Maria Carolina P. Araullo Et. Al
Maria Carolina P. Araullo Et. Al
Maria Carolina P. Araullo Et. Al
Facts:
The DBM soon came out to claim in its website that the DAP releases had
been sourced from savings generated by the Government, and from
unprogrammed funds; and that the savings had been derived from (1) the pooling
of unreleased and (2) the withdrawal of unobligated allotments also for slow-
moving programs and projects that had been earlier released to the agencies of the
National Government.
The petitioners brought to the Court’s attention NBC No. 541 (Adoption of
Operational Efficiency Measure – Withdrawal of Agencies’ Unobligated Allotments
as of June 30, 2012), alleging that NBC No. 541, which was issued to implement the
DAP, directed the withdrawal of unobligated allotments as of June 30, 2012 of
government agencies and offices with low levels of obligations, both for continuing
and current allotments.
Issue:
Nonetheless, as Justice Brion has pointed out during the deliberations, the
doctrine of operative fact does not always apply, and is not always the
consequence of every declaration of constitutional invalidity. It can be
invoked only in situations where the nullification of the effects of what used
to be a valid law would result in inequity and injustice; but where no such
result would ensue, the general rule that an unconstitutional law is totally
ineffective should apply.
In that context, as Justice Brion has clarified, the doctrine of operative fact
can apply only to the PAPs that can no longer be undone, and whose
beneficiaries relied in good faith on the validity of the DAP, but cannot apply
to the authors, proponents and implementors of the DAP, unless there are
concrete findings of good faith in their favor by the proper tribunals
determining their criminal, civil, administrative and other liabilities.