoul
dbynecessar
y
i
mpl
i
cat
ionhav
ethepowert
oal
teroramendt
hemeani
ngoft
heConst
it
uti
onwi
thoutneed
ofr
efer
endum.
3. I
tfal
l
swi
thi
ntheoney
earbarpr
ovi
dedi
ntheConst
it
uti
on.
1. Hav
ingconcl
udedt
hatt
hei
nit
iat
iont
akespl
acebyt
heactoff
il
ingoft
hei
mpeachment
compl
aintandr
efer
ral
tot
heHouseCommi
tt
eeonJust
ice,
thei
nit
ial
act
iont
akent
her
eon,
t
hemeani
ngofSect
ion3(
5)ofAr
ti
cleXIbecomescl
ear
.Onceani
mpeachmentcompl
aint
hasbeeni
nit
iat
edi
nthef
oregoi
ngmanner
,anot
hermaynotbef
il
edagai
nstt
hesame
of
fi
cial
wit
hinaoney
earper
iodf
oll
owi
ngAr
ti
cleXI
,Sect
ion3(
5)oft
heConst
it
uti
on.
2. Consi
der
ingt
hatt
hef
ir
sti
mpeachmentcompl
aint
,wasf
il
edbyf
ormerPr
esi
dentEst
rada
agai
nstChi
efJust
iceHi
l
ari
oG.Dav
ide,
Jr.
,al
ongwi
thsev
enassoci
atej
ust
icesoft
hisCour
t,
onJune2,
2003andr
efer
redt
otheHouseCommi
tt
eeonJust
iceonAugust5,
2003,
the
secondi
mpeachmentcompl
aintf
il
edbyRepr
esent
ati
vesGi
l
ber
toC.Teodor
o,Jr
.andFel
i
x
Wi
l
li
am Fuent
ebel
l
aagai
nstt
heChi
efJust
iceonOct
ober23,
2003v
iol
atest
heconst
it
uti
onal
pr
ohi
bit
ionagai
nstt
hei
nit
iat
ionofi
mpeachmentpr
oceedi
ngsagai
nstt
hesame
i
mpeachabl
eof
fi
cerwi
thi
naone-
yearper
iod.

 
Hence,Secti
ons16and17ofRul eVoftheRulesofPr ocedur
ei nImpeachmentPr oceedingswhich
wereapprovedbyt heHouseofRepresent
ati
vesonNov ember28, 2001areunconstit
utional.
Consequentl
y ,
thesecondimpeachmentcompl ai
ntagainstChiefJusti
ceHil
ari
oG.Dav i
de, Jr
.which
wasfil
edbyRepr esent
ati
vesGilber
toC.Teodoro,Jr.andFeli
xWi l
li
am B.Fuentebell
awi ththeOf
fice
oftheSecret
aryGeneraloftheHouseofRepresentativ
esonOct ober23,2003isbar r
edunder
par
agraph5, sect
ion3ofArticl
eXIoftheConstit
uti
on.