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    Municipal Corporations Public Corporations

    Uploaded by

    Angela Trilles
    Local governments in the Philippines are classified as either public or private corporations. Public corporations are organized for governmental purposes by the state, like municipalities. Municipalities are considered both a body politic and corporate, constituted by citizens for local government. They are viewed as either political subdivisions tasked with certain government functions, or territorial subdivisions representing a place.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Municipal Corporations Public Corporations

    Uploaded by

    Angela Trilles
    74 views290 pages
    Local governments in the Philippines are classified as either public or private corporations. Public corporations are organized for governmental purposes by the state, like municipalities. Municipalities are considered both a body politic and corporate, constituted by citizens for local government. They are viewed as either political subdivisions tasked with certain government functions, or territorial subdivisions representing a place.

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    Local governments in the Philippines are classified as either public or private corporations. Public corporations are organized for governmental purposes by the state, like municipalities. Municipalities are considered both a body politic and corporate, constituted by citizens for local government. They are viewed as either political subdivisions tasked with certain government functions, or territorial subdivisions representing a place.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    74 views290 pages

    Municipal Corporations Public Corporations

    Uploaded by

    Angela Trilles
    Local governments in the Philippines are classified as either public or private corporations. Public corporations are organized for governmental purposes by the state, like municipalities. Municipalities are considered both a body politic and corporate, constituted by citizens for local government. They are viewed as either political subdivisions tasked with certain government functions, or territorial subdivisions representing a place.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 290

    LOCALGOVERNMENTLAW

    PARTI–GENERALPRI
    NCI
    PLES
    A.Cor
    por
    ati
    on
    - 1.Def
    ini
    ti
    on
    o Anart
    if
    ici
    albei
    ngcr eatedbyoper
    ationofl
    aw,havingther
    ightofsuccessi
    on
    andthepowers,att r
    ibut
    esandpr oper
    ti
    esexpresslyaut
    hori
    zedbyl aw or
    i
    nci
    denttoit
    sexist
    ence
    - 2.Cl
    assi
    fi
    cat
    ion
    o Cl
    assi
    fi
    cat
    ionofcor
    por
    ati
    onsaccor
    dingt
    opur
    pose:
     a.Publi
    c–i sacorporationt
    hatiscreatedbythest
    ate,ei
    therbygener
    al
    orspecialact
    ,forpur posesofadmi nist
    rat
    ionoflocalgovernmentor
    render
    ingofserv
    iceint hepubl
    i
    ci nt
    erest.
     b.Pr
    ivat
    e–f
    ormedf
    orsomepr
    ivat
    epur
    pose,
    benef
    it
    ,ai
    m orend
    - 3.Publ
    i
    candPr
    ivat
    eCor
    por
    ati
    ons,
    dist
    ingui
    shed
    o Publ
    i
    c–or
    gani
    zedf
    ort
    hegov
    ernmentofapor
    ti
    onoft
    hest
    ate
    o Pr
    ivat
    e–f
    ormedf
    orsomepr
    ivat
    epur
    pose,
    benef
    it
    ,ai
    m orend
    - 4.Publ
    i
    cCor
    por
    ati
    on,
    classi
    fi
    ed
    o Cl
    assesofpubl
    i
    ccor
    por
    ati
    ons:
    i
    .Quasi-
    publ
    iccorpor
    ati
    on–cr eatedbythestat
    eforanarr
    oworli
    mited
    pur
    pose;a pri
    vatecorporat
    ion creat
    ed pur
    suanttotheCorporat
    ion
    Codethatr
    enderspubl
    icserv
    iceorsuppli
    espubli
    cwants
     Examples:Publ
    icuti
    l
    itycompanies,el
    ect
    ri
    ccompani
    es,wat
    er
    di
    str
    ict
    s,tel
    ecommunicat
    ioncompani
    es
    i
    i.Realpubl
    iccorporati
    on/Munici
    palcor
    porat
    ion–abodypol i
    ti
    cand
    cor
    porat
    econstit
    utedbyt hei ncor
    porat
    ionofthei
    nhabi
    tant
    sf ort
    he
    pur
    poseoflocal
    gov ernment
    - 5.Muni
    cipalcor
    por
    ati
    on,
    def
    ined
    o Percepti
    onofl ocalgovernments:Alocalgover
    nmentisnotonl yamuni ci
    pal
    corporat
    ion,meani ngwedon’ tl
    ookatitasanentityoracor porat
    ionthatis
    cl
    othedwi thaper sonal
    it
    y.It
    ’salsoper
    ceivedasei
    therpol
    i
    ticalsubdiv
    isi
    onor
    aterri
    tor
    ialsubdiv
    ision.
    Ifwetalkaboutpoli
    ti
    calsubdiv
    isi
    on,
    thenwelookatl
    ocalgover
    nment
    s
    asagentsoft henat
    ionalgover
    nmentsandt
    heref
    ore,
    taskedt
    operf
    orm
    cert
    aingovernmentfuncti
    ons.
    I
    fwet
    alkaboutt
    err
    it
    ori
    alsubdi
    vi
    sion,
    wel
    ookati
    tasapl
    ace.
     Basi
    s:Sec.1Art.10Consti-Theterri
    tor
    ialandpol i
    ticalsubdi
    v i
    sionsof
    theRepubli
    cofthePhil
    ippinesar
    et hepr ovi
    nces,cities,munici
    palit
    ies,
    and barangay
    s.Ther e shallbe aut onomous r egions in Musl im
    MindanaoandtheCordi
    ll
    erasashereinaft
    erprovided.
     Butnotonl
    ythat
    ,wehav
    etodealwi
    thl
    ocalgov
    ernment
    sassomet
    hing
    t
    hathasl
    i
    fe,
    somet
    hingt
    hatper
    for
    msact
    swi
    thl
    egal
    eff
    ect
    s.
    B.Muni
    cipal
    Cor
    por
    ati
    ons
    - 1.El
    ement
    s
    o a.Legalcr eation ori ncor
    por
    ati
    on – the l
    aw creat
    ing oraut
    hori
    zi
    ng the
    creati
    onori ncorporati
    onofamuni ci
    palcor
    porat
    ion;t
    helawthatest
    abl
    ished
    thelgu,ei
    therbyst atut
    eorordi
    nanceinthecaseofbar
    angays.
    o b.Cor
    por
    atename–t
    henamebywhi
    cht
    hecor
    por
    ati
    onshal
    lbeknown
     Exampl
    e:Ci
    tyofCebu(
    Basi
    s–t
    hechar
    ter
    )
     Sec.13–Thesangguni angpanl al
    awiganmay ,i
    nconsultati
    onwi t
    ht he
    Phili
    ppi neHistori
    calI
    nst
    itut
    e,changet henameofcomponentci t
    iesand
    muni cipali
    ti
    es,upontherecommendat i
    onofthesanggunianconcerned;
    providedt hatt hesameshal lbeef fecti
    veonlyuponr ati
    fi
    cati
    oni na
    pl
    ebi scite conducted f
    ort he purpose inthe poli
    ti
    caluni tdirectl
    y
    affected.
    o c.I
    nhabi
    tant
    s–t
    hepeopl
    eresi
    dingi
    nthet
    err
    it
    oryoft
    hecor
    por
    ati
    on
    o d.Terr
    it
    ory–thelandmasswherethei nhabi
    tant
    sresi
    de,t
    oget
    herwit
    hthe
    i
    nter
    nalandext
    ernalwat
    ers,
    andt
    heairspaceabovethel
    andandwater
    s.
    - 2.DualNat
    ureandFunct
    ions
    oI
    thasdual
    funct
    ions,
    namel
    y:
     a.Publ i
    corgov ernmentalorpoli
    t i
    cal–Itactsasanagentoft hestate
    forthegov ernmentoftheterri
    toryandtheinhabi t
    ants;t
    hisi nvolv
    est he
    admi ni
    strat
    ionofpower soft hest ateand thepr omotionofpubl i
    c
    welfare;i
    nt hi
    sregard,
    wecal lalguasapol it
    icalsubdivi
    sion, t
    hat’swhy
    beingapol iti
    calsubdi
    visi
    on,itisanagentoft henat i
    onalgov er
    nment
    andbei nganagentoft henationalgovernment ,theprincipalisgiving
    theagentt hetaskofadmi nist
    eringitspower,that’swhywehav elocal
    taxati
    on,localpol
    icepowerandl ocaleminentdomai n
     Examples:Localpol
    ice power
    ,localt
    axat
    ion,l
    ocalemi
    nent
    domain,publ
    i
    cworks
     b.Pri
    vat
    eorpr opri
    etary–Itactsasanagentoft hecommuni tyinthe
    admini
    str
    ationofl ocalaf
    fai
    rs.Assuch,itactsasasepar ateenti
    ty,f
    or
    i
    tsownpur poses,andnotasasubdi visi
    onofthestat
    e.Aki ndofpower
    thatis exercised for t
    he specialbenefitand adv antage of the
    community,thus,i
    t’snotanecessarybenefi
    t,i
    t’
    ssomethingthatthelgu
    candowithout.
     Exampl
    es:Maint
    enanceofparks,cemet
    eri
    es,est
    abl
    i
    shmentof
    market
    s,f
    iest
    asandrecr
    eat
    ion
    o Basis:Secti
    on15.Pol
    it
    icalandCorporateNatur
    eofLocalGov ernmentUni t
    s.-
    Everylocalgover
    nmentunitcreat
    edorr ecogni
    zedundert hi
    sCodei sabody
    poli
    ticandcorpor
    ateendowedwi t
    hpower stobeexercisedbyitinconf or
    mi t
    y
    withlaw.Assuch,itshallexerci
    sepower sasapol it
    icalsubdivisi
    onoft he
    nati
    onalgov er
    nmentandasacor porateenti
    tyr
    epresenti
    ngthei nhabit
    antsof
    i
    tst
    err
    it
    ory
    .
     So,
    thef
    ramewor
    kther
    efor
    eisaccount
    abi
    l
    ity
    :
    Ift
    hel guisexercisi
    ngagov ernmentalfuncti
    on,thenitbecomes
    accountablet ot he nati
    onalgov ernment,buti fthe lgu i
    s
    exerci
    singcorporati
    onfuncti
    ons,t
    heni tisnotaccountabl
    et ot
    he
    nati
    onal gov
    ernmentbutitisaccountabletothepeople.
    o BarQuest i
    on:Johnnywas empl oyed as a dr
    iverbyt he Munici
    pali
    tyof
    Calumpit
    .Whiledriv
    ingrecklesslyamunicipaldumpt ruckwi thitsloadof
    sand forthe repai
    rofmuni cipalstr
    eets,Johnny hita j eepney and 2
    passenger
    softhejeepneydied.Isthemunici
    pali
    tyli
    abl
    ef orthenegli
    genceof
    Johnny?
     YES,
    underSec.24:
     Secti
    on24.Liabi
    li
    tyforDamages.-Localgov
    ernmentuni
    tsand
    thei
    roffi
    ci
    alsarenotexemptfrom l
    i
    abil
    it
    yfordeat
    horinj
    uryto
    personsordamagetoproper
    ty.
     Whet
    hert
    heacti
    sgov
    ernment
    alorpr
    opr
    iet
    ary
     Al
    ter
    nat
    iveanswer
    :
     NO.I fitisgovernmentalact,then,asar ule,thereisnol i
    abi
    li
    ty
    exceptonl ywheni tisperformedbyaspeci alagent,suchthat
    conversely,i
    fitispropr
    iet
    ary,thentheagentoft hestatecannot
    enjoythatpr i
    vil
    egebecausei tispr opr
    ietaryandt heref
    ore,not
    rel
    atedt othenati
    onalgovernment,thenitshouldbehel dli
    abl
    e.
    o BARALI
    DASANVSCOMELEC
    I
    namuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyinMi ndanao,i
    twascreat
    edbyastatut
    e.Thepr
    obl
    em
    waswhensuchl aw waspassed,itenumerat
    edbarangay
    sorbarr
    ios
    bel
    ongi
    ngtoadif
    ferentprovi
    nce.
     Couldwei ndulgeintheassumptionthatCongresssti
    llintended,bythe
    Act,tocr eatetherestr
    ict
    edar eaofninebarriosi
    nt het ownsofBut i
    g
    andBal abagani nLanaodelSurintothetownofDi anaton,ifthetwelve
    barr
    ios int he t
    owns ofBul don and Parang,Cotabat o weret o be
    excludedt heref
    rom?Theanswermustbei nthenegative.
     Municipalcorpor
    ati
    onsperformt winfunct
    ions.Fir
    stl
    y.Theyserv
    easan
    i
    nstrumentali
    tyoftheStat
    ei ncarryi
    ngoutt hefuncti
    onsofgovernment.
    Secondly.Theyactasanagencyoft hecommuni tyintheadmini
    str
    ati
    on
    oflocalaff
    air
    s.Iti
    sinthelattercharact
    erthattheyareaseparat
    eentit
    y
    acti
    ngf ort
    heirownpurposesandnotasubdi vi
    sionoftheStat
    e.
     Consequent
    ly,sev
    eralfact
    orscomet ot hef
    orei
    ntheconsiderat
    ionof
    whethera group ofbar r
    ios i
    s capabl
    e ofmaint
    aini
    ng i
    tselfas an
    i
    ndependentmunicipal
    i
    ty.Amongstt hesear
    epopulati
    on,t
    erri
    tor
    y,and
    i
    ncome.
     Whent hefor
    egoingbil
    lwaspresent
    edinCongr
    ess,unquesti
    onabl
    y,the
    tot
    ali
    tyofthetwenty-
    onebarri
    os— notni
    nebarri
    os— wasi nthemi nd
    oftheproponentther
    eof.Thatthi
    sisso,i
    splai
    nlyevidentbythefact
    thatt hebi lli
    tself, thereafterenact edi ntol aw, statest hatt heseatoft he
    gov ernmenti sinTogai g,whi chi sabar rioi nthemuni cipalityofBul don
    i
    nCot abat o.Andt hent her educedar eaposesanumberofquest ions,
    thus:Coul dt he obser v ations as t o pr ogressive communi ty
    ,l ar ge
    aggr egat e popul at i
    on,col lectivei ncome suf fi
    cientt o mai nt
    ain an
    i
    ndependentmuni ci
    pality,st il
    lappl yt oamot leygr oupofonl yni ne
    bar r
    iosoutoft het went y-
    one?I si tfairt oassumet hatt hei nhabi t
    ant sof
    thesai dremai ningbar rioswoul dhav eagr eedt hatt heybef ormedi nt oa
    muni cipali
    ty,whatwi tht he consequentdut i
    es and l i
    abili
    ties ofan
    i
    ndependentmuni cipalcor por ation?Coul dt heyst andont heirownf eet
    witht hei ncomet obeder ivedi nt heircommuni ty?Howaboutt hepeace
    andor der,sanitat i
    on,andot hercor por ateobl igations?Thi sCour tmay
    notsuppl yt heanswert oanyoft hesedi sturbingquest ions.Andy et ,to
    remai ndeaft ot hesepr obl ems,ort oanswert hem i nt henegat iveand
    sti
    llcl i
    ngt other uleonsepar abili
    ty ,wear eaf raid,i st oi mput et o
    Congr essanundecl aredwi l
    l.Wi tht heknownpr emi set hatDi anat on
    wascr eatedupont hebasi cconsi der ationsofpr ogressi vecommuni ty,
    l
    argeaggr egatepopul ationandsuf ficienti ncome,wemaynotnowsay
    thatCongr essi ntendedt ocr eat eDi anat onwi thonl yni ne— oft he
    originalt went y
    -one— bar ri
    os,wi thaseatofgov ernmentst i
    lllefttobe
    conj ect ur
    ed. For ,t his undul y st retches j udiciali nterpret at
    ion of
    congr essionali ntentbey ondcr edi bili
    typoi nt.Todoso,i ndeed,i st o
    passt hel inewhi chci rcumscr ibest hej udi ciaryandt readonl egislative
    premi ses.Pay ingduer espectt ot het raditi
    onalsepar ationofpower s,
    wemaynotnowmel tandr ecastRepubl i
    cAct4790t or eadaDi anat on
    townofni neinst eadoft heor iginallyint endedt went y-onebar rios.Real l
    y,
    i
    ft heseni nebar riosar et oconst i
    tut eat ownatal l,i
    ti st hef unct i
    onof
    Congr ess, notoft hi sCour t
    , tospel loutt hatcongr essionalwi ll
    .
     Republi
    cAct4790i
    sthusi
    ndi
    vi
    sibl
    e,andi
    tisaccor
    dingl
    ynul
    landv
    oid
    i
    nitstotal
    i
    ty.
     Thei deat hatitmustbeself-
    suf
    fi
    cientther
    efor
    ei srel
    evanttot
    he
    secondf uncti
    onthatitmustbeacor por
    ateenti
    tyrepr
    esenti
    ngt
    he
    i
    nhabitantsofthecommuni
    ty.
    o SURI
    GAOELECTRI
    CCO.I
    NC.VSMUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFSURI
    GAO
     WhenMuni ci
    pali
    tyofsur i
    gaowantedtooper at
    eanelectri
    ccompanyof
    i
    tsown,i tdidsowi t
    houtaCPC,pur suanttothePubl i
    cServi
    ceAct
    whichsaysthat“ governmenti
    nstrumentali
    ti
    esorent i
    ti
    esareexempt
    fr
    om getti
    ngCPCi ftheydeci
    detooperatepublicut
    il
    it
    ycompanies”.The
    pri
    vate el
    ect
    ric company argued thata l gu i
    s nota gov er
    nment
    i
    nstrumental
    i
    tyorent i
    ty.
     Therehasbeenar ecogni
    ti
    onbyt hi
    sCour toft hedualcharact erofa
    municipalcorporati
    on,oneasgov ernmental,being abr anchoft he
    generaladminist
    rati
    onoft hestate,andtheot herasquasi-pri
    v at eand
    corporate……………I twould,ther
    efore,betoer odet heter
    m" gov er nment
    enti
    ti
    es"ofi t
    s meani ng ifwe ar et or ev erse the Publi
    c Ser vi
    ce
    Commi ssi
    onandt oholdthatamuni cipal
    i
    tyist obeconsi deredout si
    de
    i
    tsscope.
     So,theSCsaidt hatasal gupossessingthefir
    stfunct
    ionofbeingan
    agentoft hestateand thatisbei ng apolit
    icalsubdivi
    sion,i
    tisa
    governmentinstrumental
    i
    ty orentity
    ,t her
    efore,itis exemptf r
    om
    obtai
    ningtheCPCaspr ovi
    dedforinthePubli
    cSer vi
    ceAct.
    - 3.Sour
    cesofPower
    s
    o 1987const
    iAr
    t.10
    o RA7160–LGCof1991whi
    cht
    ookef
    fectonJanuar
    y1,
    1992
    o St
    atut
    esoract
    sthatar
    enoti
    nconsi
    stentwi
    tht
    heConst
    iandt
    heLGC
    o Char
    ter–t
    hel
    awt
    hatcr
    eat
    est
    heLGU
    o Doctr
    ineoftheri
    ghtofsel
    f-
    gov
    ernment
    ,butappl
    i
    esonl
    yinst
    ateswhi
    ch
    adher
    etothedoct
    ri
    ne
    - 4.Cl
    assi
    fi
    cat
    ionofPower
    s
    oi
    .expr
    ess,i
    mpli
    ed,i
    nherent(
    powersnecessar
    yandproperforgov
    ernance,e.
    g.
    t
    o promote heal
    th and safet
    y,enhance prosper
    it
    y,improve morals of
    i
    nhabi
    tant
    s)
    oi
    i
    .publ
    i
    corgov
    ernment
    al,
    pri
    vat
    eorpr
    opr
    iet
    ary
    oi
    i
    i.i
    ntr
    amur
    al,
    ext
    ramur
    al
    oi
    v.mandat
    ory
    ,di
    rect
    ory
    ;mi
    nist
    eri
    al,
    discr
    eti
    onar
    y
    - 5.Ty
    pesofMuni
    ci
    palCor
    por
    ati
    ons
    oi
    .Dej ur
    e–cr
    eat
    edwi
    thal
    ltheel
    ement
    sofamuni
    cipalcor
    por
    ati
    onbei
    ng
    pr
    esent
    oi
    i.Defacto–wher etherei
    scol
    orabl
    ecompl
    i
    ance(notful
    lorcomplet
    e,but
    si
    mplycolor
    able,meaningal
    mostorseemsl
    ike)wi
    ththerequi
    sit
    esofade
    j
    uremunici
    palcorpor
    ati
    on
     Exampleofcol
    orabl
    ecompli
    ance:Ther
    e’sal
    awcr
    eat
    ingt
    hemuni
    cipal
    corpor
    ati
    onbuti
    tisdef
    ect
    ive
     Whi
    chmuni
    ci
    pal
    cor
    por
    ati
    onact
    swi
    thl
    egal
    aff
    ect
    s?
     BOTH
     Phi
    l
    osophybehi
    ndaccept
    ingdef
    act
    omuni
    cipal
    cor
    por
    ati
    on:
     Wher et hereisaut horit
    yinl aw f
    oramuni ci
    palcorporat
    ion,the
    organization oft he peopl e ofa gi ven t
    err
    it
    ory as such a
    corporationundert hecol orofdelegatedaut
    hori
    tyfol
    lowedbya
    useringoodf ait
    hoft hegovernmentalpowerswil
    lberecognized
    bylawasmuni ci
    pal corporat
    iondefacto
     Wherethr
    ough the fai
    l
    ureto comply wit
    h const
    it
    utionalor
    st
    atut
    oryr
    equi
    rements,t
    hecor
    porat
    ioncannotbeconsideredde
    j
    ure
     Whatar
    ethebasesorr
    easonsf
    ordef
    act
    omuni
    cipal
    cor
    por
    ati
    on?
     Secur
    it
    y
     Pr
    escr
    ipt
    ion
    o Meani
    ng,
    lguscanexi
    stv
    iapr
    escr
    ipt
    ion.
     The basi
    sfort
    his doct
    ri
    ne i
    sthe v
    ery st
    rong publ
    i
    c pol
    i
    cy
    suppor
    ti
    ng:
    oi
    .Secur
    it
    yofl
    gus;
    and
    oi
    i.Conductoft
    hei
    rbusinessagai
    nstat
    tackgroundedupon
    col
    lat
    erali
    nqui
    ryi
    ntot
    hel egal
    i
    tyoft
    hei
    rorgani
    zati
    on
     Whati
    stheoper
    ati
    vef
    actdoct
    ri
    ne?
     Cert
    ainlegalef
    fect
    softhest at
    utepri
    ort
    oit
    sdecl
    arat
    ionof
    unconst
    it
    uti
    onal
    it
    ymayberecogni
    zed.
     Thisi sthemoder nv iew regardingt heeff
    ectsofdeclar
    ati
    onof
    unconst i
    tut
    ional
    it
    yofal aw,meani ngi falaw forexamplethat
    createsal guwi l
    lbedecl aredasunconst i
    tut
    ional
    ,thecourtis
    mindf ulthatduring t he int
    erim,t hatlgu musthav e al
    ready
    performedact spursuantt oit
    sbei ngalgu.
    o How dowetreatt
    heseacts?Shoul
    dweconsi
    dert
    hem as
    voi
    dacts,
    wit
    hnoeffect
    s?
    o Theoperati
    vef actdoctr
    inemeanst hatinsofaraslocal
    gover
    nmentlawi sconcer
    ned,bef
    orealawcr eati
    ngal
    guis
    decl
    aredunconstit
    uti
    onal
    ,theact softhelguconcerned
    shal
    lberespect
    edandshal l
    begivenl
    egaleffect
    s.
    o The acts ofsuch enti
    tywillbe r
    espect
    ed and wil
    lbe
    recogni
    zedasv al
    i
    dandbi ndi
    ngbythestat
    easi fi
    tisade
    j
    uremuni ci
    pal
    corporat
    ion.
    o Butl onguseofcor por atepowersdoesnotsi l
    encedt he
    state,that’
    swhyev eni fther
    ei slonguseofcor porate
    power s,thest
    ateisnoti nestoppelasitcanneverbei n
    estoppelexceptinf ew speci
    alcases,butasa r ul
    e,it
    should notbe consi der
    ed in estoppel
    ,so i
    tcan st i
    l
    l
    quest i
    on the exi
    stence of a l gu in a quo war r
    anto
    proceeding.
    o Adefecti
    veincor
    porat
    ionmayhowev erbeobv i
    atedandt
    he
    defactounitcanactuall
    ybecomedej ur
    ebysubsequent
    l
    egi
    slati
    verecogni
    ti
    onorsubsequentval
    idati
    on.
    - 6.DeFact
    oMuni
    ci
    palCor
    por
    ati
    onDoct
    ri
    ne;
    Element
    s
    oi
    .val
    i
    dlawaut
    hor
    izi
    ngi
    ncor
    por
    ati
    on
    oi
    i
    .at
    tempti
    ngoodf
    ait
    htoor
    gani
    zei
    t
    oi
    i
    i.col
    orabl
    ecompl
    i
    ancewi
    thl
    aw
    oi
    v.assumpt
    ionofcor
    por
    atepower
    s
     MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFJI
    MENEZVSBAS,
    JR.
    I
    nt hi
    scase,t
    heMuni ci
    pal
    it
    yofSi
    nacabanwascr eat
    edv i
    aEO
    258(t
    hisi
    sanexecuti
    veact,
    notal
    egi
    slat
    iveact
    ),andsincethen,
    i
    thadbeenexer
    cisi
    ngthepower
    sofalgu.
     PELAEZ VS AUDI TOR GENERAL – The SC decl ar
    ed as
    unconsti
    tut
    ionalSec.68 oft he RAC whi ch authori
    zed t he
    Presi
    dentt o create municipali
    ties t hrough EO because t he
    creat
    ionofmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    esi sal egislati
    v efuncti
    onandnotan
    executi
    vefuncti
    on.Wi ththisdecl ar at
    ion,municipali
    ti
    escr eat
    ed
    byEO coul dnotcl ai
    mt obedef actomuni cipalcorporati
    ons,
    becausetherewasnotv ali
    daut horizingincorporati
    on.
     Howev er
    ,lat
    eron,thecaseofPelaezrender
    edi
    nvali
    dthecreati
    on
    ofcertai
    nmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    espur
    suanttoanexecuti
    veorder
    ,butunder
    the peti
    ti
    on ofPel aez,EO 258 creati
    ng Si
    nacaban was not
    i
    ncluded,soi tconti
    nuedtoexistassuchmuni cipal
    i
    tyuntilit
    s
    exi
    stencewasquest i
    oned.
     TheSC saidt hatSinacaban attai
    ned astatusofadef act
    o
    munici
    palcor porat
    ion because i t
    s exist
    ence had notbeen
    questi
    onedformor ethan40y ears.[
    longuseofcorpor
    atepower
    s;
    thi
    sisanexampl eofprescri
    ption]
     MUNI CIPALI TYOFSANNARCI SOVSMENDEZ, SR.–Sec.442( d)oft he
    LGC t ot he ef f
    ectt hatmuni cipaldi stri
    cts“ organized pursuantt o
    president i
    ali ssuances orexecut ive orders and whi ch hav et heir
    respect i
    veset sofel ecti
    vemunicipalof fi
    cialsholdingof f
    iceatt het i
    me
    oftheef fectivit
    yoft heCodeshal lhenceforthbeconsi deredasr egul ar
    muni cipaliti
    es”conv erted municipaldi str
    icts organized pursuantt o
    president i
    ali ssuancesorexecut iveor dersintor egularmuni cipal
    ities.
    Curativel aws,whi chinessencear er etr
    ospective,andai medatgi v i
    ng
    “val
    idityt oact sdonet hatwouldhav ebeeni nvali
    dunderexi sti
    ngl aws,
    asifexi stingl awshav ebeencompl iedwi t
    h,”arev ali
    dlyacceptedi nt his
    j
    ur i
    sdiction.
     Thisinvol
    vesthemuni
    cipal
    i
    tyofSanAndr
    esal
    socr
    eat
    edv
    ia
    executi
    veact
    .
     Thencamet
    hePel
    aezr
    uli
    ng.
     SC sai dt hat San Andr
    es became de j ur e by subsequent
    recognit
    ionbecauseitwasincl
    udedint heOrdinancetothe1987
    constiappor t
    ioni
    ng t
    he seats ofthe HR ( as one ofthe 12
    rd
    municipali
    ti
    escomposingthe3 dist
    rictofQuezon) .
     Thi
    si s an example ofsubsequentr
    ecogni
    ti
    on orv
    ali
    dat
    ion,
    whetheri
    twasintent
    ional
    ornot.
     MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFCANDI
    JAYVSCA
     Sec.442( d)ofLGC:“Munici
    pali
    ti
    esexist
    ingasofthedat eofthe
    effecti
    vit
    yoft hi
    sCodeshal lconti
    nuetoexistandoper ateas
    such. Exi st
    ing munici
    pal dist
    ri
    cts organi
    zed pur suant to
    presidenti
    ali
    ssuancesorEOsandwhi chhavethei
    rrespectiv
    eset
    ofelecti
    vemuni cipaloff
    ici
    alsholdi
    ngoff
    iceattheti
    meofthe
    ef
    fecti
    v i
    tyofthi
    sCodeshal lhencefor
    thbeconsi
    der
    edasr
    egul
    ar
    municipali
    ti
    es.
    ”[curat
    ivel
    egisl
    ati
    on]
     SULTANOSOPCAMI
    DVSOFFI
    CEOFTHEPRESI
    DENT
     Sec.442(
    d)oft
    heLGCdoesnotsanct
    ionr
    ecogni
    ti
    onofj
    ustany
    munici
    pal
    i
    ty;
     Onl
    yt hose t
    hatcan prov
    e cont
    inued exer
    cise ofcor
    por
    ate
    power
    scanbecovered;
    Inci
    dent al
    ly
    ,theSC,bei
    ngnotat ri
    eroffact
    s,cannotascer
    tainthe
    trut
    hfulnessofpet i
    ti
    oner
    ’sal l
    egati
    onofcont i
    nuedexer ci
    seof
    corporatepower s.(t
    here should hav
    e been a tr
    ialcourtthat
    ascertainedit
    )
    - 7.Met
    hodofchal
    l
    engi
    ngexi
    stenceofmuni
    cipalcor
    por
    ati
    on
    o Quowarrant
    oproceeding(underwhataut hori
    ty)–thi
    sisadir
    ectchall
    enge.If
    youquesti
    onorchal l
    engeal gu,youneedt oinst
    it
    uteaproceedi
    ngf orthat
    pur
    pose.Youcannotmakei tasadef ense.Itshoul
    dbeadir
    ectattackandt he
    methodisquowarrantotobeinit
    iat
    edbyt hestate.
    o MALABANGVSBENI TO–Nocol l
    ater
    alattackshalll
    ie;aninquir
    yintothelegal
    exist
    enceofamuni cipalcor
    porati
    oni sreservedtot hestateinapr oceedi
    ng
    forquowarrant
    owhi chisadi r
    ectproceeding.Butthisr ul
    eappli
    esonl ywhen
    themunici
    palcorpor
    at i
    onis,
    atleast,
    adef actomuni cipalcor
    porati
    on.
     Pr
    operpar
    tyandnatur
    eofchall
    enge:I
    ftheLGUisatl
    eastadef
    act
    o
    muni
    ci
    palcor
    por
    ati
    on,onl
    ytheSTATEinaDIRECTACTI
    ON.
     Butift
    heLGUisnotev
    endefact
    obutanul
    l
    ity
    ,ANYPERSONi
    n
    ei
    therDI
    RECTORCOLLATERALATTACK.
    o Barquesti
    on:Suppose that1 yearafterMasigl
    a was consti
    tut
    ed as a
    muni
    cipal
    i
    ty,t
    helaw creati
    ngitisv oi
    dedbecauseofdefects.Wouldthat
    i
    nval
    i
    datetheact
    softhemuni ci
    pal
    it
    yand/ori
    tsmunici
    pal
    offi
    cers?
     Answer
    :NO,
    Doct
    ri
    neofOper
    ati
    veFact

    C.Ov
    erv
    iewofPhi
    l
    ippi
    nesLocal
    Gov
    ernmentSy
    stem
    - 1.TheUni
    tar
    yvs.t
    heFeder
    alFor
    msofGov
    ernment
    o Our
    sisauni
    tar
    yfor
    m ofgov
    ernment
    ,notf
    eder
    al.
    o Gener
    all
    y,power
    sofgov
    ernmentmaybedi
    str
    ibut
    edei
    therhor
    izont
    all
    yor
    ver
    ti
    cal
    ly:
    I
    ti shorizontalifthedistr
    ibuti
    on isamong t he3 branchesoft he
    governmentint henat
    ionalgovernment
    .Itisinthiski
    ndofdi st
    ri
    buti
    on
    thatwedi sti
    nguishbetweenpr esi
    denti
    al(separat
    ionofpower s)and
    parl
    iamentary(f
    usionofpowersoft hel
    egisl
    ati
    veandexecuti
    ve).
    I
    tisver
    ti
    cali
    fthedi
    str
    ibut
    ionisbet
    weenthenati
    onalgov
    ernmentand
    t
    helocalgover
    nment
    .I ti
    si nherethatwedist
    ingui
    shunit
    aryfr
    om
    f
    eder
    al.
    o Di
    sti
    nct
    ionofuni
    tar
    yandf
    eder
    al:
     A uni
    tar
    ygov er
    nmenti sasingle,central
    izedgov ernment ,exer
    cising
    powersoverbot hthei nt
    ernalandext ernalaf f
    airsoft hest at
    e,t he
    powers ar
    e shar ed by t he nat i
    onalgov ernment and t he local
    gover
    nment;whil
    eaf eder
    algovernmentconsi stsofaut onomousst ate
    (l
    ocal
    )governmentuni tsmergedi ntoasingl est ate,withthenat i
    onal
    gover
    nmentexer ci
    singal imi
    teddegr eeofpowerov erthedomest i
    c
    aff
    air
    sbutgenerall
    yf ul
    ldi
    rect
    ionoft heexternalaf f
    airsofthestate,the
    powers ar
    e divided by t he nat i
    onalgov ernment and t he local
    gover
    nment.
    oIn a unit
    ary gover
    nment,we hav e nat
    ionalgover
    nmentcreati
    ng l
    ocal
    governments.Thusinourjur
    isdi
    cti
    on,ourpri
    nci
    pleisthatl
    gusderi
    vebot
    h
    exi
    stenceandpowersfr
    om thenati
    onalgover
    nment.
    o Whi
    ch author
    itypossesses r
    esi
    dualpower
    s orwho i
    sthe r
    eposi
    tor
    yof
    r
    esi
    dualpowers?
    Inthehor i
    zontaldi
    stri
    buti
    onofpower s,itisthePr esi
    dent– single
    executi
    vedoctri
    ne.I
    ntheRAC,itsaysthatal
    lotherpowersnotvest
    edi n
    thePresi
    dent,i
    ntheCongressorjudi
    ciar
    y,shal
    lbedeemedapowert hat
    canbeexer ci
    sedbyt hePresi
    dent.Tothatextent,wecallourfor
    m of
    governmentpresi
    denti
    al.
    I
    nt hevert
    icaldistr
    ibut
    ionofpower s,itisthenationalgov
    ernment
    t
    hroughcongress.Congressexer
    cisespl
    enaryl
    egi
    slat
    ivepower
    .
    o ZOOMZATI
    NC.VSPEOPLE
     Pet i
    ti
    onerassail
    sthef i
    ndingsofSpecialPr osecutorPascualthatunder
    Executive OrderNo.205,i tist he Nat ionalTelecommuni cati
    ons
    Commi ssi
    on( NTC),andnott helocalgov ernmentunit,thathast he
    powerand aut horit
    yt o allow ordi sall
    ow t he operati
    on ofcabl e
    televi
    sion.I
    targuest hatwhi l
    etheNTChast heauthorit
    yt ograntthe
    franchiseto operateacabl etel
    evisi
    on,t hispoweri snotexcl usiv
    e
    becauseundert heLocal GovernmentCode, thecit
    ycouncilal
    sohast he
    powert ograntper mit
    s,l i
    censesandf ranchisesinai doft hel ocal
    gov er
    nmentuni t
    ’sregul
    atoryorrevenuer ai
    singpower s.
     Executiv
    eOr derNo.205clear l
    yprovidest hatonlytheNTCcouldgrant
    cert
    ifi
    catesofaut hori
    tyto cablet el
    ev i
    sionoper ator
    sandissuet he
    necessar yimplementi
    ng rules and r egulat
    ions.Likewi
    se,Execut
    ive
    OrderNo.436,v est
    swi t
    ht heNTCt her egulat
    ionandsuperv
    isi
    onof
    cabletelevi
    si
    onindustr
    yinthePhi l
    i
    ppines.
    Itis clear that int he absence of const i
    tut
    ionalor l egisl
    ative
    author
    izat
    ion,muni ci
    pal i
    ties have no power t o gr ant f
    ranchises.
    Consequently
    ,t he protection ofthe consti
    tut
    ionalpr ovi
    sion as t o
    i
    mpai r
    mentoft heobligationofacontractdoesnotext endtoprivil
    eges,
    fr
    anchisesandgr ant
    sgi venbyamuni cipal
    it
    yinexcessofi tspower s,or
    ul
    travir
    es.
     But,lestwebemi sunderstood,nothinghereinshouldbei nterpret
    edas
    tostripLGUsoft heirgeneralpowert oprescri
    ber egul
    ationsundert he
    generalwel f
    are clause oft he LocalGov ernmentCode.I tmustbe
    emphasi zedthatwhenE. O.No.436decr eesthatthe" r
    egulatorypower"
    shallbev est
    ed" solel
    y"intheNTC,i tpertai
    nstot he" r
    egulatorypower"
    overthosemat ters,whicharepeculiarl
    ywithi
    ntheNTC’ scompet ence…
     Thereisnodisputet
    hatr espondentSangguniangPanlungsod,l
    ikeother
    l
    ocallegi
    slati
    vebodies,hasbeenempower edt oenactordinancesand
    approveresol
    uti
    onsundert hegeneralwelf
    areclauseofB. P.Blg.337,
    theLocalGovernmentCodeof1983.Thati tconti
    nuest opossesssuch
    powerisclearunderthenewl aw,R.A.No.7160( theLocalGov er
    nment
    Codeof1991) .
    I
    ndeed, underthegener alwel
    farecl
    auseoftheLocalGov er
    nmentCode,
    thelocalgovernmentuni tcanregul
    atetheoperat
    ionofcabletelevi
    sion
    butonlywheni tencroachesonpubl icproper
    ti
    es,suchast heuseof
    publi
    c street
    s,r i
    ghts ofway s,the foundi
    ng ofst r
    uctur
    es,and t he
    parcel
    ingofl ar
    ger egi
    ons.Bey ondtheseparameters,i
    tsacts,suchas
    thegrantofthefranchisetoSpaceli
    nk,wouldbeultr
    av i
    res.
    - 2.Phil
    i
    ppinesLocalGovernmentSy st
    em andt heconcept
    sofLocalAut
    onomy
    ,
    Decent
    ral
    i
    zati
    on,Devol
    uti
    on,andDeconcent
    rat
    ion
    o Def
    ini
    ti
    onoft
    erms:
     Localaut
    onomy–i nthePhil
    i
    ppines,itmeansthatpubli
    cadmi ni
    str
    ativ
    e
    powersoverlocalaff
    air
    saredelegatedtopol
    it
    icalsubdi
    visi
    ons.I
    trefer
    s
    todecent
    ral
    izati
    onofadmi ni
    str
    ati
    vepower sorfuncti
    ons.
     Buti ngener al
    ,LIMBONAVSMANGELI N sai
    dt hataut onomyi s
    eit
    herdecent r
    ali
    zati
    onofadmi nistr
    ationordecent r
    al izat
    ionof
    power .Thesecondi sabdi cationbyt henat i
    onalgov er nmentof
    poli
    ticalpoweri nf avoroft hel ocalgov ernment( essencei na
    federalset -up);thef i
    rstconsi st smer el
    yi nthedel egation of
    admi nistrat
    ive powerst o br oaden t he base ofgov ernmental
    power( essenceinauni taryset -up) .Againstthefir
    st,ther ecanbe
    nov ali
    dconst i
    tut
    ionalchallenge.
     Localautonomyisthedegreeofself-
    deter
    minat
    ionexer
    cisedby
    l
    gusv is-
    à-vi
    sthecentralgover
    nment.Thesy st
    em ofachievi
    ng
    l
    ocalautonomyisknownasdecent r
    ali
    zati
    onandt hi
    ssystem i
    s
    real
    i
    zedthroughtheprocesscal
    leddevol
    uti
    on.
     Decentr
    ali
    zat
    ion–isasy st
    em wher
    ebylgusshall
    begi v
    enmor epowers,
    author
    it
    yandr esponsi
    bil
    it
    iesandresour
    cesandadi r
    ecti
    onbywhi ch
    thi
    sisdoneisfrom t
    henational
    gov
    ernmenttothelocalgover
    nment
     Devol
    uti
    on–r efer
    stotheactbywhi cht
    henationalgov
    ernmentconfer
    s
    powerandauthori
    tyuponthevar
    iouslocalgov
    ernmentunit
    stoperform
    speci
    fi
    cfunct
    ionsandresponsi
    bil
    it
    ies.
     Thisincl
    udes t
    he t
    ransf
    ert olocalgov
    ernmentuni t
    s ofthe
    recor
    ds,equi
    pment
    ,andot herasset
    sandpersonnelofnat
    ional
    agencies and off
    ices corr
    espondi
    ng t
    othe dev
    olv
    ed power
    s,
    funct
    ions,andresponsi
    bili
    ti
    es.
     Di
    sti
    ngui
    shdev
    olut
    ionf
    rom deconcent
    rat
    ion:
     Deconcent
    rat
    ioni
    sdi f
    fer
    ent
    .Ifdevoluti
    oninvol
    vesthet
    ransf
    erof
    resour
    ces, powers f r
    om nat ional gov er
    nment to l gus,
    deconcent
    rat
    ioni
    sfrom nat
    ional
    officetoalocalof
    fi
    ce.
     Deconcentrat
    ionisthetransf
    erofaut hor
    it
    yandpowert othe
    appropri
    ateregi
    onalof
    fi
    cesorf i
    eldoff
    icesofnat
    ionalagenci
    es
    orof fi
    ces whose maj
    orf unct
    ions ar
    e notdevolved t
    ol ocal
    governmentunit
    s.
     Kungi-dev
    olvesalgus,t
    hat’
    sdevolut
    ion.Kungi-
    devol
    vesal
    ocal
    off
    icesorfi
    eldof
    fi
    ces,di
    lil
    gu,t
    hat
    ’sdeconcent
    rat
    ion.
    o LI
    NAVSPANO-Si nceCongr esshasal l
    owedt hePCSOt ooperatelot
    teri
    es
    whichPCSOseekst oconducti nLaguna,pursuantt
    oi t
    slegi
    slat
    ivegrantof
    aut
    hori
    ty,
    theprov
    ince’sSangguniangPanlal
    awigancannotnul
    l
    ifytheexerci
    se
    ofsai
    dauthor
    it
    ybypr event
    ingsomet hi
    ngalr
    eadyall
    owedbyCongr ess.
     Oursi ssti
    llaunitaryform ofgov ernment,notafederalstat
    e.Beingso,
    anyf orm ofautonomygr antedtolocalgov er
    nmentswi l
    lnecessari
    lybe
    l
    imitedandconf i
    nedwi thint heextentall
    owedbyt hecent r
    alauthori
    ty.
    Besides,theprincipleofl ocalautonomyundert he1987Const i
    tuti
    on
    si
    mpl ymeans" decentralizati
    on".Itdoesnotmakel ocalgov ernments
    sovereignwithi
    nt hestateoran" i
    mper i
    um i
    nimperio"
    .
     Toconcl udeourresolut
    ionofthef i
    rsti
    ssue,r espondentmay orofSan
    Pedro,cannotav ailofKapasiyahan Bi l
    ang 508,Taon 1995,oft he
    Provi
    ncialBoar d ofLaguna as justi
    fi
    cation to prohibi
    tlottoin his
    munici
    pal it
    y.Forsaidresol
    uti
    oni snot hi
    ngbutanexpr essi
    onoft he
    l
    ocallegi sl
    ati
    veunitconcerned.TheBoar d'
    senact ment,li
    kespr i
    ng
    water,
    coul dnotri
    seabov ei
    tssourceofpower , t
    henationall
    egisl
    atur
    e.
    Insum,wef i
    ndnor ev er
    sibleerrori nt heRTCdeci si
    onenj oi
    ningMay or
    Cataquizf r
    om enf orci
    ngori mplement ingtheKapasiyahanBl g.508,T.
    1995,oft heSangguni ang Panl alawigan ofLaguna.Thatr esoluti
    on
    expressesmer el
    yapol i
    cyst at
    ementoft heLagunaprovinci
    alboar d.It
    possesses no bi nding l egal f orce nor r equir
    es any act of
    i
    mpl ement ati
    on.Itpr ovidesnosuf f
    icientlegalbasisforr espondent
    may or'
    sr efusaltoi ssuet heper mitsoughtbypr i
    vaterespondenti n
    connection withal egiti
    mat e busi nessact ivi
    tyauthori
    zed bya l aw
    passedbyCongr ess.
    o SANJUANVSCI
    VILSERVI
    CECOMMI
    SSI
    ON
     Alltheassignederrorsrel
    atetotheissueofwhetherornotthepri
    vate
    respondenti slawfull
    y enti
    tl
    ed to dischar
    ge t
    he funct
    ions ofPBO
    (Provi
    ncialBudgetOfficer
    )ofRizalpursuanttot
    heappointmentmade
    bypublicrespondentDBM' sUndersecretar
    yupontherecommendation
    ofthenDi r
    ectorAbell
    aofDBM RegionIV.
     Thepet
    it
    ioner
    -gov
    ernor
    ’sar
    gument
    srestonhi
    scont
    ent
    iont
    hathehas
    thesol
    erightandpr iv
    ileget
    or ecommendt henomineestothepositi
    on
    ofPBOandt hattheappoint
    eeshoul dcomeonlyfrom hi
    snomi nees.I
    n
    suppor
    tthereof,heinvokesSection1ofExecut
    iveOrderNo.112.
     The i ssue bef orethe Cour tis notlimi t
    ed t ot he v al
    idit
    y oft he
    appointmentofonePr ovincialBudgetOfficer.Thet ugofwarbet ween
    theSecr etaryofBudgetandManagementandt heGov ernoroft he
    premi erprov inceofRizalov eraseemi nglyinnocuousposi ti
    oni nvolves
    theappl i
    cat ionofamosti mpor t
    antconstituti
    onalpol icyandpr i
    nciple,
    thatofl ocalaut onomy .Wehav et oobeyt hecl earmandat eonl ocal
    autonomy .Wher ealawi scapableoftwoi nterpretati
    ons,onei nfavorof
    centrali
    zed poweri n Mal acañang and the ot herbenef i
    cialtol ocal
    autonomy ,thescal esmustbewei ghedinfav orofaut onomy .
     Theexer ci
    sebyl ocalgov ernmentsofmeani ngfulpowerhasbeena
    nati
    onalgoalsi nce t he turn oft he century.And y et,inspi
    te of
    constit
    uti
    onalprovisi
    onsand,asi nthiscase,l egi
    slat
    ionmandat i
    ng
    greateraut
    onomyf orlocaloffi
    cial
    s,nat
    ionaloffi
    cerscannotseem tolet
    goofcent r
    ali
    zedpower s.Theydenyorwat erdownwhatl i
    tt
    legrant
    sof
    autonomyhav esofarbeengi ventomuni ci
    palcorporati
    ons.
     When t he CivilSer vi
    ce Commi ssion i
    nterpret
    ed t he recommendi ng
    poweroft heProvinci
    alGov ernoraspur el
    ydi r
    ectory,itwentagainstthe
    l
    etterandspi ri
    toftheconst i
    tuti
    onalpr ovi
    sionsonl ocalautonomy .I
    fthe
    DBM Secr et
    aryjealouslyhoardst heenti
    retyofbudget arypower sand
    i
    gnor est her i
    ghtofl ocalgov ernmentst o developsel f-
    rel
    ianceand
    resol
    utenessi nthehandl ingoft heirownf unds,thegoalofmeani ngful
    l
    ocalaut onomyi sfrustrat
    edandsetback.
     ThePBOi sexpect edtosy nchr onizehiswor kwi thDBM.Mor eimpor t
    ant,
    howev er,isthepr operadmi ni
    strationoff iscalaf f
    airsatt helocall evel.
    Prov i
    ncialandmuni ci
    palbudget sar epr epar edatt hel ocall eveland
    aftercompl eti
    onar eforwar dedt ot henat i
    onalof fi
    cialsforr evi
    ew.They
    arepr epar edbyt helocalof fi
    cialswhomustwor kwithintheconst rai
    nt s
    oft hosebudget s.Theyar enotf ormul atedi nt heinnersanct umsofan
    all-
    knowi ng DBM and uni laterall
    yi mposed on l ocalgov ernment s
    whet herornott heyar erelev antt olocalneedsandr esources.I tisf or
    thisr easont hatthereshoul dbeagenui nei nt
    erplay,abal anci ngof
    viewpoi nts,andahar moni zationofpr oposal sf r
    om bot ht hel ocaland
    nationalof fi
    cial
    s.I tisf ort hisr eason t hatt he nomi nation and
    appoi ntmentpr ocessinvol vesashar ingofpowerbet weent het wo
    l
    ev elsofgov ernment.
     Ournationalof
    fici
    alsshouldnotonlycomplywitht heconst
    it
    uti
    onal
    prov
    isi
    onsonl ocalautonomybutshouldalsoappreciat
    ethespir
    itof
    l
    iber
    tyuponwhichthesepr ov
    isi
    onsar
    ebased.
    o Sec.25Art
    .21987const
    i– TheSt
    ateshal
    lensur
    etheaut
    onomyofl
    ocal
    gover
    nment
    s.
    o Sec.2Art
    .101987const
    i– Thet
    err
    it
    ori
    alandpol
    i
    ticalsubdi
    vi
    sionsshal
    l
    enj
    oyl
    ocalaut
    onomy
    .
    o Secs.2-
    3
     Sect
    ion2.Decl
    arat
    ionofPol
    i
    cy.
    (a)Iti sher ebydeclaredt hepol i
    cyoft heSt atet hatt het erri
    tori
    al
    andpol it
    icalsubdivi
    sionsoft heSt ateshal lenj oygenui neand
    meani ngfullocalautonomyt oenabl et hem t oat tainthei rfull
    est
    dev elopmentassel f
    -rel
    iantcommuni t
    iesandmaket hem mor e
    effectiv epartnersi
    nt heat tainmentofnat i
    onalgoal s.Towar dthis
    end,t he St ate shallpr ov ide for a mor er esponsi ve and
    account ablel ocalgov ernmentst r
    uct urei nsti
    tut ed t hrough a
    syst em ofdecent r
    ali
    zationwher ebyl ocalgov ernmentuni tsshall
    begi venmor epower s,aut hor i
    ty,r
    esponsibilit
    ies,andr esources.
    Thepr ocessofdecent r
    alizationshal lproceedf rom t henat ional
    gov ernmentt othelocalgov ernmentuni ts.
    (
    b)Iti
    salsothepol
    icyoftheStatet
    oensuretheaccountabil
    i
    tyof
    l
    ocalgov er
    nment unit
    st hrough the i
    nsti
    tut
    ion of eff
    ecti
    ve
    mechani
    smsofrecall
    ,i
    niti
    ati
    veandrefer
    endum.
    (c)Itislikewi set hepolicyoft heStatetor equi
    reallnational
    agencies and of f
    ices to conductper i
    odi
    c consult
    ations wit
    h
    appropri
    ate l ocal gov ernment uni t
    s, nongovernmental and
    people'
    s or ganizations,and ot herconcerned sector
    s oft he
    communi tybef oreanypr ojectorprogr
    am isimplementedintheir
    respecti
    vejurisdicti
    ons.
     Sect
    ion3.Oper at
    ivePr
    inci
    plesofDecentr
    alizat
    ion.-Theformul
    ati
    on
    andimplementati
    onofpoli
    ciesandmeasuresonl ocalaut
    onomyshall
    beguidedbythefoll
    owi
    ngoperati
    vepr
    inci
    ples:
    (a)Thereshallbeaneffect
    iveal
    l
    ocat i
    onamongthedif
    fer
    entlocal
    government uni ts of theirr espect
    ive power
    s, funct
    ions,
    responsi
    bil
    it
    ies,andresour
    ces;
    (b)Thereshallbeestabl
    ishedinever
    ylocalgovernmentunitan
    accountabl
    e,eff
    ici
    ent
    ,anddy namicorgani
    zat
    ionalstr
    uctur
    eand
    operati
    ng mechanism thatwi l
    lmeett he pri
    ori
    ty needs and
    servi
    cerequi
    rementsofit
    scommuni ti
    es;
    (c)Subj ectto civi
    lservi
    ce law,rules and regul
    ati
    ons,l ocal
    offi
    cial
    sandempl oyeespai
    dwhol lyormai nl
    yf r
    om localfunds
    shallbeappointedorremoved,accordi
    ngtomer itandfit
    ness,by
    theappropriat
    eappointi
    ngauthori
    ty;
    (d)Thev est
    ingofdut y,responsi bil
    it
    y,andaccount abil
    i
    tyinlocal
    gov er
    nmentuni t
    s shal lbe accompani ed wi t
    h provisi
    on for
    reasonabl yadequat eresour cest odi scharget hei
    rpower sand
    effecti
    velycar ryouttheirf unctions:hence,t heyshallhavet he
    powert ocr eateandbr oadent heirownsour cesofr evenueand
    ther i
    ghttoaj ustshareinnat ionaltaxesandanequi t
    ablesharein
    thepr oceedsoft heutili
    zationanddev elopmentoft henat i
    onal
    weal t
    hwi thi
    nt hei
    rrespectiv
    ear eas;
    (e)Provi
    nceswithrespectt ocomponentciti
    esandmuni ci
    pal
    iti
    es,
    and citi
    es and muni cipali
    ti
    es wit
    h r espect to component
    barangays,shal
    lensurethattheactsoftheircomponentunit
    sare
    withi
    nthescopeoft heirprescri
    bedpowersandf unct
    ions;
    (f
    )Localgovernmentuni
    tsmaygr oupt
    hemsel
    ves,consol
    i
    dat
    eor
    coordi
    nat
    et heir ef
    for
    ts,ser
    vices,and r
    esources commonl
    y
    benefi
    ci
    altothem;
    (
    g)The capabil
    it
    iesofl ocalgovernmentunits,especi
    all
    yt he
    munici
    pal
    i
    tiesand barangays,shal
    lbeenhanced bypr ovi
    ding
    t
    hem wi th opportunit
    ies to par t
    ici
    pat
    e act ivel
    y in t he
    i
    mplementati
    onofnati
    onalprogramsandprojects;
    (h)Thereshallbeacont inuing mechanism t
    o enhancelocal
    autonomy notonly by l
    egislat
    ive enabl
    i
    ng acts butal
    so by
    administ
    rat
    iveandor
    gani
    zationalref
    orms;
    (i
    ) Localgov er
    nment units shallshare withthe nati
    onal
    government t he responsibil
    i
    ty i n t
    he management and
    mai nt
    enance of ecological balance wit
    hin t
    hei
    rt er
    ri
    tori
    al
    j
    urisdict
    ion,subj
    ectt
    ot hepr ovi
    sionsofthi
    sCodeandnat i
    onal
    poli
    cies;
    (j
    )Effect
    ivemechanismsf orensuri
    ngtheaccount abi
    l
    ityofl
    ocal
    gover
    nment unitst ot heirrespecti
    ve consti
    tuents shal
    lbe
    str
    engthenedi
    nor dertoupgradecont i
    nual
    lythequalityofl
    ocal
    l
    eadership;
    (k)Ther eali
    zat
    ionoflocalautonomyshallbef
    acili
    tat
    edt hrough
    i
    mpr ov ed coor
    dinati
    on of nationalgov
    ernmentpol i
    cies and
    programs an ext ensi
    on ofadequat etechni
    caland mat er
    ial
    assistancetol essdevelopedanddeserv i
    nglocalgover nment
    unit
    s;
    (l
    )Thepar t
    ici
    pati
    onoft hepr i
    vatesectorinl ocalgover
    nance,
    part
    icul
    arl
    yint hedeli
    ver
    yofbasi cser
    vices,shallbeencouraged
    toensurethev i
    abi
    li
    tyofl
    ocalautonomyasanal ter
    nat
    ivestr
    ategy
    forsust
    ainabledevel
    opment;and
    (m)Thenati
    onalgover
    nmentshallensur
    ethatdecentral
    i
    zat
    ion
    cont
    ri
    but
    estotheconti
    nui
    ngimprovementoft
    heperformanceof
    l
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    tsandthequal
    it
    yofcommunit
    ylife.
    o Sect i
    on17.Basi cServi
    cesandFaci l
    it
    ies.-( a)Localgov ernmentuni t
    sshall
    endeav orto besel f-
    reli
    antand shal lcont inueexer cisi
    ng t hepower sand
    dischargingthedut i
    esandf uncti
    onscur rentlyv estedupont hem.Theyshal l
    alsodi scharget hefunctionsandr esponsi bilit
    iesofnat ionalagenci esand
    officesdevolvedt ot
    hem pur suanttothi sCode.Localgov ernmentuni tsshal
    l
    l
    ikewi seexercisesuchot herpower sanddi schar gesuchot herf uncti
    onsand
    responsibil
    it
    iesasar enecessar y,appr opri
    at e,ori ncidentalt oef f
    ici
    entand
    effectiv
    eprov i
    sionsofthebasi cservi
    cesandf acil
    it
    iesenumer atedherein.
    o(
    e)Nat
    ionalagenci
    esorof
    fi
    cesconcer
    nedshal
    ldev
    olv
    etol
    ocalgov
    ernment
    uni
    tsthe responsi
    bil
    i
    tyfort
    he pr
    ovi
    sion ofbasi
    c ser
    vices and f
    aci
    li
    ti
    es
    enumerat
    edi nthi
    sSecti
    onwi
    thi
    nsix(
    6)mont hsaft
    ertheeffecti
    vi
    tyofthi
    s
    Code.
    o Asusedi nthi
    sCode,theterm"devol
    uti
    on"refer
    st ot heactbywhi chthe
    nat
    ionalgov
    ernmentconfer
    spowerand aut hori
    tyupon thev ar
    iouslocal
    gover
    nmentunit
    stoper
    for
    m speci
    fi
    cfuncti
    onsandr esponsi
    bil
    i
    ties.
    o(i
    )Thedev olut
    ioncontemplatedinthisCodeshal li
    ncl
    udethetransf
    ertolocal
    governmentuni t
    softher ecords,equipment,andotherasset
    sandper sonnel
    ofnat i
    onalagencies and of fi
    ces corr
    esponding tothe devol
    ved powers,
    funct
    ions,andresponsibi
    l
    iti
    es.
    o Secti
    on528.Deconcent r
    ati
    onofRequi sit
    eAuthorit
    yandPower.-Thenati
    onal
    governmentshal
    l
    ,six( 6)mont hsaf
    tertheeffect
    ivi
    tyoft
    hisCode,eff
    ectthe
    deconcent
    rati
    onofr equisi
    teaut hor
    it
    yandpowert otheappr
    opri
    ateregi
    onal
    offi
    cesorfiel
    doff
    icesofnat ionalagenciesoroff
    iceswhosemajorfunct
    ions
    arenotdevolv
    edtolocalgov ernmentunits.

    D.Local
    Gov
    ernment
    sint
    hePhi
    l
    ippi
    nes
    - 1.Ter
    ri
    tor
    ialandPol
    i
    ticalSubdi
    vi
    si
    ons:Pr
    ovi
    nces,
    Cit
    ies,
    Muni
    cipal
    i
    ties,
    Bar
    angay
    s
    o Ki
    ndsofl
    gus:
    i
    .Regul
    arl
    gus–ar
    epr
    ovi
    nces,
    cit
    ies,
    muni
    cipal
    i
    tiesandbar
    angay
    s.
     Not
    e:Si
    ti
    oisnotar
    ecogni
    zedl
    gu.
    i
    i
    .Aut
    onomousr
    egi
    ons–ARMM andt
    heCor
    dil
    l
    eras
    i
    i
    i.Speci
    all
    gus–speci
    almet
    ropol
    i
    tanpol
    i
    tical
    subdi
    vi
    sions
    o Ki
    ndsofci
    ti
    es:
    i
    .Componentci
    ti
    es
    I
    nhabitant
    scanv ot
    eforpr
    ovi
    nci
    alcandi
    dat
    esandcanr
    unf
    or
    pr
    ovincial
    elect
    ivepost
    s.
     Undert
    hesuper
    visor
    ypoweroft
    hepr
    ovi
    nce
    i
    i
    .Independentcomponentci
    ty(
    ICC)
    Independentinthesenset hatthechart
    erpr
    ohi
    bit
    sthevot
    ers
    from voti
    ngforprovi
    ncialel
    ecti
    vepostsandt
    hisi
    soutsi
    dethe
    supervi
    sorypoweroftheprovi
    nce
    I
    nhabit
    antscannotv oteforprov i
    ncialel
    ecti
    vepost
    sneit
    hercan
    t
    heyr un forprov
    incialelecti
    vepost snotbecauseofi ncome
    f
    actorbutsimplybecauset hechar t
    erprohi
    bit
    sthevot
    ersfrom
    v
    oti
    ngorr unni
    ngforpr ov
    incialposts.
    i
    i
    i.Hi
    ghl
    y-
    urbani
    zedci
    ty
    I
    ndependentf
    rom t
    hepr
    ovi
    ncebyr
    easonofst
    atus
    I
    t’
    sout
    sidet
    hesuper
    visor
    ypoweroft
    hepr
    ovi
    nce
    o Reason:St
    atus
     Thevoter
    scannotv
    oteandr
    unf
    orpr
    ovi
    nci
    alel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    cial
    s
    andof
    fi
    ces.
    o ButwhataboutMandaueCi ty–whycant heysti
    llvot
    efor
    prov
    inci
    alelect
    iveoffi
    cial
    s?Sothequest
    ioniscantherebe
    a hi
    ghly-
    urbanized ci
    tywhose voter
    s can sti
    llvotefor
    prov
    inci
    aloffi
    cial
    s?
     YES.
     Basi s:Secti
    on452.Hi ghlyUrbanizedCi ti
    es.Qual i
    fi
    ed
    voter sofci t
    ieswhoacqui redt herightt ov otef or
    electiveprovinci
    aloff
    icialspr i
    ortothecl assif
    icati
    on
    ofsai dciti
    esashi ghl
    y-urbanizedaft
    ert heratif
    icati
    on
    oft heConst itut
    ionandbef or etheeffectivi
    tyoft his
    Code, shal
    lcontinuet
    oexer cisesuchr i
    ght .
     Vest
    ed-
    ri
    ghtt
    heor
    y
    o Sec.1Art.Xconsti
    –Theter
    rit
    ori
    alandpol
    it
    icalsubdi
    visi
    onsoft
    heRepubli
    cof
    thePhil
    i
    ppinesaretheprovi
    nces,ci
    ti
    es,munici
    pali
    ti
    es,andbar
    angays.Ther
    e
    shallbeautonomousr egi
    onsinMusl i
    m Mi ndanaoandt heCordi
    l
    lerasas
    herei
    naf
    terprov
    ided.
    o Sec.12Ar t.Xconsti–Citi
    est hatarehighl
    yurbanized,asdet erminedbyl aw,
    andcomponentci ti
    eswhosechar ter
    spr ohi
    bittheirvoter
    sf r
    om v oti
    ngf or
    provi
    ncialelect
    iveof
    fi
    ci
    als,shallbei
    ndependentoft heprovi
    nce.Thev otersof
    componentci ti
    es wit
    hin a pr ovi
    nce,whose char t
    ers cont ai
    n no such
    prohi
    biti
    on,shallnotbedepr i
    vedoft heirri
    ghttov oteforelectiv
    epr ovinci
    al
    offi
    cial
    s.
     ABELLAVSCOMELEC
     Themai nissuei ntheseconsol idat
    edpet i
    tionscentersonwhoi s
    ther i
    ghtf
    ulgov ernoroft heprovinceofLey te1)pet i
    ti
    onerAdel ina
    Larrazabal(G.R.No.100739)whoobt ainedt hehighestnumberof
    votes int he l ocalel ecti
    ons ofFebr uary 1,1988 and was
    proclaimed as t he dul yelected governorbutwho was l ater
    declaredbyt heCommi ssiononEl ect
    ions( COMELEC)" ..
    .tol ack
    bothr esi
    denceandr egistr
    ati
    onqual i
    fi
    cationsfort hepositionof
    Gov ernorofLey t
    easpr ovi
    dedbyAr t
    .X,Sect ion12,Phi lippine
    Const i
    tuti
    oninr elat
    iont oTitl
    eI I
    ,ChapterI,Sec.42,B. P.Blg.137
    andSec.89,R. A.No.179andi sherebydi squalif
    iedassuch
    Gov ernor
    "
     Fail
    ingi nhercontent
    ionthatsheisar esi
    dentandregist
    ered
    voterofKananga,Ley t
    e,the peti
    ti
    onerposes an alt
    ernati
    ve
    positi
    ont hatherbei
    ngar egi
    ster
    edv ot
    erinOrmocCitywasno
    i
    mpedi menttohercandi
    dacyforthepositi
    onofgover
    noroft he
    provinceofLeyte.
     Sect
    ion12,
    Art
    icl
    eXoft
    heConst
    it
    uti
    onpr
    ovi
    des:
    o Citi
    esthatarehighl
    yur bani zed,asdet er
    mi nedbyl aw,and
    componentciti
    eswhosechar t
    ersprohibi
    tt hei
    rvotersfr
    om
    voti
    ngf orpr
    ovinci
    alelectiveof fi
    cial
    s,shallbeindependent
    ofthepr ovi
    nce.Thev otersofcomponentci ti
    eswi thi
    na
    provi
    nce,whosechar terscont ainnosuchpr ohi
    bit
    ion,shall
    notbedepr i
    vedoft heirrighttov oteforelecti
    vepr ovi
    ncial
    offi
    cial
    s.
     Sect
    ion89ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.179cr
    eat
    ingt
    heCi
    tyofOr
    moc
    prov
    ides:
    o Electi
    on of pr ovincialgov
    ernor and member s of the
    Provinci
    alBoar doft hemember softhePr ovi
    nci
    alBoardof
    thePr ovi
    nceofLey t
    e—Thequal i
    fi
    edv otersofOrmocCi ty
    shallnotbequal i
    fiedandent i
    tl
    edtov oteintheelect
    ionof
    thepr ov
    incialgovernorandthemember soft heprovi
    ncial
    boardoft heProvinceofLeyte.
     Relatingtherefore,section89ofR. A.179t osect i
    on12,Ar ti
    cleX
    oft heConst i
    tutiononecomesupwi tht hef ol
    lowingconclusion:
    thatOr mocCi t
    ywhenor gani zedwasnoty etahi ghly-
    urbanized
    citybutis,nev erthel
    ess,consi deredindependentoft hepr ovince
    ofLey tetowhi chi ti
    sgeogr aphicall
    yat tachedbecausei tschar ter
    prohibit
    sitsv otersfrom vot i
    ngf ort hepr ovi
    ncialelect
    iveoffi
    cials.
    Thequest i
    onnow i swhet herornott hepr ohibit
    ionagainstt he
    '
    city's registered v ot
    ers' el ecting t he pr ovi
    ncial of f
    icials
    necessaril
    ymean,apr ohibiti
    onoft her egister
    edv oterstobe
    electedaspr ovincialoff
    icials.
     Thepet
    it
    ionerci
    ti
    ngsect
    ion4,
    Art
    icl
    eXoft
    heConst
    it
    uti
    on,
    towi
    t:
    o Sec.4.The Pr esi
    dentoft he Phi
    li
    ppi
    nes shal
    lexer cise
    generalsuperv
    isionov erlocalgover
    nments.Prov
    inceswi th
    respecttocomponentci ti
    esandmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    esandci t
    ies
    andmuni cipal
    it
    ieswi thr especttocomponentbar angay s,
    shallensurethatt heact soft hei
    rcomponentuni tsar e
    withi
    nthescopeoft heirprescri
    bedpowersandfunctions.
     submitst hat"whi
    leaComponentCi t
    ywhosechar t
    erpr ohibi
    tsits
    voter
    sf r
    om par ti
    ci
    patingi ntheel ecti
    onsf orprovincialoffi
    ce,is
    i
    ndeedi ndependentoft hepr ov i
    nce,suchi ndependencecannot
    beequat edwi thahighlyurbani zedcity
    ;r at
    heritislimitedtot he
    administ
    rat i
    vesuper
    v i
    sionaspect ,andnowher eshoul di tl
    eadt o
    the conclusion t
    hatsai dv ot ers arelikewise prohibit
    ed from
    runni
    ngf ortheprovi
    ncial of
    fi
    ces. "(Pet
    it
    ion,p.29)
     Thear
    gumenti
    sunt
    enabl
    e.
     Section12,Ar ti
    cl
    eXoft heConst i
    tuti
    onisexpl
    i
    citint hataside
    from hi ghl
    y-
    urbani
    zedcities,componentciti
    eswhosechar t
    ers
    prohibitthei
    rv ot
    ersfr
    om v ot
    ingforprovi
    nci
    alelecti
    veof f
    icial
    s
    areindependentoftheprov i
    nce.Inthesameprovi
    sion,i
    tprovides
    forot hercomponentciti
    eswi thi
    napr ovi
    ncewhosechar t
    ersdo
    notpr ovi
    deasi mi
    larprohibiti
    on.Necessar i
    ly,componentci ti
    es
    l
    ikeOr mocCi t
    ywhosechar terspr ohibittheirvotersf r
    om v oti
    ng
    forpr ovi
    ncialelecti
    veof fi
    cialsar et reatedlikehi ghlyurbanized
    citi
    eswhi char eoutsi
    det hesuper visorypoweroft hepr ov i
    nceto
    whicht heyar egeographicallyat t
    ached.Thi sindependencef r
    om
    thepr ovi
    ncecar ri
    eswi t
    hi tt
    hepr ohibiti
    onormandat edirectedto
    theirregi
    steredv ot
    ersnott ov ot eandbev otedfort hepr ovi
    ncial
    electi
    veof fi
    ces.Ther esolut
    ioni nG. R.No.80716ent i
    tl
    edPer al
    ta
    v.TheCommi ssiononEl ections,etal .datedDecember10,1987
    appliestot hi
    scase.Whi l
    etheci tedcasei nvolv
    esOl ongapoCi ty
    whichi sclassi
    fiedasahi ghlyur banizedci ty,
    thesamepr i
    ncipl
    eis
    applicabl
    e.
     Mor eov er
    ,Secti
    on89ofRepubl i
    cAct179,i ndependentoft he
    const i
    tuti
    onalpr
    ovisi
    on,prohi
    bitsregisteredv ot
    ersofOr mocCi t
    y
    from vot i
    ngandbeingv ot
    edforelectiveof f
    icesint hepr ovi
    nceof
    Leyte.Weagr eewi t
    ht heCOMELEC enbanct hat" thephr ase
    '
    shallnotbequal i
    fi
    edandent itl
    edt ov oteint heel ectionoft he
    provincialgover
    norandt hemember soft hepr ovincialboardof
    thePr ov i
    nceofLey te'connotest wopr ohibi
    ti
    ons— one,f r
    om
    runningf orandthesecond,fr
    om v oti
    ngf oranypr ov i
    ncialelecti
    ve
    offi
    cial.
    "
    - 2.Aut
    onomousRegi
    ons
    o Sec.1Art.Xconsti–Thet er
    ri
    torialandpol
    it
    icalsubdivi
    sionsoftheRepublic
    ofthePhi l
    ippi
    nesar etheprovinces,ci
    ti
    es,muni ci
    pali
    ti
    es,andbar angays.
    Thereshallbeautonomousregionsi nMusli
    m Mi ndanaoandt heCordil
    ler
    as
    asherei
    nafterpr
    ovided.
    - 3.Speci
    alMet
    ropol
    i
    tanPol
    i
    ticalSubdi
    vi
    sions
    o Sec.11 Ar t
    .10 const i– The Congr ess may ,by l aw,create speci al
    metropoli
    tanpol i
    ti
    calsubdivi
    sions,subjectto aplebisciteassetf orthin
    Secti
    on10her eof
    .Thecomponentci t
    iesandmuni cipal
    iti
    esshallretaintheir
    basic autonomy and shallbe ent i
    tl
    ed tot hei
    rown l ocalexecutive and
    l
    egisl
    ativeassemblies.Thejur
    isdict
    ionoft hemetropoli
    tanauthori
    tyt hatwi l
    l
    ther
    ebybecr eatedshallbel
    imit
    edt obasicservi
    cesrequiri
    ngcoordination.
    o MMDAVSBEL- AI
    RVILLAGE–TheMMDAwhi chhasnopol i
    ceandlegi
    slat
    ive
    power
    s,hasnopowert oenactor di
    nancesf orthegeneralwel
    fareoft he
    i
    nhabi
    tantsofMet r
    o Manila.I
    thasno aut horit
    yto ordertheopening of
    Nept
    uneSt r
    eet,a pri
    vatesubdiv
    isi
    on road i
    n MakatiCityand causet he
    demol
    iti
    onofit
    ’sper
    imeterwall
    s.
     MMDAi snotevenaspecialmetropoli
    tanpoli
    ti
    calsubdi
    vi
    sionbecause
    ther
    ewasno pl ebi
    sci
    tewhent helaw creat
    edi tandt hePresi
    dent
    exer
    cisesnotj
    ustsupervi
    sionbutcontr
    oloverit
    .
     MMDAhaspur
    elyadmi
    nist
    rat
    ivef
    unct
    ion.
     BecauseMMDAisnotapol
    i
    ticalsubdi
    vi
    sion,
    itcannotexer
    cisepol
    i
    tical
    powerli
    kepol
    i
    cepower
    .
    E.LooseFeder
    ati
    onofLGUsandRegi
    onal
    Dev
    elopmentCounci
    l
    s
    - Sec.13Ar t.10Consti–Localgover
    nmentuni
    tsmaygroupthemselves,
    consol
    i
    dat
    e
    orcoor dinatetheireff
    orts,servi
    ces,and r
    esour
    ces f
    orpur poses commonl
    y
    benefi
    cialtothem i
    naccordancewit
    hlaw.
    - Secti
    on 33.Cooper at i
    ve Under taki
    ngsAmong LocalGov ernmentUni ts.-Local
    government unit
    s may ,t hrough appr opri
    ate or dinances,gr oup t hemselves,
    consoli
    date,orcoor di
    natet heireffor
    ts,ser v
    ices,and r esources forpur poses
    commonl ybenef
    icialtot hem.I nsupportofsuchunder taki
    ngs, t
    hel ocalgovernment
    unit
    si nvol
    vedmay ,uponappr ovalbyt hesangguni anconcer nedaf t
    erapubl i
    c
    heari
    ngconductedf orthepur pose,contri
    butef unds,r ealestate,equipment ,and
    otherkindsofpr oper t
    yandappoi ntorassi gnper sonnelundersucht ermsand
    conditi
    ons as may be agr eed upon by t he par t
    icipati
    ng localuni tsthrough
    Memor andaofAgr eement .
    o Takenote:Theresultantconsol i
    dationwouldnotbeanew cor por
    atebody.
    Why ?Becausether equirementt hatanlgushoul dbecreat
    edbyl aw i
    sof
    consti
    tut
    ionalor
    igi
    n.Thatr equir
    ementr emains,sothatitcannotbedone
    ei
    therbyMOAoror dinance.Ithast obebylaw.Itcannotbegi
    venaseparat
    e
    personal
    i
    ty.
    - Sec.14Ar t.10const i– ThePr esidentshal
    lpr ovideforregionaldev el
    opment
    council
    sorot hersi
    milarbodiescomposedofl ocalgov ernmentof fi
    cial
    s,regional
    headsofdepar t
    mentsandot hergov ernmentoff
    ices,andrepresentati
    vesfrom non-
    governmentalorgani
    zati
    ons wi t
    hint he r
    egi
    ons f orpurposes ofadmi nist
    rativ
    e
    decentr
    ali
    zati
    ont ost
    rengthentheaut onomyoft heuni t
    st her
    einandt oaccel erat
    e
    theeconomicandsocialgrowthanddev el
    opmentoft heunitsi
    nther egi
    on.

    PARTI
    I–THELOCALGOVERNMENTCODEOF1991
    - 1.Const
    it
    uti
    onalMandat
    e
    o Sec.3Ar t.10const i–TheCongr essshal lenactal ocalgov ernmentcode
    whi chshallprovi
    def oramor eresponsi v
    eandaccount ablel ocalgov er
    nment
    structureinstit
    uted thr ough a sy stem ofdecent r
    alizati
    on wi th effective
    mechani smsofr ecal
    l,i
    ni t
    iati
    ve,andr eferendum,allocateamongt hedifferent
    l
    ocalgov ernmentuni t
    st heirpower s,r esponsibi
    li
    ti
    es,and r esources,and
    prov i
    de fort he qualifi
    cat i
    ons,elect i
    on,appoi ntmentand r emov al,t erm,
    salaries,powersandf unctionsanddut iesofl ocalof fi
    cial
    s,andal lot her
    mat tersrel
    ati
    ngt otheor ganizati
    onandoper at
    ionofthel ocalunits.
    - 2.Sour
    cesoft
    heLGCof1991(
    Codi
    fi
    edl
    aws)
    - 3.ScopeofAppl
    i
    cat
    ion
    o Secti
    on4.ScopeofAppl icat
    ion.-ThisCodeshallapplytoal
    lprovi
    nces,cit
    ies,
    municipali
    ti
    es,barangays,andot herpoli
    ti
    calsubdi
    visi
    onsasmaybecr eated
    bylaw,and,t otheextenther ei
    npr ov
    ided,tooff
    ici
    als,of
    fi
    ces,oragenciesof
    thenationalgover
    nment.
    o Sect
    ion 526.Appl
    i
    cat
    ion oft
    hisCode t
    o LocalGov
    ernmentUni
    tsi
    nthe
    Autonomous Regions.-Thi s Code shallappl
    yt o al
    lprovinces,ci
    ti
    es,
    municipali
    ti
    esandbarangay
    sint heautonomousregi
    onsuntilsuchtimeas
    the regionalgov
    ernmentconcer ned shal
    lhave enacted i
    ts own local
    governmentcode.
    o Secti
    on 529.Tax Or di
    nances orRev enue Measur es.-Al lexi st
    ing tax
    ordi
    nancesorrevenuemeasur esoflocalgov ernmentuni t
    sshallcontinueto
    beinforceandeffectaftertheeff
    ecti
    vit
    yoft hisCodeunl essamendedbyt he
    sanggunianconcerned,orinconsi
    stentwith,ori nvi
    olati
    onof,thepr ovisi
    ons
    ofthi
    sCode.
    o Sect
    ion534.Repeal
    i
    ngCl
    ause.–
    (f)Allgeneralandspeci all
    aws,acts,ci
    tychart
    ers,decrees,execut
    ive
    orders,proclamati
    onsandadmi ni
    strat
    iveregul
    ati
    ons,orpar torparts
    thereofwhichar einconsist
    entwit
    hanyoft heprovi
    sionsoft hi
    sCode
    areherebyr epeal
    edormodi fi
    edaccordi
    ngly
    .
     LAGUNALAKEDEVELOPMENTAUTHORI TYVSCA–Thepr ovi
    sionsof
    theLGC donotnecessar
    ilyrepealthel awscr eat
    ingt
    heLLDA and
    grant
    ingthelat
    terwat
    err
    ight
    saut hori
    tyov erLagunadeBayandt he
    l
    akeregion.
    I
    nt hi
    s peti
    ti
    on forcerti
    orar
    i,prohi
    bit
    ion and inj
    uncti
    on,the
    Aut
    hori
    tycontends:TheHonorabl
    eCAcommi tt
    edser i
    ouserr
    or
    whenitrul
    edthatthepowertoissuefishpenpermitsinLaguna
    deBayhasbeendev ol
    vedt
    oconcerned(lakeshor
    e)lgus.
     Which agency of t he Gov ernment — t he Laguna Lake
    Development Author i
    ty or t he t owns and muni ci
    pal
    iti
    es
    compr i
    si
    ngt heregion— shoul dexer ci
    sejur i
    sdi
    cti
    onoverthe
    LagunaLakeandi tsenv i
    ronsinsofarastheissuanceofper
    mits
    forf
    isherypr
    ivi
    l
    egesi sconcerned?
     Wehol dt hatthepr ov
    isionsofRepubl i
    cActNo.7160donot
    necessari
    lyrepealtheaforementi
    onedlawscr eati
    ngtheLaguna
    LakeDev elopmentAuthor i
    tyandgrant
    ingt helat
    terwat
    erri
    ghts
    author
    ityoverLagunadeBayandt helaker egi
    on.
     The LocalGov ernmentCode of1991 does notcont ain any
    expresspr ovi
    si
    onwhi chcategori
    cal
    l
    yexpresslyrepealt
    hechar t
    er
    oftheAut hori
    ty.I
    thast obeconcededthattherewasnoi ntenton
    thepartoft helegisl
    at ur
    etorepealRepubl
    icActNo.4850andi ts
    amendment s.The r epealofl awsshould be made cl earand
    expressed.
     Consideri
    ng t he reasons behind the establi
    shment of t he
    Authori
    ty,whichareenvir
    onmentalprotect
    ion,navi
    gati
    onalsafety,
    andsust ai
    nabledev el
    opment,thereisev eryindi
    cat
    iont hatthe
    l
    egisl
    ativ
    ei nt
    entisfortheAuthor
    ityt
    opr oceedwi t
    hit
    smi ssion.
    I
    thas to be conceded thatthe char
    terofthe Laguna Lake
    Devel
    opmentAuthori
    tyconsti
    tut
    esaspeciall
    aw.Republ
    icActNo.
    7160,t
    heLocalGovernmentCodeof1991,i sagenerallaw.I
    tis
    basici n st
    at utoryconstruct i
    on thattheenactmentofal at
    er
    l
    egislati
    onwhi chi sagener allaw cannotbeconst ruedt ohave
    repealedaspeci allaw.Itisawel l
    -set
    tl
    edruleinthisj ur
    isdi
    cti
    on
    that"aspeci alst at
    ute,providedforapar ti
    cul
    arcaseorcl assof
    cases,isnotr epealedbyasubsequentst atut
    e,gener alini t
    s
    terms,provisionsandappl icati
    on,unlesstheintentt orepealor
    alt
    erismani fest ,al
    thoughthet ermsoft hegenerallawar ebroad
    enought oincludet hecasesembr acedinthespeciallaw."
     Wher etherei saconf l
    ictbetweenagener allaw andaspeci al
    stat
    ute,t hespecialstatut
    eshoul dprevai
    lsincei tevi
    ncest he
    l
    egislat
    ivei ntentmore clearlyt han the generalst at
    ute.The
    speciallaw istobetakenasanexcept iontot hegener all
    aw in
    the absence of speci alcircumstances f orcing a cont r
    ar y
    conclusi
    on.Thi sisbecauseimpl iedrepealsarenotf av
    oredand
    asmuchaspossi bl
    e,effectmustbegi ventoal lenactmentsof
    thelegislat
    ure.A speciallaw cannotber epealed,amendedor
    alt
    eredbyasubsequentgener allawbymer eimpl icati
    on.
     Thus,i
    thast obeconcl
    udedthatthechart
    eroftheAut
    hor
    it
    y
    shoul
    dprev
    ailov
    ert
    heLocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991.
     The poweroft he l
    ocalgover
    nmentunit
    st oi ssue f
    ishi
    ng
    pri
    vi
    legeswascl
    ear
    lygr
    ant
    edforrev
    enuepur
    poses.
     Ont heotherhand, t
    hepoweroft heAuthori
    tytogr antper mitsfor
    fi
    shpens,fishcagesandot heraqua- cul
    turestructuresisf ort he
    purposeofef fecti
    vel
    yr egulatingandmoni tor
    ingact i
    vi
    tiesint he
    LagunadeBayr egi
    on( Section2,Execut i
    veOr derNo.927)and
    forlakequalit
    ycont r
    olandmanagement .I
    tdoespar t
    akeoft he
    natureofpol i
    cepowerwhi chi sthemostper vasive,thel east
    l
    imitableandt hemostdemandi ngofallStat
    epower sincluding
    thepoweroft axati
    on.Accor dingl
    y,thechart
    eroft heAut hor it
    y
    whichembodi esav ali
    dexer ci seofpoli
    cepowershoul dpr evail
    overt heLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991onmat tersaffecting
    LagunadeBay .
     Removalfr
    om t heAut hori
    tyoftheaf oresai
    dl i
    censi
    ngaut hor
    it
    y
    wil
    lrendernugat oryi t
    s avowed pur pose ofpr otect
    ing and
    devel
    opi
    ng the Laguna Lake Regi on.Ot herwise st
    ated,the
    abr
    ogati
    onoft hi
    spowerwoul dr enderusel essitsreasonfor
    bei
    ngandwi l
    linef f
    ectdenigr
    ate,i
    fnotabol ish,t
    heLagunaLake
    Devel
    opmentAut hori
    ty.Thi
    s,theLocalGov er
    nmentCodeof1991
    hadneveri
    ntendedtodo.
    - 4.Rul
    esofI
    nter
    pret
    ati
    on
    o Secti
    on5.Rul
    esofI
    nter
    pretat
    ion.-Inthei
    nter
    pret
    ati
    onoft
    hepr
    ovi
    sionsof
    thi
    sCode,t
    hefol
    l
    owi
    ngrulesshallappl
    y:
    (a)Anyprovi
    si
    ononapowerofal ocalgov
    ernmentunitshal
    lbeli
    beral
    ly
    i
    nterpret
    edinit
    sfavor
    ,andi
    ncaseofdoubt ,anyquest
    ionther
    eonshall
    ber esol
    vedinfavorofdev
    olut
    ionofpower sandoft helowerlocal
    governmentuni
    t.Anyf
    airandreasonabledoubtastotheexist
    enceof
    thepowershallbeint
    erpret
    edinf avorofthelocalgover
    nmentunit
    concerned;
    (b)Incaseofdoubt ,anyt axor di
    nanceorr evenuemeasur eshal
    lbe
    construedstr
    ict
    lyagainstthel ocalgovernmentuni tenactingit
    ,and
    l
    iberall
    yinfav
    oroft hetaxpayer.Anyt axexempt ion,incenti
    veorrel
    ief
    grantedbyanylocalgovernmentuni tpursuanttot heprovisi
    onsofthis
    Codeshallbeconstr
    uedst ri
    ctl
    yagainsttheper sonclai
    mi ngit
    .
    (c)The gener alwelfar
    e prov
    isi
    ons i
    nt hi
    s Code shal
    lbe liberal
    ly
    i
    nterpreted to giv
    e mor e powerstol ocalgovernment unit
    si n
    accelerati
    ngeconomicdevel
    opmentandupgradi
    ngt
    hequalit
    yoflifefor
    thepeopl eint
    hecommuni t
    y;
    (d)Rightsandobli
    gati
    onsexi
    sti
    ngonthedat eofef
    fect
    ivi
    tyoft hi
    sCode
    and ar i
    si
    ng outofcont r
    acts orany othersource ofpr esentat
    ion
    i
    nv ol
    vingalocalgover
    nmentuni
    tshal
    lbegov er
    nedbytheoriginalter
    ms
    andcondi ti
    onsofsaidcontr
    actsorthelaw infor
    ceatt het i
    mesuch
    ri
    ghtswer evest
    ed;and
    (e)I
    ntheresol
    utionofcontrov
    ersiesar
    isi
    ngundert hisCodewher
    eno
    l
    egalprov
    ision orjur
    ispr
    udence appli
    es,resor
    tmaybe had t othe
    cust
    omsandt r
    aditi
    onsintheplacewherethecontr
    ov ersi
    est
    akepl
    ace.
     Obj
    ect
    ive:
    Togr
    antgenui
    nel
    ocal
    aut
    onomy
    - 5.Ef
    fect
    ivi
    ty
    o Sect
    ion536.Ef f
    ecti
    vi
    tyClause.-Thi
    sCodeshal ltakeeff
    ectonJanuar yfi
    rst
    ,
    ni
    neteen hundred ni
    nety
    -two,unless other
    wise provi
    ded herein,af t
    erits
    complet
    epublicati
    oninatleastone(1)newspaperofgeneralci
    rculat
    ion.

    PARTI
    II–CREATI
    ON,
    CONVERSI
    ON,DI
    VISI
    ON,MERGER,SUBSTANTIALCHANGEOF
    BOUNDARYOFLOCALGOVERNMENTUNITS,
    ANDABOLI TION
    A.Regul
    arPol
    i
    tical
    Subdi
    vi
    sions(
    Prov
    inces,
    Cit
    ies,
    Muni
    cipal
    i
    ties,
    andBar
    angay
    s)
    - 1.Cr
    eat
    ionandConv
    ersi
    on
    o a.Gener
    alRequi
    rement
    s:Law,
    Plebi
    sci
    te,
    Compl
    i
    ancewi
    thCr
    it
    eri
    aoni
    ncome,
    l
    and&populati
    on
     Secs.10-
    11Ar
    t.10const
    i
     Secti
    on10.Nopr ov
    ince,cit
    y,muni ci
    pali
    ty,orbarangaymaybe
    created,di
    vided,merged,abol
    ished,oritsboundarysubstanti
    ally
    alt
    ered,exceptinaccordancewi ththecr i
    ter
    iaestabli
    shedinthe
    l
    ocalgov ernmentcodeandsubj ecttoappr ovalbyamaj ori
    tyof
    thevotescastinaplebisci
    teinthepolit
    icaluni
    tsdirect
    lyaf
    fected.
     Secti
    on 11. The Congr ess may , by law, creat
    e special
    metropoli
    tanpol i
    ti
    calsubdivi
    sions,subjecttoaplebi
    sci
    teasset
    for
    th i n Section 10 her eof . The component ci ti
    es and
    municipal
    iti
    es shallret
    aint heirbasic autonomyand shal
    lbe
    enti
    tl
    edtotheirownlocalexecuti
    veandl egi
    slat
    iveassemblies.
    Thejuri
    sdi
    cti
    onofthemet r
    opoli
    tanauthori
    tythatwil
    ltherebybe
    creat
    edshal
    lbelimi
    tedtobasicserv
    icesrequi
    ri
    ngcoordinati
    on.
     Secti
    on 6.Authorit
    yt o Create LocalGov ernmentUni ts.-A l ocal
    governmentunitmaybecr eated,di vi
    ded,mer ged,abolished,ori ts
    boundari
    essubstantial
    lyalt
    er edeitherbyl aw enactedbyCongr essin
    the case ofa pr ov i
    nce,ci ty,muni cipal
    it
    y,orany ot herpol iti
    cal
    subdivi
    si
    on,orbyor dinancepassedbyt hesangguniangpanl alawigan
    orsangguniang panlungsod concer ned int he case ofa bar angay
    l
    ocatedwithi
    nitsterrit
    ori
    aljurisdi
    ction,subjecttosuchl i
    mi t
    ationsand
    requi
    rementspr
    escribedinthisCode.
     Sect
    ion7.Creati
    onandConversi
    on.-Asageneralrul
    e,thecreati
    onofa
    l
    ocalgover
    nmentuni tori
    tsconversi
    onfr
    om onel ev
    eltoanot herl
    evel
    shal
    lbebasedonv eri
    fi
    abl
    eindi
    catorsofv
    iabi
    l
    ityandproject
    edcapacity
    topr
    ovideservi
    ces,
    towit:
    (a)I
    ncome.-Itmustbesuf fi
    cient,
    basedonacceptabl
    estandar
    ds,
    toprovi
    deforallessenti
    algovernmentfaci
    l
    iti
    esandserv
    icesand
    speci
    alfunct
    ionscommensur atewiththesizeofit
    spopulati
    on,
    asexpectedofthelocalgover
    nmentunitconcerned;
    (b)Popul
    ati
    on.-Itshallbedet er
    minedast hetotalnumberof
    i
    nhabit
    ant
    s wi thi
    n the terri
    tori
    al j
    uri
    sdi
    ction of the local
    gover
    nmentunitconcer
    ned;and
    (c)LandAr ea.-I
    tmustbecont i
    guous,unl
    essi tcompr i
    sestwoor
    mor ei sl
    ands ori s separated by a l ocalgov ernmentunit
    i
    ndependentoft he other
    s;pr operl
    yi denti
    fied bymet es and
    boundswi thtechnicaldescripti
    ons;andsuf fi
    cienttoprovidef
    or
    suchbasicser vi
    cesandf acil
    iti
    estomeett her equi
    rementsofi
    ts
    populace.
     Compli
    ancewitht
    hef or
    egoi
    ngindicator
    sshallbeat t
    estedtoby
    theDepar
    tmentofFinance(DOF),theNat i
    onalStati
    sti
    csOffi
    ce
    (NSO)
    ,and t he Lands Management Bur eau (LMB) of the
    Depar
    tmentofEnvi
    ronmentandNaturalResources(DENR).
     Section 10.Pl ebiscit
    eRequi rement .-No cr eati
    on,di vi
    sion,mer ger,
    abolit
    ion,orsubst ant
    ialal t
    erati
    onofboundar iesofl ocalgov ernment
    unitsshalltakeef f
    ectunl essappr ovedbyamaj ori
    tyofthev otescastin
    apl ebisci
    tecalledf orthepur posei nt hepoli
    ticalunitorunitsdi r
    ectl
    y
    affected.Saidpl ebisciteshal lbeconduct edbyt heCommi ssionon
    Electi
    ons( COMELEC)wi t
    hinonehundr edt
    went y(120)day sfrom the
    dateofef fectiv
    ityofthel aworor di
    nanceef f
    ect i
    ngsuchact i
    on,unless
    saidlaworor di
    nancef ixesanot herdate.
    Isitmandat
    edt
    hatallt
    hesegener alr
    equi
    rementsshoul
    dbecompli
    ed
    wit
    h?Forexample,t
    her equi
    rementoni ncome,landandpopul
    ati
    on,
    shoul
    dwecomplywit
    hsuchr equi
    rements?
    I
    tdependsont
    hel
    guconcer
    ned.I
    t’
    snotr
    equi
    redal
    lthet
    imet
    hat
    thereshouldbecompli
    ancewit
    hincome,popul
    ati
    onandland
    area,becausei
    tmayhappent
    hatonl
    y2oft he3factor
    sshoul
    d
    becompl i
    edwit
    h.
     TANVSCOMELEC
     A plebiscit ef orcr eat i
    ng a new pr ovince shoul dinclude the
    parti
    cipationoft her esidentsoft hemot herpr ovi
    nceinor derto
    conform t ot he const i
    tuti
    onalr equirement .XXXXXX BP 885,
    creat
    ing t he Pr ovince of Negr os del Nor t
    e, is declared
    unconst i
    tut i
    onalbecausei texcludedt hev otersoft hemot her
    provi
    ncef r om par ti
    cipatinginthepl ebiscite(anditdidnotcompl y
    withthear eaofcr i
    teri
    onpr escri
    bedi nt heLGC) .XXXXWher ethe
    l
    awaut horizingt hehol dingofapl ebiscitei sunconstit
    uti
    onal,the
    Courtcannotaut hor i
    zet heholdingofanewone.XXXXThef act
    thatthepl ebi scit
    ewhi chthepet it
    ionsoughtt ostophadal ready
    beenhel dandof f
    icial
    soft henew pr ov i
    nceappoi nt
    eddoesnot
    maket hepet iti
    onmootandacademi c,ast hepet i
    ti
    onraisesan
    i
    ssueofconst i
    tuti
    onaldi mension.
     PADI
    LLAVSCOMELEC
     Evenunderthe1987consti
    ,thepl
    ebi
    scit
    eshal
    lincl
    udeal
    lthe
    voter
    softhemot
    herpr
    ovinceort
    hemothermuni
    cipal
    i
    ty.
     Whent helawst atesthatthepl ebiscit
    eshallbeconduct ed"i
    nthe
    polit
    icalunitsdirectlyaff
    ect ed,"itmeanst hatresidentsofthe
    polit
    icalentitywho woul d be economi cal
    lydislocated bythe
    separ at
    ion ofa por t
    ion thereofhav ear ighttov otein sai
    d
    plebiscit
    e.Evidently
    ,whati scont empl at
    edbyt hephase" pol
    iti
    cal
    unitsdi r
    ectl
    yaf fected,"i
    st hepl ural
    ityofpolit
    icalunitswhich
    woul dparti
    cipateintheplebiscite.
     LOPEZVSCOMELEC
     ThecreationofMetropol
    itanMani laisv al
    id.Ther efer
    endum of
    Feb.27,1975 aut hori
    zed t he Presidentt orestructur
    el ocal
    gover
    nment sinthe4ci tiesand13muni cipal
    it
    ies.XXXXXThe
    Presi
    denthadauthori
    tytoi ssuedecreesin1975.XXXXThe1984
    amendmentt othe1973const ii
    mpli
    edlyrecogni
    zedt heexist
    ence
    ofMet r
    oMani l
    abypr ovidingr epr
    esentati
    onofMet roManilain
    theBatasanPambansa.
     SULTANOSOPCAMI
    DVSOFFI
    CEOFTHEPRESI
    DENT
     From t hi
    ssurv eyofr el
    evantj uri
    sprudence,wecangat herthe
    appli
    cabler ul
    es.Pel aezandi tsof f
    spr ingcasesr uledthatthe
    Presidenthasnopowert ocr eatemuni ci
    pali
    ti
    es,y etl
    imit
    edi t
    s
    null
    if
    icatoryeffectstotheparticul
    armuni ci
    pali
    ti
    eschal l
    engedin
    actualcasesbef orethi
    sCourt.Howev er,wit
    hthepr omulgat
    ionof
    theLocalGov ernmentCodei n1991,t helegalcloudwasl i
    ft
    ed
    overt hemuni cipal
    it
    iessi
    mi l
    arlycreat edbyexecut i
    veorderbut
    notjudicial
    l
    yannul l
    ed.Thedef act
    ost atusofsuchmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    es
    asSanAndres,Ali
    ciaandSi nacabanwasrecogni
    zedbythi
    sCourt,
    and Sect
    ion 442(b)oft he LocalGovernmentCode deemed
    cur
    ativ
    ewhatev erlegaldefectstoti
    tl
    ethesemuni ci
    pal
    it
    ieshad
    l
    aboredunder
    .
    IsAndongsi milarl
    yentitl
    edt orecognit
    ionasadef act omuni ci
    pal
    corporati
    on?I tisnot .Ther ear eemi nentdi ff
    erencesbet ween
    Andong and muni cipali
    ti
    es such as San Andr es,Al ici
    a and
    Sinacaban.Mostpr ominenti sthef actt hattheexecut iv eorder
    creati
    ngAndongwasexpr essl
    yannul l
    edbyor deroft hisCour tin
    1965.I fwewer etoaf f
    irm Andong’ sdef actostatusbyr easonof
    i
    tsal l
    egedcont i
    nuedexi stencedespiteitsnullif
    ication,wewoul d
    i
    n ef fect be condoni ng def i
    ance of a v ali
    d or der of t his
    Court.Courtdecisi
    onscannotobv iousl
    yl osetheiref ficacyduet o
    thesheerdef i
    ancebyt hepar ti
    esaggr i
    eved.
    Itbear snot i
    ngt hatbasedonCami d’sownadmi ssi
    ons,Andong
    doesnotmeett her equisit
    essetf ort hbySect i
    on442( d)oft he
    LocalGov ernmentCode.Sect ion442( d)r equiresthati nor der
    thatt he muni cipalitycr eated byexecut iv
    e or dermayr eceive
    recogni t
    ion,t hey must" hav et heirr espective setofel ective
    muni cipalof fi
    cialshol dingof f
    iceatt hetimeoft heeffecti
    vi
    tyof
    [t
    heLocalGov ernment ]Code. "Cami dadmi tst hatAndonghas
    neverel ect editsmuni cipalofficersatal l.Thisi ncapacityti
    esi n
    witht hef actt hatAndongwasj udiciall
    yannul l
    edi n1965.Outof
    obeisancet oourr ul
    ingi nPel aez, t
    henat ionalgov ernmentceased
    torecogni zet heexi stenceofAndong,depr ivingi tofit
    sshar eof
    thepubl icf unds,andr efusingt oconductmuni cipalelecti
    onsf or
    thevoi dmuni cipalit
    y.
     Thef ail
    uret oappropr i
    atef undsforAndongandt heabsenceof
    electi
    onsint hemuni cipali
    tyinthelastfourdecadesar eeloquent
    i
    ndi ci
    aoft henon- r
    ecogni t
    ionbyt heStateoft heexi stenceoft he
    town.Thecer t
    if
    icati
    onsr eli
    eduponbyCami d, issuedbyt heDENR
    -CENROandt heNat ionalSt ati
    sti
    csOf fi
    ce,canhar dlyserv ethe
    purposeofat t
    esti
    ng t o Andong’sl egalefficacy.I nf act,both
    these certifi
    cati
    ons qual if
    yt hatt hey wer ei ssued upon t he
    requestofCami d,"tosuppor ttherestorat
    ionorr e-operati
    onof
    the Muni cipal
    it
    y ofAndong,Lanao delSur ,
    "t hus obv iousl
    y
    concedingt hatthemuni cipali
    tyisatpresentinoper ati
    ve.
     Wemayl ikewi sepayat t
    ent iontot heOr di
    nanceappendedt ot he
    1987Const ituti
    on,whi chhadal sobeenr el
    ieduponi nJi
    menez
    andSanNar ciso.ThisOr dinance,whi chappor ti
    onedt heseatsof
    theHouseofRepr esentativestot hedi f
    ferentlegi
    slat
    ivedistr
    icts
    i
    nt hePhi
    lippines,enumer atest hev ari
    ousmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    esthatar e
    encompassedbyt hev ariousl egislat
    ivedistri
    cts.Andongi snot
    l
    istedt
    hereinasamongt hemuni cipal
    iti
    esofLanaodelSur ,orof
    any ot
    herpr ov i
    nce fort hatmat ter
    .On t he otherhand,t he
    munici
    pal
    itiesofSanAndr es, Ali
    ciaandSi nacabanar ement i
    oned
    i
    nt he Ordi
    nance as par
    tof Quezon,Bohol
    ,and Mi
    sami
    s
    Occi
    dent
    alrespect
    ivel
    y.
     How aboutt heei ghteen( 18)muni cipaliti
    essi milarl
    ynul l
    i
    f i
    edin
    Pelaezbutcer tif
    iedasexi st i
    ngint heDI LGCer ti
    fi
    cationpr esented
    byCami d?Thepet i
    tionfai l
    st oment iont hatsubsequentt othe
    ruli
    ngi nPel aez,legi sl
    ati
    onwasenact edt or econst it
    utet hese
    muni ci
    paliti
    es.Itisthusnotsur prisi
    ngt hatt heDI LGcer ti
    fiedthe
    exist
    enceoft heseei ghteen( 18)muni ci
    pal i
    ti
    es,ort hatt hese
    townsar eamongt hemuni cipal
    itiesenumer atedintheOr dinance
    appended t ot heConst i
    tution.Andong hasnotbeensi mi l
    arly
    reestabl
    ishedt hroughst atute.Cl earlythen,t hef actthatt hereare
    vali
    d organi c statutes passed byl egislation recreating these
    eighteen( 18)muni cipalit
    iesi ssuf fi
    cientl egalbasi st oaccor da
    diff
    erentlegaltreatmentt oAndongasagai nsttheseei ghteen( 18)
    othermuni cipali
    ti
    es.
     Wet husasser tthepr operpur viewt oSect ion442( d)oft heLocal
    Gov er nmentCode—t hati
    tdoesnotser vet oaf fi
    rm orr econst it
    ute
    thejudi ci
    allydi ssolvedmuni cipal it
    iessuchasAndong,whi chhad
    beenpr eviousl ycr eatedbypr esidenti
    ali ssuancesorexecut i
    ve
    order s.Thepr ov isionaf f
    ir
    mst hel egalpersonal iti
    esonl yoft hose
    muni ci pali
    tiessuchasSanNar ciso,Ali
    cia,andSi nacaban,whi ch
    mayhav ebeencr eatedusi ngt hesamei nfir
    ml egalbasi s,yet
    wer ef ort
    unat eenoughnott ohav ebeenj udi
    ciallyannul l
    ed.On
    theot herhand,t hemuni ci
    palitiesjudiciallydi ssolv edi ncases
    suchasPel aez,SanJoaqui n,andMal abang,r emai ni nexistent,
    unlessr ecreat edt hroughspeci f i
    clegisl
    ativeenact ment s,asdone
    witht heei ghteen( 18)muni cipal i
    ti
    escer t
    ifiedbyt heDI LG.Those
    muni ci pali
    ties der ive theirl egal per sonal i
    ty not f rom t he
    president iali ssuances or execut i
    ve or der s whi ch or iginall
    y
    createdt hem orf rom Section442( d)
    ,butf r
    om t her espect i
    ve
    l
    egisl ativest atuteswhi chwer eenact edtor evivethem.
     Andwhatnow ofAndongandi tsr esi
    dents?Certai
    nly,neit
    her
    Pelaezorthisdeci si
    onhasobl i
    teratedAndongi nt
    oahol eont he
    ground.Thel egaleffectofthenul l
    ifi
    cati
    onofAndongi nPel aez
    wast oreverttheconstit
    uentbarriosofthev oi
    dedtownbacki nto
    thei
    r original muni ci
    pali
    ti
    es, namel y the muni ci
    pali
    ti
    es of
    Lumbatan,But igandTubar an.Theset hr
    eemuni ci
    pali
    ti
    essubsist
    tothisdayaspar tofLanaodelSur ,andpr esumablyconti
    nuet o
    exerci
    secor porat
    epower sov erthebar r
    ioswhichoncebel onged
    toAndong.
    Ifther eistrul
    yast r
    ongi mpul secalli
    ngf orther econsti
    tut
    ionof
    Andong,t hesol uti
    onist hr ought hel egi
    slatureandnotj udici
    al
    conf ir
    mat i
    onofv oi
    dtit
    le.Ifi ndeedther esidentsofAndonghav e,
    allt hesey ears,been gov erned notbyt heirpr opermuni ci
    pal
    gov ernment s butbya r agt ag "I
    nteri
    m Gov ernment,"then an
    expedi entpoli
    ticalandl egislativ
    esol uti
    oni sper hapsnecessary.
    Yetwe can har dly sancti
    on the retention ofAndong’ sl egal
    personalit
    ysolelyont hebasi sofcol l
    ectiv
    eamnesi at hatmay
    haveal l
    owedAndongt osomehow pr etendi t
    selfintoexi st
    ence
    despiteitsjudici
    aldi ssolut
    ion.May bet hosewhoi nsistAndong
    sti
    llexi
    stsprefertor emai nunpert
    urbedi ntheirbli
    ssfulignorance,
    l
    iket heinhabi
    tant soft hecav ei
    nPl ato’
    sf amedal l
    egor y.Butthe
    ti
    mehascomef ort helighttoseepi n,andf orthepet i
    tionerand
    l
    ike-mindedper sonst oawakent olegalrealit
    y.
     LEAGUEOFCI
    TIESOFTHEPHI
    LS.VSCOMELEC
     The16CityhoodBi
    l
    lsdonotv
    iol
    ateAr
    ti
    cleX,Sect
    ion10oft
    he
    Const
    it
    uti
    on.
     Ar
    ti
    cl
    eX,
    Sect
    ion10pr
    ovi
    des—
    o Section10. Nopr ovince,ci t
    y,muni cipal
    i
    ty,orbarangay
    maybecr eated,di
    v i
    ded, merged, aboli
    shed,ori
    tsboundary
    substantial
    lyalt
    ered,excepti naccor dancewiththecri
    ter
    ia
    establi
    shedi nthel ocalgov er
    nmentcodeandsubj ectto
    approvalbyamaj ori
    tyoft hev otescasti naplebisci
    tein
    thepolit
    icalunit
    sdi r
    ectlyaffected.
     Thet enoroftheponenci asoft heNov ember18,2008Deci si
    on
    andtheAugust24, 2010Resol utionist
    hattheexemptionclauses
    i
    nt he16Ci tyhoodLawsar eunconst i
    tut
    ionalbecauset heyare
    notwr i
    tt
    en i
    nt he LocalGov ernmentCode of1991 ( LGC),
    par
    ticular
    lySection450t her
    eof ,asamendedbyRepubl icAct
    (R.
    A.)No.9009, whi
    cht ookeffectonJune30, 2001,vi
    z.—
    o Section450.Requi
    sitesforCr eati
    on.–a)Amuni cipal
    it
    yor
    aclusterofbar
    angaysmaybeconv ert
    edi nt
    oacomponent
    ci
    tyifithasalocall
    ygener atedannuali ncome,ascerti
    fi
    ed
    byt heDepartmentofFi nance,ofatl eastOneHundr ed
    Mil
    li
    on Pesos ( P100,000,000.00) foratl eastt wo (2)
    consecuti
    veyearsbasedon2000const antpri
    ces,andifit
    hasei t
    heroft
    hefoll
    owi ngrequisit
    es:
    o xxxx
    o(c)Theav er
    ageannuali ncomeshallincl
    udetheincome
    accrui
    ngt othegeneralfund,excl
    usiv
    eofspecialfunds,
    transf
    ers,
    andnon-
    recurr
    ingincome.(Emphasi
    ssuppli
    ed)
     Pri
    ort ot
    heamendment ,Section450oft heLGCr equi
    redonlyan
    averageannualincome, ascer ti
    fi
    edbytheDepartmentofFinance,
    ofatleastP20,000,000.
    00f orthelastt
    wo( 2)consecuti
    veyears,
    basedon1991const antprices.
     BeforeSenateBil
    lNo.2157,now R. A.No.9009,wasi nt
    roduced
    by SenatorAquili
    no Piment el
    ,there wer
    e 57 bi l
    l
    sf il
    ed for
    conversi
    onof57municipal
    it
    iesintocomponentciti
    es.Duringthe
    t
    h
    11 Congr ess(June1998-June2001) ,33oft hesebill
    swer e
    enactedint
    ol aw,whi
    le24r emainedaspendingbi l
    ls. Among
    these24weret he16munici
    pali
    ti
    esthatwer
    econv
    ert
    edi
    nto
    componentci
    ti
    esthr
    ought
    heCit
    yhoodLaws.
     Whil
    eR.A.No.9009wasbei ngdel
    iber
    atedupon,Congr esswas
    wellaware oft he pendency ofconv er
    sion bi
    ll
    s ofsev eral
    munici
    pali
    ti
    es,includi
    ng thosecover
    ed byt heCityhood Laws,
    desi
    ri
    ngt obecomecomponentci t
    ieswhichqualif
    iedundert he
    P20mill
    ionincomer equi
    rementoft
    heoldSect i
    on450oft heLGC.
    Theint
    erpell
    ati
    onofSenat ePresi
    dentFrankl
    inDri
    lonofSenat or
    Piment
    elisreveal
    ing,
     Clearl
    y,basedont heaboveexchange,Congr essi ntendedt hat
    t
    h
    thosewithpendingci
    tyhoodbil
    lsduri
    ngthe11 Congr esswoul d
    notbecov er
    edbyt henew andhi gherincomer equirementof
    P100mi ll
    ionimposedbyR. A.No.9009. Whent heLGC was
    amendedbyR. A.No.9009,theamendmentcar r
    iedwi thitboth
    thelet
    terandtheint
    entofthelaw,andsuchwer eincor poratedin
    theLGC bywhi chthecompl i
    anceoft heCityhoodLawswas
    gauged.
     Notwithst
    andi
    ngt hatbot hthe11thand12thCongr essfail
    edtoact
    upont hependingci t
    y hoodbi l
    ls,boththel etterandi ntentof
    Secti
    on450oft heLGC,asamendedbyR. A.No.9009,wer e
    t
    h
    carri
    edonuntilt
    he13 Congr ess,whentheCi tyhoodLawswer e
    enacted.Theexempt ionclausesf oundi
    nt heindi v
    idualCit
    yhood
    Laws ar ethe expr ess articul
    ati
    on oft hati ntentt o exempt
    respondentmunicipali
    tiesfrom thecover
    ageofR. A.No.9009.
     Ev enifwewer et oi gnoretheabov equot edexchangebet ween
    thenSenat ePr esidentDr i
    lonandSenat orPi ment el,i
    tcannotbe
    deniedt hatCongr esssawt hewi sdom ofexempt ingrespondent
    muni cipali
    ti
    es f rom compl ying wi t
    h t he hi gher income
    requirementi mposedbyt heamendat oryR. A.No.9009.I ndeed,
    thesemuni cipalit
    ieshav eprov ent hemsel vesv i
    ableandcapabl e
    tobecomecomponentci ti
    esoft heirrespect ivepr ov
    inces.I ti
    s
    also acknowl edged t hat they wer e cent er s of t r
    ade and
    commer ce,poi ntsofconv er
    genceoft ranspor tat
    ion,ri
    chhav ens
    of agr icul
    tural,mi neral,and ot her nat ur al resources,and
    fl
    ourishingt ourism spot s.Int hisregar d,i
    ti swor thyt oment i
    on
    thedist i
    ncti
    vet raitsofeachr espondentmuni cipal
    ity,
     Theenact mentoft heCi t
    yhoodLawsi sanexer cisebyCongr ess
    ofitslegislati
    v epower .Legislat
    ivepoweri stheaut hori
    ty,under
    theConst ituti
    on,tomakel aws,andt oal
    terandr epealthem.The
    Const i
    tuti
    on,ast heexpressionoft hewilloft hepeopl eint hei
    r
    ori
    ginal,sov erei
    gn,andunlimi t
    edcapacit
    y ,hasv est edthispower
    i
    nt heCongr essoft hePhil
    ippines.Thegr antofl egislat
    ivepower
    to Congr ess i s br oad,gener al
    ,and compr ehensi v
    e. The
    l
    egislati
    vebodypossessespl enarypower sforal lpur posesof
    civ
    ilgov ernment .Anypower ,deemedt obel egi slati
    vebyusage
    andt radit
    ion,i snecessari
    lypossessedbyCongr ess,unlesst he
    Consti
    tut
    ionhasl odgeditel
    sewhere.I
    nfi
    ne,exceptasli
    mi t
    edby
    theConstit
    uti
    on,ei t
    herexpressl
    yorimpl
    iedl
    y,legi
    slat
    ivepower
    embracesallsubjects,
    andextendstomat
    tersofgeneralconcer
    n
    orcommoni nterest.
     Wi t
    houtdoubt ,theLGCi sacr eati
    onofCongr essthr oughi t
    sl aw-
    maki ngpower s.Congr esshast hepowert oal t
    erormodi fyitasi t
    didwheni tenact edR. A.No.9009.Suchpowerofamendmentof
    l
    awswasagai nexer cisedwhenCongr essenact edt heCi t
    yhood
    Laws.WhenCongr essenact edt heLGCi n1991,i tpr ov i
    dedf or
    quant i
    fiableindicator sofeconomi cv iabili
    tyfort hecr eationof
    l
    ocalgov ernmentuni ts—income,popul ati
    on,and l and ar ea.
    Congr essdeemedi tf i
    tt omodi f
    yt hei ncomer equir ementwi th
    respectt otheconv ersionofmuni cipali
    tiesintocomponentci t i
    es
    wheni tenact edR. A.No.9009,i mposi nganamountofP100
    mi l
    l
    ion,comput edonl yfrom locally-
    gener atedsour ces.Howev er,
    Congr essdeemedi twi sertoexemptr espondentmuni ci
    palit i
    es
    from suchabel atedlyi mposedmodi f
    iedi ncomer equi r
    ementi n
    ordert ouphol ditshi ghercal l
    ingofput ti
    ngf l
    eshandbl oodt ot he
    veryi nt ent and t hrust of t he LGC,whi ch is count ry side
    developmentand aut onomy ,especi all
    y account ing f ort hese
    muni cipali
    ti
    esasengi nesf oreconomi cgr owthint heirr espect i
    ve
    provinces.
     Undeniably,R.
    A.No.9009amendedt heLGC.Buti tisalsot rue
    that
    ,inef f
    ect,
    theCi t
    yhoodLawsamendedR. A.No.9009t hrough
    theexempt ionclausesf oundtherein.Si ncet heCi tyhoodLaws
    expli
    cit
    ly exempt ed t he concerned muni cipali
    ti
    es f r
    om t he
    amendat oryR.A.No.9009,suchCi ty hoodLawsar e,theref ore,
    alsoamendment st ot heLGCi tself
    .Fort hisreason,wer ev erse
    the Nov ember18,2008 Deci si
    on and t he August24,2010
    Resoluti
    onont heirstrainedandst r
    ingentv iewt hattheCi tyhood
    Laws,par ti
    cul
    arl
    yt heirexemptioncl auses,ar enotf oundi nt he
    LGC.
     OPPOSI
    TIONOFLEAGUEOFCI
    TIESCASE
     Sec.10,Art.10const i:Noprov
    ince,cit
    y,muni ci
    pal
    it
    yorbar angay
    shallbe created,di vi
    ded,mer ged,abolished,orits boundary
    substanti
    all
    y altered,excepti n accordance wit
    ht he cr i
    teri
    a
    establ
    ishedint hel gcandsubjecttoappr ovalbymajorit
    yoft he
    votescastinapl ebiscit
    eint
    hepol i
    ti
    calunitsdir
    ect
    lyaff
    ected.
     Theconstiiscl
    ear.Thecreat
    ionofl gusmustf ol
    low t
    hecrit
    eri
    a
    est
    abli
    shedinthelgcandnoti nanyot herl
    aw.Thereisonlyone
    l
    gc.Congresscannotwri
    tesuchcr i
    teri
    ai nanyotherl
    aw,l
    ikethe
    Cit
    yhoodlaws.
     Noot herl
    aw,noteventhechar t
    eroftheci
    ty,cangov ernsuch
    creati
    on.Theclearint
    entoft heconstii
    st oi nsurethatthe
    creati
    onofci
    ti
    esandot herpol
    iti
    caluni
    tsmustfollow t
    hesame
    unifor
    m,non-
    discr
    imi
    natorycri
    ter
    iafoundsol
    elyint helgc.Any
    der
    ogati
    onordev i
    ati
    onfr
    om t
    hecr
    it
    eri
    apr
    escr
    ibedi
    nthel
    gc
    vi
    olat
    esSec.10,
    Art
    .10.
     Theywerejustpendi
    ngbi
    l
    lsatt
    hatt
    imeandt
    hushav
    enof
    orce
    andef
    fectofalaw.
     PROVI
    NCEOFNORTHCOTABATOVSGRP
     TheRPent eredintoaMOAwi ththeMI LF.TheMOApr ovidedf or
    thecr eationofBangsamor oJur i
    dicalEnt it
    y(BJE)wher ebyt here
    willbeasomesor tofgov ernmentst ructur
    e.Therewi llalsobe
    thet erri
    toryoft hisBangsamor ojuridicalenti
    tyandi thasal so
    definedwhoar ethesupposedconst i
    tuentsofsuchjuridicalent it
    y.
    Naaygov ernment,peopl e,and t erri
    tory.And insofaras i ti s
    all
    owedt or el
    ateitselftoforeignst ates,theMOApr ovi
    dest hatit
    candosot hrought heinst
    rument alityoft henati
    onalgov ernment .
    Infact ,undertheMOA,i tment i
    onedoft heso-call
    edassoci ation
    kindofr elati
    onship.
     SuchMOAi sunconst
    it
    utional
    .Ifanassociatedst
    ateisl egal
    lya
    stat
    ethenitcannotexistinthePhil
    s.Remember ,sovereignt
    yis
    i
    ndivi
    si
    ble.Youcannotdi vi
    desov er
    eignt
    y,thereshouldonl ybe
    oneauthori
    ty.
     Canan“
    associ
    atedst
    ate”beest
    abl
    i
    shedi
    nthePhi
    l
    s.?
    o Theconceptofan“ associatedstat
    e”isnotsancti
    onedby
    theConst it
    uti
    on.UnderAr t.X,thef ol
    lowi
    ngar etheonly
    recognized“poli
    ti
    calsubdivi
    sions”i
    nt hePhil
    s.:Pr
    ovinces,
    Citi
    es,Muni ci
    pali
    ti
    es,Barangaysandt heARMM andt he
    Cordil
    leras.
     TheMOA- ADisinconsi
    stentwi
    tht
    heConst
    it
    uti
    onandl
    awsas
    present
    lywor
    ded.
    In gener al,theobj ecti
    onsagai nstt heMOA- AD cent eron t he
    extentoft hepower sconcededt herei
    nt ot heBJE.Pet it
    ioners
    assertt hatthepower sgrantedt otheBJEexceedt hosegr anted
    toanyl ocalgov ernmentunderpr esentlaws,andev engobey ond
    those oft he pr esentARMM.Bef ore assessing some oft he
    specificpower sthatwoul dhavebeenv estedint heBJE, howev er
    ,
    i
    twoul dbeusef ult oturnfir
    sttoagener alideat hatservesasa
    unify
    ingl i
    nkt ot hedi ff
    erentprov i
    sionsoftheMOA- AD,namel y
    ,
    thei nternationall aw conceptofassoci ati
    on.Si gni
    fi
    cantl
    y ,the
    MOA- AD expl i
    citl
    yal l
    udest ot hisconcept,i ndicati
    ng thatt he
    Parti
    esact uall
    yf r
    amedi t
    sprovisionswithitinmi nd.
     Associat
    ion isr ef
    erred t
    oi n par
    agraph 3 on TERRI TORY,
    paragr
    aph11onRESOURCES, andparagraph4onGOVERNANCE.
    I
    tisi nthelastment i
    onedprovisi
    on,howev er,thattheMOA- AD
    mostcl ear
    ly uses itto descri
    be the envisioned rel
    ati
    onshi
    p
    bet
    weent heBJEandt heCentralGovernment.
     4.Ther
    elat
    ionshi
    p bet
    ween t
    heCent
    ralGov
    ernmentand t
    he
    Bangsamor ojur
    idi
    calentit
    yshallbeassociati
    v echaract
    erizedby
    sharedaut hori
    tyandresponsibil
    it
    ywit
    hast ructureofgover nance
    based on execut i
    ve,l egisl
    ati
    ve,judi
    cialand admi nistrati
    ve
    i
    nstituti
    ons wi th defined power s and f unct
    ions in t he
    compr ehensive compact . A per i
    od of t ransit
    ion shal l be
    establi
    shedi nacompr ehensivepeacecompactspeci fyingt he
    rel
    ationship between the Cent r
    alGov ernmentand t he BJE.
    (Emphasi sandunderscor i
    ngsuppli
    ed)
     The nat ure oft he " associati
    ve"r elati
    onship may hav e been
    i
    ntendedt obedef inedmor epr ecisel yinthest i
    llt
    obef orged
    Compr ehensive Compact .Nonet hel ess,giv en t
    hattherei sa
    conceptof" association"ininternationall aw,andtheMOA- AD-by
    i
    tsi ncl
    usionofi nter nati
    onallaw i nstrument sinitsTOR-pl aced
    i
    tselfinani nt
    ernationallegalcont ext ,thatconceptofassociati
    on
    maybebr oughtt obeari nunder standi ngtheuseoft het er
    m
    "associati
    ve"intheMOA- AD.
     KeitnerandRei smanstatethat[ a]
    nassociati
    oni sformedwhen
    twost at
    esofunequalpowerv olunt
    aril
    yestabl
    ishdurableli
    nks.In
    the basic model,one state,t he associ
    ate,delegates cert
    ain
    responsibil
    i
    tiestotheother,thepr inci
    pal
    ,whi l
    emai ntai
    ningits
    i
    nternati
    onalst at
    usasast ate.Freeassociati
    onsr epresenta
    middlegr oundbet weenint
    egr ati
    onandi ndependence.xxx150
    (Emphasi sandunderscor
    ingsuppl i
    ed)
     Forpur posesofi ll
    ust
    ration,theRepubl i
    coft heMar shallI
    slands
    andt heFeder atedStatesofMi cronesia(FSM) ,former l
    ypar tof
    151
    theU.S.-admi nister
    edTr ustTer ri
    toryoft hePacifi
    cI slands, ar e
    associatedst at esoft heU. S.pur suanttoaCompactofFr ee
    Association.Thecur rencyi nt hesecount ri
    esi st heU. S.dol l
    ar,
    i
    ndicatingt heirv er
    ycloset ieswi tht heU.S.,yettheyi ssuet hei
    r
    ownt raveldocument s,whi chisamar koftheirst atehood.Their
    i
    nternationall egalstatusasst ateswasconf i
    rmedbyt heUN
    Securit
    yCounci landbyt heiradmi ssiontoUNmember ship.
     Accor di
    ngt ot hei
    rcompact soff r
    eeassoci ati
    on,t heMar shall
    Isl
    andsand t heFSM gener all
    yhav et hecapaci tyto conduct
    foreign af fai
    rsi nthei
    rown name and r ight,such capaci ty
    extendi ng t o mat t
    ers such as the law oft he sea,mar i
    ne
    resour ces,t rade,banking,post al
    ,civilaviati
    on,and cul tural
    rel
    ations.The U. S.government,when conduct ing i
    tsf or
    eign
    affairs,i s obligat
    ed to consul
    twi ththe gov ernments oft he
    Mar shal lI
    slandsort heFSM onmat ter
    swhi chit(U.S.gover
    nment )
    regar dsasr elatingtooraff
    ecti
    ngeithergovernment .
    I
    nt heeventofat
    tacksort hr
    eat
    sagainsttheMar shal
    lIsl
    andsor
    theFSM,theU.S.governmenthastheauthori
    tyandobl i
    gati
    onto
    defend t
    hem as iftheywer e par
    tofU. S.territ
    ory.The U.
    S.
    government,mor
    eover,hastheopti
    onofest abl
    ishingandusing
    mili
    taryar
    easandf aci
    lit
    ieswit
    hintheseassociatedstatesand
    hastherightt
    obarthemi l
    i
    tarypersonnelofanythi
    rdcount
    ry
    fr
    om hav
    ingaccesst
    otheseter
    ri
    tor
    iesformil
    it
    arypur
    poses.
    Itbear s noti
    ng t hati n U. S.constitutionaland internati
    onal
    pract
    ice,f r
    ee associ at
    ion is understood as an i nternati
    onal
    associat
    ion bet ween sov erei
    gns. The Compact of Fr ee
    Associati
    oni sat reatywhi chissubor dinatetotheassoci ated
    nati
    on'snationalconst i
    tut
    ion,andeachpar t
    ymayt erminatet he
    associat
    ionconsi stentwi t
    ht her
    ightofindependence.Ithasbeen
    saidthat,wit
    ht headmi ssionoftheU. S.-associ
    atedstatestot he
    UNi n1990,t heUNr ecognizedthattheAmer i
    canmodeloff ree
    associat
    ion is act uall
    y based on an under lyi
    ng st at
    us of
    152
    i
    ndependence.
    Ininternati
    onalpracti
    ce,the"associ
    atedst at
    e"ar rangementhas
    usuallybeenusedasat ransi
    ti
    onaldev i
    ceoff ormercol oni
    eson
    thei
    rwayt ofullindependence.Exampl esofst atesthathav e
    passedt hroughthest at
    usofassoci atedstatesasat ransi
    tional
    phasear eAntigua,St.Ki
    tts-
    Nevis-
    Anguill
    a,Domi ni
    ca, St
    .Lucia,St.
    Vincent and Gr enada.Al lhav e since become i ndependent
    153
    states.
     Backt ot he MOA- AD,i tcont ai nsmanypr ovisionswhi ch ar e
    consi stentwi tht hei nternat i
    onall egalconceptofassoci ati
    on,
    speci fi
    cal l
    yt he f oll
    owi ng:t he BJE' s capaci tyt o ent eri nto
    economi c and t rade r elati
    ons wi t
    h f orei
    gn count ri
    es,t he
    commi t
    mentoft he Cent ralGov ernmentt o ensur et he BJE' s
    par t
    icipat i
    on i n meet ings and ev ent
    si nt he ASEAN and t he
    speci ali
    zedUNagenci es,andt hecont i
    nui ngr esponsibilit
    yoft he
    Cent ralGov ernmentov erext ernaldef ense.Mor eov er,theBJE' s
    rightt o par t
    ici
    pat ei n Phi li
    ppi ne of f
    icialmi ssions bear ing on
    negot iationofbor deragr eement s,env ir
    onment alpr otection,and
    shar i
    ngofr ev enuesper tainingt ot hebodi esofwat eradj acentt o
    orbet weent hei slandsf ormingpar toft heancest raldomai n,
    resembl est her i
    ghtoft hegov er nment sofFSM andt heMar shall
    Islandst obeconsul tedbyt heU. S.gov ernmentonanyf oreign
    af f
    airsmat teraffect i
    ngt hem.
     Theseprov
    isi
    onsoftheMOAi ndi
    cat
    e,amongot hert
    hings,that
    thePar
    ti
    esaimedtov estintheBJEt hestat
    usofanassoci ated
    stat
    eor,
    atanyrat
    e,astatusclosel
    yapproxi
    mati
    ngit.
     Theconceptofassoci
    ati
    oni
    snotr
    ecogni
    zedundert
    hepr
    esent
    Const
    it
    uti
    on
     No pr ovince,ci t
    y,ormuni cipali
    ty,notev en t he ARMM,i s
    recognizedunderourl awsashav ingan"associati
    ve"relati
    onshi
    p
    withthenat ionalgov
    ernment.Indeed, t
    heconcepti mpliespowers
    thatgobey ondany t
    hingevergr antedbytheConst i
    tutiontoany
    l
    ocalorr egionalgovernment.Italsoimpli
    esther ecognitionoft
    he
    associatedent i
    tyasast at
    e.TheConst i
    tut
    ion,howev er,doesnot
    contempl
    ateanystat
    einthi
    sjuri
    sdi
    cti
    onotherthanthePhil
    ippi
    ne
    Stat
    e,muchlessdoesitprovi
    deforatransi
    tor
    ystatusthataims
    toprepar
    eanypartofPhi
    l
    ippi
    neterr
    it
    oryfori
    ndependence.
     Even the mere conceptanimat
    ing many of t he MOA-AD'
    s
    pr
    ovisi
    ons, t
    herefor
    e, al
    ready r
    equires for it
    s val
    idi
    tythe
    amendmentofconstit
    uti
    onalpr
    ovi
    sions,speci
    fi
    cal
    lyt
    hefol
    lowi
    ng
    pr
    ovisi
    onsofArti
    cl
    eX:
     SECTION 1.The t er
    ri
    tori
    aland poli
    ticalsubdi vi
    sions ofthe
    Republi
    coft hePhi
    li
    ppinesaret
    heprovinces,cit
    ies,munici
    pali
    ti
    es,
    andbar angays.Thereshallbeautonomousr egionsi nMuslim
    Mindanaoandt heCordil
    ler
    asasher
    einaf t
    erprovided.
     SECTI ON 15.Ther e shallbe cr eated autonomous r egions i
    n
    Musl i
    m Mi ndanaoandi nt heCordill
    erasconsisti
    ngofpr ov i
    nces,
    ci
    ti
    es,muni cipali
    ti
    es,andgeogr aphicalareasshar i
    ngcommon
    and di st
    inct
    ive histor
    icaland cul turalheri
    tage,economi cand
    socialst r
    uctures,andot herrel
    ev antcharacteri
    sti
    cswi thinthe
    fr
    amewor koft hi
    sConst itut
    ionandt henat i
    onalsovereigntyas
    wellast err
    it
    oriali
    ntegrit
    yoft heRepubl i
    cofthePhili
    ppines.
     TheBJEi safarmorepowerf
    ul
    enti
    tythantheautonomousregi
    on
    recognizedintheConst
    it
    uti
    on
    I
    tisnotmer elyanexpandedv ersi
    onoftheARMM,t hestat
    usof
    i
    tsrelat
    ionshipwi t
    hthenat i
    onalgov er
    nmentbeingfundamentall
    y
    dif
    fer
    entf r
    om t hatoftheARMM.I ndeed,BJEisast at
    einallbut
    name as i tmeet sthe cr i
    ter
    ia ofa statel ai
    d down int he
    154
    Montevideo Conv ent
    ion, namel y,a permanentpopulati
    on,a
    defi
    ned terri
    tory,a gov ernment ,and a capacit
    yto enterinto
    rel
    ati
    onswi t
    hot herstates.
     Evenassumingar guendot hattheMOA- ADwouldnotnecessar
    il
    y
    severanyportionofPhi l
    ippineterr
    it
    ory,thespi
    ri
    tanimati
    ngit-
    whichhasbetrayeditsel
    fbyi tsuseoftheconceptofassoci
    ati
    on
    -runscountertot henati
    onalsov er
    eigntyandter
    ri
    tor
    iali
    ntegr
    it
    y
    oftheRepubli
    c.
     Thedef ini
    ng conceptunderl
    yi
    ng ther elati
    onshi
    p between t
    he
    nati
    onalgov er
    nmentandt heBJE bei ngi t
    sel
    fcontrarytothe
    presentConsti
    tuti
    on,i
    tisnotsurpri
    singthatmanyoft hespeci
    fi
    c
    provi
    sionsoft heMOA- ADont hef ormationandpower softhe
    BJEar einconfl
    ictwi
    ththeConsti
    tuti
    onandt helaws.
     Arti
    cle X,Secti
    on 18 oft he Constitut
    ion provides that" [
    t]
    he
    creati
    on oft he autonomous r egion shallbe ef fect
    ive when
    approv edbyamaj or
    ityoft hevotescastbyt heconst it
    uentuni t
    s
    i
    napl ebi
    sci
    tecal
    ledforthepurpose, provi
    dedt hatonlyprov i
    nces,
    ci
    ties,andgeographicar easvotingf avorabl
    yi nsuchpl ebi
    scit
    e
    shallbeincl
    udedintheaut onomousr egion."(
    Emphasi ssuppl i
    ed)
     As r eflected abov e,t he BJE i s mor e ofa st atet han an
    autonomousr egi
    on.Butev enassumi ngt hati tiscov eredbyt he
    term "aut onomousr egion"i nt he const i
    tutionalpr ov i
    si on just
    quoted,t he MOA- AD woul d st i
    llbe i n conf l
    ictwi thi t.Under
    paragraph2( c)onTERRI TORYi nr elationt o2( d)and2( e),the
    presentgeogr aphic ar ea oft he ARMM and,i n addi ti
    on,t he
    muni cipalit
    iesofLanaodelNor t
    ewhi chv otedf orinclusioni nt he
    ARMM dur i
    ng t he 2001 pl ebiscite -Bal oi
    ,Munai ,Nunungan,
    Pantar,Tagol oanandTangkal-ar eaut omat icallypartoft heBJE
    withoutneedofanot herpl ebiscit
    e,i ncont rastt ot heareasunder
    Categor iesAandBment ionedear l
    ieri nt heov ervi
    ew.Thatt he
    presentcomponent s oft he ARMM and t he abov e-ment i
    oned
    muni cipalit
    iesv otedf ori ncl usi
    ont her einin2001,howev er,does
    notrenderanot herplebi sciteunnecessar yundert heConst i
    tution,
    preciselybecausewhatt hesear easv otedf ort henwast heir
    i
    nclusioni nt heARMM, nott heBJE.
     MARI ANOVSCOMELEC -Pet it
    ionershavenotdemonstratedthatthe
    deli
    neati
    onoft helandareaoft heproposedCityofMakat i(
    wi t
    hout
    met esandbounds)wil
    lcauseconfusi
    onast oi
    tsboundar
    ies.Congress
    hasr ef
    rai
    nedfrom usingthemet esandboundsdescr i
    ptionofl and
    areasofotherl
    guswithunset
    tl
    edboundarydisput
    es.
     Petit
    ionersassai
    lsec.2ofRA7854asunconst i
    tuti
    onalonthe
    groundt hati
    tdidnotproper
    lyi
    denti
    fythel
    andareaort er
    ri
    tor
    ial
    j
    urisdict
    ionofMakatibymetesandbounds,
    invi
    olati
    onofSec.10
    ofthe1987const i
    inrel
    ati
    ontoSecs.7and450oftheLGC.
     The requi rementt hatt he territ
    ory ofnewl y-created lgus be
    i
    dent i
    fiedbymet esandboundsi sint
    endedt oprov i
    det hemeans
    bywhi cht heareaoft hel gumayber easonabl yascer tai
    ned,i.
    e.,
    asat ooli ntheestabli
    shmentoft helgu.Asl ongast heterri
    tor
    ial
    j
    urisdi
    ct i
    on of t he newl y cr eated ci t
    y may be r easonabl y
    ascertained – by r eferri
    ng t o common boundar i
    es wi t
    h
    nei
    ghbor i
    ngmuni ci
    paliti
    es–t hen,thel egisl
    ati
    vei ntenthasbeen
    suffi
    cientlyser
    ved.[Not e:RA7854, whi chconv ertedMakat ii
    ntoa
    ci
    ty,didnotdef inet heboundar iesoft henew ci t
    ybymet esand
    bounds,because ofa t err
    itorialdisput e between Makat iand
    Taguig, whichwasbestl eftforthecour tstodeci de.]
     SEN.BENI
    GNOAQUI
    NOI
    IIVSCOMELEC
     Requisit
    esforCr eationofaPr ovi
    nce.–( a)Aprovi
    ncemaybe
    createdifithasanav er
    ageannualincome,ascert
    ifi
    edbythe
    Depar t
    mentofFi nance,ofnotlessthanTwentymi l
    li
    onpesos
    (P20,000,
    000.00)basedon1991const antpri
    cesandeit
    heroft
    he
    foll
    owingrequisi
    tes:
    o(i
    )acont i
    guouster
    ri
    tor
    yofatleasttwothousand(
    2,000)
    squarekil
    ometer
    s,ascert
    if
    iedbytheLandsManagement
    Bureau;
    or
    o(
    ii
    )apopulati
    onofnotl
    esst
    hantwohundr
    edfif
    tythousand
    (
    250,000)i
    nhabi
    tant
    sascer
    ti
    fi
    edbytheNati
    onalStati
    sti
    cs
    Off
    ice.
     Not
    ably
    ,therequir
    ementofpopulati
    onisnotani ndi
    spensabl
    e
    r
    equi
    rement,but is merely an al
    ter
    nat
    ive addi
    ti
    on tot he
    i
    ndi
    spensabl
    eincomerequi
    rement.
     MUNI CI
    PALI
    TY OF JI
    MENEZ VS BAZ – The technicaldescri
    pti
    on,
    cont
    aini
    ngthemet
    esandboundsofamunicipal
    i
    ty’sterri
    tor
    ystat
    edi n
    EO 258creat
    ingt
    heMunici
    pal
    it
    yofSinacaban,Mi samisOr i
    net
    al,is
    bi
    nding.
     Theissueiswhetheri
    tistheboundar
    ypr
    ovi
    dedi
    nEO258ori n
    Resol
    ution77whi chshoul
    dbeusedasbasisforadj
    udi
    cat
    ing
    Si
    nacaban’scl
    aim.
     Jimenezar guest hattheRTC er red i
    n order ing areolocation
    surveyoft heboundar yofSi nacaban,becauset hebar angay s
    whichSi nacabanar eclaimingar enotenumer atedinEO258and
    that in any ev ent,the par t
    ies ent
    ered i nto an agr eement
    (Resoluti
    on 77) wher eby t he barangaysi n questi
    on wer e
    consideredpar tofthet er
    ri
    toryofJi menez.EO258doesnotsay
    thatSinacabancompr isesonl ythebarri
    os(nowcal l
    edbarangay s)
    therei
    n ment ioned.Whati tsay sist hat“Si nacaban contains”
    thosebar r
    ioswi t
    houtsay i
    ngt heyaretheonl yonescompr isi
    ngi t.
    Ther easonf ort hi
    sist hattechnicaldescri
    pt ion,cont
    ainingt he
    met esandboundsofi t
    st erri
    tory,
    iscontr
    oll
    ing.
     Thet r
    ialcour
    tcor rect
    lyorderedar elocati
    onsur v
    eyast heonly
    meansofdet erminingtheboundar iesoft hemuni ci
    pal
    it
    yand
    consequentl
    yt hequest i
    ontowhi chmuni ci
    pali
    tythebarangays
    questi
    onedbelong.Ther efor
    e,ifResolution77i scontr
    arytothe
    techni
    caldescript
    ionoft heterri
    tor
    yofSi nacaban,i
    tcannotbe
    usedbyJi menezasbasi sforopposi
    ngt heclai
    m.
    o b.Speci
    fi
    cRequi
    rement
    s:I
    ncome,
    LandandPopul
    ati
    onRequi
    rement
    s
     Bar
    angay
     Section385.MannerofCr eati
    on.-Abar angaymaybecr eated,
    div
    ided,mer ged,aboli
    shed,ori t
    sboundar ysubst anti
    allyaltered,
    bylaw orbyanor di
    nanceoft hesangguni angpanl alawiganor
    panlungsod,subjectt
    oappr ovalbyamaj orit
    yoft hev otescasti n
    a plebiscit
    et o be conducted by t he COMELEC i nt he l ocal
    governmentuni torunitsdi r
    ectl
    yaf fectedwi thi
    nsuchper i
    odof
    ti
    measmaybedet er
    mi nedbyt helaworor dinancecr eati
    ngsai d
    barangay .Inthe case oft he creation ofbar angay s by t he
    sangguniang panl al
    awi gan, t he r ecommendat ion of t he
    sangguniangbay anconcernedshal lbenecessar y.
     Sect
    ion386.Requi
    sit
    esf
    orCr
    eat
    ion.–
    o(
    a)Abar
    angaymaybecr
    eat
    edoutofacont
    iguoust
    err
    it
    ory
    whichhasapopul at
    ionofatl eastt wot housand( 2,000)
    i
    nhabitantsascer tif
    iedbyt heNat ionalSt ati
    sticsOf fi
    ce
    exceptinciti
    esandmuni cipal
    iti
    eswi t
    hinMet r
    oMani laand
    other met r
    opoli
    tan pol iticalsubdiv i
    sions or i n highl y
    urbanizedcit
    ieswher esucht erri
    toryshal lhaveacer tif
    ied
    populationofatl eastf ivet housand( 5,
    000)i nhabit
    ant s:
    Provi
    ded,Thatt hecr eationt hereofshallnotr educet he
    populationoftheor iginalbar angayorbar angay stol ess
    thanthemi ni
    mum r equirementpr escribedher ei
    n.
    o Toenhancet hedel
    i
    veryofbasi
    cservi
    cesi
    ntheindi
    genous
    cul
    tur
    alcommuni ti
    es,bar
    angaysmaybecr eat
    edinsuch
    communi t
    iesbyanActofCongr ess,not
    wit
    hst
    andingthe
    aboverequir
    ement.
    o(b)Theter
    ri
    tori
    alj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    onofthenewbar angayshal
    lbe
    proper
    lyi
    denti
    fi
    edbymetesandboundsorbymor eorl
    ess
    permanentnatur
    alboundari
    es.Theter
    ri
    toryneednotbe
    conti
    guousi
    fitcompri
    sestwo(2)ormoreisl
    ands.
    o(c)Thegovernororcit
    ymay ormayprepareaconsol i
    dati
    on
    planforbar
    angays,basedont hecri
    ter
    iaprescri
    bedi nthi
    s
    Secti
    on,wit
    hinhist er
    ri
    tor
    ialj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.Thepl anshallbe
    submitt
    ed t o t he sangguniang panl alawigan or
    sangguni
    angpanlungsodconcernedforappropri
    ateacti
    on.
    oInthecaseofmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    eswithi
    ntheMetropol
    itanManil
    a
    Area and othermet ropol
    it
    an poli
    ti
    calsubdiv
    isions,t
    he
    barangay consol
    idati
    on plan shall be prepared and
    approvedbythesangguniangbayanconcer
    ned.
     Muni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ty
     Secti
    on441.MannerofCr eati
    on.-Amuni ci
    pal
    it
    ymaybecr eated,
    di
    vided,mer
    ged,abolished,ori t
    sboundar ysubst
    anti
    allyalt
    ered
    onlybyanActofCongr essandsubj ecttotheapprov albya
    majori
    tyoft
    hev otescasti napl ebiscit
    et obeconductedbyt he
    COMELECi nthelocalgov ernmentuni torunit
    sdirect
    lyaffect
    ed.
    Exceptas may ot herwise be pr ovided inthe sai
    d Act ,the
    pl
    ebisci
    teshallbehel dwi thi
    nonehundr edtwenty(120)day s
    fr
    om thedat
    eofi t
    seffectivi
    ty.
     Sect
    ion442.Requi
    sit
    esf
    orCr
    eat
    ion.–
    o(a)A muni cipali
    tymaybecr eated ifithasanav erage
    annuali
    ncome, ascer t
    ifi
    edbyt hepr ovinci
    altreasurer
    , ofat
    l
    east Two mi lli
    on f ive hundr ed t housand pesos
    (P2,
    500,000.00)f ort he lastt wo ( 2)consecut iv
    ey ears
    basedont he1991const antpr i
    ces;apopul at
    ionofatl east
    twenty
    -fi
    vet housand( 25,000)inhabi t
    antsascer ti
    fi
    edby
    theNationalStatisti
    csOf fi
    ce;andacont i
    guoust err
    it
    or yof
    atleastf i
    ft
    y( 50)squar eki l
    omet ersascer ti
    fi
    ed byt he
    LandsManagementBur eau:Pr ovi
    ded,Thatt hecr eat i
    on
    thereofshallnotr
    educethelandar
    ea,popul
    ati
    onorincome
    oftheor i
    ginalmunicipal
    i
    tyormunici
    pali
    ti
    esatthetimeof
    said creat
    ion tol ess t
    han the mi
    nimum requir
    ements
    prescri
    bedher ei
    n.
    o(b) The t err
    it
    orial jurisdi
    cti
    on of a newl y-creat
    ed
    munici
    pali
    ty shal
    lbe pr operl
    yi dentif
    ied by met es and
    bounds.The requirementon l and area shallnotappl y
    where the muni cipali
    ty proposed t o be cr eated is
    composedofone( 1)ormor eislands.Thet er
    ri
    tor yneed
    notbeconti
    guousi fitcompr i
    sestwo( 2)ormor eisl
    ands.
    o(c)Theaver
    ageannuali ncomeshalli
    ncludetheincome
    accr
    uingtot
    hegeneralfundofthemunici
    pali
    tyconcer
    ned,
    excl
    usiv
    e ofspeci
    alf unds,tr
    ansf
    ers and non-r
    ecurr
    ing
    i
    ncome.
    o(d)Muni ci
    pal
    it
    iesexist
    ingasoft hedat eoft heeff
    ecti
    vi
    tyof
    thi
    sCodeshal lconti
    nuet o existand oper ateassuch.
    Existi
    ng muni cipal distr
    ict
    s or gani zed pur suant to
    presidenti
    ali
    ssuancesorexecut iveor der sandwhi chhave
    theirrespect
    ivesetofel ecti
    vemuni cipalof f
    ici
    alsholdi
    ng
    offi
    ce att he ti
    me oft he ef f
    ectivi
    tyoft hi
    s Code shall
    hencef or
    thbeconsideredasr egularmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    es.

     Ci
    ty
     Section449.MannerofCr eat
    ion.-Aci t
    ymaybecr eat
    ed,divi
    ded,
    mer ged,aboli
    shed,oritsboundar ysubstanti
    all
    yaltered,onl
    yby
    anActofCongr ess,andsubjectt oapprovalbyamaj or i
    tyofthe
    votescastinapl ebisci
    tet
    obeconduct edbyt heCOMELECi nthe
    l
    ocalgov er
    nmentuni torunitsdirect
    lyaffected.Exceptasmay
    otherwisebepr ovidedinsuchAct .theplebisci
    teshal lbeheld
    within one hundred twenty( 120)day sf r
    om t he date ofits
    effecti
    vit
    y.
     Sect
    ion450.Requi
    sit
    esf
    orCr
    eat
    ion.
    o(a)A muni ci
    pal
    ity ora cl usterofbar angays may be
    convertedintoacomponentci tyifi
    thasanav erageannual
    i
    ncome,ascer ti
    fi
    edbyt heDepar tmentofFi nance,ofat
    l
    eastTwent ymil
    li
    on( P20,000,000.
    00)forthel asttwo(2)
    consecutiv
    ey ear
    sbasedon1991const antprices,andifi
    t
    haseitherofthefol
    lowingrequisit
    es:
    (i
    )acont
    iguoust
    erri
    toryofatl
    eastonehundr
    ed(100)
    squar
    e kil
    ometers, as cert
    ifi
    ed by the Lands
    ManagementBureau;or
    (
    ii
    )apopul at
    ionofnotlessthanonehundr
    edf
    ift
    y
    t
    housand(150,000)i
    nhabit
    ant
    s,ascer
    ti
    fi
    edbythe
    Nati
    onalSt
    ati
    sti
    csOff
    ice:
     Provided,That,thecreati
    onthereofshallnotreduce
    thelandar ea,popul
    ation,andincomeoft heor i
    ginal
    unitorunitsatthet i
    meofsai dcreationtolessthan
    themi ni
    mum r equi
    rement spr
    escribedherei
    n.
    o(b)Thet er
    ri
    tori
    alj ur
    isdi
    cti
    onofanewly-cr
    eatedcityshall
    be pr oper
    ly ident i
    fi
    ed by metes and bounds. The
    requi
    rementonl andar eashal
    lnotapplywher et hecit
    y
    proposedtobecr eatediscomposedofone( 1)ormor e
    i
    slands.Theterr
    itoryneednotbecont
    iguousifitcompri
    ses
    two(2)ormor eislands.
    o(c)Theav er
    ageannualincomeshallincl
    udet
    heincome
    accrui
    ngt othegener
    alfund,excl
    usi
    veofspeci
    fi
    cfunds,
    transf
    ers,
    andnon-r
    ecur
    ri
    ngincome.
     Sect
    ion452.Hi
    ghl
    yUr
    bani
    zedCi
    ti
    es.
    o(a)Cities with a minimum popul at
    ion oft wo hundr ed
    thousand( 200,
    000)inhabi t
    antsascer t
    ifi
    edbyt heNat i
    onal
    Stati
    sti
    csOf fi
    ce,andwi thinthelatestannualincomeofat
    l
    eastFi ft
    yMi ll
    ionPesos( P50,
    000,000.00)basedon1991
    constantpr i
    ces,ascer t
    ifi
    edbyt heci t
    yt r
    easurer,shal
    lbe
    classi
    fi
    edashi ghlyurbanizedcit
    ies.
    o(b)Citi
    eswhi chdonotmeetabov erequi
    rementsshallbe
    consideredcomponentcitiesoft heprovi
    nceinwhichthey
    aregeogr aphi
    call
    ylocat
    ed.I facomponentci t
    yislocated
    withi
    nt heboundar i
    esoft wo( 2)ormor eprovi
    nces,such
    cit
    yshal lbeconsideredacomponentoft heprovinceof
    whichitusedt obeamuni cipal
    i
    t y
    .
    o(c)Qual
    if
    iedvoter
    sofhi
    ghl
    yurbanizedciti
    esshal lr
    emai
    n
    excl
    udedfrom v
    oti
    ngf
    orel
    ecti
    veprovinci
    aloff
    ici
    als.
    o Unlessotherwiseprovi
    dedi ntheConstit
    uti
    onorthi
    sCode,
    quali
    fi
    edv oter
    sofi ndependentcomponentci t
    iesshal
    lbe
    governedbyt hei
    rrespecti
    v echarter
    s,asamended,onthe
    parti
    cipat
    ionofvotersi
    npr ovi
    ncialel
    ecti
    ons.
    o Qual
    ifi
    edv ot
    ersofciti
    eswhoacquiredtherighttovotefor
    el
    ecti
    veprovinci
    aloff
    ici
    alspr
    iortot
    heclassi
    ficat
    ionofsaid
    ci
    ti
    es as highly-
    urbani
    zed afterthe r
    atif
    icati
    on ofthe
    Consti
    tut
    ionandbef oretheeffect
    ivi
    tyofthisCode,shall
    cont
    inuetoexerci
    sesuchr i
    ght.
     Secti
    on453.Dut ytoDeclareHighl
    yUrbanizedStat
    us.-Itshal
    lbe
    thedutyoft hePr esi
    denttodeclareaci tyashighl
    yur bani
    zed
    withi
    nt hi
    rt
    y( 30)day s aft
    eri tshal
    lhav e metthe mi ni
    mum
    requi
    rementspr escri
    bedint heimmediatelypr
    ecedingsection,
    uponproperappl i
    cati
    ontheref
    orandrati
    fi
    cati
    oninapl ebi
    sci
    teby
    thequali
    fi
    edv ot
    erstherei
    n.
     RA9009
    o Sect
    ion1. Sec.450ofRepubl i
    cActNo.7160,ot
    herwise
    knownast heLocalGovernmentCodeof1991,ishereby
    amendedtoreadasfol
    lows:
    o Sec.450. Requi si
    tesforCreat i
    on.—( a)Amuni cipal
    it
    yor
    aclusterofbarangaysmaybeconv ertedi nt
    oacomponent
    ci
    tyifithasal ocal
    lygeneratedav erageannuali ncome,as
    cert
    if
    iedbyt heDepar t
    mentofFi nance,ofatl eastOne
    hundredmi l
    l
    ionpesos( P100,
    000,000. 00)f ort
    helasttwo(2)
    consecuti
    vey earsbasedon2000const antpri
    ces,andifit
    haseitherofthefol
    lowingrequisi
    tes:
    (
    i) acont i
    guousterr
    it
    oryofatleastonehundr
    ed
    (
    100)squarekil
    ometers,ascert
    ifi
    ed bytheLand
    ManagementBur
    eau;or
    (
    ii
    ) apopul at
    ionofnotlesst
    hanonehundr
    edf
    ift
    y
    t
    housand(150,000)i
    nhabit
    ant
    s,ascer
    ti
    fi
    edbythe
    Nati
    onalSt
    ati
    sti
    csOff
    ice.
    o The creati
    on t
    hereofshal
    lnotr educe t
    he l
    and area,
    popul
    ationandincomeoftheor i
    ginaluni
    toruni
    tsatthe
    ti
    me of sai d creat
    ion t
    o less t han the mini
    mum
    requi
    rementspr
    escri
    bedher
    ein.
    o(b) Thet er
    ri
    torialjur
    isdi
    cti
    onofanewly-
    creat
    edcityshall
    be pr oper
    ly identifi
    ed by metes and bounds. The
    requi
    rementonl andar eashal
    lnotapplywher etheci t
    y
    proposedtobecr eatediscomposedofone( 1)ormor e
    i
    slands.Theterr
    itoryneednotbeconti
    guousifi
    tcompr i
    ses
    two(2)ormor eislands.
    o(c) Theav erageannualincomeshalli
    ncl
    udetheincome
    accrui
    ngt othegeneralfund,excl
    usiveofspeci
    alfunds,
    transf
    ers,
    andnon-r
    ecurri
    ngincome."
     Pr
    ovi
    nce
     Section460.MannerofCr eati
    on.-Apr ov i
    ncemaybecr eated,
    divi
    ded,mer ged,aboli
    shed,orit
    sboundarysubst anti
    all
    yaltered,
    onlybyanActofCongr essandsubjecttoappr ovalbyamaj ority
    ofthev otescasti
    napl ebi
    scit
    etobeconduct edbyt heCOMELEC
    i
    nt he localgovernmentuni torunits directl
    y aff
    ected.The
    plebisci
    teshallbehel dwithi
    nonehundr edt wenty(120)day s
    from thedateofeffecti
    vi
    tyofsaidAct
    ,unlessot her
    wiseprov i
    ded
    therein.
     Sect
    ion461.Requi
    sit
    esf
    orCr
    eat
    ion.
    o(a)Aprovi
    ncemaybecr eat
    edifithasanav erageannual
    i
    ncome,ascerti
    fi
    edbyt heDepart
    mentofFinance,ofnot
    l
    essthanTwentymill
    i
    onpesos( P20,
    000,
    000.00)basedon
    1991const
    antpri
    cesandeit
    herofthefol
    l
    owingr equi
    sit
    es:
    (
    i)acont
    iguoust
    err
    it
    oryofatl
    eastt
    wot
    housand
    (
    2,000)squar
    eki
    lometer
    s,ascer
    ti
    fi
    edbyt
    heLands
    ManagementBur
    eau;or
    (
    ii
    )apopul at
    ionofnotlessthantwohundr
    edf
    ift
    y
    t
    housand(250,000)i
    nhabit
    antsascer
    ti
    fi
    edbythe
    Nati
    onalSt
    ati
    sti
    csOff
    ice:
     Provided,That,thecreati
    onthereofshallnotreduce
    thelandar ea,popul
    ation,andincomeoft heor i
    ginal
    unitorunitsatthet i
    meofsai dcreationtolessthan
    themi ni
    mum r equi
    rement spr
    escribedherei
    n.
    o(b)Theter
    ri
    tor
    yneednotbecontiguousifi
    tcompri
    setwo
    (2)ormoreisl
    andsorisseparat
    edbyachar ter
    edcit
    yor
    cit
    ieswhi
    chdonotcont
    ri
    butetotheincomeofthepr
    ovi
    nce.
    o(c)Theav er
    ageannualincomeshallincl
    udetheincome
    accrui
    ngt othegeneralf
    und,excl
    usiv
    eofspecialfunds,
    trustf
    unds,t
    ransf
    ersandnon-
    recur
    ri
    ngincome.
     Basedonthev er
    ifi
    abl
    eindi
    cat
    orsofv
    iabi
    l
    ityandpr
    oject
    edcapaci
    tyt
    o
    provi
    deser
    vices,
    towit:
    i
    .Income–mustbesuf f
    ici
    ent,basedonacceptabl
    estandar
    ds,t
    o
    provi
    def oral
    lessentialgovernmentfaci
    li
    ti
    esandser vi
    cesand
    speci
    alfuncti
    onscommensur atewiththesizeofitspopul
    ati
    on,
    asexpectedofthelguconcer ned.Aver
    ageannualincomefort
    he
    l
    ast2consecut i
    vey earsbasedon1991const antpri
    cesshould
    beatleast:
    o a.Muni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ty:
    2.5m
    o b.Cit
    y:100m (
    Yr.2000const
    antpr
    ices,amendedbyRA
    9009)
     ALVAREZ VS GUI NGONA – I nternal Rev enue
    Allotment s ( IRAs) shoul d be i ncluded i n t he
    comput at
    ionoft heav er
    ageannuali ncomeoft he
    muni cipal
    ity
    .I fy oulookatt hecr i
    teri
    on“ income” ,i
    t
    has t o be based on i ncome t hataccr ues t ot he
    gener alfund,t hatist heref
    or eregularlyreceivedby
    thel gu,sot hisexcl udesspeci alfunds,t rustfunds,
    transf ersandnon- r
    ecurri
    ngi ncome.I RAi sr egularl
    y
    accr uingt ot hegener alfund,i nfact,itisr egularl
    y
    releasedandaut omat i
    callyreleasedtot helgus.
     ButunderRA9009,iti
    sspeci
    fi
    cal
    l
    yprovi
    dedt
    hatfor
    conversi
    on to ci
    ti
    es,the munici
    pal
    i
    ty’
    s i
    ncome
    shouldnoti
    ncl
    udetheI
    RA.
    o c.Hi
    ghl
    yur
    bani
    zedci
    ty:
    50m
    o d.Pr
    ovi
    nce:
    20m
    o e.Bar
    angay
    :Noi
    ncomer
    equi
    rement
    i
    i
    .Popul
    ati
    on– i
    tshal
    lbedet
    ermi
    nedast
    het
    otalnumberof
    i
    nhabi
    tant
    s(notr
    egist
    eredvot
    ers)wi
    thi
    ntheterr
    it
    ori
    alj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on
    oft
    helguconcer
    ned.Requi
    redmini
    mum populat
    ionfor
    :
    o a.Bar
    angay:2kinhabi
    tants(excepti
    nMet roMani l
    aand
    ot
    her metr
    opoli
    tan poli
    ti
    calsubdivi
    sions or in highl
    y
    ur
    bani
    zedci
    ties,
    wheretherequir
    ementis5kinhabi
    tant
    s)
    o b.Muni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ty:
    25k
    o c.Ci
    ty:
    150k
    o d.Hi
    ghl
    yur
    bani
    zedci
    ty:
    200k
    o e.Pr
    ovi
    nce:
    250k
    i
    ii.LandAr ea–i tmustbecont i
    guous,unlessitcomprises2or
    mor eislandsorisseparatedbyal guindependentoftheot hers;
    properly ident
    ifi
    ed by met es and bounds wi t
    h t echnical
    descript
    ionsandsuffi
    cienttoprovideforsuchbasicservicesand
    facil
    i
    ties to meet the r equir
    ements of i t
    s populace.Ar ea
    requir
    ement sare:
    o a.Munici
    pali
    ty:50sq.km.exceptwhenit
    ’scomposedof1
    ormoreislands,i
    nwhi chcase,t
    helandarearequi
    rement
    doesnotapply
    o b.Ci
    ty:
    100sq.km.
    o c.Pr
    ovi
    nce:
    2ksq.km.
     Compli
    ancewit
    ht hefor
    egoi
    ngi
    ndi
    cator
    sshallbeatt
    estedt
    oby
    theDOFastoi ncome,t
    heNSOast opopul
    ationandtheLands
    ManagementBureauoft
    heDENRastolandar
    ea.
     Not
    e:I
    nRA9009,i
    fyoucreat
    ealguoraci
    ty,i
    tment
    ionsof2way
    sby
    whi
    cht
    heci
    tymaybecreat
    edandmaybecover
    edbyRA9009:
    i
    .Wheny
    oucr
    eat
    eaci
    tyoutofacl
    ust
    erofbar
    angay
    s;or
    i
    i
    .Youconv
    ertamuni
    cipal
    i
    tyi
    ntoaci
    ty
     Pl
    ebi
    sci
    ter
    equi
    rement
    :Quest
    ions
     Whoshal
    lpar
    ti
    ci
    pat
    e?TANVSCOMELEC
     Whatar
    ethe“
    uni
    tsaf
    fect
    ed”
    ?PADI
    LLAVSCOMELEC
    I
    nwhatsenseaff
    ect
    ed?Ther
    ewil
    lbear educt
    ionont
    hepar
    tof
    t
    hemotherpr
    ovi
    ncei
    nthefol
    l
    owi
    ngareas:
    o Ter
    ri
    tor
    y
    oI
    ncome
    o Popul
    ati
    on
     How i
    sitdi
    ff
    erentf
    rom t
    hemannerofcr
    eat
    ing aut
    onomous
    r
    egi
    ons?
     Barquest
    ion:Madakoi
    samunici
    pal
    i
    tycomposedof80barangays,30
    westofMadakor i
    verand50i
    ntheeast.The30wester
    nbar angays,
    feeli
    ngleftoutofeconomicinit
    iat
    ives,
    wishedtoconstit
    utethemsel
    ves
    i
    nt o a new and separ
    atet own to becalled Masigl
    a.Granti
    ng t
    hat
    Masi gl
    a’sproponentsucceedt osecureal aw i
    nt hei
    rfavor,woul
    da
    plebi
    scitebenecessaryornot ?Ifitisnecessary
    ,whoshoul dvoteor
    parti
    cipatei
    ntheplebi
    scit
    e?
     YES.Al
    lresi
    dent
    sofMadakomuni
    cipal
    i
    ty.
     Not
    e:Int er
    ms ofcr
    it
    eri
    a,whati
    s const
    anti
    s onl
    ythe i
    ncome
    r
    equi
    rement.
    I
    ncomeRequi
    rement
    I
    nt hecaseofconv ersionofamuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyintoacityoracl ust
    er
    ofbarangay stobef or
    medi ntoanewci t
    y,RA9009,enact edon
    June30,2001andamendi ngSec.450oft heCode,IRAsar eno
    l
    ongeri ncluded i
    nt hecomput at
    ionoft heannualincomef or
    purposesofcompl y
    ingwi ththeincomer equi
    rement.“
    Income”
    ref
    ersto“locall
    ygenerated”i
    ncome.
     So thati
    fwhati sto becr eated i
    sapr ovi
    nce,ALVAREZ VS
    GUINGONAi sstil
    lrel
    evant.Thus,ALVAREZVSGUI NGONAissti
    l
    l
    rel
    evanti
    nsofarasotherlgusareconcer
    ned.
    I
    sitrequi
    redthatt
    her
    eshoul
    dbet
    echni
    caldescr
    ipt
    ionf
    orl
    andar
    ea
    r
    equi
    rement?
     MARIANO VSCOMELEC,t heref
    ore,techni
    caldescr
    ipt
    ionisnot
    real
    lyr equi
    red.[
    Sir
    ’s opinion:Pr o hac vi
    ce because ofthe
    unsett
    ledboundar
    ydisputes]
     NAVARROVSERMI TA–thi
    sisacasei
    nvol
    vingaprovi
    nce,
    whi
    chhasa
    dif
    fer
    entrul
    ewhencompar
    edtoamuni ci
    pali
    tyi
    nt er
    msoflandar
    ea
    requi
    rement
     Par.2ofArt.9int heIRRoftheLGCof1991,whi chstat
    esthat
    “t
    helandarear equir
    ementshallnotapplywher
    et heproposed
    provi
    ncei
    scomposedof1ormor ei
    slands”v
    iol
    atestheLGCof
    1991andtheref
    orenullandvoi
    d.
     NowhereintheLGCisthesai
    dprovisi
    onstatedori
    mpli
    ed.Under
    Sec.461oftheLGC,theonl
    yinst
    ancewhent heter
    ri
    tor
    ialorl
    and
    arearequi
    rementneednotbecompl i
    edwi thi
    swhent her
    eis
    al
    readycompli
    ancewitht
    hepopulat
    ionrequi
    rement
    .
     MROFNAVARROVSERMI
    TA
    Itbear sscrupulousnot icet hatf
    rom theabovecitedprovi
    sions,
    withr espectt ot hecreat ionofbarangays,landareai snota
    requisiteindi
    catorofv iabil
    it
    y. Howev er
    ,withrespecttot he
    creationofmuni cipal
    it
    ies,componentci ti
    es,andprovi
    nces,the
    three( 3)i
    ndicatorsofv iabili
    tyandproject
    edcapacit
    ytoprov i
    de
    servi
    ces, i
    .e.
    ,income, popul ati
    on,
    andlandarea,ar
    eprovi
    dedfor .
     Buti
    tmustbepointedoutt
    hatwhent
    helocalgover
    nmentuni
    tto
    becr
    eat
    edconsistsofone(1)ormor
    eisl
    ands,iti
    sexemptfr
    om
    thelandarearequirementasexpresslyprovi
    dedi nSect i
    on442
    andSect i
    on450oft heLGCi fthelocalgovernmentuni ttobe
    createdisamunicipal
    it
    yoracomponentci ty,respecti
    vel
    y. Thi
    s
    exempt i
    onisabsentintheenumer at
    ionofther equisi
    tesfort
    he
    creati
    onofaprovinceunderSecti
    on461oft heLGC, alt
    houghiti
    s
    expressl
    ystat
    edunderAr t
    icl
    e9(2)oftheLGC-IRR.
     Thereappear sneitherr hymenorr eason whyt hisexempt ion
    shouldappl yt ociti
    esandmuni cipali
    ties,butnott opr ovinces.I n
    fact,consi der i
    ng the phy sicalconf igur ation oft he Phi l
    ippine
    archipel
    ago,t hereisagr eat erlikeli
    hoodt hati slandsorgr oupof
    i
    slandswoul df orm par toft hel and ar eaofanewl y-created
    provincet hani nmostci tiesormuni cipaliti
    es. I ti s,ther efore,
    l
    ogicalt oi nf erthatt hegenui nel egisl ativepol i
    cydeci sionwas
    expressedi nSect i
    on442( formuni cipal iti
    es)andSect i
    on450( f
    or
    componentci t
    ies)oft heLGC,butwasi nadv ertentlyomi tt
    edi n
    Section461 ( forprov inces). Thus,whent heexempt ionwas
    expresslypr ovidedinAr ticle9( 2)oft heLGC- IRR,t hei nclusion
    wasi nt
    endedt ocor rectt hecongr essi onalov ersighti nSect ion
    461oft heLGC–andt oref l
    ectthet ruel egislativeint ent.I twoul d,
    then,bei nor derf ortheCour ttouphol dt hev alidityofAr ticle9(2)
    oftheLGC- IRR.
     Thisi
    nterpr
    etat
    ionfi
    ndsmeri
    twhenweconsiderthebasicpol
    i
    cy
    consi
    derati
    onsunder
    pinni
    ngt
    hepri
    nci
    pleofl
    ocalautonomy.
     Consi st entwi tht hedecl aredpol icytopr ov i
    del ocalgov ernment
    unitsgenui ne and meani ngf ull ocalaut onomy ,cont igui tyand
    mi nimum l and ar ea r equi rement s f or pr ospect ive l ocal
    gov ernmentuni t
    sshoul dbel iberal l
    yconst ruedi nor dert oachi eve
    thedesi r
    ed r esults. Thest r
    icti nterpr et ati
    on adopt ed byt he
    Febr uar y10,2010Deci sioncoul dpr ov et obecount er-product ive,
    i
    fnotout r
    ightabsur d,awkwar d,and i mpr act
    ical. Pi ct urean
    i
    nt ended pr ov i
    nce t hatconsi stsofsev eralmuni cipal it
    iesand
    componentci ti
    eswhi ch,i nt hemsel v es,al soconsi stofi slands.
    Thecomponentci t
    iesandmuni cipaliti
    eswhi chconsi stofi slands
    areexemptf rom themi nimum l andar ear equi r
    ement ,pur suantt o
    Sect i
    ons450and442,r espect ively,oft heLGC.Yet ,thepr ov ince
    woul dbemadet ocompl ywitht hemi nimum l andar eacr iterionof
    2,000squar eki lomet er s,ev eni fitconsi stsofsev erali slands.
    Thi swoul dmeant hatCongr esshasopt edt oassi gnadi stinct i
    ve
    prefer encet ocreat eapr ovincewi t
    hcont i
    guousl andar eaov er
    onecomposedofi slands—andnegat et hegr eateri mper ativeof
    dev elopmentofsel f-
    reliantcommuni ties,r uralprogr ess,andt he
    deliver yofbasi cser vicest ot heconst i
    tuency .Thi spr eferent ial
    opt i
    onwoul dpr ov emor edifficultandbur densomei ft he2, 000-
    squar e-kilomet ert err
    itor yofapr ov i
    ncei sscat t
    eredbecauset he
    i
    slandsar esepar atedbybodi esofwat er,ascompar edt oone
    withacont i
    guousl andmass.
     Mor eover,suchav eryrestri
    cti
    veconst
    ructi
    oncouldt
    renchont he
    equalpr ot
    ect i
    onclause,asitactual
    l
    ydefeatst
    hepurposeoflocal
    autonomyanddecent ral
    izati
    onasenshrinedi
    nt heConstit
    uti
    on.
    Hence,t hel andarear equir
    ementshouldber eadtogetherwith
    ter
    ritor
    ialcontigui
    ty.
     MUNICIPALITYOFCANDI JAYVSCA–Themuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyofAl
    i
    ciashoul
    d
    benef
    itfrom theeff
    ect
    sofSec.442( d)oft
    heLGC,andshoul dbe
    consi
    deredaregul
    ar,
    dejuremuni
    cipal
    i
    ty.
     Wenot edt hatpet iti
    onershoul dcommencedi tscol lateralattack
    ont hej uridicalper sonalit
    yofr espondentmuni cipalityonJan.19,
    1984( orsome35y earsaf terrespondentmuni cipalit
    yf i
    rstcame
    i
    ntoexi stencei n1949)dur i
    ngt hepr oceedingsi nt hecour taquo.
    It appear st hat,af ter pr esentation of i ts ev idence,her ei n
    peti
    tioneraskedt het r
    ialcour tt obarr espondentmuni cipality
    fr
    om pr esent ingitsev i
    denceont hegr oundt hatithadnoj uridical
    personal ity.Petiti
    onercont endedt hatEO265i ssuedbyPr esident
    QuirinoonSept .16,1949cr eati
    ngr espondentmuni cipal
    ityisnul l
    andv oidabi nit
    io,inasmuchasSec.68oft heRAC,onwhi chsai d
    EO wasbased,const i
    tutedanunduedel egationofl egisl
    at ive
    power stot hePr esidentoft hePhi ls.,andwast her eforedecl ared
    unconst i
    tutional,pert his Cour t’
    sr ul
    ing i
    n Pel aezv s.Audi tor
    Gener al.
     Respondentmuni cipal
    i
    tyofAl ici
    awascr eatedbyv i
    rt
    ueofEO265
    i
    n1949andv ariousgov er
    nment alact
    st hroughoutthey earsall
    i
    ndi catet he St ate’srecogni t
    ion and acknowledgementoft he
    existencet hereof .Fori nstance,underAdmi nist
    rati
    veOr derNo.
    th
    33,t heMuni cipalityofAl i
    ciawascov eredbyt he7 Muni cipal
    CircuitCour tofAl i
    cia-
    Mabi nifortheprovinceofBohol .Likewise,
    under t he Or dinance appended t o t he 1987 const i,the
    muni cipal
    ityofAl iciai
    soneof21muni cipal
    it
    iescompr isingthe
    r
    d
    3 di stri
    ctofBohol .
     Themuni ci
    pal
    it
    yofAli
    ciashoul
    dbenefi
    tfr
    om t
    heef
    fectsofSec.
    442(2)oftheLGC,andshoul dhencef
    ort
    hbeconsider
    edasa
    regul
    ar,
    dejuremuni
    cipal
    it
    y.
    o c.Pr
    ocedur
    e
    i
    .InCr
    eat
    ionofLgu
    i
    i
    .InConv
    ersi
    onofCi
    tyt
    oHi
    ghl
    yUr
    bani
    zedCi
    ty
     Ar
    ts.9-
    14I
    RR
     Ar
    t.9.Pr
    ovi
    nces.(
    b)Pr
    ocedur
    eforcr
    eat
    ion–
    o(1)Pet i
    ti
    on-Inter
    estedmuni ci
    palit
    iesorcomponentci ti
    es
    shallsubmitthepeti
    ti
    on,i
    nt heform ofaresolut
    ion,ofthei
    r
    respecti
    vesangguniansr equesti
    ngt hecreat
    ionofanew
    provincetotheCongress,andf ur
    nishcopiesthereoftothe
    sangguniang panlal
    awigan oft he ori
    ginalprov i
    nce or
    pr
    ovi
    nces.
    o(2)Comment sonpet i
    ti
    on-Thesangguniangpanlalawi
    gan
    oftheorigi
    nalpr ov
    inceorpr ov
    incesshallsubmittothe
    Congress i
    ts comment s and recommendations on t
    he
    peti
    ti
    onforcreat
    ionoftheproposedprov
    ince.
    o(3) Documentsto Support Pet
    it
    ion - The fol
    l
    owing
    documentsshal
    lbeat
    tachedt
    othepeti
    ti
    onforcr
    eati
    on:
    (i
    )Cer ti
    ficat
    ion by DOF t hatthe average annual
    i
    ncome of t he pr oposed prov
    ince meet s t he
    minimum i ncomer equirementandthati t
    screation
    willnotreducet hei ncome,basedon1991const ant
    pri
    ces,oft heor i
    ginalLGUorLGUst olessthant he
    prescri
    bedmi nimum;
    (i
    i)Certi
    fi
    cati
    onbyt heNSOast opopulat
    ionofthe
    proposed provi
    nce and t
    hatit
    s creat
    ion wi
    llnot
    reducethepopul at
    ionoftheor
    igi
    nalLGUst oless
    thantheprescri
    bedmini
    mum;
    (i
    ii
    )Cer t
    if
    icati
    onbyLMB t hatthelandareaoft he
    proposed provi
    ncemeet sthemi ni
    mum l and ar
    ea
    requir
    ementandt hatit
    screat
    ionwil
    lnotreducethe
    l
    andar eaoftheorigi
    nalLGUorLGUst ol
    esst hant
    he
    prescri
    bedmi ni
    mum;
    (i
    v)Mapoft heor i
    ginalLGUorLGUs,i ndi
    cat
    ingthe
    areastobecreatedintoapr ov
    ince.Themapshallbe
    preparedbythepr ovinci
    al,ci
    ty,ordist
    ri
    ctengi
    neer
    andshallcl
    earl
    yindicatetheroadnetworkwit
    hinthe
    proposedpr
    ov i
    nce;and
    (v
    )Suchot herinf
    ormati
    onthatthepeti
    ti
    oner
    smay
    deem r
    elev
    antforconsi
    derat
    ioni
    nthepet
    iti
    on.
     Allcost
    sincurr
    edintheproducti
    onoftherequi
    red
    documentsshal
    lbebornebythepeti
    ti
    oni
    ngLGUs.
    o(
    4)Pl
    ebi
    sci
    te–
    (i
    )Upontheeffecti
    vi
    tyofthelawcr eati
    ngapr ovi
    nce,
    theComelecshallconductaplebisci
    teintheLGUor
    LGUsdi r
    ect
    lyaf f
    ected wit
    hin onehundr ed twent
    y
    (120)day
    sorwi t
    hintheperi
    odspeci f
    iedinthelaw.
    (i
    i) The Comel ec shal l conduct an i ntensive
    i
    nformationcampaigni ntheLGUsconcer nedatleast
    twenty( 20)days priortot he pl
    ebisci
    te.Fort his
    purpose,theComel ecmayseekt heassistanceof
    nati
    onalandlocalgov er
    nmentof fi
    cial
    s,massmedi a,
    NGOs, andotheri
    nterestedpart
    ies.
     Ar
    t.11.Ci
    ti
    es.(
    b)Pr
    ocedur
    eforcr
    eat
    ion–
    o(1)Pet i
    ti
    on-Inter estedmuni cipali
    ti
    esorbar angaysshal
    l
    submi tthepeti
    tion,i nthef orm ofar esoluti
    on,ofthei
    r
    respecti
    vesangguni ansrequest i
    ngt hecr eati
    onofanew
    cit
    yt ot heCongr ess,andf urnishcopi est hereoftothe
    sangguniangpanl alawiganorsangguni angpanl ungsodof
    theLGUsconcerned.
    o(2)Commentsonpet i
    ti
    on-Thesangguni
    angpanl
    alawigan
    orsangguni
    angpanlungsodshal
    lsubmittot
    heCongr ess
    i
    tscomment sandr ecommendati
    onsont hepet
    itionfor
    creat
    ionoft
    heci
    ty.
    o(3) Documents t
    o support pet
    it
    ion - The fol
    l
    owing
    documentsshal
    lbeat
    tachedt
    othepeti
    ti
    onforcr
    eati
    on:
    (
    i)Certi
    fi
    cation by DOF t hatthe average annual
    i
    ncomeoft hepr oposed cit
    ymeet st hemi nimum
    i
    ncomer equirementand t hatit
    scr eati
    on wi l
    lnot
    r
    educetheincomebasedon1991const antprices,
    of
    t
    heorigi
    nalLGUorLGUst ol essthanthepr escri
    bed
    mini
    mum;
    (i
    i
    )Cer t
    if
    icat
    ion byNSO as t o populat
    ion ofthe
    proposedcityandthatit
    screat
    ionwil
    lnotr educet
    he
    populati
    on oft he or
    igi
    nalLGUs tol ess than t
    he
    prescri
    bedmi ni
    mum;
    (i
    ii
    )Cer t
    if
    icat
    ionbyLMB t hatthelandar eaofthe
    proposed city meets t he mi ni
    mum l and ar
    ea
    requir
    ementandt hatit
    scr eat
    ionwillnotreducet
    he
    l
    andar eaoftheorigi
    nalLGUorLGUst olessthant
    he
    prescri
    bedminimum;
    (i
    v)Mapoft heor igi
    nalLGUorLGUs,i ndicati
    ngthe
    areastobecr eatedi nt
    oaci ty.Themapshal lbe
    prepar
    edbythepr ovi
    ncial
    ,ci
    ty,
    ordist
    ri
    ctengineeras
    thecasemaybeandshal lcl
    earlyi
    ndicat
    et heroad
    networkwi
    thi
    nt heproposedcit
    y;
    (v
    ) Cer ti
    fi
    cati
    on by LMB t hat disposabl
    e and
    al
    ienabl
    epubl i
    clandsareavai
    lableintheareatobe
    creat
    ed into acit
    ysuf f
    ici
    entto meeti tsgrowi
    ng
    populat
    ionandthefoll
    owingpurposes:
     oGov ernmentcentersit
    eofnotl
    essthanten
    thousand(10,
    000)squar emet
    erswhi
    chshall
    i
    ncludet hecit
    yhal lsi
    teandthoseofother
    governmentbuil
    dings;
     oMar ketsiteofnotl esst hantenthousand
    (10,
    000)squaremet er
    s,locatedoutofv i
    ewof
    thecityhal
    l,school
    s,plaza,andcemeteryand
    nearbutnotal ongapr ovi
    ncialr
    oad,rail
    road
    stat
    ion,nav
    igableri
    ver
    ,orsea;
     oPlazaorparkofnotlessthant
    enthousand
    (
    10,000)squaremeter
    sl ocat
    edpref
    erabl
    yin
    f
    rontoftheci
    tyhal
    l
    ;
     oSchoolsi t
    eofnotl esst hantent housand
    (10,
    000) square meters, in well
    - dr ai
    ned
    l
    ocationthatconf
    ormswi ththerequirements
    prescri
    bedbypubl
    icschoolauthor
    it
    ies;and
     oCemet erysi
    teofnotl esst
    hanfi
    vethousand
    (5,
    000)squaremet ersforever
    ytenthousand
    (10,
    000)populat
    ionwhi chconfor
    mswi ththe
    requi
    rements pr escr
    ibed by t he health
    authori
    ti
    es;
    (vi
    )Numberandnatur
    eofexist
    ingandcommerci
    al
    establ
    i
    shmentsint
    heter
    ri
    tor
    yoft hepr
    oposedci
    ty
    ascerti
    fi
    edbyNSO;
    (vi
    i
    ) Sour ces of potable wat
    er suppl
    yf or the
    i
    nhabitant
    sascer ti
    fi
    edbyt heLocalWat
    erUtil
    i
    ties
    Administr
    ation (LWUA) or t he Met r
    opol
    itan
    WaterworksandSewer ageSyst
    em (MWSS),ast he
    casemaybe;
    (vi
    i
    i)Faci
    l
    iti
    es,pl
    ans,andsit
    eforsewerage,gar
    bage
    andwastedisposalascer
    ti
    fi
    edbythelocalengi
    neer
    ;
    and
    (i
    x)Suchotherinf
    ormati
    onthatthepeti
    ti
    oner
    smay
    deem r
    elev
    antforconsi
    der
    ati
    oninthepet
    iti
    on.
     Allcost
    sincurr
    edintheproducti
    onoftherequi
    red
    documentsshal
    lbebornebythepeti
    ti
    oni
    ngLGUs.
    o(
    4)Pl
    ebi
    sci
    te–
    (i
    )Upontheeffect
    ivi
    tyofthel
    awcr eat
    ingacity,the
    Comelec shal
    lconducta plebisci
    teint he LGUs
    di
    rect
    lyaffect
    ed wit
    hin onehundred t
    wenty( 120)
    daysorwit
    hintheper
    iodspeci
    fi
    edinthelaw.
    (i
    i) The Comel ec shal l conduct an i ntensive
    i
    nformationcampaigni ntheLGUsconcer nedatleast
    twenty( 20)days priortot he pl
    ebisci
    te.Fort his
    purpose,theComel ecmayseekt heassistanceof
    nati
    onalandlocalgov er
    nmentof fi
    cial
    s,massmedi a,
    NGOs, andotheri
    nterestedpart
    ies.
     Ar
    t.12.Conversi
    onofaComponentCi
    tyI
    ntoaHi
    ghl
    y-
    Urbani
    zed
    Ci
    ty.(
    b)Procedur
    eforconv
    ersi
    on–
    o(1)Resol
    uti
    on-Theinter
    estedcomponentci
    tyshal
    lsubmit
    totheOff
    iceoft
    hePr esi
    dentaresol
    uti
    onofi
    tssangguni
    an
    adoptedbyamajori
    tyofallit
    smember sinameetingdul
    y
    cal
    ledforthepurpose,andapprovedandendor
    sedbythe
    ci
    ty may or.Sai
    dr esol
    uti
    on shal
    lbe accompani
    ed by
    cer
    tif
    icat
    ionsast
    oi ncomeandpopulat
    ion.
    o(2)Declar
    ationofconv ersi
    on-Wit
    hint hi
    rt
    y( 30)daysfrom
    recei
    pt of such r esoluti
    on,t
    he Pr esi
    dent shall
    ,af ter
    veri
    fyi
    ngthattheincomeandpopul at
    ionrequi r
    ementshav e
    beenmet ,decl
    arethecomponentcityashi ghly
    -ur
    banized.
    o(3)Plebiscit
    e-Wi thi
    nonehundr edtwenty( 120)daysfrom
    the declarati
    on oft he Presidentorasspeci fi
    ed int he
    declarat
    ion,theComel ecshal lconductapl ebi
    sci
    teint he
    cit
    ypr oposedt o beconv ert
    ed.Suchpl ebisci
    teshallbe
    precededbyacompr ehensivei nfor
    mat i
    oncampai gntobe
    conductedbyt heComel ecwi tht heassistanceofnational
    and localgov ernmentof f
    icials,medi a,NGOs,and ot her
    i
    nterestedpar t
    ies.
    o(c)Eff
    ectofConver
    sion-Theconv ersi
    onofacomponent
    cit
    yintoahighl
    y-
    urbanizedci
    tyshallmakei tindependent
    oftheprov
    incewhereiti
    sgeographi
    call
    ylocated.
     Ar
    t.13.Muni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ties.(
    b)Pr
    ocedur
    eforcr
    eat
    ion–
    o(1)Peti
    ti
    on-I nt
    erestedbarangaysshallsubmi tt
    hepetit
    ion,
    i
    nt heform ofar esoluti
    on,oft
    heirrespecti
    v esangguni
    ans
    request
    ing the creation ofa new muni ci
    pali
    tytot he
    Congress,andf urni
    shcopi esthereoftot hesangguniang
    panlal
    awigan,sangguni ang panl
    ungsod,orsangguni ang
    bayanoftheLGUsconcer ned.
    o(2)Comment sonpet i
    ti
    on-Thesangguniangpanl
    ungsod
    orsangguni ang bayan,toget
    herwit
    ht he sangguni
    ang
    panl
    alawigan,shal
    lsubmi tt
    otheCongressitscomments
    andrecommendat i
    onsont hepet
    it
    ionforcreat
    ionofthe
    municipal
    it
    y.
    o(3) Documents t
    o support pet
    it
    ion - The fol
    l
    owing
    documentsshal
    lbeat
    tachedt
    othepeti
    ti
    onforcr
    eati
    on:
    (i
    )Cer tif
    icati
    onbytheprovincialtr
    easur er
    ,inthecase
    ofmuni cipali
    ti
    esandcomponentci t
    ies,andt heci t
    y
    treasurer,inthecaseofhi ghly-urbanizedciti
    es,that
    the av erage annual income of t he proposed
    muni cipalit
    y meet s t he mi ni
    mum i ncome
    requirementandt hati
    tscr eationwi llnotreducet he
    i
    ncome,based on 1991 const antpr i
    ces,oft he
    origi
    nalLGU orLGUst ol esst hant heprescribed
    mi ni
    mum;
    (i
    i)Cer t
    if
    icat
    ion byNSO as to populati
    on ofthe
    proposedmuni ci
    pali
    tyandthati
    t screat
    ionwil
    lnot
    reducethepopulati
    onoftheori
    ginalLGUorLGUst o
    l
    esst hantheprescr
    ibedmini
    mum;
    (i
    ii
    )Certi
    fi
    cat
    ionbytheLMBt hatt
    hel andareaoft
    he
    proposedmunici
    pali
    tymeetstheminimum landar
    ea
    requir
    ementandthatit
    screati
    onwillnotreducet
    he
    l
    andar eaoft
    heorigi
    nalLGUorLGUst ol
    essthant
    he
    prescri
    bedmini
    mum;
    (i
    v)Mapoft heor i
    ginalLGUorLGUs,indicat
    ingthe
    areast o becr eat
    edi nt
    o amunicipal
    i
    ty.Themap
    shallbepr eparedbyt heprovi
    nci
    al,ci
    ty,ordistr
    ict
    engineeras t he case may be and shallclearly
    i
    ndicatetheroadnet workwi
    thi
    ntheproposedcity
    ;
    (v
    ) Cer ti
    fi
    cati
    on by LMB t hat disposabl
    e and
    al
    ienablepubli
    clandsareavai
    labl
    ei ntheareatobe
    creat
    ed into a munici
    pal
    it
    ysuf f
    ici
    entt o meeti
    ts
    growingpopulat
    ionandthefol
    l
    owi ngpurposes:
     oGov ernmentcent
    ersi teofnotl
    esst
    hanfi
    ve
    thousand(5,000)squar emeterswhi
    chshall
    i
    ncludet hemunicipalhallsit
    eandthoseof
    othergover
    nmentbui l
    dings;
     oMar ketsiteofnotlessthanf i
    vethousand
    (5,
    000)squaremeters,l
    ocatedoutofv i
    ew of
    the muni ci
    pal hal
    l
    , school s, pl
    aza, and
    cemeteryandnearbutnotal ongapr ovi
    ncial
    road,
    rail
    roadst
    ati
    on,navi
    gableri
    ver,
    orsea;
     oPlazaorpar
    kofnotlesst hanfiv
    et housand
    (
    5,000)squar
    e meter
    sl ocated pref
    erablyin
    f
    rontoft
    hemunici
    palhal
    l;
     oSchoolsi t
    eofnotl esst
    hanf i
    vet housand
    (5,
    000)squaremeter
    s,inwel
    l-
    drai
    nedl ocati
    on
    that conforms wi th the r equirements
    prescr
    ibedbypubl
    i
    cschoolaut
    horit
    ies;and
     oCemet er
    ysiteofnotlessthanfivet
    housand
    (
    5,000)squaremet ersforever
    ytenthousand
    (
    10,000)populati
    onwhi chconformswiththe
    r
    equirementsprescri
    bedbyhealt
    hauthor
    it
    ies.
    (vi
    )Numberand nat ur
    eofexisti
    ng i
    ndust
    ri
    aland
    commer ci
    alestabl
    i
    shmentsi nthe t
    err
    it
    oryofthe
    proposedmunici
    pal
    ityascer
    ti
    fi
    edbyNSO;
    (vi
    i
    ) Sour
    ces of pot
    abl
    e wat
    er suppl
    yfor t
    he
    i
    nhabi
    tant
    sascert
    ifi
    edbyLWUA orMWSS,asthe
    casemaybe;
    (vi
    i
    i)Faci
    l
    iti
    es,pl
    ans,andsit
    eforsewerage,gar
    bage
    andwastedisposalascer
    ti
    fi
    edbythelocalengi
    neer
    ;
    and
    (
    ix)Suchot
    heri
    nfor
    mat
    iont
    hatt
    hepet
    it
    ioner
    smay
    deem r
    elev
    antf
    orconsi
    der
    ati
    oni
    nthepet
    it
    ion.
     Allcost
    sincurr
    edintheproducti
    onoftherequi
    red
    documentsshal
    lbebornebythepeti
    ti
    oni
    ngLGUs.
    o(
    4)Pl
    ebi
    sci
    te–
    (
    i) Upon t he effect
    ivi
    ty of the law creati
    ng a
    municipal
    i
    ty,t
    heComel ecshallconductaplebisci
    te
    i
    nt he LGUs directl
    yaf f
    ected wit
    hin one hundred
    t
    went y(120)day sorwi t
    hintheper i
    odspecifi
    edi n
    t
    helaw.
    (i
    i) The Comel ec shal l conduct an i ntensive
    i
    nformationcampaignintheLGUsconcer nedatleast
    twenty(20)day s pri
    ortot he plebisci
    te.Fort his
    purpose,theComel ecmayseekt heassistanceof
    nati
    onalandlocalgovernmentof fi
    cial
    s,massmedi a,
    NGOS, andotheri
    nterest
    edpar t
    ies.
     Art. 14. Barangay
    s. - (a) Creat
    ion of barangay
    s by the
    sangguni
    angpanl al
    awiganshal
    lrequir
    epri
    orrecommendat
    ionof
    thesangguniangbayan.
    (b)New barangaysinthemuni ci
    pali
    tieswit
    hinMMA shal
    lbe
    creat
    edonlybyActofCongr ess,subjectt
    ot hel
    i
    mit
    ati
    onsand
    requi
    rement
    sprescri
    bedint
    hisArti
    cle.
    (c)Notwithst
    andingt hepopulati
    onrequi
    rement
    ,abarangaymay
    becr eated i
    nt hei ndigenouscult
    uralcommunit
    iesbyActof
    Congressuponr ecommendat ionoftheLGUorLGUswher ethe
    cult
    uralcommuni tyislocated.
    (
    e)Pr
    ocedur
    eforcr
    eat
    ion–
    o(1)Pet it
    ion -A wr i
    tt
    en pet i
    ti
    on ofa maj ori
    ty oft he
    regi
    steredv oter
    sr esidi
    ngint heareasoughtt obecr eated
    orresoluti
    onsoft hesangguni angbar angaysdesir
    ingtobe
    merged,ast hecasemaybe,shal lbepr esent
    edt ot he
    sangguniangpanl alawigan,uponr ecommendat i
    onoft he
    sangguniang bay an concer ned,ort ot he sangguniang
    panlungsod, f
    orappr opri
    ateaction.
    oI
    nt hecaseofmuni ci
    pal
    it
    ieswithinMMA,asi mil
    arpeti
    ti
    on
    orr esol
    uti
    on shal
    lbepr esent
    ed tot heCongress,upon
    recommendationofthesangguniangbayanconcer
    ned.
    o(2)Document
    st o supportpet
    iti
    on -In addi
    ti
    on tothe
    peti
    ti
    onorr
    esol
    uti
    on,thefol
    lowi
    ngshallbesubmit
    ted:
    (i
    )Cer t
    if
    icat
    ionbyNSO ast ot hepopulationofthe
    proposed barangayand t
    hati ts creat
    ion wil
    lnot
    reducet hepopulati
    onoftheor iginalbarangayor
    barangaystolessthant
    heprescri
    bedmi nimum.
    (
    ii
    )Map oft
    he or
    igi
    nalbar
    angay orbar
    angay
    s
    i
    ndicati
    ng the areas to be creat
    ed into a new
    barangayandtechnicaldescri
    pti
    oncert
    if
    iedbyLMB
    orcit
    yormunicipalassessor,
    asthecasemaybe.
     Allcost
    sincurr
    edintheproducti
    onoftherequi
    red
    documentsshal
    lbebornebythepeti
    ti
    oni
    ngLGUs.
    o(3)Comment sonpet i
    ti
    on-Thepr esi di
    ngof fi
    ceroft he
    sangguniangbayanshal lr
    equi
    rethesangguni angbarangay
    oft he ori
    ginalbarangay orbar angay st o submi ttheir
    comment sont hepr oposed cr
    eationwi t
    hint wenty(20)
    daysafterrecei
    ptofsai dpeti
    ti
    onorr esol
    utionwhi chshall
    serv
    e as basi sf or recommendi ng appr opr i
    ate acti
    on
    ther
    eont othesangguniangpanlal
    awi gan.
    o(4)Acti
    ononpet i
    tion-Thesangguni angpanl
    alawi ganor
    sangguniang panlungsod shal
    l,wi thi
    nf i
    fteen (15)
    daysfrom submissionoft hepetit
    ionandot herr equi
    red
    support
    ingdocument s,t
    akeacti
    ongr anti
    ngordeny ingthe
    peti
    ti
    on.
    (i
    )Theor di
    nancegr ant
    ingt
    hepeti
    ti
    oncreati
    nganew
    barangayshallbeapprovedbyt
    wo-thi
    rds(2/3)ofal
    l
    themember soft hesangguni
    angpanl al
    awiganor
    sangguniangpanlungsod.
     Theor di
    nanceshallproperlyidenti
    fybymet esand
    bounds or by nat ur
    alboundar ies,the t err
    it
    orial
    j
    urisdicti
    onofthenewbar angay.Theordinanceshal l
    l
    ikewisef i
    xthedateoft heplebi
    scitet
    obeconduct ed
    byt heComel eci
    nt hear eaorareasdirectl
    yaf f
    ected
    torati
    f yt
    hecreat
    ionoft henewbar angay.
    (i
    i
    )A deni alshal
    lbei nthef or
    m ofa resol
    uti
    on
    stat
    ingcl
    earl
    ythefact
    sandreasonsf
    orsuchdeni
    al.
    o(5)Submi ssi
    onofor dinancet ot
    heComel ec-Wi thi
    nt hi
    rt
    y
    (30)day s beforet he pl ebi
    sci
    te,the secretar
    yt ot he
    sangguniang panlalawigan orsangguni ang panlungsod
    shal
    lfurnishtheComel ecwi thasignedoffi
    cialcopyofthe
    ordi
    nancecr eat
    ingthebar angay.
    o(6)Conductofi nfor
    mat i
    oncampaign-TheComel ecshal
    l
    conductani ntensiv
    ei nfor
    mati
    oncampai gnintheLGUs
    concernedatl eastten(10)dayspri
    ortothepl
    ebiscit
    e.For
    thi
    spur pose,t heComel ecmayseekt heassi
    stanceof
    nati
    onalandl ocalgov er
    nmentoff
    ici
    als,
    massmedi a,NGOs,
    andotherinterestedparti
    es.
    o(7)Submissi
    onofpl ebisci
    teresul
    ts-Atl eastseven(7)
    days aft
    erthe conductoft he plebisci
    te,the cit
    y or
    munici
    pali
    tyconcerned shallsubmitt he Certi
    fi
    cat
    es of
    Canvass ofVotes Cast ,Stat
    ementofAf fi
    rmati
    ve and
    Negati
    veVotes,Abstent
    ionsCastinev eryvoti
    ngcenteras
    wel
    las the provi
    nci
    alorci ty or
    dinance creat
    ing the
    bar
    angay t
    ot he Comel
    ec and DILG centraloffice f
    or
    i
    ncl
    usioni
    ntheOff
    ici
    alMast
    erl
    istofBarangay
    s.
    - 2.Di
    vi
    sionandMer
    ger
    o a.Requi
    rement
    s:Sameascr
    eat
    ionandconv
    ersi
    on
    o b.Condi
    ti
    onsandLi
    mit
    ati
    ons
     Section8.Di vi
    sionandMer ger.-Di vi
    si onandmer gerofexi sti
    ngl ocal
    gover nmentuni ts shallcompl ywi t
    ht he same r equir
    ement s herei
    n
    prescr i
    bedfortheircreation:Pr ovi
    ded, howev er,Thatsuchdi v i
    sionshall
    notr educetheincome, popul ati
    on, orlandar eaofthel ocalgov ernment
    unitoruni ts concer ned t ol ess t han t he mi nimum r equirements
    prescr i
    bedinthisCode:Pr ovided,further ,Thattheincomecl assifi
    cati
    on
    oft heor i
    ginallocalgov ernmentuni toruni tsshal lnotfal lbelow it
    s
    currentclassi
    fi
    cationpr iortosuchdi vision.
     Theincomeclassifi
    cat
    ionoflocalgov
    ernmentunit
    sshallbeupdat ed
    wit
    hinsix(6)mont hsfrom t
    heef f
    ect
    ivi
    tyofthi
    sCodet or ef
    lectthe
    changesint
    hei
    rfinanci
    alposi
    ti
    onresul
    ti
    ngfrom t
    heincr
    easedrevenues
    asprovi
    dedherei
    n.
     Mer
    ger
    ,nopr
    obl
    em becausei
    twi
    l
    lresul
    ttoacr
    eat
    ionofal
    argerl
    gu.
     ButonDi
    vi
    si
    on–Condi
    ti
    onsandLi
    mit
    ati
    onsonDi
    vi
    sion:
     shoul
    dnotr educethe(1)landar ea,popul
    ati
    on,andi
    ncometo
    l
    essthant hemi ni
    mum r equi
    rementsundert heCode,and(
    2)
    i
    ncomeclassifi
    cati
    onoftheori
    ginalLGUaffect
    ed.
     Reason:Thi
    sist
    opr
    eventt
    hev
    iol
    ati
    onoft
    hepr
    inci
    pleonv
    est
    ed-
    ri
    ghttheor
    y.
    - 3.Subst
    ant
    ialAl
    ter
    ati
    onofBoundar
    ies
    o a.Requi
    rement
    s
     Secti
    on 6.Authorit
    yt o Create LocalGov ernmentUni ts.-A l ocal
    governmentunitmaybecr eated,di vi
    ded,mer ged,abolished,ori ts
    boundari
    essubstantial
    lyalt
    er edeitherbyl aw enactedbyCongr essin
    the case ofa pr ov i
    nce,ci ty,muni cipal
    it
    y,orany ot herpol iti
    cal
    subdivi
    si
    on,orbyor dinancepassedbyt hesangguniangpanl alawigan
    orsangguniang panlungsod concer ned int he case ofa bar angay
    l
    ocatedwithi
    nitsterrit
    ori
    aljurisdi
    ction,subjecttosuchl i
    mi t
    ationsand
    requi
    rementspr
    escribedinthisCode.
     Section 10.Pl ebiscit
    eRequi rement .-No cr eati
    on,di vi
    sion,mer ger,
    abolit
    ion,orsubst ant
    ialal t
    erati
    onofboundar iesofl ocalgov ernment
    unitsshalltakeef f
    ectunl essappr ovedbyamaj ori
    tyofthev otescastin
    apl ebisci
    tecalledf orthepur posei nt hepoli
    ticalunitorunitsdi r
    ectl
    y
    affected.Saidpl ebisciteshal lbeconduct edbyt heCommi ssionon
    Electi
    ons( COMELEC)wi t
    hinonehundr edt
    went y(120)day sfrom the
    dateofef fectiv
    ityofthel aworor di
    nanceef f
    ect i
    ngsuchact i
    on,unless
    saidlaworor di
    nancef ixesanot herdate.
    I
    nsubst ant
    ialal
    terati
    onofboundari
    es,samecondit
    ionsandlimi
    tati
    ons
    ondi vi
    si
    on,exceptwhent hecr
    iter
    iaonincomeandpopul at
    ionarenot
    factor
    st o consi der
    ,and should not also r
    educe the minimum
    requir
    ementsonl andarea.
    - 4.Abol
    i
    tion
    o a.Gr
    oundsandCondi
    ti
    ons
     Secti
    on9.Abol it
    ionofLocalGovernmentUni t
    s.-Al ocalgov ernment
    unitmaybeabol i
    shedwheni tsi
    ncome,popul at
    ion,orl andar eahas
    been irreversi
    blyr educed t
    ol ess than the mi nimum st andards
    prescr
    ibedf ori
    tscreati
    onunderBookIIIoft
    hisCode, ascer t
    if
    iedbyt he
    nati
    onalagenci esment i
    onedinSecti
    on7her eoftoCongr essort othe
    sangguniangconcer ned,ast
    hecasemaybe.
     Thelaw orordi
    nanceaboli
    shi
    ngalocalgover
    nmentunitshal
    lspecify
    the prov
    ince,ci
    ty,munici
    pal
    i
    ty,orbarangay wit
    h which t
    he local
    governmentuni
    tsoughtt
    obeaboli
    shedwil
    lbeincor
    por
    atedormerged.
    I
    ssue:WONt hei
    ncomer equir
    ementshoul
    dbeconst ant
    ?Relatethi
    st o
    t
    heissueonWONt hebar angaywoul
    dst i
    l
    lbeent i
    tl
    edtotheIRAwhen
    t
    hepopul at
    ionhasr educed,suchaswhathappenedi nSt .Bernard
    wherei
    nthelandsl
    idecov eredthewholebarangaywit
    hmudsoi l
    ,sot he
    i
    nhabit
    antsforacertainperiodoft
    imedidnotresi
    dether
    e?
     DILGOPINION–I fwer ef
    usedt odist
    ri
    buteIRAt osuchbarangay,
    thatisto considersuch bar angayashav i
    ng been aboli
    shed,
    meaninginexi
    stent,butaccordingt oDILG,ifthereisreducti
    on,
    provi
    ded itisirreversi
    ble,itonly provi
    des fora gr ound for
    aboli
    ti
    on,sotheremustf i
    rstbeagov ernmentalactjustli
    ket he
    waywe cr eate an lgu in or
    dert o abol
    ish a lgu,so it
    ’s not
    automati
    c.
     Soit’
    snotconst
    ant
    ,buti
    tmayonl
    ypr
    ovi
    def
    oragr
    oundf
    or
    abol
    i
    tion.

    B.Aut
    onomousRegi
    ons(
    Musl
    i
    m Mi
    ndanaoandt
    heCor
    dil
    l
    eras)
    - 1.Cr
    eat
    ion
    o Sec.15,
    18-
    19,
    Art
    .10const
    i
     Secti
    on 15.Ther eshal lbecr eated aut
    onomousr egi
    onsi n Musl im
    Mindanao and i nt he Cor di
    ll
    eras consisti
    ng of provinces,ci ti
    es,
    municipali
    ti
    es,andgeogr aphicalareassharingcommonanddi sti
    ncti
    ve
    hi
    stori
    calandcul turalheritage,economi candsoci alstructures,and
    otherrelev
    antcharacteri
    sticswi t
    hintheframewor kofthi
    sConst it
    uti
    on
    and the nationalsovereignty as wel las terr
    it
    ori
    alintegri
    ty oft he
    RepublicofthePhil
    ippines.
     Secti
    on 18.The Congress shal
    lenact an or gani
    c act for each
    autonomousregi
    onwiththeassi
    stanceandpart
    ici
    pati
    onofther egi
    onal
    consult
    ati
    vecommi ssi
    oncomposedofr epr
    esentati
    vesappointedby
    thePr esidentf rom al i
    stofnomi neesf rom mul ti
    -sectoralbodi es.The
    organicactshal ldefi
    nethebasi cstructureofgov er nmentf orther egion
    consisti
    ngoft heexecutivedepar tmentandl egi
    slati
    veassembl y
    ,bot h
    ofwhi chshal lbeel ecti
    veandr epresent ati
    veoft heconst ituentpol i
    tical
    unit
    s.Theor ganicact sshal ll
    ikewisepr ovi
    def orspeci alcour tswi t
    h
    personal,f ami ly,and pr opert
    yl aw jur i
    sdiction consistentwi t
    ht he
    provi
    sionsoft hi
    sConst i
    tutionandnat ionall aws.[Note:Tot hisext ent,
    decent r
    alizati
    onofpoweri spossi bleort r
    ue,meani ng,i nsofarast he
    autonomousr egionsareconcer ned,they ’
    remadet obe, tosomeext ent,
    anabdi cat i
    onofpol it
    icalpower]
     The creati
    on oft he autonomous r egi
    on shallbe ef fecti
    ve when
    approvedbymaj or i
    tyoft hev otescastbyt heconsti
    tuentuni tsina
    pl
    ebiscit
    ecalledf orthepur pose,provi
    dedthatonlyprov inces,ci
    ti
    es,
    and geographic areas voti
    ng f av
    orabl
    yi n such pl
    ebiscite shal
    lbe
    i
    ncludedintheautonomousr egion.
     Sect
    ion19.Thef i
    rstCongresselect
    edunderthi
    sConsti
    tut
    ionshall
    ,
    wit
    hineight
    eenmont hsfrom thet
    imeoforgani
    zati
    onofbothHouses,
    passtheorganicactsf
    ortheautonomousregi
    onsinMusl
    im Mindanao
    andtheCordil
    l
    eras.
    o Asagener alrul
    e,theaut onomousregi
    onswillbegover
    nedbyt hei
    rorgani
    c
    act
    s.[Thi
    si sdif
    ferentbecauselguswil
    lhavetobegovernedpri
    mari
    lybythe
    LGC and secondar i
    lybyt hei
    rchar
    terinsof
    aras the prov
    isi
    ons ar
    e not
    i
    nconsist
    entwiththeCode. ]
    o Pur
    posesoft
    hepl
    ebi
    sci
    te:
    i
    .Todeter
    minethewi
    l
    loft
    hepeopl
    eWON,i
    nthef
    ir
    stpl
    ace,t
    ocr
    eat
    e
    aut
    onomousregi
    on
    i
    i
    .Todet
    ermi
    newhi
    chl
    gushal
    lfor
    m par
    toft
    heaut
    onomousr
    egi
    on
    o ABBASVSCOMELEC
     Aspr ov i
    dedintheConst i
    tuti
    on,thecreati
    onoftheAutonomousr egi
    on
    i
    nMusl im Mindanaoismadeef f
    ecti
    veupontheapproval"
    bymajorit
    yof
    thev otescastbyt heconst i
    tuentunit
    si naplebi
    scit
    ecalledforthe
    purpose"[ Ar
    t.X,sec.18].Thequestionhasbeenrai
    sedast owhatt hi
    s
    maj ori
    tymeans.Doesi trefertoamaj ori
    tyoft
    hetotalvot
    escastinthe
    plebiscit
    ei n al
    ltheconst it
    uentunits,oramaj ori
    tyin each ofthe
    const i
    tuentunit
    s,orboth?
     Weneednotgobey
    ondt
    heConst
    it
    uti
    ont
    oresol
    vet
    hisquest
    ion.
    I
    ft heframersoft heConst it
    uti
    oni nt
    endedt orequir
    eappr ovalbya
    majori
    tyofal lthev otescasti nthepl ebisci
    tetheywoul dhav eso
    i
    ndicat
    ed.Thus,i nAr ti
    cl
    eXVI I
    I,secti
    on27,i ti
    spr ovi
    dedt hat"[t]
    his
    Consti
    tuti
    onshal ltakeeffectimmedi atel
    yuponi t
    sr ati
    fi
    cati
    onbya
    majori
    tyoft he votes castin a plebisci
    te hel
    df ort he purpose ..
    .
    Compar i
    ngthiswi t
    ht heprovi
    sionont hecr eati
    onoft heautonomous
    regi
    on,whichreads:
     Thecr
    eat
    ionoft
    heaut
    onomousr
    egi
    onshal
    lbeef
    fect
    ivewhen
    approvedbymaj ori
    tyofthev otescastbyt heconst i
    tuentunit
    sin
    aplebiscit
    ecal l
    edf orthepur pose,pr
    ovidedt hatonlyprov i
    nces,
    ci
    ti
    esandgeogr aphicareasv ot
    ingfavorabl
    yi nsuchpl ebi
    scit
    e
    shallbeincludedint heautonomousr egion.[Art.X,sec,18,para,
    2].
    i
    twi l
    lr eadilybeseent hatt hecr eati
    onoft heaut onomousr egionis
    madet odepend,notont hetotalmaj ori
    tyvotei ntheplebiscit
    e,buton
    thewi lloft hemaj or
    ityi
    neachoft heconstit
    uentuni t
    sandt hepr ovi
    so
    under scorest hi
    s.foriftheintentionofthef ramersoft heConst i
    tuti
    on
    wast ogett hemaj ori
    tyofthet otali
    tyofthev otescast,t
    heycoul dhav e
    simplyadopt edt hesamephr aseologyast hatusedf orther atif
    icati
    on
    oft heConst i
    tut
    ion,i
    .e."
    thecr eati
    onoft heaut onomousr egionshal lbe
    effectivewhenappr ovedbyamaj ori
    tyofthev otescasti napl ebiscit
    e
    calledfort hepurpose."
    I
    ti sthuscl
    earthatwhatisr equi
    redbyt heConsti
    tuti
    onisasi mple
    majori
    tyofvot
    esapprovi
    ngt heor ganicActi nindi
    vidualconst
    it
    uent
    unit
    sandnotadoublemaj or
    it
    yoft hev ot
    esi nal
    lconsti
    tuentuni
    tsput
    toget
    her,
    aswellasi
    ntheindi
    vidualconsti
    tuentuni
    ts.
     Thus,undert heConst it
    utionandR. A.No6734,t hecr eat i
    onoft he
    autonomousr egi
    onshal ltakeef f
    ectonl ywhenappr ov edbyamaj orit
    y
    ofthev ot
    escastbyt heconst it
    uentuni tsi
    napl ebisci te,andonl ythose
    provincesandci tieswhereamaj or i
    tyv ot
    ei nfavoroft heOr ganicAct
    shallbei ncl
    udedi ntheaut onomousr egi
    on.Thepr ov incesandci t
    ies
    wher einsuchamaj ori
    tyisnotat tainedshal lnotbei ncludedi nt he
    autonomousr egion.Itmaybet hatev eni fanaut onomousr egioni s
    created,notal loft he thirt
    een (13)pr ov i
    nces and ni ne ( 9)ci t
    ies
    ment ionedinAr t
    icleII
    ,section1( 2)ofR. A.No.6734shal lbei ncl
    uded
    therein.Thesingleplebi
    scitecontempl atedbyt heConst itutionandR. A.
    No.6734wi l
    lthereforebedet erminativeof( 1)whet hert her eshal lbean
    autonomousr egioninMusl i
    m Mi ndanaoand( 2)whi chpr ovincesand
    cit
    ies, amongthoseenumer atedinR. A.No.6734, shal lcompr omi seit.
    o ORDI
    LLOVSCOMELEC
     Theremustbeatl east2l
    gusbecauset heconstisays“ unit
    s”,sointhe
    caseofCordill
    era,it’
    snotdulycreat
    edbecauseonl y1pr ovi
    ncegotan
    aff
    ir
    mat i
    veplebi
    sci t
    e,whi
    chisonlytheIf ugaoprovi
    nce, andtherestare
    negati
    ve. So, no Cor dil
    l
    era Aut onomous Regi on, but si mply
    Administ
    rat
    iveRegi onoft
    heCor di
    ll
    eras.Nol ocalgovernmentpower s.
    o Not
    e:MergerofAdmini
    str
    ati
    veregi
    ons,
    thatisnott
    obedonebylaw,
    butonly
    byanexecuti
    veact
    ,unli
    kemergertocreat
    eal guoranaut
    onomousregi
    on,
    whi
    chshouldbedonebylaw.

    C.Begi
    nni
    ngofCor
    por
    ateExi
    stence
    - Section14.BeginningofCorporat
    eExist
    ence.-Whenanewlocalgover
    nmentuni
    tis
    created,i
    tscorporateexi
    stenceshal
    lcommenceupontheelect
    ionandquali
    fi
    cat
    ion
    ofitschiefexecut
    iveandamaj ori
    tyofthemembersofit
    ssanggunian,
    unl
    esssome
    ot
    hert
    imei
    sfi
    xedt
    her
    eforbyt
    hel
    aworor
    dinancecr
    eat
    ingi
    t.
    o Begi
    nni
    ngofCor
    por
    ateExi
    stence:
     1.Asfi
    xedbyt
    hel
    aw oror
    dinance(
    usual
    l
    yef
    fect
    ivi
    tyofl
    aw)cr
    eat
    ing
    thel
    gu,
    or
     2.El
    ect
    ion and Qual
    ifi
    cat
    ions ofLCE and maj
    ori
    ty ofSangguni
    an
    member
    s(whennotf i
    xedbylaworordi
    nanceorwheniti
    ssi
    lent
    )
    “Elect
    ion”–r
    efer
    stohav
    ingbeenpr
    ocl
    aimedaswi
    nner
    sint
    he
    electi
    on
    “Qual
    ifi
    cat
    ions”– r
    efer
    stot
    he oat
    h-t
    aki
    ng t
    hatqual
    i
    fies t
    he
    publi
    coffi
    cial
    o MEJIAVSBALOLONG–TheCi t
    yofDagupancamei nt
    oexistenceasal egal
    enti
    tyupontheapprovalofthelaw cr
    eatingit.Howev er
    ,beforetheCi t
    yof
    Dagupancanactasapubl i
    ccorpor
    ati
    onorj ur
    idicalent
    it
    y,i
    tisnecessarythat
    theoffi
    ci
    alsther
    eofbeappoi nt
    edorel ectedinor derthatitmayt ransact
    busi
    nessassuchpubli
    ccorporat
    ionorci
    ty.
    Itisev i
    dentt hatt heCi tyofDagupancr eatedbysai dActcamei nto
    existenceasal egalent i
    tyorapubl iccorpor ationupont heappr ovalof
    ActNo.170,onJune20,1947;becauseast atutewhi ch,l i
    keActNo.
    170,i st ot akeef fectuponi t
    sappr oval
    ,isoper at iv
    ef rom t heexact
    i
    nst ance upon i ts approv alorbecomi ng a l aw.The f actt hatby
    Execut iveOr derNo.96pr omul gatedi nOct ober1947,t hePr esidentof
    the Phi li
    ppines added t he muni cipali
    tyofCal asi ao " tot he Ci t
    yof
    Dagupan"asexpr esslyst atedi nsai dExecut iveOr der,isar ecognition
    thatt heci t
    ywasal r
    eadycr eatedandi nexi stencet hen,becauset he
    Presidenti sonlyaut hori
    zedt oincreaset het er r
    itoryoft heCi tyandnot
    oftheMuni cipalit
    yofDagupan.Butasaci tyisapubl i
    ccor por ati
    onora
    j
    udi cialenti
    ty,andassuchcannotoper ateort r
    ansactbusi nessbyi t
    self
    butt hroughi tsagent sorof ficers,itwasnecessar yt hatt hegov ernment
    oftheci tybeor gani zed,thati s,thattheof fi
    cialst her eofbeappoi ntedor
    electedi nor dert hati tmayactort ransactbusi nessassuchpubl i
    c
    corpor ati
    onorci ty.
     Thedat eoft heor gani zationoft heci t
    ygov ernmentofDagupanwhi ch
    thePr esi
    denti sauthor izedt ofixbyt hepr ov i
    sionsofsect ion88,isnot
    andcannotbet hedat eoft hecr eati
    onoft heci ty,notonl ybecause,as
    wehav estated,theCi tyofDagupancamei ntoexi stenceont hesame
    dateJune20 i nwhi chActNo.170 cr eat i
    ng t hesai d citybecame
    effecti
    ve,butbecausewhatwast obeor ganized,accor di
    ngt osai d
    section88,ist hecitygov ernment ,andnott heci tyasanent it
    y,andt he
    wor d"organi
    ze"means" t
    opr epare[ t
    hecity]f ortransactionofbusi ness,
    asassembl y
    , bychoosi ngof fi
    cers,commi ttees, etc."(
    FunkandWagnal l
    College Standard Di ctionary .
    )Iti s obvious t hatt o create a publ i
    c
    corporationorcityisonet hingandt oor gani zet hegov ernmentt hereof
    i
    sanot her.Apubl iccor porati
    oni scr eatedandcomesi nt oexist
    ence
    from themomentt hel aworchar terthatcr eatesi tbecomesef fecti
    v e,
    and i ncaseofapr iv atecor porati
    oni tcomesi nto exi st
    enceasa
    j
    uridicalentit
    yf rom thet i
    met hear ti
    clesofi ncorporationt hereofis
    register
    edi nthepr operbureauorof f
    iceinaccor dancewi t
    hlaw.Buta
    publicaswel lasapr i
    vatecor porationcannotactort ransactbusi ness
    beforet hegoverningbodyt hereofisor ganizedort heof fi
    cerswhoshal l
    act f or or int hei
    rr epresentation hav e been chosen ei ther by
    appoi nt
    mentorel ect
    ion.Theor ganizati
    onoft hegov ernmentofaci ty
    presupposesnecessar i
    lythepr eviousexi stenceoft heci t
    yatt het i
    me
    i
    tsgov ernmenti sorganized,becausenoof fi
    cial
    soft heci t
    ymaybe
    appoi nt
    edorel ectedbeforetheci t
    yhascomei ntoexistence.
     Thegener alel
    ect
    ionsrefer
    redtoisthatofNov.11,1947wher
    ethe
    peti
    ti
    oners were elect
    ed. Theref
    ore, t
    he appoint
    ments of t
    he
    respondent
    sbythePresi
    dentarenul
    landvoi
    d.
     Thi
    sisnotnowt
    hecaseundert
    heLGC,
    whi
    chmodi
    fi
    edt
    hisr
    uli
    ng.

    PARTIV–POWERRELATIONSWI THNATIONALGOVERNMENT,SUPREMECOURT,
    PRESI
    DENTANDCONGRESS;INTER-GOVERNMENTALRELATI
    ONS,ANDHIERARCHAL
    RELATI
    ONSAMONGLOCALGOVERNMENTUNI TS
    A.LGUsandNat i
    onalGov er
    nmentinGeneral:LGUsar eagentsoftheSt
    ate–insof
    arasthe
    exer
    cisebythelgusofitsgovernmentalf
    unctions,soifthelgui
    naparticul
    arcont
    rov
    ersy
    i
    snoti nvol
    vedinagov er
    nmentalorpublicfunction,don’
    tlookatthel
    guasagentoft he
    st
    ate,butastherepr
    esentat
    iveofit
    sinhabi
    tants.
    - MAGTAJASVSPRYCEPROPERTI ES -I ti
    snotcompet entfort heSangguniang
    Panl
    ungsodofCDOCi tytoenactOrdi
    nance3353(pr
    ohibit
    ingtheuseofbui ldi
    ngs
    fort
    heoperat
    ionofcasinos)
    ,andOrdi
    nance3375-
    93,(prohibi
    ti
    ngt heoper
    ationof
    casi
    nos)si
    ncethesear
    econtrar
    ytoPD1869whichauthori
    zescasinogambling.
    o Ther at
    ional
    eoft herequi
    rementt hatt heordinancesshoul dnotcontrav
    enea
    statut
    ei sobv i
    ous.Municipalgov ernment sareonl yagent soft henational
    government.Localcounci l
    s exer cise only delegated legisl
    ati
    ve powers
    conferr
    edont hem byCongr essast henat i
    onallawmaki ngbody .Thedel
    egate
    cannotbesuper i
    ortotheprinci
    palorexer cisepower shigherthanthoseofthe
    l
    atter.I
    tisaher esytosuggestt hatt helocalgovernmentuni tscanundot he
    actsofCongr ess,f
    rom whicht heyhav eder i
    vedtheirpoweri nthefir
    stplace,
    andnegat ebymer eordi
    nancet hemandat eofthestatute.
    o This basi cr el
    ationship bet ween t he nat i
    onall egisl
    ature and t he l ocal
    governmentuni ts has notbeen enf eebled byt he new pr ovi
    sions int he
    Const i
    tuti
    onst r
    engt heningt hepol icyofl ocalautonomy .Wi thoutmeani ngt o
    detractfrom thatpol i
    cy,weher econf i
    rmt hatCongr essretainscont roloft he
    l
    ocalgov ernmentuni t
    sal t
    houghi nsi gnifi
    cantl
    yr educeddegr eenow t han
    underourpr evi
    ousConst it
    utions.Thepowert ocreatestil
    lincludest hepower
    todest roy.Thepowert ogr antst i
    llincludesthepowert owi t
    hholdorr ecall
    .
    True,therear ecer t
    ainnot ablei nnov ati
    onsi ntheConst it
    ution,li
    ket hedi rect
    confermentont hel ocalgov er nmentuni t
    soft hepowert otax,whi chcannot
    now be wi thdr
    awn bymer e st at
    ut e.Byand l arge,howev er,the nat ional
    l
    egislatureisst i
    llthepr incipaloft helocalgov ernmentuni ts,whi chcannot
    defyitswi l
    lormodi fyorv iol
    at eit.
    o Wehol dt hatt hepowerofPAGCORt ocentrali
    zeandregulateallgamesof
    chance,includingcasi
    nosonl andandseawi thi
    ntheter
    rit
    orialj
    uri
    sdict
    ionof
    thePhili
    ppines,remainsunimpair
    ed.P.D.1869hasnotbeenmodi fi
    edbyt he
    LocalGov er nmentCode,whi ch empowerst helocalgovernmentuni tsto
    preventorsuppr essonl
    ythoseformsofgambl i
    ngprohi
    bit
    edbyl aw.
    o Casinogambl i
    ngisaut hor
    izedbyP. D.1869.Thisdecr eehast hestat
    usofa
    stat
    ut ethatcannotbeamendedornul li
    fi
    edbyamer eordinance.Hence,it
    wasnotcompet entf
    ort heSangguni angPanlungsodofCagay andeOroCi ty
    toenactOr dinanceNo.3353pr ohibit
    ingtheuseofbui ldi
    ngsfortheoperati
    on
    ofacasi noandOr di
    nanceNo.3375- 93prohibi
    tingtheoperationofcasinos.
    Foral lt
    heirprai
    seworthymot i
    ves,theseordinancesar econt
    rarytoP.D.1869
    andt hepublicpoli
    cyannouncedt hereinandarethereforeul
    tr
    av ir
    esandvoid.

    B.LGUsandt
    heSupr
    emeCour
    t:LGUs’
    act
    sar
    esubj
    ectt
    ojudi
    cial
    rev
    iew
    - Sec.1Ar
    t.8const
    i
    o Thejudi
    cialpowershal
    lbevest
    edinoneSupr
    emeCour
    tandi
    nsuchl
    ower
    cour
    tsasmaybeest abl
    i
    shedbylaw.
    o Judi
    cialpoweri ncludest hedutyoft hecour t
    sofjusti
    cetosett
    leactual
    cont
    roversiesinvolvingrightswhi
    charel egal
    l
    ydemandableandenf
    orceable,
    andtodet erminewhet herornotther
    ehasbeenagr av
    eabuseofdiscret
    ion
    amountingt ol ackorexcessofj uri
    sdicti
    onont hepartofanybranchor
    i
    nstr
    ument ali
    tyoft heGov ernment
    .
    - Sec.4(
    2)Ar
    t.8const
    i–SC’
    smi
    nimum appel
    l
    atej
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    oni
    n:
    o Allcasesi nvol
    v i
    ngt heconst it
    uti
    onali
    tyofat reaty,internati
    onalorexecuti
    ve
    agreement ,orlaw, whichshallbeheardbyt heSupr emeCour tenbanc,andall
    othercaseswhi chundert heRulesofCour tar erequiredt obehear denbanc,
    i
    ncluding thosei nv ol
    ving theconst i
    tut
    ional i
    ty,application,oroper at
    ionof
    presi
    dent i
    aldecr ees,pr ocl
    amations,order s,instructions,or di
    nances,and
    otherregulati
    ons,shal lbedeci dedwitht heconcur renceofamaj ori
    tyofthe
    Member swhoact uall
    yt ookpartinthedel i
    berationsont heissuesinthecase
    andv otedthereon.

    C.LGUsandt
    hePr
    esi
    dent
    :Pr
    esi
    dentexer
    cisesGener
    alSuper
    visi
    on
    - Secs.4,
    16Ar
    t.10const
    i
    o Secti
    on4. ThePresidentofthePhili
    ppinesshallexerci
    segeneralsuperv
    isi
    on
    overlocalgov ernments.
    Provinces wit
    hr espectt o componentciti
    es and
    municipal
    iti
    es,and citi
    es and muni ci
    pali
    ti
    es withr espectto component
    barangays,shal
    lensurethattheactsoft hei
    rcomponentuni tsarewithi
    nthe
    scopeoft hei
    rprescri
    bedpower sandfuncti
    ons.
    o Secti
    on16.
    ThePresidentshal
    lexerci
    segeneralsuper
    visi
    onov
    eraut
    onomous
    regi
    onst
    oensur
    et hatlawsarefai
    thful
    lyexecut
    ed.
    - Sect
    ion25.Nat
    ionalSuper
    visi
    onov
    erLocalGov
    ernmentUni
    ts.
    –
    o(a)Consi
    stentwiththebasicpoli
    cyonl ocalaut
    onomy,thePresidentshal
    l
    exerci
    segeneralsuper
    visi
    onoverl
    ocalgovernmentuni
    tstoensurethatthei
    r
    actsarewi
    thinthescopeofthei
    rpr
    escri
    bedpowersandfunct
    ions.
    o ThePr esidentshallexercisesupervi
    soryauthor
    it
    ydi r
    ectl
    yov erpr ov
    inces,
    hi
    ghly urbanized cit
    ies,and independentcomponentci ti
    es;through the
    prov
    incewi threspecttocomponentciti
    esandmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    es;andthroughthe
    ci
    tyandmuni ci
    pali
    tywithrespectt
    obarangay
    s.
    o(b)Nat ionalagenciesandof f
    iceswithprojecti
    mplementati
    onf unctionsshall
    coordinatewi t
    honeanot herandwi ththelocalgover
    nmentunit
    sconcer nedin
    thedischar geoft hesefuncti
    ons.Theyshal lensur
    etheparti
    cipationofl ocal
    governmentuni t
    sbot hint heplanningandi mplement
    ationofsai dnati
    onal
    proj
    ect s.
    o(c)ThePresidentmay ,uponr equestofthelocalgovernmentuni tconcer
    ned,
    dir
    ecttheappr opri
    atenationalagencytoprovidefi
    nancial
    ,technical
    ,orother
    formsofassi stancetot helocalgovernmentunit.Suchassi stanceshal
    lbe
    extendedatnoext racosttothelocalgover
    nmentuni tconcerned.
    o(d)Nat i
    onalagenciesandof fi
    cesincl
    udinggover
    nment-ownedorcont rol
    l
    ed
    corporati
    onswi thfiel
    dunit
    sorbr anchesinapr ovi
    nce,city,ormuni ci
    pali
    ty
    shallfurni
    sht helocalchiefexecutiv
    econcerned,forhi sinformationand
    guidance,mont hl
    yr epor
    tsincl
    udi
    ngdul ycer
    ti
    fi
    edbudget aryallocat
    ionsand
    expenditur
    es.
    - Dist
    ingui
    shgeneralsuper
    visi
    onfr
    om contr
    ol[becauseifwesayt
    hatt
    hepr
    esi
    dent
    exer
    cisessuper
    visi
    ononly,
    hecannotexer
    cisecontr
    ol]
    :
    o Contr
    ol–t
    hepr
    esi
    denti
    snotal
    l
    owedt
    odot
    hatbecauseweassur
    eourl
    gus
    aut
    onomy.
    o DRILON VSLI M –Wher et heSOJr ev
    iews,pursuanttolaw,at axmeasur e
    enactedbyal gut odetermineiftheoffi
    cial
    sper f
    ormedt hei
    rf unct
    ionsin
    accordancewi thl
    aw,i.e.withthepr
    escri
    bedprocedurefortheenact mentof
    taxordinancesandt hegrantofpowersundertheLGC,t hesamei sanactof
    meresuper vi
    sion,
    notcontrol.
     Section187 aut hor i
    zest heSecr etaryofJust i
    cet orev iew onlyt he
    constituti
    onali
    tyorl egali
    tyoft het axor di
    nanceand,i fwar ranted,to
    revokei toneitherorbot hoft hesegr ounds.Whenheal tersormodi fi
    es
    orset sasideat axor di
    nance,hei snotal soper mit
    tedtosubst i
    tutehis
    ownj udgmentf ort hej udgmentoft hel ocalgov er
    nmentt hatenact ed
    themeasur e.Secr etaryDr i
    l
    ondi dsetasi det heMani laRev enueCode,
    buthedi dnotr eplacei twithhi sownv er si
    onofwhatt heCodeshoul d
    be.Hedi dnotpr onouncet heor dinanceunwi seorunr easonabl easa
    basisf orit
    sannul ment .Hedi dnotsayt hati nhi sjudgmenti twasabad
    l
    aw.Whathef oundonl ywast hati twasi l
    legal.Allhedi di nreviewing
    thesai dmeasur ewasdet er
    mi neift hepet it
    ioner swereper formingt hei
    r
    functionsinaccor dancewi t
    hl aw,t hatis,wi tht heprescribedpr ocedure
    fortheenact mentoft axor dinancesandt hegr antofpower stotheci t
    y
    governmentundert heLocalGov ernmentCode.Asweseei t
    ,thatwas
    anactnotofcont rolbutofmer esuper vision.
     Anof fi
    cerincontroll aysdownt her ulesint hedoi ngofanact .Ifthey
    arenotf ol
    lowed,hemay ,i
    nhi sdi screti
    on,or dert heactundoneorr e-
    done byhi ssubor di nat
    e orhe mayev en deci de to do ithi mself.
    Supervi
    sion does not cov er such aut hority
    . The super visor or
    superi
    ntendentmer elyseest oi tt hatt her ulesar efol
    lowed,buthe
    himselfdoesnotlaydownsuchr ules,nordoeshehav ethedi scret
    ion
    tomodi fyorrepl
    acet hem.I fther ulesar enotobser ved,hemayor der
    thewor kdoneorr e- donebutonl yt oconf ormt ot heprescri
    bedr ul
    es.
    Hemaynotpr escribehi sownmannerf ort hedoi ngoft heact.Hehas
    no judgmenton t hi smat terexceptt o seet oi tthatt herulesar e
    fol
    lowed.Intheopi nionoft heCour t
    ,Secr etaryDrilondidpr eci
    selythis,
    andnomor enorlesst hanthis,andsoper formedanactnotofcont rol
    butofmer esupervision.
    o GANZONVSCA
     Wecomet ot hecor
    equestion:Whet
    herornottheSecret
    aryofLocal
    Gover
    nment ,asthePresi
    dent'
    salt
    erego,cansuspendand/orr
    emove
    l
    ocaloff
    ici
    als.
     SC said YES,butnot et hatthi
    s was t he ruli
    ng before wherethe
    presi
    dentsti
    l
    lhast hepowertoremovel ocalof
    fici
    alsundertheprevi
    ous
    LGC.Howev er,underSec.60ofthepr esentLGC,t hepresi
    dentcanno
    l
    ongerr emovel ocaloffi
    cial
    s.Such poweri sal readylodged tothe
    regul
    arcourt
    s.
     Thepetiti
    onersar eundert heimpressionthattheConst i
    tutionhasl ef
    t
    thePresi
    dentmer esuper vi
    sorypower s,whichsupposedlyexcl udesthe
    power of inv est
    igati
    on,and deni ed her cont rol,whi ch allegedl
    y
    embracesdi scipl
    i
    nar yauthori
    ty.I
    tisami stakenimpr essionbecause
    l
    egall
    y,"supervisi
    on"isnoti ncompatiblewi t
    hdiscipl
    inaryauthor i
    tyas
    thi
    sCourthashel d,thus:
     xxxxxxxxxI tist ruet hati nt hecaseofMondanov s.Si lvosa,51
    Off.Gaz. ,No.6p.2884,t hisCour thadoccasi ont odi scusst he
    scopeandext entoft hepowerofsuper v isionbyt hePr esident
    overl ocalgov ernmentof f
    icialsi ncont rastt ot hepowerofcont rol
    givent ohi m ov erexecut iveof ficialsofourgov ernmentwher einit
    wasemphasi zedt hatt het wot er ms,cont rolandsuper v isi
    on,ar e
    twodi f
    f erentt hingswhi chdi ff
    eronef rom t heot heri nmeani ng
    andext ent .Thusi nt hatcaset heCour thasmadet hef oll
    owi ng
    digression:" Inadmi nistrationl aw super visionmeansov erseeing
    ort hepoweroraut hor ityofanof fi
    cert oseet hatsubor dinate
    officersper f
    or mt hei rdut i
    es.I ft hel atterf ailornegl ectt of ul
    fil
    l
    them t hef or
    mermayt akesuchact i
    onorst epaspr escr i
    bedby
    l
    awt omaket hem per for mt hei rdut ies.Cont rol, ont heot herhand,
    meanst hepowerofanof ficert oal terormodi fyornul lifyofset
    asidewhatasubor dinat eof ficerhaddonei nt heper formanceof
    hisdut iesandt osubst itutet hej udgmentoft hef or merf ort hatof
    thel att
    er ."Butf r
    om t hi spr onouncementi tcannotber easonabl y
    i
    nf erredt hatt hepowerofsuper visi
    onoft hePr esidentov erl ocal
    governmentoff
    icial
    sdoesnotincludethepowerofinvesti
    gat
    ion
    wheni nhisopi
    niont hegoodofthepubli
    cser
    vicesorequir
    es,as
    postulat
    edinSect i
    on64(c)oftheRevisedAdminist
    rat
    iveCode.
    ..
    .xxxxxxxxx
    "Control"hasbeendef i
    nedas" t
    hepowerofanof ficertoalterormodi
    fy
    ornul li
    fyorsetasi dewhatasubor dinateof ficerhad donei nthe
    performanceofhi sdutiesandt heabi l
    it
    yt osubst itutethejudgmentof
    thesubor dinat
    ewi thhisown. ”[
    Not e:“Abil
    ity”lang,hedoesnothav eto
    exercise it“ actuall
    y”]" Supervi
    sion" on t he ot her hand means
    "overseeing ort he poweroraut hori
    ty ofan of fi
    cert o see t
    hat
    subor di
    nate offi
    cers per f
    orm t heir duties.As we hel d,however
    ,
    "i
    nvest i
    gati
    ng"isnoti nconsist
    entwi t
    h" overseeing" ,alt
    houghitisa
    l
    esserpowert han"alt
    ering".
     Aswesaid,"super
    visi
    on"and"removal
    "arenoti
    ncompat
    ibl
    etermsand
    onemaystandwi ththeothernotwi
    thst
    andi
    ngthestr
    ongerexpr
    essi
    on
    ofl
    ocalaut
    onomy .
    - Pr
    esi
    dentexer
    cises“
    Gener
    alSuper
    visi
    on”ov
    erl
    gus.
    - Thepresi
    dentshal
    lexerci
    se“gener
    alsuper
    visi
    on”overlgus,underSec.4(
    const
    i)
    andSec.25(LGC)andautonomousregi
    onsunderSec.16(consti
    ).
    -“Gener
    alSupervi
    si
    on”essent
    ial
    lymeanst
    hatthepr
    esi
    dentshal
    lensur
    e“t
    hatl
    aws
    arefai
    thf
    ull
    yexecuted”and“
    thatl
    gu’
    sact
    sarewit
    hint
    hescopeofthei
    rpr
    escr
    ibed
    powersandfuncti
    ons”.
    - Sec.4 Ar t
    .10 ofthe constiand Sec.25 oft he l
    gc recogni
    ze t
    wo l
    evel
    s of
    “super
    visi
    on”t
    hatt
    hepresidentexer
    cises:
    Dir
    ectandIndi
    rect.
    o Pr
    esidenthas“di
    rect
    ”super
    visi
    onov erPr
    ovi
    nces,
    Highl
    y-
    Urbani
    zedCi
    ti
    es,
    and
    I
    ndependentComponentCit
    ies;and
    o Presi
    denthas“
    indir
    ect”super
    v i
    si
    onovercomponentci
    ti
    esandmunici
    pal
    i
    ties
    (t
    hroughthePr
    ovince)andbarangay
    s(thr
    oughtheMuni
    cipal
    i
    tyorCi
    ty)
    o These2level
    scanbei ll
    ust
    rat
    edi
    nfi
    l
    ingadmi
    nist
    rat
    ivecompl
    aint
    sagai
    nst
    er
    ringl
    ocal
    elect
    iveof
    fi
    ci
    als:
     Secti
    on61.Form andFi
    li
    ngofAdmi ni
    str
    ati
    veCompl aint
    s.-Av eri
    fi
    ed
    complai
    ntagai
    nstanyer
    ri
    nglocalel
    ecti
    veoffi
    cialshallbepreparedas
    fol
    lows:
    (a)Acompl aintagai
    nstanyelect
    iveof
    fici
    alofaprovince,
    ahighly
    urbanizedcit
    y,anindependentcomponentcit
    yorcomponentci ty
    shallbefil
    edbeforetheOffi
    ceofthePresi
    dent;
    [di
    rectsuperv
    isi
    on]
    (b)Acompl aintagai
    nstanyel
    ecti
    veof
    fi
    cialofamunici
    pal
    i
    tyshall
    bef i
    l
    edbef orethesangguni
    angpanlal
    awi ganwhosedecisi
    on
    maybe appeal ed tothe Off
    ice oft
    he Pr esi
    dent
    ;and[
    indi
    rect
    supervi
    sion]
    (c)A complaintagai
    nstanyelecti
    vebar angayof
    fici
    alshal
    lbe
    fi
    ledbefor
    et hesangguni
    angpanlungsodorsangguniangbayan
    concer
    nedwhosedeci si
    onshal
    lbefinalandexecut
    ory.
    o Summaryat
    test
    ationsofdi
    rectsuper
    visi
    onov
    erpr
    ovi
    nces,hi
    ghl
    y-
    urbani
    zes
    ci
    ti
    es(
    HUC),andICC:
     Sect
    ion63.Pr
    event
    iveSuspensi
    on.-
    (a)Pr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    onmaybe
    i
    mposed:
    (1)BythePr
    esi
    dent
    ,ift
    herespondentisanelecti
    veoff
    ici
    alofa
    provi
    nce,
    ahi
    ghl
    yurbani
    zedoranindependentcomponentci
    ty;
     Sect
    ion455.Chi
    efExecut
    ive;
    Power
    s,Dut
    iesandCompensat
    ion.
     Furnish copi es of execut ive order
    si ssued by him,t ot he
    prov i
    ncialgov ernori nthecaseofcomponentci tymayors,t
    ot he
    Officeoft hePr esidentinthecaseofhighly-
    urbani
    zedcit
    ymay ors
    andt othei rrespect iv
    emet r
    opolit
    ancouncilchai
    rmeninthecase
    ofmay orsofci tiesi ntheMet ropol
    i
    tanMani laAreaandot her
    met ropoli
    tanpol i
    ticalsubdi
    vi
    sions,wi
    thi
    nsev enty
    -two(72)hours
    aftertheirissuances.
     Sect
    ion 465.The Chi
    efExecuti
    ve:Power
    s,Dut
    ies,Funct
    ions,and
    Compensati
    onofProvi
    nci
    alGov
    ernor
    .
     Furni
    shcopiesofexecuti
    veorder
    sissuedbyhimtotheOf f
    iceof
    thePresi
    dentwi
    thi
    nsev ent
    y-t
    wo(72)hoursaf
    tert
    hei
    rissuance;
    - NATI
    ONALLI
    GANGMGABARANGAYVSPAREDES
    o Therewasadi sputeinvolv
    ingtheelect
    ionoftheligangmgabar angay
    s.Sec.
    Barbersi
    ssuedamemor andum namaonidapatangr ul
    esintheconductof
    theelect
    ions.Therewasanexer ciseof“control
    ”here.Thatcannotbedone,
    becausethepresidenti
    sonlyli
    mitedtothesupervi
    sorypower.
    o With hisDepar tmental readyappoi nted asi nt
    erim car etakeroft heLiga,
    Secretar
    yBar bersnulli
    fi
    edt heresultsoft heLi gael ecti
    onsandpr omulgated
    DILGMemor andum Ci r
    cularNo.97- 193dat ed11August1997,wher ehel aid
    downt hesuppl ementalguidel
    inesfort he1997sy nchronizedel ecti
    onsoft he
    provi
    ncialand met r
    opoli
    tanchapt ersand f ort heel ecti
    onoft henat i
    onal
    chapteroftheLi gangmgaBar angay ;schedul eddat esfort henewpr ovi
    ncial
    ,
    metropoli
    tanandnat i
    onalchapterelections;andappoi ntedr espondentRay os
    aspresidentofLi ga-
    CaloocanChapt er.
    o Theseact softheDI LGwentbey ondt hesphereofgener alsuper vi
    sionand
    constit
    uteddir
    ectinterf
    erencewi t
    ht hepoli
    ti
    calaffai
    rs,notonlyoft heLi ga,
    butmor eimportantly
    ,oft hebarangayasani nsti
    tuti
    on.Theel ectionofLi ga
    off
    icersispartoft heLi ga’sint
    ernalorgani
    zati
    on,forwhi cht hel at
    t erhas
    al
    readypr ovi
    dedgui del
    ines.Insuccession,theDILG assumedst ewar dship
    andjurisdi
    cti
    onov ertheLi gaaff
    airs,i
    ssuedsupplementalguidel i
    nesf ort he
    el
    ection,andnul l
    i
    fiedtheef f
    ectsoft heLiga-
    conductedel ections.Cl early
    ,
    whatt heDILG wieldedwast hepowerofcont rolwhichev ent hePr esident
    doesnothav e.
    o Furt
    her more,t
    heDI LGassumedcont rolwheni tappoi
    ntedrespondentRayos
    as presidentoft he Liga-Cal
    oocan Chapt
    erpr iortothe newlyscheduled
    generalLigaelecti
    ons,althoughpeti
    ti
    onerDav i
    d’ster
    m hadnoty etexpir
    ed.
    TheDI LGsubstit
    uteditschoice,whowasRay os,overt
    hechoiceofmajori
    tyof
    the punong bar angay ofCal oocan,who was t he incumbentPr esident
    ,
    peti
    ti
    onerDav id.Thel att
    erwasel ectedandhadi nf actbeensit
    tingasanex-
    offi
    ciomemberoft hesangguni angpanlungsodi naccordancewi t
    ht heLiga
    Const i
    tut
    ion and By -Laws.Yet ,the DILG ext ended the appointmentt o
    respondentRay osalthoughi twasawar ethatt heposi ti
    onwasthesubj ectofa
    quowar r
    antoproceedi nginstit
    utedbyRay oshi mself,t
    herebypreempt i
    ngthe
    outcomeoft hatcase.I twasbadenought hatt heDILGassumedt hepowerof
    control,i
    twaswor sewheni tmadeuseoft hepowerwi t
    hev i
    dentbiasand
    parti
    ali
    ty.
    o Ast heent ityexercisingsuper v i
    sionov ertheLi gangmgaBar angay ,
    theDILG’s
    author i
    tyov ertheLi gai slimitedt oseei ngtoi tthatt her ul
    esar ef ol
    lowed,but
    i
    tcannotl aydownsuchr ulesitself,nordoesi thav et hediscretiont omodi f
    y
    orr eplacet hem.I nt hispar ti
    cularcase,t hemostt hatt heDI LGcoul ddowas
    review t heactsoft hei ncumbentof f
    icer
    soft heLi gai ntheconductoft he
    elections t o deter mi ne ift hey commi tted any v i
    olati
    on of t he Liga’
    s
    Const ituti
    onandBy -lawsandi t
    si mplement ingr ules.I ft heNat ionalLiga
    Boar dandi tsofficershadv i
    olatedLi gar ules,t heDI LGshoul dhav eordered
    theLi gat oconductanot herel ecti
    oni naccor dancewi ththeLi ga’sownr ules,
    butnoti nobeisancet oDI LG-dictatedgui delines.Nei t
    herhadt heDI LG the
    author i
    tyt oremov et hei ncumbentof ficer
    soft heLi gaandr eplacethem, even
    tempor ari
    ly,wi
    thunel ectedLigaof ficers.
    o Li
    kethelocalgover
    nmentunits,t
    heLi
    gangmgaBar
    angayi
    snotsubj
    ectt
    o
    cont
    rolbyt
    heChiefExecut
    iveorhi
    sal
    terego.
    - Pr
    esi
    dent
    ’ssuper
    visor
    ypowerext
    endst
    otheLi
    gangmgaBar
    angay
    :
    o TheDI LG( asal teregooft hePr esident)canexer ci
    segeneralsuper vi
    sionover
    the“ Li
    gangmgaBar angays”.TheLi gaisanaggr egat
    ionofbar angayswhi ch
    arei ntur nr epresent edt hereinbyt heirr espect i
    vepunongbar angay s.The
    representativesoft heLi gasi ti
    nanexof fici
    ocapaci tyatthemuni ci
    pal,city
    andpr ovincialsangguni ans.Assuch,t heyenj oyallthepower sanddi scharge
    allt
    hef unct i
    onsofr egularmuni cipalcounci l
    ors,citycounci
    lors,orprov i
    ncial
    boardmember s,ast hecasemaybe.Thus,t heLi gaisthev ehiclethrough
    which t he bar angay par t
    ici
    pates i nt he enact mentof or dinances and
    formulation ofpol icies atal lt he legi
    slativ
    el ocallevel
    s highert han the
    sangguni angbar angay ,att hesamet i
    meser vingast hemechani sm forthe
    bottom-to-topappr oachofdev elopment .

    D.LGUsandCongr ess:LGUsderi
    vethei
    rexist
    enceandpower
    sfr
    om Congr
    ess–t
    hisi
    sa
    necessar
    yconsequenceofadopt
    ingaunit
    arysetup
    - Sec.10,
    Art
    .10const
    i
    o Nopr ovi
    nce,cit
    y ,munici
    pal
    it
    y,orbar angaymaybecr eat
    ed,divi
    ded,mer ged,
    aboli
    shed,ori
    tsboundar ysubstant
    iall
    yaltered,exceptinaccordancewi t
    hthe
    cri
    ter
    iaestabl
    ishedi nthel
    ocalgovernmentcodeandsubj ecttoappr ovalbya
    majori
    tyofthev otescasti
    naplebisciteinthepolit
    icaluni
    tsdir
    ectlyaff
    ected.
    - Sec.5,
    Art
    .10const
    i
    o Eachlocalgov
    ernmentunitshal
    lhavethepowertocr eateitsownsour cesof
    rev
    enuesandt olevyt
    axes,feesandchargessubjecttosuchgui deli
    nesand
    l
    imitat
    ionsastheCongressmaypr ovi
    de,consi
    stentwi t
    ht hebasicpol i
    cyof
    l
    ocalautonomy.Suchtaxes,f
    ees,andchargesshallaccrueexclusi
    vel
    yt othe
    l
    ocalgov er
    nments.
    - Alguexer
    cises3del egat
    edpower s:emi
    nentdomain,pol
    i
    cepowerandtaxat
    ion,
    but
    ’si
    t’
    sonl
    yt hepoweroftaxat
    ionwhichi
    sspeci
    fi
    cal
    l
    yment i
    oni
    ntheconst
    i.
    o Ther elev
    anceoft hi
    sisthatifpol
    icepowerandemi nentdomai
    npowercanbe
    exercisedbylgusbyv i
    rt
    ueofdel egati
    onbyt heCongresstothelgusthrough
    the instr
    umentali
    tyoft he LGC,t he powertot axhowev eris notpur el
    y
    delegatedsincepar tofi tisconst i
    tut
    ional
    l
    yguar anteedbutthispartonly
    ref
    erst othe“generalpowertotax”.
    o“Generalpowert
    otax”–meanst hati
    tisaguarant
    ythatlgushavepowert
    o
    tax,butastospeci
    fi
    ctaxes,Congr
    esssti
    l
    lretai
    nsauthor
    itytodet
    ermi
    neby
    delegati
    onwhatki
    ndoftaxthel
    guscanimpose.
    o Sir
    ’sOpini
    on:Whati
    sconst
    it
    uti
    onal
    lyguaranteedonl
    yist
    hegener
    alpowert
    o
    taxbutspeci
    fi
    cpowert
    otaxisst
    il
    ladelegatedpower
    .

    E.Mot
    herLGUandComponentLGU:
    Mot
    herLGUr
    evi
    ewsact
    sofComponentLGU
    - 1.I
    ngener
    al
    o Sec.4Ar
    t10const
    i
     ThePresidentofthePhi l
    ippinesshal
    lexerci
    segeneralsuper
    visi
    onover
    l
    ocalgov ernments.Prov i
    nceswi threspecttocomponentci t
    iesand
    munici
    palit
    ies,andcit
    iesandmuni ci
    pal
    iti
    eswithrespecttocomponent
    bar
    angays,shal lensuret hattheact soft hei
    rcomponentuni t
    sare
    wit
    hinthescopeoft heirprescri
    bedpowersandf unct
    ions.
    o Mot
    herSangguni
    an’
    sREVI
    EW POWER:
     Gr
    ounds:
    I
    fbySangguni
    angPanl
    alawi
    gan:
    o 1.Ul
    tr
    avi
    res(
    Sec.56)
    I
    fbySangguni
    angPanl
    ungsod/
    Bay
    an:
    o 1.Consi
    stentwi
    thl
    aw
    o 2.Consi
    stentwi
    thci
    ty/
    muni
    cipal
    i
    tyor
    dinances(
    Sec.57)
    o Barquest i
    on:A muni cipali
    tyt r
    iedtoexpr opriat
    eapar t
    icularpr i
    vateland.
    Undert heLGCof1991, expropri
    ati
    onistobedonebypassi ng,amongot hers,
    anor dinance,notmer er esoluti
    on.Theordinancemustaut horizetheLCEt o
    i
    niti
    at eexpr opri
    ati
    onpr oceeding.Thepr i
    vateownerr esistedbuthecannot
    convince t he sangguni
    ang bay an,howev er,he wasabl et o convince the
    provincialboar d because he had knowl edge that an or dinance of a
    muni cipal
    ityget srevi
    ewedbyt heprovi
    ncialboar d.Pag-abotsapr ovincial
    board,g- setasi deangor dinance,walagi-approve.Whatwast heaut hority
    exercisedbyt hemunici
    palit
    yher e,whatki
    ndofpower ?Powert oexpropriate.
    Whati stheext entoft heaut hor
    it
    yofamot herl guwheni tr ev
    iewst he
    ordinanceofacomponentl gu?Ultr
    av iresact s,meani ng,WONt hecomponent
    l
    gui sexer ci
    si
    ngwi thinthescopeofi tspr escribedpower sandf unct
    ions.
    Doesamuni cipali
    tyhav ethepowert oexpr opriate?YES,i thast hepowert o
    expropriate.Wheni treachesthepr ov i
    ncialboar d,i twasdi sapprovedbutit
    wasn’ tbecausei twasul t
    ravir
    esandt hepr ovincialboar dcannotalsosaythat
    i
    twasbey ondt heaut hor
    it
    yoft hemuni ci
    pali
    t yconcer nedbecausethepower
    i
    nv olvediswithinthepowerofamuni cipali
    tyt oexer cise.
    o Di
    ff
    erentf
    rom LCE’
    sVETOPOWER:
     MotherSangguni
    an’
    srev
    iew poweri
    sdi
    ff
    erentf
    rom t
    heLCE’
    sVet
    o
    power.
     ALCEmayv
    etoanor
    dinanceonl
    yont
    hef
    oll
    owi
    nggr
    ounds:
     1.Ul
    tr
    avi
    res
     2.Pr
    ejudi
    ci
    alt
    othepubl
    i
    cwel
    far
    e(Sec.55)
    - 2.Pr
    ovi
    nci
    alRel
    ati
    onswi
    thComponentCi
    ti
    esandMuni
    cipal
    i
    ties
    o Secti
    on29.Pr ovi
    nci
    alRel at
    ionswi thComponentCi ti
    esandMuni cipal
    i
    ties.-
    Thepr ovi
    nce,thr
    ought hegov ernor,shallensurethatev er
    ycomponentci ty
    andmuni ci
    pali
    tywit
    hini t
    sterrit
    orialj
    urisdi
    ctionactswithinthescopeofi ts
    prescr
    ibedpower sandf unctions.Highlyur bani
    zedci t
    iesandindependent
    componentciti
    esshallbeindependentoft hepr ov
    ince.
    - 3.Ci
    tyandmuni
    ci
    palsuper
    visi
    onov
    erComponentCi
    ti
    esandMuni
    cipal
    i
    ties
    o Section32.Cit
    yandMuni cipalSuperv
    isi
    onoverTheirRespect
    iveBarangays.-
    Theci tyormunici
    pali
    ty,throughthecityormunici
    palmay orconcer
    ned,shall
    exercisegener
    alsuperv i
    sionov ercomponentbarangaystoensuret hatsai
    d
    barangaysactwithi
    nthescopeoft hei
    rprescr
    ibedpowersandfuncti
    ons.
    - 4.LocalChi
    efExecut
    ive(
    LCE)ofMot
    herLGUr
    evi
    ewsEOsofLCEofComponent
    LGU
    o Sect
    ion30.Rev
    iewofExecut
    iveOr
    der
    s.–
    (a)Exceptasot herwisepr ovidedundert heConst i
    tut
    ionandspeci al
    statut
    es,t hegov ernorshallreviewal lexecuti
    veor derspr omul gatedby
    thecomponentci t
    yormuni cipalmay orwithi
    nhi sjuri
    sdiction.Theci ty
    ormuni cipalmay orshallreviewal lexecuti
    veor derspromul gatedbyt he
    punongbar angaywi thi
    nhi sjurisdict
    ion.Copiesofsuchor dersshallbe
    forwardedt ot hegov ernorort heci tyormuni cipalmay or,ast hecase
    maybe,wi t
    hint hr
    ee( 3)day sf r
    om t hei
    rissuance.I nalli nst
    ancesof
    revi
    ew,t he l ocalchiefexecut i
    ve concerned shal lensur et hatsuch
    executiveor dersarewithinthepower sgrantedbyl awandi nconf ormity
    withprovincial,ci
    ty,ormunicipalor di
    nances.
    (b)Ifthegover
    norortheci t
    yormuni ci
    palmay orfai
    lst oactonsai
    d
    executi
    veorder
    swithi
    nthir
    ty(30)day
    safterthei
    rsubmi ssi
    on,t
    hesame
    shallbedeemedconsi
    stentwithl
    awandt her
    efor
    ev ali
    d.
    - 5.Sangguni
    anofMot
    herLGUr
    evi
    ewsOr
    dinancesofSangguni
    anandEOsofLCEof
    ComponentLGU
    o ComponentCi t
    yandMuni cipalOrdinancesandResol ut
    ionsapprovingthe
    l
    ocaldev el
    opmentplansandpubl i
    ci nvestmentprogr
    amsf or
    mul at
    edbyt he
    l
    ocaldev el
    opmentcouncil
    s[ Note:Allordinancesbutnotallresolut
    ions]–
    Secti
    on 56.Rev iew of Component Ci ty and Munici
    palOr di
    nances or
    Resolut
    ionsbytheSangguniangPanlalawigan.
    (a)Wi thinthree(3)daysaft
    erapproval
    ,thesecr etarytothesanggunian
    panlungsodorsangguni angbay anshallf orwardt ot hesangguniang
    panlalawi gan forrevi
    ew,copi es ofappr oved or di
    nances and the
    resolutions appr ov
    ing the local development pl ans and publ i
    c
    i
    nv estmentpr ogr
    amsformulat
    edbyt helocaldev elopmentcouncil
    s.
    (b)Withint hi
    rt
    y( 30)daysafterthereceiptofcopi esofsuchor dinances
    and resol uti
    ons,t he sangguniang panlalawigan shal lexami ne t
    he
    document sort ransmitthem tot heprov i
    nci
    alat t
    orney,ori ft herebe
    none,t ot he pr ovi
    ncialprosecutor for prompt exami nat ion.The
    provi
    ncialat t
    orneyorpr ovi
    ncialprosecutorshal l
    ,withinaper iodoft en
    (10)day sf r
    om r eceiptoft he document s,inform t he sangguni ang
    panl
    alawi gani nwr it
    ingofhiscomment sorr ecommendat ions,whi ch
    maybeconsi deredbyt hesangguni angpanl al
    awi ganinmaki ngit
    s
    deci
    sion.
    (c)Ift hesangguniangpanlalawiganfindst hatsuchanor di
    nanceor
    resoluti
    on is beyond the powerconf er
    red upon t he sangguni
    ang
    panlungsod orsangguni ang bayan concerned,itshalldeclaresuch
    ordinanceorr esolut
    ioninval
    idi nwholeori npart
    .Thesangguni ang
    panlalawiganshallenteri
    tsactioninthemi nutesandshal ladvi
    sethe
    correspondingcit
    yormuni ci
    palauthori
    ti
    esoft heacti
    onithastaken.
    (d)I
    fnoactionhasbeent akenbythesangguniangpanlal
    awi ganwithi
    n
    thi
    rt
    y(30)daysaftersubmissi
    onofsuchanor dinanceorresolut
    ion,
    the
    sameshallbepresumedconsistentwi
    thl
    awandt heref
    orevalid.
    o BarangayOr
    dinances– Secti
    on57.Rev i
    ew ofBarangayOr
    dinancesbyt
    he
    Sangguni
    angPanlungsodorSangguni
    angBayan.–
    (a)Wit
    hinten(
    10)daysaf t
    erit
    senactment,t
    hesangguni
    angbar angay
    shal
    lfurni
    shcopiesofal lbarangayor
    dinancestothesangguni ang
    panl
    ungsodorsangguniangbayanconcer
    nedf orr
    evi
    ewast owhet her
    theor
    dinancei
    sconsi
    stentwit
    hl awandci
    tyormunici
    palor
    dinances.
    (b)I
    fthesangguniangpanlungsodorsangguniangbayan,asthecase
    maybe,fai
    lstot akeact
    iononbar angayordinanceswit
    hinthi
    rt
    y(30)
    daysfr
    om r
    eceiptther
    eof
    ,thesameshal lbedeemedapproved.
    (c)Ifthesangguni angpanl ungsodorsangguni angbay an,ast hecase
    maybe,f i
    ndst hebarangayor dinancesinconsistentwithlaworci t
    yor
    muni ci
    palordi
    nances, t
    hesangguni anconcernedshal l
    ,withi
    nthi r
    ty(30)
    daysf rom receiptthereof,r eturnt hesamewi thitscomment sand
    recommendat ions t o t he sangguni ang bar angay concer ned f or
    adjustment,amendment ,ormodi fi
    cati
    on;inwhi chcase,t heef fect
    ivit
    y
    ofthebar angayor di
    nancei ssuspendedunt i
    lsucht i
    meast her evi
    sion
    call
    edf ori
    seffected.
    o Ordi
    nancesandEOsofbar angaysinMuni
    cipal
    i
    ties– Sect
    ion447.Power
    s,
    Duti
    es,Funct
    ionsandCompensat
    ion.–
    (a)Thesangguniangbay an,asthelegisl
    ativ
    ebodyoft hemunicipal
    it
    y,
    shal
    lenactordinances,approveresoluti
    onsandappropriat
    efundsf or
    thegeneralwel
    fareoft hemuni ci
    pal
    ityandi tsi
    nhabi
    tant
    spursuantt o
    Secti
    on16oft hi
    sCodeandi nthepr operexerci
    seoft hecorporate
    powersoft hemuni cipal
    it
    yaspr ovidedf orunderSecti
    on22oft his
    Code,andshall
    :
    (1)Approveordi
    nancesandpassresoluti
    onsnecessar
    yf oran
    eff
    ici
    ent and eff
    ecti
    ve muni
    cipal gover
    nment,and i n thi
    s
    connect
    ionshal
    l:
    o(i
    )Rev iew al
    lordinancesapproved bythe sangguni
    ang
    barangay and executi
    ve order
    si ssued by t
    he punong
    barangaytodeterminewhetherthesearewithi
    nthescope
    oft heprescr
    ibedpower soft hesanggunianandoft he
    punongbarangay;
    o Ordi
    nancesandEOsofbar angay
    sinCi
    tes– Sect
    i ion458.Power
    s,Dut
    ies,
    Funct
    ionsandCompensat
    ion.
    (a)Thesangguni angpanlungsod,ast helegi
    slat
    ivebodyoft heci
    ty,
    shallenactordi
    nances,approveresolutionsandappr opr
    iatefundsf
    or
    thegeneralwelf
    areofthecit
    yandi t
    si nhabit
    antspursuanttoSecti
    on16
    ofthisCodeandi ntheproperexerciseoft hecorporatepower soft
    he
    cit
    yaspr ovi
    dedforunderSecti
    on22oft hisCode,andshall:
    (1)Approv
    eordi
    nancesandpassresol
    uti
    onsnecessar
    yforan
    eff
    ici
    entandeff
    ect
    iveci
    tygover
    nment,andinthi
    sconnect
    ion,
    shall
    :
    o(i
    )Rev iew al
    lordinancesapproved bythe sangguni
    ang
    barangay and executi
    ve order
    si ssued by t
    he punong
    barangaytodeterminewhetherthesearewithi
    nthescope
    oft heprescr
    ibedpower soft hesanggunianandoft he
    punongbarangay;
    o Ordi
    nancesandEOsofComponentMuni cipal
    i
    tiesandCi
    tes– Sect
    i ion468.
    Powers,Dut
    ies,
    Funct
    ionsandCompensat
    ion.
    (a)The sangguni ang panlalawigan,as t
    he legisl
    ati
    ve body oft he
    provi
    nce,shallenactordinances,approveresolut
    ionsandappr opri
    ate
    funds forthe generalwel fare ofthe pr
    ov i
    nce and it
    si nhabi
    tants
    pursuantto Secti
    on16 oft hisCodei nthepr operexerci
    seoft he
    corporat
    epower soft heprov inceasprovi
    dedf orunderSecti
    on22of
    thi
    sCode, andshall:
    (1)Approveor di
    nancesandpassr esol
    uti
    onsnecessar
    yf oran
    eff
    ici
    ent and ef fect
    ive pr
    ovi
    nci
    al gover
    nment and,i n thi
    s
    connect
    ion,shall
    :
    o(i
    )Revi
    ew al
    lordi
    nancesapprov
    edbyt hesangguni
    angof
    componentci
    ti
    esandmuni ci
    pal
    iti
    esandexecuti
    veorder
    s
    i
    ssuedbythemay orsofsai
    dcomponentuni tst
    odeter
    mine
    whetherthese ar
    e withi
    nt he scope ofthe pr
    escri
    bed
    powersofthesangguni
    anandoft hemay or
    ;

    F.LGUsandNationalAgenci
    esandOff
    ices(
    wit
    hpr
    ojecti
    mpl
    ement
    ati
    onf
    unct
    ions)
    :Pr
    ior
    Consul
    tat
    ionBef
    oreImplementat
    ion
    - Sect
    ion25.Nat
    ionalSuper
    visi
    onov
    erLocalGov
    ernmentUni
    ts.-
    o(b)Nat ionalagenciesandof f
    iceswithprojecti
    mplementati
    onf unctionsshall
    coordinatewi t
    honeanot herandwi ththelocalgover
    nmentunit
    sconcer nedin
    thedischar geoft hesefuncti
    ons.Theyshal lensur
    etheparti
    cipationofl ocal
    governmentuni t
    sbot hint heplanningandi mplement
    ationofsai dnati
    onal
    proj
    ect s.
    - Section 27.Pr iorConsul tat
    ions Required.-No pr ojectorpr ogram shallbe
    i
    mpl ement ed bygov er
    nmentaut hor
    it
    iesunlesst he consul t
    ati
    onsment i
    oned i
    n
    Sections2( c)and26her eofarecompl iedwit
    h,andpriorappr ovalofthesangguni
    an
    concer nedisobtained:Provi
    ded,Thatoccupantsinareaswher esuchpr oj
    ect
    sareto
    beimpl ementedshallnotbeev i
    ctedunlessappropri
    ater el
    ocationsiteshavebeen
    provided,inaccordancewi t
    hthepr ovi
    sionsoftheConst i
    tuti
    on.
    - LI
    NAVSPANO–Thei nt
    roduct
    ionoflott
    ointheprovi
    nceofLagunai
    snotcov
    ered
    bySecs.26and27(
    onPr
    iorConsul
    tat
    ionsRequi
    red)oftheLGC.
    o Wehol dthatpetit
    ionerserr
    edindeclar
    ingthatSect
    ions2(c)[
    Declarati
    onof
    Poli
    cy]and27[ Pri
    orConsultati
    onsRequir
    ed]ofRepubli
    cAct7160,otherwi
    se
    knownast heLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991,appl ymandat or
    il
    yi nthe
    sett
    ingupoflottooutlet
    saroundthecountr
    y.
    o These applyonlyto nat i
    onalpr ogramsand/ orprojectswhi ch areto be
    i
    mpl ementedinapar t
    icularlocalcommuni ty,butifitisaGOCC,l ikePCSO,
    Sec.27wi l
    lnotapply
    .Lot t
    oisnei t herapr ogram norapr ojectofthenat i
    onal
    government,butofachar it
    ablei nstit
    ution,thePCSO.Thoughsanct i
    onedby
    thenationalgover
    nment ,itisf arf etchedt osayt hatlott
    of all
    swi thi
    nt he
    contemplati
    onofSecti
    ons2( c)and27oft heLocalGov ernmentCode.
    o Secti
    on27oftheCodeshoul
    dbereadinconj
    unct
    ionwit
    hSecti
    on26ther
    eof
    [
    Dut yofNat
    ionalGover
    nmentAgenci
    esintheMai nt
    enanceofEcol
    ogi
    cal
    Balance]
    .
    o Thepr ojectsandpr ogramsment ionedi nSect i
    on27shoul dbei nter
    pretedt o
    meanpr ojectsandpr ogramswhoseef fectsareamongt hoseenumer atedi n
    Secti
    on26and27,t owi t,thoset hat:(1)maycausepol l
    ution;(2)maybr i
    ng
    aboutcl i
    mat ic change;( 3)may cause t he depl etion ofnon- r
    enewabl e
    resources;( 4)mayr esultinl ossofcr opl and,range-land,orf orestcover;(5)
    mayer adicat ecertai
    nani malorpl antspeci esfrom thef aceoft heplanet;and
    (6)otherpr oj
    ectsorpr ogramst hatmaycal lf
    ort heev i
    ctionofapar t
    icular
    groupofpeopl er esidi
    ngi nt hel ocal
    itywher et hesewi llbei mplement ed.
    Obv i
    ously,noneoft heseef fectswi l
    lbepr oducedbyt hei ntroducti
    onofl otto
    i
    nt heprov inceofLaguna.
    G.LGUs and Nat
    ionalagenci
    es,of
    fi
    ces,and GOCCs (
    wit
    hfi
    eld uni
    tsi
    nthe LGU)
    :
    Consul
    tat
    ion
    - Sect
    ion25.Nat
    ionalSuper
    visi
    onov
    erLocalGov
    ernmentUni
    ts.–
    o(d)Nat i
    onalagenciesandof fi
    cesincl
    udinggover
    nment-ownedorcont rol
    l
    ed
    corporati
    onswi thfiel
    dunit
    sorbr anchesinapr ovi
    nce,city,ormuni ci
    pali
    ty
    shallfurni
    sht helocalchiefexecutiv
    econcerned,forhi sinformationand
    guidance,mont hl
    yr epor
    tsincl
    udi
    ngdul ycer
    ti
    fi
    edbudget aryallocat
    ionsand
    expenditur
    es.

    H.LGUsand Nat
    ionalagenci
    es,of
    fi
    ces,and GOCCs(
    wit
    h env
    ironment
    alpr
    ogr
    ams)
    :
    Consul
    tat
    ion
    - Section26.Dut yofNat i
    onalGov er
    nmentAgenci esintheMai ntenanceofEcol ogical
    Balance.-I tshallbet hedut yofev erynat i
    onalagencyorgov ernment-ownedor
    controll
    edcor porat
    ionauthor i
    zi
    ngori nv olvedint heplanningandi mplement ationof
    anypr ojectorprogram thatmaycausepol lut
    ion,cli
    mat i
    cchange,depl et
    ionofnon-
    renewabl eresources,l
    ossofcr opland,r angeland,orf orestcov er,andextinctionof
    animal or pl ant species, t o consul t wi th t he l ocal gov er
    nment uni ts,
    nongov ernmentalorganizati
    ons,andot hersect orsconcer nedandexpl ai
    nt hegoal s
    and obj ecti
    vesoft heprojectorpr ogr am,i tsi mpactupont hepeopl eand t he
    communi tyintermsofenv ironment alorecol ogicalbalance,andt hemeasur esthat
    willbeunder t
    akent opreventormi nimizet headv erseef f
    ectst hereof.

    I
    .LGUsandt hePNP,FirePr
    otect
    ionUni
    tandJai
    lManagementPer
    sonnel
    :Oper
    ati
    onal
    Super
    visi
    onandCont
    rol
    byLGUs
    - Section 28.Power sofLocalChi efExecutivesov ert heUni tsoft hePhi li
    ppine
    NationalPoli
    ce.-Theext entofoper ati
    onalsuper vi
    sionandcont roloflocalchief
    executivesovert
    hepol icefor
    ce,f i
    reprotect
    ionunit,andj ailmanagementper sonnel
    assi
    gnedi nthei
    rr especti
    vejurisdict
    ionsshal lbegov er nedbyt heprov i
    sionsof
    Republ i
    cActNumber edSixty-
    ninehundr edsev enty-
    fi
    v e(R. A.No.6975),otherwise
    knownas" TheDepar tmentoftheI nteri
    orandLocalGov ernmentActof1990" ,and
    therulesandregulati
    onsissuedpur suantthereto.
    - RA6975–Depar
    tmentoft
    heI
    nter
    iorandLocalGov
    ernmentActof1990
    o D.PARTI
    CIPATI
    ONOFLOCALEXECUTI
    VESI
    NTHEADMI
    NISTRATI
    ONOFTHE
    PNP
    o Secti
    on51.Power sofLocalGov er
    nmentOf f
    icialsOverthePNP Uni t
    sor
    Forces.–Governorsandmay or
    sshallbedeput i
    zedasr epr
    esentat
    ivesofthe
    Commi ssi
    on intheirrespect
    iveter
    rit
    orialj
    urisdicti
    on.As such,the l
    ocal
    executi
    vesshal
    ldischar
    gethefol
    lowi
    ngf unct
    ions:
    (a)Pr
    ovi
    ncialGovernor–(1)PowertoChoosetheProvinci
    alDir
    ect
    or.–
    Theprov
    incialgovernorshal
    lchoosethepr
    ovi
    ncialdi
    rectorfr
    om alist
    ofthr
    ee(3)eli
    gibl
    erecommendedbyt hePNPregi
    onaldirect
    or.
    (2)Over
    seei
    ngtheProv
    inci
    alPubl
    i
    cSafetyPlanI
    mplementat
    ion.–The
    gover
    nor,aschai
    rmanoftheprovi
    nci
    alpeaceandordercouncil
    ,shal
    l
    ov
    erseetheimplementati
    onofthepr
    ovi
    nci
    alpubli
    csaf et
    ypl
    an,
    whi
    chis
    pr
    epared t
    aking i
    nto consi
    der
    ati
    ontheintegr
    ated communit
    ysaf
    ety
    pl
    ans,asprovi
    dedunderparagr
    aph(b)(
    2)ofthi
    ssection.
    (b)Cit
    yandMuni cipalMay or
    s–( 1)Oper ati
    onalSuper vi
    sionandContr
    ol.
    Thecityandmuni cipalmay or
    sshal lexerciseoper ati
    onalsuper
    visi
    on
    andcont r
    olov erPNPuni t
    sintheirrespectivejuri
    sdicti
    onexceptduri
    ng
    thethi
    rty(30)dayper i
    odi mmedi at
    elypr ecedingandt hethir
    ty(
    30)day s
    fol
    lowinganynat i
    onal ,localandbar angayel ect
    ions.Dur i
    ngthesaid
    peri
    od, t
    helocalpol i
    cef orcesshallbeundert hesupervisi
    onandcontrol
    oftheCommi ssiononEl ecti
    ons.
     Theter
    m" oper
    ati
    onalsuper
    visi
    onandcontr
    ol"shal
    lmeanthepowert
    o
    di
    rect
    ,super
    int
    end,over
    seeandinspectt
    hepoli
    ceunit
    sandfor
    ces.
    Itshal
    lincludethepowertoemployanddepl
    oyuni t
    sorel ementsofthe
    PNP,t hrough the st
    ati
    on commander,to ensure publ
    ic safet
    yand
    effect
    ivemai nt
    enanceofpeaceandor derwithi
    nt helocali
    ty.Fort
    his
    purpose,theter
    m" employ"and"
    depl
    oy"shal
    lmeanasf ol
    lows:
    "Empl oy"referstout il
    i
    zationofuni tsorel ementsoft hePNPf or
    purposesofpr otecti
    onofl ivesandpr opert
    ies,enforcementof
    l
    aws,mai ntenanceofpeaceand or der,preventi
    on ofcr imes,
    arrestofcr iminaloffendersandbr ingingt heoffenderst ojusti
    ce,
    and ensur ing publ i
    csaf ety
    ,par t
    icularlyi nthesuppr ession of
    disorders,riots,l
    awlessv iol
    ence,rebel l
    i
    oussedi ti
    ousconspi r
    acy,
    i
    nsur gency ,subversi
    onorot herrel
    at edact i
    vit
    ies.
    "Depl
    oy"shal
    lmeantheorder
    lyorgani
    zedphysicalmovementof
    element
    s orunits ofthe PNP wi t
    hinthe provi
    nce,cit
    y or
    munici
    pali
    tyf
    orpur
    posesofemploymentashereindef
    ined.
    (2)IntegratedCommuni t
    ySaf et
    yPl ans.– Themuni cipal/ci
    tymayor
    shall
    ,incoor di
    nationwi t
    hthel ocalpeaceandor dercouncilofwhichhe
    i
    st hechai r
    manpur suantt oExecut iveOr derNo.309,asamended,
    developandest abli
    shani ntegrat
    edar ea/communitypublicsafet
    yplan
    embr acingpr i
    ori
    ti
    esofact ionandpr ogram thr
    ustsforimplementati
    on
    bythel ocalPNPst ations.
    Itshal
    l,li
    kewi
    se,bethedut
    yofthecityormunicipalmayortosponsor
    peri
    odicseminarsformembersofthePNPassi gnedordetai
    ledinhis
    cit
    yormuni cipal
    i
    tyinor
    dertoupdatethem r
    egardingl
    ocalordi
    nances
    andlegisl
    ati
    ons.
    (3)Administ
    rat
    iveDiscipl
    inaryPowers.–Intheareasofdi sci
    pli
    ne,ci
    ty
    andmuni ci
    palmay or
    sshal lhavethepowerstoimpose,
    afterduenot i
    ce
    and summar y hearings,di sci
    pli
    nar
    y penal
    ties f
    ormi norof fenses
    commi t
    ted by member s oft he PNP assi
    gned tot hei
    rr especti
    ve
    j
    urisdi
    cti
    ons,asprovi
    dedi nSection41ofthi
    sAct.
    (
    4)Ot herPowers.–Inaddit
    iontotheafor
    ement
    ionedpower
    s,ci
    tyand
    municipalmayorsshal
    lhavethefol
    lowi
    ngaut
    hori
    tyovert
    hePNPunits
    i
    ntheirrespect
    ivej
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    ons:
    (i
    )Authori
    tytochooset
    hechi
    efofpolicefr
    om alistoff
    ive(5)
    el
    igi
    bles recommended by the provi
    nci
    al pol
    ice di
    rect
    or,
    pref
    erabl
    yfrom t
    hesamepr
    ovi
    nce,ci
    tyormunici
    pal
    i
    ty.
    (i
    i)Author
    it
    yt orecommendt het
    ransf
    er,r
    eassi
    gnmentordetai
    l
    ofPNP member s out
    side oft
    heirrespect
    ive ci
    ty ort
    own
    resi
    dences;and
    (i
    ii
    )Aut hori
    tytorecommend,fr
    om al istofeli
    giblesprevi
    ousl
    y
    screenedbyt hepeaceandor
    dercouncil
    ,theappointmentofnew
    member softhePNPt obeassi
    gnedt otheirr
    espectiv
    eciti
    esor
    muni cipali
    ti
    es withoutwhi
    ch no such appointmentshal lbe
    att
    est ed.
    o Section 52.Suspensi on ofOper at
    ionalSuperv
    isi
    on and Cont rol
    .– The
    President may , upon consultati
    on wi th t
    he provinci
    al governor and
    congr essmanconcerned,suspendt hepowerofoper at
    ionalsupervi
    sionand
    controlofanyl ocalexecuti
    veov erpoli
    ceunit
    sassignedorst at
    ionedinhis
    j
    urisdicti
    onforanyofthefoll
    owinggr ounds:
    (
    a)Fr
    equentunaut
    hor
    izedabsences;
    (
    b)Abuseofaut
    hor
    it
    y;
    (
    c)Pr
    ovi
    dingmat
    eri
    alsuppor
    ttocr
    imi
    nalel
    ement
    s;or
    (d)Engagingi
    nactsini
    micalt
    onat i
    onalsecur
    it
    yorwhi
    chnegat
    ethe
    eff
    ecti
    venessoft
    hepeaceandordercampaign.
    o Upon good cause shown,the Presi
    dentmay
    ,mot u propio orupon t
    he
    recommendati
    on oft heNationalPol
    iceCommissi
    on,restor
    esuch power
    withdr
    awnfr
    om anylocalexecuti
    ve.
    - ANDAYA VSRTC – Themay orhasnopowerofappoi ntment ,andhasonlythe
    l
    imitedpowerofselecti
    ngonef rom amongtheli
    stof5eli
    giblestobenamedchief
    ofpoli
    ce.Themay orcannotrequir
    etheRegi
    onalDi
    rect
    ort
    oi ncludethenameofany
    off
    icer,
    nomatterhowqual i
    fi
    ed,inthel
    ist
    .
    o UnderRepubl icActNo.6975,Sect i
    on51,t hemay orofCebuCi tyshal lbe
    deput i
    zedasr epresent ati
    v eoft heCommi ssion( Nat i
    onalPol iceCommi ssion)
    i
    nhi st err
    itorialjurisdicti
    onandassucht hemay orshal lhav eaut hor i
    tyt o
    chooset hechi efofpol icef rom al istoffive( 5)eli
    gibl esrecommendedbyt he
    Pol i
    ceRegi onalDi rect or.TheCi tyPol i
    ceSt ati
    onofCebuCi tyisundert he
    directcommandandcont roloft hePNPRegi onalDi r
    ector ,Regi onalPol ice
    CommandNo.7,andi sequi valentt oapr ov inci
    alof fi
    ce.Then,t heRegi onal
    Director,Regi onalPol i
    ceCommandNo.7appoi ntst heof ficersel ectedbyt he
    may orast heCi tyDi rector,Ci tyPol i
    ceCommand( chi efofpol i
    ce)CebuCi ty.I
    t
    i
    st hepr er
    ogat iveoft heRegi onalPol i
    ceDi r
    ect ortonamet hef ive(5)eligibles
    fr
    om apoolofel igibleof f
    icer sscr eenedbyt heSeni orOf ficersPr omot ionand
    Selection Boar d,Headquar ters,Phi l
    ippine Nat ionalPol ice,Camp Cr ame,
    Quezon Ci ty
    ,wi t
    hout i nterference f rom l ocalexecut iv
    es. I n case of
    disagreementbet ween t he Regi onalPol ice Di rectorand t he May or ,t he
    quest i
    on shal lbe el evat ed t ot he Regi onalDi rector,Nat ionalPol ice
    Commi ssion,whoshal lr esol vethei ssuewi thinf i
    ve( 5)wor ki
    ngday sf rom
    recei
    ptandwhosedeci si
    onont hechoiceoft heChi efofPol i
    ceshallbef i
    nal
    andexecut or y.Asdeputyoft heCommi ssion,theaut hor i
    tyofthemay oris
    veryli
    mi t
    ed.Inr eal
    it
    y,hehasnopowerofappoi ntment ;hehasonl ythelimited
    powerofsel ecti
    ngonef rom amongt helistoff i
    veel igiblestobenamedt he
    chiefofpolice.Actuall
    y,thepowert oappointt hechi efofpol i
    ceofCebuCi t
    y
    i
    sv estedint heRegionalDirector,Regi
    onalPol iceCommandNo.7.Muchl ess
    mayt hemay orrequir
    etheRegi onalDir
    ector,Regi onalPol i
    ceCommand,t o
    i
    ncludet henameofanyof f
    icer,nomat t
    erhowqual ifi
    ed, intheli
    stoffivetobe
    submi t
    tedtot hemay or.Thepur poseist oenhancepol i
    cepr of
    essionali
    sm
    andt oisol
    atet hepoli
    ceserv i
    cef r
    om poli
    ticaldomi nat i
    on.

    J.LGUsandNGOs:
    LGUsshal
    lsuppor
    t,andmaygi
    veassi
    stancet
    oNGOs
    - Secti
    on 34.Role of People'
    s and Non-
    gover
    nment
    alOrganizat
    ions.-Local
    governmentuni
    tsshal
    lpromotetheestabl
    i
    shmentandoper
    ati
    onofpeopl e'
    sand
    non-gover
    nment
    alorgani
    zat
    ionstobecomeactiv
    epart
    ner
    sinthepur sui
    toflocal
    autonomy.
    - Secti
    on35.Li nkageswi thPeopl e'
    sandNon- governmentalOrganizati
    ons.-Local
    governmentuni t
    s may ent eri ntojointv entures and such othercooper ati
    ve
    arr
    angement swithpeople'sandnon- governmentalor gani
    zat
    ionstoengagei nt he
    del
    iveryofcertai
    nbasi cservi
    ces,capabil
    it
    y-buil
    dingandl i
    vel
    ihoodpr oj
    ects,andt o
    developlocalenterpri
    sesdesignedt oimpr ovepr oducti
    vi
    tyandi ncome,di versit
    y
    agri
    cult
    ure,spurrurali
    ndustr
    ial
    izati
    on,pr
    omot eecol ogi
    calbal
    ance,andenhancet he
    economicandsoci alwell
    -bei
    ngoft hepeople.
    - Secti
    on36.Assi st
    ancet oPeople'
    sandNon- government alOrganizat
    ions.-Al ocal
    governmentunitmay,throughit
    slocalchiefexecutiveandwi tht heconcurrenceof
    the sangguni
    an concerned,provi
    de assist
    ance,f inancialorot herwise,t o such
    people'
    s and non-governmentalorganizati
    ons f or economi c,soci al
    ly-
    oriented,
    envi
    ronmental
    ,orcult
    uralproj
    ectstobeimplement edwi thini
    tsterri
    tor
    ialj
    urisdicti
    on.

    PARTV–GOVERNMENTALPOWERSOFLOCALGOVERNMENTS
    A.Local
    PowerofTaxat
    ion
    - 1.Sour
    cesofr
    evenuesofLGUs
    o Whatar
    ethesour
    cesofRev
    enuesofLGUs?
    i
    .taxes,
    feesandchar
    ges
    i
    i
    .justshar
    eint
    henat
    ional
    taxes
    i
    i
    i.equi
    tabl
    eshar
    eint
    heproceedsoftheuti
    li
    zat
    ionanddev
    elopmentof
    t
    henati
    onalweal
    thwi
    thi
    nthei
    rrespect
    ivear
    eas
    o Whati
    s“l
    ocal
    fiscal
    aut
    onomy
    ”?
     Localgov ernmentshavet hepowert o cr
    eatet heirownsour cesof
    revenue i
    n additi
    on tot hei
    requitable shareint he nat
    ionaltaxes
    rel
    easedbyt henati
    onalgovernmentaswel lasthepowert oall
    ocate
    theirr
    esourcesinaccor
    dancewi t
    htheirownpr ior
    it
    ies.
     Thenationalgovernmentisnotgiv
    enanyauthor
    it
    ytoi
    nterf
    erewi
    tht
    he
    wayt heresourcesofanl gushal
    lbespent.Nostat
    utecaneverbe
    passedmandat ingthemannerbywhi chlocalf
    undsshoul
    dbespent,
    butsti
    ll
    subjecttoguidel
    i
    nesandlimit
    ati
    ons.
    o Dol
    guspossessi
    nher
    entpowert
    otax?
     BASCOVSPAGCOR
     Bascodoctrine–Noinherentri
    ghttoimposet
    axesandt
    heref
    ore,
    anLGUneedst ohavealaworst atut
    ethatgr
    ant
    sthepowerand
    thi
    sisalreadydonethroughtheLGCof1991,subjectt
    ocontrol
    bycongressandt hatlocalgovernmentshavenopowertotax
    i
    nstrumentali
    ti
    esoft
    henat i
    onalgover
    nment.
     Thiscasei nv olv
    est heCityofMani
    latry
    ingt oimposet axeson
    PAGCOR,butPAGCORwasconsi deredani nstr
    ument al
    ityofthe
    nati
    onalgov ernmentbecausePAGCORwasgi vent hepowert o
    regulatelawf ulgames ofchance and t herefore,this was an
    exerciseoft her egulator
    ypowerofthenationalgovernmentand
    assuch,i tispar tofpol i
    cepowerandsi nceit’
    spar tofpolice
    power ,tothatext ent
    ,thatisgovernmental,and becausei t’
    s
    government al,PAGCOR,whi l
    eaGOCC,becomesi nstr
    umentalit
    y
    ofthenational gov ernment.
    o Whatar
    ether easonswhycongr
    essr
    etai
    nst
    hepowert
    opr
    ovi
    degui
    del
    i
    nes
    andl
    imi
    tat
    ions?
     The l
    egisl
    atur
    e muststi
    llsee t
    oi tthatt
    he taxpayerwil
    lnotbe
    over
    burdenedorsaddl
    edwi
    thmult
    ipl
    eandunr
    easonableimposi
    ti
    ons.
    o Whatist
    heeff
    ectoft
    heLGConpr
    ivi
    l
    egesandexempt
    ionsgr
    ant
    edt
    oGOCCs
    pr
    iort
    otheLGC?
     Sect
    ion234pr ovi
    desf ort
    heexempt i
    onsf r
    om paymentofRPTand
    wit
    hdraws previ
    ous exempti
    ons ther
    efrom grant
    ed t
    o natur
    aland
    j
    uri
    dicalper
    sons,i
    ncl
    udingGOCCs,exceptasprovi
    dedt
    herei
    n.
     Sect i
    on 193.Wi thdrawalof Tax Exempt i
    on Pr i
    vil
    eges.-Unl ess
    other wisepr ovidedi nt hi
    sCode,taxexempt ionsori ncenti
    vesgrant ed
    to,orpr esentl
    yenj oyedbyal lpersons,whet hernaturalorj ur
    idical
    ,
    i
    ncludi nggov ernment -ownedorcont r oll
    edcor porati
    ons,exceptl ocal
    wat erdi stri
    cts,cooper ati
    vesdulyregisteredunderR. A.No.6938,non-
    stockandnon- profi
    thospi tal
    sandeducat ionalinsti
    tuti
    ons,business
    enter pri
    sescer t
    if
    iedbyt heBoardofI nvestment s(BOI)aspi oneeror
    non- pioneerf oraper i
    odof6and4y ear
    s,r especti
    vely
    ,areher eby
    withdr awnupont heef fecti
    vi
    tyofthi
    sCode.
    o MCI
    AA(
    MACTANCEBUI
    NTERNATI
    ONALAI
    RPORTAUTHORI
    TY)VSMARCOS
     Hence,the t
    axexempt ions f
    rom RPT gr anted t
    o MCI
    AA underit
    s
    chart
    erhadbeenwi thdr
    awnupont heeffecti
    v i
    tyoft
    heLGCof1991
    underSec.234;(Thus,ther
    e’s a need f
    ora new l aw gr
    anti
    ng t
    ax
    exempti
    onpri
    vil
    egeinordertoenj
    oysuchpr ivi
    l
    ege)
     MCIAA cannot i
    nvoke the Basco r ul
    i
    ng that LGUs cannot t
    ax
    i
    nst
    rumental
    it
    iesofthenationalgov
    ernmentbecausetheBascocase
    wasdeci
    dedbeforet
    heeffecti
    vit
    yoftheLGCof1991.
    o MI
    AA(
    MANI
    LAI
    NTERNATI
    ONALAI
    RPORTAUTHORI
    TY)VSCA
     Disr
    egards“MCI AAVSMARCOS”(whi
    chdidnotapplyBascodoctr
    ine)
    and rei
    nstat
    ed Basco doct
    ri
    ne t
    hatlgus cannottax gover
    nment
    i
    nstrumental
    i
    ties.
     UnderSec.2( 10)and ( 13)oft he Admi ni
    str
    ativ
    e Code,MI AA isa
    gover
    nmenti nst
    rumentali
    tyandnotaGOCCorcont rol
    l
    edcorporati
    on.I
    t
    wascreatedbyEO903,andi tscapi
    talizat
    ionisnotdividedi
    ntoshares
    ofstocks.MI AA asa gov ernmenti nstr
    ument al
    ityisnota t axabl
    e
    per
    son.Sec.234doesnotappl ybecauseSec.234appl i
    esonl yto
    nat
    uralandjuri
    dicalper
    sons,i
    ncl
    udingGOCCs, notinst
    rumental
    i
    ties.
    o MANI LA ELECTRI
    C COMPANYVSPROVI NCEOFLAGUNA – Theprovi
    nce
    undertheLGC cani mposeaf r
    anchi
    set
    axnot
    wit
    hst
    andi
    nganyexempt
    ion
    grant
    edbyanyl aworot
    herspeci
    all
    aw.
    I
    tmi ghtbewel lt or ecallt hatlocalgov er
    nment sdo nothav et he
    i
    nherentpowertot ax[4]exceptt otheextentthatsuchpowermi ghtbe
    del
    egatedtothem eitherbyt hebasi claworbystatute.Pr
    esentl
    y,under
    Art
    icl
    eXoft he1987Const ituti
    on,agener aldelegati
    onofthatpower
    hasbeengiveninfavorofl ocalgov ernmentunit
    s.
     The 1991 Code explici
    tl
    y aut hori
    zes provi
    nci
    al governments,
    not
    wit
    hst
    anding“
    anyexempti
    ongr ant
    edbyanylaworotherspeci
    all
    aw,
    xxx(t
    o)imposeataxonbusinessesenjoy
    ingafr
    anchi
    se.(
    Sec.137)
     TheLocalGovernmentCodehaseffect
    ivel
    ywi t
    hdrawnunderSect
    ion
    193ther
    eof
    ,taxexempti
    onsori
    ncent
    ivesther
    etofor
    eenjoy
    edbycert
    ain
    ent
    it
    ies.
    o PHI
    LIPPI
    NEPETROLEUM CORP.VSMUN.OFPI
    LILLA,
    RIZAL
     WhileSect ion2ofP. D.436pr ohi
    bitstheimpositi
    onofl ocaltaxeson
    petroleum products,saiddecr eedidnotamendSect ions19and19( a)
    ofP. D.231asamendedbyP. D.426, wherei
    nthemuni cipali
    tyisgranted
    the r i
    ghtt ol evyt axes on busi ness ofmanuf acturer
    s,impor ters,
    producer sofanyar ti
    cleofcommer ceofwhateverkindornat ure.At ax
    onbusi nessisdi st
    inctfrom at axont hearti
    clei t
    self.Thus,i fthe
    i
    mposi t
    ion oft axon busi nessofmanuf act
    urers,et c.in petrol
    eum
    product scontravenesadecl arednat i
    onalpoli
    cy,itshoul dhav ebeen
    expresslystatedinP. D.No.436.
     Theexer cisebyl ocalgovernmentsoft hepowert otaxi sordainedby
    thepr esentConst it
    uti
    on.To al l
    ow thecontinuousef fecti
    vi
    tyoft he
    prohibi
    ti
    on setf or
    thin PC No.26- 73 (
    1)woul d be tantamountt o
    rest
    ricti
    ngt hei
    rpowert ot axbymer eadmi ni
    strat
    iveissuances.Under
    Section 5,Ar t
    icle X ofthe 1987 Const i
    tut
    ion,onlygui deli
    nes and
    l
    imitati
    onst hatmaybeest abl
    i
    shedbyCongr esscandef i
    neandl imi
    t
    suchpowerofl ocalgover
    nment s.Thus:
     Eachl ocalgov ernmentuni
    tshallhavet hepowertocreat
    eit
    sown
    sourcesofr evenuesandtol evytaxes,fees,andchar
    gessubj
    ect
    tosuchgui deli
    nesandl i
    mitati
    onsast heCongressmayprovi
    de,
    consistentwi t
    ht hebasi
    cpolicyoflocalautonomy...
     Ast ot heaut hor i
    tyoft hemay ort owai vepay mentoft hemay or'
    spermit
    andsani t
    aryi nspect ionf ees,t het ri
    alcour tdi dnoter ri nhol dingthat
    "si
    ncet hepowert otaxi ncl udest hepowert oexemptt hereofwhi chis
    essent iall
    yal egislativepr er ogat i
    v e,i
    tf oll
    owst hatamuni cipalmay or
    who i san execut iveof ficermaynotuni later allywi thdr aw such an
    expressi onofapol icyt hr
    ut heenact mentofat ax. "Thewai v erpartakes
    ofthenat ureofanexempt ion.I tisananci entrul et hatexempt i
    onsf r
    om
    taxationar econst r
    uedi nst ricti
    ssimij urisagai nstt het axpay erand
    l
    iberallyi nfav oroft het axingaut hori
    ty( EssoSt andar dEast ern,I
    nc.v.
    Acting Commi ssi oner of Cust oms,18 SCRA 488 [ 1966] ). Tax
    exempt ionsar elookeduponwi t
    hdi sf avor( West ernMi nolcoCor p.v.
    Commi ssionerofI nternalRev enue,124SCRA121[ 1983] )
    .Thus,i nthe
    absenceofacl earandexpr essexempt i
    onf rom t hepay mentofsai d
    fees,t hewai vercannotber ecogni zed.Asal readyst at ed,i ti sthelaw-
    maki ngbody ,andnotanexecut iveliket hemay or,whocanmakean
    exempt ion.UnderSect ion36oft heCode,aper mi tfeel iket hemay or'
    s
    permi t,shal lber equi r
    edbef or eanyi ndiv i
    dualorj uridicalent it
    yshall
    engagei nanybusi nessoroccupat ionundert hepr ov isionsoft heCode.
    o CI
    TYGOVERNMENTOFQUEZONCI
    TYVSBAYANTELECOM,
    INC.
     Bayantel
    ’sfr
    anchisebeingnati
    onali
    ncharact
    er,t
    he“ exempt i
    on”t hus
    grantedunderSecti
    on14ofRep.ActNo.3259appl i
    est oallit
    sr ealor
    personalpr
    opert
    iesfoundanywherewi
    thi
    nthePhil
    i
    ppinearchipelago.
     Howev er,witht heLGC’ st akingef fectonJanuar y1,1992,Bay antel’
    s
    “exempt i
    on”f r
    om r ealest atet axesf orpr operti
    esofwhat everki nd
    l
    ocat edwi thintheMet roMani l
    aareawas, byf orceofSect i
    on234oft he
    Code,supr a,expr esslywi t
    hdr awn.But ,notlongt hereafter,howev er,or
    on Jul y20,1992,Congr ess passed Rep.ActNo.7633 amendi ng
    Bayant el’
    sor i
    ginalf ranchise.Wor thyofnot eist hatSect ion11ofRep.
    ActNo.7633i sav i
    rtualreenacmentoft hetaxpr ovision,i
    .e.,Secti
    on14,
    supra,ofBay ant el’
    sor i
    ginalf r
    anchiseunderRep.ActNo.3259.St ated
    otherwi se,Section14ofRep.ActNo.3259whi chwasdeemedi mpl i
    edly
    repealedbySect i
    on234oft heLGCwasexpr esslyrev i
    vedunderSect ion
    14ofRep.ActNo.7633.I nconcr etet er
    ms,t her ealt
    yt axexempt ion
    heretofor e enjoy ed by Bay antel underi ts originalf ranchise,but
    subsequent l
    ywi thdrawnbyf orceofSect i
    on234oft heLGC,hasbeen
    restoredbySect ion14ofRep.ActNo.7633.
     TheCour thastakenst ockoft hefactthatbyv i
    rt
    ueofSecti
    on5, Art
    icl
    e
    Xoft he1987Const i
    tution,localgovernmentsar eempoweredtolev y
    taxes.Andpur suanttot hi
    sconst it
    uti
    onalempower ment,j
    uxtaposed
    with Secti
    on232oft heLGC,t heQuezonCi t
    ygov er
    nmentenactedin
    1993i t
    sl ocalRevenueCode,i mposingr ealproper
    tytaxonal lreal
    propert
    iesfoundwi t
    hini tsterri
    tor
    ialj
    urisdi
    cti
    on.Andasearli
    erstated,
    theCit
    y’sRevenueCode,justli
    ketheLGC,expr
    essl
    ywithdrew,under
    Sect
    ion230thereof
    ,supr
    a,all
    taxexempt
    ionpr
    ivi
    l
    egesingeneral
    .
     Thisthusraisesthequest ionofwhetherornottheCity
    ’sRev enueCode
    pursuanttowhi chtheci t
    yt r
    easur
    erofQuezonCi t
    yl evi
    edr ealpr
    opert
    y
    taxes against Bay antel
    ’sr ealpropert
    ies l
    ocated wi t
    hint he Cit
    y
    effecti
    vel
    ywi thdr
    ew t hetaxexempt i
    onenjoyedbyBay antelunderi
    ts
    franchi
    se,asamended.
     Bayantelanswerst
    heposeri
    nthenegativ
    ear gui
    ngthatonceagainiti
    s
    onl
    y“ l
    i
    abletopaythesametaxes,asanyotherpersonsorcorpor
    ati
    ons
    onalli
    tsrealorper
    sonal
    proper
    ti
    es,excl
    usiv
    eofitsfranchi
    se.
    ”
     Bayant el
    ’
    spostureiswell
    -t
    aken.Whi l
    et hesyst
    em ofl
    ocalgover
    nment
    taxati
    onhaschangedwi t
    ht heonsetofthe1987Consti
    tut
    ion,t
    hepower
    ofl ocalgov
    ernmentunitst ot axisst i
    lll
    imit
    ed.Asweexpl ai
    nedin
    Mact anCebuInter
    nati
    onalAirportAuthori
    ty:
     Thepowert ot axi spri
    mar i
    lyvestedintheCongr ess;however,i
    n
    ourjuri
    sdiction,i
    tmaybeexer ci
    sedbyl ocallegisl
    ativebodi
    es,no
    l
    ongermer elybe v ir
    tue ofa v al
    id del
    egat i
    on as bef or
    e,but
    pursuantt odi r
    ectaut hori
    tyconf er
    redbySect ion5,Ar t
    icl
    eXof
    theConst it
    ution.Undert hel att
    er,t
    heexer ciseoft hepowermay
    besubj ectt osuchgui deli
    nesandl i
    mi t
    ationsast heCongress
    maypr ov i
    dewhi ch,howev er,mustbeconsi stentwi t
    hthebasic
    poli
    cyofl ocalaut onomy .
     Clearlythen,whi l
    eanew sl antont hesubj ectofl ocalt
    axationnow
    prevail
    sint hesenset hatt
    heformerdoct r
    ineoflocalgovernmentunits’
    delegatedpowert ot axhadbeenef fecti
    velymodi fi
    edwith Ar t
    icl
    eX,
    Section5oft he1987Const i
    tut
    ionnowi npl ace,.
    thebasicdoct r
    ineon
    l
    ocalt axat
    ionr emainsessent
    ial
    lythesame.Forast heCourtst
    ressedin
    Mact an,“t
    hepowert otaxi
    s[sti
    l
    l]pri
    mar i
    l
    yv estedi
    nt heCongress.”
     Thi
    snewperspect
    iveisbestarti
    cul
    atedbyFr.Joaqui
    nG.Ber
    nas,S.
    J.,
    hi
    mselfaCommissionerofthe1986Consti
    tut
    ionalCommi
    ssi
    onwhich
    cr
    aft
    edthe1987Constit
    uti
    on,t
    hus:
     Whati stheeffectofSect i
    on5ont hef iscalposi tionofmuni cipal
    corpor ati
    ons? Sect i
    on 5 does notchange t he doct rine t hat
    muni cipalcor porat
    ions do notpossess i nher entpower s of
    taxation. Whati tdoesi st oconf ermuni cipalcor por ationsa
    gener alpowert olev yt axesandot her wisecr eat esour cesof
    revenue. Theynol ongerhav et owai tf orast atutorygr antof
    thesepower s.Thepoweroft hel egislat i
    veaut hori
    tyr elativ eto
    thefiscalpower sofl ocalgov ernment shasbeenr educedt ot he
    author i
    tytoimposel imitati
    onsonmuni cipalpower s.Mor eov er,
    thesel i
    mitat
    ionsmustbe“ consist entwi t
    ht hebasi cpol icyof
    l
    ocalaut onomy .
    ”Thei mpor tantlegalef fectofSect i
    on5i st hus
    tor ev erse the pr i
    nciplet hat doubt s ar er esol ved agai nst
    muni cipalcor porat
    ions. Hencef orth,i ni nterpreti
    ng st atutor y
    provisionsonmuni cipalfiscalpower s,doubt swi llber esol vedi n
    favorofmunicipalcorpor ati
    ons.Itisunderstood,however
    ,that
    taxesimposedbyl ocalgov ernmentmustbef orapubl i
    cpur
    pose,
    uniform wi
    thi
    nal ocali
    ty,mustnotbeconf iscatory,andmustbe
    withinthej
    uri
    sdict
    ionoft helocaluni
    ttopass.
    I
    nnetef fect,thecont r
    oversypresent
    lybefor
    et heCourti
    nvol
    ves,at
    bot
    tom,acl ashbetweent heinherenttaxi
    ngpowerofthelegi
    slat
    ure,
    which necessari
    lyi ncl
    udes the powert o exempt,and the local
    gover
    nment ’
    sdel egated powertot axundert heaegi
    soft he1987
    Consti
    tut
    ion.
     Nowt ogobackt otheQuezonCi tyRev enueCodewhi chi mposed r eal
    estat et axes on al lr ealpr oper ties wi thint he ci ty’sterri
    toryand
    remov edexempt i
    onst her etofor e“ previouslygr antedt o,or pr esently
    enjoy ed byal lpersons,whet hernat uralorj uridi
    cal…. ,
    ”t herecanr eal
    ly
    benodi sput
    et hatthepoweroft heQuezonCi t
    yGov ernmentt otaxi s
    l
    imit edbySect ion232oft heLGC whi chexpr esslypr ovi
    dest hat“ a
    prov i
    nceorci tyormuni cipalit
    ywi thintheMet r
    opolitanMani laAreamay
    l
    ev yanannualadv alorem t axonr ealpr opertysuchasl and,buil
    ding,
    machi nery, and ot her i mpr ov ement not her ei
    naf ter specifical
    ly
    exempt ed.” Undert hisl aw,t heLegi slaturehi ghli
    ght edi tspowert o
    thereaf t
    erexemptcer tainr eal t
    ies f r
    om t he taxing powerofl ocal
    gov ernmentuni t
    s.Ani nterpret ationdeny ingCongr esssuchpowert o
    exemptwoul dr educet hephr ase“ nother einafterspecificallyexempt ed”
    asapur ejar
    gon,wi thoutmeani ngwhat soev er.Needlesst ostate,such
    absur dsi t
    uati
    oni sunaccept able.
     Forsure,inPhili
    ppineLongDistanceTelephoneCompany
    ,Inc.(
    PLDT)
    vs.Cit
    yofDav ao,thisCour
    thasupheldthepowerofCongresstogrant
    exemptionsoverthepowerofl ocalgov
    er nmentuni
    tst
    oimposetaxes.
    There,t
    heCour twrote:
    Indeed,the gr antoft axi
    ng power st ol ocalgov ernmentuni ts
    under t he Const itution and t he LGC does notaf f
    ectt he
    power of Congr ess t o grant exempt ionst ocer t
    ainper sons,
    pursuantt o a decl ared nationalpoli
    cy.The l egalef fectoft he
    constit
    utionalgrantt ol ocalgov er
    nment s simply means t hat
    i
    ni nterpreti
    ngst atut oryprov i
    sionsonmuni ci
    paltaxingpower s,
    doubtsmustber esolv edinfavorofmuni cipalcorporati
    ons.
     Asweseei t
    ,then,t
    heissuei
    nt hi
    scasenol ongerdwel l
    sonwhether
    Congresshast hepowertoexemptBay ant
    el’
    spr oper
    tiesfr
    om real
    ty
    taxesbyit
    senactmentofRep.ActNo.7633whi chamendedBay antel
    ’s
    origi
    nalfr
    anchise.The more decisi
    ve question t ur
    ns on whether
    Congressactuall
    ydi
    dexemptBay antel
    ’sproper t
    iesatal lbyvi
    rt
    ueof
    Secti
    on11ofRep.ActNo.7633.
     Admi tt
    edly,Rep.ActNo.7633wasenact edsubsequenttot heLGC.
    Perfectl
    yawar ethattheLGChasal r
    eadywi t
    hdrawn Bayant
    el’
    sf or
    mer
    exempt i
    onf r
    om realt
    ytaxes,CongressoptedtopassRep.ActNo.7633
    using,underSect ion 11 ther
    eof,exactl
    yt he same defi
    ning phrase
    ”exclusiv
    e oft hisfranchi
    se” whi ch was t he basi
    sforBay antel’
    s
    exempt i
    onf r
    om realtytaxespr iort otheLGC.I nplainlanguage, Section
    11ofRep.ActNo.7633st atest hat“ t
    hegr ant
    ee,itssuccessor sor
    assignsshal lbel i
    abl et o payt hesamet axesont hei
    rr ealestat e,
    buil
    dingsandper sonalpr oper ty,exclusiv
    eoft hisfranchise,asot her
    personsorcor porati
    onsar enoworher eaft
    ermayber equir
    edbyl awt o
    pay.” TheCour tv iewst hi
    ssubsequentpi eceofl egisl
    ation asan
    expressand r ealint enti
    on on t hepar tofCongr esst o onceagai n
    remov efrom theLGC’ sdelegat edt axi
    ngpower ,alloft hefranchisee’s
    (Bayantel
    ’s)propert
    iest hatar eact uall
    y,dir
    ectlyandexcl usivelyusedi n
    thepursuitofitsfr
    anchi se.
    o DI
    GITELTELECOM PHI
    LS.VSPANGASI
    NAN
     SameasBay
    ant
    elecom case
    o CI
    TYOFI
    LOI
    LOVSSMARTCOMMUNI
    CATI
    ONS
     Thebasi
    cprinci
    pleintheconst
    ruct
    ionofl
    awsgr
    ant
    ingt
    axexempt
    ions
    hasbeenver
    ystable.
     Ther i
    ghtoftaxat i
    onisi nherenti
    nt heSt ate.Itisapr er
    ogativeessential
    totheper petuit
    yoft hegov er
    nment ;andhewhocl aimsanexempt i
    on
    from thecommonbur den, mustjusti
    fyhiscl aim bytheclearestgrantof
    organicorst atutelaw xxxWhenexempt ioni sclaimed,i tmustbe
    showni ndubitabl
    ytoexi st.Attheout set
    , everypresumpt i
    oni sagainstit
    .
    Awel l-f
    oundeddoubti sfataltot heclaim;i tisonlywhent hetermsof
    theconcessionar etooexpl i
    citt
    oadmi tfairl
    yofanyot herconstructi
    on
    thatthepropositi
    oncanbesuppor ted.
     Ataxexemptioncannotari
    sef r
    om vagueinf
    erence..
    .Taxexemptions
    mustbeclearandunequiv
    ocal.At axpay
    erclaimingat axexemption
    mustpoi
    nttoaspecifi
    cprovi
    sionoflawconferri
    ngont hetaxpay
    er ,i
    n
    cl
    earandplai
    nterms,exempti
    onf r
    om acommonbur den.Anydoubt
    whet
    herataxexempti
    onexist
    sisresol
    vedagainstthet
    axpayer.
     Byv ir
    tueofSect ion193oft heLGC,al ltaxexempt ionpr iv
    il
    egest hen
    enjoyedbyal lpersons,sav et hoseexpr esslyment ioned,hav ebeen
    withdrawnef f
    ecti
    v eJanuary1, 1992–t hedat eofef f
    ect i
    vi
    tyoftheLGC.
    Thef irstclauseofSect i
    on 137 oft heLGC st atest hesamer ule.
    Howev er,t
    hewithdrawalofexempt i
    ons,whet herunderSect ion193or
    137oft heLGC,per tai
    nsonl yt ot hoseal readyexisti
    ngwhent heLGC
    wasenact ed. Thei nt
    enti
    onoft hel egisl
    aturewast or emov ealltax
    exempt i
    ons orincentiv
    es gr anted pr iort ot he LGC. [As SMART’ s
    fr
    anchi sewasmadeef fecti
    veonMar ch27,1992–af tertheeffect
    ivity
    oftheLGC–Sect i
    on193wi llthereforenotappl yi
    nthiscase.
     Butwhile Sect
    ion 193 ofthe LGC wi
    l
    lnotaffectt
    he clai
    med tax
    exempti
    onunderSMART’ sfr
    anchi
    se,wefai
    ltof
    indacategori
    caland
    encompassinggrantoftaxexempt i
    ont
    oSMARTcov eri
    ngexempt i
    on
    fr
    om bothnati
    onalandlocalt
    axes:
     R.A.No 7294doesnotexpr esslyprov
    idewhatki
    ndoft axes
    SMARTi sexemptedfr
    om.I
    tisnotclearwhet
    hert
    he“i
    nli
    euofall
    taxes”provi
    sion i
    nthe f
    ranchise ofSMART wouldinclude
    exempti
    onf rom l
    ocalornat i
    onaltaxati
    on.Whatisclearist hat
    SMARTshal lpayfr
    anchi setaxequi
    v al
    enttothr
    eeper
    cent( 3%)of
    al
    lgrossreceipt
    soft hebusi nesst
    ransactedunderi
    tsfranchise.
    But whether the f ranchise tax exempt i
    on would include
    exempti
    onf rom exact i
    onsbybot ht helocalandthenat ional
    gover
    nmenti snotunequi v
    ocal.
     Theuncer
    tai
    ntyi
    nthe“inl
    i
    euofallt
    axes”cl
    auseinR.A.No.7294
    onwhetherSMARTi sexemptedfrom bot
    hl ocalandnational
    fr
    anchi
    setaxmustbeconstruedstri
    ctl
    yagainstSMARTwhi ch
    cl
    aimstheexempt
    ion.
     SMARTaddit
    ional
    l
    yinv
    okest
    he “
    equal
    i
    tycl
    ause”underSect
    ion 23of
    thePubl
    i
    cTel
    ecomsAct:
     SECTI ON 23.Equal it
    yofTr eatmenti nt heTel ecommuni cations
    Indust r
    y .— Any adv antage,f avor,pr ivi
    l
    ege,exempt ion,or
    i
    mmuni tygrantedunderexi stingf r
    anchises,ormayher eaft
    erbe
    granted,shal lipso facto become par tofpr eviouslygranted
    telecommuni cati
    onsf r
    anchiseandshal lbeaccor dedimmedi atel
    y
    anduncondi ti
    onal l
    ytothegr ant eesofsuchf ranchises:Provi
    ded,
    howev er,Thatt hef oregoing shallnei therappl yt o noraf f
    ect
    prov i
    sionsoft elecommuni cationsf ranchisesconcer ningter
    rit
    ory
    cov eredbyt hefranchise,thelifespanoft hefranchise,orthetype
    ofser viceauthorizedbyt hefranchise.
     Asi nthecaseofSMARTv .Ci tyofDav ao,SMARTposi tsthatsincethe
    fr
    anchi se of t el
    ecommuni cat i
    ons compani es gr ant
    ed af t
    er the
    enactmentofi t sfranchi
    se cont ained pr ovi
    sions exempt i
    ng these
    compani esfrom bothnat i
    onalandl ocalt axes,theseprivi
    legesshould
    extendt oandbenefitSMART, apply
    ingt he“equalit
    yclause”abov e.The
    petit
    ioner,
    ont heotherhand, beli
    evesthatt heclaimedexempt ionunder
    Section23oft hePublicTelecomsActi ssimi l
    arl
    yunfounded.
     Weagr
    eewi
    tht
    hepet
    it
    ioner
    .
     Whet herSect ion23oft heci tedl awext endst axexempt ionsgrantedby
    Congr esst onewf ranchi sehol derst oexisti
    ngoneshasbeenanswer ed
    i
    nt he negat ivei nt he case ofPLDT v .Ci t
    yofDav ao.The t erm
    “exempt ion”inSect ion23oft hePubl i
    cTel ecomsActdoesnotmean
    taxexempt ion;r at
    her ,itr eferst oexempt i
    onf rom certainregulatoryor
    reportingrequi rement si mposedbygov ernmentagenci essuchast he
    Nat i
    onalTel ecommuni cationsCommi ssion. Thet hrustoft hePubl i
    c
    TelecomsActi stopr omot et hegr adualder egulat
    ionofent r
    y,pr i
    cing,
    andoper ati
    onsofal lpubl ict elecommuni cationsent it
    ies,andt hust o
    l
    ev eltheplay i
    ngf i
    eldint het elecommuni cationsindust r
    y.Thel anguage
    ofSect i
    on23andt hepr oceedi ngsofbot hHousesofCongr essar e
    bereftofany thingthatwoul dsi gnifythegr antoft axexempt i
    onst oal l
    tel
    ecommuni cat i
    ons ent iti
    es.I ntentt o grantt ax exempt i
    on cannot
    therefore be di scerned f rom t he l aw;t he term “ exemption”i st oo
    generalt oincl udet axexempt ionandr unscount ert other equir
    ement
    thatt he gr antoft ax exempt ion shoul d be st ated in clearand
    unequi
    vocall
    anguaget
    oopl
    aint
    obebey
    onddoubtormi
    stake.
    o GSI
    SVSCI
    TYTREASUREROFMANI
    LA
     Givent heforegoingper specti
    ves,thefollowingmaybeassumed:( 1)
    Pursuantt oSec.33ofPD1146,GSI Senjoyedt axexemptionfrom real
    estat
    et axes,amongot hertaxburdens,unt i
    lJanuary1,1992whent he
    LGC t ookef f
    ectandwi t
    hdrewexempt i
    onsf rom paymentofr ealestate
    taxespr i
    vil
    egesgr antedunderPD1146;( 2)RA8291r est
    oredin1997
    thetaxexemptst at usofGSI Sbyreenacti
    ngunderi t
    sSec.39whatwas
    onceSec.33ofP. D.1146; and(3)Ifanyrealestatetaxisduetot heCi t
    y
    ofMani la,iti
    s,followingCityofDav ao,onlyf ortheinter
    im period,or
    from 1992t o1996, tobeprecise.
     TheCour t
    ’sfair
    lyrecentr uli
    ngi nMani laInternationalAirportAut hori
    tyv .
    CourtofAppeal s,acasel i
    kewi seinv olvingr ealestatetaxassessment s
    byaMet r
    oMani lacity ont her ealpr opertiesadmi ni
    steredbyMI AA,
    arguesf orthenon- taxl i
    abil
    ityofGSI Sf orr ealest atetaxes.Ther e,the
    Courthel dt hatMI AA doesnotqual ifyasaGOCC,nothav ingbeen
    organizedeitherasast ockcor poration,itscapi talnotbeingdi v
    idedi nto
    shares,orasanon- stockcor porationbecausei thasnomember s.
    MIAA i sr at
    heran i nstrument al
    it
    yoft heNat i
    onalGov ernmentand,
    hence,out si
    det hepur v
    iewofl ocalt axat i
    onbyf orceofSec.133oft he
    LGC pr ov i
    ding in cont extt hat“ unless ot herwise pr ovi
    ded,”l ocal
    government scannott axnationalgov ernmenti nstrument ali
    ti
    es.
     Whi l
    eper hapsnotofgov erni ngswayi nal lfour sinasmuchaswhat
    wer einvol
    vedi nMani laInternat ionalAir
    portAut horit
    y, e.g.,air
    fieldsand
    runway s,arepr opert
    iesoft hepubl i
    cdomi nionand,hence,out sidet he
    commer ceofman,t her ational eunder pi
    nni ngt hedi sposi ti
    oni nt hat
    casei ssquar elyappl
    icablet oGSI S,bothMI AAandGSI Sbei ngsi milarly
    sit
    uat ed.First,whil
    ecr eatedunderCA186asanon- st ockcor por ation,
    ast atusthathasr emai nedunchangedev enwheni toper atedunderPD
    1146andRA8291,GSI Si snot ,inthecont extoft heaf orequot edSec.
    193oft heLGC,aGOCCf ollowi ngtheteachi ngofMani laInternat i
    onal
    AirportAuthor it
    y,for,li
    keMI AA,GSI S’capi tali
    snotdi videdi nt ouni t
    shares.Also,GSI Shasnomember st ospeakof .Andbymember s,the
    referenceist othosewho, underSec.87oft heCor porat i
    onCode, make
    upt henon- stockcor poration,andnott othecompul sor ymember sof
    the sy st
    em who ar e gov ernmentempl oyees. I t
    s managementi s
    entrustedtoaBoar dofTr ust eeswhosemember sar eappoi ntedbyt he
    President.
    o a.Taxes,
    fees,
    andchar
    ges
     Sec.5 Ar t
    .10 consti-Each l ocalgovernmentuni tshal lhavet he
    power (
    referr
    ingtothe“ generalpowertotax”)tocreateit
    sownsour ces
    ofr evenues and t ol evyt axes,fees and chargessubjectt o such
    guideli
    nesandl i
    mitat
    ionsast heCongressmaypr ov
    ide,(thr
    ought he
    LGC)consi stentwiththebasi cpoli
    cyoflocalaut onomy .Sucht axes,
    fees,andchar gesshal
    laccr ueexclusi
    vel
    ytot hel
    ocalgov ernments.
     Sect ion 18. Power t o Gener ate and Appl y Resour ces. - Local
    gov ernmentuni tsshal lhav et hepowerandaut hori
    tyt oest abli
    shan
    organi zationt hatshal lber esponsi blef ortheef fi
    cientandef fect i
    ve
    i
    mpl ement at
    ionoft hei rdev elopmentpl ans,pr ogram obj ect ivesand
    prioriti
    es;t ocr eat et hei rownsour cesofr evenuesandt ol evyt axes,
    fees,and char geswhi ch shal laccr ueexcl usivelyf ort hei ruseand
    disposi ti
    onandwhi chshal lber etainedbyt hem;t ohav eaj ustshar ei n
    nationalt axeswhi chshal lbeaut omat i
    callyanddi rectlyr eleasedt o
    them wi thoutneedofanyf urtheract ion;tohav eanequi tabl eshar ei n
    the pr oceedsf rom t he ut i
    li
    zat i
    on and dev elopmentoft he nat ional
    weal th and r esour ces wi thint heirr especti
    vet erri
    tori
    alj urisdicti
    ons
    i
    ncl uding shar i
    ng t he same wi t
    ht he inhabitants bywayofdi rect
    benef i
    ts;toacqui r
    e,dev elop,l ease,encumber ,alienate,orot herwi se
    disposeofr ealorper sonalpr oper tyhel dbyt hem i nt hei rpr opr i
    etary
    capaci ty and t o appl yt heirr esour ces and asset sf orpr oduct ive,
    dev elopment al,orwel f arepur poses,i ntheexer ciseorf urt heranceof
    theirgov ernment alorpr opr ietarypower sandf unctionsandt her eby
    ensur et heirdev elopmenti nt o sel f
    -rel
    iantcommuni t
    ies and act i
    ve
    par t
    icipant sint heat t
    ai nmentofnat ionalgoals.
     Sect
    ion5.Rul
    esofI
    nter
    pret
    ati
    on.
    (b)Incaseofdoubt ,anytaxordi
    nanceorrevenuemeasur eshall
    beconst ruedstri
    ctl
    yagainstthel
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni tenacti
    ngit,
    andl i
    berall
    yinfavorofthetaxpayer
    .Anytaxexempt i
    on, i
    ncenti
    ve
    orr eli
    efgrantedbyanyl ocalgover
    nmentuni tpursuantt othe
    provisi
    onsoft hi
    sCodeshal lbeconstr
    uedst ri
    ctl
    yagai nstthe
    personclaimingit.
     Section128.Scope.-Theprov i
    sionsher
    einshal
    lgoverntheexer
    ciseby
    provinces,ci
    ti
    es,muni
    cipal
    i
    ties,andbarangaysoft
    heirtaxi
    ngandot her
    revenue-rai
    si
    ngpowers.
     Section 129.Powert o Create Sources ofRev enue.-Each l ocal
    gover nmentunitshal
    lexerciseit
    spowert ocreat
    ei tsownsour cesof
    revenueandt ol ev
    ytaxes,fees,andchargessubjecttot heprovi
    sions
    herein,consi
    stentwit
    ht hebasicpoli
    cyoflocalautonomy .Suchtaxes,
    fees,andchargesshallaccr
    ueexclusiv
    elytothel
    ocalgov ernmentunits.
     Section 130.FundamentalPri
    nci
    ples.-The f
    oll
    owi
    ng fundamental
    pri
    ncipl
    esshallgoverntheexerci
    seoft het
    axi
    ngandotherrevenue-
    rai
    singpowersoflocalgover
    nmentunit
    s:
    (
    a)Taxat
    ionshal
    lbeuni
    for
    mineachl
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    t;
    (
    b)Taxes,
    fees,
    char
    gesandot
    heri
    mposi
    ti
    onsshal
    l
    :
    o(
    1)beequit
    ableandbasedasf
    araspr
    act
    icabl
    eont
    he
    t
    axpay
    er'
    sabi
    li
    tyt
    opay;
    o(
    2)bel
    evi
    edandcol
    l
    ect
    edonl
    yforpubl
    i
    cpur
    poses;
    o(
    3)notbeunj
    ust
    ,excessi
    ve,
    oppr
    essi
    ve,
    orconf
    iscat
    ory
    ;
    o(
    4)notbecont
    rar
    ytol
    aw,publ
    i
    cpol
    i
    cy,nat
    ionaleconomi
    c
    pol
    i
    cy,
    ori
    nther
    est
    rai
    ntoft
    rade;
    o(
    c)Thecol
    lect
    ionoflocalt
    axes,fees,chargesandother
    i
    mposi
    ti
    onsshalli
    nnocasebelett
    oanypr iv
    ateperson;
    o(d)Ther evenuecol
    lectedpur suanttotheprovi
    sionsofthis
    Codeshal linur
    esolelytot hebenef i
    tof,andbesubj ectto
    thedispositi
    onby,t
    hel ocalgov er
    nmentunitlevy
    ingthetax,
    fee, charge or ot her i mpositi
    on unl ess otherwise
    speci
    ficall
    yprovi
    dedher ei
    n; and
    o(e)Eachl
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    tshal
    l
    ,asf araspr
    act
    icabl
    e,
    evol
    veaprogr
    essi
    vesyst
    em oft
    axat
    ion.
     Secti
    on132.LocalTaxingAuthori
    ty.-Thepowert
    oi mposeat ax,
    fee,
    or
    chargeortogenerater
    evenueundert hi
    sCodeshallbeexer
    cisedbythe
    sanggunian of the l
    ocalgov er
    nmentuni tconcerned through an
    appropr
    iateordi
    nance.
     Sect
    ion 133.Common Limitati
    ons on the Taxi
    ng Powers ofLocal
    GovernmentUnit
    s.-Unl
    essot her
    wiseprovi
    dedher ei
    n,theexer
    ciseof
    thetaxi
    ngpower sofprov
    inces,cit
    ies,munici
    pali
    ti
    es,andbarangays
    shal
    lnotextendt
    othel
    evyofthefoll
    owing:
    (
    a)Incomet ax,exceptwhenl
    evi
    edonbanksandot
    herf
    inanci
    al
    i
    nst
    itut
    ions;
    (
    b)Document
    aryst
    ampt
    ax;
    (c)Taxes on estat
    es,inherit
    ance,gi
    ft
    s,legaci
    es and other
    acqui
    si
    ti
    onsmor t
    iscausa,exceptasot
    herwi
    seprovi
    dedher
    ein;
    (d)Customsdut i
    es,r
    egist
    rat
    ionfeesofvesselandwharf
    ageon
    wharves,tonnagedues,and allotherkindsofcustomsfees,
    chargesandduesexceptwhar fageonwhar v
    esconstr
    uct
    edand
    maintai
    nedbyt hel
    ocalgover
    nmentunitconcerned;
    (e)Taxes,f ees,andchar gesandot heri mposit
    ionsupongoods
    carri
    ed i nto or out of ,or passing t hrough,the t err
    it
    ori
    al
    j
    urisdict
    ionsofl ocalgovernmentunitsintheguiseofchar gesfor
    whar f
    age,t ol
    lsforbr i
    dgesorot her
    wi se,orothertaxes,fees,or
    charges i n any f orm what soever upon such goods or
    mer chandise;
    (
    f)Taxes,feesorchar
    gesonagr
    icul
    turalandaquat
    icpr
    oduct
    s
    whensoldbymargi
    nalf
    armer
    sorf
    ishermen;
    (
    g)Taxesonbusi nessenterpr
    isescertif
    iedtobytheBoardof
    I
    nvest
    mentsaspioneerornon-pioneerforaperi
    odofsix(
    6)and
    f
    our(4)y
    ears,
    respecti
    vel
    yfrom thedateofregi
    str
    ati
    on;
    (h)Exci
    se taxes on ar
    ti
    cles enumer
    ated underthe nati
    onal
    I
    nter
    nalRevenueCode,asamended,andt axes,feesorcharges
    onpetr
    oleum pr
    oduct
    s;
    (
    i)Per
    cent
    age orv
    alue-
    added t
    ax(
    VAT)on sal
    es,bar
    ter
    sor
    exchangesorsi
    milart
    ransact
    ionsongoodsorser
    vicesexceptas
    other
    wiseprovi
    dedherei
    n;
    (j
    )Taxesont hegr
    ossreceiptsoftr
    anspor
    tati
    oncontract
    orsand
    personsengagedi
    nthetranspor
    tati
    onofpassenger
    sorf r
    eightby
    hi
    reandcommoncar ri
    ersbyair,l
    andorwater,
    exceptasprov i
    ded
    i
    nt hi
    sCode;
    (
    k) Taxes on pr
    emi
    ums pai
    d by way or r
    einsur
    ance or
    r
    etr
    ocessi
    on;
    (l
    )Taxes,f
    eesorchar gesfort
    heregi
    str
    ati
    onofmotorvehi
    cles
    andfortheissuanceofallki
    ndsofli
    censesorper
    mit
    sf ort
    he
    dri
    vi
    ngther
    eof,exceptt
    ri
    cycl
    es;
    (m)Taxes,fees,orot
    herchar
    gesonPhili
    ppi
    nepr
    oduct
    sact
    ual
    l
    y
    expor
    ted,exceptasot
    herwi
    seprov
    idedherei
    n;
    (n)Taxes,f ees,orchar ges,on Count ryside and Bar angay
    BusinessEnterpri
    sesandcooper at
    ivesdulyregi st
    eredunderR.A.
    No.6810andRepubl icActNumber edSixty-ninehundredt hi
    rt
    y-
    eight(R.
    A.No.6938)ot herwiseknownast he" Cooperat
    iveCode
    ofthePhil
    ippines"respecti
    vely;
    and
    (o) Taxes,fees or char
    ges of any ki
    nd on the Nat
    ional
    Government,its agenci
    es and i
    nstrument
    ali
    ti
    es,and local
    governmentunit
    s.
     Sect i
    on186.PowerToLev yOt herTaxes,FeesorChar ges.-Local
    gov ernmentunitsmayexer ciset hepowert olev ytaxes,feesorchar ges
    onanybaseorsubj ectnotot herwisespecifi
    cal l
    yenumer atedhereinor
    taxedundert hepr ovisi
    onsoft heNat ionalInternalRev enueCode,as
    amended,orot herapplicablel aws:Pr ovi
    ded,Thatt het axes,fees,or
    char ges shal
    lnotbe unj ust,excessiv e,oppr essi
    ve,conf i
    scat
    oryor
    cont rar
    yt o declared nat i
    onalpol i
    cy:Pr ovided,f ur
    ther,That t he
    ordinancel ev
    yingsucht axes,f eesorchar gesshal lnotbeenact ed
    withoutanypr i
    orpublichearingconduct edfort hepur pose.
     Section187.Pr ocedur ef orAppr ovalandEf f
    ectivi
    tyofTax,Or dinances
    andRev enueMeasur es;Mandat oryPubl i
    cHear i
    ngs.-Thepr oceduref or
    approv alofl ocalt axor dinancesandr evenuemeasur esshal lbei n
    accor dancewi tht hepr ov isionsoft hisCode:Pr ovi
    ded,Thatpubl ic
    hearingsshal lbeconduct edf ort hepur posepr iortot heenact ment
    thereof :Prov i
    ded,f urther,Thatanyquest i
    onont heconst it
    utionali
    tyor
    l
    egal i
    tyoft axor dinancesorr evenuemeasur esmayber aisedonappeal
    withint hirty(30)day sf rom t heef fectivi
    tythereoft ot heSecr etaryof
    Justicewhoshal lrenderadeci sionwi thinsixty(60)day sf r
    om t hedat e
    ofrecei ptoft heappeal :Pr ov i
    ded,howev er,Thatsuchappealshal lnot
    havet heef fectofsuspendi ngt heef fectivi
    tyoft heor dinanceandt he
    accrualandpay mentoft het ax,f ee,orchar gelev i
    edther ein:Provided,
    fi
    nally,Thatwi thint hirt
    y( 30)day saf t
    err eceiptoft hedeci sionort he
    l
    apseoft hesi xty-dayper iodwi thoutt heSecr etaryofJust iceact i
    ng
    upont heappeal ,t heaggr i
    ev edpar tymayf i
    leappr opr
    iatepr oceedings
    wi
    thacour
    tofcompet
    entj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.
     Secti
    on188.Publ i
    cat i
    onofTaxOr dinancesandRev enueMeasur es.-
    Withi
    nt en( 10)day saf tertheirapproval,cert
    ifi
    edt ruecopi
    esofal l
    provi
    ncial,city
    ,andmuni cipalt
    axordinancesorr evenuemeasur esshall
    bepubl i
    shedi nfullfort hree(3)consecut i
    veday sinanewspaperof
    l
    ocalci rculati
    on:Pr ovi
    ded,howev er,Thati n prov i
    nces,cit
    ies and
    municipali
    tieswher et herear enonewspaper sofl ocalci
    rcul
    ation,the
    samemaybepost ed inatl eastt wo (2)conspi cuousand publ i
    cly
    accessibleplaces.
     Secti
    on189.Fur ni
    shi
    ng ofCopi esofTaxOr dinancesand Rev enue
    Measur es.-Copiesofallprovi
    ncial
    ,cit
    y,andmunicipalandbarangay
    taxordinancesandrevenuemeasur esshal
    lbefur
    nishedtherespecti
    ve
    l
    ocaltreasurer
    sforpubli
    cdisseminati
    on.
     Secti
    on190.AttempttoEnfor
    ceVoi dorSuspendedTaxOr di
    nancesand
    rev
    enuemeasur es.-Theenforcementofanyt axor di
    nanceorr ev
    enue
    measureaf t
    erduenoti
    ceofthedisapprovalorsuspensionther
    eofshal
    l
    besuffi
    cientgroundforadminist
    rati
    vediscipl
    inaryacti
    onagainstthe
    l
    ocaloff
    icial
    sandemployeesresponsibl
    etheref
    or .
     Section191.Aut hori
    tyofLocalGov er
    nmentUni t
    st oAdjustRatesof
    TaxOr dinances.-Localgovernmentunitsshallhavetheauthorit
    yt o
    adjustthet axratesasprescr
    ibedhereinnotoftenert
    hanonceev ery
    fi
    ve( 5)years,butinnocaseshallsuchadjust
    mentexceedt enpercent
    (10%)oft heratesfi
    xedundert
    hisCode.
     Secti
    on 192.Aut hor
    it
    yto Gr antTax Exempti
    on Pr
    ivi
    l
    eges.-Local
    governmentunitsmay ,t
    hroughordinancesdul
    yapproved,gr
    anttax
    exemptions,i
    ncenti
    vesorrel
    iefsundersuchtermsandcondit
    ionsas
    theymaydeem necessary
    .
     Sect i
    on 193.Wi t
    hdrawalof Tax Exempt i
    on Pr i
    v i
    l
    eges.-Unl ess
    otherwisepr ovidedint hi
    sCode,taxexempt i
    onsori ncenti
    vesgranted
    to,orpr esentl
    yenj oy
    edbyal lpersons,whet hernaturalorjur
    idical
    ,
    i
    ncludinggov ernment-ownedorcont r oll
    edcor porat
    ions,exceptlocal
    wat erdistri
    cts,cooperati
    vesdulyregisteredunderR. A.No.6938,non-
    stockandnon- pr
    ofi
    thospi t
    alsandeducat i
    onalinsti
    tuti
    ons,ar
    eher eby
    withdrawnupont heeffecti
    vit
    yofthi
    sCode.
     Secti
    on 305. Fundamental Pr
    incipl
    es. - The financi
    al aff
    air
    s,
    tr
    ansacti
    ons,and oper
    ati
    ons of localgovernmentunits shal
    lbe
    governedbyt
    hefol
    l
    owingfundamentalpri
    nci
    ples:
    (a)Nomoneyshal lbepaidoutoft helocaltr
    easur
    yexcepti
    n
    pursuanceofanappr
    opr
    iat
    ionsor
    dinanceorlaw;
    (b)Localgover
    nmentf
    undsandmoni
    esshal
    lbespentsol
    elyf
    or
    publi
    cpurposes;
    (c)Localrevenue is gener
    ated onl
    yf r
    om sour
    ces expressl
    y
    author
    izedbylaworor di
    nance,andcoll
    ect
    iont
    her
    eofshallatal
    l
    ti
    mesbeacknowl edgedproperl
    y;
    (d)Allmoniesoffi
    ciall
    yrecei
    vedbyalocalgov
    ernmentoff
    iceri
    n
    anycapacityoronanyoccasi onshal
    lbeaccountedforaslocal
    funds,unl
    essotherwiseprovi
    dedbyl
    aw;
    (
    e)Trustf
    undsinthelocalt
    reasur
    yshal
    lnotbepai
    doutexceptin
    f
    ulf
    il
    lmentofthepurposeforwhichthetr
    ustwascreat
    edort he
    f
    undsrecei
    ved;
    (f)Everyoff
    icerofthelocalgovernmentuni
    twhosedutiespermi
    t
    orr equir
    et hepossessi onorcust odyoflocalfundsshallbe
    properl
    ybonded,and such of f
    icershal
    lbe accountabl
    e and
    responsibl
    ef orsaidf undsandf orthesaf
    ekeepingther
    eofin
    conformitywiththeprovisi
    onsoflaw;
    (
    g)Localgover
    nmentsshallf
    ormulat
    esoundfinanci
    alpl
    ans,and
    l
    ocalbudget
    sshal
    lbebasedonf unct
    ions,
    act
    ivi
    ti
    es,andproj
    ects,
    i
    ntermsofexpect
    edresul
    ts;
    (h)Localbudgetplansandgoalsshall,asfaraspr acticabl
    e,be
    harmonized wi t
    h nati
    onal development plans, goal s, and
    str
    ategi
    esinor dert
    ooptimi
    zetheut i
    li
    zati
    onofr esourcesandt o
    avoi
    ddupl i
    cat
    ionintheuseoff
    iscalandphy si
    calresources;
    (i
    )Localbudget
    sshal
    loper
    ati
    onal
    i
    zeappr
    ovedl
    ocaldev
    elopment
    pl
    ans;
    (j
    )Localgov er
    nmentunits shallensur
    et hatthei
    rrespecti
    ve
    budget
    sincorporat
    etherequirement
    soft hei
    rcomponentunits
    andprovi
    def orequit
    abl
    eallocati
    onofresourcesamongt hese
    componentunit
    s;
    (k)Nati
    onalplanni
    ngshallbebasedonl ocalpl
    anningtoensure
    thatt
    heneedsandaspi rat
    ionsofthepeopleasar t
    icul
    atedbythe
    l
    ocalgov ernmentunitsint hei
    rr especti
    velocaldev el
    opment
    plansareconsider
    edi nthef or
    mul at
    ionofbudget sofnati
    onal
    l
    ineagenciesoroff
    ices;
    (l
    )Fiscalresponsibi
    li
    tyshallbesharedbyal lthoseexer
    cisi
    ng
    author
    ityoverthef i
    nanci
    alaffai
    rs,t
    ransact
    ions,andoper
    ati
    ons
    ofthelocalgover
    nmentunits;and
    (m)Thelocalgovernmentunitshal
    lendeav
    ort
    ohav
    eabal
    anced
    budgeti
    neachf i
    scalyearofoperat
    ion.
    o b.Justshar
    eint
    henat
    ional
    taxes
     Sec.6Art.10const
    i-Localgover
    nmentuni
    tsshal
    lhaveajustshar
    e,as
    deter
    minedbyl aw,i
    nt henati
    onalt
    axeswhichshallbeautomati
    call
    y
    rel
    easedtothem.
    I
    tcannotbesubj
    ectt
    owi
    thhol
    dingort
    oanycondi
    ti
    ons.
     PIMENTEL VS AGUI RRE – The Pr esi
    dentcannotor derthe
    wit
    hholdingof10%oft helgus’i
    nter
    nalr
    evenueall
    otments.Thi
    s
    encroacheson the f
    iscalautonomyofl ocalgover
    nmentand
    vi
    olatestheconst
    iandthelgc.
    oI
    SSUE:Whether AO 372 of Pr
    esi
    dent Ramos whi
    ch
    wi
    thhol
    ds10%ofl
    gusIRAi
    sval
    id
    o Sect i
    on4ofAO372cannot ,howev er,beuphel d.Abasi c
    featureoflocalfi
    scalaut onomyi stheaut omat i
    creleaseof
    theshar esofLGUsi nthenat i
    onalinternalrevenue.Thi sis
    mandat ed byno l ess than the Const i
    tution.The Local
    Gov ernmentCodespeci f
    iesfurtherthatther eleaseshal lbe
    madedi rect
    lytot heLGU concer nedwi t
    hinf i
    ve( 5)day s
    aftereveryquarteroft hey earand" shallnotbesubj ectt o
    anyl i
    enorhol dbackt hatmaybei mposedbyt henational
    gov ernmentf orwhat everpur pose."Asar ule,thet erm
    "shall
    "i s a word ofcommand t hatmustbe gi ven a
    compul sory meani ng. The pr ovisi
    on i s, t her
    efor e,
    i
    mper at
    ive.
    o Sect i
    on 4 ofAO 372,howev er,orderst he wi t
    hhol di
    ng,
    effecti
    veJanuar y1,1998,of10per centoft heLGUs'I RA
    "pending t he assessment and ev al
    uat i
    on by t he
    Dev el
    opment Budget Coor dinat
    ing Commi t
    tee of t he
    emer gingfiscalsituati
    on"int
    hecount r
    y.Suchwi thholdi
    ng
    clearl
    ycont ravenest heConsti
    tuti
    onandt hel aw.Al though
    tempor ary,iti sequi v
    alentto ahol dback,whi chmeans
    "somet hing hel d back orwi thhel
    d,of ten t empor ari
    ly
    ."
    Hence,t he " t
    empor ary
    "nature oft he r etention by t he
    nationalgov ernmentdoesnotmat t er. Anyr etentioni s
    prohibited.
    oInsum,whi leSect i
    on1ofAO 372maybeuphel dasan
    adv i
    sor yeffected i nti
    mes ofnat i
    onalcr i
    sis,Section 4
    thereofhasnocol orofv ali
    dityatall.Thel atterprovision
    effectivelyencroaches on t he fi
    scalaut onomyofl ocal
    gov ernment s. Concededl y,t he Pr esi
    dent was wel l
    -
    i
    ntent ionedinissui nghisOr dert owithholdtheLGUs’I RA,
    butt her uleofl aw requir
    est hatevent hebesti ntenti
    ons
    must be car r
    ied out wi thin the par amet er
    s of t he
    Const itut
    ionandt helaw.Ver i
    ly
    ,laudablepur posesmust
    becar r i
    edoutbyl egalmet hods.
    o Respondent
    sandtheirsuccessor
    sareherebypermanent
    ly
    PROHIBITEDfr
    om implementingAdmi
    nistr
    ati
    veOrderNos.
    372 and 43 insofar as localgovernment uni
    ts are
    concer
    ned.
     Sect ion 18. Power t o Gener ate and Apply Resour ces. - Local
    gov ernmentuni t
    sshal lhav ethepowerandaut hor i
    tytoestabli
    shan
    organi zati
    ont hatshal lber esponsiblef
    ortheef fici
    entandef fecti
    ve
    i
    mpl ement at
    ionoft heirdev el
    opmentplans,progr am object
    ivesand
    prioriti
    es;tocr eatetheirownsour cesofrevenuesandt olevyt axes,
    fees,and char geswhi ch shal
    laccr ueexcl
    usivelyf orthei
    ruseand
    disposi t
    ionandwhi chshallber et
    ainedbythem;t ohav eajustsharein
    nationalt axeswhi chshal lbeaut omat i
    call
    yanddi rectlyr el
    easedt o
    them wi thoutneedofanyf urt
    heract ion;tohav eanequi t
    abl esharei n
    the pr oceedsf rom t he ut i
    li
    zati
    on and dev el
    opmentoft he nat i
    onal
    weal th and r esour ces wi t
    hint heirr especti
    vet erri
    tori
    alj urisdi
    ctions
    i
    ncludi ng shar i
    ng t he same wi t
    ht he inhabi
    tants bywayofdi rect
    benef its;toacqui r
    e,dev elop,lease,encumber ,alienate,orot herwi se
    disposeofr ealorper sonalpr opertyhel dbyt hem int heirpr opri
    et ary
    capaci ty and t o appl yt heirr esour ces and asset sf orpr oductiv e,
    devel opment al,orwel f ar
    epur poses,i ntheexerciseorf ur
    t heranceof
    theirgov ernment alorpr opri
    etarypower sandf unctionsandt hereby
    ensur et heirdev elopmenti nto sel f
    -rel
    iantcommuni t
    ies and act ive
    participant sint heat t
    ainmentofnat ionalgoals.
     Secti
    on284.Allot
    mentofI
    nternalRevenueTaxes.-Localgover
    nment
    unit
    sshallhav
    eashareinthenationali
    nter
    nalrev
    enuetaxesbasedon
    thecoll
    ecti
    onofthet
    hir
    dfi
    scalyearprecedi
    ngthecurr
    entfi
    scalyearas
    fol
    lows:
    (
    a)Onthef
    ir
    sty
    earoft
    heef
    fect
    ivi
    tyoft
    hisCode,t
    hir
    typer
    cent
    (
    30%)
    ;
    (
    b)Ont
    hesecondy
    ear
    ,thi
    rt
    y-f
    iveper
    cent(
    35%)
    ;and
    (
    c)Ont
    het
    hir
    dyearandt
    her
    eaf
    ter
    ,for
    typer
    cent(
    40%)
    .
     Provided,Thati nt heev entt hatthenat ionalgov ernmenti ncursan
    unmanageabl epubl i
    csect ordef i
    cit
    ,thePr esidentoft hePhi l
    i
    ppinesi s
    herebyaut hor i
    zed,upont her ecommendat ionofSecr etar yofFi nance,
    SecretaryofI nter
    iorandLocalGov ernmentandSecr et aryofBudgetand
    Management ,andsubj ectt oconsul t
    at ionwi ththepr esidingof fi
    cersof
    bothHousesofCongr essandt hepr esi dent soft he" l
    iga",tomaket he
    necessar y adjustment si nt he i nternalr ev enue al l
    otmentofl ocal
    governmentuni tsbuti nnocaseshal ltheal l
    otmentbel esst hant hirt
    y
    percent( 30%)oft hecol l
    ect i
    onofnat ionali nternalr ev enuet axesoft he
    thi
    rdf i
    scalyearpr ecedingt hecur rentf iscaly ear :Prov i
    ded, further,That
    i
    nt hefirstyearoft heef f
    ect i
    vi
    tyoft hisCode, thel ocalgov ernmentuni ts
    shall
    ,inaddi tiontot het hirt
    yper cent( 30%)i nternalr evenueal l
    otment
    whichshal lincludet hecostofdev olv edf unct ionsf oressent i
    alpubl i
    c
    servi
    ces,beent i
    tl
    edt or eceivet heamountequi valentt ot hecostof
    devolvedper sonalser v
    ices.
     Secti
    on285.All
    ocat
    iontoLocalGover
    nmentUni
    ts.-Theshareoflocal
    governmentuni
    tsi
    nt hei
    nter
    nalrev
    enueal
    lot
    mentshallbecol
    lect
    edin
    thefoll
    owi
    ngmanner:
    (
    a)Pr
    ovi
    nces-Twent
    y-t
    hreeper
    cent(
    23%)
    ;
    (
    b)Ci
    ti
    es-Twent
    y-t
    hreeper
    cent(
    23%)
    ;
    (
    c)Muni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ties-Thi
    rt
    y-f
    ourper
    cent(
    34%)
    ;and
    (
    d)Bar
    angay
    s-Twent
    yper
    cent(
    20%)
     Pr
    ovi
    ded,however
    ,That t
    he share of each provi
    nce,cit
    y,and
    muni
    ci
    pal
    it
    yshal
    lbedet
    ermi
    nedonthebasi
    softhefoll
    owingf
    ormul
    a:
    (
    a)Popul
    ati
    on-Fi
    ft
    yper
    cent(
    50%)
    ;
    (
    b)LandAr
    ea-Twent
    y-f
    iveper
    cent(
    25%)
    ;and
    (
    c)Equalshar
    ing-Twent
    y-f
    iveper
    cent(
    25%)
     Provided,fur
    ther
    ,Thattheshareofeachbar angaywit
    hapopul ati
    onof
    notlesst hanonehundr ed( 100)inhabi
    tantsshallnotbel esst han
    Ei
    ght ythousand(P80,
    000.00)perannum chargeabl
    eagainstthetwenty
    percent(20%)shareofthebarangayfr
    om theinter
    nalrev
    enueallot
    ment ,
    andt hebalancetobeall
    ocatedonthebasisofthefoll
    owingformula:
    (
    a)Ont
    hef
    ir
    sty
    earoft
    heef
    fect
    ivi
    tyoft
    hisCode:
    o(
    1)Popul
    ati
    on-For
    typer
    cent(
    40%)
    ;and
    o(
    2)Equalshar
    ing-Si
    xtyper
    cent(
    60%)
    (
    b)Ont
    hesecondy
    ear
    :
    o(
    1)Popul
    ati
    on-Fi
    ft
    yper
    cent(
    50%)
    ;and
    o(
    2)Equalshar
    ing-Fi
    ft
    yper
    cent(
    50%)
    (
    c)Ont
    het
    hir
    dyearandt
    her
    eaf
    ter
    :
    o(
    1)Popul
    ati
    on-Si
    xtyper
    cent(
    60%)
    ;and
    o(
    2)Equalshar
    ing-For
    typer
    cent(
    40%)
    .
     Provided,f
    inal
    ly,Thatthef i
    nancialr
    equirementsofbarangay
    scr eat
    ed
    bylocalgov er
    nmentuni tsaft
    ertheeffectiv
    ityofthi
    sCodeshallbethe
    responsibi
    l
    ityofthelocalgovernmentunitconcerned.
     Sect
    ion286.Aut
    omat
    icRel
    easeofShar
    es.–
    (a)Theshar eofeachl ocalgov ernmentuni tshallberel
    eased,
    withoutneedofanyf ur
    theraction,directl
    ytot heprovi
    nci
    al,ci
    ty,
    muni ci
    palorbar angayt reasurer,as t he case maybe,on a
    quarter
    lybasiswithinfi
    ve( 5)daysaf tertheendofeachquar t
    er,
    andwhi chshallnotbesubjecttoanyl ienorholdbackthatmaybe
    i
    mposedbyt henationalgovernmentf orwhat everpur
    pose.
    (b)Not
    hingint hi
    sChaptershallbeunderst
    oodt odi
    mini
    sht
    he
    shar
    eoflocalgovernmentuni
    tsunderexi
    sti
    nglaws.
     Secti
    on287.LocalDev el
    opmentPr oj
    ects.-Eachlocalgover
    nmentuni t
    shal
    lappropri
    atei
    nitsannualbudgetnol essthantwentyper
    cent(20%)
    ofits annualint
    ernalrevenue al
    lotmentf ordev el
    opmentprojects.
    Copiesoft hedevelopmentplansofl ocalgov er
    nmentunitsshallbe
    fur
    nishedtheDepart
    mentofI nt
    eri
    orandLocalGov ernment.
     Secti
    on288.Rul esand Regulati
    ons.-TheSecr et
    aryofFi
    nance,in
    consul
    tati
    on wi
    tht he Secret
    aryofBudgetand Management,shall
    promulgat
    et he necessaryrules and r
    egul
    ati
    ons fora si
    mplif
    ied
    di
    sbursement scheme desi gned for the speedy and ef
    fect
    ive
    enfor
    cementoftheprovisi
    onsofthi
    sChapter
    .
    o c.Equi
    tabl
    eshar
    eint
    hepr
    oceedsoft
    heut
    il
    izat
    ionanddev
    elopmentoft
    he
    nat
    ional
    weal
    thwi
    thi
    nthei
    rrespect
    ivear
    eas
     Sec.7 Ar t
    .10 consti-Localgov ernments shallbe enti
    tl
    ed t
    o an
    equit
    ableshar
    eint heproceedsoft heutil
    i
    zationanddev el
    opmentof
    thenati
    onalweal
    thwithi
    nt hei
    rrespectiv
    eareas, i
    nthemannerprovi
    ded
    bylaw,incl
    udi
    ngshari
    ngt hesamewi ththeinhabit
    ant
    sbywayofdi rect
    benefi
    ts.
     Sect ion 18. Power t o Gener ate and Appl y Resour ces. - Local
    gov ernmentuni tsshal lhav et hepowerandaut hori
    tyt oest abli
    shan
    organi zationt hatshal lber esponsi blef ortheef fi
    cientandef fect i
    ve
    i
    mpl ement at
    ionoft hei rdev elopmentpl ans,pr ogram obj ect ivesand
    prioriti
    es;t ocr eat et hei rownsour cesofr evenuesandt ol evyt axes,
    fees,and char geswhi ch shal laccr ueexcl usivelyf ort hei ruseand
    disposi ti
    onandwhi chshal lber etainedbyt hem;t ohav eaj ustshar ei n
    nationalt axeswhi chshal lbeaut omat i
    callyanddi rectlyr eleasedt o
    them wi thoutneedofanyf urtheract ion;tohav eanequi tabl eshar ei n
    the pr oceedsf rom t he ut i
    li
    zat i
    on and dev elopmentoft he nat ional
    weal th and r esour ces wi thint heirr especti
    vet erri
    tori
    alj urisdicti
    ons
    i
    ncl uding shar i
    ng t he same wi t
    ht he inhabitants bywayofdi rect
    benef i
    ts;toacqui r
    e,dev elop,l ease,encumber ,alienate,orot herwi se
    disposeofr ealorper sonalpr oper tyhel dbyt hem i nt hei rpr opr i
    etary
    capaci ty and t o appl yt heirr esour ces and asset sf orpr oduct ive,
    dev elopment al,orwel f arepur poses,i ntheexer ciseorf urt heranceof
    theirgov ernment alorpr opr ietarypower sandf unctionsandt her eby
    ensur et heirdev elopmenti nt o sel f
    -rel
    iantcommuni t
    ies and act i
    ve
    par t
    icipant sint heat t
    ai nmentofnat ionalgoals.
     Secti
    on 289.Sharei nt he Proceeds from t he Devel
    opmentand
    Uti
    li
    zati
    onoftheNationalWealth.-Localgovernmentunitsshallhav e
    anequi t
    abl
    eshareint hepr oceedsderiv
    edf rom theut i
    li
    zati
    onand
    devel
    opmentoft he nationalwealth withi
    nt heirrespecti
    ve areas,
    i
    ncludi
    ng shar
    ing t
    he same wi ththe inhabit
    ants bywayofdi rect
    benefi
    ts.
     Sect i
    on 290.AmountofShar eofLocalGov ernmentUni ts.-Local
    gov ernmentuni t
    sshal l,i
    naddi tiont othei nternalrev enueal l
    otment,
    haveashar eoff ort
    yper cent(40%)oft hegr osscollect i
    onder ivedby
    thenat ionalgovernmentf r
    om t hepr ecedi ngf iscalyearf rom mi ning
    taxes, r
    oyalt
    ies,f
    orest
    r yandf i
    sher ycharges, andsuchot hertaxes, f
    ees,
    orchar ges,i
    ncludi
    ngr elat
    edsur charges, interests,orfines,andf rom its
    shar ei n any co-product i
    on,j oint vent ure or pr oduct ion shar ing
    agreementi nt heut i
    li
    zationanddev el
    opmentoft henat ionalweal th
    withintheirt
    erri
    tori
    alj
    ur i
    sdict
    ion.
     Section291.Shareoft heLocalGov ernment sfrom anyGov ernment
    AgencyorOwnedorCont roll
    edCor porati
    on.-Localgov er
    nmentuni t
    s
    shallhaveasharebasedont heprecedingfiscalyearfr
    om theproceeds
    deri
    v edbyanygov er
    nmentagencyorgov er nment-ownedorcont r
    oll
    ed
    corporat
    ionengagedintheut i
    li
    zati
    onanddev el
    opmentoft henational
    wealthbasedont hefol
    lowingformulawhi chev erwil
    lproduceahigher
    shar
    efort
    hel
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    t:
    (a)One percent( 1%)oft he gr
    oss sal
    es orr
    ecei
    pts oft
    he
    precedi
    ngcalendaryear
    ;or
    (b)Fort
    ypercent(40%)ofthemi ningtaxes,royal
    ti
    es,f
    orestr
    yand
    fi
    sherychargesandsuchot hertaxes,feesorcharges,incl
    udi
    ng
    rel
    atedsurchar
    ges,inter
    ests,orfinesthegov ernmentagencyor
    governmentownedorcont roll
    edcor por
    ationwouldhavepaidifit
    werenototherwiseexempt.
     Sect
    ion292.All
    ocat
    ionofShar
    es.-Thesharei
    nthepr
    ecedi
    ngSect
    ion
    shal
    lbedi
    stri
    butedi
    nthefol
    l
    owingmanner:
    (
    a)Wher
    ethenat
    uralr
    esour
    cesar
    elocat
    edi
    nthepr
    ovi
    nce:
    o(
    1)Pr
    ovi
    nce-Twent
    yper
    cent(
    20%)
    ;
    o(2)ComponentCi
    ty/
    Muni
    cipal
    i
    ty-For
    ty-
    fi
    veper
    cent(
    45%)
    ;
    and
    o(
    3)Bar
    angay-Thi
    rt
    y-f
    iveper
    cent(
    35%)
     Provided,however,Thatwherethenatur
    alresour
    cesarelocated
    i
    nt wo( 2)ormor epr ovi
    nces,ori
    nt wo(2)ormor ecomponent
    cit
    iesormuni cipali
    ti
    esori ntwo( 2)ormor ebarangay
    s,t hei
    r
    respecti
    vesharesshallbecomputedonthebasisof:
    o(
    1)Popul
    ati
    on-Sev
    ent
    yper
    cent(
    70%)
    ;and
    o(
    2)Landar
    ea-Thi
    rt
    yper
    cent(
    30%)
    (b)Wher ethenatur
    alr
    esourcesar
    elocat
    edi
    nahi
    ghl
    yur
    bani
    zed
    orindependentcomponentcit
    y:
    o(
    1)Ci
    ty-Si
    xty
    -fi
    veper
    cent(
    65%)
    ;and
    o(
    2)Bar
    angay-Thi
    rt
    y-f
    iveper
    cent(
    35%)
     Provided,howev er,Thatwherethenaturalresour
    cesarelocated
    i
    nsucht wo( 2)ormor eciti
    es,t
    heallocati
    onofsharesshal lbe
    basedont hef or
    mul aonpopulat
    ionandlandar eaasspecif
    iedin
    paragraph( a)ofthisSect
    ion.
     Secti
    on293.Remi t
    tanceoft heShar eofLocalGov er
    nmentUni t
    s.-The
    shareoflocalgovernmentuni tsfrom t
    heut i
    li
    zat
    ionanddev el
    opmentof
    nati
    onalweal t
    hshallberemi tt
    edi naccordancewithSection286oft his
    Code:Provided,however,Thati nthecaseofanygov ernmentagencyor
    government-ownedorcont rolledcorporati
    onengagedi nt heuti
    li
    zati
    on
    anddev el
    opmentoft henat ionalwealth,suchshareshal lbedir
    ectly
    remit
    ted tot he provi
    ncial
    ,ci t
    y,muni ci
    palor bar angay t r
    easurer
    concernedwi t
    hinfi
    ve(5)daysaf tertheendofeachquar ter.
     Sect i
    on294.DevelopmentandLi vel
    ihoodPr oj
    ects.-Theproceedsfrom
    theshar eoflocalgovernmentuni t
    spur suanttot hi
    schapt ershal
    lbe
    appr opr
    iat
    ed by t heirr especti
    ve sangguni an t o finance local
    gov ernmentandlivel
    ihoodpr oj
    ects:Provided,howev er
    ,Thatatl east
    eightypercent(
    80%)oft heproceedsderivedfrom thedevelopmentand
    uti
    li
    zati
    onofhy dr
    other
    mal.geot
    hermal,andot
    hersour cesofenergy
    shallbeapplied solel
    ytolowert hecostofelect
    ri
    cityinthelocal
    governmentunitwheresuchasourceofener
    gyi
    slocated.

    B.Local
    Pol
    i
    cePower
    - 1.Gener
    alWel
    far
    eCl
    ause;
    ScopeandLi
    mit
    ati
    ons
    o Secti
    on16.Gener alWel far
    e.-Ev erylocalgov ernmentuni tshal lexercisethe
    powersexpr esslygr anted,thosenecessar il
    yimpl iedt herefrom,aswel las
    powersnecessar y,appr opr i
    ate,ori nci dent alfori tsef f
    icientandef fecti
    ve
    governance,andt hosewhi char eessent ialt ot hepr omot ionoft hegener al
    welf
    are.Wi t
    hintheirrespect i
    vet erri
    torialj urisdi
    ct i
    ons,localgov ernmentuni ts
    shal
    lensur e and suppor t,among ot her t hings,t he pr eser vati
    on and
    enri
    chmentofcul ture,promot eheal thandsaf ety,enhancet her i
    ghtoft he
    peopletoabal ancedecol ogy,encour ageandsuppor tthedev elopmentof
    appropri
    ateandsel f
    -reli
    antsci enti
    fi
    candt echnologicalcapabi li
    ties,i
    mpr ove
    publi
    cmor als,enhanceeconomi cpr osper it
    yandsoci aljusti
    ce,pr omot efull
    employmentamongt heirr
    esident s,mai nt ainpeaceandor der ,andpr eserve
    thecomf or
    tandconv enienceoft heirinhabi tants.
    o TATELVSMUNI CI PALI
    TYOFVI RAC–Anor dinancewaspassedpr ohibi
    ti
    ng
    theconst ructi
    onofwar ehousest hatstoreinfl
    ammabl emat eri
    alswi t
    hin200
    met ersf r
    om anybl ockofhouses.Pet i
    tionerconstructedawar ehousewhich
    storedcopr aandabacawi thi
    n200met ersofar esidentialneighborhood.The
    muni cipalcouncilpassedar esoluti
    ondecl ar
    ingt hewar ehouseofpet i
    ti
    onera
    nuisanceanddi r
    ect i
    nghimt otransferit.SChel dthattheor dinancei savali
    d
    exerciseofpol i
    cepower .It
    spur poseist oavoidthel ossofl i
    feandpr opert
    yin
    caseoff i
    re.Requisit
    esforvali
    dityoflocalpoli
    cepower :
    i
    .mustnotcont rav
    ene t
    he consti
    tut
    ion AND st
    atut
    e(so meani
    ng,
    groundsfordeclar
    ati
    onofnull
    it
    yofanor di
    nanceisnotonlythati
    tis
    unconsti
    tut
    ional
    ,butal
    soi
    fiti
    sil
    legal
    )
    i
    i
    .notunf
    airoroppr
    essi
    ve
    i
    i
    i.notpar
    ti
    alordi
    scr
    imi
    nat
    ory
    i
    v.notpr
    ohi
    bit
    ,butonl
    yregul
    atel
    awf
    ult
    rade
     meaning,ifacert
    aint
    radeisnotprohi
    bit
    edbycongr
    ess,i
    tcannot
    beprohibitedbyanor di
    nance.I
    fitisprohi
    bit
    edbycongress,i
    t
    canprohibitnowthet
    rade.
     DELA CRUZ VS PARAS – whereanordi
    nancepr
    ohi
    bit
    edt
    he
    oper
    ati
    onofni
    ghtcl
    ubswasdeclar
    edi
    nval
    id
    oI
    SSUE:Whet herornotamuni cipalcorporat
    ion,Bocaue,
    Bulacancan,pr ohi
    bittheexer
    ciseofal awfultrade,the
    operati
    on ofni ghtclubs,and the pursuitofa l awful
    occupati
    on,suchcl ubsemployi
    nghost essespur suantto
    Ord84whi chisfurt
    herinpur
    suanttoRA938;
    o HELD:TheSC r
    uled agai
    nstPar
    as.I
    fni
    ghtcl
    ubswer
    e
    mer elyt hen regulated and notpr ohi bi t
    ed,cer tainl
    yt he
    assailedor dinancewoul dpasst het estofv alidity.SChad
    stressed r easonabl eness,consonant wi tht he gener al
    power sandpur posesofmuni cipalcor por ations,aswel las
    consistencywi t
    ht hel awsorpol icyoft heSt ate.I tcannot
    besai dt hatsuchasweepi ngexer ciseofal awmaki ng
    powerbyBocauecoul dqual if
    yundert het ermr easonabl e.
    The obj ective off osteri
    ng publ icmor als,a wor thyand
    desirableendcanbeat tai
    nedbyameasur et hatdoesnot
    encompasst oowi deaf i
    eld.Cer tainlyt heor dinanceoni t s
    facei schar acteri
    zedbyov erbreadt h.Thepur posesought
    tobeachi evedcoul dhav ebeenat t ainedbyr easonabl e
    restri
    cti
    onsr atherthanbyanabsol utepr ohibit
    ion.Pur suant
    tot hetitleoft heOr di
    nance,Bocaueshoul dandcanonl y
    regulatenotpr ohibitthebusi nessofcabar ets.
    v
    .consi
    stentwi
    thpubl
    i
    cpol
    i
    cy
    v
    i.notunr
    easonabl
    e
     BALACUI TVSCFIOFAGUSANDELNORTE–wher eanor dinance
    penali
    zedmov i
    ehousest hatchargedf ul
    lpaymentf oradmi ssi
    on
    ofchil
    drenbetween7- 12;Anordinanceprohibit
    ingtheat
    erowner s
    torequir
    echil
    drenbelow12t opayt heful
    lpriceofadmi ssionand
    i
    nsteadchargeonl yhalfoftheadmissionpriceisunconstitutional
    .
    Apol i
    cemeasur ef ortheregulati
    onoft heconduct ,cont r
    oland
    operat
    ionofbusi nessshoul dnotencr oachupont helegitimate
    andlawfulexer
    cisebyt heciti
    zensoftheirpropert
    yr i
    ght
    s.
    o The operat
    ion oftheaters,cinematographs and ot
    her
    pl
    acesofpublicexhi
    biti
    onar esubj
    ecttor egul
    ati
    onbythe
    munici
    palcounci
    lintheexerci
    seofdelegatedpoli
    cepower
    bythel
    ocalgovernment.
    o Thus,an or dinance prohibi
    ting fir
    st-r
    un cinematographs
    fr
    om sel l
    ing tickets beyond theirseat i
    ng capacitywas
    upheldasconst i
    tut
    ionalforbeingav al
    idexerci
    seofpol i
    ce
    power .Also,anor di
    nancepr ohibit
    ingadmi ssionof2or
    mor eper sonsi nt hemov i
    ehousesandot heramusement
    placeswi tht heuseofonl y1t i
    cketisav al
    idregulat
    ory
    policemeasur enotonl yinthei nter
    estofpr event
    ingfraud
    i
    nsof aras muni ci
    palt axes are concerned butal so in
    accordance wi th public healt
    h,publ ic safety and the
    gener alwelf
    are.
    o Theordinanceher ei
    snotjusti
    fi
    edbyanynecessi t
    yf orthe
    publ
    icinter
    est.Theevidentpur
    posesoftheordinancei sto
    hel
    peaset hebur denofcostonthepartofthepar entwho
    have shelloutt he same amountof money f ort he
    admissionofthei
    rchil
    dren,ast
    heywouldforthemsel ves.
    oA r
    educt
    ion i
    nthe pr
    ice of admi
    ssi
    on woul
    d mean
    corr
    espondi ngsav ingsf ort hepar ents;
    howev er ,t
    het heater
    owner s aret he ones made t o beart he costoft hese
    savi
    ngs.Theor dinancedoesnotmaket het heaterowner s
    suff
    ert hel ossofear ningsbuti tl i
    kewisepenal izest hem
    forf ai
    luret o compl ywi thi t
    .Fur t
    her
    mor e,t herewi llbe
    dif
    fi
    cul t
    yi nitsimpl ement ationbecausechi ldrenov er12of
    agecoul dpassof ft heirageasbel ow12i nor dertoav ailof
    the benef i
    toft he or dinance.The or dinance does not
    provideasaf eguar dagai nstt hisundesi rabl epr acti
    ceand
    assuch, t
    heci tysuggestt hatbi rthcerti
    fi
    cat esbeexhi bited
    byt hemov iehousepat ronst opr ovetheageofchi l
    dren.
    Thisi snotpr acticable.Theor dinancei sunr easonabl eif
    notundul yoppr essi veupont hebusi nessoft het heater
    owner s.Mor eov er,therei snodi scerni
    bler elationbet ween
    theor dinanceandt hepr omot i
    onofpubl icheal t
    h,saf ety
    ,
    moral sandt hegener alwel fare.
    o Apol i
    cemeasur efort her egulati
    onoftheconduct ,control
    andoper ationofbusi nessshoul dnotencroachupont he
    l
    egitimat e and l awfulexer cise by the cit
    izens oft heir
    proper tyrights.Ther ightoft heownert of i
    xapr iceat
    whichhi spr opertyshal lbesol dorusedi sani nherent
    attr
    ibuteoft hepr oper t
    yi tselfand,assuch,wi thint he
    protection of t he due pr ocess clause. Hence, t he
    proprietorsofat heat erhav erighttomanaget heirproper t
    y
    i
    nt heirownway ,tof i
    xwhatpr icesofadmissiontheyt hink
    mostf ortheirownadv antage,andt hatanyper sonwhodi d
    notappr ov ecouldst ayaway .
    o Requi
    sit
    esofpol
    i
    cepoweri
    ngener
    al:
     1.Lawf
    ulsubj
    ect
     2.Lawf
    ulmeans
    o Not e:Or dinances enjoypr esumption ofconst itut
    ionali
    ty(“t
    o doubti sto
    sust ai
    n”),exceptl
    awsr est
    rict
    ingfr
    eedom ofexpr essionunderthe“doct r
    ineof
    stri
    ctscr uti
    ny”–anygov ernmentalactt hati
    nfr
    ingesonpr ot
    ect
    ivefreedom or
    freedom ofexpr essioncomest ocourtwi tht
    heheav ypr esumpti
    onagai nsti
    ts
    const i
    tuti
    onalit
    y,thus,itbecomest hedut yofthegov ernmentnow t oprove
    thati tdoesnoti nfringepr ot
    ecti
    vef reedom bey ondwhati sallowedbyt he
    const i
    .Itisthegov ernmentwhoshal lnowpr ovet hatit’
    salawfulinvasionof
    protectiv
    ef reedom.
    o TANOVSSOCRATES–Lgusmayenactpol
    i
    cepowermeasur
    espur
    suantt
    o
    thegener
    alwel
    far
    ecl
    ause.
     The sangguni
    ang panlungsod ofPuer to Pr
    incesa City enacted an
    ordi
    nancebanningshipmentofalll
    iv
    ef ishandlobsteroutsidethesaid
    ci
    tyandpr ohi
    bit
    ingthecatchi
    ng,gatheri
    ng,possessing,buying,sel
    l
    ing
    andshipmentofliv
    emar i
    necoraldwell
    ingaquati
    corganisms.
     Pet
    it
    ioner
    swer
    echar
    ged cr
    imi
    nal
    l
    yforv
    iol
    ati
    onofsuchor
    dinance.
    Theyinvoket
    hepr
    efer
    ent
    ialr
    ightofmar
    ginalf
    isher
    menunderSec.149
    oftheLGC.
     Theso-
    cal
    led“
    pref
    erent
    ialri
    ght
    ”ofsubsi
    stenceormar
    ginal
    -f
    isher
    men
    tot
    heuseofmari
    neresourcesi
    snotatal
    labsol
    ute.
     TheLGCpr ovisi
    onsi nvokedbypubl icrespondent
    sseekt ogivef l
    esh
    andbl oodtot herightoft hepeopl etoabalancedandheal t
    hfulecology.
    Infact,thegener alwel farecl ause,expr
    esslymentionsthisright.The
    LGCexpl ici
    tlymandat est hatt hegeneralwelf
    areprovisi
    onsoft heLGC
    shallbe l i
    berall
    yi nter
    pr eted t o gi
    ve more power stot he lgus i n
    accelerat
    ingeconomi cdev elopmentandupgr adi
    ngthequal i
    tyofli
    fef or
    thepeopleoft hecommuni ty.
     Oneoft hedevol
    vedpowersenumeratedintheLGCondev oluti
    onisthe
    enfor
    cement of f i
    sher
    yl aws in municipalwat er
    si ncl
    uding the
    conserv
    ationofmangroves.Thi
    snecessari
    l
    yi ncl
    udestheenactmentof
    ordi
    nances to eff
    ecti
    vel
    y carr
    y outsuch f i
    sher
    yl aws withi
    nt he
    munici
    palwaters.
    Inlightthen ofthe pri
    ncipl
    es ofdecent ral
    izat
    ion and devolut
    ion
    enshri
    nedintheLGC,andthepowersgr antedthereintolgusunderthe
    generalwel
    farecl
    ause,whichunquestionabl
    yi nvolvetheexerci
    seof
    poli
    ce power,the v
    ali
    dit
    y oft he questi
    oned or di
    nance cannotbe
    doubted.
    o ORTIGASVSFEATIBANK–Themuni cipal
    i
    tyofmandaluyong,inexerci
    singi
    ts
    pol
    ice powerbyenacting an or
    dinance decl
    ari
    ng a part
    iculararea as a
    commer ci
    aland i
    ndust
    rialzone,maynotbe bar r
    ed bya cl ai
    m ofnon-
    i
    mpairmentofcont
    ract
    s.
     WhenOr it
    gassold2l ots,theoriginalbuy er
    sagr eedt othest i
    pul
    ation
    thatthe lot
    s shal lbe used excl usivel yforr esident
    ialpur poses.
    Subsequentl
    y,howev er
    , t
    hemuni cipalcounci lofMandal uyongpasseda
    resol
    uti
    on declar
    ing t he area wher et he lot
    s wer el ocated as a
    commer ci
    alandindustrialzone.2y earsl ater
    ,thebankacqui redthelots
    andcommencedt heconst r
    ucti
    onofacommer cialbui l
    ding.Ortigas
    fi
    ledacti
    ontoenj oinconst r
    ucti
    on.Whi chshal lprev ail–t herestr
    icti
    ve
    covenanti
    nthepur chaseagr eementort hemuni cipal ordi
    nance?
     Ther esolutionwasal egi
    ti
    mat eexer ci
    seofpol i
    cepower“ themost
    essential
    ,i nsist
    ent,and il
    li
    mi t
    abl
    eofpower s”and “ in a sense,the
    greatestand mostpower fulattr
    ibut e ofgovernment ”
    .The Cour t
    rei
    teratedt hePLDTr uli
    ngt hatpol
    icepower“ i
    sel asti
    candmustbe
    responsivet ov ari
    oussocialcondit
    ions;itisnotconf i
    nedwi thnarrow
    cir
    cumscr iptions ofprecedentsrest i
    ng on pastcondi ti
    ons;itmust
    foll
    ow thel egalprocessofademocr ati
    cwayofl i
    fe.”Ittooknoticeof
    the commer cialand industri
    aldev elopmentalong E.del os Santos
    Avenueandf oundtheresol
    utionavalidexerci
    seofpol i
    cepower .
     On on the non-i
    mpai
    rmentcont r
    actsi
    ssue,the courtf ound the
    r
    esol
    uti
    on a “legi
    ti
    mat
    er esponse t
    oaf el
    tpublic need”.The non-
    i
    mpair
    mentcl ausemaynotbart hemunici
    pal
    it
    y’sexerciseofpolice
    power .Notonlyar eexi
    sti
    ngl
    awsr eadintocontr
    actsinordertofix
    obli
    gationsasbet weenthepart
    ies,butthereservat
    ionofessenti
    al
    att
    ributesofsoverei
    gnpoweri
    salsoreadint
    ocontract
    sasapostulat
    e
    ofthelegalorder
    .
     Zoni
    ngor
    dinancei
    sapol
    i
    cemeasur
    e.
    I
    tpr
    evai
    l
    sov
    ercont
    ract
    ualobl
    i
    gat
    ions.
     Theref
    ore,parti
    es to a contractwho may be af f
    ected by zoni
    ng
    ordi
    nancescannotinvoket heconsti
    tut
    ionalrightagai
    nst“i
    mpai r
    ment
    ofobligat
    ions and contr
    acts”because in consti
    tuti
    onallaw,poli
    ce
    powerprevail
    sovert
    he“ non-i
    mpairmentclause”.
    o LI
    M VSPACQUI
    NG
     Theissueistodetermi
    newhet herPDNo.771v al
    idl
    yrevokedADC'
    s
    fr
    anchi
    setooperatethejai
    -al
    ai,assumi
    ng(wit
    houtconcedi
    ng)t
    hati
    t
    i
    ndeedpossessedsuchfr
    anchi
    seunderOrdi
    nanceNo.7065.
     ADCar guest hatPDNo.771isunconsti
    tut
    ionalforbei
    ngvi
    olati
    veofthe
    equalprotectionandnon-i
    mpair
    mentprovisi
    onsoft heConsti
    tut
    ion.On
    theotherhand,t hegov er
    nmentcontendst hatPDNo.771i sav ali
    d
    exer
    ciseoft heinher
    entpoli
    cepoweroftheSt at
    e.
     Thepol icepowerhasbeendescr i
    bedast heleastli
    mit
    ableofthe
    i
    nherentpowersoft
    heState.I
    tisbasedontheanci
    entdoct
    ri
    ne—salus
    populiestsupr
    emalex(
    thewelfar
    eofthepeopl
    eisthesupr
    emelaw.
    )
     Thepol icepoweroft heSt ate...i sapowerco- extensivewith
    self
    -protect
    ion,andi snoti naptlyter medt he" law ofov er
    rul
    ing
    necessity.
    "Itmaybesai dt obet hatinher entandpl enarypoweri n
    theSt atewhi chenabl esi tt opr ohibital lthingshur t
    fultot he
    comf ort
    ,saf et
    yandwel fareofsoci ety .Car r
    iedonwar dbyt he
    currentofl egislat
    ion,t hej udici
    aryr ar elyat t
    empt stodam t he
    onrushingpowerofl egislativ
    edi scretion,pr ovidedt hepur poses
    oft hel aw do notgo bey ond thegr eatpr i
    nci plesthatmean
    securit
    yf orthepubl icwel f
    areordonotar bit
    rarilyint
    erferewith
    therightofthei ndi
    v i
    dual .
    I
    nthematterofPDNo.771,thepur
    poseoft
    hel
    awi
    scl
    ear
    lyst
    atedi
    n
    t
    he"wher
    easclause"asf
    oll
    ows:
     WHEREAS,ithasbeenr epor
    tedthati
    nspi teoft
    hecur r
    entdri
    ve
    ofourl aw enf
    orcementagenci es againstvi
    ces and il
    l
    egal
    gambli
    ng,t
    hesesociali
    l
    lsaresti
    l
    lprevalentinmanyareasofthe
    count
    ry;
     WHEREAS,t her
    ei sneedtoconsolidat
    ealltheeff
    ortsofthe
    governmentt oeradi
    cat
    eandmi ni
    mizevicesandot
    herfor
    msof
    sociali
    ll
    sinpursuanceofthesoci
    alandeconomicdevel
    opment
    program undert
    henewsociety
    ;
     WHEREAS,i
    nordertoef
    fect
    ivel
    ycont
    rolandregul
    atewagersor
    bet
    ti
    ngbythepubli
    conhorseanddogr aces,j
    ai-
    alaiandot
    her
    for
    msofgambl
    i
    ngt herei
    sanecessi
    tyt
    otransf
    ert
    heissuanceof
    permi
    tand/
    orf
    ranchisefr
    om l
    ocalgover
    nmenttotheNat ional
    Gover
    nment
    .
    Itcannotbearguedthatthecont r
    olandr egulati
    onofgambl i
    ngdonot
    promote public mor als and wel f
    are. Gambl i
    ng i s essentiall
    y
    antagoni
    sti
    candself-
    reli
    ance.Itbreedsindolenceanderodesthev alue
    ofgood,honestandhar dwork.Iti
    s,asv eryaptlyst
    atedbyPDNo.771,
    av i
    ceandasociali
    llwhichgovernmentmustmi nimize(i
    fnoteradi
    cate)
    i
    npur sui
    tofsoci
    alandeconomi cdev el
    opment .
    Intheexer ciseofi tsowndi scret
    ion,t hel egislati
    vepowermay
    prohibitgambl ingal t
    oget heroral low itwi thoutl i
    mitat
    ionori t
    maypr ohi bitsome f or
    ms ofgambl ing and al low othersf or
    what ever r easons i t may consi der suf ficient.Thus,i t has
    prohibit
    edj uetengandmont ebutper mi tslot ter
    ies,cockfi
    ghting
    and hor se-racing. In maki ng such choi ces,Congr ess has
    consul t
    edi tsownwi sdom,whi cht hi
    sCour thasnoaut horit
    yt o
    revi
    ew,muchl essr ev er
    se.Wel lhasi tbeensai dt hatcourtsdo
    notsi ttor esol vet hemer it
    sofconf li
    ct i
    ngt heories.Thatist he
    prerogative of t he pol i
    ticaldepar t
    ment s.I ti s sett
    led that
    quest i
    ons r egarding wi sdom,mor alit
    y and pr acti
    cabil
    it
    y of
    statutesar enotaddr essedt ot hej udiciar
    ybutmayber esolved
    onlybyt heexecut iveandl egislat
    ivedepar tment s,towhi cht he
    functionbel ongsi nourschemeofgov ernment .
     Jai
    -alaiisnotamereeconomicacti
    vit
    ywhi chthelawseekstoregulate.
    Iti
    sessent i
    all
    ygamblingandwhetheritshouldbeper mi
    tt
    edand,ifso,
    underwhatcondi t
    ions ar
    e questi
    ons pr i
    maril
    yf orthe l
    awmaki ng
    authorit
    ytodeter
    mine,tal
    ki
    ngint
    oaccountnat ionalandl
    ocali
    nterests.
    Here,itist
    hepoli
    cepoweroftheStatethatisparamount.
     Ont heall
    egedv i
    olat
    ionoft henon- impair
    mentandequalpr otecti
    on
    cl
    ausesoft heConst i
    tut
    ion,i
    tshouldber emember edthatafranchiseis
    notinthestrictsenseasi mplecontractbutrat
    heriti
    smor ei
    mpor tantl
    y,
    amer epri
    v i
    legespeci al
    lyinmat ter
    swhi charewit
    hint hegovernment '
    s
    powert oregul at
    eandev enprohibi
    tthroughtheexerci seofthepol i
    ce
    power.Thus,agambl i
    ngf r
    anchiseisalwayssubjecttot heexerciseof
    pol
    icepowerf orthepublicwelf
    are.
    o LUCENAGRANDCENTRALTERMI NALVSJACLI NER–Theonl ywayt ojusti
    fy
    non-paymentofj
    ustcompensati
    oni sf orLucenaCityt
    opr ov
    ethatiti
    sav al
    id
    poli
    cepowermeasur e.Note:Overbreadthdoctrine–wher eal aw seekst o
    accomplishagovernment
    alpurpose,i tmustdosowi thoutunr
    easonablyor
    unnecessari
    l
    yinvadi
    ngsomepr otectedf r
    eedom andt hatitmustbel east
    i
    ntrusi
    vet ot
    heri
    ghtsofi
    ndi
    v i
    duals.
     Respecti
    ngthei ssueofwhet herpolicepowerwaspr operl
    yexer ci
    sed
    whent hesubjectordi
    nanceswer eenacted:Aswi t
    ht heState,thelocal
    governmentmaybeconsi deredashav i
    ngpr oper
    lyexerci
    sedi tspoli
    ce
    poweronlyift hefoll
    owingrequisi
    tesaremet :(1)theinterestsofthe
    publi
    cgener all
    y,asdi sti
    nguished f
    rom those ofa par t
    icularclass,
    requiret
    hei nt
    erf
    erenceoft
    heState,and(
    2)themeansempl oyedare
    reasonablynecessaryfort
    heatt
    ainmentoftheobjectsoughtt obe
    accomplishedandnotundulyoppressi
    veuponi
    ndivi
    dual
    s.Ot herwi
    se
    stated,t
    heremustbeaconcur r
    enceofal awfulsubj
    ectandl awful
    met hod.
     Thatt raff
    iccongestionisapubl i
    c,notmerel
    yapr i
    vate,concern,
    cannot
    begai nsaid.Thequest i
    onedor di
    nanceshav ingbeenenact edwiththe
    objectiveofr el
    i
    eving tr
    affi
    ccongest i
    on int heCit
    yofLucena,t hey
    i
    nv ol
    v epublicinter
    estwarranti
    ngt hei
    nter
    ferenceoftheState.Thefir
    st
    requisitefortheproperexerci
    seofpol i
    cepoweristhuspresent.
     Thi
    sl eavesf
    ordeter
    minati
    ontheissueofwhethert
    hemeansemployed
    by the Lucena Sangguniang Panlungsod t
    o att
    aini
    ts pr
    ofessed
    obj
    ect i
    vewerereasonabl
    ynecessaryandnotundulyoppr
    essi
    veupon
    i
    ndi
    viduals.
     Wi t
    ht heaim oflocali
    zingthesour ceoftr
    af f
    iccongest i
    oni ntheci
    tytoa
    singl
    el ocation,thesubjectordinancesprohibittheoper ati
    onofallbus
    andj eepneyt erminal
    swi thinLucena,includingt hoseal r
    eadyexisti
    ng,
    andal low theoper at
    ionofonl yonecommont erminallocatedoutside
    thecitypr oper,thefranchi
    sef orwhichwasgr ant edtopet i
    ti
    oner
    .The
    common car ri
    ers pl
    y i
    ng routes to and from Lucena Ci t
    yar ethus
    compel ledtocl osedownt hei
    rexisti
    ngtermi nalsanduset hefacil
    i
    ties
    ofpet i
    tioner.
    InDel aCruzv .Paras, t
    hisCourtdeclaredunconsti
    tutionalanordinance
    characteri
    zedbyov erbreadt
    h.I nt
    hatcase,t heMuni cipal
    ityofBocaue,
    Bulacanpr ohi
    bitedt heoperati
    onofal lnightcl
    ubs,cabar etsanddance
    hal
    lswi thi
    nitsjuri
    sdi ct
    ionfortheprotecti
    onofpubl i
    cmor als.Heldthe
    Court:
    Itcannotbesai dt hatsuchasweepi ngexer ciseofal awmaki ng
    powerbyBocauecoul dqual if
    yundert het er mr easonabl e.The
    object iveoff osteri
    ngpubl icmor als,awor thyanddesi rabl eend
    canbeat tainedbyameasur ethatdoesnotencompasst oowi de
    af ield. Cer tai
    nlyt heor dinanceoni tsf acei schar acterizedby
    over breadt h.Thepur posesoughtt obeachi ev edcoul dhav ebeen
    attainedbyr easonabl er estri
    ctionsr athert hanbyanabsol ute
    prohi bition.Theadmoni ti
    oni nSal averiashoul dbeheeded:“ The
    Judi ciar yshoul dnotl i
    ghtlysetasi del egi slati
    v eact i
    onwhent here
    i
    snotacl earinvasionofper sonalorpr oper tyr i
    ghtsundert he
    guiseofpol i
    cer egulati
    on.”I tiscl eart hati nt hegui seofapol ice
    regul ation,t herewasi nthisinstanceacl eari nvasionofper sonal
    orpr oper tyr i
    ghts,per sonali nt he case oft hose indi viduals
    desi rousofpat r
    onizingthoseni ghtcl ubsandpr opertyint ermsof
    thei nv estment smadeandsal ar i
    est obeear nedbyt hoset herein
    empl oy ed.
    In Lupangco v . Court of Appeals, t
    his Court,in declari
    ng
    unconst
    itut
    ionalthe r
    esol
    uti
    on subj
    ectthereof,adv
    anced a si
    mil
    ar
    consi
    derati
    on. That case inv
    olved a resolut
    ion i
    ssued by the
    ProfessionalRegul
    ationCommi ssi
    onwhi chprohibit
    edexami neesfrom
    att
    endi ngreviewcl
    assesandr ecei
    vinghandoutmat eri
    als,ti
    ps,andt he
    l
    iket hreeday sbef
    oret hedateofexami nati
    oni nordert opr eser
    vet he
    i
    ntegr i
    ty and puri
    ty oft he l
    icensure examinati
    ons i n accountancy.
    Besidesbei ng unreasonable on it
    sf ace and viol
    at i
    ve ofacademi c
    fr
    eedom,t hemeasur ewasf oundt obemor esweepi ngt hanwhatwas
    necessar y,v
    iz:
     Needl esst osay ,theenf orcementofResol uti
    onNo.105i snota
    guar ant eet hatt heal l
    egedl eakagesi nt hel i
    censureexami nati
    ons
    willbeer adicatedoratl eastmi nimi zed.Maki ngt heexami nees
    sufferby depr iving them ofl egitimat e means ofr eview or
    prepar at i
    onont hosel astt hreepr eciousday swhent heyshoul d
    ber efreshi ngt hemsel v eswi thallthatt heyhav elearnedi nthe
    review cl asses and pr epar i
    ng t heirment aland psy chological
    make- upf ortheexami nat i
    ondayi t
    sel f—woul dbel i
    keupr ooti
    ng
    thet reet ogetr i
    dofar ot t
    enbr anch.Whati sneededt obedone
    byt her espondenti stof indoutt hesour ceofsuchl eakagesand
    stopi tr ightt her e.Ifcor ruptof fi
    cial sorper sonnelshoul dbe
    termi nat edf rom t heirl oss,t henso bei t
    .Fixersorswi ndl
    ers
    shoul d be f lushed out .St ri
    ctgui delines to be obser ved by
    exami ner sshoul dbesetupandi fviolationsarecommi tt
    ed,then
    l
    icensesshoul dbesuspendedorr ev oked.xxx( Emphasi sand
    under scor i
    ngsuppl ied)
     Asi nDel aCr uzandLupangco,t heor dinancesassai l
    edhereinare
    characteri
    zed byov erbreadth. Theygo bey ond whati sreasonabl
    y
    necessar yt o sol
    vet he traff
    ic problem. Addi t
    ional
    ly,si
    nce the
    compulsor yuseofthet erminaloperatedbypet it
    ionerwouldsubjectt
    he
    usersther eoftofees,r entalsandchar ges,suchmeasur eisunduly
    oppressive,ascorr
    ectlyfoundbyt heappel latecourt.Whatshouldhave
    beendonewast odetermineexactlywher et heproblem li
    esandthento
    stopitrightther
    e.
     Thet r
    uer ol
    eofConsti
    tut
    ionalLawist
    oeffectanequili
    bri
    um bet
    ween
    authori
    tyandli
    ber
    tysothatri
    ghtsar
    eexer
    cisedwithi
    ntheframeworkof
    thelawandt hel
    awsareenactedwit
    hduedeferencetori
    ghts.
     Aduedef er
    encet otheri
    ghtsoftheindivi
    dualthusr
    equi
    resamor
    e
    car
    efulf
    ormulat
    ionofsol
    uti
    onstosoci
    etalpr
    oblems.
     From t he memor andum fi
    led bef oret hi
    s Cour
    tbypet iti
    oner,itis
    gatheredthattheSangguniangPanl ungsodhadident
    ifi
    edthecauseof
    tr
    affi
    ccongest iontobet hei ndiscriminat
    eloadingandunl oadi
    ngof
    passengersbybuseson t hestr eetsoft hecityproper
    ,hence,t he
    conclusionthatthetermi
    nalscont r i
    butedtotheprol
    i
    ferat
    ionofbuses
    obstructi
    ngtraf
    ficontheci
    tystreet s.
     Bust erminalspersedonot ,however,i
    mpedeorhel pi
    mpedet hefl
    ow
    oft r
    affi
    c. How t heoutr
    ightproscri
    pti
    onagainsttheexi
    stenceofall
    terminal
    s, apar
    tfr
    om thatfr
    anchisedtopeti
    ti
    oner,
    canbeconsider
    edas
    reasonablynecessarytosolvethet r
    affi
    cproblem,thi
    sCourthasnot
    beenenli
    ghtened. Iftermi nal
    sl ackadequat espacesucht hatbus
    dri
    versarecompel l
    edtol oadandunl oadpassengersont hest r
    eets
    i
    nsteadofinsidetheterminals,thenr easonablespeci
    fi
    cationsf orthe
    si
    zeofterminalscouldbei nsti
    tuted,withpermitstooperatethesame
    deniedt
    hosewhi chareunabl et omeett hespeci
    fi
    cati
    ons.(
    Reasonabl e
    poli
    cemeasure–st ri
    cti
    mpl ement ati
    onoft raf
    fi
    crul
    esandr egulati
    ons)
     Asf orpeti
    tioner’
    scl aimthatt hechallengedor di
    nanceshav eactual
    l
    y
    been pr ov
    en ef f ectivein easi ng traff
    ic congestion:Whether an
    ordi
    nanceisef fect i
    vei sanissuediff
    erentf r
    om whetheritisr
    easonabl
    y
    necessary.I ti
    si tsr easonableness,notitseffecti
    veness,whi
    chbears
    upon its constitutionali
    ty. I fthe const i
    tut
    ional
    ity ofa law were
    measur ed by its ef fect
    iveness,then ev en tyr
    annicallaws may be
    j
    ustifi
    edwhenev ert heyhappent obeeffective.
    o WHI
    TELI
    GHTCORPORATI
    ONVSCI
    TYOFMANI
    LA
     Acit
    yordi
    nancewasenactedprohibi
    ti
    ngestabl
    i
    shmentsofmotel
    sand
    i
    nnsfrom of
    fer
    ingshort
    -t
    imeadmission,aswellaspr
    o-r
    atedor“
    wash
    up”r
    atesf
    orsuchabbrevi
    atedst
    ays.
    Itcannotbedeni edthatthepr i
    mar yanimusbehi ndtheor di
    nancei st he
    curtail
    mentofsexualbehav i
    or.TheCi t
    yasser tsbef or
    et hi
    sCour tthat
    the subj ect establi
    shment s“ have gained not oriet
    y as v enue of
    ‘
    prost i
    tut
    ion,adul t
    eryandf or
    nicat i
    ons’i
    nMani l
    asi ncethey‘pr ovi
    det he
    necessaryat mospher eforclandest i
    neentry,presenceandexi tandthus
    becamet he‘idealhavenf orpr osti
    tut
    esandt hril
    l-
    seekers.’
    ”Whet heror
    nott hi
    sdepi ctionofami se-en-sceneofv icei saccurate,itcannotbe
    denied thatl egit
    imate sexualbehav ioramong wi l
    li
    ng mar ri
    ed or
    consent i
    ng single adult
    swhi ch isconst i
    tutionall
    ypr otected willbe
    curtail
    edaswel l.
     Wecannotdi scountot herl egit
    imateact i
    vit
    ieswhi cht heOr dinance
    wouldpr oscri
    beori mpair.Ther earev erylegitimateusesf orawash
    rat
    eorr entingt heroom outf ormorethant wi ceaday .Entir
    ef amili
    es
    areknownt ochoosepasst hetimeinamot elorhot elwhi l
    stthepower
    i
    smoment ari
    l
    youti ntheirhomes.I nt ransi
    tpassenger swhowi sht o
    wash up and r estbet ween t ri
    ps hav eal egi
    timate pur pose f or
    abbrevi
    atedst ay sinmot elsorhot el
    s.Indeedanyper sonorgr oupsof
    personsi nneedofcomf ortabl
    epr i
    vatespacesf oraspanofaf ew
    hourswithpur posesothert hanhavingsexorusi ngi l
    legaldrugscan
    l
    egiti
    matelyl ook t o staying in a mot elorhot elas a conv eni
    ent
    alt
    ernat
    ive.
     Thatt heOrdinancepr eventsthel awf ulusesofawashr atedepriving
    patronsofapr oductandt hepet it
    ionersofl ucrat
    ivebusinesstiesi n
    withanotherconst i
    tuti
    onalrequisiteforthelegiti
    macyoft heOr di
    nance
    asapol i
    cepowermeasur e.Itmustappeart hattheinter
    estsoft he
    publicgenerally
    ,asdi sti
    nguished f r
    om t hose ofa par ti
    cularclass,
    requir
    eani nterf
    erencewi thpr ivater i
    ghtsand t hemeansmustbe
    reasonablynecessar yfortheaccompl i
    shmentoft hepurposeandnot
    undulyoppressiveofpr i
    vateri
    ght s.Itmustalsobeev i
    dentthatnoot her
    alt
    ernat
    ivefortheaccompl ishmentoft hepur poselessintrusiv
    eof
    pri
    vateri
    ghtscanwor k.Mor eimportant
    ly,ar easonablerel
    ationmust
    exi
    stbetweenthepur posesoft hemeasur eandt hemeansempl oyed
    foritsaccompli
    shment ,forev enundert hegui seofpr otecti
    ngt he
    publi
    cinter
    est
    ,personalri
    ghtsandt hosepertainingtopri
    vatepr opert
    y
    wil
    lnotbepermitt
    edtobear bitr
    ari
    lyi
    nvaded.
     Lacki
    ngaconcur
    renceoftheserequi
    sit
    es,thepoli
    cemeasur
    eshal
    lbe
    str
    uckdownasanarbi
    tr
    aryint
    rusi
    onintopri
    vater
    ights.
     Thebehav iorwhi cht heOr dinanceseekst ocur t
    ailisi nf actalready
    prohibit
    edandcoul di nf actbedi minishedsi mpl ybyappl yi
    ngexi sti
    ng
    l
    aws.Lessi ntr
    usi v
    emeasur essuch ascur bing thepr olif
    erat
    ion of
    prostit
    utesanddr ugdeal ersthroughact ivepolicewor kwoul dbemor e
    effecti
    vei neasi ngt hesi t
    uation.Sowoul dthest r
    ictenf orcementof
    existi
    ng lawsand r egulationspenal izi
    ng pr ostit
    ution and dr ug use.
    Thesemeasur eswoul dhav emi nimalintr usi
    onont hebusi nessesoft he
    petit
    ionersandot herl egiti
    mat emer chant s.Further,itisappar entthat
    theOr dinancecaneasi l
    ybeci rcumv ent edbymer el
    ypay ingt hewhol e
    dayr atewi thoutanyhi ndrancet ot hoseengagedi ni l
    l
    icitactivit
    ies.
    Mor eover,drugdeal ersandpr ostit
    utescani nfactcol lect“ washr at
    es”
    from theircli
    entelebychar gingt heircust omersapor ti
    onoft herentf or
    mot elroomsandev enapar t
    ment s.
     Wer eiterat
    et hatindivi
    dualr ightsmaybeadv erselyaf f
    ectedonl yt othe
    extentt hatmayf airl
    yber equi redbyt hel egi
    timat edemandsofpubl ic
    i
    nterestorpubl ic wel fare. The St at eisal eviathan t hatmustbe
    restr
    ained from needl essl yi nt rudi
    ng i ntot he lives ofi ts citizens.
    Howev erwel l
    ­- i
    ntentionedt heOr dinancemaybe,i ti si nef fectan
    arbit
    raryandwhi msicali ntr usioni ntot her i
    ghtsoft heest ablishment s
    as wel las t heirpat rons.The Or dinance needl esslyr estrains the
    operati
    onoft hebusi nessesoft hepet it
    ionersaswel lasr est r
    ictingthe
    ri
    ghtsoft heirpat r
    onswi thoutsuf fi
    cientj usti
    fication.TheOr dinance
    rashlyequat eswashr at esandr enti
    ngoutar oom mor et hant wi cea
    daywi thimmor ali
    tywi thoutaccommodat i
    nginnocuousi ntent i
    ons.
    o TANVSPERENA
     Whi l
    et heLocalGov ernmentCodeexpr essl yr epealedsev erallaws,t he
    Cockf i
    ghtingLaw wasnotamongt hem. Sect i
    on534( f)oft heLocal
    Gov ernmentCodedecl aresthatallgener alandspeci allawsordecr ees
    i
    nconsi stentwiththeCodear eher ebyr epeal edormodi fi
    edaccor dingly
    ,
    butsuchcl auseisnotanexpr essrepeal i
    ngcl ausebecausei tfail
    st o
    i
    dent if
    yordesi gnatet heactst hatarei ntendedt ober epealed.I tisa
    car dinalr ulei n statutory construction t hat i mpl i
    ed repeal s ar e
    disfav ored and wi l
    lnotbe so decl ared unl ess the intentoft he
    l
    egi slatorsi s manifest.As laws ar e pr esumed t o be passed wi th
    deliber ati
    onandwi thknowl edgeofal lexistingonesont hesubj ect
    ,itis
    l
    ogi calt o concludet hati n passing a st at utei tisnoti ntended t o
    i
    nt erferewi thorabr ogateaf ormerl aw r elatingt othesamesubj ect
    mat ter, unless the r epugnancy bet ween t he two i s not onl y
    i
    rreconci
    l
    abl
    ebutal
    soclearandconv
    incingasaresul
    tofthel
    anguage
    used,orunl
    esst
    helat
    terActful
    l
    yembr acesthesubj
    ectmatt
    erofthe
    earl
    ier
    .
    Ist he one- cockpit-
    per -
    muni cipal
    it
    yr ule undert he Cockfi
    ghting Law
    clearlyandconv incingl yirr
    econcilablewi thSect ion447(a)(
    3)(v)oft he
    LocalGov er
    nmentCode?Thecl eari mpor tofSect i
    on447( a)(
    3) (
    v)is
    thati tist hesangguni angbay anwhi chisempower edtoauthorizeand
    l
    icenset heestablishment ,oper at
    ionandmai ntenanceofcockpi ts,and
    regulat e cockf ighting and commer ci
    al br eeding of gamecocks,
    notwi thst andi
    nganyl awt ot hecont rary.
    Thenecessi t
    yofthequal i
    fyi
    ng
    phrase“ anylaw t ot hecont r arynotwi t
    hstanding”canbedi scernedby
    exami ningt hehistoryofl awsper tainingtot heaut hori
    zat
    ionofcockpi t
    oper ationi nthi
    scount ry.
     Givent hehi stor i
    calper spect ive,itbecomesev identwhyt hel egislature
    found t he need t o use t he phr ase “ any l aw t o the cont rary
    notwithstandi ng”i n Sect i
    on 447( a)(3)(
    v).Howev er,doest hephr ase
    simil
    arlyallowt heSangguni angBay antoaut horizemor ecockpi tsthan
    all
    owedunderSect i
    on5( d)oft heCockf ightingLaw?Cer tai
    nly,appl ying
    thet estofi mpl i
    edr epeal ,t heset wopr ovisionscanst andt oget her.
    Whi l
    et hesangguni anr etainst hepowert oaut horizeandlicenset he
    establi
    shment ,operation,andmai ntenanceofcockpi t
    s,i
    tsdiscret i
    oni s
    l
    imitedi nt hati tcannotaut hor i
    zemor et hanone cockpi tperci tyor
    muni ci
    pality,unl esssuchci tiesormuni ci
    pal i
    tieshav eapopul ati
    onof
    overone hundr ed thousand,i n whi ch case t wo cockpit
    s may be
    establi
    shed.Consi deringt hatSect i
    on447( a) (3)(v)speaksessent iall
    yof
    theident i
    tyoft hewi elderoft hepowerofcont rolandsuperv i
    sionov er
    cockpitoper ation,itisnoti nconsi stentwi thpr ev i
    ousenactment st hat
    i
    mposer estrictionsonhow suchpowermaybeexer ci
    sed. I nshor t
    ,
    thereisnodi chot omybet weenaf fir
    mi ngthepowerandsubj ect ingitt o
    l
    imitationsatt hesamet ime.
     Perhaps mor e essentialthan the factt hatt he t wo cont roverted
    provi
    sionsarenotinconsistentwhenputt ogether,theCour trecogni zes
    thatSecti
    on5(d)oft heCockf i
    ghti
    ngLawar isesf r
    om av ali
    dexer ci
    seof
    poli
    cepowerbyt henationalgovernment.Ofcour se,localgov ernment s
    aresimilar
    lyempower edunderSect ion16oft heLocalGov ernment
    Code.Thenat i
    onalgov ernmentoughtt obeat t
    unedt othesensi ti
    vi
    t i
    es
    ofdev ol
    uti
    onandst ri
    vet obespar i
    ngi nusur pi
    ngt hepr erogativesof
    l
    ocalgov er
    nment storegulatethegeneralwelfareoftheirconst i
    tuent s.
     Wedonotdoubt ,howev er,theabilit
    yoft henat ionalgov ernmentt o
    i
    mpl ementpol icepowermeasur esthataffectthesubj ectsofmuni ci
    pal
    government ,especi all
    yi ft hesubjectofr egulationi sacondi ti
    onof
    uni
    ver salcharacteri rr
    espect i
    veoft erri
    tor
    ialjurisdictions.Cockfight
    ing
    i
    sonesuchcondi ti
    on.I tisat r
    adit
    ionall
    yr egul
    at edact i
    vi
    ty,duet othe
    att
    endantgambl ingi nv ol
    vedormay beevent hef actt hatitessenti
    ally
    consistsoft wobi r
    dski l
    lingeachot herforpubl i
    camusement .Laws
    havebeenenact edr estri
    ctingtheday swhencockf ight scouldbehel d,
    andl egisl
    ati
    onhasev enbeenemphat icthatcockf ightscoul dnotbe
    hel
    donholiday
    scel
    ebr
    ati
    ngnat
    ionalhonorsuchasI
    ndependenceDay
    andRi
    zalDay.
     The Wher eas cl auses of t he Cockf ighti
    ng Law emphasi ze t hat
    cockfight i
    ng “ shoul d neither be expl oit
    ed as an obj ect of
    commer ci alism orbusi nessent erpri
    se,normadeat oolofuncont r
    olled
    gambl ing,butmor easav ehiclef orthepr eservati
    onandper petuation
    ofnat iveFi li
    pinoher i
    tageandt herebyenhanceournat i
    onalidentity.
    ”
    Theobv ioust hrustofourl awsdesi gnatingwhencockf ightscouldbe
    hel
    di st ol i
    mi t cockfi
    ghting and i mposi ng the one- cockpit
    -per-
    muni ci
    pal ityr uleisi nli
    newitht hataim.Cockf ighti
    ngi sav al
    idmat t
    erof
    poli
    ce powerr egulati
    on,as i tisaf orm ofgambl i
    ng essent i
    al l
    y
    antagoni stict ot heai msofenhanci ngnat i
    onalpr oducti
    v i
    tyandsel f
    -
    rel
    iance.Li mi tati
    onont henumberofcockpi tsinagi venmuni ci
    palit
    yi s
    areasonabl ynecessar ymeansf ortheaccompl ishmentoft hepur pose
    ofcont rolling cockf i
    ghti
    ng,f orcl earl
    y mor e cockpi t
    s equals mor e
    cockfight s.
    Ifweconst rueSection447( a)(3)
    (v)asvesti
    nganunl i
    mi teddi screti
    ont o
    thesangguni ant ocont r
    olal laspectsofcockpitsandcockf i
    ght i
    ngi n
    thei
    rr especti
    vej uri
    sdict
    ion,t hi
    scoul dleadtot hepr ospectofdai l
    y
    cockfi
    ghtsi nmuni cipal
    it
    ies,acer t
    aindistr
    act
    ioni nt hedai l
    yr out i
    neof
    l
    ifein a muni cipali
    ty.Thi s cert
    ainl
    ygoes agai nstt he gr ain oft he
    l
    egisl
    at i
    onear l
    ierdiscussed.I ftheargumentsoft hepet i
    tioner swer e
    adopted,t henat i
    onalgov ernmentwoul d beeff ectivelybar red from
    i
    mposi nganyf uturer egulatoryenactmentspert
    ai ningt ocockpi tsand
    cockfi
    ghtingunlessi tweret orepealSecti
    on447(a) (
    3) (
    v )
    .
     A muni ci
    palordi
    nancemustnotcont ravenetheConst i
    tuti
    onorany
    stat
    ute,other
    wiseiti
    sv oi
    d.Ordi
    nanceNo.7unmi st
    akablycont r
    avenes
    theCockf i
    ght
    ingLawinall
    owingthreecockpit
    sinDaanbant ayan.Thus,
    norightscanbeassertedbythepetit
    ioner
    sar i
    singf
    rom theOr dinance.
    Wef indthegrantofinj
    uncti
    onasor deredbytheappellatecourtt obe
    well
    -taken.

    C.Local
    Emi
    nentDomai
    n
    - 1.ScopeandLi
    mit
    ati
    on
    o Sec.9Ar
    t.3consti-Pr
    ivat
    epr
    oper
    tyshal
    lnotbet
    akenf
    orpubl
    i
    cusewi
    thout
    j
    ustcompensat
    ion.
    o Note:Thewayt oeval
    uatet
    hev al
    i
    dit
    yoft heexerci
    seofl ocaleminentdomai
    n
    i
    stof i
    rstgoovert
    hegeneralr
    equir
    ementsf ortheexer
    ciseofemi nentdomai
    n
    andthengot oSec.19fort
    hespecifi
    crequirementsaswel lasSecs.9and10
    ofRA7279.
    o a.Gener
    alRequi
    rement
    s–t
    heyst
    il
    lappl
    ytoexpr
    opr
    iat
    iondonebyal
    gu
    i
    .necessi
    ty–i
    tshoul
    dbegenui
    nenecessi
    ty
     Dist
    ingui
    shnecessi
    tyint
    heexer
    ciseofeminentdomai
    nbyt
    he
    nati
    onalgov
    ernmentandt
    hel
    ocalgover
    nment:
    o GR:Thei ssueofgenui nenecessi t
    yisapol i
    ticalquest i
    on,
    meaning,ifcongr ess determines thatt herei s genui ne
    necessit
    y,t he courts havet or espectt he judgmentof
    congress thatt herei s necessit
    yi n exercising emi nent
    domain.Soi tisnott heref
    orer eadil
    ysubj ectt oj udicial
    revi
    ew.The cour ts hav et o consideritas a pol iti
    cal
    questi
    on because i ti s an origi
    nalpowerexer cised by
    congress.I
    ti snotapowerexer cisedbyadel egatedent i
    ty,
    whichisthecasei nt hecaseofal gu.
     E:Soifthelguistheoneexer ci
    singeminentdomai n,
    theissueofnecessi t
    yisr eadil
    ysubjecttoj udi
    cial
    revi
    ew.There’
    snowayt hel guscansayt hatintheir
    j
    udgment ,t
    hereisaneedt oexpr opr
    iat
    ethepr operty
    becausetheyfeelthatitisnecessaryandt heref
    ore,
    i
    tshouldbebey ondjudi
    cialr
    ev i
    ew.
    o Reason f ort her ule:Congr essexer cisesor igi
    nalpower
    whilelgusexer ciseitfrom ader ivat
    ivepower .Lgusder iv
    ed
    the powert o expr opri
    atef rom congr ess because i t
    ’s
    delegated and i n ev er
    y del egati
    on,t he del egate,the
    momenti tex ercisest hepower ,isalway ssubj ecttothe
    authorit
    ygr antedt oit,sothecour t,t
    herefore,hasaut hori
    ty
    todetermi neWONt hedelegateisper f
    ormi ngthedel egat
    ed
    poweri naccor dancewi ththepol i
    cyorst andardgi vento
    thedelegat e.
     LOURDESDELAPAZMASI
    KIPVSCI
    TYOFPASI
    G
    oI
    SSUE:WON THERE WAS A GENUI
    NE NECESSI
    TY FOR
    EXPROPRI
    ATI
    ON?
    o RULING: NO.Judici
    alreview ofthe exerci
    se ofemi nent
    domai nisli
    mitedtothefoll
    owingareasofconcern:(a)the
    adequacyoft hecompensat i
    on,(
    b)t henecessi
    tyoft he
    taki
    ng,and( c)thepubli
    cusechar acterofthepurposeof
    thetaking.
    o TheCour
    tdef
    ineswhatconst
    it
    utesgenui
    nenecessi
    tyf
    or
    publ
    i
    cuse.
    oI
    nt hiscase,pet i
    tionercont endst hatrespondentCi tyof
    Pasi gfail
    edt oest abli
    shagenui nenecessi t
    ywhi chjusti
    fi
    es
    the condemnat i
    on ofherpr operty.While she doesnot
    disputet he intended publ ic purpose,nonet hel
    ess,she
    i
    nsist st hatt heremustbe a genui ne necessityf orthe
    proposeduseandpur poses.Accor dingtopet i
    ti
    oner,t
    here
    i
    s al r
    eady an est abl
    ished spor t
    s dev elopment and
    recreationalact i
    vi
    tycent eratRai nfor
    estParki nPasigCity,
    full
    y oper ati
    onaland bei ng ut i
    l
    ized by i tsr esi
    dents,
    i
    ncludi ngt hosefrom Bar angayCani ogan.Respondentdoes
    notdi sput ethis.Ev i
    dently
    ,t her
    ei sno“ genuinenecessity”
    t
    ojust
    if
    ytheexpr
    opr
    iat
    ion.
    o The r i
    ghtt ot ake privat
    e propertyf orpubl i
    c pur poses
    necessar i
    l
    yor i
    ginatesf r
    om “thenecessi t
    y ”andt het aki
    ng
    mustbel imitedt osuchnecessi ty
    .Thev er yfoundat ionof
    therighttoexer ciseemi nentdomainisagenui nenecessi t
    y
    andt hatnecessi tymustbeofapubl icchar acter.Mor eover,
    the ascer t
    ainmentof t he necessity mustpr ecede or
    accompanyand notf oll
    ow,t hetaking oft hel and.The
    necessitywi t
    hint her ulethattheparticularpr opertyt obe
    expropriat
    ed must be necessar y,does not mean an
    absolutebutonl yar easonableorpract i
    calnecessi ty,such
    aswoul dcombi net hegr eat
    estbenef i
    ttot hepubl i
    cwi t
    h
    theleasti nconv enienceandexpenset ot hecondemni ng
    part
    yandt hepr opertyownerconsistentwi thsuchbenef i
    t.
    o Appl yi
    ngt hisst andar d,wehol dt hatr espondentCi tyof
    Pasi g has f ailed t o est ablish t hatt her ei s a genui ne
    necessi tyt oexpr opriatepet itioner ’spr oper ty.Ourscr ut
    iny
    oft her ecor dsshowst hatt heCer ti
    ficationi ssuedbyt he
    Cani oganBar angayCounci l
    ,t hebasi sf ort hepassageof
    OrdinanceNo.42s.1993aut hor i
    zingt heexpr opriati
    on,
    i
    ndicat est hatt hei ntendedbenef i
    ciaryi st heMel endr es
    CompoundHomeowner sAssoci ation,apr i
    vat e,non- profi
    t
    organizat ion,nott he r esident s ofCani ogan.I tcan be
    gleaned t hatt he member soft he sai d Associ ati
    on ar e
    desirous ofhav i
    ng t heirown pr i
    vat e pl ay ground and
    recreationalf acilit
    y.Pet i
    ti
    oner ’sl oti st henear estv acant
    spaceav ail
    abl e.Thepur posei s,t herefor e,notcl earl
    yand
    categor i
    cal lypubl i
    c.Thenecessi tyhasnotbeenshown,
    especi all
    y consi deri
    ng t hatt here exi sts an al t
    ernative
    facil
    ityf orspor tsdev elopmentandcommuni t
    yr ecreation
    i
    nt hear ea,whi chi st heRai nf orestPar k,av ail
    ablet oall
    residentsofPasi gCity,includingt hoseofCani ogan.
    i
    i
    .pr
    ivat
    epr
    oper
    ty
    i
    i
    i.t
    aki
    ng
    i
    v.publ
    i
    cuse/
    publ
    i
    cpur
    pose
    v
    .justcompensat
    ion
    v
    i.duepr
    ocess
    o b.Speci
    fi
    cRequi
    rement
    s
    i
    .Anor di
    nanceisenact
    edbythelocall
    egisl
    ati
    vecouncilauthor
    izi
    ngthe
    l
    ocalchiefexecuti
    ve,i
    nbehalfoft helgu,toexerciset hepowerof
    eminentdomainorpursueexpropri
    ati
    onproceedi
    ngsov eraparti
    cul
    ar
    pr
    ivatepr
    opert
    y.
     MUNICI
    PALI
    TYOFPARANAQUEVSV. M.REALTYCORPORATION
    –Thepowerofemi
    nentdomai
    nbyLGUsmaybeeff
    ectedonl
    yby
    or
    dinancenotbyamer
    eresol
    uti
    on.
    oIssue:WhetherorNotanLGUcanexerci
    seitspowerof
    emi nentdomai
    npursuantt
    oar
    esol
    uti
    onbyit
    slaw-
    making
    body .
    o Held:UnderSect ion19,oft hepr esentLocalGov ernment
    Code( RA7160) ,itisstatedast hefi
    rstrequisit
    ethatLGUs
    canexer ci
    sei tspowerofemi nentdomai nifthereisan
    ordinance enacted by i t
    sl egislat
    ive body enabl i
    ng the
    muni ci
    palchiefexecut i
    ve.Ar esolut
    ioni snotanor dinance,
    thef ormerisonl yanopi nionofal aw-makingbody ,the
    l
    atterisalaw.Thecaseci t
    edbyPet i
    tionerinvol
    vesBP337,
    whichwast hepr evi
    ousLocalGov ernmentCode,whi chis
    obviouslynol ongeri nef f
    ect .RA 7160pr evail
    sov erthe
    ImplementingRul es,theformerbei ngt helawi t
    selfandthe
    l
    atteronlyanadmi nistr
    ativer ulewhi chcannotamendt he
    former.
    o Resol
    utioni sjustanexpressi
    onoft hesenti
    mentofthe
    l
    ocallegislat
    ivebodywhi
    leanor di
    nancehasthef
    orceand
    ef
    fectofl aw,whichi
    snotthecaseofaresol
    uti
    on.
    o Wear enotconv i
    ncedbypet i
    tioner’sinsist
    encet hatthe
    terms “ r
    esolution”and “or dinance”ar e sy nony mous.A
    muni ci
    palor dinance is differentf rom a r esoluti
    on.An
    ordinancei sal aw,butar esolut i
    oni smer elyadecl arati
    on
    oft hesent imentoropi ni onofal awmaki ngbodyona
    specifi
    cmat ter.Anor di
    nancepossessesagener aland
    permanentchar act
    er,buta r esoluti
    on ist empor aryin
    nature.Addi t
    ionally
    ,thet woar eenact eddi f
    ferentl
    y– a
    thi
    rdr eadingi snecessaryf oranor di
    nance,butnotf ora
    resoluti
    on,unlessdecidedot her wisebyamaj orit
    yofal lt
    he
    Sangguni anmember s.
    i
    i.Thepowerofeminentdomaini
    sexerci
    sedforpubl
    i
    cuse,
    pur
    poseor
    welf
    are,
    orfort
    hebenefi
    tofthepoorandt
    helandl
    ess.
    i
    ii
    .Therei
    spaymentofjustcompensati
    on,
    asr
    equi
    redunderSec.9,
    Art
    .
    3oftheconst
    i,andot
    herpert
    inentl
    aws.
    i
    v .Avali
    danddef i
    nit
    eofferhasbeenprevi
    ousl
    ymadetotheownerof
    thepropert
    ysoughttobeexpropr
    iated,
    butsai
    doff
    erwasnotaccept
    ed
    oritwasreject
    ed.(
    Sec.19)
     Note:The4threqui
    rementispecul
    i
    artoanexpropri
    ati
    ondoneby
    algu.Thisisnotr equi
    redifi
    tisdonebyal lot
    herenti
    ti
    es(i
    .e.
    nat
    ionalgover
    nmentandpubl i
    cuti
    l
    itycompani
    es)
     Add–I
    nre:
    Expr
    opr
    iat
    ionf
    orur
    bandev
    elopmentandhousi
    ng
    v.Pri
    ori
    ti
    esintheacqui
    sit
    ionofl
    andshal
    lbecompliedwithas
    mandatedbyRA7279( UrbanDevel
    opmentandHousingActof
    1992)(meani
    ng:pr
    ivat
    elandsshoul
    dbelastint
    heselect
    ionof
    l
    and!
    )(Sec.9ofRA7279)
    o Sec.9.Prior
    it
    iesintheAcquisi
    ti
    onofLand.— Landsfor
    soci
    ali
    zedhousingshal
    lbeacqui
    redi
    nthef
    oll
    owingorder
    :
    (a)Thoseownedbyt heGov ernmentoranyofi t
    s
    subdivi
    sions,i
    nstr
    ument
    ali
    ti
    es,oragencies,
    incl
    udi
    ng
    government -
    ownedor-contr
    oll
    edcor porat
    ionsand
    thei
    rsubsidiar
    ies;
    (
    b)Al
    i
    enabl
    elandsoft
    hepubl
    i
    cdomai
    n;
    (
    c)Unr
    egi
    ster
    edorabandonedandi
    dlel
    ands;
    (d)Those withi
    nt he declar
    ed Areas forPr i
    orit
    y
    Devel
    opment,ZonalImprovementProgram sit
    es,and
    Slum I
    mprov
    ementandReset tlementProgram sit
    es
    whichhav
    enoty etbeenacquired;
    (e) Bagong Li
    punan Impr
    ovement of Si
    tes and
    Servi
    cesorBLISS sit
    eswhich hav
    enoty etbeen
    acquir
    ed;and
    (
    f)Pr
    ivat
    ely
    -ownedl
    ands.
    o Whereopen-si
    tedevelopmenti sfoundmor epract
    icabl
    e
    and advant
    ageous tot he benefici
    ari
    es,the pri
    ori
    ti
    es
    menti
    oned inthis secti
    on shallnotappl y
    .The l ocal
    gover
    nmentunitsshallgivebudgetarypri
    ori
    tyt
    oon- sit
    e
    dev
    elopmentofgover
    nmentl ands.
    vi
    .Expropri
    ati
    onshallberesort
    edt oonlywhenothermodesof
    acqui
    sit
    ionhavebeenexhausted(Sec.10ofRA7279)
    o Sec. 10.ModesofLandAcqui sit
    ion.— Themodesof
    acquiring lands f orpur poses oft his Actshal li nclude,
    amongot hers,communi tymor tgage,landswappi ng,land
    assembl yorconsol i
    dat i
    on,landbanki ng,donat i
    ont othe
    Gov ernment ,joint-ventureagreement ,negotiatedpur chase,
    andexpr opriation:Pr ov i
    ded,howev er
    ,Thatexpr opr i
    ati
    on
    shallber esor tedt oonl ywhenot hermodel sofacqui si
    ti
    on
    have been exhaust ed: Provided,f urther,That wher e
    expropr i
    ationisr esor tedto,parcelsoflandownedbysmal l
    proper t
    yowner sshal lbeexempt edforpur posesoft hisAct:
    Prov i
    ded,f i
    nal l
    y ,That abandoned pr operty,as her ei
    n
    defi
    ned,shal lber evertedandescheat edt otheSt atei na
    proceedinganal ogoust othepr ocedurel ai
    ddowni nRul e
    91oft heRul esofCour t
    .
    o Forthepur poseofsoci ali
    zedhousing,gov er
    nment -
    owned
    andf or
    eclosedpr oper
    ti
    esshallbeacqui r
    edbyt helocal
    governmentuni ts,orbyt heNat i
    onalHousi ng Authori
    ty
    pri
    mar ythr ough negot i
    ated purchase: Provi
    ded,That
    quali
    fi
    ed benef i
    ciari
    eswho areact ualoccupantsoft he
    l
    andshallbegi vent heri
    ghtoff
    irstrefusal
    .
     Note:Thesearejur
    isdict
    ionalal
    l
    egati
    ons.Theyshoul
    dbeal
    l
    eged,
    ot
    herwise,expr
    opri
    ationcasewillbedi
    smissed.
     Not
    es:
     The l gu has the burden of pr
    ovi
    ng that t
    he foregoi
    ng
    requi
    rementshavebeencompl i
    edwithandthatal
    lreasonabl
    e
    effor
    tshavebeenexhausted.
     Val
    idanddef
    ini
    teofferasshowninthet
    it
    leoft
    hel
    and,t
    hus,l
    gu
    canrel
    yonwhatappear si
    nt het
    it
    leastowhoist
    heregi
    ster
    ed
    owneroft
    heproper
    ty.
     Resjudi
    catadoesnotappl ytothest
    ateinsofarastheri
    ghtt o
    expr
    opri
    ateisconcernedbutast oothermat ter
    ssuchasj ust
    compensati
    onandarea, r
    esjudi
    cat
    aappl
    ies,butastother
    ightto
    expr
    opri
    ate,
    noresjudicata.
     Section19.Emi nentDomai n.-Al ocalgov ernmentuni tmay ,throughi t
    s
    chiefexecut iveandact ingpur suantt oanor dinance, exer ciset hepower
    ofemi nentdomai nf orpubl i
    cuse,orpur poseorwel f aref ort hebenef it
    oft hepoorandt hel andless,uponpay mentofj ustcompensat i
    on,
    pursuantt ot he prov i
    sions oft he Const i
    tution and per t
    inentl aws:
    Prov i
    ded,howev er,Thatt hepowerofemi nentdomai nmaynotbe
    exercisedunl essav al i
    danddef initeofferhasbeenpr eviousl ymadet o
    theowner ,andsuchof ferwasnotaccept ed:Pr ovi
    ded,f urther,Thatt he
    l
    ocalgov ernmentuni tmayi mmedi atel
    yt akepossessi onoft heproper t
    y
    upont hef il
    ingoft heexpr opriati
    onpr oceedi ngsanduponmaki nga
    deposi twitht hepr opercour tofatl eastfifteenper cent( 15%)oft hef air
    mar ketval ueoft hepr oper t
    ybasedont hecur renttaxdecl arationoft he
    propertyt obeexpr opr i
    ated:Pr ov i
    ded,f inally,That ,t heamountt obe
    paidf ort heexpr opriatedpr opertyshal lbedet er
    mi nedbyt hepr oper
    court,basedont hef airmar ketv alueatt het imeoft het akingoft he
    property.
     Ar
    ts.32-
    37,
    IRR
     Art.32.WhenExer cised.-( a)AnLGU may ,t hr
    oughi t
    schi ef
    executi
    ve and acting pursuantto an or
    dinance,exerci
    se the
    powerofemi nentdomai nforpubli
    cuse,purpose,orwelfareof
    thepoorandt helandless,uponpaymentofj ustcompensation,
    pursuantt
    ot heprovisi
    onsoft heConst
    it
    uti
    onandper ti
    nentlaws.
    (b)Thepowerofemi
    nentdomainmaynotbeexer
    cisedunl
    essa
    vali
    danddefi
    nit
    eoff
    erhasbeenprev
    iousl
    ymadet otheowner
    ,
    andsuchoff
    erwasnotaccept
    ed.
     Art
    .33.Publi
    cUse,Purpose,orWel
    far
    e.-Thefol
    lowi
    ngshall,
    amongother
    s,beconsi
    der
    edaspubl
    icuse,
    pur
    pose,
    orwelf
    are:
    o(
    a)Soci
    ali
    zedhousi
    ng;
    o(
    b)Construct
    ionorext
    ensi
    onofr oads,st
    reet
    s,si
    dewal
    ks,
    v
    iaduct
    s,bri
    dges,
    fer
    ri
    es,l
    evees,
    wharves,orpi
    ers;
    o(
    c)Const
    ruct
    ionori
    mpr
    ovementofpubl
    i
    cbui
    l
    dings;
    o(
    d)Est
    abl
    i
    shmentofpar
    ks,
    play
    grounds,
    orpl
    azas;
    o(
    e)Est
    abl
    i
    shmentofmar
    ketpl
    aces;
    o(
    f)Const
    ruct
    ionofar
    tesi
    anwel
    l
    sorwat
    ersuppl
    ysy
    stems;
    o(
    g)Est
    abl
    i
    shmentofcemet
    eri
    esorcr
    emat
    ori
    es;
    o(h)Establ
    i
    shmentofdr
    ainage sy
    stems,cesspool
    s,or
    sewer
    agesy st
    ems;
    o(
    i)Const
    ruct
    ionofi
    rr
    igat
    ioncanal
    sordams;
    o(
    j)Est
    abl
    i
    shmentofnur
    ser
    ies,
    heal
    thcent
    ers,
    orhospi
    tal
    s;
    o(
    k)Est
    abl
    i
    shmentofabat
    toi
    rs;
    and
    o(l
    )Bui
    l
    dingofr
    esear
    ch,br
    eedi
    ng,ordi
    sper
    salcent
    ersf
    or
    ani
    mal
    s.
     Art.34.Prerequisi
    tes.-I
    nacqui r
    ingpr
    ivatepropert
    yforpublicuse
    orpur pose,LGUshal lfi
    rstest
    ablisht
    hesuitabil
    it
    yofthepr opert
    y
    tobeacqui redf ortheusei nt
    ended,thenproceedtoobt ainfr
    om
    thepr operaut hori
    tiesthenecessaryl ocati
    onalclear
    anceand
    otherr equirementsi mposed underexi sti
    ng laws,r ules and
    regulati
    ons.
     Art.35.OffertoBuyandCont r
    actofSal
    e.-(a)Theoffertobuy
    priv
    atepropertyforpubl
    icuseorpurposeshallbeinwrit
    ing.I
    t
    shallspeci
    f ythe(1)propert
    ysoughtt o beacqui
    red,(2)the
    reasonsforit
    sacquisi
    ti
    on,and(3)t
    hepri
    ceoffer
    ed.
    (b)I
    ft heownerorowner sacceptt
    heoff
    erinitsent
    ir
    ety
    ,a
    cont
    ractofsal
    eshal
    lbeexecut
    edandpay
    mentf
    ort
    hwit
    hmade.
    (c)Iftheownerorowner sar ewilli
    ngtosel lt
    heirpropertybutata
    pri
    cehi gherthanthatofferedt ot hem,thel ocalchiefexecuti
    ve
    shallcallthem toaconf erencef orthepur poseofr eachi
    ngan
    agreementont hesell
    ingpr i
    ce( Note:Fai l
    uretoconductsuch
    conferencei sagroundt odi smisst hecasewhennotal l
    eged)
    .
    Thechai rmanoft heappr opriat
    ionorf i
    nancecommi tt
    eeoft he
    sanggunian,orinhisabsence,anymemberoft hesangguni an
    duly chosen as i t
    sr epr esentati
    ve,shal lpar t
    ici
    patei nt he
    conference.Whenanagr eementi sreached byt hepar t
    ies,a
    contractofsaleshal
    lbedr awnandexecut ed.
    (d)Thecont
    ractofsal
    eshal
    lbesuppor
    ted byt
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ng
    document
    s:
    o(1)Resoluti
    onofthesangguni
    anauthor
    izi
    ngthel
    ocalchi
    ef
    executi
    vet oenterint
    oacont r
    actofsale.Ther
    esoluti
    on
    shallspecif
    yt het
    ermsandconditi
    onst obeembodiedin
    thecontract;
    o(2)Ordi
    nanceappr
    opr
    iat
    ingt
    heamountspeci
    fi
    edi
    nthe
    cont
    ract
    ;and
    o(3)Certi
    fi
    cationofthelocaltr
    easurerastoav ai
    l
    abili
    tyof
    fundstogetherwi
    thastatementthatsuchfundshallnotbe
    disbur
    sedorspentf oranypur poseotherthantopayf or
    thepurchaseofthepropert
    yinvol
    ved.
     Art.36.Expropri
    ati
    onProceedings.-(
    a)I ftheLGUf ai
    l
    stoacquire
    apr iv
    atepr opert
    yf orpublicuse,pur pose,orwel f
    arethrough
    purchase,LGUmayexpr opr
    iatesai
    dpr opertyt
    hrougharesoluti
    on
    oft he sanggunian author
    izing i
    ts chiefexecutivetoi ni
    ti
    ate
    expropri
    ati
    onpr oceedi
    ngs.
    (b)Thelocalchiefexecuti
    veshallcausetheprovi
    nci
    al,cit
    y,or
    munici
    palatt
    orneyconcernedor,inhi
    sabsence,t
    heprovinci
    alor
    cit
    yprosecut
    or,tof i
    l
    eexpr opr
    iati
    onproceedi
    ngsinthepr oper
    courti
    naccordancewi t
    ht heRulesofCourtandotherperti
    nent
    l
    aws.
    (c)TheLGUmayi mmedi atelytakepossessionoft heproper
    ty
    uponthefil
    ingofexpropri
    ationproceedi
    ngsanduponmaki nga
    deposi
    twiththepropercourtofatleastfift
    eenpercent(
    15%)of
    thefai
    rmar ketval
    ueoft hepr opert
    ybasedont hecurrenttax
    decl
    arat
    ionoftheproper
    tytobeexpr opri
    ated.
     Art.37.Payment.-Theamounttobepaidf ort
    heexpropr
    iat
    ed
    propert
    yshallbedeter
    minedbythepropercour
    t,basedonthe
    fai
    rmar ketv
    alueatt
    heti
    meofthetaki
    ngoftheproper
    ty.
     JESUSISLORDCHRI
    STI
    AN SCHOOLFOUNDATI
    ON I
    NC.VSMUN.OF
    PASIG
    I
    ssue:Whet
    herornott
    her
    ewasduepr
    ocess.
     Ruli
    ng:Emi nentDomai n:Nat ureandScope–Ther i
    ghtofemi nent
    domai ni susual l
    yunder st
    ood t o be an ul ti
    mat er ightoft he
    sovereignpowert oappr opriateanypr opertywi thi
    ni tst erri
    torial
    sovereigntyforapubl icpur pose.Thenat ureandscopeofsuch
    powerhasbeencompr ehensi vel
    ydescr ibedasf oll
    ows:. .
    .Itisan
    i
    ndispensabl eat tri
    buteofsov er
    eignty;apowergr oundedi nt he
    pri
    mar ydut yofgov ernmentt o servet hecommon need and
    advancet hegener alwel far
    e.Thus,t her ightofemi nentdomai n
    appertains t o ev eryi ndependent gov ernment wi thout t he
    necessityf orconst i
    tuti
    onalr ecogni t
    ion.Thepr ov i
    sionsf oundi n
    moder nconst i
    tuti
    onsofci vil
    izedcount riesr el
    atingt ot het aking
    ofpr opertyf ort hepubl i
    cusedonotbyi mplicati
    ongr antt he
    powert ot he gov ernment ,butl imi tthe powerwhi ch woul d,
    otherwise,bewi thoutlimit.Thus,ourownConst it
    utionpr ovides
    that“[p]ri
    vatepr opertyshal lnotbet akenf orpubl icusewi thout
    j
    ustcompensat i
    on.”Fur thermor e,t he due pr ocess and equal
    protecti
    on cl auses actas addi tionalsaf eguards agai nstt he
    arbi
    traryexerciseoft hisgov ernment alpower .
     Str
    ictConst
    ruct
    ionandBur
    denofProof– Theexerciseoft
    he
    ri
    ghtofeminentdomai
    n,whet
    herdi
    rect
    lybytheStateorbyit
    s
    authori
    zedagent s, i
    snecessar il
    yi nder ogati
    onofpr ivateright s.It
    i
    s one of t he har shest pr oceedi ngs known t o t he l aw.
    Consequent l
    y,when t he sov ereign del egates the powert oa
    poli
    ti
    calunitoragency ,astr i
    ctconst ructionwillbegivenagai nst
    theagencyasser ti
    ngt hepower .Theaut hori
    tyt ocondemni st o
    be stri
    ctl
    yconst rued inf avoroft he ownerand agai nstt he
    condemnor .Whent hepoweri sgr ant ed,theext enttowhi chi t
    may be exer cised i sl i
    mited t ot he expr ess terms orcl ear
    i
    mpl i
    cati
    on oft he st atutei n whi ch t he granti s cont ained.
    Coroll
    ari
    ly
    ,t he respondent ,whi ch i st he condemnor ,has t he
    burdenofpr ovingal ltheessent ialsnecessar yt oshow t her i
    ght
    ofcondemnat ion.I thast hebur denofpr ooftoest abli
    sht hati t
    hascompl iedwi thal lther equirement spr ovi
    dedbyl aw f ort he
    val
    idexerciseoft hepowerofemi nentdomai n.
     TheCour tdecl
    aredthatthef ol
    lowi
    ngrequi
    sit
    esf ortheval
    id
    exerci
    seofthepowerofemi nentdomai
    nbyal ocalgov
    ernment
    unitmustbecompli
    edwith:
    o 1.Anor dinanceisenactedbyt helocall
    egi
    slat
    ivecouncil
    authori
    zi
    ngt helocalchi
    efexecuti
    ve,inbehal
    foft helocal
    governmentunit,t
    oexer ci
    sethepowerofemi nentdomai n
    orpur sue expropri
    ati
    on proceedi
    ngs overa par ti
    cular
    pri
    vateproperty
    .
    o 2.Thepowerofeminentdomai
    nisexerci
    sedf
    orpubl
    icuse,
    purposeorwel
    far
    e,orf ort
    hebenefi
    tofthepoorandthe
    l
    andless.
    o 3.Ther eispaymentofjustcompensat
    ion,asr equi
    red
    underSecti
    on9,Arti
    cleI
    IIoftheConsti
    tut
    ion,andother
    pert
    inentl
    aws.
    o 4.Aval
    idanddefi
    niteoff
    erhasbeenpr
    evi
    ouslymadet o
    theowneroft
    hepr oper
    tysoughtt
    obeexpropri
    ated,but
    sai
    doff
    erwasnotaccept
    ed.
     Val
    id and Def
    ini
    te Of
    fer– Ar
    t.35 oft
    he I
    RR oft
    he LGC
    pr
    ovides…………….
     The r espondent was bur dened t o pr ove t he mandat or y
    requirementofav ali
    danddef i
    nit eoff
    ert ot heowneroft he
    proper t
    ybef or
    ef i
    li
    ngi t
    scompl aintandt her ejecti
    ont hereofby
    thel atter.I
    tisincumbentupont hecondemnort oexhaustal l
    reasonabl eeffor
    tst oobtaint hel anditdesiresbyagr eement .
    Failuret oprov
    ecompl iancewi tht hemandat oryr equirementwi l
    l
    resultint hedismissalofthecompl ai
    nt.Anof ferisauni l
    ater al
    proposi ti
    on which one par ty makes t ot he ot her f or t he
    celebration ofa cont r
    act.Itcr eat es a powerofaccept ance
    permi tt
    ingtheof f
    eree,byaccept ingtheof fer,tot r
    ansf ormt he
    offeror’
    spr omisei nt
    o acont ract ualobligati
    on.Cor ollari
    ly,t he
    offermustbecompl ete,i
    ndicatingwi thsuf f
    icientclear nesst he
    ki
    nd ofcont r
    actintended and def i
    nitel
    ystati
    ng the essent
    ial
    condi
    ti
    ons oft he proposed contract.An off
    erwoul dr equi
    re,
    amongot herthi
    ngs,acl earcert
    aintyonbotht heobjectandthe
    causeorconsider
    ati
    onoft heenvi
    sionedcontr
    act.
     Thepur poseoft herequi rementofav alidanddef i
    niteof fert obe
    fi
    rstmade t ot he owneri st o encour age set tlement s and
    voluntaryacqui si
    ti
    onofpr opertyneededf orpubl icpur posesi n
    ordertoav oidtheexpenseanddel ayofacour tacti
    on.Thel awi s
    designedt ogi vet ot heownert heoppor tunitytosel lhi sl and
    withoutt he expense and i nconv enience ofa pr otract ed and
    expensiveliti
    gat i
    on.Thi si sasubst anti
    alr ightwhi chshoul dbe
    protectedinev eryi nstance.I tencour agesacqui siti
    onwi thout
    l
    iti
    gation and spar es notonl yt he landownerbutal so t he
    condemnor ,t heexpensesanddel aysofl it
    igat i
    on.Itper mi tst he
    l
    andownert or eceiv
    ef ullcompensat ion,andt heent it
    yacqui ri
    ng
    thepr operty,immedi ateuseandenj oymentoft hepr oper ty.A
    reasonableof f
    eri ngood f ai
    th,notmer elyper functor yorpr o
    formaof fer,toacqui ret heproper tyforar easonabl epr icemust
    bemadet ot heownerorhi spr i
    vy.Asi nglebonaf i
    deof ferthati s
    rej
    ectedbyt heownerwi llsuf
    fice.
    Int hepr esentcase,t her espondentf ai
    ledt opr ov ethatbef oreit
    fi
    ledi tscompl ai
    nt,itmadeawr itt
    endef initeandv ali
    dof ferto
    acqui r
    et hepr opertyf orpubl icuseasanaccessr oad.Theonl y
    evidenceadducedbyt herespondentt opr ov ei t
    scompl iancewi th
    Sect i
    on19oft heLocalGov er nmentCodei st hephot ocopyoft he
    l
    et t
    erpur por tedlybear ingt hesi gnat ureofEngr .JoseRey es,to
    onlyone oft he co-owner s,Lor enzo Chi ng Cuanco.I tbear s
    stressing,howev er,thatt her espondentof feredt heletteronl yto
    prov eitsdesi r eorintentt oacqui ret hepr oper tyf orar i
    ght -
    of -
    way.
    Thedocumentwasnotof fered t o prov et hatt her espondent
    madeadef initeandv alidoff ertoacqui ret hepr oper t
    y.Mor eov er
    ,
    theRTCr eject edthedocumentbecauset her espondentf ail
    edt o
    adducei nev idencet heor iginalcopyt hereof .Ther espondent ,
    l
    ikewi se,failedt oadduceev idencet hatcopi esoft heletterwer e
    sentt oandr eceivedbyal ltheco- owner soft hepr operty,namel y
    ,
    LorenzoChi ngCuanco, VictorChi ngCuancoandEr nestoKho.
     Thereisnol egalandf actualbasistot heCA’ sruli
    ngt hatthe
    annotati
    onofanot iceofl i
    spendensatt hedor salpor ti
    onof
    peti
    ti
    oner ’
    sTCTNo.PT- 92579i sasubst anti
    alcompl i
    ancewi th
    therequisi
    teoffer.Anot i
    ceofl i
    spendensi sanot i
    cet othewhol e
    worl
    d oft he pendencyofan act i
    on inv olv
    ing the tit
    let o or
    possessionofr ealproper tyandawar ningt hatthosewhoacqui re
    aninterestinthepr opertydosoatt heirownr iskandt hatthey
    gambleont her esul toft hel i
    ti
    gati
    onov eri t.Mor eover,thel i
    s
    pendenswasannot at edatt hedorsalportionoft het i
    tl
    eonl yon
    November26, 1993, longaf tert
    hecompl ainthadbeenf il
    edi nthe
    RTCagai nsttheChi ngCuancos.
     Neitheri st hedecl arati
    oni noneoft hewher eascl ausesoft he
    ordi
    nancet hat“ thepr opertyowner swer ealreadynot ifi
    edbyt he
    muni cipali
    tyoft hei ntenttopur chaset hesamef orpublicuseas
    amuni cipalr oad,”asubst ant i
    alcompl iancewi t
    ht herequirement
    ofav ali
    danddef initeofferunderSect ion19ofR. A.No.7160.
    Presumabl y,t he Sangguni ang Bay an r el
    ied on t he erroneous
    premi set hatt hel etterofEngr .Rey esr eachedt heco-owner sof
    thepr oper t
    y .Int heabsenceofcompet entev idencet hat,indeed,
    ther espondentmadeadef ini
    teandv ali
    dof fertoal lt heco-
    owner soft hepr oper t
    y,asidefrom t hel et
    terofEngr .Reyes,the
    declarationi nt heor dinancei snotacompl iancewi thSect ion19
    ofR.A.No.7160.
     Publ i
    cNecessi ty–Wer ej
    ectt hecont entionoft hepet i
    ti
    onert hat
    i
    tspr opertycannol ongerbeexpr opr iatedbyt her espondent
    becausei tisi
    ntendedfortheconst r
    uct ionofapl aceforreligious
    wor shipandaschoolf oritsmember s.Asapt lyexplai
    nedbyt hi
    s
    Cour tinManoscav .CourtofAppeal s, t
    hus:I thasbeenexpl ained
    asear lyasSeñav .Mani laRail
    roadCo. ,that:...A historical
    resear chdiscl
    osest hemeani ngofthet erm“ publi
    cuse”t obeone
    ofconst antgrowth.Associ etyadvances,i tsdemandsupont he
    i
    ndiv i
    duali ncr
    easesandeachdemandi sanewuset owhi cht he
    resour cesoft heindivi
    dualmaybedev ot ed...
    .f or“whatev eris
    benef i
    ciall
    yempl oyedforthecommuni t
    yi sapubl i
    cuse. ”
     The subj ect pr opertyi s expr opri
    ated for the pur pose of
    constructi
    ngar oad.Ther espondenti snotmandat edt ocompl y
    witht heessent ialrequi sit
    esf oran easementofr ight-of
    -way
    undert heNewCi vilCode.Casel awhasi tthatintheabsenceof
    l
    egislati
    verest
    riction,thegr anteeofthepowerofemi nentdomai n
    maydet er
    minet hel ocationandr outeoft helandt obet aken
    unlesssuchdet erminationi scapriciousandwant onlyi njur
    ious.
    Expropriat
    ionisj usti
    fiedsol ongasi tisforthepublicgoodand
    thereisgenuinenecessi tyofpubl iccharacter.Governmentmay
    notcapr i
    ci
    ouslychoosewhatpr i
    vatepropert
    yshouldbet aken.
     Ther espondenthasdemonst ratedt henecessi tyforconstructing
    ar oad from E.R.Sant os St reetto St o.Tomas Buki d.The
    wi t
    nesses, whower eresident sofSt o.TomasBuki d,testi
    fi
    edt hat
    althought herewer eot herway st hr
    oughwhi chonecanent erthe
    vicini
    ty,nov ehicle,howev er ,especi all
    yfi
    r etrucks,couldent erthe
    areaexceptt hrought henewl yconst r
    uctedDamay anSt reet.This
    i
    s mor et han suf fi
    cientt o est abli
    sh thatt herei s a genui ne
    necessi t
    yf ort heconst ruct i
    onofar oadi nt hear ea.Af teral l
    ,
    absol ut
    enecessi tyisnotr equi red,onlyr easonableandpr actical
    necessi t
    ywi llsuffice.Nonet hel ess,therespondentf ailedtoshow
    the necessi tyf or const ructing t he r oad par ti
    cularlyint he
    pet i
    ti
    oner’spr oper t
    yandnotel sewher e.Wenot ethatthewher eas
    clauseoft heor dinancest atest hatthe51- squaremet erl
    oti sthe
    shor t
    estandmostsui t
    ableaccessr oadt oconnectSt o.Tomas
    Bukidt oE.R.Sant osSt r
    eet
    .Ther espondent’scomplaintalso
    all
    eged thatt hesaid por
    ti
    on ofthepet i
    tioner
    ’slothasbeen
    surveyedast hebestpossibl
    eingr
    essandegr ess.Howev er
    ,the
    respondentfai l
    ed t
    o adducea preponderanceofev idencet o
    proveitscl
    aims.
     Ascor r
    ect l
    ypoi ntedoutbyt hepet i
    tioner,ther eisnoshowi ngin
    ther ecor dthatanocul arinspectionwasconduct eddur i
    ngt he
    tri
    al.If,atall
    ,thet ri
    alcour tconduct edanocul ari
    nspect i
    onoft he
    subjectpr opert ydur i
    ngt het ri
    al,thepet iti
    onerwasnotnot i
    fi
    ed
    thereof.Thepet it
    ionerwas,t herefor e,depr i
    vedofi tsrighttodue
    process.I tbear sstressingthatanocul arinspectionispar tofthe
    tri
    alasev i
    dencei st herebyreceivedandt hepar ti
    esareent it
    ledto
    bepr esentatanyst ageoft het r
    ial.Consequent ly
    ,wher e,asi n
    thi
    scase,t hepet iti
    onerwasnotnot i
    fiedofanyocul arinspect i
    on
    ofthepr opert
    y ,anyf actualfi
    ndingoft hecour tbasedont hesaid
    i
    nspect ionhasnopr obat i
    vewei ght.Thef indingsofthet ri
    alcour t
    basedont heconductoft heocul arinspect i
    onmust ,t
    herefore,be
    rej
    ect ed.
     PROVI NCEOFCAMARI NESSURVSCA–Nei t
    hertheLGCnortheCARL
    requi
    resalgutosecureapprov
    aloftheDARasacondi t
    ionpr
    ecedentt
    o
    i
    nstit
    utethenecessar
    yexpropr
    iat
    ionproceedi
    ngs.
     Moder nl
    y,therehasbeenashi ftfrom t helit
    eraltoabr oader
    i
    nterpret
    ati
    onof“ publi
    cpur pose”or“ publi
    cuse”f orwhicht he
    powerofemi nentdomainmaybeexer cised.Theoldconceptwas
    thatthe condemned pr opertymustact uall
    ybe used byt he
    generalpubli
    c(e.
    g.roads,bridges,publicplazas,etc.
    )befor
    et he
    taki
    ng thereofcould sati
    sfyt he const i
    tut
    ionalrequi
    rementof
    “publ
    icuse”.
     Underthenew concept,“publ
    icuse”meanspubl i
    cadvantage,
    conveni
    enceforbenefi
    t,whichtendst ocont
    ri
    butethegeneral
    welf
    areandtheprosperi
    tyofthewholecommuni t
    y,l
    ikearesort
    complexfort
    our
    ist
    sorhousingproject
    .
     Theexpr opri
    ationoft hepr opertyaut hor i
    zedbyt hequest i
    oned
    resolutioni sf orapubl i
    cpur pose.Theest abli
    shmentofapi l
    ot
    dev elopmentcent er woul di nuret ot he di rectbenef i
    tand
    adv antageoft hepeopl eoft hePr ovinceofCamar i
    nesSur .Once
    oper ati
    onal ,t
    hecent erwoul dmakeav ai
    labletot hecommuni t
    y
    i
    nv aluablei nf
    or mati
    onandt echnol ogyonagr icult
    ure,f
    isheryand
    thecot tagei ndustr
    y.Ul ti
    mat ely,thel iveli
    hoodoft hef armers,
    fi
    sher men and cr aftsmen woul d be enhanced.The housi ng
    projectal so sati
    sfi
    es t he public pur pose r equir
    ementoft he
    const i.
     TheLGCdoesnotr equirethatlocalgovernmentunit
    smustf i
    rst
    securetheapprovaloft heDARf ortheconv ersi
    onoflandsfrom
    agri
    cult
    uraltonon-agricult
    uraluse,beforet heycaninsti
    tut
    et he
    necessary expr
    opriati
    on pr oceedings.Li kewise,t
    herei s no
    provi
    sion i
    nthe Comprehensi
    ve Agrar
    ian Ref
    orm Law which
    expressl
    ysubj
    ect
    stheexpropri
    ati
    onofagri
    cult
    urall
    andsbylocal
    governmentuni
    tstothecontroloftheDepartmentofAgrari
    an
    Reform.
     To sust ainthe CourtofAppeal s would mean thatt he local
    gover nmentunitscannol ongerexpr opri
    ateagricult
    urallands
    neededf ortheconst r
    ucti
    onofr oads,bri
    dges,schools,hospitals,
    etc,wi t
    houtfi
    rstapplyingforconv ersi
    onoft heuseoft helands
    witht heDepar t
    mentofAgr ari
    anRef orm,becauseal loft hese
    projectswouldnat ur
    all
    yinv
    ol veachangei nthelanduse.I neffect,
    i
    twoul dthenbet heDepartmentofAgr ar
    ianReformt oscr ut
    inize
    whet hertheexpropri
    ati
    onisf orapubl i
    cpurposeorpubl i
    cuse.
     TheCAdeci sionissetasideinsofarasitr
    equi
    restheProv
    inceof
    Camar i
    nesSurt oobt ai
    nt heappr ov
    aloftheDARt oconv er
    tor
    recl
    assi
    fypr i
    vat
    er espondents’pr
    opertyfr
    om agri
    cul
    tur
    altonon-
    agri
    cult
    uraluse.
     THE CI TY OFCEBU VS DEDAMO – Sec.19 ofRA 7160 expr essly
    providesthatjustcompensat i
    onshal
    lbedeterminedasofthet i
    meof
    actualtaki
    ngandnotasoft hedat eofthef
    il
    ingofthecomplai
    nt.(Note:
    GRi st hatjustcompensationshallbedeterminedasoft hetimeof
    actualtaki
    ngort hedateoft hefi
    l
    ingofthecomplaint
    ,whi
    chevercame
    fi
    rst.Howev er
    ,theexcept
    ioniswhendonebyl gu.
    )
     The appli
    cabl
    el aw as tot he point of reckoni
    ng f
    or t
    he
    deter
    minati
    onofj ustcompensati
    oni sSecti
    on19ofR. A.No.
    7160,whichexpr
    esslyprov
    idesthatjustcompensati
    onshal
    lbe
    deter
    minedasofthetimeofactualt
    aking.
     Thepet i
    ti
    onerhasmi sr
    eadourr uli
    nginTheNat ionalPowerCor p.
    vs.CourtofAppeal s.Wedi dnotcat egoricall
    yr uleint hatcase
    thatjustcompensat ionshoul dbedet er mi
    nedasoft hef il
    ingof
    the compl aint
    .We expl i
    cit
    lyst at
    ed thereint hatal though the
    generalruleindeterminingjustcompensat ioni nemi nentdomai n
    i
    st hev alueoft hepr opertyasoft hedat eoft hef il
    ingoft he
    compl ai
    nt,therul
    e"admi tsofanexcept ion:wher et hi
    sCour tfi
    xed
    thevalueoft hepropertyasoft hedatei twast akenandnotatt he
    dateofthecommencementoft heexpr opri
    ationpr oceedings."
     Mor ethanany thi
    ngelse,t
    heparti
    es,byasolemndocumentf r
    eely
    andv oluntari
    l
    yagr eeduponbyt hem,agreedtobeboundbyt he
    reportoft hecommi ssi
    onandappr ovedbyt het r
    ialcourt
    .The
    agreementi sacont r
    actbet
    weent heparti
    es.Ithast hefor
    ceof
    l
    aw bet weent hem andshoul dbecompl i
    edwi thingoodf ai
    th
    underAr t
    icle1159and1315oft heCivi
    lCode.
     Finall
    y,whi
    leSect
    ion4,Rule67oft heRulesofCourtprovi
    des
    thatjustcompensat
    ionshallbedet ermi
    nedatthet i
    meoft he
    fi
    lingofthecomplai
    ntforexpr
    opri
    ation,suchl
    aw cannotpr
    evai
    l
    overR.A.7160,
    whichisasubstant
    ivelaw.
     FRANCI
    AVSMUN.OFMEYCAUAYAN
    I
    ssue:Whet
    herornotpr
    iordeterminat
    ionofexi
    stenceofpubl
    ic
    pur
    posei
    snecessar
    ybef
    oretheissuanceofwri
    tofpossessi
    on
     Ruli
    ng:UnderSec.19,bef or
    eal ocalgovernmentuni tmayent er
    i
    ntothepossessionoft hepropertysoughttobeexpr opri
    ated,it
    must( 1)fi
    l
    eacompl ai
    ntforexpropr
    iati
    onsuffi
    cientinf or
    m and
    substanceint
    hepr opercourtand(2)depositwit
    ht hesai dcour t
    atleast15% oft hepr oper
    ty'sfai
    rmar ketval
    uebasedoni t
    s
    curr
    enttaxdecl
    arati
    on.Thelawdoesnotmaket hedet erminati
    on
    ofapubl i
    cpurposeacondi tionprecedenttothei ssuanceofa
    wri
    tofpossession.
     REPUBLI
    CVSLI
    M
     Oneoft hebasicpr incipl
    esenshr i
    nedi nourConst i
    tutioni st hat
    noper sonshal lbedepr i
    vedofhi spr i
    vatepr oper tywi thoutdue
    processofl aw;andi nexpr opri
    ati
    oncases,anessent i
    alel ement
    ofduepr ocessist hattheremustbej ustcompensat ionwhenev er
    pri
    v at
    epr opert
    yi st akenf orpubl icuse.Accor dingly,Sect i
    on9,
    Articl
    eIII,ofourConst it
    utionmandat es:" Pr
    ivatepr opertyshal l
    notbet aken forpubl icusewi thoutj ustcompensat ion."The
    Republicdisregardedt hef oregoingpr ov i
    sionwheni tfailedand
    refused to payr espondent ’
    s predecessor s-i
    n-interestt he j ust
    compensat ionforLot s932and939.
     TheCourtofAppealsiscor r
    ectinsay i
    ngthatRepubl
    ic’
    sdelayis
    cont
    rarytotherulesoff airplay.Injuri
    sdi
    cti
    onssimil
    artoour s,
    where an entryt ot he expr opri
    ated pr
    opert
    y precedes the
    payment of compensat ion,i t has been hel d t
    hat ift he
    compensati
    onisnotpai dinar easonablet
    ime,thepart
    ymaybe
    tr
    eatedasatrespasserabi ni
    ti
    o.
     Asear lyasMay19, 1966, i
    nValdehueza,thi
    sCour tmandat edt he
    Republ i
    ct opayr espondent ·
    spredecessors-i
    ninterestthesum of
    P16,248. 40 as " reasonable mar ketv al
    ue oft he two l otsi n
    question. "Unfortunat ely
    ,itdidnotcompl yandal l
    owedsev eral
    decadest o passwi t
    houtobey i
    ng thisCour t·
    smandat e.I tis
    tantamountt oconf iscati
    onofpr ivat
    epr oper
    t y
    .Whi l
    ei tist rue
    thatallpr iv
    atepr oper ti
    esaresubjecttotheneedofgov ernment ,
    andt hegov ernmentmayt akethem whenev ert henecessi tyor
    theexi gencyoft heoccasi ondemands,howev erf rom thet aking
    ofpr i
    vat epropertybyt hegover
    nmentundert hepowerofemi nent
    domai n,t here arises an i mpli
    ed promise to compensat et he
    ownerf orhisloss.
     Thereisarecognizedrul
    et hatt
    it
    letot heproper
    tyexpr
    opri
    ated
    shal
    lpassf r
    om t heownert otheexpr opr
    iat
    oronlyuponf ull
    paymentofthej ustcompensati
    on.So,how couldt heRepubli
    c
    acqui
    reownershi
    pov erLot932wheni thasnotpaidi
    tsownerthe
    j
    ustcompensat i
    on,requir
    ed byl aw,formor ethan 50 y
    ears?
    Cl
    earl
    y,withoutf
    ullpaymentofjustcompensat
    ion,t
    herecanbe
    notr
    ansferofti
    tl
    efrom t
    helandownertot
    heexpropri
    ator
    .
     SCr uledi near l
    iercasest hatexpr opr i
    ati
    onofl andsconsi stsof
    two st ages.Fi rstisconcer ned wi tht hedet er minati
    on oft he
    authorityoft hepl ai
    nti
    fft oexer ciset hepowerofemi nentdomai n
    andt hepr oprietyofitsexer ci se.Thesecondi sconcer nedwi th
    thedet er minationbyt hecour tof" thej ustcompensat ionfort he
    propertysoughtt obet aken."I tisonl yupont hecompl et
    ionof
    these t wo st ages thatexpr opr i
    ati
    on i s saidt o hav e been
    compl et edInRepubl icv .Salem I nvestmentCor poration,wer uled
    that,"t he pr ocess is notcompl eted unt i
    lpay mentofj ust
    compensat ion."Thus,her e,t hef ail
    ureoft heRepubl icto pay
    respondentandhi spr edecessor s-i
    n-i
    nterestforaper iodof57
    yearsrender edt heexpropriationpr ocessi ncompl et
    e.
     Thus,SCr ul
    edthatthespeci
    alcircumstancesprev
    ail
    i
    ngi nthi
    s
    caseenti
    tl
    erespondentt
    orecoverpossessi
    onoftheexpropr
    iat
    ed
    l
    otfrom t
    heRepublic.
     Whilet hepr evaili
    ngdoct r
    inei sthat" thenon- pay mentofj ust
    compensat i
    ondoesnotent i
    tlet hepri
    v atelandownert or ecover
    possessi onoft heexpr opri
    atedl ots,howev er,incaseswher et he
    gover nmentf ai
    ledt opayj ustcompensat i
    onwi thinfive( 5)years
    from thef i
    nali
    tyoft hej udgmenti ntheexpr opriati
    onpr oceedings,
    theowner sconcer nedshal lhav etherightt orecov erpossessi on
    oft heirpr operty.Af teral l
    ,i tist he dut yoft he gov ernment ,
    whenev erittakespr opertyfrom pr i
    vateper sonsagai nstt hei
    rwi l
    l,
    tofaci l
    i
    tatethepay mentofj ustcompensat ion.InCoscul l
    uelav .
    Cour tofAppeal s,wedef i
    nedj ustcompensat i
    onasnotonl yt he
    correctdet erminationoft heamountt obepai dtot hepr oper t
    y
    ownerbutal sot hepay mentoft heproper t
    ywi t
    hinar easonabl e
    ti
    me. Wi t
    hout pr ompt pay ment, compensat ion cannot be
    considered" j
    ust."
     ANUNCI ACION VDA.DE OUANO VS REPUBLIC–I fexpropriat
    ed
    propert
    yisnotdevel
    opedf
    ort
    hepur
    poseinwhi
    chitwastaken,ei
    therit
    i
    sabandonedordev ot
    edt
    oanot
    herpur
    pose,f
    ormerownermayseek
    rever
    sion.
     Publicuse,asanemi nentdomai nconcept ,hasnowacqui r
    edan
    expansivemeani ngt oi ncl udeanyuset hatisof" usefulness,
    uti
    li
    ty,oradvant age,orwhati spr oducti
    v eofgener albenef it[of
    thepublic]
    ."Ifthegenui nepubl icnecessi ty—theveryr easonor
    conditi
    on as i t wer e—al lowing,at t he f i
    rst i
    nst ance,t he
    expropri
    ati
    onofapr i
    vat elandceasesordi sappears, t
    hent herei s
    no mor e cogentpoi ntf ort he government ’
    sretention oft he
    expropri
    atedland.Thesamel egalsituationshoul dhol di ft he
    governmentdev ot esthepr opertytoanotherpubl i
    cusev erymuch
    dif
    ferentfrom theor i
    gi nalordev i
    atesfrom t hedeclaredpur pose
    tobenefitanotherpr i
    v ateper son.Ithasbeensai dt hatthedi rect
    usebyt hestateofit
    spowert oobl
    i
    gelandownerstorenounce
    thei
    rproducti
    vepossessi
    ont oanot
    hercit
    izen,whowilluseit
    predominant
    lyfort
    hatcit
    izen’
    sownpri
    vategain,i
    soff
    ensiveto
    ourlaws.
     Oncet hepur
    poseist er
    minat
    edorper empt
    ori
    lyabandoned,then
    theformerowner
    ,ifhesodesires,
    mayseeki t
    srever
    sion,subj
    ect
    ofcoursetother
    eturn,att
    heveryleast,
    oft
    hejustcompensation
    recei
    ved.
     Mor epar t
    icularl
    y,wi t
    hr espectt ot heel ementofpubl icuse,t he
    expropriatorshoul dcommi ttouset hepr opertypur suantt ot he
    purposest atedi nthepet iti
    onf orexpr opri
    ati
    onf il
    ed,faili
    ngwhi ch,
    i
    tshoul df il
    eanot herpetiti
    onf orthenewpur pose.Ifnot ,i
    tisthen
    i
    ncumbentupont heexpr opr i
    atortor eturnthesaidpr opert
    ytoi ts
    pri
    vate owner ,i fthe l atterdesi r
    es t or eacquiret he same.
    Otherwi se,thej udgmentofexpr opri
    at ionsuffersani ntri
    nsi
    cf law,
    as itwoul dl ack one i ndispensabl e elementf ort he proper
    exerciseoft hepowerofemi nentdomai n,namel y,thepar t
    icular
    publicpur posef orwhi cht hepr opertywi l
    lbedev oted.Accor dingly,
    thepr iv
    at epr oper t
    yownerwoul dbedeni edduepr ocessofl aw,
    and t hej udgmentwoul dv i
    olatethepr oper t
    yowner sr i
    ghtt o
    j
    ustice,f ai
    rness, andequi ty.
    Inli
    ghtoft hesepr emises,wenowexpr esslyhol dthatthet aking
    ofprivat
    epr operty,consequentt ot heGov ernment sexerciseof
    i
    tspowerofemi nentdomai n,isalway ssubj ecttothecondi tion
    thatthepr oper t
    ybedev ot edtot hespeci f
    icpubl i
    cpur posef or
    whichitwast aken.Cor ollari
    ly
    ,ifthisparticularpurposeori ntent
    i
    s noti niti
    ated ornotatal lpur sued,and i s perempt oril
    y
    abandoned,t hent hef ormerowner s,iftheysodesi re,mayseek
    thereversionoft hepr oper t
    y,subjecttot heret ur
    noft heamount
    ofjustcompensat ionreceived.Insuchacase, theexerci
    seoft he
    powerofemi nentdomai nhasbecomei mpr operf orlackoft he
    requi
    redf actualjusti
    fi
    cation.
     Tobecompel ledtor enouncedomi nionov erapi eceofl andi s,in
    i
    tself,anal r
    eadybi tt
    erpillt oswallow fort heowner .Butt obe
    askedt osacr ifi
    cef orthecommongoodandy i
    eldowner shipt o
    thegov ernmentwhi chr enegesoni tsassur ancet hatt hepr ivate
    propert yshallbef orapubl icpurposemaybet oomuch.Buti t
    wouldbewor sei fthepowerofemi nentdomai nwer edeliberately
    usedasasubt erf
    uget obenef i
    tanotherwi thinfl
    uenceandpower
    i
    nt he pol i
    ticalpr ocess,i ncl
    uding dev elopment f irms.The
    mischi efthusdepi ctedi snotatal lfar-f
    etchedwi tht hecont inued
    application ofFer y.Ev en as t he Cour tdel i
    ber ates on t hese
    consol i
    dat edcases, t
    herei sanuncont rovertedallegationt hatt he
    MCI AAi spoi sedt osell,i
    fithasnoty etsold,thear easinquest ion
    to Cebu Pr oper t
    y Vent ures,Inc. Thi s pr ovi
    des an added
    dimensi ont oabandonFer y.Givent hef oregoi
    ngdi squi si
    tions,
    equityandj ust icedemandt her econv eyancebyMCI AA oft he
    l
    iti
    gat edl andsi nquest i
    ont ot heOuanosandI nocians.Int he
    samet oken,justiceandf airplayal sodi ctatethatt heOuanosand
    Inocianr eturnt oMCI AAwhatt heyr eceivedasj ustcompensat ion
    fort he expr opr iat
    ion oft hei rrespect iv
    e pr oper t
    iespl usl egal
    i
    nt erestt obecomput edf rom def ault
    ,whi chi nt hiscaseshoul d
    run f rom t he t ime MCI AA compl i
    es wi t
    ht he r econveyance
    obligat i
    on. They must l ikewi se pay MCI AA t he necessar y
    expensesi tmi ghthav eincur r
    edi nsust ainingt heirrespecti
    vel ots
    andt hemonet aryv alueofi tsser v
    icesi nmanagi ngt helotsi n
    quest iont otheext entt hatt hey,aspr ivateowner s,wer ebenefited
    thereby .
    In accor
    dance wi th Ar
    t.1187 oft he Civi
    lCode on mut ual
    compensat i
    on,MCI AAmaykeepwhat everi
    ncomeorf r
    uit
    si tmay
    haveobtainedfrom theparcel
    soflandexpropri
    ated.I
    nt ur
    n,t he
    OuanosandI nociansneednotrequi
    retheaccounti
    ngofinterests
    earnedbytheamount stheyrecei
    vedasjustcompensati
    on.
     FollowingAr t
    .1189oft heCi v
    ilCodepr ovidi
    ngt hat"[
    i]ft
    het hing
    i
    si mprov edbyitsnature,orbytime,thei mprovementshal li
    nure
    tot hebenefitofthecreditorxxx, "theOuanosandI nociansdo
    nothav et o sett
    let he appreciati
    on oft he values oft hei
    r
    respectiv
    el otsaspar toft hereconv eyancepr ocess,sincet he
    valueincreaseismerelythenaturaleffectofnatureandt i
    me.

    D.Basi
    sSer
    vicesandFaci
    l
    iti
    es
    - 1.Dev
    olut
    ion,
    def
    ined
    o Dev oluti
    on connot es poli
    ti
    caldecent r
    ali
    zation,ort he transf
    erofpower s,
    responsi bil
    iti
    es,andr esourcesfortheper f or
    manceofcer tainfuncti
    onsf rom
    thecent ralgov ernmentt olocalgov ernmentuni ts.Thisisamor eli
    beralform
    of decent rali
    zati
    on si nce therei s an act ualt r
    ansfer of power s and
    responsi bil
    iti
    es.Itaimst ograntgreaterautonomyt olocalgover
    nmentuni t
    sin
    cogni zanceoft hei
    rrighttoself-
    government ,
    t omaket hem self
    -rel
    iant,andto
    i
    mpr ovet heiradministr
    ativ
    eandt echni calcapabili
    ti
    es.
    - 2.Condi
    ti
    onsf
    ordev
    olut
    ion
    o Sect
    ion17.Basi
    cSer
    vicesandFaci
    l
    iti
    es.–
    o(a)Localgov ernmentunitsshallendeavort obeself-
    reli
    antandshal lconti
    nue
    exerci
    singt hepower sanddi schargingt hedut i
    esandf unct
    ionscur r
    entl
    y
    vestedupont hem.Theyshal lalsodischargethefunctionsandr esponsibi
    li
    ti
    es
    ofnat i
    onalagenci esandof f
    icesdev olv
    edt ot hem pur suantt othisCode.
    Localgov ernmentuni t
    s shalll i
    kewise exerci
    se such ot herpower s and
    dischar
    ge such ot her funct
    ions and r esponsibil
    i
    ties as ar e necessary,
    appropriat
    e,ori ncident
    alt oeffi
    cientandef fecti
    vepr ovisionsoft hebasic
    servi
    cesandf aci
    li
    ti
    esenumer atedherein.
    o(
    b)Suchbasi
    cser
    vicesand f
    aci
    l
    iti
    esi
    ncl
    ude,butar
    enotl
    i
    mit
    ed t
    o,t
    he
    f
    oll
    owi
    ng:
    (
    1)ForBar
    angay
    :
    (i
    )Agricult
    uralsupportser
    viceswhi
    chincl
    udepl ant
    ingmater
    ial
    s
    di
    str
    ibutionsystem andoperati
    onoffar
    m producecoll
    ect
    ionand
    buyi
    ngst ati
    ons;
    (i
    i
    )Healt
    handsocialwel
    far
    eserv
    iceswhichincl
    udemai
    ntenance
    ofbar
    angayheal
    thcent
    erandday-
    carecent
    er;
    (i
    ii
    ) Servi
    ces and facil
    i
    ties r
    elat
    ed t
    o generalhygi
    ene and
    sanit
    ati
    on,beaut
    if
    icat
    ion,andsol
    idwast
    ecol
    lect
    ion;
    (
    iv)Mai
    ntenanceofkat
    arungangpambar
    angay
    ;
    (v
    )Maint
    enanceofbar
    angayr
    oadsandbr
    idgesandwat
    ersuppl
    y
    syst
    ems;
    (
    vi) Infrast
    ruct
    ure faci
    li
    ti
    es such as mul ti
    -pur
    pose hall
    ,
    mult
    ipurposepav ement
    ,plaza,spor
    tscent
    er,andot hersi
    mil
    ar
    f
    acil
    i
    ties;
    (
    vii
    )Inf
    ormat
    ionandr
    eadi
    ngcent
    er;
    and
    (
    vii
    i
    )Sat
    ell
    i
    teorpubl
    i
    cmar
    ket
    ,wher
    evi
    abl
    e;
    (
    2)ForaMuni
    ci
    pal
    i
    ty:
    (i
    )Extensi onandon- sit
    er esearchservicesandf acili
    tiesrelatedt o
    agri
    cul t
    ur e and f i
    sher y activi
    ti
    es whi ch include di spersalof
    l
    ivestockandpoul t
    ry,fingerl
    ings,andot herseedl i
    ngmat eri
    alsf or
    aquacul ture;palay,cor n,andv egetableseedf arms;medi cinal
    pl
    antgar dens;fruittree,coconut ,andot herki ndsofseedl i
    ng
    nurseries;demonst ration farms;qual itycont rolofcopr a and
    i
    mpr ov ementand dev el
    opmentofl ocaldi str
    ibution channel s,
    preferablyt hr
    oughcooper at
    ives;int
    erbarangayi rri
    gat i
    onsy stem;
    waterandsoi lresour ceut i
    li
    zati
    onandconser v
    at i
    onpr ojects;and
    enforcementoff isheryl awsi nmuni cipalwat er sincludingt he
    conser vationofmangr oves;
    (i
    i)Pur suantt o nationalpolicies and subj ectto supervisi
    on,
    controlandr eview oft heDENR,i mpl ement ati
    onofcommuni ty-
    basedf orestrypr ojectswhichi ncludei nt
    egr atedsocialf
    orestry
    programs and si mi l
    arpr ojects;managementand cont rolof
    communalf orestswi thanar eanotexceedi ngf if
    ty(50)squar e
    kil
    omet ers;est abl
    ishmentoft reepar ks,greenbelts,andsimilar
    forestdev el
    opmentpr oject
    s;
    (i
    ii
    )Subjecttothepr ovisi
    onsofTi tl
    eFive,BookIoft hisCode,
    healt
    hser vi
    ceswhi chincludet hei mpl
    ement ati
    onofpr ograms
    andprojectsonpr i
    maryhealthcar e,maternalandchil
    dcar e,and
    communi cabl
    eandnon- communi cablediseasecontrolservices,
    accesst osecondar yandt ert
    iaryhealthser vi
    ces;purchaseof
    medicines,medicalsuppli
    es,andequi pmentneededt ocar ryout
    theservi
    ceshereinenumer at
    ed;
    (i
    v)Soci alwelfareservi
    ceswhi chincludepr ogr
    amsandpr ojects
    on chi l
    d and y outh welfare,family and communi ty welfare,
    women' swelfare,welfareoft heel derl
    yanddi sabledper sons;
    communi ty-
    basedr ehabi
    li
    tati
    onpr ogramsf orvagrants,beggar s,
    streetchildr
    en,scav engers,juv
    enil
    edel inquent
    s,andv i
    cti
    msof
    drug abuse;l iveli
    hood and ot herpr o-
    poorpr oj
    ect s;nutri
    tion
    services;andfami l
    yplanni
    ngser vi
    ces;
    (v
    )I nf
    ormati
    on servi
    ces which i
    ncl
    ude inv
    estment
    s and j
    ob
    pl
    acementinfor
    mat i
    onsystems,taxandmar ket
    ingi
    nfor
    mati
    on
    syst
    ems,andmaintenanceofapubli
    cli
    brar
    y;
    (vi
    )Solidwastedisposalsyst
    em orenvir
    onmentalmanagement
    system andserv
    icesorf aci
    li
    ti
    esrel
    atedtogeneralhy
    gieneand
    sanitat
    ion;
    (vi
    i
    )Muni ci
    palbuil
    dings,cult
    uralcent
    ers,publ
    i
    cparksincl
    uding
    fr
    eedom par ks,pl
    ay gr
    ounds,and ot hersportsf
    acil
    i
    ties and
    equipment,
    andothersimilarf
    acil
    it
    ies;
    (vii
    i)Infrastr
    uct uref acili
    ties intended pr i
    maril
    yt o service t he
    needsoft her esi dent soft hemuni cipali
    tyandwhi char ef unded
    outofmuni cipalf undsi ncludingbutnotl i
    mitedto,muni cipal
    roadsandbr idges;schoolbui l
    dingsandot herfaci
    li
    ti
    esf orpubl i
    c
    element aryandsecondar yschool s;clini
    cs,healt
    hcent ersand
    otherheal t
    hf aci l
    iti
    esnecessar yt o carr
    youtheal t
    h ser vices;
    communali r
    rigat ion,smal lwateri mpoundingpr oj
    ectsandot her
    similarpr oj
    ect s;f ishpor ts;ar tesi
    anwel l
    s,springdev el
    opment ,
    rainwatercol l
    ect orsandwat ersuppl ysy stems;seawal l
    s,di kes,
    drainageandsewer age,andf loodcont rol;
    traf
    ficsi
    gnalsandr oad
    signs;andsi mi larf acil
    it
    ies;
    (i
    x) Publi
    c mar
    ket
    s, sl
    aught
    erhouses and ot
    her muni
    cipal
    enter
    pri
    ses;
    (
    x)Publ
    i
    ccemet
    ery
    ;
    (xi
    )Tourism f
    aci
    li
    ti
    esandot hertouri
    stattr
    acti
    ons,incl
    udi
    ngt he
    acqui
    siti
    onofequipment,r
    egulati
    onandsuper vi
    sionofbusiness
    concessi
    ons,andsecur
    it
    yservicesforsuchfaci
    li
    ti
    es;and
    (
    xii
    )Sites forpol
    i
    ce and f
    ir
    e st
    ati
    ons and subst
    ati
    ons and
    munici
    palj
    ail
    ;
    (
    3)ForaPr
    ovi
    nce:
    (i
    )Agr icul
    turalext
    ension and on- sit
    er esearch servi
    ces and
    facil
    it
    ieswhi chincl
    udet hepr event
    ionandcont rolofplantand
    animalpest sanddiseases;dairyfar
    ms, li
    vest
    ockmar ket
    s, ani
    mal
    breeding st ati
    ons,and ar ti
    fici
    al inseminati
    on cent ers;and
    assistance int he organizat
    ion of f ar
    mer s and f i
    sher men'
    s
    cooper ati
    ves,andothercol l
    ectiv
    eor ganizat
    ions,aswel last he
    transferofappropri
    atetechnology;
    (
    ii
    )Indust
    ri
    alresear
    chanddev el
    opmentser
    vices,aswel
    last
    he
    t
    ransf
    erofappropri
    atet
    echnol
    ogy;
    (i
    ii
    )Pur suantt o nat
    ionalpolici
    es and subj
    ectto supervi
    sion,
    controlandr evi
    ew oft heDENR,enf orcementofforestr
    yl aws
    l
    imitedt ocommuni t
    y-basedforestr
    ypr oj
    ect
    s,poll
    uti
    oncont rol
    l
    aw,smal l-scal
    emi ni
    ngl aw,andotherlawsont heprot
    ecti
    onof
    the env i
    ronment; and mi ni-
    hydroel
    ectri
    c proj
    ect
    s f or l
    ocal
    purposes;
    (i
    v)Subjecttotheprov
    isi
    onsofTit
    leFiv
    e,BookIofthi
    sCode,
    heal
    thserviceswhi
    chincl
    udehospi
    tal
    sandothert
    ert
    iar
    yheal
    th
    serv
    ices;
    (v
    )Socialwelf
    areserv
    iceswhi chincl
    udeprogramsandpr oject
    s
    onrebelr
    etur
    neesandev acuees;r
    eli
    efoper
    ati
    ons;andpopulati
    on
    devel
    opmentservi
    ces;
    (v
    i)Provi
    nci
    albui
    l
    dings,pr
    ovi
    ncialj
    ail
    s,fr
    eedom par
    ksandot
    her
    publ
    icassembl
    yareasandsimi
    larfaci
    li
    ti
    es;
    (vi
    i)I
    nfrastr
    ucturefacil
    i
    tiesi ntendedt oservicetheneedsoft he
    resi
    denceoft heprovinceandwhi char
    ef undedoutofpr ov
    incial
    fundsincludi
    ng,butnotl i
    mitedt o,pr
    ovinci
    alroadsandbr i
    dges;
    i
    nter-
    muni ci
    palwaterwor ks,drainageandsewer age,f
    loodcontrol,
    andirr
    igati
    onsy st
    ems; reclamat ionproj
    ects;andsi mi
    larfaci
    li
    ti
    es;
    (vi
    ii
    )Pr ogramsandpr oj
    ectsf orlow-costhousingandot hermass
    dwelli
    ngs,exceptt hosef undedbyt heSocialSecuritySystem
    (SSS),Gov ernmentSer vi
    ceI nsuranceSy stem p.172( GSIS)
    ,and
    the Home Dev elopmentMut ualFund (HDMF) :Prov i
    ded,That
    nati
    onalf undsforthesepr ogramsandpr oject
    sshallbeequitably
    all
    ocatedamongt her egionsi npr oporti
    ont other ati
    ooft he
    homel esst othepopulati
    on;
    (
    ix)Invest
    mentsuppor
    tser
    vices,i
    ncl
    udi
    ng access t
    o cr
    edi
    t
    f
    inanci
    ng;
    (x) Upgr
    adi
    ng and moder ni
    zat
    ion of t
    ax i
    nfor
    mation and
    col
    lect
    ionser
    vicesthr
    oughtheuseofcomputerhardwar
    eand
    soft
    wareandothermeans;
    (xi
    )I nt
    er-
    municipaltel
    ecommuni
    cat
    ions ser
    vices,subj
    ect t
    o
    nati
    onalpol
    icyguidel
    i
    nes;and
    (
    xii
    )Tour
    ism dev
    elopmentandpr
    omot
    ionpr
    ogr
    ams;
    (
    4)ForaCi
    ty:
     Allt
    heservi
    cesandfaci
    li
    ti
    esoft
    hemuni
    cipal
    i
    tyandpr
    ovi
    nce,andi
    n
    addi
    ti
    onther
    eto,
    thef
    oll
    owing:
    (
    1)Adequat
    ecommuni
    cat
    ionandt
    ranspor
    tat
    ionf
    aci
    l
    iti
    es;
    (c)Not
    wit
    hstandi
    ng the provi
    sions ofsubsect
    ion (
    b)hereof,
    publ
    i
    c works and i
    nfrast
    ruct
    ure proj
    ect
    s and otherfaci
    l
    iti
    es,
    programsandser vi
    cesf undedbyt henati
    onalgovernmentunder
    the annualGener alAppr opri
    ati
    ons Act ,other speciallaws,
    perti
    nentexecut i
    veor ders,andt hosewhol l
    yorpar ti
    all
    yf unded
    from foreignsources,arenotcov er edunderthi
    sSection,except
    i
    nt hosecaseswher ethel ocalgovernmentunitconcernedisduly
    designated as the i mplement i
    ng agency f orsuch pr ojects,
    faci
    lit
    ies,progr
    ams, andser vi
    ces.
    o(d) The designs,pl ans,specif
    icat
    ions,t est
    ing of materi
    als,and the
    procurementofequipmentandmat er
    ial
    satP170f r
    om bot
    hforeignandl
    ocal
    sourcesnecessaryfort heprovi
    sionoft heforegoi
    ngservi
    cesandf aci
    l
    iti
    es
    shallbe undert
    aken byt he l
    ocalgov ernmentunitconcerned,based on
    nati
    onalpoli
    ci
    es,standardsandguidel
    ines.
    o(e)Nat
    ionalagenci
    esoroff
    icesconcer
    nedshalldevolvetolocalgovernment
    unit
    sthe responsi
    bil
    i
    tyfort he pr
    ovi
    sion ofbasi
    c services and faci
    l
    iti
    es
    enumeratedinthi
    sSecti
    onwi thi
    nsix(
    6)mont hsaftertheeffecti
    vi
    tyoft hi
    s
    Code.
    o Asusedi nthi
    sCode,theterm"devol
    uti
    on"refer
    st ot heactbywhi chthe
    nat
    ionalgov
    ernmentconfer
    spowerand aut hori
    tyupon thev ar
    iouslocal
    gover
    nmentunit
    stoper
    for
    m speci
    fi
    cfuncti
    onsandr esponsi
    bil
    i
    ties.
    o(f
    )Thenat i
    onalgover
    nmentorthenexthigherlevelofl ocalgovernmentuni
    t
    mayprovideoraugmentthebasicservi
    cesandf acil
    i
    tiesassi gnedtoalower
    l
    eveloflocalgover
    nmentunitwhensuchser vi
    cesorf acil
    it
    iesarenotmade
    avai
    l
    ableor,ifmadeavai
    l
    able,ar
    einadequatetomeett herequirementsofi
    ts
    i
    nhabit
    ants.
    o(g)Thebasi cser vi
    cesandf acili
    ti
    esher einaboveenumer at
    edshallbef unded
    from theshar eofl ocalgov er
    nmentuni tsinthepr oceedsofnat ionalt axes
    andot herl ocalrevenuesandf undingsuppor tfrom thenat i
    onalgov ernment,
    i
    tsi nstrumentalit
    iesandgov er
    nment -ownedorcont roll
    edcorporati
    onswhi ch
    aret askedbyl aw toest abl
    ishandmai ntai
    nsuchser vi
    cesorf acil
    i
    t i
    es.Any
    fundorr esourceav ai
    lablefortheuseofl ocalgovernmentuni tsshallbef ir
    st
    allocated fort he provisi
    on ofbasi c servi
    ces orf aci
    li
    ti
    es enumer ated in
    subsect ion(b)her eofbef oreapplyingt hesamef orot herpurposes,unl ess
    otherwi seprovidedinthisCode.
    o(h)Regi onalofficesofnat i
    onalagenci esorof fi
    ceswhosef unct
    ionsare
    dev olvedt olocalgov ernmentuni tsaspr ovidedher einshal lbephasedout
    withinone( 1)yearf r
    om t heappr ovalofthisCode.Sai dnat i
    onalagenciesand
    officesmayest abli
    shsuchf i
    elduni t
    sasmaybenecessar yformoni t
    ori
    ng
    pur posesandpr ov i
    dingt echnicalassistancet ol ocalgov ernmentuni t
    s.The
    proper ti
    es,equipment ,andot herasset soft heser egionalof f
    icesshallbe
    distri
    butedt othel ocalgov ernmentuni tsi nther egioninaccor dancewi t
    hthe
    rulesandr egulationsi ssuedbyt heov ersightcommi tt
    eecr eatedundert hi
    s
    Code.
    o(i
    )Thedev ol
    uti
    oncontempl
    atedinthisCodeshal li
    ncl
    udethetransf
    ertolocal
    gover
    nmentuni t
    softherecords,equipment,andotherasset
    sandper sonnel
    ofnationalagenci
    es and offi
    ces corr
    esponding tothe devol
    ved powers,
    f
    unct
    ions,
    andr
    esponsi
    bil
    i
    ties.
    o Personnelofsai dnat i
    onalagenciesorof fi
    cesshal lbeabsor bedbyt helocal
    gov er
    nmentuni tstowhi chtheybel ongori nwhosear eastheyareassignedt o
    theextentt hati
    tisadmi ni
    strati
    velyv iableasdet erminedbyt hesaidov er
    sight
    commi t
    tee:Provided,Thatther i
    ght saccor dedt osuchper sonnelpursuantt o
    civ
    ilservicelaw,rulesandr egul
    ationsshal lnotbei mpaired:Provi
    ded,furt
    her,
    Thatr egionaldirector
    swhoar ecar eerexecut iveser vi
    ceofficer
    sandot her
    offi
    cersofsi mil
    arr ankinthesaidr egionalof f
    iceswhocannotbeabsor bedby
    the localgov er
    nmentuni tshal lbe r etai
    ned byt he nati
    onalgov ernment,
    withoutanydi minutionofrank,salaryort enure.
    o(j
    )Toensur et
    heacti
    vepar
    ti
    cipat
    ionoft hepri
    vatesectorinl
    ocalgovernance,
    l
    ocalgov er
    nmentuni
    tsmay,byordinance,sel
    l
    ,lease,encumber,orotherwise
    disposeofpubli
    ceconomicenterpri
    sesownedbyt hem intheirpropri
    etary
    capacit
    y.
    o Costsmayalsobechargedf
    ort
    hedel
    i
    ver
    yofbasi
    cser
    vicesorf
    aci
    l
    iti
    es
    enumer
    atedi
    nthi
    sSect
    ion.

    E.Recl
    assi
    fi
    cat
    ionofLands
    - Sect
    ion20.Recl
    assi
    fi
    cat
    ionofLands.–
    o(a)Aci t
    yormuni cipali
    tymay ,throughanor dinancepassedbyt hesangguni an
    afterconductingpubl ichear ingsf orthepur pose, authorizether ecl
    assificat
    ion
    ofagr icult
    urall ands and pr ovi
    de f ort he manneroft heirut i
    li
    zation or
    dispositi
    on int he f ol
    lowi ng cases:( 1) when t he l and ceases t o be
    economi call
    yf easibleandsoundf oragr icul
    turalpur posesasdet er
    mi nedby
    theDepar tmentofAgr i
    cul t
    ur eor( 2)wher ethel andshal lhav esubstant i
    all
    y
    greatereconomi cv al
    uef orr esidential,commer cial,orindust r
    ialpurposes,as
    determinedbyt hesangguni anconcer ned:Pr ovided, Thatsuchr ecl
    assificat
    ion
    shallbel i
    mitedt ot hefollowi ngper cent ageoft het otalagricultur
    allandar ea
    atthetimeoft hepassageoft heor dinance:
    (1)Forhi ghl
    yur
    bani
    zed and i
    ndependentcomponentci
    ti
    es,f
    if
    teen
    percent(
    15%);
    (2)Forcomponentci
    ti
    esandf
    ir
    stt
    othet
    hir
    dcl
    assmuni
    cipal
    i
    ties,t
    en
    percent(
    10%)
    ;and
    (3)Forfourt
    ht osixthclassmuni ci
    pal
    iti
    es,fi
    veper cent(5%) :Pr
    ov i
    ded,
    fur
    ther, That agricult
    ural l
    ands di str
    ibut
    ed t o agr arian reform
    benefi
    ciar
    iespursuanttoRepublicActNumber edSixty-si
    xhundr edfift
    y-
    seven (R.A.No.6657) .otherwise known as " The Compr ehensive
    Agrari
    anRef or
    m Law" ,shal
    lnotbeaf f
    ectedbyt hesaidrecl assi
    fi
    cati
    on
    andtheconv er
    sionofsuchl andsintootherpurposesshal lbegov er
    ned
    bySection65ofsai dAct.
    o(b) The President may,when publ icint
    erest so requi
    res and upon
    recommendation oft he NationalEconomic and DevelopmentAuthori
    ty,
    author
    izeacit
    yormuni ci
    palit
    yt orecl
    assi
    fyl
    andsinexcessofthel
    imit
    ssetin
    thenextpr
    ecedingparagraph.
    o(c)Thel ocalgovernmentuni t
    sshall,
    inconformitywithexi
    stinglaws,cont i
    nue
    topr eparet hei
    rr espectiv
    ecompr ehensivelandusepl ansenact edt hrough
    zoningor dinanceswhi chshal lbethepr imaryanddomi nantbasesf orthe
    futur
    e use ofl and resour ces:Provided.Thatt he requir
    ement sf orf ood
    production,humanset t
    lements,andi ndustr
    ialexpansi
    onshal lbetakeni nto
    considerati
    oni nthepr eparati
    onofsuchpl ans.
    o(d)Whereapprov albyanati
    onalagencyi sr equi
    redforr
    ecl
    assi
    fi
    cati
    on,such
    approvalshal
    lnotbeunr easonablywithhel
    d.Fai l
    uretoactonapr operand
    completeappli
    cationforr
    eclassi
    fi
    cati
    onwi thinthree(
    3)monthsfr
    om recei
    pt
    ofthesameshal lbedeemedasappr ovalthereof.
    o(
    e)Nothinginthi
    sSecti
    onshal
    lbeconstruedasr epeal
    i
    ng,amendi
    ng,or
    modi
    fyi
    nginanymannert
    hepr
    ovi
    sionsofR.
    A.No.6657.
    o PATALI
    NGHUGVSCA–Thedecl arati
    onbyt heSangguni
    angPanlungsodof
    DavaoCi
    tythatt
    heC-2distr
    ictshallbeclassi
    fi
    edasacommer ci
    alzoneisa
    val
    i
    dexerci
    seofpol
    i
    cepowert opromot ethegoodorderandgeneralwel
    far
    e
    oft
    hepeopleint
    hel
    ocal
    it
    y .
     Ther eversalbyt heCour tofAppeal soft het ri
    alcourt'
    sdeci sionwas
    basedonTepoot '
    sbui l
    dingbei ngdecl aredf ortaxati
    onpur posesas
    residenti
    al.Itisourconsi deredv i
    ew,howev er,thatat axdecl arati
    oni s
    notconcl usiveoft henat ureoft hepr opert
    yf orzoni ngpur poses.A
    propertymayhav ebeendecl aredbyi tsownerasr esidenti
    alf orreal
    estatetaxationpur posesbuti tmaywel lbewithinacommer ci
    alzone.A
    discrepancymayt hus existint he determination oft he nat ure of
    propertyforr ealestatet
    axat i
    onpur posesv i
    s-a-vi
    sthedet erminat i
    onof
    apr opert
    yf orzoningpurposes.
     Thet r
    ialcour t
    'sdet erminati
    ont hatMr .Tepoot 'sbuildingi scommer cial
    and, theref ore,Sec.8i si
    napplicable, i
    sst rengthenedbyt hef actthatthe
    Sangguni ang Panl ungsod has decl ared t he quest ioned ar ea as
    commer cialorC-2.Consequent ly,eveni fTepoot 'sbuildingwasdecl ared
    fort axat ion pur poses as r esident i
    al,once a l ocalgov er
    nmenthas
    reclassi f
    ied an ar ea as commer cial,t hatdet erminat ion f orzoning
    purposes must pr evai
    l.Whi let he commer cialchar acter of the
    quest ioned v i
    cinit
    y has been decl ared t hrut he or dinance,pr i
    vate
    respondent s hav e f ai
    led to pr esent conv i
    ncing ar guments t o
    subst antiatet heirclaimt hatCabagui oAv enue,wher et hef uneralparl
    or
    was const ructed,was st il
    la r esi dent ialzone.Unquest i
    onably,the
    oper ationofaf uner alparl
    orconst itutesa" commer cialpur pose,
    "as
    gleanedf rom Or dinanceNo.363.
     Thedeclarat
    ionofthesai dareaasacommer cialzonethruamuni cipal
    ordi
    nanceisanexer ciseofpoli
    cepowert opromot ethegoodor derand
    generalwelf
    areofthepeopl einthelocal
    it
    y.Coroll
    arytheret
    o,thest ate,
    i
    nor dertopr omotet hegener alwelf
    are,mayi nter
    ferewithper sonal
    l
    ibert
    y,wit
    hpr oper
    ty,andwi t
    hbusinessandoccupat i
    ons.Thus, persons
    maybesubj ectedtocer tai
    nkindsofrestr
    aint
    sandbur densinor derto
    securethegeneralwel f
    areofthestateandt othisfundament alaim of
    government,ther i
    ght soft heindivi
    dualmaybesubor dinated.The
    ordi
    nancewhi chregul
    atesthelocationoffuneralhomeshasbeen
    adopted as partofcompr ehensiv
    e zoni
    ng plans fort
    he or
    derl
    y
    devel
    opmentoftheareacoveredther
    eunder
    .
     WHEREFORE,
    thedeci
    si
    onoft
    heCour
    tofAppeal
    sisher
    ebyREVERSED.
    o FORTICH VSCORONA– Lgusneednotobt ai
    ntheapprov
    aloft
    heDARt
    o
    conv
    ertorrecl
    assi
    fyl
    andsf
    rom agr
    icul
    tur
    alt
    onon-
    agr
    icul
    tur
    al.
     Thei ssuespr esentedbef oreusbyt hemov antsar emattersofno
    extr
    aordinaryi mpor tto mer i
    tt he attent
    ion oft he Courten banc.
    Specifi
    call
    y,t he issue ofwhet herornott he poweroft he local
    governmentuni t
    st oreclassifylandsi ssubjectt otheapprovalofthe
    DARi snol ongernov el,thi
    shav i
    ngbeendeci dedbyt hisCourtinthe
    caseofPr ovinceofCamar inesSur ,etal.vs.CourtofAppealswher ei
    n
    wehel dthatlocalgov ernmentuni t
    sneednotobt ai
    nt heappr
    ovalofthe
    DARt oconv er torreclassif
    yl andsf rom agri
    cult
    uraltonon-agri
    cul
    tural
    use.
    o NI
    COLASLAYNESAVSUY
     Despi t
    et hereclassifi
    cat
    ionofanagr i
    cul
    tur
    all
    andt onon-agri
    cul
    tural
    l
    andbyal ocalgover nmentuni
    tunderSec.20ofRA7160,t heDARAB
    sti
    llretai
    nsjuri
    sdictionoveracomplai
    ntfi
    ledbyatenantofthelandin
    quest i
    onf orthreatenedejectmentandredempti
    onf orthefoll
    owing
    reasons:
     Jurisdict ioni sdet ermi nedbyt hest at uteinf orceatt het i
    meoft he
    commencementof t he act ion.Li kewi se set t
    led i st he r ulet hat
    j
    ur i
    sdict ionov ert hesubj ectmat teri sdet erminedbyt heal l
    egationsof
    thecompl aint .DARABCaseNo.V- RC- 028wasf i
    ledbyt het enant sofan
    agricultur all and f ort hreat ened ej ectmentand i tsr edempt i
    on f r
    om
    respondent s.I tcannotbequest ionedt hatt heav erment soft heDARAB
    case cl ear lyper t
    aint o an agr ar i
    an r eform mat terand i nvolvet he
    i
    mpl ement ationoft heagr ar i
    anr eforml aws.Suchbei ngt hecase,t he
    compl aintf allswi thint hej urisdictionoft heDARABunderSec.50ofRA
    6657ont hequasi -judicialpower soft heDAR.I tbearsst r
    essi ngt hatthe
    DAR has pr imar yj urisdiction t o det ermine and adj udi cate agr ari
    an
    reform mat ter sandshal lhav eexcl usi v
    eor i
    ginalj uri
    sdi cti
    onov eral l
    mat tersi nv ol vingt hei mpl ement ati
    onoft heagr arianr eform except
    those f alli
    ng undert he excl usivej urisdicti
    on oft he Depar t
    mentof
    Agr i
    cul ture( DA)and t he Depar tmentofEnv i
    ronmentand Nat ural
    Resour ces ( DENR) .Pr i
    mar yj uri
    sdi ction means i n case ofseemi ng
    conf l
    ictbet ween t he j urisdi cti
    ons oft he DAR and r egul arcour ts,
    preference i sv ested wi tht he DAR because ofi ts exper ti
    se and
    exper i
    encei nagr arianr ef orm mat ters.Sec.50i sal so expl i
    citthat
    exceptf ort heDAandDENR,al lagr ar i
    anr eform mat t
    ersar ewi thi
    nt he
    exclusi veor iginalj urisdictionoft heDAR.
     Wer ulethattheDARABr et
    ainsj
    uri
    sdict
    ionov erdi
    sputesarisi
    ngfrom
    agrari
    an ref
    orm mat t
    erseven t
    hough the l
    andownerorr espondent
    i
    nterposes the def
    ense ofrecl
    assi
    fi
    cation ofthe subjectlotfrom
    agr
    icul
    tur
    alt
    onon-
    agr
    icul
    tur
    aluse.

    F.Cl
    osur
    eandOpeni
    ngofRoads
    - Sect
    ion21.Cl
    osur
    eandOpeni
    ngofRoads.–
    o(a)Al ocalgov er
    nmentunitmay ,pursuanttoanor di
    nance,permanentl
    yor
    tempor aril
    ycloseoropenanyl ocalroad,all
    ey,park,orsquaref
    all
    ingwithi
    nit
    s
    j
    urisdicti
    on:Pr ovided,however,Thati n case ofper manentcl osur
    e,such
    ordinancemustbeappr ovedbyatl easttwo-thi
    rds(2/3)ofallt
    hemember sof
    thesangguni an,andwhennecessar y
    ,anadequat esubstit
    uteforthepubli
    c
    facil
    it
    yt hatissubjectt
    oclosureisprovided.
    o(b)Nosuchwayorpl aceoranypar tther eofshal
    lbeper manentl
    ycl osed
    withoutmaki ngpr ovisi
    onsforthemai ntenanceofpubl icsafetytherei
    n.A
    proper tyt hus permanently wi
    thdr
    awn f rom publ i
    c use may be used or
    conv eyedf oranypur poseforwhichotherr ealpr
    opertybel
    ongingtothel ocal
    gov ernmentuni tconcer ned maybel awful l
    yused orconv eyed:Provided,
    howev er,Thatnofreedom parkshallbeclosedper manentl
    ywi t
    houtprovisi
    on
    foritst r
    ansferorrelocati
    ontoanewsi t
    e.
    o(c)Anynat ionalorl ocalr
    oad,al ley ,park,orsquar emaybet empor ari
    lyclosed
    duri
    nganact ualemer gency ,orf iest acelebrat
    ions,publi
    crall
    ies,agricul
    tural
    or indust r
    ialf ai
    rs,or an under taki
    ng of publ i
    c wor ks and hi ghway s,
    tel
    ecommuni cations,andwat erwor kspr oj
    ects,thedurat
    ionofwhi chshal lbe
    specif
    iedbyt hel ocalchiefexecut iveconcer nedinawr itt
    enor der:Provided,
    howev er,Thatno nat i
    onalorl ocalr oad,alley,park,orsquar e shal lbe
    tempor ari
    ly cl osed f orat hlet
    ic,cul t
    ural
    ,orci vi
    c acti
    vit
    ies notof fi
    cial
    ly
    sponsor ed,recogni zed,orappr ov edbyt helocalgovernmentunitconcer ned.
    o(d)Anyci t
    y,muni ci
    palit
    y,orbar angaymay ,byadul yenact edordinance,
    temporar
    il
    ycl oseandr egul
    atetheuseofanyl ocalst
    reet
    ,road,thor
    oughfare,
    oranyotherpubl i
    cplacewhereshoppi ngmalls,Sunday,f
    leaornightmarkets,
    orshopping ar eas may be established and where goods,mer chandise,
    foodst
    uff
    s,commodi ti
    es,orart
    icl
    esofcommer cemaybesol danddi spensed
    tothegeneralpubli
    c.
    - Ar
    ts.43-
    45I
    RR
    o Art
    .43.Author
    it
    yt oCl
    oseorOpen.-AnLGU may,t
    hroughanordi
    nance,
    per
    manentl
    yort empor
    ari
    l
    ycl
    oseoropenanyroad,all
    ey,par
    k,orsquar
    e
    wit
    hini
    tsj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.
    o Art.44.PermanentCl osur
    e.-(a)Noper manentclosureofanyl ocalroad,
    street
    ,al
    ley
    ,park,orsquar eshal
    lbeaffect
    edunlesst hereexistsacompelling
    reasonorsuffi
    cientjusti
    fi
    cati
    onther
    eforsuchas, butnotlimitedt
    o,changei n
    l
    anduse,est ablishmentofi nfr
    astr
    ucturefacil
    i
    ties,project
    s,orsuchot her
    j
    ust i
    fi
    abl
    ereasonsaspubl i
    cwelf
    aremayr equi
    re.
    o(b)Whennecessar y,anadequatesubsti
    tut
    ef ort hepubli
    cfaci
    li
    tythatis
    subjectto cl
    osure shal
    lbe provi
    ded.No freedom park shal
    lbe closed
    permanentl
    ywithoutprov
    isi
    onfori
    tstr
    ansf
    erorrelocat
    iontoanewsite.
    o(
    c)Nosuchwayorpl aceoranypartthereofshal
    lbepermanent
    lyclosed
    wi
    thoutmaki
    ngpr
    ovi
    si
    onsfort
    hemaintenanceofpubl
    icsaf
    etyt
    her
    ein.
    o(d)A propert
    yper manentl
    ywi t
    hdr
    awn from publi
    c use maybe used or
    convey
    edf oranypurposeforwhi
    chotherr
    ealproper
    tybel
    ongingt
    oLGUmay
    belawful
    l
    yusedorconv eyed.
    o(e)Theor di
    nanceaut horizi
    ngper manentcl
    osuremustbeappr ovedbyatleast
    two- thi
    rds(2/3)ofal lmember softhesanggunian.Publ i
    cheari
    ngsshallfi
    rst
    beconduct edbef oreanyor di
    nanceauthori
    zingper manentclosureofany
    l
    ocalr oads,all
    ey ,park,orsquar eisenact
    ed.Not icesofsuchhear i
    ngsand
    copi esoft hepr oposedor dinanceshallbepost edf orami ni
    mum per i
    odof
    three( 3)consecut i
    veweeksi nconspicuousplacesi ntheprovi
    ncialcapi
    tol
    ,or
    i
    nt heci t
    y,muni cipal
    ,orbar angayhallofLGUandwi t
    hinthevici
    nit
    yoft he
    streetorpar kproposedt obecl osed.
    o Art.45.Tempor arycl osure.-(a)Anynat ionalorl ocalroad,al l
    ey,par k,or
    square may be t empor ari
    ly closed during actualemer gency orf i
    esta
    celebrati
    ons,publ
    icr all
    ies,agri
    culturalorindustri
    alf ai
    rs,orunder takingof
    publicwor ksandhi ghway s,telecommuni cati
    ons,andwat erworkspr ojects,
    thedur ati
    onofwhichshal lbespeci f
    iedbythel ocalchiefexecut i
    veconcer ned
    i
    nawr itt
    enorder
    ,asf oll
    ows:
    (
    1)Dur
    ingf
    iest
    acel
    ebr
    ati
    ons-f
    oraper
    iodnotexceedi
    ngni
    ne(
    9)day
    s;
    (
    2)Duri
    ngagri
    cult
    uralori
    ndust
    ri
    alfai
    rsorexposi
    ti
    ons-f
    oraper
    iodas
    maybedet
    erminedtobenecessar
    yandreasonabl
    e;
    (3)Whenpubli
    cworkspr oj
    ect
    soract i
    viti
    esarebei
    ngunder t
    akenfora
    peri
    odasmaybedet erminednecessaryforthesaf
    ety,secur
    it
    y,healt
    h,
    orwelfar
    eofthepubli
    corwhensuchcl osur
    eisnecessarytofaci
    li
    tate
    completi
    onofthepr
    oject
    soracti
    vit
    ies.
    o(b)AnLGUmayt emporari
    lycloseandr egul
    atetheuseofanyl ocalst
    reet,
    road,t horoughfare,orpubl i
    cplacewher eshoppingmalls,Sundaymarkets,
    fl
    eaorni ghtmar kets,orshoppi
    ngar easmaybeest abl
    i
    shedandwheregoods,
    mer chandise,foodst uff
    ,commodi ti
    es,orarti
    clesofcommer cemaybesol d
    anddi spensedt ot hegeneralpubli
    c.
    o(c)Nonationalorlocalroad,al
    l
    ey,par
    k,orsquareshallbet
    emporar
    il
    yclosed
    forathl
    eti
    c,cult
    ural,orcivi
    cacti
    vi
    ti
    esnotoffi
    cial
    lysponsor
    ed,r
    ecogni
    zed,or
    approvedbytheLGU.
    - 1.Tempor
    ary
    ;gr
    ounds&condi
    ti
    ons
    oIfi
    tist
    empor ar
    yclosur
    eofroads,i
    tcanbedoneei
    therbyor
    dinance,
    inwhi
    ch
    casemaj or
    it
    yv ot
    ei srequi
    red,oritcanbebywr i
    ttenor
    deroft heChi
    ef
    execut
    ivedependi
    ngont her
    easonfort
    hecl
    osur
    e:
     Fornon-ur
    gentcl
    osure(
    whichisappl
    i
    cableonlytol
    ocalr
    oads,thus,
    thi
    s
    cannotbedoneifi
    tisanat
    ionalr
    oad)–itshouldbebyordi
    nance
     Forurgentclosur
    e( such asdur
    ing an actualemergency,orf iest
    a
    cel
    ebrat
    ions,publi
    cr all
    i
    es,agri
    cul
    turalor i ndust
    ri
    alf ai
    rs,or an
    under
    takingofpubli
    cwor ksandhighway s,tel
    ecommunications,and
    water
    workspr
    oject
    s;thi
    scanbedoneeithert
    olocalornat
    ionalr
    oads)
    –itshoul
    dbebywrit
    tenorderoft
    heLCE
    - 2.Per
    manent
    ;gr
    ounds&condi
    ti
    ons
    oI
    fiti
    spermanentclosureofroads,itmustbedonebyordinancewhichmust
    beappr
    ovedbyatleasttwo-t
    hirds(2/3)ofal
    lthemembersofthesangguni
    an
    (Not
    e:Maj
    ori
    tyvot
    esi sonl
    yrequiredintemporar
    ycl
    osur
    eofr oads)
    ;AND
    o Anadequatesubst
    it
    utef
    ort
    hepubl
    i
    cfaci
    l
    ityt
    hati
    ssubj
    ectt
    ocl
    osur
    eis
    pr
    ovi
    ded;AND
    o Makepr
    ovi
    si
    onsf
    ort
    hemai
    ntenanceofpubl
    i
    csaf
    etyt
    her
    ein;
    AND
    o Forf
    reedom par
    ks,t
    her
    eshoul
    dbepr
    ovi
    sionsf
    ori
    tst
    ransf
    erorr
    elocat
    iont
    o
    anewsite.
    - Note:Openi
    ngorclosureofroadsisdiscret
    ionar
    y,t
    hus,mandamuswi
    l
    lnotl
    i
    eto
    cl
    oseoropen,unl
    esstherei
    saclearvi
    olati
    onoflaw.
    - MACASI ANOVSDI OKNO–Pr oper
    ti
    esofpubli
    cdomi ni
    ondevotedt
    opubl
    icuseand
    madeav ai
    l
    abletothepublicingeneralareoutsidethecommer ceofmanand
    cannotbedisposedoforl
    easedbyt hel
    gutopri
    vatepersons.
    oISSUE:WON an or
    dinance orr
    esol
    uti
    on i
    ssued by a munici
    palcounci
    l
    author
    izi
    ngt
    hel
    easeanduseofpublicstr
    eetsassit
    esf orf
    leamarketsis
    vali
    d.
    o NO.Theordi
    nancebyParanaqueauthor
    izi
    ngtheleaseanduseofpubl
    i
    c
    st
    reet
    sort
    hor
    oughfar
    esassit
    esforf
    leamarketi
    sinv
    ali
    d.
    o Str
    eetsar elocalroadsusedforpubl
    icser
    viceandar etherefor
    econsider
    ed
    publ
    icpr opert
    ies.Proper
    ti
    esoft hel
    ocalgovernmentwhichar edev ot
    edto
    publ
    icser vi
    ce are deemed publ
    icand are underthe absolut
    e contr
    olof
    Congress.Hence,localgover
    nmentshavenoaut hor
    it
    ywhat soevert
    ocontrol
    orregulatetheuseofpubl i
    cproper
    ti
    esunlessspecifi
    caut hori
    tyi
    sv est
    ed
    uponthem byCongr ess.
    o Asidef rom t her equi rementofduepr ocesswhi chshouldbecompl iedwi t
    h
    beforecl osingar oad,st reetorpar k,t hecl osureshoul dbef ort hesol e
    purposeofwi t
    hdr awi ngt her oadorot herpubl icpropertyf rom publ i
    cuse
    when ci rcumst ances show t hatsuch pr opertyis no longeri ntended or
    necessar yforpubl icuseorpubl i
    cserv ice.Wheni ti
    sal r
    eadywi thdrawnf rom
    publi
    c use,t he pr oper t
    yt hen becomes pat r
    imonialproper tyoft he l ocal
    governmentuni tconcer ned.I tisonlyt hent hattherespondentmuni cipali
    ty
    can "useorconv eyt hem f oranypur posef orwhich ot herr ealpr operty
    belongingt ot hel ocaluni tconcernedmi ghtbel awful
    lyusedorconv ey ed"in
    accordancewi tht hel astsent enceofSect ion10, ChapterIIofBl g.337, known
    as LocalGov ernmentCode. Howev er,t hose r oads and st r
    eet s whi ch ar e
    avail
    ablet ot hepubl ici ngener alandor dinaril
    yusedf orv ehiculartrafficar e
    sti
    llconsideredpubl i
    cpr opertydevotedt opubl i
    cuse.I nsuchcase,t hel ocal
    governmenthasnopowert ousei tforanot herpurposeort odi sposeofor
    l
    easei ttopr i
    v ateper sons.
    o Sec10Chapt
    erI
    Ioft
    heLGC,al
    thoughaut
    hor
    izi
    ngLGUst
    ocl
    oser
    oadsand
    similarpubli
    cpl
    aces,shoul
    dbedeemedlimi
    tedbyAr t424CCwhi
    chpr
    ovi
    des
    thatpr oper
    ti
    esofpubli
    cdomini
    ondevotedt
    opubl icuseandmadeav
    ail
    abl
    e
    tot hepublicingeneralar
    eoutsi
    dethecommer ceofmanandcannotbe
    disposedoforleasedbytheLGCtopr
    ivat
    epersons.
    o Therightofthepubl
    i
    ctouset
    heci
    tyst
    reet
    smaynotbebar
    gai
    nedaway
    thr
    oughcontr
    act.
    - CABRERA VSCOURTOFAPPEALS– Onewhosepr opertydoesnotabutont he
    cl
    osedsecti
    onofthestreethasnori
    ghttocompensat
    ionfortheclosi
    ngorv
    acat
    ion
    oft
    hestreet
    ,ifhest
    il
    lhasaccesstothegener
    alsy
    stem ofst
    reets.
    o Towar r
    antrecover
    y,t
    hepropert
    yownermustshowthatt
    hesit
    uat
    ioni
    ssuch
    thathehassust ai
    nedspecialdamagedif
    fer
    inginki
    nd,andnotmerel
    yin
    degree,
    from t
    hosesustai
    nedbythepubl
    i
    cgeneral
    l
    y.
    o TheConst it
    utiondoesnotunder t
    aketoguar anteet oapr oper
    tyownert he
    publi
    cmai ntenanceofthemostconvenientroutet ohi sdoor.Thelawwi l
    lnot
    permithimt obecutof ffrom t
    hepubli
    ct horoughf ares,buthemustcont ent
    hi
    msel fwithsuchr out
    eforoutl
    etastheregularlyconst it
    utedpubli
    cauthorit
    y
    maydeem mostcompat iblewit
    hthepubl i
    cwel fare.Hisacquisit
    ionofci t
    y
    propert
    yisat aci
    trecogni
    ti
    onofthesepri
    nciples.
    - CEBU OXYGEN & ACETYLENE CO.VS BERCI LES – The Ci
    tyCharterofCebu
    empower st
    hecitytowithdr
    awacit
    yroadfr
    om publ
    i
    cuseandt her
    efor
    e,af
    tersuch
    val
    idwithdr
    awal,itbecomespat
    ri
    monialpr
    opert
    yandmaybeav al
    idobj
    ectofa
    cont
    ractofsal
    e.
    o Theci tycouncil
    ,itwoul dseem tous,ist heauthorit
    ycompet enttodeter
    mi ne
    whet herornotacer tainpropertyissti
    llnecessaryforpublicuse.Suchpower
    tov acateastreetoral l
    eyisdiscret
    ionary.Andthediscreti
    onwi l
    lnotor
    dinaril
    y
    becont rol
    ledorinterferedwithbyt hecour t
    s,absentapl ai
    ncaseofabuseor
    fraudorcol l
    usion.Fai t
    hful
    nesst ot hepublictrustwillbepresumed.Sot he
    factthatsomepr iv
    atei nt
    erestsmaybeser vedi nci
    dentall
    ywil
    lnotinval
    idate
    thev acati
    onordinance.
    o Arti
    cle422 oft heCi vi
    lCodeexpr esslypr ov
    idest hat"Propertyofpubl i
    c
    dominion,whennol ongerintendedf orpublicuseorf orpubl i
    cservi
    ce,shall
    for
    m par tofthepat r
    imonialpropertyoft heSt ate.
    "Besi des,theRev i
    sed
    CharteroftheCityofCebuher et
    oforequot ed,inveryclearandunequi vocal
    ter
    ms,st at
    esthat:" Pr
    opert
    yt huswi thdr
    awnf rom publi
    cser vit
    udemaybe
    usedorconv ey
    edf oranypur poseforwhi chot herrealpropertybel
    ongingto
    theCitymaybelawf ull
    yusedorconv eyed."
    o Sincet hatpor t
    ionoftheci
    tystr
    eetsubj
    ectofpetit
    ioner
    'sappl
    i
    cati
    onfor
    regist
    ration oftit
    lewaswit
    hdr
    awn from publ
    icuse,itfoll
    owsthatsuch
    withdrawnpor ti
    onbecomespat
    ri
    monialpr
    opert
    ywhichcanbet heobj
    ectof
    anor dinarycont
    ract.
    - FAVI
    SVSCI
    TYOFBAGUI
    o Themainthrustofappel
    lant'
    sargumentsi
    sthattheci
    tycounci
    ldoesnothave
    thepowertocl osecit
    ystreet
    slikeLapu-
    LapuSt r
    eet
    .Heasser t
    sthatsince
    munici
    palbodieshavenoi nher
    entpowertovacateorwit
    hdrawast r
    eetfr
    om
    publicuse,t her
    emustbeaspeci fi
    cgr antbyt hel egisl
    ativebodyt otheci tyor
    muni cipal i
    ty concerned.Consi deri
    ng t hat" muni cipalcor porat
    ions int he
    Phili
    ppi nesar emer ecr eatur esofCongr ess;that,assuch,sai dcor porations
    possessed,andmayexer cise,onlysuchpowerasCongr essmaydeem f i
    tto
    grantt her eto"
    ,areferencet ot heorgani cactoft heCityofBagui oappear sto
    bei nor der.Insubsect i
    on( L)ofSect ion2558oft heRev iew Admi nistrati
    ve
    Code( Bagui oChar t
    er),thel anguageoft hegr antofaut hor i
    tyrunst hus— ( L)
    Topr ov idef orlayi
    ngout ,openi ng,extending,wi dening,st r
    aightening,closing
    up,const ructi
    ng,orr egulating,inwhol eori npar t
    ,anypubl i
    cplaza,squar e,
    street,si dewalk,tr
    ail,park,wat erworks,orwat erremai ns,oranycemet ery,
    sewer ,sewerconnect ionorconnect ions, eit
    heron, in,oruponpubl i
    corpr i
    vate
    property ;...
    .Undoubtedly,theCi t
    yisexpl i
    citl
    yempower edt ocloseaci tyst r
    eet.
    o Soi tis,thatappel l
    antmaynotchal l
    enget heci t
    ycouncil'
    sactofwi t
    hdrawi ng
    ast ripofLapu- LapuSt r
    eetatitsdeadendf rom publicuseandconv ert
    ingt he
    remai nderther eofint
    oanal l
    ey.Thesear eact swellwithintheambi toft he
    powert ocl oseaci t
    yst r
    eet.Theci tycounci l,itwouldseem t ous,i st he
    aut hor i
    tycompet enttodet erminewhet herornotacer tainpr oper
    tyisst i
    l
    l
    necessar yf orpubl i
    c use.Such powert ov acate a streetoral ley is
    discr eti
    onary .Andt hediscreti
    onwi l
    lnotor dinari
    lybecont r
    olledorinterfered
    with byt he courts,absenta pl ain case ofabuse orf r
    aud orcol l
    usion.
    Faithf ul
    nesst othepublictr
    ustwi l
    lbepresumed.Sot hefactthatsomepr i
    vate
    i
    nt erest smaybeser vedincidental
    lywil
    lnoti nvali
    datethevacat i
    onordinance.
    o From thef actt hattheleasedst r
    ipof100squar emet erswaswi thdrawnf r
    om
    publi
    c use,i t necessar i
    lyf ol
    lows t hat such l eased por ti
    on becomes
    patri
    moni alpr oper t
    y.Ar ti
    cle 422 oft he Ci vi
    lCode i ndeed pr ovides that
    propertyofpubl i
    cdomai n,"whennol ongeri ntendedf orpubl icuseorpubl i
    c
    servi
    ce,shal lform partoft hepat ri
    moni alpr opertyoft heSt ate.
    "Aut horit
    yis
    notwant i
    ngf ort hepropositi
    ont hatpr oper t
    yf orpublicuseofpr ov
    incesand
    townsar egov ernedbyt hesamepr i
    nciplesaspr opertyofpubl icdomi nionof
    thesamechar acter.
    "15Ther eisnodoubtt hatthestripwi thdr awnf r
    om publ i
    c
    useandhel di npr i
    vat
    eowner shipmaybegi v eninl ease.Foramongstt he
    charterpower sgi ventheCi t
    yofBagui o( Secti
    on2541, Rev isedAdmi ni st
    rati
    ve
    Code[ Char t
    eroft heCityofBagui o])i sto" lease...r eal. ..property ,forthe
    benefitoftheci ty..
    ..
    "
    o"Thegener alruleist hatonewhosepr oper
    tydoesnotabutont heclosed
    secti
    onofast reethasnor ighttocompensationforthecl osi
    ngorv acat
    ionof
    thestreet,i
    fhest il
    lhasr easonableaccesstot hegener alsyst
    em ofstreets.
    Thecircumst ancesinsomecasesmaybesuchast ogi vearighttodamages
    toapr opertyowner ,ev ent houghhispropert
    ydoesnotabutont heclosed
    secti
    on.Butt owar r
    antr ecov er
    yinanysuchcaset hepr opert
    yownermust
    show t hatthe situati
    on issuch t hathe hassust ained specialdamages
    dif
    fer
    ingi nfr
    om t hosesust ainedbykind,andnotmer elyindegree,thepublic
    generall
    y."
    - SANGALANGVSI NTERMEDIATEAPELLATECOURT–Theopeni ngofOrbi
    tStr
    eetto
    tr
    aff
    icbyt heMay orwaswarrantedbythedemandsofthecommongoodandi sa
    val
    idexerciseofpoli
    cepower.Poli
    cepower
    ,unl
    ikethepowerofeminentdomain,i
    s
    exer
    cisedwi t
    houtprovi
    si
    onsofjustcompensat
    ion.Thefactt
    hattheopeni
    ngupof
    OrbitSt.t
    ov ehi
    cul
    artraf
    f i
    chadledtothelossofpr i
    vacyofBel-
    Airresi
    dents,does
    notrendertheexerci
    seofpol i
    cepowerunjust
    if
    ied.(Note:Thi
    sappli
    est hepri
    ncipl
    e
    of“damnum absqueinjuri
    a”,meani
    ng,t
    hereismat er
    ialdamagebutthereisnoinj
    ury
    becauset her
    ei snov i
    olati
    onofar i
    ght.Thesaidpr i
    nciplei
    salsoappl i
    edt othe
    Cabreracase.)
    o May
    orYabutj
    ust
    if
    iedt
    heopeni
    ngoft
    hest
    reet
    sont
    hef
    oll
    owi
    nggr
    ounds:
     1)Somet imeago,AyalaCorporat
    iondonatedJupiterandOrbi
    tStreet
    s
    toBel-
    Ai ronthecondit
    iont
    hat,undercertai
    nreasonabl
    econdit
    ionsand
    rest
    ri
    ctions,thegeneralpubli
    cshal lalwaysbeopent othegener al
    publi
    c.These condi ti
    ons were evidenced by a deed ofdonat i
    on
    executedbetweenAy al
    aandBel-Air.
     2)Theopeningofthest
    reet
    swasj
    ust
    if
    iedbypubl
    i
    cnecessi
    tyandt
    he
    exer
    ciseoft
    hepoli
    cepower.
     3) Bel-
    Air Vi
    ll
    age Associ
    ati
    on’s( BAVA) art
    icles of incor
    porat
    ion
    recogni
    zedJupi
    terSt
    reetasamer eboundar
    ytot hesouthwest–thusit
    cannotbesaidtobef
    ortheexclusi
    vebenefi
    tofBel -
    Airr
    esi
    dents.
     4)BAVAcannothi debehindthenon-i
    mpairmentclauseontheground
    thatisconst
    it
    uti
    onall
    yguarant
    eed.Thereasonisthatiti
    snotabsol
    ute,
    sinceithast
    ober econci
    l
    edwiththel
    egit
    imateexerci
    seofpoli
    cepower.
    o Al
    so,
    thedemol
    i
    tionoft
    hegat
    esi
    sjust
    if
    iedunderAr
    t.436oft
    heCi
    vi
    lCode:
    “Whenanypr opert
    yiscondemnedorsei zedbycompet entaut
    horit
    yin
    theinter
    estofhealt
    h,safetyorsecur
    it
    y,t
    heownert her
    eofshallnotbe
    enti
    tl
    edt ocompensation,unl
    esshecanshowt hatsuchcondemnat i
    on
    orseizur
    eisunjust
    if
    ied.”
    oInthiscase,BAVAhast heburdenofshowi ngthattheseizureofthegat esi s
    unj
    ust i
    fi
    edbecausepolicepowercanbeexer cisedwithoutprovi
    sionf orjust
    compensat i
    on.The Cour tis oft he opi
    nion thatthe Mayordi d notact
    unreasonablynorwast heopeningoft hegatesunjusti
    fi
    ed.Infact
    ,t hegat es
    couldev enbeconsider
    edpubli
    cnui sances,ofwhichsummar yabat ement,as
    decreedunderArt.701oftheCivilCode,maybecar r
    iedoutbytheMay or.
    - PILAPILVSCOURTOFAPPEALS–Amuni cipali
    tyhast heunassail
    ableaut
    hor i
    tyt
    o
    (a)prepareandadoptal
    andusemap; (
    b)pr omul gateazoni
    ngor di
    nancewhi chmay
    consider,amongotherthi
    ngs,themuni
    cipalr oadst obeconst r
    ucted,maintai
    ned,
    i
    mpr ovedorrepai
    redand(c)cl
    oseanymunicipal road.
    o FACTS:SpousesPi l
    apilownapar celoflandi
    nBahak,Pobl aci
    on,Lil
    oan,Cebu.
    SpousesCol omida,ontheot herhand,boughtapar celoflandlocatedalsoin
    Bahak.TheCol omidasclai
    mt hatt heyhadacquiredf r
    om SesenandoLongki ta
    roadri
    ghtofwaywhi chleadst owar dstheNationalRoad;t hisroadrightof
    way,howev er,endsatt hatpor ti
    onoft hepropertyoft hePi l
    apil
    swher ea
    caminovecinal(barr
    ioroad)existsallthewaytot hesaidNat i
    onalRoad.
    o The Colomidas "
    tri
    ed t
    oi mprovethe road of"camino v ecinal"
    ,f orthe
    conveni
    enceofthepubl
    ic,
    "butthePil
    api
    l
    sharassedandthreat enedthem with
    "bodi
    lyhar
    mf rom maki
    ngsaidimprovement.
    "ThePilapi
    lsalsot hreatenedto
    fenceoffthecaminoveci
    nal.Thus,t
    heColomidasfil
    edacompl ai
    ntagainst
    t
    hePi
    l
    api
    l
    s.
    o ThePi l
    apil
    sdeni ed theexi stenceoft hecami no veci
    nal.Theypr esent
    ed
    severalwi t
    nesses.Amongt hem wasEngi neerEpi f
    anio Jordan,Muni ci
    pal
    PlanningandDev el
    opmentCoor dinat
    orofLil
    oan.EngineerJor dantest
    ifi
    edon
    Lil
    oan'sUr banLandUsePl anorzoni ngmapwhi chhepr eparedupont he
    i
    nstructionoft henMuni cipalMay orCesarButaiandwhi chwasappr ovedby
    theSangguni angBay anofLi loan.Perthesai
    dplan,thecami nov eci
    nalinsi
    tio
    Bahakdoesnott raverse,butrunsalongthesideofthePilapilproper
    ty.
    o The Colomidas,on t
    he otherhand,rel
    i
    ed on old-
    ti
    mers as witnesses –
    wit
    nessessuchasFl orenti
    noPepit
    o,whoat t
    est
    edt otheexistenceoft he
    Caminov eci
    nalandi
    tsav ai
    l
    abi
    li
    tytothegener
    alpubl
    icsi
    ncepr acti
    call
    yti
    me
    i
    mmemor ial
    .
    oI
    SSUE:
    WON theMuni
    cipal
    i
    tyofLi
    l
    oan’
    scami
    nov
    eci
    nalshoul
    dtr
    aver
    set
    he
    pr
    oper
    tyoft
    hePi
    l
    apil
    s.
    o HELD:NO.Acami nov ecinalisamuni ci
    palroad.Itisal
    sopropertyforpubli
    c
    use.Pursuanttot hepower sofal ocalgovernmentunit
    ,theMuni ci
    pali
    tyof
    Lil
    oanhadt heunassailableauthori
    tyto(a)prepareandadoptalandusemap,
    (b)promulgateazoni ngor di
    nancewhi chmayconsi der
    ,amongot herthings,
    themunicipalroadstobeconst ruct
    ed,maintained,i
    mprovedorrepair
    edand
    (c)cl
    oseanymuni cipalroad.
    o TheSCsai dthatitdi
    dn’tmat terwhatopi niontheColomidasortheengineer
    gaveregardingt heexi
    stenceoft hecami nov eci
    nal
    .Tot heSC,theissueof
    thei
    rcredibil
    ityhasbeenr enderedmootbyt heunrebutt
    edev i
    dencewhi ch
    showst hatt heMunicipal
    ityofLi loan,throughitsSangguniangBayan,had
    approv
    edazoni ngplan,otherwisecal l
    edanUr banLandUsePl an.Thi
    spl an
    i
    ndicat
    est her el
    ati
    vel
    ocationoft hecami nov eci
    nali
    nsit
    ioBahak.
    oItisbeyonddi sputethattheestabli
    shment ,closureorabandonmentoft he
    cami noveci
    nalisthesol epr
    erogati
    veoft heMuni cipali
    tyofLil
    oan.Nopr i
    vate
    partycanint
    erferewithsuchar i
    ght.Hence, thedecisionoftheMuni ci
    pal
    ityof
    Lil
    oanwi t
    hrespectt othesaidcaminov ecinalinsiti
    oBahakmustpr evai
    l
    .Itis
    thuspointl
    esst oconcentrat
    eont hetestimoniesofbot hwitnessessi
    ncet he
    samehav e,foralli
    ntentsandpurposes,becomei rrelevant
    .
    o Andaspert hezoningmap,asf ur
    therdecl
    aredbyEngineerJordan,thi
    s
    caminoveci
    nali
    nsit
    ioBahak"passesthesi
    deofthelandofSocrat
    esPilapi
    l
    .
    Thisist
    heproposedroadl
    eadingtothenati
    onalhi
    ghway.
    "Hence,saidroad
    shoul
    dnottr
    averset
    hePil
    api
    l’
    sproperty
    .
    oItisbey onddi sput
    et hatt heest abli
    shment ,cl
    osureorabandonmentoft he
    cami nov eci
    nalisthesol eprerogativeoft heMunicipal
    ityofLil
    oan.Nopr i
    vate
    partycani nterf
    erewithsuchar i
    ght .Thus,evenifWear etoagreewi t
    hbot h
    thetrialcourtandpubl icrespondentt hatLongakitandPepi t
    ower etell
    i
    ngt he
    trut
    h, t
    hedeci si
    onoft heMuni cipali
    tyofLi l
    oanwithrespecttothesaidcami no
    vecinalinsitioBahakmustpr evail
    .Itisthuspointl
    esst oconcentrateont he
    testi
    moni es ofbot h wi t
    nesses si nce the same hav e,forallintents and
    purposes, becomei r
    relevant.
    o Thepr
    oper
    tyofpr
    ovi
    nces,
    cit
    iesandmuni
    cipal
    i
    tiesi
    sdi
    vi
    dedi
    ntopr
    oper
    tyf
    or
    publi
    cuseandpat ri
    moni alpr operty .Thef i
    rstconsi stsoft heprovi
    ncialroads,
    cit
    yst reets,muni ci
    palst reets,squar es,fountains,publicwat er
    s,promenades,
    andpubl icwor ksf orpubl icser vicepai df orbyt hesai dpr ovi
    nces,cit
    iesor
    munici pali
    ti
    es.Theyar egov ernedbyt hesamepr i
    nciplesaspr opertyofpubli
    c
    domi nionoft hesamechar acter.Undert heappl i
    cablelawi nthiscase,Batas
    PambansaBl g.337( TheLocalGov ernmentCode) ,theSangguni angBay an,
    thelegi sl
    ativ
    ebodyoft hemuni ci pali
    ty,hadt hepowert oadoptzoni ngand
    subdiv isi
    onor dinancesorr egulat i
    onssubj ectt ot hepr ovi
    sionsofexi sti
    ng
    l
    aws,and t o pr ov i
    de f or t he const r
    uction,i mpr ovement ,repair and
    maint enanceofmuni cipalst reets,av enues,al leys,sidewalks,bri
    dges,parks
    andot herpubli
    cpl aces, regulatet heuset hereofandpr ohibi
    ttheconstructi
    on
    orplaci ngofobst aclesorencr oachment sont hem.
    o A cami no vecinali samuni cipalroad.Itisalso pr opert
    yf orpubli
    cuse.
    Pursuant,therefore,tot heabov epower sofal ocalgov ernmentunit,the
    Municipal
    ityofLi l
    oanhadt heunassailabl
    eauthorit
    yt o(a)prepareandadopt
    alandusemap,( b)promul gateazoni ngor di
    nancewhi chmayconsi der
    ,
    among ot hert hings,the muni ci
    palroads to be const r
    ucted,maintai
    ned,
    i
    mpr ovedorr epairedand( c)closeanymuni ci
    palroad.
    oIntheinst
    antcase,t
    heMunicipali
    tyofLil
    oan,
    thr
    oughtheSangguni
    angBayan,
    approvedtheUrbanLandUsePl an;thi
    splanwasdul
    ysignedbytheMunici
    pal
    May or.Bydoingso,thesai
    dl egi
    slati
    vebodydet
    ermined,amongother
    s,t
    he
    l
    ocat i
    onofthecaminoveci
    nalinsiti
    oBahak.

    PARTVI–CORPORATEPOWERSOFLOCALGOVERNMENTS
    - Sect
    ion22.Cor
    por
    atePowers.(Thi
    ssigni
    fi
    essepar
    ateanddi
    sti
    nctper
    sonal
    i
    tyof
    thel
    gu.Lgui
    sal
    soacorpor
    ateenti
    ty)–
    .
    o(a)Ev
    eryl
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    t,asacor
    por
    ati
    on,shal
    lhav
    ethef
    oll
    owi
    ng
    power
    s:
    (
    1)Tohav
    econt
    inuoussuccessi
    oni
    nit
    scor
    por
    atename;
    (
    2)Tosueandbesued;
    (
    3)Tohav
    eanduseacor
    por
    ateseal
    ;
    (
    4)Toacqui
    reandconv
    eyr
    ealorper
    sonalpr
    oper
    ty;
    (
    5)Toent
    eri
    ntocont
    ract
    s;and
    (6)To exerci
    sesuchotherpowersasaregrant
    ed t
    o cor
    por
    ati
    ons,
    subj
    ecttotheli
    mit
    ati
    onspr
    ovi
    dedinthi
    sCodeandot
    herl
    aws.
    o(b)Localgov ernmentuni tsmaycont inue using,modi f
    y,orchange t hei
    r
    existi
    ngcor porateseals:Provi
    ded,Thatnewlyest abl
    ishedlocalgov ernment
    unitsort hosewi t
    houtcor por
    atesealsmaycr eatetheirowncor porateseals
    whi ch shallbe regist
    ered wit
    ht he Depar
    tmentoft he I
    nter
    iorand Local
    Gov ernment:Provided,fur
    ther
    ,Thatanychangeofcor poratesealshallalsobe
    regist
    eredaspr ovidedhereon.
    o(
    c)Unlessot
    her
    wiseprovi
    dedi
    nthi
    sCode,
    nocontractmaybeenter
    edint
    oby
    t
    helocalchi
    efexecut
    ivei
    nbehal
    foft
    helocalgov
    er nmentuni
    twit
    houtpri
    or
    author
    izati
    onbyt hesanggunianconcerned(Note:Throughthepassageofa
    boardr esol
    uti
    on).A legi
    ble copyofsuch cont ractshallbe posted ata
    conspi
    cuouspl acei
    nthepr ovinci
    alcapi
    tolorthecity
    ,municipalorbar
    angay
    hal
    l.
    o(d)Localgover
    nmentunit
    sshallenj
    oyfullaut
    onomyi
    ntheexer
    ciseoft
    heir
    propr
    iet
    aryfuncti
    onsandinthelimi
    tat
    ionsprovi
    dedi
    nthi
    sCodeandot her
    appli
    cabl
    elaws,
    - 1.Tohav
    econt
    inuoussuccessi
    oni
    nit
    scor
    por
    atename
    - 2.Tosueandbesued (Thus,t
    hestateimmunit
    yf r
    om sui
    tcl
    aimi snotopen
    anymoretoanyl
    gubecauseoftheexpresspr
    ovi
    sionoftheLGC andthelgu’
    s
    char
    ter
    .)
    o Sec.481(3)
    (i)–I
    naddi
    ti
    ont
    othef
    oregoi
    ngdut
    iesandf
    unct
    ions,t
    hel
    egal
    off
    icershal
    l
    :
    (i
    )Repr esentt helocalgovernmentuni tinallciv
    ilacti
    onsandspeci al
    proceedingswher einthelocalgovernmentunitoranyof f
    ici
    althereof,i
    n
    hi
    sof fi
    cialcapacity,i
    sapar t
    y:Prov i
    ded,That,i
    nactionsorproceedings
    where a componentci t
    yormuni ci
    pali
    tyis a partyadverse tot he
    provi
    ncialgov ernmentort oanot hercomponentci tyormuni ci
    pali
    ty,a
    speciall
    egalof fi
    cermaybeempl oyedtor epr
    esenttheadverseparty;
    o Howmayt
    hel
    gussue?
     Asagener alr
    ule,itmaysuet
    hrought
    heLCEasaut
    hor
    izedbyt
    he
    sangguni
    anconcerned.
     Except
    ion:
    CITYCOUNCI
    LOFCEBUVSCUI
    ZON
     TheCityofCebusuedbutnott
    hroughthemay
    or,butthrought
    he
    ci
    tycouncil
    orsbecausethemay orwastherespondentinthi
    s
    case.Thus,
    repr
    esent
    ati
    vesui
    tisall
    owed.
     Plai
    nti
    ffscl
    ear
    lyandbyt heexpresst
    ermsofthecomplai
    ntfi
    led
    thesuitasarepresent
    ati
    vesuitonbehal
    fandforthebenef
    itof
    thecit
    yofCebu.
     Si
    r’
    sopi
    nion:
    Prohacv
    icecase;
    pecul
    i
    aronl
    ytot
    hiscase
     Note:Taxpayers’sui
    ti s notav ai
    labl
    e on t he l
    ocallevel
    .It’
    s
    avail
    abl
    eonlyont henationall
    evel.Taxpay
    er s’sui
    tinvol
    vesonly
    funds ofCongr ess and notany ot herf unds,such as t he
    Presi
    dent’
    sfundsandt helgus’
    funds.
    o Whomayr
    epr
    esentascounsel
    fort
    hel
    gu?
     GR:Lgu’
    sat
    tor
    ney
    .
     E(
    stat
    edi
    nthecaseofRamos)
    :
    i
    .Conf
    li
    ctofi
    nter
    est
    i
    i
    .Whent
    heconcer
    nedl
    gu’
    scounsel
    isdi
    squal
    i
    fied
     RAMOS VS CA – Onl
    ytheprov
    inci
    alf
    iscal
    ,pr
    ovinci
    alat
    torney
    ,and
    muni
    ci
    palat
    tor
    neyshouldr
    epr
    esentamunici
    pal
    it
    yi nl
    awsui
    ts.Pri
    vat
    e
    l
    awyer
    smaynotrepr
    esentmuni
    cipal
    it
    iesont hei
    rown,andnei
    thermay
    t
    heydosoev
    enincoll
    abor
    ati
    onwithauthor
    izedgover
    nmentlawyers.
     Thef or egoi ngpr ovisionsofl awandj urisprudenceshowt hatonl y
    thepr ov i
    nci alf iscal ,prov incialat torney ,andmuni cipalat tor ney
    shouldr epr esentamuni cipalityini tslawsui t
    s.Onlyi nexcept ional
    i
    nstancesmayapr i
    v ateat torneybehi redbyamuni ci
    pal i
    tyt o
    representi ti nl aw- suits.Theseexcept ionsar eenumer atedi nt he
    caseofALI NSUGVS.SANCARLOSCI TY,NEGROSOCCI DENTAL
    towi t:“indeedi tappear st hatt hel awal lowsapr i
    v atecounselt o
    be hi red bya muni cipalityonl ywhen t he muni cipal i
    tyi s an
    ADVERSE PARTY I N A CASE I NVOLVI NG THE PROVI NCI AL
    GOVERNMENT OR ANOTHER MUNI CIPALI TY OR CI TY WI THI N
    THE PROVI NCE.Thi spr ov isionhasi tsappar entor i
    gini nt he
    rul
    ingofDeGui av s.TheAudi torGener alwheret hecour thel d
    thatt hemuni ci pali
    ty ’
    saut hor i
    tyt oempl oyapr ivat eat tor
    neyi s
    expressl yl imi tedonl yt osi tuat i
    onswher ethepr ov i
    ncialf iscal
    woul dbedi squal if
    iedt oser veandr epr esentit.Wi t
    hsec.1683of
    theol dadmi nistrativecodeasl egalbasi s,thecour tt hereinci ted
    Enriquezv s.Gi menezwhi ch enumer ated instances when t he
    provinci alf i
    scali sdi squal if
    iedt or epresenti ncour tapar ticular
    muni cipal i
    ty ;ifandwhenor i
    ginalj urisdict i
    onofcasei nv olvi
    ngt he
    muni cipal i
    tyi nt hesamepr ov i
    nce,andwhen,i nacasei nvolving
    themuni cipal i
    ty ,heorhi swi feorchi ldi specuniarilyinv olved,as
    heir,l
    egat ee, cr editororot her wise.
     Pri
    vatelawyersmaynotrepresentmunici
    pal
    iti
    esontheirown.
    Neit
    hermayt heydosoev enincollabor
    ati
    onwithauthori
    zed
    governmentlawyer
    s.THISIS ANCHORED ON THEPRI NCIPLE
    THATONLYACCOUNTABLEOFFI CERSMAYACTFORAND I N
    BEHALF OF PUBLI C ENTI
    TIES AND THAT PUBLI C FUNDS
    SHOULDNOTBEEXPENDEDTOHI REPRIVATELAWYERS.
     Alt
    houghamuni cipali
    tymaynothi reapri
    vatelawyertorepresent
    i
    tinl i
    ti
    gati
    on,int hei nt
    erestofsubstanti
    aljusti
    cehowev er,a
    munici
    pali
    tymayadoptt hewor kalr
    eadyperformedingoodf ait
    h
    bysuchpr i
    vat
    elawy er,whichworkisbenefi
    cialtoitpr
    ovided:(1)
    no inj
    usti
    ce i
    st herebyheaped on t he adverse part
    y.(2)no
    compensation in any gui se is pai
    dt herefor by the sai d
    munici
    pali
    tytotheprivatelawyer.
    Insum,al t
    houghamuni cipalit
    ymaynothi r
    eapr i
    vatel
    awy erto
    representi
    tinli
    ti
    gati
    on,i
    nt heinterestofjust
    icehowever
    ,wehol d
    thatamuni ci
    pal
    itymayadoptt hewor kalreadyperf
    ormedingood
    fai
    thbysuchl awyer,whichwor ki sbenefici
    altoitunlessso
    expresslyadopted,the priv
    atel awy er
    s wor kcannotbind the
    muni ci
    pali
    ty.
    - 3.Tohav
    eanduseacopor
    ateseal
    - 4.Toacqui
    reandconv
    eyr
    ealorper
    sonalpr
    oper
    ty
    o Ar
    ts.423-
    424NCC
     Ar
    t.423.Theproper
    tyofpr
    ovi
    nces,ci
    ti
    es,andmunicipal
    i
    tiesi
    sdi
    vi
    ded
    i
    ntoproper
    tyf
    orpubli
    cuseandpatr
    imoni
    alproper
    ty.
     Ar
    t. 424. Proper
    tyf or publ i
    c use,i n the provi
    nces,ci t
    ies,and
    municipali
    ti
    es,consi
    stoft hepr ov
    incialroads,ci
    tystreets,muni ci
    pal
    st
    reets,thesquares,fountains,publi
    cwat ers,pr
    omenades,andpubl ic
    works f or publ
    ic servi
    ce pai df or by sai d pr
    ovinces,cities,or
    municipali
    ti
    es.
     Allot
    herpr
    oper
    typossessedbyanyofthem i
    spat
    ri
    monialandshal
    lbe
    gover
    nedbythisCode,withoutpr
    ejudi
    cetotheprov
    isi
    onsofspecial
    l
    aws.
    o Not
    e:I
    mper
    ium –gov
    ernment
    alcapaci
    ty;
    domi
    nium –pr
    opr
    iet
    arycapaci
    ty
    o Proper
    ti
    esofl
    gusar
    ehel
    dei
    theri
    nit
    sgov
    ernment
    alcapaci
    tyorpr
    opr
    iet
    ary
    capaci
    ty.
    o Howdoy
    ouknowwhet
    hert
    hepr
    oper
    tyi
    spubl
    i
    corpat
    ri
    moni
    al?
     Ar
    t.424oft
    heNCC
     Consi
    der
    ati
    on–t
    hemannerbywhi
    cht
    hepr
    oper
    tyi
    sacqui
    red:
    I
    fpri
    vat
    efundi
    susedbyt hel
    gu,thentheproper
    tyacqui
    redby
    r
    easonoft
    hepr
    ivat
    efundi
    sconsi
    deredpri
    vat
    eproper
    ty.
    o Rel
    evanceofdi
    sti
    ngui
    shi
    ngpubl
    i
    cfr
    om pat
    ri
    moni
    alpr
    oper
    ty:
    i
    .Propert
    yforpubl
    icusei sunderthecontrolofCongress(becauseher e
    LGU ismerelyapol it
    ical“ agent
    ”oft hestate/nat
    ionalgovernment )
    .
    Consequent
    ly,
    theprincipalmayconv ertittootheruseswi t
    horwi t
    hout
    theconsentofthel guandt helatt
    ercannotcl aim duepr ocessnor
    demandjustcompensat ion(becausethereisno“ depri
    vat
    ion”ast helgu
    hol
    dsthepropert
    y“intrust ”f
    orthestate).
     Patri
    monialproper
    tycanbeusedbyt helguwithoutconsentof
    congressandt hatifcongr essusesi tforsomeot herpurpose,
    due process and justcompensat i
    on mustbe compl ied wit
    h
    because ther
    ei s already “depr
    ivati
    on”as the lgu owns the
    propert
    y.The t er
    m “ per
    son”undert he due process cl
    ause
    i
    ncludespubli
    ccorp.
    i
    i.Pr opert
    yforpubl
    icusecannotbesubj
    ectofcont
    ract
    ,beyondthe
    commer ceofman.Hence,pr
    oper
    ti
    esf
    oundther
    einmaybeconsider
    ed
    nuisance;patr
    imoni
    alpr
    opert
    ycanbesubj
    ectofcont
    ractandmaybe
    al
    ienated.
    i
    i
    i.Publ
    icpr
    opert
    ycannotbeacqui
    redbypr
    escr
    ipt
    ionagai
    nstt
    hest
    ate
    (
    byindi
    vi
    dualormuni
    ci
    pali
    ty)
    i
    v.Publ
    i
    cpr
    oper
    tycannotbesubj
    ectofat
    tachmentandexecut
    ion
    v
    .Publ
    i
    cpr
    oper
    tycannotbebur
    denedbyanyv
    olunt
    aryeasement
     buti
    fiti
    s compul
    sor
    y easementbecause t
    he publ
    i
    croad
    encl
    osesadominantestat
    e,i
    tcanbesubjectt
    osuchcompulsor
    y
    easement,
    butnottoavolunt
    aryeasementbecausei
    tisasi
    fiti
    s
    subject
    edtoacont
    ract
    o Whatabout“
    recl
    aimed”l
    ands?CHAVEZVSPUBLI
    CESTATESAUTHORI
    TY
     Submer ged lands are proper
    ti
    es of publi
    c domini
    on,absolut
    ely
    i
    nalienabl
    eandout si
    det hecommer ceofman.Thisisalsotruewith
    respecttofor
    eshorelands.(
    Secs.2and3Art.12oft
    heconst
    i)
     Hence,iti
    sonlywhent hesubmer gedorf or
    eshorel
    andsareactuall
    y
    “r
    eclai
    med”thattheybecomeal ienablelandsofpubli
    cdomainwhi ch
    can now be disposed ofin accordance withlaw (t
    o be decl
    ared
    al
    ienabl
    eanddisposabl
    e; i
    ssuedcerti
    fi
    catesofti
    tl
    es)
     RA 1899 author
    ized munici
    pal
    it
    ies and char
    ter
    ed ci
    ti
    es t
    orecl
    aim
    for
    eshor
    elands,butnotsubmergedlands.
     Thus,onl
    ymuni
    ci
    pal
    i
    tiesandci
    ti
    escanr
    ecl
    aim.Pr
    ovi
    ncecannot
    recl
    aim.
     Onl
    ynat
    ional
    gov
    ernmentcanr
    ecl
    aim submer
    gedl
    ands.
    o RABUCOVSVI LLEGAS–RA3120i sconst
    it
    utionalandisamani f
    est
    ati
    onof
    thel
    egi
    slat
    ure’
    sr i
    ghttodealwit
    hthest
    atepropert
    ywhichincl
    udesthosehel
    d
    bymuni
    cipalcorporat
    ionsi
    nitspubl
    i
    corgovernmentalcapaci
    ty.
     Facts:RA 3120 convert
    ed the Malat
    e area,which ar
    er eser
    ved as
    communalpr opert
    y,i
    ntodisposabl
    eorali
    enabl
    elandsofthestatet
    obe
    placed under the administr
    ati
    on and disposal of the LTA for
    subdivi
    sionsint
    o smalllotst othetenantsorbonaf ideoccupants
    thereof
    .
     Respondentci
    tyoffi
    ci
    alscontendedt hattheActmustbest r
    ickendown
    as unconst
    it
    uti
    onalf ordeprivi
    ng the CityofMani la ofthe lot
    si n
    questi
    on,and pr ovi
    ding f
    or t hei
    r sale without payment of just
    compensati
    ont husconstit
    uting depriv
    ationofpropertywi t
    houtdue
    processofl
    aw.
     Held:Thel otsinquest i
    onar emani festl
    yownedbyt heci t
    yi ni t
    spubl i
    c
    andgov ernment alcapaci t
    yandar ethereforepubl i
    cpropertyov erwhich
    Congress had absol ut
    e controlas di sti
    ngui shed from pat ri
    moni al
    propertyownedbyi ti nitsprivateorpr opri
    etarycapaci t
    yofwhi chi t
    could not be depr ived wi t
    hout due pr ocess and wi thout just
    compensat ion.TheActwasi ntendedt oimpl ementt hesoci aljust
    ice
    poli
    cyoft heconst iandt hegov ernment’spr ogram ofl andf orthe
    l
    andless.Itisamani festati
    onoft helegislatur
    e’sr i
    ghtandpowert odeal
    witht he st at
    e pr oper t
    y which i ncludes t hose held by muni ci
    pal
    corporati
    oni nit
    spubl i
    candgov er nment alcapaci t
    y.Therefore, RA3120
    i
    sconst it
    utional
    .
    o VILLANUEVAVSCASTANEDA–Thepl aceoccupiedbyt
    hestal
    lsforminga
    tal
    ipapaoft hevendor
    s/pet
    it
    ioner
    sisapublicplazaandassuchbeyondthe
    commer ceofmanandcannotbet hesubj
    ectofl
    easeoranyot
    hercontr
    actual
    undertaking.
    o DACANAYVSASI
    STI
    O
     Ther eisno doubtt hatt hedi sputed ar
    easfrom whi
    ch t
    hepr i
    vate
    respondents'mar ketstal
    lsaresoughtt obeev i
    ctedar
    epubli
    cstreets,
    asf oundbyt hetrialcourtinCivilCaseNo.C-12921.Apubl
    icst
    reetis
    propertyforpubli
    cusehenceout sidet
    hecommer ceofman(Art
    s.420,
    424,CivilCode).Beingout si
    det hecommer ceofman,i
    tmaynotbet he
    subjectofleaseorot hercontract.
     Ast hest all
    hol
    der spayf eestot heCi t
    yGov er
    nmentf orther ightto
    occupypor ti
    onsoft hepubl icstr
    eet,theCityGovernment,cont raryto
    l
    aw,hasbeenl easingpor ti
    onsoft hest r
    eetstothem.Suchl easesor
    l
    icensesar enul landv oi
    df orbeingcont r
    arytolaw.Ther ightoft he
    publi
    ct o uset heci t
    yst reetsmaynotbebar gained awayt hrough
    contract.Theinterestsofaf ewshouldnotprevai
    lov ert
    hegoodoft he
    greaternumberi nt hecommuni tywhoseheal t
    h,peace,saf ety,good
    orderandgener alwelfare,therespondentcit
    yoffi
    cialsareunderl egal
    obli
    gationtoprot ect
    .
     TheExecut iveOrderissuedbyAct i
    ngMay orRobl esauthori
    zingt heuse
    ofHer oesdel' 96Streetasav endingareaf orstall
    holder
    swhower e
    grantedl i
    censesbyt heci t
    ygov er
    nmentcont r
    avenest hegener allaw
    thatr eserv
    esci tystreetsand roadsf orpubl i
    cuse.May orRobl es'
    Execut i
    veOr dermaynoti nfri
    ngeupont hev est
    edr i
    ghtofthepubl i
    ct o
    useci tystreetsforthepur posetheywer ei nt
    endedt oser ve:i.e.
    ,as
    arteri
    esoft r
    avelforv ehi
    clesandpedest r
    ians.Asear lyas1989,t he
    publicrespondentsbadst artedtolookforfeasiblealt
    ernat
    ivesi tesfor
    fl
    eamar kets.Theyhav ehadmor et hanampl et i
    met or elocatethe
    streetvendors.
    o CI
    TYOFANGELESVSCOURTOFAPPEALS
     PRESIDENTI
    ALDECREENO.1216pr ovi
    desthat“WHEREAS,suchopen
    spaces,r
    oads,al
    ley
    sandsidewalksinresi
    denti
    alsubdi
    vi
    sionsar
    efor
    publi
    cuseandare,t
    her
    efor
    e,bey
    ondt hecommerceofmen;”
     Thereisthereforenol egalbasi
    swhat soevert
    orevokethedonati
    onof
    the subj
    ectopen space and t or et
    urnthe donated l
    and t
    o pri
    vate
    respondent(TIMOG SI LANGAN DEVELOPMENTCORPORATI ON).The
    donatedlandshoul dremainwi t
    hthedonee( THECITYOFANGELES)as
    thelawclearl
    yi nt
    endedsuchopenspacest obeperpet
    uall
    ypartofthe
    publi
    cdomai n,non-ali
    enableandper manentl
    ydevotedtopubl
    icuseas
    suchparks,playgroundsorrecreat
    ionareas.
    o PHI
    LIPPI
    NESFI
    SHERI
    ESDEVELOPMENTAUTHORI
    TYVSCA
     Thepor
    tbui
    ltbytheSt
    ateintheIl
    oil
    ofi
    shi
    ngcomplexisaproper
    tyof
    publ
    i
    cdomini
    onandcannottheref
    orebesol
    datpubli
    cauct
    ion.Art
    icl
    e
    420oft
    heCivi
    lCodepr
    ovi
    des:
     ARTI
    CLE 420.The f
    oll
    owi
    ng t
    hings ar
    e pr
    oper
    ty of publ
    i
    c
    domi
    nion:
    o(
    1)Thosei
    ntendedf
    orpubl
    i
    cuse,suchasr
    oads,canal
    s,
    ri
    vers,t
    orrents,port
    sandbr idgesconst
    ruct
    edbyt heSt
    ate,
    banks,shores,roadsteads,
    andot her
    sofsimil
    archar
    act
    er;
    o(2)Thosewhi chbel
    ongt otheSt at
    e,wi
    thoutbeingf
    or
    publ
    icuse,andarei
    ntendedforsomepubl
    icserv
    iceorf
    or
    thedevel
    opmentofnati
    onalweal
    th.
     TheIloil
    o[F]i
    shi
    ng[P]
    ort[
    Complex/I
    FPC]whichwasconstr
    uctedbyt he
    Stat
    ef orpubli
    cuseand/orpubl
    i
    cser vi
    cefal
    lswit
    hint
    heterm" por
    t"in
    theaforeci
    tedprov
    isi
    on.Bei
    ngapr opert
    yofpubli
    cdomini
    ont hesame
    cannotbesubjectt
    oexecuti
    onorforecl
    osur
    esale.
     Simil
    arl
    y,f
    orthesamereason,theNFPC(NavotasFi
    shingPortCompl ex)
    cannotbesoldatpubli
    cauctioninsati
    sfact
    ionofthetaxdel i
    nquency
    assessments made by the Munici
    pal
    it
    y ofNav otas on the enti
    re
    complex.
     Addit
    ional
    l
    y,thel andonwhi chtheNFPCpr opertysi
    tsisar ecl
    aimed
    l
    and,whichbelongst otheState.I
    nChav ezv
    .PublicEst
    atesAuthori
    ty,
    theCourtdecl
    aredt hatr
    eclai
    medl andsar el
    andsofthepublicdomain
    andcannot,withoutCongressi
    onalf i
    at,besubjectofasale,publ
    icor
    pri
    vat
    e.
    o MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFHAGONOY,
    BULACANVSHON.DUMDUM
     Thegener alrulespell
    edoutinSect i
    on3,Ar t
    icl
    eXVIoft heConsti
    tution
    i
    st hatthest ateanditspoli
    ti
    calsubdiv i
    sionsmaynotbesuedwi thout
    thei
    rconsent .Otherwiseput,theyareopent osuitbutonlywhent hey
    consentt oi t
    .Consenti si
    mpl iedwhent hegov er
    nmentent ersi
    nt oa
    business cont r
    act,as itthen descends t othe leveloft he other
    contracti
    ngpar ty;ori
    tmaybeembodi edi nageneralorspeciallaw34
    suchast hatf oundinBookI ,Titl
    eI,Chapt er2,Sect
    ion22oft heLocal
    Gov ernmentCodeof1991,whi chvestsl ocalgovernmentunitswi th
    certai
    ncor porat
    epower s—oneoft hem ist hepowertosueandbesued.
     Bet hatasitmay ,adi fferencel i
    esbet weensuabi li
    tyandl iabil
    it
    y.As
    heldinCityofCal oocanv .Allar
    de,wher et hesuabi lit
    yoft hest at
    ei s
    concededandbywhi chl iabil
    it
    yisascer t
    ainedjudiciall
    y ,thest at
    eisat
    l
    ibertytodetermi nef ori tselfwhet hertosat isfythej udgmentornot .
    Executi
    onmaynoti ssueuponsuchj udgment ,becausest atut
    eswai vi
    ng
    non-suabi
    li
    ty do notaut hor i
    ze the sei zure ofpr oper t
    yt o sati
    sfy
    j
    udgment srecov eredf r
    om t heaction.Thesest atutesonl yconv eyan
    i
    mpl i
    cati
    ont hatt hel egislaturewi l
    lr ecognizesuchj udgmentasf i
    nal
    andmakepr ovi
    sionsf oritsf ul
    lsatisfacti
    on.Thus,wher econsentt obe
    suedisgivenbygener alorspeci all
    aw, t
    hei mpli
    cationt hereofislimit
    ed
    onlyt other esultantv erdictont heact ionbef oreexecut ionoft he
    j
    udgment .
     Traders Roy al Bank v . Inter
    mediat
    e Appel lat
    e Cour t, ci
    ting
    Commi ssionerofPublicHi
    ghway sv.SanDiego,isinstruct
    iveont his
    point.I
    nthatcasewhichinv
    olvedasuitonacontractenteredintobyan
    entit
    ysuper vi
    sedbyt heOffi
    ceoft hePresi
    dent,theCour thel dthat
    whilethesaidenti
    tyopenedi t
    selftosui
    tbyenteringintot hesubject
    contractwi thaprivat
    eent i
    ty;sti
    ll,thetr
    ialcour
    twasi nerrorinordering
    thegar nishmentofi tsfunds,whi chwer epubli
    cinnat ureand,hence,
    beyond t he reach of gar nishment and at t
    achment pr oceedings.
    Accor dingl y,t
    heCour torderedt hatt hewr i
    tofpreli
    minaryattachment
    i
    ssuedi nt hatcasebel i
    fted,andt hattheparti
    esbeal lowedt opr ove
    theirr espect i
    veclaimsatt het ri
    alon t hemer i
    ts.There,t heCour t
    highli
    ght edt hereasonforther ule,towit:
     Theuni ver
    salr ul
    et hatwher etheSt at
    egi vesi tsconsentt obe
    suedbypr i
    vatepar tiesei t
    herbygener alorspeci allaw,itmay
    l
    imitclai
    mant ’saction" onlyupt ot hecompl eti
    onofpr oceedings
    anter
    iort othest ageofexecut ion"andt hatt hepoweroft he
    Courtsendswhent hej udgmenti sr endered,si ncegov ernment
    fundsandpr operti
    esmaynotbesei zedunderwr i
    tsofexecut i
    on
    orgarnishmentt osat i
    sfysuchj udgment s,isbasedonobv i
    ous
    consi
    der at
    ionsofpubl icpol i
    cy.Di sbur sement sofpubl i
    cf unds
    mustbecov eredbyt hecor respondi ngappr opriationsasr equi
    red
    bylaw.Thef uncti
    onsandpubl icser vi
    cesr ender edbyt heState
    cannotbeal l
    owedt obepar al
    yzedordi sruptedbyt hediv
    ersionof
    publi
    cfundsf rom theirlegit
    imateandspeci fi
    cobj ects.xxx
     Witht hisin mi nd,t he Cour tholds t hatt he wr itofpr el
    iminar
    y
    attachmentmustbedi ssolved and,i ndeed,i tmustnothav ebeen
    i
    ssuedi nthev er
    yf ir
    stpl ace.Whi l
    etherei smer i
    tinpr i
    v aterespondent ’
    s
    positiont hatshe,byaf fidavi
    t,wasabl et osubst antiatet heal l
    egat i
    onof
    fr
    audi nthesamewayt hatt hefraudat t
    ributablet opet it
    ionerswas
    sufficientl
    yal l
    egedi nt hecompl ai
    ntand, hence, t
    hei ssuanceoft hewrit
    woul dhav ebeenj ustif
    ied.St i
    ll
    ,thewritofat tachmenti nt hiscasewoul d
    onlypr ov etobeusel essandunnecessar yundert hepr emi ses, si
    ncethe
    proper tyoft hemuni cipali
    tymaynot ,int heev entt hatr espondent ’
    s
    cl
    ai mi sv ali
    dated, besubj ectedtowr i
    tsofexecut ionandgar nishment—
    unless,ofcour se,t her e has been a cor respondi ng appr opri
    ati
    on
    providedbyl aw.
    - 5.Toent
    eri
    ntocont
    ract
    s
    oi
    .Requi
    sit
    esofav
    ali
    dlocalgov
    ernmentcont
    ract
     a.Thelocalgover
    nmentuni
    tmusthav
    ethepowert
    oent
    eri
    ntot
    he
    par
    ti
    cul
    arcontr
    act
     b.Pur
    suanttoSec.22(c)oftheLGC, theremustbeapr i
    orauthor
    izat
    ion
    bytheSanggunian(generall
    y,throughar esol
    uti
    on)concerned,anda
    l
    egibl
    ecopyoft hecontractshallbepost edataconspi cuousplacein
    thepr
    ovi
    ncialcapi
    tol
    orthecity,municipalorbarangayhall
     QUISUMBING VS GOV. GARCI
    A – Resol
    uti
    on or Gener
    al
    Appropr
    iat
    ionOr
    dinance?
    o Thatt heProvi
    nceofCebu oper at
    ed underareenacted
    budgetin2004l entacomplexi
    ont othi
    scasewhicht he
    tri
    alcour
    tdidnotappr
    ehend.Sec.323ofRA7160provides
    thatin case ofa reenact
    ed budget,“onl
    ythe annual
    appropri
    ati
    onsforsal
    ari
    esandwagesofexi stingposi
    ti
    ons,
    stat
    utory and contract
    ual obligati
    ons, and essenti
    al
    operati
    ng expenses aut hor
    ized in t he annual and
    supplementalbudget
    sf ort he precedi
    ng yearshallbe
    deemedr eenact
    ed.
    o The question of whether a sangguni an authori
    zati
    on
    separatefrom the appropr
    iat
    ion ordinance isr equir
    ed
    should be r esol
    ved dependi ng on t he parti
    cular
    ci
    rcumstancesoft hecase.Resor ttot heappr opri
    ati
    on
    ordi
    nanceisnecessaryinordertodet ermi neifther
    ei sa
    provi
    sionther
    einwhichspecifi
    cal
    lycov erst heexpenset o
    beincurr
    edorthecontr
    acttobeent er
    edi nto.
    o Shouldt heappr opriati
    onor dinance,forinstance,al
    ready
    containi
    nsuf f
    icientdet ai
    lthepr oj
    ectandcostofacapi tal
    outl
    ay such thatal lthatt he LCE needs t o do aft
    er
    undergoingther equi si
    tepubl i
    cbi ddi
    ngist oexecutet he
    contract
    , no f urther aut hori
    zation is r equir
    ed, the
    appropri
    ati
    onor dinanceal r
    eadybei ngsuff
    icient.
    o On the otherhand,shoul dt he appr opri
    ation or di
    nance
    descri
    bed t he projects i n gener ic t erms such as
    “i
    nfr
    astructure projects”,“ inter-
    muni ci
    pal wat erworks,
    drai
    nageandsewer age,floodcont rol
    ,andi r
    ri
    gat i
    onsy st
    em
    proj
    ects”,“recl
    amationpr ojects”,or“ r
    oadsandbr i
    dges”,
    ther
    eisanobv i
    ousneedf oracov er
    ingcont ractforev er
    y
    speci
    fi
    c pr ojectthati nt urnr equi
    res appr ovalby t he
    sanggunian.
    o Specifi
    csanggunianappr
    ovalmayalsober equir
    edf orthe
    purchaseofgoodsandservi
    ceswhichareneitherspecif
    ied
    i
    nt heappropri
    ati
    onordi
    nancenorencompassedwi thinthe
    regul
    ar personalservi
    ces and maintenance oper at
    ing
    expenses.
     c.Inaccordancewi thSecs.46and47,Chapt er8,Subt
    it
    leB,BookVof
    the1987Admi ni
    strati
    veCode,ifthecont racti
    nvolv
    estheexpendit
    ure
    ofpubli
    cfunds, t
    hereshouldbeanact ualappropri
    ati
    onandacerti
    fi
    cate
    ofavail
    abi
    lit
    yoff undsbythetreasur
    eroft helguexceptint
    hecaseofa
    contr
    actforsuppliestobecarr
    iedinstock;
     d.Thecont
    ractmustconfor
    m wi
    tht
    hef
    ormalr
    equi
    sit
    esofwr
    it
    ten
    cont
    ract
    spr
    escr
    ibedbyl
    aw
    oi
    i
    .Ul
    tr
    avi
    rescont
    ract
    s
     QUEZONCI TYVSLEXBERI NC.–WhileRA7160nowr equiresthatt
    he
    may or
    ’srepresent
    ati
    onofthecityini
    tsbusinesstr
    ansacti
    onsmustbe
    “uponauthorityofthesangguni
    angpanlungsodorpursuantt olaw or
    ordi
    nance”,nosuchpr i
    orauthor
    it
    ywasrequiredundertheLGCof1983
    (BP337).
     Ther
    eis no deny
    ing t
    hatSect
    ions 85 and 86 ofP.
    D.1445
    (Audi
    ti
    ngCodeofthePhi
    li
    ppi
    nes)pr
    ovi
    det
    hatcont
    ract
    sinv
    olv
    ing
    expendi
    tur
    eofpubl
    icf
    unds:
    o 1)canbeenter
    edi
    ntoonl
    ywhent
    her
    eisanappr
    opr
    iat
    ion
    ther
    efor
    ;and
    o 2) must be cer t
    if
    ied by t he proper account i
    ng
    off
    ici
    al/
    agencythatfundshav ebeendulyappr opri
    atedf
    or
    thepurpose,whichcer t
    if
    icat
    ionshallbeattachedt oand
    becomeani nt
    egralpartoftheproposedcont
    act .
     Howev er
    ,theverysamePr esident
    ialDecreeNo.1445,whichis
    thecornerst
    oneofpet i
    ti
    oner'sarguments,doesnotprov
    idethat
    theabsenceofanappr opri
    ationlawipsofactomakesacont r
    act
    enter
    edintobyal ocalgovernmentunitnullandvoi
    d.Secti
    on84
    ofthestat
    utespecif
    ical
    lyprovides:
    o Revenuefundsshallnotbepai doutofanypubl
    i
    ct r
    easur
    y
    ordepositor
    yexceptinpursuanceofanappropri
    ati
    onlaw
    orotherspeci
    fi
    cstatut
    oryauthori
    ty.
     Consequent l
    y,publ i
    cf undsmaybedi sbursednotonl ypursuant
    toanappr opr i
    ationl aw,butal soinpursuanceofot herspecif
    ic
    statutor
    yaut hority
    ,i .
    e. ,Section84ofPD 1445.Thus,whena
    contractisent eredi nto byaci t
    ymay orpursuantto specif
    ic
    statutor
    yauthority,thel aw,i.e.,
    PD1445al l
    owst hedisbur
    sement
    offundsf rom anypubl ictreasuryordepositor
    yt her
    efor
    .Itcan
    thusbepl ainlyseent hatthel aw i
    nvokedbypet i
    ti
    onerQuezon
    Cityitsel
    fpr ovidest hatan appr opri
    ati
    on law isnott heonl y
    authorit
    yuponwhi chpubl i
    cfundsshallbedisbursed.
     Furthermor e,thenMay orBrigidoSi mon,Jr .didnotent erintothe
    subjectcont r
    actwithoutlegalaut hori
    t y.TheLocalGov ernment
    Code of1983,orB. P.Bl g.337,whi ch was t hen i nf orce,
    speci f
    ically and excl usi
    vely empower ed t he ci t
    y may or to
    "representt he cit
    yi ni t
    s busi ness transact ions,and si gn all
    war rantsdr awnont hecitytreasuryandal lbonds,cont r
    act sand
    obligationsoft hecit
    y."Suchpowergr ant edt otheci tymay orby
    B.P.Bl g.337wasnotqual i
    fiednorr estrictedbyanypr i
    oract i
    on
    oraut horityoft hecit
    ycounci l.Wenot et hatwhi l
    et hesubsequent
    LocalGov ernmentCodeof1991,whi cht ookef fectaf terthe
    execut i
    onoft hesubjectcont racts,prov i
    dest hatt hemay or'
    s
    represent ation mustbe " upon aut hor i
    ty oft he sangguni ang
    panlungsodorpur suantt olaworor di
    nance, "therewasnosuch
    qual i
    fi
    cationundert heol dcode.
     Wemustdi f
    ferent
    iat
    et heprovi
    sionsoft heoldLocalGovernment
    Codeof1983, B.
    P.Blg.337,whichwast heninforce,
    from thatof
    theLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991,R. A.No.7160,whichnow
    requiresthatthemay or'
    srepresentati
    onoft hecit
    yinitsbusiness
    transacti
    ons must be " upon aut hori
    ty of the sangguni ang
    panlungsodorpur suanttolaworor dinance"(Secti
    on455[ v
    i]).No
    such pr i
    orauthori
    ty was requi
    red underB.P.Blg.337.Thi s
    restr
    ict
    ion,ther
    efor
    e,cannotbeimposedont heci t
    ymay orthen
    sincethet wocontractswereent er
    edintobefor
    eR. A.No.7160
    wasev enenacted.
     UnderB. P.Bl g.337,whi l
    et he cit
    ymay orhas no powert o
    appr opri
    atefundst osuppor tt
    hecont racts,neitherdoessai dlaw
    prohibithimf rom ent eringint
    ocont ractsunl essandunt i
    lfunds
    areappr opri
    atedt herefor.Infact,itishi sboundendut ytoso
    representt heci t
    yi nal lit
    sbusi nesstransact i
    ons.Ont heother
    hand,t hecitycounci lmustpr ovideforthe" depositing,leavingor
    throwingofgar bage"andt oappr opri
    atefundsf orsuchexpenses.
    {Sect i
    on177[ b] )
    .Itcannotr efuset osopr ov i
    deandappr opri
    ate
    publicf unds f orsuch ser vi
    ces whi ch ar ev er
    yv i
    talt ot he
    mai ntenanceofcl eanlinessoft hecityandt hegoodheal t
    hofi t
    s
    i
    nhabi tants.
    Iti
    sclearthatthesecondnegotiat
    edcontr
    actwasenter
    edintoby
    May orBrigi
    doSi mon,Jr.pursuantt
    ol aw orspeci
    fi
    cstatutor
    y
    authori
    tyasrequir
    edbyP.D.No.1445.
     Grantingbutwi t
    houtconcedi ngt hatMay orBr i
    gidoSi mon,Jr .
    needst osecurepr ioraut horizati
    onf rom theCi t
    yCounci lf ort he
    enforceabilit
    yoft hecont ractsenter edintointhenameoft heCi t
    y
    government ,whichhef ai
    ledt odoaccor dingtot heappellant ,We
    beli
    evet hatsuchwi l
    lnotaf fecttheenf orceabil
    it
    yoft hecont ract
    because of t he subsequent r atifi
    cati
    on made by t he Ci t
    y
    government .Thus,when appel l
    antCi tygov ernment ,af t
    ert he
    construction by t he appel l
    ee of t he dumpsi te structurei n
    accordancewi ththecont r actplansandspeci fi
    cati
    ons,st artedt o
    dumpgar bagecol lectedi nt heCi tyandconsequent l
    ypai dt he
    appellee f orthe ser vi
    ces r endered,such act s produce and
    constitutear ati
    ficationandappr ovaloft henegot iat
    edcont ract
    andnecessar il
    yshoul dimpl yitswai veroft heri
    ghtt oassai lthe
    contr
    act 'senforceabilit
    y.
     Wear enotdissuadedbypet it
    ioner'
    sar gumentst hattherecanbe
    nor ati
    fi
    cationduet otheabsenceofanexpl i
    citort aci
    tappr oval
    ofthesecondnegot i
    atedcont r
    act.Att heoutset,theissuer ai
    sed
    bypet it
    ionerthatthesubjectcont ractisnullandv oidabi nit
    io,
    andt hereforenotcapableofr ati
    fi
    cation,hasbeenl aidt orestby
    the inevit
    able concl
    usion thatt he said contracti sv al
    id and
    binding.Consequently
    ,r at
    if
    icati
    onoft hesubjectcont ractisnot
    necessar y.
     Bethatasitmay,i
    tcannotbedeni
    edt
    hatt
    her
    ewasconst
    ruct
    ive
    rat
    if
    icat
    ionont
    hepartofpeti
    ti
    oner
    .
    I
    tisevidentt
    hatpet i
    ti
    onerdeal
    tunfair
    lywi
    threspondentLexber.
    Bythemer epretextthatt
    hesubjectcontr
    actwasnotappr oved
    norrat
    ifi
    edbyt hecitycounci
    l,pet
    it
    ionerr
    efusedtoperformi t
    s
    obli
    gat i
    ons undert he subjectcont ract.Veril
    y,the same was
    enteredintopursuanttolaworspeci ficstat
    utoryauthori
    ty,f
    unds
    thereforwereinit
    ial
    lyavail
    ableandal l
    ocated,andpetit
    ionerused
    thesani t
    arylandfil
    lforsev eralmont hs.Thepr esentleadershi
    p
    cannotunilater
    all
    ydecidet odi sregar
    dt hesubjectcontr
    acttothe
    detri
    mentofr espondentLexber .
     Themer ef actthatpet iti
    onerl aterref
    usedt ocont i
    nuedumpi ng
    garbageont hesani t
    aryl andf i
    l
    ldoesnotnecessar ilyprovethatit
    didnotbenef i
    tatt heexpenseofr espondentLexber .Whetheror
    not gar bage was act uall
    y dumped i s of no moment ,f or
    respondentLexber '
    s under t
    aking was t o make av ai
    l
    ablet o
    petit
    ionert he landfil
    lsi te and t o pr
    ovi
    de t he manpowerand
    machi nerytomai ntaint hef aci
    lit
    y.Peti
    ti
    oner,byrefusingtoabide
    byitsobl i
    gationsasst ipulatedi nthesubjectnegotiat
    edcont r
    act,
    shouldbehel dli
    abletor espondentLexberi naccor dancewiththe
    termsoft hesubj ectcont ract.
     MANANTANVSMUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFLUNA
     From t his deci sion,pet i
    tioner s hav e appeal ed t ot his Cour t,
    cont endi ngt hatt hel owercour ter redi nhol dingResol utionNo.37
    tobenul landv oid,andi nnotdecl aringResol utionNo.23nul land
    voidasv iolativeoft heconst i
    tutionalpr ov i
    sionpr ohi bitingt he
    passageofanyl aw impai ringt heobl igationofcont ract s.Iti s
    obv ioust hatt hecasehi ngesont hev ali
    dityofResol utionNo.37
    grant ingt hef ishingpr ivil
    egest ot hepet iti
    oner s.Thel ear nedt rial
    j
    udger ight l
    yhel dt hatResol ut i
    onNo.32( theoneaut hor izingt he
    fi
    rstauct i
    on)was noti nv alidat ed by t he f actt hati twas
    disappr ovedbyt hepr ovinci alboar d,si nce" theonl ygr oundupon
    whi chapr ovincialboar dmaydecl areanymuni cipalresol ut ion...
    i
    nv alidi s when such r esol ut i
    on ...i s bey ond t he power s
    conf er r
    edupont hecounci l...maki ngt hesame" ,andt her ei sno
    quest i
    ont hatResol uti
    onNo.32i swi thint hepower sgr ant edt o
    muni cipalcounci lsbyt heFi sher yLaw. Hi sHonor ,howev er ,wasi n
    errori nt akingt hev i
    ew t hatResol ut i
    onNo.37andt hel ease
    cont ractgr antedunderi twer enul landv oidont hegr oundt hat
    whent hemuni cipalcounci lbysai dr esol uti
    on" accept edt hef our -
    yeari fpr oposalofpet it
    ioner sanddecl aredt hem t obet hebest
    and hi ghest bi dder s f or t he 1946- 1947- 1948- 1949 f i
    shi ng
    privil
    ege,t he muni ci
    palcounci li n ef fect awar ded t o t he
    petitioner st hef ourf i
    shingpr i
    vilegewi thoutt hei ntendedbenef i
    ts
    ofpubl icauct ion,inv iolati
    onofsect ion69ofActNo.4003,t he
    Fisher yLaw,asamendedbyCommonweal t
    hActNo.471. "The
    tri
    alj udget huspr oceedsont heassumpt ionst hatResol utionNo.
    32,whi chaut hor izedt hef irstauct ion,di dnotaut horizeal ease
    formor et hanoney ear,sot hatt henot iceofpubl icauct ioncal ling
    forbi dsf oral ongerper i
    odwasunaut hor i
    zedandt heref orev oid.
     Wedon'
    tthi
    nkt
    hisassumpt
    ioni
    sjust
    if
    iedbyt
    het
    ermsoft
    he
    resol uti
    on.I ti struet hatt her esol ut i
    onf ixest hemi nimum pr ice
    fort hel easeatP1, 000f oroney ear" beginningJanuar y1,1946,
    upt oandi ncludingDecember31,1949. "Butnowher edoesi tsay
    thatt hel easewast obef oroney earonl y.Ont hecont rary,i
    t
    expr esslypr ov i
    dest hatt hel ease" canbeext endedf oraper i
    odof
    from onet of oury ear s,
    "t husi ndi cat i
    ngani ntentionnott ol i
    mit
    thedur ati
    onoft hel easet ooney ear .Inaccor dwi ththati ntenti
    on,
    themuni ci paltreasur er,
    inannounci ngt hepubl icauction, inserted
    i
    nt henot iceapr ovisiont hat" bi
    dsf ormor et hanoney earbutnot
    mor et hanf oury earscanbeof fered, "andt hesamemuni ci
    pal
    counci lwhi ch passed t he r esol ution ( No.32)conf i
    r med t hat
    i
    nt ent i
    onbyent ertainingandaccept ingi nitsResol ut ionNo.37
    thepet it
    ioner s'bidf orfoury ears.I ti sar uler epeatedlyf oll
    owed
    byt hisCour tt hat"theconst ructionpl aceuponal awatt het i
    me
    byt heof ficialinchar geofenf orcingi tshoul dber espect ed."
     Ast hatpartofthenot i
    ceissuedbyt hemuni ci
    paltr
    easurerwhich
    call
    sf orbidsforal ongerperi
    odt hanoney earbutnotmor et
    han
    fouryearsisinaccor dwiththerealint
    entofResoluti
    onNo.32, as
    thatintenti
    onwassubsequent lyconfir
    medi nResoluti
    onNo.37
    ofthesamemuni ci
    palcouncil
    ,thesaidnot i
    cecannotbedeemed
    tobeunaut horizedandv oid,sot hatitiserrortoholdthathe
    grantoft hefishingpriv
    il
    eget othepetiti
    onerswasnullandv oid
    forlackofav ali
    dnot i
    ceofthepubl i
    cauction.
    Itresultsthatt he cont
    ractofl ease enter
    ed int
    o undert he
    authori
    tyofResol ut
    ionNo.37bet weenthepet i
    ti
    onersandt he
    municipalgov ernmentofLunai sav ali
    dandbi ndi
    ngcont r
    actand
    assuchi tispr otect
    edbyt heConst i
    tuti
    onandcannot ,theref
    ore,
    beimpai r
    edbyasubsequentr esol
    ut i
    onwhichsetsinitasideand
    grantsthefishingprivi
    l
    eget oanotherparty
    .
     CITYOFMANI LAVSI AC–Br eachofacontractualobl
    i
    gationbet
    ween
    theCi
    tyofMani l
    aandplaint
    if
    f,i
    nvol
    vi
    ngpropertywhichispatr
    imoni
    ali
    n
    char
    acterent
    it
    lesthel
    attert
    odamages.
     UnderPhili
    ppi
    ne laws,the Ci tyofMani lai s a poli
    ti
    calbody
    corpor
    ateandassuchendowedwi ththef acult
    iesofmuni cipal
    corpor
    ati
    onstobeexer ci
    sedbyandt hr
    oughi tscit
    ygov ernment
    i
    nconf or
    mitywit
    hl aw,andi nitspropercor por
    atename.I tmay
    sueandbesued,andcont ractandbecont ractedwi t
    h.It
    spower s
    aretwofol
    dinchar act
    er-
    public,governmentalorpol i
    ti
    calont he
    onehand,andcorporat
    e,priv
    at eandpropri
    etaryont heother.
    InMcQui ll
    i
    nonMuni ci
    palCorporat
    ion,t
    heruleisstatedthus:"A
    municipalcorporat
    ionproperhas..
    .apubli
    ccharacterasregards
    thestateatl argeinsofarasitisitsagentingov er
    nment ,and
    pri
    vate(socalled)i
    nsofarasiti
    stopromotelocalnecessi
    ti
    esand
    conveniencesforit
    sowncommuni t
    y .
    I
    nTori
    ov.Fontanil
    l
    a,supra,t
    heCour tdecl
    aredt
    hatwi
    threspect
    t
    o pr
    opri
    etar
    yf uncti
    ons the set
    tl
    ed rul
    ei sthata munici
    pal
    cor
    por
    ati
    oncanbehel
    dli
    abl
    etot
    hir
    dper
    sonsexcont
    ract
    u.
     Underthe foregoing consi
    derati
    onsand i nt he absence ofa
    speci
    allaw,theNor thCemet eryisapat ri
    moni alpropertyofthe
    Cit
    yofMani lawhi chwascr eatedbyr esol
    ut i
    onoft heMuni cipal
    Board of August 27, 1903 and Januar y 7, 1904. The
    admini
    strat
    ionandgov ernmentoft hecemet eryareundert heCity
    Healt
    hOf fi
    cer,theorderandpol i
    ceoft hecemet ery,theopening
    ofgraves,niches,ortombs,t heexhumi ngofr emai ns,andthe
    puri
    fi
    cati
    onoft hesamear eundert hechar geandr esponsibi
    li
    ty
    ofthesuperi
    ntendentofthecemet ery.
     TheCi tyofMani l
    af urt
    hermor eprescri
    best hepr ocedureand
    guidel
    inesfortheuseanddi sposi
    ti
    onsofbur i
    allotsandpl ots
    withi
    nt heNorthCemeterythroughAdmi ni
    str
    ativeOr derNo.5,s.
    1975.Wi ththeact
    sofdomi nion,t
    hereis,t
    hereforenodoubtt hat
    theNor thCemeter
    yiswi t
    hintheclassofproper t
    ywhi chtheCity
    ofMani laownsini
    tspropri
    etaryorpri
    vatecharacter
    .
     Furthermore,thereisnodi sputethatthebur iall
    otwasl easedi n
    favoroft heprivaterespondent s.Hence,obligati
    onsar i
    singf r
    om
    contractshav ethef orceofl awbetweent hecont r
    acti
    ngpar t
    ies.
    Thusal easecont r
    actexecut edbyt helessorandl esseer emains
    ast hel aw bet weent hem.Ther ef
    ore,abr eachofcont ractual
    provisi
    onent i
    tlestheot herpar tytodamagesev enifnopenal ty
    forsuchbr eachi sprescri
    bedi nthecontract.
     Underthe doct
    rine ofrespondeatsuperi
    or,peti
    ti
    onerCityof
    Manil
    aisli
    ableforthetorti
    ousactcommittedbyitsagentswho
    fai
    l
    edtoveri
    fyandcheckt hedurat
    ionoft
    hecontractofl
    ease.
     SEVERI
    NOVERGARAVSOMBUDSMAN
     Onther
    ati
    fi
    cat
    ionbyt
    heCityCounci
    lofal
    l
    document
    sper
    tai
    ning
    t
    othepur
    chaseoft
    hel
    ots:
     Peti
    ti
    onercont
    endsthatallt
    hedocuments,
    li
    ketheMemor andum
    ofAgreement,DeedofSal e,DeedofMor t
    gage,andDeedof
    Assi
    gnment,donotbeartherat
    if
    icat
    ionbyt
    heCityCounci
    l
    .
    Int heassai l
    ed Order,theOmbudsman hel dt hatt hevari
    ous
    acti
    ons per formed by May orLajarai n connection wit
    ht he
    purchaseoft helotswer eallauthori
    zed byt heSangguni ang
    Panlungsodasmani fest
    edi nnumerousr esol
    utions.Thelackof
    rati
    ficati
    on alone does notcharact
    erize the purchase ofthe
    proper t
    iesasonethatgav eunwar
    rantedbenefit
    s.
    Init
    sMemor andum submi tt
    edbef orethisCourt
    ,theOmbudsman,
    thr
    ought heOff i
    ceoft heSolicitorGener al
    ,pointedoutthatthe
    rat
    ifi
    cati
    onbyt heCityCouncilisnotacondi ti
    onsi nequanonfor
    thelocalchi
    efexecut i
    vetoent eri ntocontr
    actsonbehal fofthe
    cit
    y.Thel aw r
    equirespr i
    oraut hor i
    zati
    onfrom theCi tyCounci
    l
    andinthiscase,Resoluti
    onNo.280i stheCit
    yCounci l
    ’sst
    ampof
    appr
    ovalandaut
    hor
    it
    yforMay
    orLaj
    arat
    opur
    chaset
    hesubj
    ect
    l
    ots.
     Sect
    ion22(c),Ti
    tl
    eIofRA7160,other
    wiseknownast
    heLocal
    GovernmentCodeof1991,
    prov
    ides:
    o Sect
    ion22.Cor
    por
    atePower
    s.-xxx
    (c)Unl ess other
    wi se provided int his Code,no
    contractmay be ent ered i
    nto by the l ocalchi
    ef
    executiv ein behalfoft he localgov ernmentuni t
    without pr i
    or aut horizat
    ion by t he sangguni an
    concer ned.Al egi
    blecopyofsuchcont r
    actshallbe
    posted ata conspi cuous place i
    nt he provi
    ncial
    capitolorthecity,
    muni ci
    palorbarangayhal l
    .
     Secti
    on455,Ti
    tl
    eII
    IofRA7160enumeratesthepowers,duti
    es,
    andcompensati
    onoftheChi
    efExecut
    ive.Speci
    fi
    cal
    l
    y,itstat
    es
    that:
    o Sect
    ion 455. Chief Execut
    ive: Power
    s, Dut
    ies and
    Compensat
    ion.-xxx
    (b) For ef fici
    ent, ef
    fect
    ive and economi cal
    governance t
    he purpose ofwhich isthe general
    welf
    areoft heci t
    yandi tsi
    nhabit
    antspursuantto
    Secti
    on16oft hisCode,t
    hecit
    ymay orshal
    l
    :
     xxx( vi
    )Representtheci t
    yinalli
    tsbusiness
    tr
    ansacti
    onsandsi gni nitsbehal
    fallbonds,
    contr
    acts,and obligati
    ons,and such other
    documentsuponaut hori
    tyofthesangguniang
    panl
    ungsodorpur suanttolaworor
    dinance;
     Clear
    ly,whent helocalchi
    efexecutiv
    eentersint
    ocontract
    s,t
    he
    l
    aw speaks of pr i
    or authori
    zat
    ion or authori
    tyf r
    om the
    SangguniangPanlungsodandnotr ati
    fi
    cat
    ion.I
    tcannotbedeni
    ed
    thatt
    heCi t
    yCounci li
    ssuedResolut
    ionNo.280authori
    zi
    ngMayor
    Lajar
    at opurchasethesubjectl
    ots.
     Asapt l
    ypoi ntedoutbyt heOmbudsman,r atif
    icati
    onbyt heCi t
    y
    Councili
    snotacondi tionsi nequanonf orMay orLajar
    at oenter
    i
    ntocont racts.Wi t
    ht her esolut
    ioni ssuedbyt heSangguni ang
    Panlungsod,itcannotbesai dthattherewasev i
    dentbadf ai
    thin
    purchasi
    ngt hesubj ectl ots.Thelackofr at
    ifi
    cationalonedoes
    notcharacterizethepur chaseoft hepr opert
    iesasonet hatgave
    unwarrantedbenef i
    tst oPamanaorPr udent
    ialBankoronet hat
    causedunduei nj
    urytoCal ambaCi ty
    .
    oi
    i
    i.Pr
    ocur
    ementofsuppl
    i
    es
     SI
    SONVSPEOPLE
     Non-
    Compl
    i
    ancewi
    tht
    heRequi
    rement
    sofPer
    sonalCanv
    ass:
     RA 71607 expl
    i
    cit
    lypr
    ovi
    des t
    hat
    ,as a r
    ule,"
    acqui
    sit
    ions of
    suppli
    esbylocalgover
    nmentunitsshal
    lbethroughcompeti
    ti
    ve
    publi
    cbiddi
    ng."Bywayofexcept
    ion,nobiddi
    ngisrequi
    redi
    nthe
    fol
    lowingi
    nstances:
    o(
    1)per
    sonalcanv
    assofr
    esponsi
    blemer
    chant
    s;
    o(
    2)emer
    gencypur
    chase;
    o(
    3)negot
    iat
    edpur
    chase;
    o(4) di
    rect pur
    chase f
    rom manuf
    act
    urer
    s or excl
    usi
    ve
    dist
    ri
    butor
    sand
    o(
    5)pur
    chasef
    rom ot
    hergov
    ernmentent
    it
    ies.
     Sincepersonalcanvass(themethodavail
    edofbypet i
    ti
    oner
    )isan
    excepti
    ont other ul
    erequir
    ingpubl
    icbidding,Sect
    ion367ofRA
    7160 provides forli
    mitati
    ons on t
    he resorttot hi
    s mode of
    procur
    ement :
    o Sec.367.Pr ocurementt hroughPersonalCanv ass.
    —Upon
    appr ovalbyt heCommi t
    teeon Awar ds,procurementof
    suppl i
    esmaybeaf f
    ectedafterper
    sonalcanvassofatleast
    three ( 3) responsi bl
    e suppl i
    ersint he l
    ocalit
    y by a
    commi ttee oft hree (3)composed oft he l
    ocalgener al
    serv i
    cesof f
    icerort hemuni ci
    palorbarangaytreasur
    er,as
    thecasemaybe,t helocalaccountant,andtheheadof
    officeordepar t
    mentf orwhoseuset hesuppli
    esar ebeing
    procur ed.Theawar dshallbedecidedbyt heCommi tt
    eeon
    Awar ds.
    I
    nrel
    ati
    ont
    her
    eto,
    Sect
    ion364ofRA7160mandat
    es:
    o Secti
    on364.TheCommi tteeonAwar ds.
    —Thereshal
    lbein
    everyprov
    ince,
    cit
    yormuni ci
    pali
    tyaCommi t
    teeonAwards
    todecidet hewinningbidsandquest i
    onsofawardson
    procur
    ementanddi sposalofproper
    ty.
    o TheCommi tteeonAwar dsshallbecomposedoft helocal
    chi
    efexecut i
    v easchai rman,thelocaltreasurer,t
    helocal
    accountant,t he l
    ocalbudgetof f
    icer,the localgener al
    servi
    cesof f
    icer,andt heheadofof f
    iceordepar tmentfor
    whoseuset hesuppl iesarebeingprocured,asmember s.In
    caseaheadofof f
    iceordepar tmentwoul dsi tinadual
    capacit
    yamemberoft hesanggunianelectedfrom among
    i
    tsmember sshal lsi tasamember .TheCommi t
    teeon
    Awar dsatt hebar angayl evelshallbet hesangguniang
    barangay.Nonat i
    onalof f
    ici
    alshallsitasmemberoft he
    Commi tteeonAwar ds.
     Not
    ethatt
    helawrepeat
    edl
    yusesthewor
    d"shal
    l
    "toemphasi
    ze
    t
    hemandat
    orynat
    ureofi
    tsprov
    isi
    ons.
     RA7160r equi
    resthatwheretheheadoftheoff
    iceordepar
    tment
    request
    ingtherequi
    sit
    ionsi
    tsinadualcapaci
    ty,t
    hepart
    ici
    pat
    ion
    ofaSangguni anmember( electedf rom amongt hemember sof
    theSangguni an)isnecessary.Pet i
    ti
    onerclear l
    ydisregar dedt hi
    s
    requir
    ementbecause,i nallthepur chasesmade,hesi gnedi na
    dualcapaci ty—aschairmanandmember( representi
    ngt hehead
    ofoffi
    cef orwhoseuset hesuppl i
    eswer ebei ngprocured) .Thatis
    stri
    ctl
    y pr ohibit
    ed. None of t he r egul
    ar member s of t he
    Commi tteeonAwar dsmaysi ti nadualcapaci ty.Wher eanyof
    theregularmember sistherequisiti
    oningpar ty
    ,aspeci almember
    from theSangguni ani srequired.Thepr ohibit
    ioni smeantt o
    checkorpr eventconfl
    ictofinterestaswel last oprotectt heuse
    ofthepr ocur ementprocessandt hepubl i
    cf undsf orirregularor
    unlawfulpur chases.
     ONGVSPEOPLE
     Al ocalchiefexecut ivecouldonl yresorttoanegot iatedpur chase
    underSect ion366ofRANo.7160andCOAResol uti
    onNos.95-
    244and95- 244-A,ifthef oll
    owingt wor equisitesar epresent :(
    1)
    publicbiddingshav efai
    ledf oratleasttwoconsecut i
    vetimesand;
    (2)no suppl ier
    s hav e qualif
    ied to participate orwi ni nt he
    biddings.TheSandi ganbay ancor r
    ectl
    yr ul
    edt hatbypr ocuri
    ngt he
    subjectt ruck thr ough a negot i
    ated pur chase wi thoutpubl i
    c
    bidding,pet iti
    onerf ai
    led t o compl y wi tht he abov e stated
    procedure.Indeed, asal ocalchiefexecuti
    v e,petit
    ionerisnotonl y
    expect edtoknow t hepr operpr ocedurei nt hepr ocur ementof
    suppl i
    es,shei sal sodut yboundt of ol
    low t hesameandher
    fail
    uret odischar get hi
    sdut yconstit
    utesgr ossandi nexcusable
    negligence.
    o Not
    es:
     Doctr
    ineofest
    oppel–wi thr
    especttovoi
    dcont
    ract
    s,thi
    sisciv
    ill
    aw
    concept
    .Doct
    ri
    neofestoppelwi
    l
    lnotappl
    ytov
    oidcontr
    act
    s,ot
    herwi
    se,
    i
    twillmaket
    hecontr
    actthati
    svoidval
    i
    d.
     The doct r
    ine of estoppelcannotbe appl i
    ed as agai nsta
    muni ci
    palcorporat
    ion tov al
    idat
    e a contractwhich ithasno
    powert omake,orwhi chitisauthorizedtomakeonl yunder
    prescri
    bed mode or manner ,although the corporation has
    accepted the benefi
    tst her
    eofand t he otherparty has full
    y
    performedhispartoftheagreement,orhasexpendedl argesums
    i
    npr eparat
    ionforperf
    ormance.
     Doctr
    ine ofi
    mpli
    ed municipalli
    abi
    l
    ity– asappl
    i
    ed t
    otransact
    ions
    wit
    houtcontr
    act
    sthatcoul
    dhav ebeenval
    i
    dhadonebeenenter
    edinto
    tot
    heextentoft
    hebenefi
    treceiv
    ed.
     Amuni ci
    pali
    tymaybecomeobl i
    gateduponani mpli
    edcont r
    actto
    paythereasonablevalueofthebenefi
    tsacceptedorappropri
    ated
    byitast o which i
    thast hegener alpowert o contract
    .The
    doct
    rineofimpliedmuni ci
    palli
    abil
    it
    yappliestoallcaseswher e
    money orot herpr opert
    y ofa par t
    yi sr ecei
    ved undersuch
    ci
    rcumstance t
    hatt he gener
    allaw,independentofexpress
    contr
    act
    , i
    mpli
    esanobligat
    ionuponthemunici
    pali
    tyt
    odojusti
    ce
    wit
    hrespecttothesame.
     Thi
    sisappl
    i
    edt
    otheQuezonCi
    tyv
    sLexbercase.
    - 6.Toexerci
    sesuchotherpowersasaregr
    ant
    edt
    ocor
    por
    ati
    ons,subj
    ectt
    othe
    l
    imit
    ati
    onsprov
    idedi
    ntheCodeandot
    herl
    aws
    - 7.Tonegot
    iat
    eandsecur
    egr
    ant
    s
    o Section23.Aut hori
    tyt oNegot iateandSecur eGr ants.-Localchi efexecut iv
    es
    may ,uponaut hori
    tyoft hesangguni an,negot iateandsecur efinancialgrant s
    ordonat ionsinkind,i nsuppor toft hebasi cser vicesorf aci
    l
    iti
    esenumer ated
    underSect ion17her eof,from l ocalandf oreignassi st
    anceagenci eswi t
    hout
    necessityofsecur ingcl earanceorappr ov alt her eforf r
    om anydepar tment ,
    agency ,orof fi
    ce oft he nat ionalgov er nmentoff rom any hi gherl ocal
    government uni t:Pr ovided,That pr oject sf inanced by such gr ants or
    assi
    st ance with nationalsecur i
    tyimpl icat i
    ons shal lbe appr oved by t he
    nati
    onalagencyconcer ned:Pr ov i
    ded,furt
    her ,Thatwhensuchnat i
    onalagency
    fai
    lst oactont her equestf orappr ovalwi thint hi r
    ty( 30)daysf rom r eceipt
    ther
    eof ,t
    hesameshal lbedeemedappr oved.
    o Thel ocalchiefexecut
    iveshal
    l
    ,withi
    nthir
    ty(30)day
    suponsi gni
    ngofsuch
    grantagreementordeedofdonation,r
    eportt
    henatur
    e,amount,andt
    ermsof
    suchassistancetobothHousesofCongressandthePresi
    dent
    .

    PARTVI
    I–LI
    ABI
    LITYFORDAMAGES
    A.Li
    abi
    l
    ityf
    orDef
    ect
    ivePubl
    i
    cWor
    ks
    - Art.2189NCC-Pr ovinces,ci
    ti
    esandmuni ci
    pal
    i
    tiesshal
    lbel
    iabl
    efordamagesf or
    thedeathof ,ori
    njuriessuffer
    edby,anypersonbyreasonoft
    hedefect
    ivecondit
    ion
    ofroads,st
    reets,bridges,publi
    cbui
    ldi
    ngs,andotherpubl
    i
    cworksundert
    heircontrol
    orsupervi
    sion.
    - Art.471I RR – Liabi
    li
    tyforDamages.-Aspr ovidedi nArti
    cle2189ofRA 386,
    otherwiseknownast heCivilCodeofthePhil
    ippines,asamended,pr ov
    inces,cit
    ies,
    andmuni cipal
    i
    tiesshal
    lbeliabl
    efordamagesfort hedeathof,orinjur
    iessufferedby,
    anyper sonbyr easonoft hedefecti
    vecondit
    ionofr oads,st
    reets,bri
    dges,publ i
    c
    buil
    dings,andot herpubl
    i
    cwor ksundertheircont r
    olorsupervision.Theext entof
    l
    iabil
    i
    tyf ordamagesshal lbegov er
    nedbythepr ov i
    sionsoftheCiv i
    lCodeonquasi -
    deli
    cts.
    - CI
    TYOFMANI LAVSTEOTI CO–I ti
    snotnecessaryforl
    iabi
    l
    ityt
    oat t
    acht
    otheCi
    ty
    ofManilathatthedefect
    iveroadorstreetbelongtoit
    .Itissuff
    ici
    entt
    hati
    thas
    ei
    thercont
    rolorsuper
    visi
    onoverthest
    reetorroad.
    o UnderAr ti
    cl
    e2189oft heCi vi
    lCode,itisnotnecessar yf
    ortheli
    abil
    itytherei
    n
    establi
    shed to att
    ach t hatthe def ecti
    ver oads orstreet
    s belong tot he
    provi
    nce,cityormuni cipali
    tyfrom whichr esponsibi
    l
    ityi
    sexacted.Whatsai d
    arti
    clerequir
    esisthatthepr ovince,cit
    yormuni cipal
    it
    yhaveeit
    her" contr
    olor
    supervisi
    on"oversaidst r
    eetorr oad.EvenifP.BurgosAvenuewer e,ther
    efore,
    anationalhi
    ghway ,thi
    scircumstancewouldnotnecessari
    l
    ydet
    ractfr
    om i
    ts
    "cont
    rolorsupervi
    sion"bytheCityofMani
    la,underRepubl
    i
    cAct409.TheCi
    ty
    ofManilaisther
    eforeli
    ablefordamagestoTeotico.
    - JI
    MENEZVSCI
    TYOFMANI
    LA
    o Facts:
    Bernardino Jimenezwast heunl uckylad who f el
    lin an uncovered
    openingont hegr oundl ocatedwit
    hint hepremi sesoft heSta.Anapubl i
    c
    market.Atthatt i
    me,t hemar ketwasfloodedwi t
    hankl e-
    deeprainwaterwhich
    prevent
    edt heopeni ngf orm beingseen.Ji menez,f orhi
    spart,wentt othat
    markettobuybagoongdespi tether
    ains.Hesust ainedaninj
    uryduetoar usty
    4-i
    nchnailwhi chpiercedhisleftl
    eg.
    o Jimenezsuedt heAsiati
    cInt
    egratedCorporat
    ion(AIC)andt heCit
    yofManila
    forhismi sfort
    une.TheSta.AnaMar ketar
    guedt hatatthatti
    me,suchmarket
    wasundert headmi ni
    str
    ati
    onoft heAI C byv i
    rtueofamanagementand
    Oper at
    ingCont racti
    thadwiththeCityofMani l
    a.Thetrialcour
    theldtheAI
    C
    responsiblebutabsolvedtheCityofManila.I
    st heCityofMani l
    aindeednot
    l
    iable?
    o Hel
    d:I
    tisl
    i
    abl
    efort
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ngr
    easons:
     1)Agai
    n,Art.2189comesi
    ntopl
    ay,si
    ncet
    hei
    njur
    ytookpl
    acei
    na
    publ
    i
    cbuil
    ding.
     2)Also,Ar t
    .2189requir
    est hatt
    heLGUmustr etai
    nsuper vi
    sionand
    contr
    olov erthepublicworkinquesti
    onf orittobehel dli
    able.The
    evi
    dence showed t hat the Management and Oper ati
    ng Contr
    act
    expl
    icit
    lystat
    edthattheCityofMani
    laret
    ainedsuper
    visionandcontrol
    overtheSta.AnaMarket.
     Also,inal et
    tertoFinanceSecretaryCesarVirat
    a,May orRaymond
    Bagatsi
    ngadmi t
    tedthi
    sfactofsupervisi
    onandcontrol
    .Moreover
    ,Sec.
    30(g)oftheLocalTaxCodesayst hatpubli
    cmarket
    sshallbeunderthe
    i
    mmedi atesupervi
    si
    on,admini
    str
    ationandcont
    roloftheCit
    yTreasur
    er.
     3)Ji menezcouldnotbehel dliablefornegli
    gence.A customeri na
    storehasev eryri
    ghttopresumet hatt heownerwillcomplywi t
    hhi s
    dutytokeephi spr
    emisessafeforcustomers.Theownerofthemar ket
    ,
    ont heotherhand,wasproventohavebeennegl i
    gentinnotprovi
    dinga
    coverforthesaidopening.ThenegligenceoftheCityofMani l
    aist he
    proximatecauseoftheinj
    urysuf
    fered.
     NOTE:I
    tisnotnecessar
    yfortheLGUtohaveowner
    shipovert
    hepubl
    i
    c
    wor
    kinquesti
    on;merecontr
    olandsuper
    visi
    oni
    ssuf
    fici
    ent
    .
    - GUI
    LATCOVSCI
    TYOFDAGUPAN
    o Fact
    s:Flor
    ent i
    naGuilat
    co,acour
    ti nterpr
    eter
    ,wasabouttoboardat r
    icycl
    eat
    a si
    dewalkl ocated atPerezBoul evard when sheacci
    dental
    l
    yf el
    lintoa
    manholelocat edinsai
    dsidewalk,causi ngherri
    ghtlegt
    obef ract
    ured.She
    washospi t
    alizedandal soasar esult,suff
    eredlossofincomeandmor al
    damages.
    o Gui
    l
    atcosuedt
    heCi
    tyofDagupan.TheCi
    tyr
    epl
    i
    edt
    hatPer
    ezBoul
    evar
    d,
    wherethedeadl
    ymanhol ewasl ocat
    ed,isanat ionalr oadnotunderthe
    cont
    rolandsuper
    visi
    onofDagupan.I tissubmittedthati ti
    sactual
    lythe
    Mini
    str
    yofPubl
    icHighway
    sthathascontrolandsupervi
    sionthr
    utheHighway
    Engi
    neer,
    whobymer ecoi
    nci
    dence,i
    salsotheCit
    yEngineerofDagupan.
    oI
    stheCi
    tyofDagupanl
    i
    abl
    e?
    o Hel
    d:Yes,
    reasons:
     1)Weagainappl
    yArt.2189.Butt
    hebiggerquest
    ioni
    s:DoestheCit
    yof
    Dagupanhav
    econtrolandsuperv
    isi
    onoverPerezBoul
    evardi
    norderfor
    i
    ttobeheldl
    iabl
    e?Theanswerisyes.Why?Readon.
     2)TheCi tyofDagupanar guedt hatt hesuper visi
    onandcont r
    olov er
    PerezBoul ev
    ardbel ongsmor et ohisf uncti
    onasex- off
    ici
    oHi ghway
    Engineer ,thust heMi ni
    stryofPubl i
    cHi ghway sshouldbehel dli
    able.
    Howev er,t hecour tgav et hisar gument s:“AlfredoG.Tangco,i nhi s
    off
    icialcapaci tyasCi t
    yEngi neerofDagupan,asEx- Of f
    ici
    oHi ghway
    Engineer ,asEx- Offi
    cioCityEngi neeroft heBur eauofPubl i
    cWor ks,and,
    l
    astbutnott hel east
    ,asBui ldingOf f
    icialforDagupanCi t
    y,recei
    vesthe
    fol
    lowi ng mont hly compensat i
    on: P1, 810.66 f r
    om Dagupan Ci t
    y,
    P200. 00f rom theMi nistr
    yofPubl i
    cHi ghway s,P100.00f r
    om theBureau
    ofPubl icWor ksandP500. 00byv irt
    ueofP. D.1096,respectiv
    ely.
     Thisf unctionofsuper v
    isi
    onov erstreets,publicbuildi
    ngs,andot her
    publi
    c wor ks pertai
    ning tot he City Engineeri s cour sed t hrough
    MaintenanceFor emanandaMai ntenanceEngi neer.Alt
    hought heselast
    two of fi
    cials ar
    e empl oyees oft he Nati
    onalGov ernment ,t heyar e
    detai
    ledwi ththeCi t
    yofDagupanandhencer ecei
    vei nstructionand
    supervisi
    onf rom thecitythroughtheCi tyEngineer.Therei s,therefore,
    nodoubtt hattheCityEngineerexerci
    sescont r
    olorsuper visionov erthe
    publi
    cwor ksinquest i
    on.Hence,theliabil
    it
    yoft heci t
    ytot hepet i
    ti
    oner
    underar t
    icle2198oft heCi t
    yCodei sclear.
    ”
    - MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFSANJUAN,
    METROMANI
    LAVSCA
    o Sect
    ion149.Power
    sandDut
    ies.–(
    1)Thesangguni
    angbay
    anshal
    l
    :
    (bb)Regulat
    ethedrill
    i
    ngandexcav ati
    onoft hegr oundf orthelayi
    ngof
    gas,water,sewer
    ,andot herpipes;thebui l
    dingandr epai
    roft unnels,
    sewers,drai
    nsandot hersi mil
    arst r
    uctur
    es;er ecti
    ngofpol esandt he
    useofcr osswal
    ks,curbsandgut terstherei
    n,andadoptmeasur est o
    ensurepublicsafet
    yagai nstopencanal s,manhol es,li
    vewi resand
    other si
    mi l
    ar hazards t o life and pr oper t
    y, and pr ovide just
    compensat i
    onorrel
    iefforpersonssuf f
    eri
    ngf r
    om t hem;
    o Cl
    earitisfr
    om theabovethatt
    heMuni ci
    pal
    it
    yofSanJuancan"regulat
    e"the
    dr
    il
    li
    ngandexcav at
    ionofthegroundforthelay
    ingofgas,wat
    er,sewer,and
    ot
    herpipeswit
    hinit
    ster
    ri
    tori
    alj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.
    o Doubtl
    ess,t
    heterm" regul
    ate"foundintheafor
    equotedprovi
    sionofSect
    ion
    149canonlymeant hatpeti
    tionermuni
    cipal
    it
    yexerci
    sesthepowerofcont
    rol
    ,
    or,attheveryl
    east,supervisi
    onoverallexcavat
    ionsforthelayi
    ngofgas,
    water,
    sewerandotherpipeswi t
    hini
    tst
    erri
    tor
    y.
    o Wemustemphasi zet hatunderpar agr
    aph[ 1][bb]ofSect ion149, supra, ofthe
    LocalGov ernmentCode,t hephr ases" regul atet hedrill
    ingandexcav ati
    onof
    thegr oundf orthel ay i
    ngofgas,wat er,sewer ,andot herpipes" ,and" adopt
    measur est oensur epubl i
    csaf etyagai nstopencanal s,manhol es,l i
    vewi r
    es
    andot hersi mi l
    arhazar dst oli
    feandpr operty",arenotmodi f
    iedbyt het erm
    "muni cipalr oad".Andnei thercani tbef airl
    yi nferredfrom t hesamepr ovi
    sion
    ofSect ion149t hatpet it
    ioner
    ’spowerofr egulati
    onv is-à-
    vist heact ivi
    ti
    es
    therein ment ioned appl i
    esonl yi n caseswher esuch act i
    viti
    esar et o be
    performedi nmuni cipalr oads.Toourmi nd,t hemuni ci
    pali
    ty’sl iabili
    tyfor
    i
    njuriescausedbyi tsf ail
    uret or egulat ethedr il
    li
    ngandexcav ationoft he
    ground f ort he laying ofgas,wat er,sewer ,and ot herpi pes,at taches
    regardlessofwhet hert hedr i
    ll
    ingorexcav ati
    oni smadeonanat i
    onalor
    muni cipalr oad, f
    orasl ongast hesamei swi thinitster
    ritori
    aljurisdicti
    on.
    o Juri
    spr
    udenceteachesthatforli
    abil
    i
    tytoar i
    seunderAr t
    icl
    e2189oft heCivi
    l
    Code,ownershipofther oads,str
    eets,bridges,publ
    icbuildi
    ngsandot her
    publ
    icworks,i
    snotacont r
    oll
    ingfactor
    ,itbeingsuff
    ici
    entthataprov
    ince,ci
    ty
    ormunici
    pali
    tyhascont
    rolorsupervi
    sionthereof.
    - MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFPASAYVSMANAOI
    S
    o Fact
    s:Manaoi
    sobtai
    nedaj udgmentagai
    nstthemuni
    cipal
    it
    yofPasay,Il
    ocos
    Nort
    eandawr i
    tofexecut
    ionagai
    nstthedef
    endantmunici
    pal
    it
    ywasissued.
    o TheSher if
    fat tached and levi
    ed upont hef ol
    lowing:(1)P1,712.
    01 inthe
    MunicipalTreasuryrepresenti
    ngt herentalpaidbyMr .Demetr
    ioTabij
    eofa
    fi
    sherylotbelongingtothedef endantmunicipal
    it
    y;"
    (2)Aboutfort
    yfi
    sheryl
    ots
    l
    easedt othi
    rty-
    f i
    vedi
    fferentpersonsbytheMuni ci
    palit
    y."
    o 26July1949:Muni
    ci
    pali
    tyf
    il
    edapeti
    ti
    onaskingforthedissol
    utionofthat
    att
    achmentorl
    evyofthepr
    oper
    ti
    esabove-menti
    onedarguingthattheyare
    forpubl
    i
    cuse.
    o 1938:Themunicipalcounci
    lofPasayappr ov
    edar esol
    utionconf
    iscat
    ingsaid
    sixfi
    sher
    ylotsont hegroundthatacer t
    ainDuquef ai
    l
    edt ocompl ywit
    ht he
    termsoftheleasecontract
    .Munici
    palit
    yawar dedtheleaseofthesamel ots
    toManaois,
    him beingthehi
    ghestbidder.
    o Manaoispai dP2,025asr entalf ort
    hesai dl ot
    sf ort heyear1939.Howev er,
    whenManaoi sandhisment r
    iedt oenterthepr opertyinordertoexercisehis
    ri
    ghtasl esseeandt ocat chfish,part
    icul
    arlybañgosf ry,hefoundtherein
    Duqueandhi smenwhocl ai
    medt hathe( Duque)wasst i
    llt
    helessee,and
    despit
    et heappealofManaoi st otheMuni ci
    palit
    yofPasayt oputhi mi n
    possessi
    on and t heef f
    ortsoft hemuni cipal
    ityt o oustDuque,t hel at
    ter
    succeededincont i
    nuinginhispossessi onandkeepi ngManaoi sandhismen
    out.Manaoisbr oughtanact i
    onagai nsttheMuni ci
    pal i
    tyofPasayt orecover
    notonlyt hesum pai dbyhi m f orthel easeoft hef i
    sherylot
    sbutal so
    damages.
    oI
    SSUE:WONt
    hepr
    oper
    ti
    esi
    nthi
    scasecanbesubj
    ectt
    oat
    tachmentandl
    evy
    .
    o HELD:Notal
    loft
    hem.
    o Pr
    oper
    ti
    esf
    orpubl
    i
    cusehel
    dbymuni
    cipalcor
    por
    ati
    onsar
    enotsubj
    ectt
    o
    l
    evyandexecuti
    on.Thereasonbehindthi
    sexempti
    onextendedt
    oproper
    ti
    es
    f
    orpubl
    icuse,andpubli
    cmuni ci
    palrev
    enuesist
    hattheyarehel
    dintr
    ustfor
    t
    hepeopl
    e.
    oIfitispatrimonialand whichi shel d byamuni cipali
    tyinitspropri
    etary
    capacit
    y,i
    tistreatedasthepr i
    vateassetoft hetownandmaybel eviedupon
    andsol dunderanor di
    naryexecution.Thesamer uleappliestomunicipal
    fundsderi
    vedf rom patr
    imonialpropert
    ies,f
    ori nstance,ithasbeenheldt hat
    sharesofstockheldbyamuni ci
    palcorporat
    ionar esubj ectt
    oexecut
    ion.
    o Thefi
    sher
    yormuni ci
    palwat
    ersoft hetownarenotsubjectt
    oexecuti
    on.They
    donotbelongtot
    hemuni ci
    pali
    ty.Theyarepropert
    yoftheStat
    e.WhatPasay
    hol
    dsismer el
    yausufr
    uctortherightt
    ousesai dmunici
    palwat
    ers,gr
    antedto
    i
    tbysecti
    on2321oftheRevisedAdmi nist
    rat
    iveCode.
    oIti
    sbasedmer elyonagr ant,moreorlesst emporar
    y,madebyt heLegislature.
    TheLegislature,forreasonsitmaydeem v al
    idorasamat terofpubli
    cpol icy,
    may ,atanyt i
    me,r epealormodifysaidsect i
    on2321andr evokethisgr antto
    coastaltownsandopent hesemari
    newat erstothepubli
    c.OrtheLegi slat
    ure
    maygr anttheusuf r
    uctorr i
    ghtoffi
    sheryt otheprovi
    ncesconcernedsot hat
    sai
    dpr ov i
    ncesmayoper ateoradministerthem byleasingthem topr ivat
    e
    part
    ies.
    o Allthisonlygoestoprovethatt
    hemuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyofPasayisnotholdingthi
    s
    usufructorri
    ghtoffi
    sher
    yinapermanentorabsolut
    emannersoast oenabl
    e
    i
    ttodi sposeofitort
    oall
    owittobetakenawayfrom i
    tasi
    tsproper
    tythr
    ough
    execution.
    o Anotherreasonf orthi
    spr ohi
    bit
    ionisthatthebuy erwouldonlybuytheri
    ghts
    ofthemuni cipali
    ty.Allthathecandoi sr entoutt opriv
    ateindi
    vi
    dual
    st he
    fi
    sheryri
    ghtsov erthelotsafterpubli
    cbidding.This,hemustdosincethatis
    theonlyr i
    ghtgr antedbyt helegisl
    atur
    e.I tisanomal oussinceapr i
    vate
    i
    ndivi
    dualwoul dbef orcedtoconductapubl icbidding.Itwil
    lal
    sodeprive
    Pasayofincome.
    o The r
    ightorusuf ructoft he t
    own ofPasay ov
    erits muni
    cipalwater
    s,
    par
    ti
    cular
    ly,t
    hefort
    yoddf i
    sheryl
    otsi
    ncl
    udedi
    ntheatt
    achmentbytheSheri
    ff
    ,
    i
    snotsubjecttoexecut
    ion.
    o Butwehol dt hatther evenueori ncomecomi ngf r
    om therenti
    ngoft hese
    fi
    sher ylotsiscer tainl
    ysubj ectto execut ion.I tmaybepr ofi
    tabl
    e,ifnot
    necessary,todi st
    inguishthiskindofr evenuef rom thatderi
    vedf r
    om taxes,
    muni ci
    palli
    censesandmar ketfeesar epr ovidedforandimposedbyt hel aw,
    theyar eint
    endedpr imaril
    yandexcl usiv
    elyf orthepurposeoff i
    nancingt he
    government alacti
    v i
    ti
    esandf uncti
    onsofmuni cipalcor
    porati
    ons.Infact,the
    realestatetaxescollectedbyamuni cipal
    itydonotal lgotoit
    .
    oInconcl usi
    on,wehol dt hatt hef i
    sherylotsnumberi
    ngaboutf or
    tyint he
    muni ci
    palit
    yofPasay ,ment ionedatt hebeginni
    ngoft hisdeci
    sionarenot
    subjectt oexecuti
    on.Howev er ,theamountofP1, 712.01i nthemuni ci
    pal
    tr
    easuryofPasayr epresenti
    ngt herentalpai
    dbyDemet rioTabij
    eonfishery
    l
    otsl etoutbyt hemuni cipal
    ityofPasayi sapropersubjectoflevy
    ,andthe
    att
    achmentmadet hereonbyt heSher i
    ffisval
    i
    d.
    - MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFMAKATIVSCOURTOFAPPEALS
    o FACTS:20May1986:Act i
    onforeminentdomainwasf il
    edbytheCityof
    Makatiagainstt
    hepr operti
    esofAdmiralFi
    nance,HomeBl dgSy
    stem,and
    Arcel
    iJo.Theapprai
    sedv al
    ueofthepr
    opert
    ywasP5. 3M.
    o Pri
    vaterespondentmovedfortheissuanceofawr i
    tofexecut
    ion.Thiswas
    i
    ssuedandanot i
    ceofgar
    nishmentwasser veduponthemanagerofPNB
    Buendiabranch.Howev
    er,t
    hesheri
    ffwast ol
    dthatahol
    dcodewaspl acedon
    theaccount.
    o Makati
    :Garni
    shmentmustbeli
    ft
    ed!Themannerofpay
    menti
    nexpr
    opr
    iat
    ion
    pr
    oceedingsshoul
    dbedonei
    ninst
    all
    ment
    s.
    o TheMunicipal
    i
    tylaterdi
    scov er
    edt hatPSBankconsol i
    dateditsownership
    overthepropert
    yasmor tgagee/pur chaser.PSB and priv
    aterespondent
    enter
    ed i
    nto a compromise agreementwher etheyagr eed t
    o divi
    de the
    compensati
    onduefrom t
    heexpr opri
    ati
    onpr oceedi
    ngs.
    o Tri
    alCourt
    :Approvedthecompromiseandor
    der
    edt
    her
    eleaseoft
    hebal
    ance
    oftheappr
    aisedvalueoft
    heproper
    ty.
    o Makat i
    :Onappeal
    ,al
    l
    egedthati
    thastwoaccountswit
    hthePNB:Oneforthe
    expropri
    ati
    on oft
    hepropert
    y,anot
    herforstatut
    oryobli
    gat
    ionsand ot
    her
    purposes.
    oI
    SSUE:WONt
    hef
    undsi
    nthesecondaccountcanbet
    hesubj
    ectofexecut
    ion.
    o HELD:NO.
    Reasons:
    o Thef undsdepositedinthesecondPNBaccountar epubl
    i
    cfundsandt he
    sett
    ledr ul
    eisthatpubli
    cfundsarenotsubj
    ectt
    olev
    yandexecut
    ion,unl
    ess
    otherwiseprov
    idedforbyst
    atut
    e.
    o Absentashowingt hatt
    heMCofMakat ipassedanordi
    nanceappropri
    ati
    ng
    fr
    om itspubl
    icfundsanamountcor respondingtothebalancedue,l
    essthe
    sum ofP99Tdeposi t
    edinthefi
    rstaccount,nolevyunderexecut
    ionmaybe
    val
    idl
    yeff
    ectedonthesecondaccount.
    o Whereamuni ci
    pali
    tyfai
    l
    sorr efuses,wi t
    houtjusti
    fiabl
    er eason,toeff
    ect
    paymentofaf i
    nalmoneyjudgmentr enderedagainsti
    t,theclai
    mantmayav ai
    l
    ofther emedyofmandamust ocompelt heenact mentandappr ov
    alofthe
    necessaryappr
    opri
    ati
    onordinanceandi t
    scor r
    espondingdisbursement.
    oInthi
    scase,t
    heRTCdeci si
    onisnotdi
    sputedbyMakati.For3y earsnow,the
    cit
    yenjoy
    edpossessionanduseoftheproper
    tynotwi
    thstandi
    ngi t
    sfail
    ureto
    complywithi
    tsl
    egalobli
    gat
    iontopayj
    ustcompensati
    on.

    B.Li
    abi
    l
    ityf
    orTor
    ts(
    Quasi
    -Del
    i
    ct)
    - Sect
    ion24.Li
    abil
    i
    tyforDamages.-Localgov
    ernmentuni
    tsandt
    heirof
    fi
    cial
    sar
    enot
    exemptfr
    om l
    iabi
    li
    tyfordeat
    horinj
    urytoper
    sonsordamagetoproper
    ty.
    - Art.2180NCC.Theobl
    i
    gationi
    mposedbyArt
    icl
    e2176i
    sdemandabl
    enotonlyf
    or
    one'sownact soromissi
    ons,butal
    so f
    orthoseofper
    sonsforwhom oneis
    responsi
    ble.
    - Thefat
    herand,i
    ncaseofhisdeat
    horincapaci
    ty,
    themot her
    ,ar
    eresponsi
    blef
    ort
    he
    damagescausedbytheminorchi
    l
    drenwholivei
    nt hei
    rcompany.
    - Guar
    diansarel
    iablefordamagescausedbytheminor
    sori
    ncapaci
    tat
    edper
    sons
    whoareundert
    heirauthor
    it
    yandl
    iv
    einthei
    rcompany
    .
    - The owner s and managers of an establ
    i
    shment or enterpr
    ise areli
    kewise
    responsi
    blefordamagescausedbythei
    remployeesint
    heserviceofthebr
    anchesin
    whichthelat
    terareemploy
    edoront heoccasi
    onofthei
    rfunct
    ions.
    - Employersshal
    lbeli
    ablefort
    hedamagescausedbythei
    rempl
    oyeesandhousehol
    d
    hel
    persactingwit
    hinthescopeofthei
    rassi
    gnedt
    asks,event
    houghthef
    ormerare
    notengagedinanybusinessori
    ndustr
    y.
    - TheStat
    eisr
    esponsibl
    einl
    ikemannerwhenitactsthr
    oughaspecialagent;butnot
    whenthedamagehasbeencausedbyt heoffi
    cialt
    owhom thetaskdonepr oper
    ly
    per
    tai
    ns,i
    nwhichcasewhatispr
    ovi
    dedinArt
    icl
    e2176shallbeappl
    icable.
    - Lastl
    y,teacher
    sorheadsofestabl
    i
    shmentsofartsandt radesshallbeli
    ablefor
    damagescausedbytheirpupi
    l
    sandstudent
    sorapprent
    ices,solongastheyremain
    i
    nt hei
    rcustody.
    - Ther esponsi
    bil
    i
    tytreatedofinthi
    sarti
    cleshal
    lceasewhenthepersonsherei
    n
    mentionedprovethattheyobser
    vedal
    lthedi
    li
    genceofagoodf
    atherofafamil
    yto
    prev
    entdamage.
    - MERRI
    TTVSGOVERNMENTOFTHEPHI
    LIPPI
    NEI
    SLANDS
    o Facts:Whent heplai
    ntif
    f,ri
    dingonamot orcy cl
    e,wasgoingtowar dthewest ern
    partofCal lePadr eFaura,theGeneralHospi t
    alambulance,uponr eachi
    ngsai d
    avenue,i nsteadoft ur
    ningt owardthesout h,aft
    erpassingthecent erther
    eof,
    sot hati twoul dbeont hel ef
    tsideofsai dav enue,asispr escri
    bedbyt he
    ordinanceandt heMot orVehicl
    eAct ,t
    urnedsuddenl yandunexpect edlyand
    l
    ongbef orer eachi
    ngthecent erofthestr
    eet ,i
    ntotheri
    ghtsideofTaf tAvenue,
    withouthav ingsoundedanywhi st
    leorhorn,bywhi chmov ementi tstr
    uckt he
    pl
    aintif
    f,whowasal r
    eadysi xfeetfrom thesout hwester
    npoi ntorf r
    om t he
    postplacet her e.
    o Byreasonoft her esult
    ingcollisi
    on,t heplaintif
    fwassosev erelyi nj
    uredthat,
    hewassuf feri
    ngf rom adepr essioni nthelef tparietalregion,awoundi nt he
    samepl aceandi nthebackpar tofhishead, whilebl oodissuedf r
    om hi snose
    andhewasent ir
    elyunconsci ous.Accor dingt ot hev ari
    ousmer chantswho
    test
    ifi
    edaswi tnesses,t
    hepl ainti
    ff'
    sment alandphy sicalconditionpr i
    ortot he
    acci
    dentwasexcel lent
    ,andt hataf terhav i
    ngr eceivedt hei nj
    ur i
    est hathav e
    been di scussed,hi s physical condi ti
    on had under gone a not iceable
    depreci
    at i
    on,f orhe had l ostt he agi l
    it
    y,ener gy,and abi li
    tyt hathe had
    constantlydisplayedbef or
    et heacci dentasoneoft hebestconst r
    uctorsof
    woodenbui ldingsandhecoul dnotnowear nev enahal foft heincomet hathe
    hadsecur edforhi sworkbecausehehadl ost50percentofhi seffici
    ency .
    o Wemaysayatt heoutsetthatwear
    ei nful
    laccordwiththetr
    ialcour
    ttothe
    eff
    ectthatt
    hecol
    li
    si
    onbetweentheplaint
    if
    f'
    smot orcy
    cleandtheambulance
    oftheGener
    alHospi
    talwasduesol
    elytothenegl
    igenceofthechauff
    eur.
    o Ast
    henegl
    i
    gencewhi
    chcausedt
    hecol
    l
    isi
    oni
    sat
    ortcommi
    tt
    edbyanagent
    oremploy
    ee ofthe Government,the i
    nqui
    ryatonce ar
    iseswhet
    hert
    he
    Gov
    ernmenti
    slegal
    l
    y-l
    iabl
    eforthedamagesresul
    ti
    ngt
    heref
    rom.
    o ActNo.2457,ef f
    ectiv eFebruar y3,1915,reads:AnActaut hori
    zingE.Mer r
    it
    t
    tobr ingsuitagai nstt heGov ernmentoft hePhi l
    i
    ppi neI slandsandaut horizing
    theAt tor
    ney-Gener alofsai dIslandstoappeari nsai dsui t.Byaut horit
    yoft he
    UnitedSt at
    es,bei tenact edbyt hePhili
    ppineLegislat ure,that:SECTI ON1.E.
    Merr ittisher ebyaut hor i
    zedtobr i
    ngsui ti
    nt heCour tofFi rstInstanceoft he
    cit
    yofMani laagainstt heGov ernmentofthePhi li
    ppi neI slandsinor dertof i
    x
    ther esponsi bil
    it
    yfort hecoll
    isionbetweenhi smot orcy cleandt heambul ance
    oftheGener alHospi tal,andtodet erminetheamountoft hedamages,i fany ,
    towhi chMr .E.Mer rittisenti
    tledonaccountofsai dcol l
    ision,andt heAttor ney
    -Gener aloft hePhi l
    ippi neIsl
    andsi sherebyauthorizedanddi rectedtoappear
    atthet ri
    alont hebehal foftheGov ernmentofsai dI slands,t odef endantsai d
    Gover nmentatt hesame.
    oI
    ssue:
    Didt
    hedef endant
    ,inenact
    ingtheabovequotedAct
    ,simplywai
    vei
    ts
    i
    mmunityf
    rom suitordi
    dital
    soconcedei
    tsl
    iabi
    l
    ityt
    othepl
    aint
    if
    f?
    o Held:
    Thepl ai
    nti
    ffwasaut hor i
    zedt obr i
    ngt hisact
    ionagai nsttheGovernment
    "i
    nor dertofixt
    her esponsibil
    it
    yf orthecol li
    sionbetweenhi smotorcycleand
    theambul anceoft heGener alHospi talandt odeterminet heamountoft he
    damages, i
    fany,towhichMr .E.Mer r
    itti
    sent i
    tl
    edonaccountofsai dcoll
    isi
    on,.
    ... "IntheUnitedSt ates,ther ulethatt hest at
    ei snotl iabl
    eforthet ort
    s
    commi tt
    edbyi t
    sof fi
    cersoragent swhom i temploys,exceptwhenexpr essl
    y
    madesobyl egi
    slat
    iveenactment ,iswel lsettl
    ed.
    o Ast othescopeofl egi
    slat
    iveenactmentsper
    mitti
    ngindi
    v i
    dualstosuet he
    statewher ethecauseofact i
    onar i
    sesoutofei t
    hertortorcontract-By
    consentingtobesued,ast atesimplywaivesi
    tsimmunityfrom sui
    t.Itdoes
    nottherebyconcedeitsli
    abi
    li
    tytoplai
    nti
    ff
    ,orcr
    eateanycauseofactioninhis
    favor,
    orextendit
    sliabil
    i
    tytoanycausenotprev
    iousl
    yrecognized.
    oIndetermini
    ngt hescopeoft hisact-Itsimplygi v
    esaut hor
    itytocommence
    suitfort he purpose ofset tl
    i
    ng plai
    nti
    ff'
    s cont r
    oversi
    es wi t
    ht he st
    ate.
    Nowher eintheactisthereawhi sperorsuggestionthatthecourtorcourt
    sin
    thedisposit
    ionofthesuitshalldepartf
    rom wellestabli
    shedpr i
    ncipl
    esofl
    aw,
    orthattheamountofdamagesi stheonlyquestiontobeset t
    led.
    oI
    ti s,t
    herefore,evi
    dencethattheSt ate(t
    heGov er
    nmentoft hePhili
    ppine
    I
    slands)is onl yli
    abl
    e,according tothe abov
    e quoted decisi
    ons oft he
    SupremeCour tofSpain,f
    ortheact sofi
    tsagents,of
    ficersandempl oyees
    whent heyactasspecialagentswithi
    nthemeaningofpar agr
    aph5ofar ticl
    e
    1903,supra,andthatthechauff
    euroftheambulanceoft heGeneralHospital
    wasnotsuchanagent .
    - MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFSANFERNANDOVSFI
    RME
    o Facts:LaurenceBanino,Sr.
    ,alongwithseveralotherpassenger sinaj eepney
    theywer er idi
    ngin,di
    edaf tercol
    li
    sioninvolvi
    ngsai dj eepney,apr i
    vatel
    y
    ownedgr avedandsandt r
    ucksandadumpt r
    uckownedbyt heMunicipali
    tyof
    SanFer nando,LaUnion,dri
    venbyAl fr
    edoBi sl
    i
    g,ar egularempl oyeeofsai d
    muni cipali
    ty.Thehei
    rsi
    ncludedinit
    scompl ai
    ntthemuni cipali
    tyandthedump
    t
    rucksdr
    iver
    .Themuni
    ci
    pal
    i
    tyi
    nvokesnon-
    suabi
    l
    ityoft
    heSt
    ate.I
    sitcor
    rect
    ?
    o Held:YES,1)Thegener
    alr
    ulei
    sthattheStat
    emaynotbesuedexceptwhen
    i
    tgivesconsenttobesued.Consenttakesthef
    orm ofexpr
    essofimpli
    ed
    consent
    .
    o Expressconsentmaybeembodi edinagenerallaw oraspeciallaw.The
    standi
    ngconsentoftheSt at
    etobesuedi ncaseofmoneycl ai
    msi nvol
    vi
    ng
    l
    iabil
    it
    yari
    singfr
    om contr
    actsisf
    oundinActNo.3083.Aspeciallawmaybe
    passedtoenableapersontosuethegov
    ernmentforanall
    egedquasi–deli
    ct.
    o Consentisimpli
    ed whenthegovernmententer
    sinto busi
    nesscontr
    acts,
    ther
    ebydescendi
    ngtothel
    eveloft
    heothercontr
    act
    ingparty,andal
    sowhen
    theStat
    efi
    lesacomplai
    ntt
    husopeni
    ngit
    selft
    oacounter
    claim.
    o Municipalcorporati
    onsforexampl
    e,li
    keprovi
    ncesandci t
    ies,ar
    eagenciesof
    theStatewhent heyareengagedingovernmentalfuncti
    onsandt her
    efore
    shouldenjoythesov er
    eignimmunit
    yfrom sui
    t.Never
    thel
    ess,theyaresubject
    to sui
    tev eni nt heperfor
    manceofsuchf uncti
    onsbecauset hei
    rcharter
    provi
    dedt hattheycansueandbesued.
    o 2.Adi sti
    ncti
    onshouldf i
    rstbemadebet weensuabi l
    it
    yandl i
    abil
    it
    y.“Suabi
    li
    ty
    dependsont heconsentoft hestatetobesued,liabil
    i
    tyontheappl i
    cabl
    elaw
    andt heestabli
    shedf act
    s.Theci rcumstancethataSt ateissuabledoesnot
    necessaril
    ymeant hatiti sli
    able;ontheot herhand,i tcannev erbeheld
    all
    owingitselftobesued.Whent hestatedoeswai veitssoverei
    gnimmuni t
    y,
    i
    tisonl ygiv
    ingtheplaint
    iffthechancetopr ov
    e,ifitcan,t
    hatthedefendantis
    l
    iable.
    ”
    o 3.Aboutt heissueofwhet herornott hemuni cipal
    i
    tyisli
    ableforthet or
    ts
    commi ttedbyi t
    sempl oy ee,thetestofli
    abil
    it
    yoft hemunici
    pali
    tydependson
    whetherornott hedr i
    v er,acti
    ngi nbehalfoft hemunici
    pali
    tyisperforming
    government alofproprietyfunctions.Asemphasi zedinthecaseofTor iov s.
    Fontani
    lla,thedi st
    inction ofpower sbecomesi mport
    antf orpurposesof
    determiningthel i
    abil
    it
    yoft hemuni cipal
    it
    yf ortheactsofitsagentswhi ch
    resul
    tinani njur
    ytothirdper sons.
    oIthasalreadybeenr emar kedthatmuni ci
    palcorporati
    onsar esuabl
    ebecause
    thei
    rchar t
    ersgr antt hem t hecompet encet osueandbesued.Nev erthel
    ess,
    theyaregener allynotl iablefortort
    scommi tt
    edbyt hem inthedischargeof
    government alfunctionsandcanbehel danswer ableonlyifitcanbeshown
    thattheywer eact i
    ngi napr opri
    etycapacity.I
    nper mitti
    ngsuchent i
    ti
    est obe
    sued,theStatemer elygi vestheclai
    mantt herighttoshowt hatthedef endant
    i
    snotact i
    ngi nitsgov ernmentalcapaci t
    ywhent heinjur
    ywascommi tt
    edor
    thatthecasecomesunderexcept ionsr ecognizedbyl aw.Faili
    ngt his,the
    clai
    mantcannotr ecov er.
    o 4.Int hecaseatbar,t
    hedri
    verofthedumpt ruckofthemunici
    pal
    i
    tyinsists
    that“hewasonhi swaytoNagui
    li
    anRivertogetaloadofsandandgravelfor
    therepairofSanFer
    nando’
    smunici
    palstr
    eets.
    ”
    - MENDOZAVSDELEON
    o FACTS:
    TheMuni
    ci
    palCounci
    lofVi
    l
    lasi
    sPangasi
    nanr
    evokedt
    hel
    easeofan
    excl
    usi
    vefer
    rypri
    vi
    legeawar
    dedtothepl
    aint
    if
    fundert
    hepr
    ovi
    sionsofActNo.
    1634ofthePhi
    li
    ppineCommissi
    on.
    o Theplai
    nti
    ffwasf orci
    blyej
    ect
    edunderandinpursuanceofaresol
    uti
    on
    adopt
    edbyt hedefendantsi
    nthi
    scase,awar
    dingafranchi
    sef
    ort
    hesame
    fer
    ryt
    oanotherper
    son.
    o Mendozaf
    il
    edanact
    ionf
    ordamagesagai
    nstt
    hei
    ndi
    vi
    dualmember
    soft
    he
    counci
    l
    .
    oI
    SSUE:WON t he counci
    lmembers can be hel
    d per
    sonal
    l
    yli
    abl
    efort
    he
    damagessuf
    feredbythel
    essee.
    o HELD:Yes.Undertheevi
    denceofrecord,t
    hattherei
    snomannerofdoubtthat
    thi
    spretextwasabsolut
    elywi
    thoutfoundati
    onandastherewastherefor
    eno
    occasi
    onwhat everf
    orresci
    ndingthecontract,t
    hedef
    endantcouncil
    orsare
    l
    iabl
    eper sonal
    l
    yfort
    hedamagessuf fer
    edbyMendoza.
    o RATIO:TheMuni ci
    palCodeconf ersbothgover
    nmentalandcorporat
    epowers
    uponmuni ci
    palcorporat
    ions.Fortheexerci
    seoftheformer,i
    tisnotli
    ablet
    o
    pri
    vatepersons.It
    sliabi
    li
    tytothem forthewrongfulexer
    ciseofthelatt
    eri
    s
    thesameast hatofapr i
    vatecorporat
    ionori
    ndiv
    idual
    .
    o Offi
    cersandagent sofMCschar gedwi tht heper f
    ormanceofgovernmental
    dutieswhicharei nthei
    rnaturelegislat
    ive,judicial
    ,orquasi
    -j
    udi
    cial
    ,arenot
    l
    iableforconsequencesoftheiroff
    icialactsunl essitcanbeshownt hatthey
    actedwi l
    l
    full
    yandmal i
    ci
    ously
    ,wi t
    ht heexpr esspur poseofinf
    li
    cti
    ngi nj
    ury
    upont heplai
    nti
    ff
    .
    o Theoffi
    cersofmuni ci
    pal
    it
    ieschargedwiththeadmi ni
    str
    ati
    onofpat r
    imonial
    proper
    tyarel i
    ableformismanagementofi tsaf fair
    sasar edirector
    sor
    managingoff
    icersofpri
    vat
    ecorporati
    ons,notformer emistakesofjudgment ,
    butonlywhen t hei
    ractsar eso faropposed t ot hetruei nt
    erestoft he
    munici
    pali
    tyast oleadtotheclearinfer
    encet hatnoonet husactingcould
    havebeeninf
    luencedbyanyhonestdesiretosecuresuchi nt
    erest
    s.
    o Thedef endantcounci
    lor
    sr egul
    arl
    yleasedanexcl
    usi
    vefer
    ryprivil
    egetothe
    plai
    nti
    fffortwoy ear
    s.Afterconti
    nuoususerofalit
    tl
    emoret hanoney ear,
    theyforci
    bleevict
    edhim ont hepretextt
    hathewasnotoperatingtheferr
    y
    l
    easedt ohim.
    - TORIO VSFONTANI LLA–Sincethehol
    dingofatownfi
    estaisanexerciseofa
    propr
    iet
    aryfuncti
    on,
    theMuni
    ci
    pal
    i
    tyofMalasi
    qui
    isl
    i
    abl
    eforanyi
    njur
    ysustainedon
    theoccasi
    ont her
    eof
    .
    o Facts:TheMuni ci
    palCouncilofMalasi
    qui,Pangasinanpassedar esol
    uti
    on
    cel
    ebr ati
    ngat ownfiestaf
    or3daysonJanuar y
    ,1959.Theresolut
    ioncreat
    ed
    onExecut i
    veCommi t
    teewhichwouldov erseetheoper at
    ionsoft hetown
    fi
    esta.TheExecut iv
    eCommi tt
    eeintur
    nhadasub- committeeinchargeof
    buil
    ding2st ages,
    oneofwhi chwasforazarzuelaprogram.
    o Vicent
    eFont anil
    l
    awasoneoft heact
    orsofthezarzuel
    a.Whilet
    hezarzuel
    a
    wasgoi ngont hestagewheretheplaywassetcol
    lapsed.Font
    ani
    l
    la,whohas
    attherearofthestage,waspinnedunder
    neat
    handdi edthefol
    l
    owingday.
    o Thefamilyandhei
    rsofFont
    anil
    laf
    il
    edacomplai
    ntagai
    nstt
    heMuni
    cipal
    i
    tyof
    Malasi
    qui,t
    heMunici
    palCounci
    landthei
    ndi
    vi
    dualmembersoft
    heMunicipal
    Counci
    l.Cantheybehel
    dli
    able?
    o Hel
    d:TheMuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyofMalasiquii
    sli
    ableandt
    hei
    ndi
    vi
    dualmember
    soft
    he
    Muni
    cipalCounci
    lar
    enotl
    iable.Reasons:
    o 1)Thebasi
    crul
    etobef irstfol
    lowedisthatamunicipalcorporati
    oncannotbe
    hel
    dl i
    abl
    ef or an injury caused i
    nt he cour
    se of per formance of a
    gover
    nmentalf
    uncti
    on.Wi threspecttopropri
    etar
    yfunctions,thesett
    ledrule
    i
    sthatamunici
    palcorporati
    oncanbehel dli
    ableuponcont r
    actsandint or
    ts.
    o 2)Thenextquest i
    ont obeanswer edist hatwhetherthefi
    estaabov e-
    quota
    wasper for
    medbyt hemuni cipal
    it
    yint heexerciseofitsgov ernmentalor
    propr
    ietar
    yf unct
    ion.Accor di
    ngt o2282oft her
    ev i
    sedAdmi ni
    strat
    iveCode,
    municipal
    it
    iesareaut hor
    izedtoholdfiesta,buti
    tisnotthei
    rdut ytoconduct
    such.
    o Thus,thef i
    est
    aispropri
    etar
    yinnatur
    e.Thesameanal
    ogycanbeappl i
    edto
    themai nt
    enanceofparks,whichi
    sapr i
    vat
    eunder
    taki
    ng,asopposedtothe
    maintenanceofpubli
    cschoolsandj
    ail
    s,whi
    charef
    orthepubl
    icserv
    ice.(
    The
    keywor dthenisdut
    y.)
    o 3)Undert hedoct r
    ineofrespondentsuper ior(seefir
    stparagr
    aphofAr t.2180)
    ,
    the municipal
    it
    ycan be hel dl iablef orthe death ofFont ani
    ll
    ai fa)t he
    municipal
    ity was per f
    ormi ng a pr opri
    etar
    yf uncti
    on att hatt i
    me and b)
    negli
    gencecan beat tr
    ibuted tot hemuni ci
    pali
    ty’
    sof f
    icers,employeesor
    agentsper for
    mi ngt hepr opri
    etar yfuncti
    on.Theev i
    dencepr ovedthatt he
    commi tt
    eeov erseeingtheconst ructi
    onoft hestagef ai
    ledt obuil
    dast rong
    enought oinsurethesafetyofzar zuel
    apar t
    ici
    pants.Font
    anil
    lawasent it
    ledto
    ensurethathewoul dbeexposedt odangeront hatoccasion.
    o 4)Finall
    y, themuni ci
    palcounci lisnotr esponsi bl e.TheMuni cipal
    itystandson
    thesamef ooti
    ngasanor dinarypr i
    vat ecor por ationwi ththemuni ci
    palcounci l
    acti
    ngasi tsboardofdi rectors.Itisanel ement ar yprinci
    plet hatacor porati
    on
    hasaper sonalit
    y,separateanddi stinctf rom itsof fi
    cers,dir
    ect or
    s, orpersons
    composi ngi tandt hel att
    erar enotasar uleco- responsiblei nanact ionfor
    damages f or tort or negl i
    gence cul pa aqui ll
    ana commi t
    ted by t he
    corporati
    on’ sempl oyeesofagent sunl esst herei sashowi ngofbadf aithor
    grossorwant onnegl i
    genceont heirpar t.Tomakeanof ficerofacor porati
    on
    l
    iablefort henegligenceoft hecor por ationt heremusthav ebeenuponhi spar t
    suchabr eachofdut yascont ributedt oorhel pedt obr i
    ngabout ,thei nj
    ury;
    thatistosay ,
    hemustbeapar t
    icipanti nt hewr ongf ulact
    .
    - CI
    TYOFMANI
    LAVSI
    NTERMEDI
    ATEAPPELLATECOURT
    o Fact s:Vivenci
    oSt o.Domi ngo,Sr.di
    edandwasbur i
    edinNor thCemet er
    y
    whi chl otwasleasedbyt hecit
    ytoIreneSt o.Domi ngofortheperiodf r
    om
    June6, 1971toJune6, 2021.Thewifepai
    dt hef ullamountofthelease.Apart,
    howev erfr
    om ther ecei
    pt,nootherdocumentembodi edsuchleaseov erthe
    l
    ot .Believi
    ngthattheleasewasonl yforf
    ivey ears,thecit
    ycerti
    fi
    edthel otas
    readyf orexhumati
    on.
    o Ont
    hebasi
    soft
    hecer
    ti
    fi
    cat
    ion,JosephHel
    mut
    haut
    hor
    izedt
    heexhumat
    ion
    andr emov alofther emai
    nsofVicencio.Hisboneswer eplacedinabagand
    keptinthebodegaoft hecemeter
    y.Thel otwasalsoleasedtoanotherl
    essee.
    Duringthenextal lsoul
    sday,t
    heprivat
    er espondent
    swer eshockedtofi
    ndout
    thatVicencio’
    sremai nswereremoved.Thecemet erytol
    dIrenetolookfort
    he
    bonesoft hehusbandi nthebodega.
    o Aggrieved,thewidowandt hechil
    drenbroughtanact i
    onf ordamagesagai nst
    theCi t
    yofMani l
    a;EvangelineSuvaoft heCi t
    yHeal t
    hOf f
    ice;Ser
    gioMal l
    ari
    ,
    offi
    cer-i
    n-char
    geoft heNor t
    hCemet er
    y ;andJosephHel muth,thel at
    ter
    's
    predecessoras of fi
    cer-in-char
    ge oft he said buri
    algr ounds owned and
    operatedbyt heCityGov ernmentofMani la.Thecourtor dereddefendant
    st o
    giveplainti
    ffstherightt omakeuseofanot herlot
    .TheCA af fir
    medand
    i
    ncludedt heawardofdamagesi nfavoroft hepri
    vaterespondents.
    oI
    ssue:WON t he operat
    ions and f
    uncti
    ons ofa publi
    c cemet
    ery ar
    ea
    gover
    nment
    al,
    oracor por
    ateorpropr
    iet
    aryfunct
    ionoft
    heCit
    yofMani
    la.
    o Hel
    d:Pr
    opr
    iet
    ary
    o Ratio:Pet it
    ioners al l
    eged int heirpet i
    tion thatt he North Cemet eryi s
    exclusivel
    ydev otedf orpubli
    cuseorpur poseasst at
    edi nSec.316oft he
    Compi l
    ati
    onoft heOr di
    nancesoft heCityofMani la.Theyconcludethatsi nce
    theCi tyisapol iti
    calsubdi vi
    sioni ntheper formanceofi tsgovernment al
    functi
    on,i tisimmunef rom tortli
    abil
    i
    tywhi chmaybecausedbyi tspubl i
    c
    offi
    cer sandsubor dinateempl oyees.Privaterespondent smaintai
    nt hatt he
    CityofMani l
    aent eredi ntoacont r
    actofl easewhi chinvolvetheexerciseof
    proprietar
    yf uncti
    ons wi thIr
    ene St o.Domi ngo.The ci t
    yand i t
    s of f
    icers
    thereforecanbesuedf orany-
    v i
    olat
    ionofthecont ractoflease.
    o TheCi tyofMani l
    aisapol i
    ticalbodycorporat eandassuchendowedwi t
    ht he
    facult
    iesofmuni ci
    palcorpor at
    ionstobeexer cisedbyandt hroughitsci t
    y
    governmenti nconformitywi thlaw,andini tspr opercorpor
    atename.I tmay
    sueandbesued,andcont ractandbecont ractedwi t
    h.It
    spowersar etwofold
    i
    nchar act
    er-
    publi
    c,government alorpolit
    icalont heonehand,andcor porate,
    pri
    vate and pr opri
    etar
    y on t he other
    .Gov ernmentalpowers ar et hose
    exerci
    sedi nadmi ni
    ster
    ingt hepower soft hest ateandpromoti
    ngt hepubl i
    c
    welfareandtheyincludethel egisl
    ati
    ve,j
    udicial,publi
    candpoli
    ti
    cal.
    o Municipalpower sontheonehandar eexercisedforthespeci
    albenef i
    tand
    advantageoft hecommuni tyandincl
    udethosewhi char
    emi ni
    steri
    al,pri
    vat
    e
    andcor porate.Inconnect
    ionwiththepowersofamuni ci
    palcorporati
    on,it
    mayacqui r
    epr oper
    tyinit
    spublicorgovernmentalcapaci
    ty,andpr iv
    ateor
    propr
    ietarycapacit
    y.
    o TheNew Ci vi
    lCodedi videssuchpr operti
    esi nt
    opr opert
    yf orpubli
    cuseand
    patri
    monialproperti
    es( Arti
    cle423)
    ,andf urtherenumer atestheproper
    tiesfor
    publi
    cuseaspr ovinci
    alr oads,ci
    tyst r
    eets,muni ci
    palst r
    eets,thesquares,
    fountai
    ns,publi
    cwat er
    s,promenades, andpubl i
    cwor ksforpubli
    cservi
    cepai d
    forbysaidprov i
    sions,citi
    esormuni ci
    pali
    ties,allot
    herpropertyispatr
    imonial
    withoutpr
    ejudicetot heprovisi
    onsofspeciallaws.
    o ThusinTori
    ov.Fontani
    l
    la,t
    heCourtdecl
    aredthatwit
    hrespectt
    opropr
    iet
    ary
    funct
    ionst
    hesett
    ledrul
    eisthatamunici
    palcorpor
    ati
    oncanbeheldli
    ableto
    thi
    rdper sonsexcont r
    actu.Undert hef oregoingconsi derationsandi nthe
    absenceofaspeci allaw,t heNort
    hCemet er
    yisapat r
    imoni alpr opert
    yofthe
    CityofMani la.Theadmi nistr
    ati
    onandgov ernmentoft hecemet eryareunder
    theCityHeal thOf f
    icer,t
    heor derandpol iceoft hecemet ery,theopeni ngof
    graves,niches,ortombs,t heexhumi ngofr emai ns,andthepur if
    icati
    onofthe
    samear eundert hechar geandr esponsibil
    ityoft hesuper i
    ntendentoft he
    cemet er
    y.Wi t
    ht he acts ofdomi nion,therei s no doubtt hatt he Nor
    th
    Cemet eryiswi t
    hint heclassofproper tywhicht heCi t
    yofMani l
    aownsi ni
    ts
    propri
    etaryorpr i
    vatecharacter.
    o Furthermore,thereisnodi sputethattheburiallotwasl easedinfavorofthe
    pri
    vater espondents.Hence,obligat
    ionsarisi
    ngf rom contr
    actshavethef or
    ce
    oflawbet weent hecont r
    acti
    ngpar t
    ies.Thusal easecont r
    actexecut
    edbyt he
    l
    essorandl esseer emainsast helaw betweent hem.Ther efore,abreachof
    contractualprovi
    sionentit
    lestheotherpartytodamagesev enifnopenaltyf
    or
    suchbr eachisprescribedinthecontract.
    oI
    ssue:WONt
    heci
    tyi
    sli
    abl
    efordamages
    o Hel
    d:Yes
    o Rati
    o:Allthi
    ngsconsidered,evenast heCour tcommiserat
    eswithplai
    nti
    ffs
    fortheunfort
    unat
    ehappeni ngcomplainedofandunt i
    melydesecr
    ati
    onoft he
    rest
    ingplaceandremainsoft hei
    rdeceaseddearlybel
    oved,i
    tfi
    ndstherel
    iefs
    prayedforbythem l
    acki
    nginlegalandf act
    ualbasi
    s.
    o Undert heaf or
    ement i
    onedf actsandci r
    cumst ances,themostt hatplai
    nti
    ffs
    ranaskf oristhereplacementofsubj ectl otwit
    hanot herlotofequalsizeand
    simil
    arl ocationintheNor thCemet er
    ywhi chsubstit
    utelotplai
    nti
    ffscanmake
    useofwi t
    houtpay i
    nganyr entaltot heci tygovernmentforaper i
    odoff orty
    -
    three(43)y ears,f
    our( 4)mont hsandel even(11)day scorrespondingtot he
    unexpiredpor t
    ionofthet erm oft hel easesueduponasofJanuar y25,1978
    whent her emai nsoft hel ateVi v
    enci oSt o.Domi ngo,Sr.wer epremat ur
    ely
    remov edf r
    om t hedi sputedl ot;andt or equi
    ret hedef endantst olooki n
    earnestf ort hebonesandskul lofthel ateVivencioSto.Domi ngoSr .andt o
    burythesamei nthesubstitutelotadjudgedi nfavorofplainti
    ffshereunder.
    o Asr egardsthei ssueofthev al
    idi
    tyoft hecont ractofl easeofgr avelotNo.
    159, Bl
    ockNo.195oft heNor t
    hCemet eryf or50y earsbeginningfrom June6,
    1971t oJune6, 2021ascl earl
    ystat
    edi nther eceiptdulysignedbyt hedeputy
    tr
    easureroft heCi tyofMani l
    aandseal edbyt heci t
    ygov ernment,thereis
    nothinginther ecordthatjust
    if
    iestherev ersaloft heconclusionofbot hthe
    tr
    ialcourtandtheI nt
    ermediateAppell
    ateCour tt
    ot heeffectthattherecei
    ptis
    i
    ni t
    selfacontractoflease.
    o Undert
    hedoctr
    ineofrespondentsuper
    ior,(Tor
    iov.Fontani
    l
    la)
    ,pet
    it
    ionerCi
    ty
    ofManil
    aisli
    ablefort
    het or
    ti
    ousactcommi tt
    edbyi t
    sagentswhof ail
    edt
    o
    ver
    if
    yandcheckthedurat
    ionofthecontractofl
    ease.
    o The contenti
    on of t he pet
    iti
    oner
    -ci
    tythat the lease is cover
    ed by
    Admini
    str
    ativ
    eOr derNo.5,seri
    esof1975datedMar ch6,1975oftheCityof
    Mani
    laforfive(5)yearsonl
    ybeginni
    ngfrom June6,1971isnotmer i
    tor
    ious
    fort
    hesai dadmi ni
    str
    ati
    veordercover
    snew leases.Whensubjectlotwas
    cert
    if
    iedonJanuar
    y25,1978asr eadyf
    orexhumat
    ion,t
    hel
    easecont
    ractf
    or
    fi
    ft
    y(50)year
    swassti
    l
    linful
    lfor
    ceandeffect
    .

    C.Li
    abi
    l
    ityf
    orFai
    l
    ureofPol
    i
    ceFor
    cet
    orenderai
    dandpr
    otect
    ion
    - Art.2180( 6)NCC.TheStateisresponsi
    blei
    nli
    kemannerwhenitact
    sthrougha
    specialagent;
    butnotwhenthedamagehasbeencausedbyt
    heoff
    ici
    altowhom the
    taskdonepr oper
    lyper
    tai
    ns,inwhichcasewhati
    sprovi
    dedi
    nArti
    cle2176shallbe
    appli
    cable.
    o Art.2176.Whoev erbyactoromissioncausesdamaget oanother
    ,ther
    ebeing
    faultornegligence,isobl
    igedtopayf orthedamagedone.Suchf aul
    tor
    negligence,i
    fthereisnopre-
    exi
    sti
    ngcont r
    actualr
    elat
    ionbetweenthepart
    ies,
    i
    scal ledaquasi-del
    i
    ctandisgovernedbytheprovi
    sionsofthi
    sChapter.
    - Li
    abi
    l
    ityf
    orDamages
    o Art
    .34NCC–Subsi di
    aryli
    abil
    i
    ty(notpri
    maryli
    abi
    li
    ty)oflguforli
    abi
    l
    ityof
    l
    ocalpol
    icef
    orceregar
    dingr
    efusalorf
    ail
    uret
    orenderaidorpr
    otect
    iont
    oany
    per
    sonincaseofdangertol
    if
    eorpropert
    y.
    o Art.2189NCC–Li abil
    it
    yoflgusf ordef
    ecti
    veconditi
    onofroadsandot her
    publi
    cwor ksunderlgu’scontrolandsupervi
    sion(
    thus,ownershipisnota
    requi
    rement)whichr esul
    tsto( a)deathand( b)i
    njuri
    estoper sons(t
    hus,
    damaget oproper
    tyisnotincl
    uded)
    o Art
    .24,LGC–Lgusnotexemptf
    rom l
    i
    abi
    l
    ityf
    ordeat
    hori
    njur
    ytoper
    sonsor
    damagetopr
    oper
    ty.
    - Not
    es:
    o LGUcanbehel
    dli
    abl
    eonl
    yforact
    s:
    i
    .i
    ntr
    avi
    res
    i
    i
    .ifi
    tisi
    naccor
    dancewi
    thl
    aw
    o So,i
    foutsi
    detheaut
    hor
    it
    yoft
    hel
    gu,suchasact
    sdonei
    nbadf
    ait
    horwi
    th
    mali
    ce,
    lguisnotl
    i
    abl
    e.
    oI
    fther
    eismal
    i
    ceorbadf
    ait
    h,t
    hent
    heof
    fi
    cershal
    lbehel
    dper
    sonal
    l
    yli
    abl
    e.

    D.Liabil
    it
    yf orContr
    act s–becausei t
    ’sconsider
    edasapr iv
    ateindivi
    dualwheni tenters
    i
    ntocont racts.Butt
    hisr uleappl
    iesonlytocontract
    sdonewi thintheauthori
    tyofthel gu
    (i
    ntravir
    es).Ifult
    ravi
    res, meani
    ngoutsidetheauthori
    tyofthelgu,i
    tcan’tbeheldl
    iableex-
    contract
    usi ncethecont racti
    sv oi
    dandcannotbecur ed,inwhichcase,t hedoctri
    neof
    estoppeldoesnotappl yifthecontr
    acti
    sv oi
    d.
    - 1.Scope
    o LexbercaseandCi
    tyofMani
    l
    avsI
    ACcase
    - 2.Doct
    ri
    neofI
    mpl
    i
    edMuni
    ci
    palLi
    abi
    l
    ity
    (Cont
    raper
    sonall
    i
    abi
    l
    ity
    )
    o To hold a muni
    ci
    palcor
    por
    ati
    on f
    orbenef
    it
    srecei
    ved underan i
    mpl
    i
    ed
    cont
    ract:
     a.Itisnecessar
    yt o show thattheimpl
    ied cont
    ractbewit
    hinthe
    cont
    ract
    ualpowersofthecorporat
    ionandt
    hattheoffi
    cer
    swhoenter
    ed
    i
    ntocontr
    actwereful
    l
    yaut hor
    ized.
     b.Itmustbefurt
    hershownt hatt
    hebenefit
    swer evoluntar
    il
    yaccepted
    undersuchcir
    cumstancesaswi l
    lindi
    cat
    et hatpaymentwasi ntended
    bytheparti
    esorthatjust
    iceandequitywouldrequir
    et hepaymentof
    compensati
    on.
    o PROVI
    NCEOFCEBUVSI
    AC
     Facts:Again,thi
    scaseconcernsthei
    mpli
    edli
    abi
    li
    tyofamuni ci
    pal
    corporat
    ioninpay i
    ngt
    hef eesofanat
    tor
    neyhi
    red–buttheat
    torney
    endedupwi thonl
    yapit
    tance.
     There was a t i
    me when Cebu Ci ty almostbecame t he ownerof
    practicall
    ythewhol eoft hePr ovi
    nceofCebu.Thi shappenedi nFeb.4.
    1964whent heVice–Gov ernorandthePr ovi
    ncialBoardofCebu, taking
    advant ageofGov ernorReneEspi na’sabsence( hewasawayonan
    offi
    cialbusi ness tr
    ip[ows? ]
    }donat ed 210 l
    ot s or380 hect ares of
    provincialpatri
    moniallandt oCebuCi ty.WhenGov er
    norEspinaf i
    nall
    y
    heardoft hedonat i
    on,hef il
    edacaset odeclaret hedonationv oidfor
    beingi ll
    egalandi mmor al.Thedefendant sinthecasewer eCebuCi ty,
    Citymay orSergi
    oOsmenaandt hedumbpr ovi
    ncialoff
    ici
    alsresponsible
    forthedonat ion.
     Gov er
    norEspi na hir
    ed At t
    y .Pabl o Gar
    cia,a pri
    vatelawyer,as hi s
    counsel.Att
    y .Gar
    ciatoiledfor8y earsonthecase,butforsomer eason,
    hewasnol ongercounselwhent heparti
    essettl
    edforacompr omise
    agreement.Nev er
    theless,Atty.Garci
    aclai
    mshei sentit
    ledtofeeswor th
    30% oft hewor thoft hepr operti
    esor36mi l
    li
    onpesos( astaggeri
    ng
    amount ,consider
    ingt hattheamountwasbasedont hepeso-dol lar
    rat
    esof1979) .
     Thepr ovinceofCebu Ci t
    yhowev errefused to gi
    vehi m even one
    centavo.Theysai dSec.1683oft heRAC andSec.3oft heLocal
    AutonomyLaw i scl earthatonlytheprov i
    ncialf
    iscalandmuni cipal
    att
    orneycanr epresentapr ov
    inceormuni ci
    pali
    tyinitslawsuit
    s.More
    i
    mpor t
    ant l
    y,ifthepr ovinceofCebuweret ohireapr i
    vatelawyer
    s(such
    aswhent hepr ovincialfi
    scalisdi
    squal
    ifi
    ed)thePr ovi
    ncialBoardmust
    passar esoluti
    ont oal l
    owsuchamov e.
     TheTrialcourtawardedat
    tor
    ney’
    sf eesbasedonquant um meri
    t.On
    appeal
    ,theIACawarded5%wor t
    hofpr oper
    ti
    es.Thequesti
    onsnoware
    1.Shouldtheprovi
    ncepayAtt
    y.Garciaand2?I fsohowmuchi sAtty
    .
    Garci
    aentit
    ledto?
     Held:Theprovi
    ncemustpayAt
    ty.Gar
    ciabuthei
    sent
    it
    ledonl
    yto
    quantum mer
    it
    .Reasons:
     1.Ibiquidgeneral
    it
    erconceditur;inesthaeeexception,sinonali
    quidsit
    contrajusfasque.(Wher eanythingisgr antedgeneral
    ly,thi
    sexcepti
    on
    i
    simpl i
    ed;thatnothingshallbecont r
    arytol awandr i
    ght).Thi
    ssimply
    meanst hateveryrule,nomat terhow st r
    ictorharsh,musthav ean
    except
    ion.Here,equity comes i nto play.To deny At
    ty.Garci
    a
    compensati
    on for his professi
    onalservices woul
    d amount t
    oa
    depri
    vati
    onofproper
    tywithoutdueprocessoflaw.
     2.Thear gumentthatt hehi r
    ingofprivat
    el awyersbyapr ovi
    ncemust
    fi
    rstgaint heapprov aloft heProvi
    ncialBoardi sabsurd.Fir
    stofall,t
    he
    service oft he Prov i
    ncialFiscalhas al r
    eadybeen engaged byt he
    ProvincialBoard.Mor ei mport
    antl
    y,it’
    sso st upidfort hePr ovi
    ncial
    Boar dtopassar esolut iongrantthehi r
    ingofapr ivat
    el awyerwho
    woul dliti
    gateagainstt hem.ThePr ov i
    ncialBoardmayj ustnotpass
    suchar esol
    uti
    on.Thel egalmaxi m whichwecanuseasabasi sforthi
    s
    si
    tuat i
    oni s“Nemot enet uradimpossibil
    e”( Thelaw obli
    gesnoonet o
    perform animpossi bil
    it
    y )
     3.Unt ilthecont rar
    yi scl earl
    yshown,anat torneyi spr esumedt obe
    acti
    ngunderaut horit
    yoft heli
    tigantwhom hepur portstor epresent .His
    authoritytoappearf orandr epr esentpet iti
    oneri nl i
    ti
    gation,nothav i
    ng
    beenquest i
    onedi nt helowercour t,itwi l
    lbepr esumedonappealt hat
    counselwaspr operlyaut hori
    zedt of i
    let hecompl ai ntandappearf orhis
    cli
    ent.Ev enwher eanat torneyi sempl oy edbyanunaut horizedper son
    torepresentacl i
    ent,thel at
    terwi l
    lbeboundwher eithasknowl edgeof
    thef actt hati tisbei ng represent ed byanat torneyi napar ticul
    ar
    l
    iti
    gation and t akesno pr omptmeasur et or epudi atet he assumed
    authority.Suchacqui escencei nt heempl oymentofanat torneyas
    occurred int hiscasei st antamountt or ati
    ficat i
    on.Theactoft he
    successorpr ovinci
    alboar d and pr ovincialof ficialsin al l
    owi ng At ty.
    PabloP.Gar ciatocont i
    nueascounselandi nj oininghi mi nt hesui tled
    thecounselt obel i
    evehi sserviceswer estillnecessar y.
     4.Atty.Gar
    ciai
    senti
    tl
    edonl
    ytoquant
    um mer
    it
    .Hesimpl
    ywasnot
    counselwhenthecompromi
    seagr
    eementwasmade.Heget
    sonly
    30,
    000pesos.
    - 3.Doct
    ri
    neofEst
    oppel
    o SANDI
    EGOVSMUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFNAUJAN
     Fact
    s:Fol l
    owing apubli
    cbiddi
    ng conducted bythemuni ci
    pali
    tyof
    Naujan,Or i
    entalMindor
    of orthe lease of it
    s muni ci
    palwat ers,
    Resoluti
    on46waspassedawar di
    ngtheconcessionoftheBut asRiver
    andt heNaujanLaketoBart
    olomeSanDi ego.Acontractwasent ered
    i
    ntobet weenthesaidSanDiegoandt hemuni ci
    pal
    it
    y,foraperiodof
    l
    easef or5years.
     Thelesseethenrequestedforaf i
    vey earextensi
    onoft heori
    ginall
    ease
    peri
    od,thi
    swasgr antedbyt hemuni cipalcouncil
    .Aftertheresoluti
    on
    hadbeenappr ov edbyt hePr ovi
    ncialBoar dofOr ientalMindoro,the
    l
    essorandt helessee,cont
    ractedfort heextensionoft heperi
    odoft he
    l
    ease.Thecontractwasappr ovedandconf i
    rmedonDecember29, 1951
    byResoluti
    on229oft hemuni ci
    palcounci lofNaujanwhoset erm was
    thenaboutt oexpire.Pur
    suanttot hesai dcontract,thelesseef i
    l
    eda
    suret
    ybondofP52, 000andt henr econst r
    uct
    edhi sf ishcorral
    sand
    st
    ockedt
    heNauj
    anLakewi
    thbangusf
    inger
    li
    ngs.
     On Januar y 2,1952,t he municipalcounci lofNauj an,t hist i
    me
    composedofanew setofmember s,adopt edResol uti
    on3,ser iesof
    1952,r evokingResol ution222,ser i
    esof1951.Ont hesamedat e,t he
    newcounci lal
    sopassedResol uti
    on11,r evokingResol ution229oft he
    oldcounci lwhi chconf ir
    medt heext ensionoft hel easeper iod.The
    l
    esseer equestedforr econsiderat
    ionandr ecal
    lofResol ut i
    on3,ont he
    ground,amongot hers,t hatitvi
    olatedthecont ractexecut edbet ween
    hi
    m andt hemuni cipali
    tyonDecember23, 1951,and, therefore,contrary
    toAr t
    icleI I
    I,section1,cl ause10oft heConst i
    tuti
    on.Ther equest,
    howev er,wasnotgr anted.
     The lessee inst
    itut
    ed pr oceedi
    ngs to annult he Resoluti
    on.The
    defendantassert
    edt hattheorigi
    nall
    easecontract,reduci
    ngthel ease
    rental
    sandr enewingt heleasearenullandv oi
    df ornothav ingbeen
    passedinaccordancewi thlaw.Thetr
    ialcour
    tuphel dthevali
    dityofthe
    l
    easecont r
    act.
    Issue:WON Resoluti
    onNo.3,seriesof1952,r
    evoki
    ngResol
    uti
    on222,
    seriesof1951,ofthemuni
    cipalcounci
    lofNauj
    anisv
    ali
    d
     Hel
    d:Yes
     Thel aw (Sec.2323oft heRev isedAdmi ni
    strativeCode)r equiresthat
    whent heexcl usivepr i
    vil
    egeoff isheryort her ighttoconductaf i
    sh-
    breedinggr oundi sgrantedtoapr iv
    atepar t
    y,t hesameshal lbel etto
    thehighestbi dderi nthesamemannerasi sbei ngdonei nexploiti
    nga
    ferr
    y,amar ketorasl aughterhousebel ongingt ot hemuni cipal
    ity
    .The
    requir
    ementofcompet i
    ti
    ve bidding isf ort he pur pose ofi nvit
    ing
    compet i
    ti
    onandt oguar dagainstfavori
    tism, f
    raudandcor rupti
    oni nthe
    l
    etti
    ngoff isher ypriv
    ileges.Therei snodoubtt hattheor i
    ginallease
    contracti nt his case was awar ded tot he hi ghestbidder ,butt he
    reductionofther ent
    alandt heextensionoft het erm oftheleaseappear
    tohav ebeengr antedwi t
    houtprev i
    ouspubl i
    cbi dding.
     Furthermor e,i thasbeenr uledt hatst atutesr equir
    ingpubl i
    cbi dding
    applyt oamendment sofanycont ractalreadyexecut edi ncompl iance
    witht hel aw wher esuchamendment saltert heor iginalcont r
    acti n
    somev it
    alandessent i
    alpar t
    icular
    .I nasmuchast heper iodinal easei s
    av italandessent i
    alpar t
    iculartot hecont ract,webel i
    evet hatt he
    extensionoft hel easeper iodi nthiscase,whi chwasgr antedwi thout
    theessent ialr equisit
    eofpubl i
    cbi dding,isnoti naccor dancewi t
    hl aw.
    Andi tfol
    lowst heResol ution222,ser i
    esof1951,andt hecont r
    act
    authorizedt her eby,extendi
    ngt heoriginalfi
    ve-yearleaset oanot herf i
    ve
    yearsar enul landv oidascont r
    aryt olawandpubl icpolicy.
     Weagr eewi t
    hthedef endantinthatt
    hequest i
    onResoluti
    on3isnotan
    i
    mpai r
    mentoft heobl i
    gat i
    onofcontract,becausetheconstit
    uti
    onal
    provi
    siononi mpair
    mentr ef
    ersonlyt
    ocont r
    actlegal
    l
    yexecuted.While,
    apparentl
    y,Resolut
    ion3t endedtoabrogatethecontractext
    endingthe
    l
    ease, l
    egall
    yspeaking,therewasnocontractabrogat
    edbecause,aswe
    hav
    esai
    d,t
    heext
    ensi
    oncont
    racti
    svoi
    dandi
    nexi
    stent
    .
     Thel owercour t,i nhol di
    ngt hatt hedef endant-appel l
    antmuni cipality
    hasbeenest oppedf rom assai lingthev ali
    dit
    yoft hecont ractintowhi ch
    i
    tent eredonDecember23, 1951, seemst ohav eov erlookedt hegener al
    rulet hatthe doct ri
    ne ofest oppelcannotbe appl i
    ed as agai nsta
    muni cipalcorporat i
    ont ov ali
    dat eacont ractwhi chi thasnopowert o
    makeorwhi chi tisaut horizedt omakeonl yunderpr escribedcondi tions,
    wi t
    hin pr escri
    bed l i
    mi t
    ations,ori n a prescri
    bed mode ormanner ,
    althought hecor porat i
    onhasaccept edt hebenef itst hereofandt he
    otherpar tyhasf ull
    yper formed hi spar toft he agr eement ,orhas
    expended l arge sums i n pr eparation forper for mance.A r eason
    frequent lyassignedf orthisr ulei sthattoappl ythedoct ri
    neofest oppel
    agai nstamuni cipalit
    yi nsuchcasewoul dbet oenabl eitt odoi ndirectly
    whati tcannotdodi rectly
    .Al so,wher eacont ractisv i
    olativeofpubl i
    c
    policy ,themuni ci pali
    tyexecut i
    ngi tcannotbeest oppedt oasser tt he
    i
    nv alidity of a cont ract whi ch has ceded away ,cont roll
    ed,or
    embar rasseditsl egislati
    veorgov ernmentpower s.
     Aspoi ntedoutabov e,"publicbiddingsar ehel df ort hebestpr otection
    oft hepubl icandt ogivet hepubl icthebestpossi bl
    eadv antagesby
    means ofopen compet i
    ti
    on bet ween t he bi dder s.
    "Thus,cont racts
    requiri
    ng publ icbi dding affectpubl ici nterest ,and t o changet hem
    withoutcompl yingwi t
    ht hatrequirementwoul di ndeedbeagai nstpubl i
    c
    policy.Therei s,therefor
    e,not hi
    ngt oplaintiff
    -appel lee'
    scontent i
    ont hat
    thepar ti
    esi nt hiscasebei ng in paridel i
    cto shoul d bel eftint he
    sit
    uat i
    onwher et heyaref ound,f or"althought hepar t
    iesar einpar i
    deli
    cto,y etthecour tmayi nterf
    ereandgr antr eliefatt hesuitofoneof
    them,wher epubl icpolicyr equiresi t
    si ntervent ion,ev ent hought he
    resultmaybet hatabenef i
    twi l
    lbeder ivedbyapl ai nti
    ffwhoi sinequal
    guil
    twi thdefendant .Buther ethegui l
    toft hepar tiesisnotconsi der ed
    asequalt othehi gherrightoft hepubl ic,andt hegui l
    typart
    yt owhom
    ther eliefisgr antedi ssi mplyt hei nstrumentbywhi chthepubl ici s
    served. "
    Inconsonancewi t
    ht hepr incipl
    esenunciatedabov e,Resolut
    ion59,
    seri
    esof1947,r educingther ental
    sby20%oft heorigi
    nalpri
    ce,whi ch
    wasal sopassedwi thoutpubl i
    cbi ddi
    ng,shouldli
    kewisebehel dv oid,
    si
    ncear educt
    ionoft her entaltobepai dbythelesseeisasubst antial
    al
    ternati
    on int hecont ract,maki ng i
    tadi sti
    nctand differ
    entl ease
    contractwhichrequiresthepr escri
    bedformali
    tyofpubli
    cbiddi
    ng.

    E.Li
    abi
    l
    ityf
    orI
    ll
    egal
    Dismi
    ssal
    ofempl
    oyees
    - 1.Muni
    cipalLi
    abi
    l
    ity
    o MUNI
    CIPALI
    TYOFJASAANVSGENTALLAN
     Aftera caref
    ulrev
    iew ofthe ci
    rcumst
    ances i
    nthese consoli
    dated
    petit
    ions,we ar
    ei n agr
    eementwi ththe Courtof Appealst hat
    respondentwasquali
    fi
    ed and el
    i
    gibl
    efortheposit
    ionofl ocalcivi
    l
    regi
    str
    ar,andther
    ewasnof act
    ualnorl
    egalbasi
    sforherr
    emovalf
    rom
    saidpositi
    on.TheCA ordertor ei
    nst
    ateherhadbecomef i
    naland
    execut
    ory.TheCAdeci
    si
    onoughtt obeuphel
    d.
     Asaper manentappoint
    eetotheposit
    ion,sheenjoyssecur
    it
    yoftenur
    e.
    Shei sli
    kewiseent
    it
    ledtoal
    lbenefi
    ts,ri
    ghtsandpr i
    vil
    egesatt
    achedto
    theposition.Shecannotber emovedordi smissedf r
    om theservi
    ce
    withoutjustcauseand withoutobservi
    ng ther equi
    rementsofdue
    process.
     An i l
    legally di
    smissed gov ernmentempl oy ee who isl aterordered
    reinstatedisent i
    tl
    edt obackwagesandot hermonet arybenefit
    sf r
    om
    thet i
    meofheri ll
    egaldi
    smi ssaluptoherreinstatement.Thisisonlyfai
    r
    andj ustbecauseanempl oyeewhoi sr einstatedafterhavingbeen
    i
    llegallydismissedisconsider edasnothavingleftheroffi
    ceandshoul d
    be gi v en the correspondi ng compensat i
    on at t he time of her
    reinstatement .
    I
    nt heinstantcase,wenotet hatthereisnof indi
    ngt hatmal iceorbad
    fait
    hattendedtheill
    egaldi
    smi ssalandrefusaltoreinstateGentall
    anby
    hersuperioroff
    icer
    s.Thus,theycannotbehel dper sonal l
    yaccountabl
    e
    forherbacksal ari
    es.The muni cipalgovernment ,therefore,shoul
    d
    disbur
    sef undstoanswerforhercl ai
    msresulti
    ngfrom di smissal.
    Iftherewasnomal i
    ceorbadf ait
    ht hatat t
    endedt heil
    legaldi
    smissal
    ,
    thesuper i
    oroff
    icerscannotbeheldper sonallyaccount
    ableforherback
    salari
    es.Themuni cipalgov
    ernment,therefore,shoul
    ddisbursefundsto
    answerf orherclai
    msr esul
    ti
    ngfrom dismissal .
    - 2.Per
    sonalLi
    abi
    l
    ityofOf
    fi
    ci
    als
    o LAGANAPANVSASEDI
    LLO
     Facts:
    Sol
    anoLaganapanwasappoi nt
    edChi efofPol i
    ce.Howev er,he
    was summar il
    ydi smissed fr
    om his posit
    ion byr espondentMay or
    Elpi
    dioAsedil
    loofKalayaan,
    Lagunaont hegroundt hathisappointment
    waspr ov
    isi
    onalandt hathehasnoci v
    ilser
    v iceeli
    gibi
    li
    ty.Respondent
    Epif
    anioRagot er
    owasappoi ntedacti
    ngchi efofpol i
    ceofKal ayaan,
    Lagunaont hesamedayi nplaceofthepeti
    ti
    oner .
     Subsequentl
    y,theMunici
    palCouncilofKalayaan,Lagunaaboli
    shedthe
    appropri
    ati
    onforthesalaryofthechiefofpoliceofKalayaan,Laguna.
    Laganapan thus f
    il
    ed a compl ai
    ntagainstMay orAsedil
    lo and t
    he
    Municipal
    it
    yofKalayaanforrei
    nstat
    ementandpay mentofbackwages.
    MayLaganapanber einst
    ated?IstheMunicipal
    ityalsol
    i
    able?
     Held:Themuni
    ci
    pal
    i
    tyi
    sli
    abl
    ebutLaganapancannotber
    einst
    ated.
    Reasons:
     1.Laganapan wassummar il
    ydismissed withoutanysembl anceof
    compli
    ancewi t
    h duepr ocess.No chargeswer ef il
    ed,no noti
    ceor
    hear
    ingwasmade,nonot hi
    ng.TheCour tf
    indsnomer iti
    nthemay or’
    s
    cont
    enti
    ont hat
    ,sincetheappoi nt
    ment sextendedt o Laganapanas
    chi
    efofpoli
    ceofKal ay
    aan,Laguna,wer eallprovi
    sionali
    nnature,and
    notpermanent ,hisser v
    icescoul dbet erminatedwithorwi t
    houtcause
    atthepl easureoft heappoi nt
    ingof f
    icer
    .Whi leitmaybet ruet hat
    Laganapanwashol dingapr ovi
    sionalappoi nt
    mentatt het i
    meofhi s
    dismissal,hewasnotat emporaryof f
    ici
    alwhocoul dbedi smi ssedat
    anytime.Hi spr ovi
    sionalappoi ntmentcoul donlybet erminatedt hirt
    y
    (30)day safterreceiptbyt heappointi
    ngofficerofalistofeli
    gibleform
    theCivilServicesCommi ssion.Herenosuchcer t
    ifi
    cati
    onwasr eceived
    byMay orAsedi ll
    ot hi
    rty(30)day spriortohisdismissalofLaganapan.
     Further
    more,i ti s ofrecordt hat,aftert he summar ydi smi ssalof
    LaganapanbyAsedi l
    l
    o,theMuni ci
    palCounci lofKal ay aani nsteadof
    opposingoratl eastprotest
    ingLaganapan’ ssummar ydi smissalofhi s
    positi
    on,evenabol i
    shedtheappr opriat
    ionfort hesal aryoft heChi efof
    PoliceofKal ayaan – Laguna.TheCour tconsi derst hisactoft he
    Muni ci
    palCounci las an appr ovalorconf i
    r mation oft he actof
    respondentMay orinsummar i
    l
    ydi smissingLaganapan, astomakesai d
    muni ci
    pal
    it
    y equal l
    yl i
    able as t he may orfort he r einstatementof
    Laganapanandf orthepaymentofhi sbacksal aries.
     Fi
    nal
    lyi
    tshouldbenotedt
    hatAsedi
    l
    lowassuednotper
    sonal
    l
    y,buti
    n
    hi
    scapaci
    tyasmayor
    .
     1.Laganapancannotber einstat
    ed.PD 482,r ecentl
    yenactedatt hat
    ti
    me,callsfortheappoi
    ntmentofaper manentChi efofPolice(known
    asSt at
    ion Commander),in cer t
    ain pr
    ovincesincludi
    ng Laguna.Hi s
    rei
    nstat
    ementi s notfeasible.The May orand t he municipal
    i
    tyar e
    i
    nsteadliabl
    eforpaymentofbacksal ari
    es.
    o CHAVEZVSSANDI
    GANBAYAN
     Presidi
    ngJust i
    ceFr ancisGar chit
    or enacor rect
    lyobser vedthatt hereis
    nogener alimmuni tyar i
    singsolelyf rom occupy ingapubl i
    cof fi
    ce.The
    generalrul
    ei st hatpubl icof f
    ici
    alscanbehel dpersonal l
    yaccount able
    foractscl aimedt ohav ebeenper f
    or medi nconnect ionwithof f
    icial
    duti
    eswher etheyhav eact edultr
    av i
    r esorwher et herei sashowi ngof
    badf ai
    th.Mor eov er,
    thepet it
    ioner'
    sar gumentt hatthei mmunit yprov i
    so
    underSect i
    on4( a)ofExecut i
    veOr derNo.1al soext endst ohimi snot
    well-
    taken.A mer einvocat i
    onoft hei mmuni tyclausedoesnoti pso
    factoresul
    ti nthechar gesbei ngaut omat i
    call
    ydropped.I mmuni tyfrom
    suitcannoti nstituti
    onalizei r
    responsi bil
    i
    tyandnon- accountabilit
    ynor
    granta pr ivi
    leged st atus notcl aimed byanyot herof fi
    cialoft he
    Republic.
     Wher ethepet i
    ti
    onerexceedshisauthori
    tyasSol i
    cit
    orGener alactsi n
    bad faith,or ,ascont ended bythepr i
    vaterespondent,"mal i
    ciously
    conspir
    eswi tht hePCGG commi ssi
    onersinper secut
    ingr espondent
    Enri
    lebyf i
    li
    ngagai nsthim anevi
    dentl
    ybaselesssui ti
    nder ogationof
    thelatt
    er '
    sconst i
    tuti
    onalri
    ght
    sandl i
    berti
    es"
    ,therecanbenoquest ion
    thatacompl aintfordamagesmaybef il
    edagainsthim.Highposi ti
    oni n
    governmentdoesnotconf erali
    censetopersecuteorrecklesslyinjure
    another.Theact i
    onsgov er
    nedbyArti
    cles19,20,21,and32oft heCi vi
    l
    CodeonHumanRel at
    ionsmaybet akenagai nstpubli
    cof f
    icersor
    pri
    vat
    eci
    ti
    zensali
    ke.Theissuei
    snottheri
    ghtofr
    espondentEnr
    il
    eto
    fi
    l
    eanact
    ionfordamages.Hehasther
    ight
    .
    o RAMAVSCOURTOFAPPEALS
     The gov ernor
    ,v ice – gov ernor, member of t he Sangguni ang
    Panlalawigan,prov i
    nci
    alauditor,provi
    nci
    alt reasur
    erand pr ovi
    ncial
    engineerwer eorderedtopayjoint
    lyandseverallyi
    ntheirindi
    vidualand
    personalcapacitydamagest osome200empl oyeesoft heprov i
    nceof
    Cebuwhower eeasedoutf rom t hei
    rposi
    ti
    onsbecauseoft hei rparty
    aff
    ili
    ations.
    o CORREAVSCFIOFBULACAN
     Facts:Thepet i
    ti
    onerwasaf or
    mermay orofNor zagaray,Bul
    acanwho
    wasor deredbyt herespondentcour tt
    oper sonall
    ypayt hesalar
    iesof
    pri
    vater espondentswhichtheyf ai
    l
    edt oreceivebecauseoft hei
    ril
    legal
    remov alfrom offi
    ce.Ex-
    May orCorr
    eacl ai
    medt hatsincehewassuedi n
    hisofficialcapaci
    tyandhewasnol ongermay or,thejudgmentshould
    bebindi ngont hemunicipal
    i
    tyofNor zagaray
    .
     Held:Thecour trei
    ter
    atedtherul
    et hatthemunici
    palcor
    por
    ati
    onis
    responsibl
    efortheactsofitsoff
    icersonlywhentheyhav
    eactedby
    authori
    tyofthel
    awandi nconf
    ormitywit
    hitsr
    equi
    rement
    s.
     A publi
    cof fi
    cerwhocommi tsat or torotherwrongfulact ,donei n
    excessorbey ondthescopeofhi sdut y,i
    snotprotectedbyhi sof fi
    ce
    and is personallyliabl
    et hereforel i
    ke any pr
    ivat
    ei ndiv
    idual.This
    pri
    ncipl
    eofper sonalli
    abil
    it
    yhasbeenappl i
    edtocaseswher eapubl i
    c
    offi
    cerremov esanot heroffi
    cerordi schar
    gesanempl oy eewr ongful
    ly,
    thereport
    edcasessay i
    ngt hatbyr easonofnon-compl i
    ancewi ththe
    requi
    rementsofl awi nrespecttoremov alf
    rom of
    fi
    ce, t
    heof fi
    cial
    swer e
    acti
    ngoutsideoft heiroff
    ici
    alauthor
    ity.

    PARTVI
    II–ELECTI
    VEOFFI
    CIALS
    A.Qual
    i
    ficat
    ionsandEl
    ect
    ions
    - 1.Qual
    i
    ficat
    ions
    o Sect
    ion39.Qual
    i
    ficat
    ions.–c-
    r-
    r(
    1)
    (a)Anel ecti
    velocaloff
    ici
    almustbeaci tizenoft hePhili
    ppines;a
    register
    edv oteri
    nthebarangay,municipal
    it
    y,city
    ,orprovi
    nceor,inthe
    case ofa memberoft he sangguniang panlalawi
    gan,sangguniang
    panlungsod,orsangguniangbay an,t
    hedi st
    ri
    ctwher eheintendst obe
    elected;a r esi
    denttherei
    nf oratl eastone ( 1)yearimmedi atel
    y
    precedingt hedayoftheelecti
    on;andabl etoreadandwr i
    teFili
    pinoor
    anyot herlocall
    anguageordial
    ect.
    (b)Candi
    datesfortheposit
    ionofgov er
    nor,vi
    ce-
    gover
    nor
    ,ormemberof
    thesangguniangpanlal
    awigan,ormay or,v
    ice-
    mayorormemberofthe
    sangguni
    angpanl ungsodofhi ghlyurbani
    zedciti
    esmustbeatleast
    twenty
    -one(21)yearsofageonel ect
    ionday.
    (c)Candidat
    esfortheposi
    ti
    onofmay ororvi
    ce-
    may orofi
    ndependent
    componentciti
    es,componentci
    ti
    es,ormunici
    pali
    ti
    esmustbeatl east
    twenty
    -one(21)year
    sofageonelecti
    onday.
    (d)Candidat
    es forthe posit
    ion ofmemberoft he sangguniang
    panl
    ungsodorsangguniangbay
    anmustbeatleastei
    ghteen(18)years
    ofageonelect
    ionday.
    (e)Candidat
    esfortheposi
    ti
    onofpunongbarangayormemberoft
    he
    sangguniangbar
    angaymustbeatleastei
    ght
    een( 18)y
    ear
    sofageon
    elect
    ionday.
    (f)Candidat
    esfort
    hesangguni
    angkabat
    aanmustbeatleastf
    if
    teen
    (15)y ear
    sofagebutnotmorethantwent
    y-one(
    21)y
    ear
    sofageon
    elect
    ionday.
    o Qual
    i
    ficat
    ions:
    c-r
    -r
    -a-
    a
    i
    .Ci
    ti
    zenoft
    hePhi
    l
    ippi
    nes
     Thereisnorequi
    rementthatthel
    ocalelect
    iveof f
    ici
    almustbe
    natur
    al-
    bor
    nFil
    ipi
    nounl
    ikenati
    onal
    elect
    iveof
    fici
    als.
     So,
    natur
    albor
    norot
    her
    wise,
    incl
    udi
    ng“
    nat
    ural
    i
    zed”ci
    ti
    zenoft
    he
    Phi
    li
    ppi
    nes.
     FRIVALDO VSCOMELEC – Theci ti
    zenshi pr equi
    rementi nt he
    LGCi stobepossessedbyanel ectiv
    eof fi
    cialatthelatestasof
    theti
    mehei sprocl
    aimedandatt hest artoft heterm ofoffi
    cet o
    which he has been el ected. Registrati
    on under PD 725
    (Repatr
    iati
    on)isvali
    dandef fect
    iveandr etr
    oact stothedat eof
    theapplicat
    ion.Thus,Fr
    ival
    do’srepatri
    ationi stobegi veneffect
    asofthedat eofhisappl
    icat
    iontherefor.
    o Thequalifi
    cat
    ionsintheLGC r efertothatof“ Electi
    ve”
    off
    ici
    als (and not of “ Candi
    dates”
    ), hence, t hese
    quali
    fi
    cat
    ionsneedt obepossessedbyt heoffi
    cialnotat
    theti
    mehef il
    edhiscerti
    fi
    cat
    eofcandidacybutatthet i
    me
    hetakeshisoathofoff
    iceandassumeshispost.
    o From theabov e,itwillbenot edthatt hel aw doesnot
    specif
    yanypar t
    icul
    ardat eort i
    mewhent hecandidate
    mustpossessci ti
    zenship,unl
    iket
    hatf orresidence(which
    mustconsi stofatleastoney ear
    'sresidencyimmedi at
    ely
    precedingthedayofel ecti
    on)andage( atleasttwenty
    threeyearsofageonelectionday)
    .
    o Sot oo,ev enfrom al i
    ter
    al(asdistinguishedfrom l i
    beral
    )
    constructi
    on,itshoul dbenot edt hatSect i
    on39oft he
    LocalGov ernmentCode speaks of" Quali
    fi
    cations"of
    "ELECTIVEOFFI CIALS",notofcandidates.Whyt henshoul d
    suchqual ifi
    cat
    ionber equi
    redatt het i
    meofel ectionorat
    thetimeoft hefil
    ingofthecerti
    ficatesofcandi dacies,as
    Leeinsists?Lit
    erall
    y,suchqual
    if
    ications--unl
    essot herwise
    expresslyconditi
    oned,asinthecaseofageandr esidence-
    -shoul dt husbepossessedwhent he" el
    ect
    iv e[
    orel ect
    ed]
    offi
    cial"begi nst ogover n,i.
    e.,atthetimehei sproclai
    med
    andatt hest artofhisterm- -inthiscase,onJune30, 1995.
    Paraphr asingt hisCourt'sruli
    ngi nVasquezv s.Gi
    apandLi
    Seng Gi ap & Sons,i ft he purpose oft he citi
    zenship
    requirementi stoensur ethatourpeopl eandcount rydonot
    end up bei ng gov er
    ned by al i
    ens,i.e.
    ,per sons owi ng
    all
    egiancet oanot hernat i
    on,thataim orpurposewoul dnot
    be t hwar ted but i nstead achi eved by const rui
    ng t he
    cit
    izenshi p qual ifi
    cat
    ion as appl yi
    ng t o t he time of
    proclamat ionoft heelectedof fi
    cialandatt hestartofhi s
    term.
    i
    i
    .Regi
    ster
    edv
    oteri
    nthel
    ocal
    i
    ty/
    dist
    ri
    ctwher
    ehei
    ntendst
    obeel
    ect
    ed
    i
    i
    i.Resi
    dentint
    helocal
    it
    y/dist
    rictwher
    ehei nt
    endst
    obeel
    ect
    edat
    l
    east1yeari
    mmedi
    atel
    yprecedingtheel
    ect
    ion
     Residence(refersto“ domici
    le”;residenceisabr oaderconcept
    than domi ci
    le because r esidence,as a concept ,can be
    permanentort empor arywhil
    edomi cil
    eispermanent,sothati
    fit
    i
    sper manentr esi
    dence,then t hati sdomi ci
    le,and i
    fit’
    snot
    permanent,then,it
    ’sonlyaresidencet emporaryinchar
    acter
    ):
    o Gener
    all
    y,t
    her
    ear
    e2ki
    ndsofdomi
    cil
    e:
     1.Domici
    l
    eofor i
    gin–domici
    l
    eattheti
    meofbirt
    h
    whichi
    sdeter
    minedbyt
    hedomici
    l
    eofthepar
    ent
    s
     2.Domi
    cil
    eofchoi
    ce
    o Wheni
    sresi
    dencet
    empor
    aryorper
    manent
    ?
     Resi
    dencei
    st emporarydependingont
    hepur
    pose.
    I
    t’
    snotthel
    engthbutthepurpose.
    I
    fthe purpose f
    orbeing t
    her
    e phy
    sical
    l
    yis
    t
    emporary
    ,t henthatpl
    aceisyourt
    emporar
    y
    r
    esi
    dence.
     Howt odet er
    mineift hepurposeistemporary
    ?
    A purposei stempor aryifther
    ei sadef i
    nit
    e
    beginningandadef init
    eend,suchasst udyi
    ng
    (fr
    om enr oll
    ment t o graduati
    on),business,
    exerci
    seofpr of
    ession,workingabroadlooki
    ng
    forgreenerpastur
    e.
    o Note:Youcanhav e1per manentresi
    dencebutyoucan
    havevari
    oust
    emporar
    yresidences,
    butyoucanonl
    yhave1
    domici
    leatati
    me,meaning,themomentyouhaveanot
    her
    ,
    i
    tmustbeest abl
    i
    shedthaty ouhaveabandonedt
    hefi
    rst
    .
    Therecanonl
    ybe1domicile.
    o How to establ
    i
    sh(whichrequi
    resf
    act
    ualconsi
    der
    ati
    ons
    because“i
    ntent
    ”isi
    nvol
    ved)
    ?
     Pr
    oofofnon-
    abandonmentofdomi
    cil
    e:
     1. Ani
    mus manendi (
    the i
    ntent t
    o l
    i
    ve
    per
    manent
    ly)and
     2.Ani
    musr ever
    tendi(t
    heintenti
    ontor et
    urnto
    thedomici
    le,meaning,thi
    spr esupposesthat
    youhavebeenabsentforawhi l
    e)
     Pr
    oofofabandonmentofol
    ddomi
    cil
    e:a-
    m-n
     1. Act
    ual phy
    sical pr
    esence i
    n t
    he new
    domici
    l
    e
     2.Ani
    musmanendi
    int
    henewdomi
    cil
    e,and
     3.Ani mus non-
    rev
    ert
    endi(i
    ntent
    ion nott
    o
    ret
    urn)todomici
    l
    eofori
    gin
     Not
    es:
    o FayponCase–outofdomi ci
    l
    eoforigi
    ntopur suestudies,
    engageinbusiness,orpr
    acti
    cevocati
    on,notsuffi
    cientto
    consti
    tut
    eabandonmentofdomici
    leofori
    gin.
    o Coquil
    laCase–natural
    izat
    ioninf
    orei
    gncountr
    yresul
    tsi
    n
    abandonmentofr
    esidency,notci
    ti
    zenshi
    pbecauseofRA
    9225
    o CaasiCase–becomingapermanentimmigrant“gr
    eencar
    d
    hol
    der”totheUSconst
    it
    utesabandonmentofresi
    dency
    o Resthousei
    snotproofoftheintenttol
    ivepermanent
    ly,
    on
    thecont
    rar
    y,i
    tispr
    oofofintentnottoli
    vepermanentl
    y.
    i
    v.Abl
    etor
    eadandwr
    it
    eFi
    l
    ipi
    nooranyl
    ocal
    languageordi
    alect
    v
    .Age:
    23,
    21,
    18,
    15-
    18–di
    ff
    ersdependi
    ngont
    heposi
    ti
    on
    o GALLEGOVSVERA–Thet er
    mr esi
    dencei ssy
    nonymouswi thdomici
    le,which
    i
    mportsnotonlyi
    ntent
    iontor
    esidei
    naf ixedplacebutalsoper
    sonalpresence
    i
    nthatpl
    ace,coupl
    edwi t
    hconducti
    ndicati
    veofsuchintenti
    on.
     Theterm“ r
    esi
    dence”asusedintheelectionlaw i
    ssynonymouswith
    “domici
    l
    e,”whi
    chimport
    snotonl
    yint
    entiont or
    esidei
    naf i
    xedpl
    acebut
    alsoper
    sonalpr
    esencei
    nthatpl
    ace,coupledwi t
    hconducti
    ndi
    cati
    veof
    suchint
    enti
    on.
    I
    n or derto acquire a domicil
    e by choice,t here mustconcur( 1)
    resi
    denceorbodi lypresencei nthenew l ocalit
    y,(2)ani ntent
    iont o
    remainthere,and(3)anintenti
    ont oabandont heolddomi cil
    e.Inot her
    words,theremustbeanani musnonr evertendiandanani musmanendi .
    Thepur poset or
    emai ninoratt hedomi cil
    eofchoi cemustbef oran
    i
    ndefinit
    eper i
    odoftime.Theact softheper sonmustconf orm withhi s
    purpose.Thechangeofr esi
    dencemustbev ol
    untary;t
    her esi
    denceat
    theplacechosenf orthedomi cilemustbeact ual;andtot hef actof
    resi
    dencet her
    emustbeaddedt heanimusmanendi .
     Themani festi nt
    entoft helaw i nfi
    xi
    ngar esi
    dencequal i
    fi
    cati
    oni sto
    excludeast rangerornewcomer ,unacquai
    ntedwiththecondit
    ionsand
    needsofacommuni tyandnoti denti
    fi
    edwiththelat
    ter,f
    rom anelecti
    ve
    offi
    cet oserv ethatcommuni t
    y;andwhent heev i
    denceont healleged
    l
    ackofr esidencequal if
    icat
    ioni sweakori nconcl
    usiveandi tclearl
    y
    appears,asi ntheinstantcase,thatt
    hepurposeofthelawwoul dnotbe
    thwartedbyuphol di
    ngt herighttotheoffi
    ce,thewilloftheelector
    ate
    shouldber espected.
    Int hel i
    ghtoft hesepr i
    nciples,wear eper suadedt hatthefactsoft his
    casewei ghheav i
    lyagai nstt het heor yt hatt hepet i
    ti
    onerhadl osthi s
    residence ordomi cil
    ei n Abuy og.We bel i
    eve he di d notr eside in
    Mal aybal aywi ththei nt
    ent i
    onofr emai ningt herei ndefi
    nit
    elyandofnot
    returningt oAbuy og.Hei sanat i
    veofAbuy og.Not wit
    hstandinghi s
    periodicabsencesf rom therepr evioust o1937,whenhewasempl oyed
    ast eacheri nSamar ,Agusan,andot hermuni cipali
    ti
    esofLey te,he
    alway sr eturnedt here.I
    nt hey ear1937, her esignedasaschoolt eacher
    andpr esent edhiscandi dacyf ort heof ficeofmay orofsai dmuni cipalit
    y.
    Hisdepar t
    uret herefr
    om af t
    erhi sdef eati nthatel ecti
    onwast empor ary,
    andonl yf orthepur poseofl ooki ngf orempl oymentt omakeupf orthe
    fi
    nanci aldr awbackhehadsuf f er
    edasar esultofhi sdefeatatthepol l
    s.
    Afterhehadf oundempl oymentt oMal ay balay,hedi dnott akehi swi f
    e
    andchi ldrent heretonot withst andingt heof ferofaf reehousebyt he
    gov ernment .
     Petit
    ioneri s a nat ive ofAbuy og,had r un forthe same of fice of
    muni cipalmay orofsai dt owni nt heel ect i
    onprecedingt heonei n
    quest i
    on,hadonl ybeenabsentt herefr
    om f orabout2y ear swi t
    hout
    l
    osing cont actwi th hist ownspeopl e and wi t
    houtt he int
    ention of
    remai ningandr esidingindefini
    telyint hepl aceofhisempl oyment ;and
    hewasel ectedwi t
    hanov erwhelmi ngmaj or i
    tyofnearl
    y800v otesina
    thi
    rd-class muni cipali
    ty.These consi derations we cannotdi sregard
    withoutdoi ngv i
    ol encetot hewilloft hepeopl eofsaidtown.
    o PAMI LVSTELERON–Sec.2175oft heRACbar r
    ingeccl
    esiast
    icsfr
    om being
    elect
    edtopubli
    coffi
    ceisconst
    itutional
    .Theminori
    tyvotesof5member sof
    theSCprevai
    ledoverthei
    nsuff
    icient7v ot
    es,asarequir
    ementt odecl
    arethe
    l
    awunconstit
    uti
    onali
    s8v ot
    es.
    In1971,Fr .Mar gari
    toGonzaga,apr i
    est ,wont heelectionformay or alty
    i
    nAl buquer que,Bohol .Hewasal sopr oclaimedasamay orther ein.
    Pami l
    ,ar i
    valcandi dat ef i
    leaquo war ranto caseagai nstGonzaga
    questioningt heel i
    gibil
    ityofGonzaga.Hear guedt hataspr ovidedf orin
    theRev i
    sedAdmi ni
    strativeCode;“ i
    nnocaseshal ltherebeel ectedor
    appointedt oamuni cipalof fi
    ceecclesiast i
    cs,soldiersinactiveser vice,
    personsr ecei
    v i
    ngsal ariesorcompensat ionf rom prov i
    nci
    alornat ional
    funds,orcont ractor
    sf orpubl icworksoft hemuni cipali
    ty.
    ”Int hi
    scase,
    theel ectedmay orisapr iest.Howev er ,JudgeTel eronruledt hatt he
    Admi nistrati
    veCodei sr epealedbyt heEl ecti
    onCodeof1971whi ch
    all
    owedt hepr ohibit
    ionsoft herev
    isedadmi nistr
    ati
    vecode.
    I
    SSUE:Whetherornott
    heRev
    isedAdmi
    nist
    rat
    iveCodei
    snol
    onger
    oper
    ati
    ve?
     HELD:Deci sionisindecisi
    ve,t hesai dlaw,i nt hedeliberat
    ionsoft he
    court,fail
    edt oobtainthemaj ori
    tyv ot
    eofei ght(8)whi chisneededi n
    orderf orthislaw tobebi ndingupont hepar ti
    esinthiscase.Fort his,
    the pet i
    ti
    on mustbe gr anted and t he deci sion oft he l
    owercour t
    reversedandsetasi de.Fr .Gonzagai sher ebyor deredt ov acat
    et he
    may oraltypositi
    on.I
    tisalsopoi ntedoutt hathowcanonewhoswor et o
    servet heChur ch’
    sinter
    estabov eallbeindut ytoenforcestatepolicies
    whichatt imesmayconf li
    ctwi thchur cht enets.Thisisinv iol
    ati
    onof
    thesepar ati
    onoft hechur chandst ate.TheRev i
    sedAdmi nist
    rative
    Codest i
    l
    lstandsbecauset her eisnoi mpliedr epeal
    .
     An ecclesi
    astic elected t o a publi
    c off
    ice coul dfi
    nd itdiff
    icultt o
    reconcil
    ehisdut yt ohi schurchwi thhispubl icdut yanthatitwasf or
    thi
    spur poset hatt hei nel
    igi
    bil
    it
    yofeccl esiasticsto hold municipal
    offi
    cesispr ov
    idedf orint heRAC.Fur t
    hermor e, t
    hepay mentofsalaryt o
    an ecclesiasti
    c el ected as may or contrav enes the consti
    tuti
    onal
    prohibi
    ti
    onagai nstt heuseofpubl icfundsf ort hebenefitofpri
    estand
    otherrel
    igi
    ousdi gnitar
    ies.
    o FAYPONVSQUI RINO–Themer eabsencefr
    om one’
    sr esi
    denceoror igi
    n–
    domi ci
    l
    e–t opur suestudies,engageinbusi
    ness,orpracti
    cehisvocation,i
    s
    notsuf fi
    cientto const i
    tute abandonmentorl oss ofsuch residence.A
    prev
    iousr egist
    rationasv oterinamuni ci
    pal
    i
    tyotherthanthati
    nwhi chhei s
    el
    ectedisnotsuf fici
    enttoconst i
    tut
    eabandonmentorlossofhisresidenceor
    ori
    gin.
     Fact s:The r espondentwas pr oclaimed byt he provinci
    alboard of
    canv asser sel
    ectedtot heoffi
    ceofPr ovinci
    alGovernorofI l
    ocosSur.He
    wasbor ninCaoay an,Il
    ocosSuri n1895;camet oMani latopursuehis
    studi es;wentt ot he US f ort he same pur pose;r eturned t
    ot he
    Phili
    ppi nesin1923;l ectur
    edintheUP;andengagedi nnewspaperwor k
    i
    nMani la,Il
    oil
    oandl ateronagai ninMani la.Thecr ucialandpivotal
    pointuponwhi chtheel igi
    bil
    i
    tyofr espondenttooffi
    ceisassai l
    ed,i
    shis
    regist r
    ationasvoterinPasayCi t
    yi n1946and1947.
     Hel d:Mer eabsencef rom one'sr esi
    denceofor igin– domi ci
    le– t o
    pursuest udi
    es,engagei nbusiness,orpr acti
    cehisav ocati
    on,isnot
    suff i
    cientt oconstituteabandonmentorl ossofsuchr esidence.The
    deter mi nati
    onofaper son'
    slegalresidenceordomi cil
    elargelydepends
    upon i nt enti
    on which maybei nferr
    ed from hisact s,act i
    vi
    ti
    esand
    utterances.Thepar tywhocl aimst hataper sonhasabandonedorl ost
    hi
    sr esi dence ofor igin mustshow and pr ove preponderantl
    ysuch
    abandonmentorl oss.Apr evi
    ousr egi
    strat
    ionasv oterinamuni ci
    pali
    ty
    othert hant hatinwhi chhei selectedi snotsuf f
    ici
    entt oconst i
    tute
    abandonmentorl ossofhi sresidenceofor i
    gin.
     Aci
    tizenmayleavethepl
    aceofhisbi
    rthtolookfor“greenerpastur
    es”
    ,
    ast
    hesayinggoes,t
    oimprovehi
    slot,
    andthat,ofcourseincludesst
    udy
    i
    notherpl
    aces,pr
    acti
    ceofhi
    savocati
    on,orengagi
    ngi nbusiness.When
    anel ect i
    oni st obehel d,t heci tizenwhol ef
    thisbi rthplacet oi mpr ov e
    hislotmaydesi r
    et or eturnt ohi snat i
    v et ownt ocasthi sbal lot,butf or
    professi onalorbusi nessr easons,orf oranyot herr eason,hemaynot
    absenthi msel ffrom thepl aceofhi spr of essionalorbusi nessact ivi
    ties;
    sot her eher egistersasv ot erashehast hequal ifi
    cationst obeoneand
    i
    tnotwi ll
    ingt ogi veuporl oset heoppor tunit
    yt ochooset heof f
    icials
    whoar etorunt hegov ernmentespeci all
    yi nnat i
    onalel ections.Despi te
    suchr egistr
    ation,t heani musr ev ertendit ohi shome,t ohi sdomi cileor
    residenceofor i
    gin,hasnotf or sakenhi m.Thi smaybet heexpl anat i
    on
    whyt her egistrationofav ot eri napl aceot hert hanhi sresi denceof
    originhasnotbeendeemedsuf f
    icientt oconst ituteabandonmentor
    l
    ossofsuchr esidence.I tf indsj ustifi
    cat ionint henat uraldesi reand
    l
    ongi ngofev eryper sont or et urnt ot hepl aceofhi sbi rth.Thi sst rong
    feeli
    ngofat tachmentt ot hepl aceofone’ sbi r
    thmustbeov ercomeby
    positivepr oofofabandonmentf oranot her.
    o TORAYNO VSCOMELEC – Pr i
    vater espondentwasact uall
    yandphy si
    cal
    ly
    residi
    ngi nCDO Citywhi l
    edischarginghi sduti
    esasgov er
    norofMi samis
    Oriental.Heownedahousei nt heci t
    yandr esi
    dedt heret oget
    herwithhis
    fami l
    y.Heev enpaidhis1998communi tytaxandregi
    steredasav otert
    herei
    n.
    Toal lintentsandpurposesoftheconst iandthelaw,hei sar esi
    dentofCDO
    Cityandel igi
    blet
    orunf ormay
    ort hereof.
    Inrequi ri
    ngcandi datestohav eami ni
    mum per iodofr esidencei nt he
    areai nwhi cht heyseekt o beel ected,t heConst i
    tutionort hel aw
    i
    ntends t o pr ev ent the possibil
    it
    y of a st ranger or newcomer
    unacquai ntedwi ththecondi t
    ionsandneedsofacommuni tyandnot
    i
    dent i
    fiedwi ththel att
    erfrom anelecti
    veof f
    icetoser vet hatcommuni ty.
    Suchpr ovisi
    oni sai medatexcl udingout si
    dersfr om t akingadv antage
    offav orablecircumst ancesexisti
    ngint hatcommuni tyforel ectoralgain.
    Establishingr esidencei nacommuni tymer el
    ytomeetanel ectionl aw
    requirementdef eatst hepurposeofrepr esentati
    on:t oel ectt hrought he
    assentofv oterst hosemostcogni zantandsensi t
    iv etot heneedsoft he
    communi ty.Thepur poseisbestmetbyi ndivi
    dualswhohav eeitherhad
    actualr esidencei nt heareaf oragi v en peri
    od orwho hav ebeen
    domi cil
    edi nthesamear eaeit
    herbyor i
    gi norbychoi ce.
     West r
    esst hatt her esidencer equi rementi srootedi nt hedesi rethat
    offi
    cial
    sofdi strictsorl ocali
    ti
    esbeacquai ntednotonl ywi t
    ht hemet es
    and bounds oft hei
    rconst i
    tuenci es,butmor ei mpor t
    ant,wi tht he
    constit
    uencies t hemsel ves – t heir needs,di ffi
    cult
    ies,aspi rati
    ons,
    potential
    sf orgr owt handdev elopmentandal lmat t
    ersv i
    talt ot heir
    common wel f
    ar e.The r equisite period woul d give candi dat es the
    oppor t
    unitytobef amiliarwitht heirdesiredconst i
    tuenciesandl ikewise
    fortheel ect
    orat etoev aluatethef ormer '
    squalif
    icati
    onsandf it
    nessf or
    theof f
    icestheyseek.I not herwor ds,theact ual
    ,phy si
    calandper sonal
    presenceofher einprivaterespondenti nCDOCi tyissubst antialenough
    toshowhi sintent i
    ont of ul
    fi
    llthedut i
    esofmay orandf ort hev oter
    st o
    evaluatehisqual ifi
    cati
    onsf ort hemay orship.Petit
    ioner'
    sv eryl egali
    stic,
    academi c,andt echnicalappr oacht ot heresidencer equirementdoes
    notsati
    sfythesimple,pr
    act
    icalandcommon-
    senser
    ati
    onal
    efort
    he
    resi
    dencerequi
    rement.
     Thepert
    inentprov
    isionsoughtt
    obeenfor
    cedisSect
    ion39oftheLocal
    Gover
    nmentCode( LGC)of1991,whi
    chprovi
    desforthequal
    i
    ficat
    ions
    ofl
    ocalelect
    iveof
    ficial
    s.
     TAheComel ecfoundthatpri
    vater espondentandhi sfami l
    yhadact uall
    y
    beenr esi
    dingi nCapist
    ranoSubdi visi
    on, Gusa, Cagay andeOr oCity
    , i
    na
    househehadboughti n1973. Fur thermor e,dur i
    ngt het hreeterms
    (1988-1998)t hathewasgov ernorofMi sami sOr i
    ental,hephy sicall
    y
    l
    ivedi nt hatci t
    y,wheret heseatoft hepr ovincialgov ernmentwas
    l
    ocat ed. InJune1997,heal sor egisteredasv oteroft hesameci ty
    .
    Basedonourr uli
    nginMamba- Perez,thesef actsi ndubitablyprov
    et hat
    VicenteY.Emanowasar esi
    dentofCagay andeOr oCi tyforaperiodof
    ti
    mesuf f
    icienttoquali
    fyhimt or unforpubl i
    cof fi
    cet herein.Moreov er,
    theComel ecdi dnotf i
    ndanybadf aithont hepar tofEmanoi nhi s
    choiceofr esidence.
     Undeni ably,CagayandeOr oCi t
    ywasonceani ntegralpartofMi samis
    Orientalandr emainsageogr aphicalpar
    toftheprov i
    nce.Notonl yi
    si t
    atthecent eroftheprovince;mor eimportant
    ,iti
    si t
    selftheseatoft he
    provincialgovernment.Asaconsequence,t heprovincialoffi
    cialswho
    carryoutt heirfunct
    ionsint hecitycannotavoidresidingtherein;much
    l
    ess,get t
    ingacquaintedwi thi tsconcernsandi nterests. Vicent eY.
    Emano,hav i
    ngbeent hegov er
    norofMi samisOrientalf orthreet er
    ms
    andconsequent l
    yresidi
    ngi nCagay andeOr oCitywi thinthatper iod,
    couldnotbesai dtobeast rangerornewcomert ot hecityint helast
    yearofhi sthir
    dt er
    m,whenhedeci dedtoadopti tashi sper manent
    placeofr esidence.
     Toal li
    ntent
    sandpurposesoft
    heConsti
    tut
    ionandt
    hel aw,heisa
    resi
    dentofCagay
    andeOroCit
    yandel
    i
    gibl
    etorunf
    ormayorther
    eof
    .
     Therei snoquest i
    ont hatpr
    ivat
    er espondentwast heoverwhelmi
    ng
    choiceoft hepeopl eofCagayandeOr oCity
    .Hewonbyamar gi
    nof
    about30,000v otes.Thus,wefi
    nditapttoreit
    erat
    ethepri
    nci
    plethatthe
    mani f
    estwi l
    loft hepeopleasexpr essedthroughtheball
    otmustbe
    giv
    enf ul
    lesteffect
    .
    o COQUILLAVSCOMELEC–Pet it
    ionerlosthisdomi cil
    eofor i
    gininOr asby
    becomingaU.S.ci
    ti
    zenaft
    erenli
    sti
    ngi ntheU.S.Nav yin1965.Fr om thenon
    anduntilNov
    .10,2000,whenher eacqui
    redPhili
    ppinecitizenship,peti
    ti
    oner
    wasanal i
    enwit
    houtanyri
    ghttoresideinthePhil
    s.,saveasouri mmi grat
    ion
    l
    awsmayhav eall
    owedhimtostayasav i
    sit
    ororasar esidentalien.
     Theterm" resi
    dence"istobeunder st
    oodnoti nit
    scommonaccept ati
    on
    asreferr
    ingt o"dwelli
    ng"or" habi
    tati
    on,"
    21butr athert
    o" domicil
    e"or
    l
    egalr esidence,t hat is," t
    he place wher e a party actuall
    y or
    constr
    uctivel
    yhashi sper manenthome,wher ehe,nomat t
    erwher ehe
    maybef oundatanygi ventime,ev
    ent ual
    l
    yintendstoret
    urnandr emain
    (ani
    musmanendi ).
    "Adomi cil
    eoforiginisacquir
    edbyev erypersonat
    bir
    th.Itis usuall
    yt he pl
    ace wherethe chi
    l
    d’s par
    ent
    sreside and
    conti
    nuesuntilt
    hesamei sabandonedbyacquisi
    ti
    onofnew domicil
    e
    (domici
    leofchoice)
    .
     Peti
    ti
    onerlosthisdomi
    cil
    eoforigi
    ninOr asbybecomi ngaU. S.cit
    izen
    aft
    erenlist
    ing inthe U.
    S.Nav yin 1965.Fr om then on and unt il
    November 10,2000,when he r eacqui
    red Phil
    ippine cit
    izenship,
    peti
    ti
    onerwasanal i
    enwit
    houtanyri
    ghttoresidei
    nthePhi l
    i
    ppinessav e
    asourimmi grat
    ionl
    awsmayhav eall
    owedhi mtostayasav i
    sit
    ororas
    aresi
    dentalien.
    I
    ndeed, r
    esidence in the Uni
    ted St
    ates i
    s a r
    equi
    rement f
    or
    nat
    ural
    i
    zati
    onasaU. S.ci
    ti
    zen.
    InCaasiv .CourtofAppeal
    s,thisCour trul
    edt hatimmi gr
    ationtothe
    Unit
    edSt atesbyv i
    rt
    ueofa" greencard,"whichent i
    tl
    esonet oresi
    de
    permanent lyi
    nthatcount
    ry,
    constit
    utesabandonmentofdomi ci
    l
    einthe
    Phil
    ippines.Wi t
    hmor ereasont hendoesnat ural
    izati
    oni naf orei
    gn
    countryresulti
    nanabandonmentofdomi cil
    einthePhili
    ppines.
     Byhav i
    ngbeennat ural
    izedabroad,helosthi
    sPhi
    li
    ppi
    neciti
    zenshipand
    withi thisr esidence int he Phil
    ippi
    nes.Unt
    ilhisreacquisi
    ti
    on of
    Phil
    ippine ci
    tizenship on Nov ember 10,2000,pet i
    ti
    oner did not
    reacquirehi
    slegalresidenceinthiscountr
    y.
     Second,i tisnott rue,aspet it
    ionercont ends,t hather eest ablished
    residencei nthiscount ryin1998whenhecamebackt opreparef ort he
    may or alt
    yel ectionsofOr asbysecur i
    ngaCommuni tyTaxCer t
    ifi
    cat ei n
    thaty earandby" const antl
    ydecl ar i
    ng"t ohi st ownmat esofhisi ntent ion
    toseekr epatriationandr unf ormay ori nt heMay14,2001el ect ions.
    Thest atusofbei nganal ienandanon- residentcanbewai vedei ther
    separ ately,whenoneacqui r
    est hest atusofar esidentalienbef ore
    acquir i
    ngPhi l
    ippineci ti
    zenshi p,oratt hesamet imewhenoneacqui res
    Phili
    ppi ne ci t
    izenshi p.As an al i
    en,an i ndi
    v i
    dualmay obt ain an
    i
    mmi gr antv i
    saunder§13oft hePhi li
    ppi neImmi grationActof1948and
    anI mmi grantCer ti
    ficateofResi dence( ICR)andt huswai vehi sst at us
    as a non- r
    esident .On t he ot herhand,he may acqui r
    e Phi l
    ippi ne
    cit
    izenshi pbynat urali
    zati
    onunderC. A.No.473, asamended, or ,
    ifhei s
    af ormerPhi li
    ppi nenat ional,hemayr eacqui rePhilippinecit
    izenshi pby
    repatriationorbyanactofCongr ess,i nwhi chcasehewai v
    esnotonl y
    hisstat usasanal ienbutal sohi sst at
    usasanon- residentali
    en.
    Inthecaseatbar ,theonl yev i
    denceofpet i
    tioner’sstatuswhenhe
    enteredt hecountryonOct ober15,1998,December20,1998,Oct ober
    16,1999, andJune23, 2000ist hest atement" Phi l
    ippineImmigration[–]
    Bali
    kbay an"i
    nhi s1998- 2008U. S.passpor t.Asf orhi sentr
    yonAugust5,
    2000,t hestampbor et headdedi nscri
    pti
    on" goodf oroney earst ay.
    "
    Under§2ofR. A.No.6768( AnActI nstit
    utingaBal i
    kbayanPr ogram),
    thet erm bali
    kbayani ncludesaf ormerFi li
    pinoci t
    izenwhohadbeen
    naturali
    zedinaf orei
    gncount ryandcomesorr et urnstothePhi l
    ippines
    and,i fso,hei sent i
    tled,amongot hers,toa" visa-f
    reeentryt ot he
    Phil
    ippinesforaper iodofone( 1)y ear
    "( §3(c)).I twouldappeart hen
    thatwhenpet i
    ti
    onerent er
    edt hecount
    ryonthedat esinquesti
    on,hedid
    soasav isa-
    freebal i
    kbayanv i
    sit
    orwhosest ayassuchwasv ali
    dfor
    oney earonly.Hence,pet it
    ionercanonlybehel dt ohavewai vedhis
    statusasanal i
    enandasanon- resi
    dentonlyonNov ember10,2000
    upont aki
    nghisoat hasaci ti
    zenofthePhil
    ippinesunderR.A.No.8171.
    Hel ackedther equisi
    teresidencytoquali
    fyhi mforthemay orshipof
    Oras,Easter
    n,Samar .
     Norcanpet i
    ti
    onerinvokethi
    sCourt’sr ul
    inginBengzonII
    Iv.Houseof
    Repr esent
    ati
    vesElector
    alTri
    bunal
    .Whatt heCourthel
    dint
    hatcasewas
    that,uponrepatr
    iati
    on,aformernatural-
    bornFil
    ipinoi
    sdeemedtohave
    recov er
    edhisori
    ginalst
    atusasanat ural-
    bornci
    tizen.
    Inthecaseatbar ,whati si
    nvolvedi safalsest
    atementconcer ninga
    candidate’squal
    if
    icati
    onforanofficeforwhichhefil
    edthecer t
    if
    icat eof
    candidacy.Thisisami sr
    epr
    esentationofamat er
    ialfactjusti
    fyi
    ngt he
    cancell
    ationofpet i
    ti
    oner’
    scerti
    fi
    cateofcandidacy.Thecancel l
    ationof
    peti
    ti
    oner ’
    scerti
    fi
    cateofcandidacyinthiscasei
    sthusf ul
    l
    yj ust
    if
    ied.
    o MI
    TRAVSCOMELEC
     Themi ni
    mum r equi
    rementunderourConst it
    uti
    onandel ecti
    onl awsfor
    thecandidates’resi
    dencyi nthepolit
    icaluni
    ttheyseektor epresenthas
    neverbeeni nt
    endedt obeanempt yf ormali
    sti
    cconditi
    on;itcarri
    eswith
    i
    ta v er
    y speci fi
    c pur pose:t o prevent"stranger
    s ornewcomer s
    unacquai
    nt edwi tht hecondi t
    ionsandneedsofacommuni ty"fr
    om
    seeki
    ngel ecti
    veof f
    icesinthatcommuni t
    y.
     Therequirementi srootedinther ecognit
    ionthatof f
    icialsofdi
    stri
    ctsor
    l
    ocali
    ti
    esshoul dnotonl ybeacquai ntedwiththemet esandboundsof
    thei
    r constit
    uenci es; mor e impor t
    antl
    y,t hey shoul d know t hei
    r
    consti
    tuenci
    esandt heuniqueci rcumstancesoft heirconstit
    uents–
    thei
    r needs, di ff
    icult
    ies, aspi
    rations, potent
    ials f or growth and
    devel
    opment ,andal lmat t
    ersvit
    alt othei
    rcommonwel far
    e.Famil
    iari
    ty,
    ortheoppor tunit
    yt obef amili
    ar,withtheseci rcumst ancescanonl y
    comewi thresidencyint heconsti
    tuencytober epresent ed.
     Thepurposeoft heresidencyr equi
    rementis"bestmetbyi ndi
    vi
    duals
    whohav eeit
    herhadact ualresidenceintheareaforagi v
    enperi
    odor
    whohavebeendomi cil
    edint hesamear eaeit
    herbyorigi
    norbychoice.
    "
    Atthesamet i
    me,t heconst it
    uentsthemselvescanbestknow and
    eval
    uatethecandidates’qualif
    icati
    onsandf i
    tnessforoffi
    ceifthese
    candi
    dateshavel
    ivedamongt hem.
     Read and under stood int his manner,r esi
    dency can r eadily be
    appreci
    atedasar equir
    ementt hatgoesintotheheartofourdemocr ati
    c
    system;itdirectl
    ysuppor tsthepur poseofr epresentati
    on– el ecti
    ng
    those who can best ser ve the communi t
    y because of t heir
    knowledgeandsensi t
    ivi
    tytoitsneeds.I tli
    kewiseaddsmeani ngand
    substancetot hevoters’f
    reedom ofchoiceintheelectoralexer
    cisethat
    character
    izeseverydemocr acy.
     xxxByl
    aw,t
    hisr
    esi
    dencycanbeany
    wher
    ewi
    thi
    nthePr
    ovi
    nceof
    Palawan,exceptf orPuer
    toPri
    ncesaCitybecauseofitsreclassi
    fi
    cat
    ion
    asahi ghlyur banizedcit
    y.Thus,resi
    dencyinAbor laniscompl et
    ely
    consist
    entwi t
    ht hepurposeofthelaw,asMi tratherebydeclar
    edand
    provedhisrequiredphysi
    calpr
    esenceintheProvinceofPalawan.
     Weal soconsidert hatevenbeforehi st r
    ansferofresi
    dence,healr
    eady
    hadi nti
    mateknowl edgeoft hePr ovinceofPal awan,part
    icul
    arl
    yoft he
    whole2ndl egislati
    vedistr
    ictthather epresentedforthr
    eeterms.For
    thatmat ter
    ,ev ent herespondentst hemsel vesimpli
    edl
    yacknowledged
    thatt heMitras,asaf ami l
    y,havebeeni dent
    ifi
    edwithelect
    ivepubl i
    c
    servi
    ceandpol i
    ti
    csi ntheProvinceofPal awan.Thismeanst oust hat
    Mitragrewupi nt hepoli
    ti
    csofPal awan.
     Wecanr easonabl
    yconcl udefrom al ltheset hatMi t
    raisnotobl i
    viousto
    the needs, di ffi
    cult
    ies, aspi rati
    ons, pot enti
    al for gr owt h and
    dev elopment ,and al lmat ter
    sv i
    talt ot he common wel fare oft he
    const i
    tuencyhei ntendst oserve.Mi t
    rawhoi snost r
    angert oPal awan
    has mer el
    y been compel l
    ed – af t
    er ser vi
    ng t hree t erms as
    repr esent at
    ive of the congr essionaldi stri
    ct that incl
    udes Puer to
    PrincesaCi t
    yand Abor l
    an– byl egaldev elopmentst ot ransferhis
    residencet oAborlantoqual i
    fyasaPr ovinceofPal awanv oter.Toputit
    differently,wereitnotf ort her eclassi fi
    cationofPuer t
    oPr incesaCi t
    y
    from acomponentci t
    yt oahi ghlyur banizedci t
    y,Mitrawoul dnothav e
    encount eredanyl egalobstaclet ohi si ntendedguber natori
    albidbased
    on hi s knowledge ofand sensi t
    iv i
    tyt ot he needs oft he Pal awan
    elect orate.

    - 2.Di
    squal
    i
    ficat
    ions
    o Secti
    on40.Di
    squal
    i
    ficati
    ons.-Thefoll
    owi
    ngper
    sonsar
    edi
    squal
    i
    fiedf
    rom
    runni
    ngf
    oranyel
    ect
    ivelocalposi
    ti
    on:
    (
    a)Thosesentencedbyf i
    naljudgmentf oranoffensei nvol
    vi
    ngmor
    al
    t
    urpi
    tudeorforanof fensepuni shablebyone( 1)y earormoreof
    i
    mpri
    sonment,wit
    hint
    wo( 2)yearsafterser
    vingsentence;
    (
    b)Thoser
    emov
    edf
    rom of
    fi
    ceasar
    esul
    tofanadmi
    nist
    rat
    ivecase;
    (c)Those convi
    cted by fi
    nalj
    udgmentf
    orv
    iol
    ati
    ng t
    he oat
    h of
    all
    egi
    ancet
    ot heRepubl
    ic;
    (
    d)Thosewi
    thdualci
    ti
    zenshi
    p;
    (e)Fugit
    ivesf
    rom j
    ust
    icei
    ncr
    imi
    nalornon-
    pol
    i
    ticalcasesher
    eor
    abroad;
    (
    f)Permanentresident
    sinafor
    eigncount
    ryort
    hosewhohaveacqui
    red
    t
    herighttoresi
    deabr oadandconti
    nuetoavai
    lofthesameri
    ghtaf
    ter
    t
    heeffect
    ivi
    tyofthisCode;
    and
    (
    g)Thei
    nsaneorf
    eebl
    e-mi
    nded.
    o Di
    squal
    i
    ficat
    ions:
    i
    .Sent
    encedbyf
    inalj
    udgmentf
    or(
    1)of
    fensei
    nvol
    vi
    ngmor
    alt
    urpi
    tude
    or(2)of
    fensepuni
    shableby1y earormor
    eofi
    mpr
    i ,wi
    sonment thi
    n2
    year
    saft
    erserv
    iceofsentence.
    “
    off
    enseinv
    olvi
    ngmor alturpi
    tude”– don’
    tlookatthet er
    m of
    i
    mpri
    sonment.I
    t’
    sthenatureoftheof
    fensethatmat
    ters.
    “of
    fensepuni
    shableby1y earormoreofi mpr
    isonment
    ”–natur
    e
    of the off
    ense doesn’t matter because it
    ’sthe ter
    m of
    i
    mpr i
    sonmentthatcount
    s
    “withi
    n2y ears aft
    erservice ofsentence”– notper petual
    disquali
    fi
    cat
    ion;appl
    iestobothoff
    enseinvolv
    ingmoraltur
    pit
    ude
    andof f
    ensepunishableby1yearormoreofimprisonment
     Meani
    ngof“
    mor
    alt
    urpi
    tude”
    o Whetheri
    tismal
    um pr
    ohi
    bit
    um ormal
    um i
    nse(
    nott
    he
    t
    est)
    o Moralturpit
    udehasbeendef i
    nedasev er
    ythi
    ngwhichi s
    donecontrarytoj
    ust
    ice,
    modesty,
    orgoodmor al
    s;anactof
    baseness,vil
    enessordepr
    avit
    yint hepri
    vateandsocial
    duti
    eswhi chamanoweshi sfel
    lowmen,ort osoci
    etyin
    general
    .
     Exampl
    esof“
    mor
    alt
    urpi
    tude”cr
    imes:
    o Vi
    olat
    ionofBP22
    o Vi
    olat
    ionofAnt
    i-
    Fenci
    ngl
    aw
    “
    Wit
    hin2y
    ear
    sfr
    om ser
    vice”
    o Thephr ase"wit
    hint wo( 2)y earsaft
    erser v
    ingsentence"
    shoul dhavebeeninterpretedandunder stoodt oapplyboth
    tothosewhohav ebeensent encedbyfinaljudgmentf oran
    offensei nv
    olvi
    ngmor alturpit
    udeandt ot hosewhohav e
    been sent enced by f inal judgment f or an of fense
    punishablebyone( 1)yearormor eofi mpr i
    sonment .The
    placingoft hecomma( ,
    )i ntheprovi
    sionmeanst hatthe
    phrase modi f
    ies both par t
    s ofSec.40( a)oft he Local
    Gov ernmentCode.
    i
    i
    .Remov
    edf
    rom of
    fi
    ceasar
    esul
    tofadmi
    nist
    rat
    ivecase
     Prospectiv
    eapplicati
    on,thus,onlyappli
    cabl
    etot hosepersons
    removedf rom of
    ficeasar esultofanadmini
    str
    ati
    vecasedur i
    ng
    theeffecti
    vit
    yoftheLGCof1991, meani
    ngifr
    emov edfr
    om offi
    ce
    asar esultofanadmi ni
    strat
    ivecasebefor
    etheLGCof1991,i t’
    s
    notagr oundfordisqual
    i
    ficat
    ion.
     Any“off
    ice”–whetherremov edf
    rom anoff
    iceheldasanelect
    ive
    orappointi
    veoff
    icialbecausewhat ’
    simportantisyou’
    vebeen
    removedasaresultofanadmi ni
    str
    ati
    vecase
    I
    ii
    .Convi
    ctedbyf
    inalj
    udgmentf
    orv
    iol
    ati
    ngt
    heoat
    hofal
    l
    egi
    ancet
    othe
    Republ
    i
    c;
     Exampl
    es:
    Cri
    mesoft
    reason,
    espi
    onage
    I
    v.Thosewi
    thdual
    cit
    izenshi
    p
    v.Fugi
    ti
    vesf
    rom j
    ust
    icei
    n cr
    imi
    nalornon-
    pol
    i
    ticalcr
    imesher
    eor
    abr
    oad
     Thus, fugit
    ive from j usti
    ce in poli
    ti
    cal crimes is not a
    di
    squalif
    icat
    ion because ify ou ar
    eaf ugi
    ti
    vef rom j
    ust
    ice i
    n
    poli
    ti
    calcr i
    mes,t he ri
    ghtt o asyl
    um i s even a cust
    omar y
    i
    nternati
    onalnorm, thus,
    youcan’tbepenali
    zedlikemaki
    ngitasa
    ground fordisqual i
    fi
    cati
    on ifyou fl
    ee byr eason ofpoli
    ti
    cal
    persecut
    ion.
     Fugi
    ti
    vef
    rom j
    ust
    icecanbei
    nter
    pret
    edi
    n2way
    s:
    o a.Fl
    eet
    oav
    oidpr
    osecut
    ion
    o b.Fl
    eet
    oev
    adepuni
    shment
     Thisi
    ncl
    udes“
    fugit
    ivesfr
    om prosecut
    ion”–thosewhofl
    eeaft
    er
    thechar
    getoav oi
    dpr osecut
    ion,whi
    chi nv
    olvesaquest
    ionof
    i
    ntent
    v
    i.PermanentResidentsinf
    orei
    gncount
    ryort
    hosewhohaveacqui
    red
    t
    herighttoresi
    deabr oadandcont
    inuet
    oavai
    lofthesameri
    ghtaf
    ter
    t
    heeffect
    ivi
    tyofthi
    sCode
     becausequal
    i
    ficat
    ionsar
    econt
    inui
    ng.Themomenty
    oul
    oseone,
    youbecomedisquali
    fi
    ed.
    v
    ii
    .Thei
    nsaneandt
    hef
    eebl
    e-mi
    nded.
    o Addi
    ti
    onal
    disqual
    i
    ficat
    ions:
     Vii
    i.Anyelect
    iveoffi
    ci
    alwhohasresi
    gnedfrom hi
    sof f
    icebyaccepti
    ng
    an appointi
    ve off
    ice orforwhateverreason which he prev
    iousl
    y
    occupiedbuthascausedtobecomevacantduetohisresi
    gnati
    on;and
    Ix.Anyper sonwho,di r
    ectl
    yori ndir
    ectl
    y,coerces,bri
    bes,t hr
    eatens,
    harasses,int i
    midates oract ual
    ly causes,i
    nfli
    cts orpr oduces any
    violence,i
    njury,punishment,tort
    ure,damage,lossordi sadvantageto
    anyper sonorper sonsaspiri
    ngt obecomeacandi dateort hatofthe
    i
    mmedi atememberofhi sfami l
    y,hi
    shonororpr opert
    ythatismeantt o
    eliminateal
    l ot
    herpot ent
    ial
    candidate.
    o Addi
    ti
    onal
    disqual
    i
    ficat
    ions:
     Sec.12,OmnibusEl
    ecti
    onCode–i nsane,i
    ncompet
    ent
    s,gui
    l
    tyofact
    s
    ofdisl
    oyal
    tyt
    othegover
    nment,
    etc…
     Sec.68,OmnibusElect
    ionCode–v
    otebuy
    ing,act
    soft
    err
    ori
    sm,and
    otherel
    ect
    ionoff
    enses
     Sec.69,
    Omni
    busEl
    ect
    ionCode–Nui
    sancecandi
    dat
    e
    o HANRI
    EDERVSDERI
    VERA
     TheAdmi
    nist
    rat
    iveCodeof1987provi
    desthatconvi
    cti
    onofacr i
    me
    i
    nvol
    vi
    ng moraltur
    pit
    ude i
    s a gr
    ound f
    ordiscipl
    i
    nary act
    ion.The
    Omni busCivi
    lServ
    iceRulesandRegulati
    onspr
    ov i
    dest
    hatconvi
    cti
    onof
    acrimei nvol
    vi
    ngmor alt
    ur pi
    tudeisagraveof
    fenseandupont hefi
    rst
    off
    ense,t hepenal
    tyofdi smissalmustbemetedout.ThisCourthas
    character
    ized t
    he vi
    olat
    ion ofB. P.22 as a cri
    me i
    nvol
    ving moral
    tur
    pitude.
    o DELATORREVSCOMELEC
     Anentt hesecondi ssuewher epet i
    ti
    onercont endst hathi sprobati
    on
    hadt heef fectofsuspendingtheappl icabil
    ityofSect i
    on40( a)ofthe
    LocalGov ernmentCode,suf f
    ice itto sayt hatt he legaleffectof
    probationi sonl ytosuspendtheexecut i
    onoft hesentence.Pet i
    ti
    oner'
    s
    conv i
    ctionoff enci
    ngwhi chwehav eheretoforedeclaredasacr i
    meof
    mor alt urpitudeand t husfall
    ing squar el
    yundert hedi squali
    fi
    cati
    on
    found i n Sect ion 40 (a),subsists and r emains totall
    y unaffect
    ed
    notwi t
    hst andingthegrantofprobat i
    on.Infact,ajudgmentofconv i
    cti
    on
    i
    nacr imi nalcasei psofactoattainsfinali
    tywhent heaccusedappl i
    es
    forpr obat i
    on,al t
    houghi tisnotexecut or
    ypendi ngr esoluti
    onoft he
    applicationf orprobati
    on.
    o EDGARTEVESVSCOMELEC
     Hence,itbehoovestheCourttoresol
    vet
    heissueofwhetherornot
    pet
    it
    ioner'
    sviol
    ati
    onofSect
    ion3(
    h)ofRA3019i
    nvolv
    esmoraltur
    pit
    ude.
     MoralTurpi
    tudehasbeendef i
    nedasev er
    ythi
    ngwhichi
    sdonecont rar
    y
    tojust
    ice,modesty,orgoodmor als;anactofbaseness,v
    ilenessor
    deprav
    ityint he pr
    ivat
    e and soci
    alduties whi
    ch a man owes his
    fel
    l
    owmenort osoci
    ety,i
    ngeneral
    .
     Conv i
    cti
    onunderhesecondmode( Secti
    on3( h)RA 3019)doesnot
    automat i
    cal
    ly mean that t he same i nv olved moralt urpit
    ude.A
    determinati
    onofallsurr
    oundi ngci
    rcumst ancesoft heviol
    ationofthe
    statut
    emustbeconsi dered.Besides,mor alt urpit
    udedoesnoti ncl
    ude
    suchact sasarenotoft hemselvesimmor albutwhosei ll
    egalit
    yli
    esin
    thei
    rbeingposit
    ivel
    yprohibi
    ted,asintheinst antcase.
     Notev er
    ycri
    minalact
    ,howev er
    ,involvesmor alturpi
    tude.Iti
    sforthi
    s
    reason t
    hat"asto whatcr i
    me inv ol
    v esmor alturpitude,i
    sforthe
    SupremeCourttodetermine.
    "Inr esolvingt
    hef oregoingquesti
    on,t
    he
    Courti
    sguidedbysomer ul
    es/gui
    delines.
    I
    tcannotal waysbeascer tainedwhet hermoralturpi
    tudedoesordoes
    notexi stbymer elyclassif
    yingacr i
    measmal um inseorasmal um
    prohibit
    um.Ther ear ecr imeswhi charemal ainseandy etbutr arely
    i
    nv olve moralt urpit
    ude and t her e ar
    e cri
    mes whi ch inv olv
    e mor al
    turpit
    udeandar emal apr ohibit
    aonl y.Inthefi
    nalanaly sis,whet heror
    notacr i
    mei nv
    olv esmor alturpi
    tudeisulti
    matel
    yaquest ionoff actand
    frequentlydependsonal ltheci rcumstancessurroundingt heviolat
    ion
    oft hestatut
    e.
     Appl
    yingtheforegoi
    ngguidel
    i
    nes,weexaminedalltheci
    rcumst
    ances
    sur
    roundi
    ngpetiti
    oner’
    sconvi
    cti
    onandfoundthatthesamedoesnot
    i
    nvolv
    emor alt
    urpit
    ude.
     Fi
    rst,ther
    ei sneithermeritnorfact
    ualbasisinCOMELEC’sfi
    ndingthat
    peti
    ti
    onerusedhi sof f
    ici
    alcapacit
    yinconnecti
    onwit
    hhisint
    eresti
    nt he
    cockpitandt hathehidthesamebyt r
    ansfer
    ri
    ngthemanagementt ohis
    wif
    e, i
    nv i
    olat
    ionoft hetr
    ustreposedonhim bythepeopl
    e.
     TheSandi ganbay anf oundt hatt hechar geagai nstMay orTev esf or
    causingt hei ssuanceoft hebusi nessper mitorl icenset ooper atet he
    ValenciaCockpi tandRecr eationCent eri s"notwel l-
    founded. "Thi si t
    based,and r ightly so,on t he addi ti
    onalf i
    ndi ng t hat onl yt he
    Sangguni angBay ancoul dhav ei ssuedaper mittooper atet heVal enci a
    Cockpiti nt hey ear1992.I ndeed,underSect i
    on447( 3)oft heLGCof
    1991, whicht ookef f
    ecton1Januar y1992, i
    tistheSangguni angBay an
    thathast heaut hor it
    ytoissueal i
    censef ortheest ablishment ,operation,
    andmai ntenanceofcockpi t
    s.Unl ikeintheol dLGC,Bat asPambansa
    Blg.337,wher eint hemuni ci
    palmay orwast hepr esidingof ficeroft he
    Sangguni ang Bay an,undert he LGC of1991,t he may ori s notso
    anymor eandi snotev enamemberoft heSangguni angBay an.Hence,
    May orTev escoul dnothav ei nter v
    enedort akenpar tinhi sofficial
    capacityint heissuanceofacockpi tli
    censedur i
    ngt hemat eri
    altime, as
    all
    eged i nt he inf ormati
    on,because he was nota memberoft he
    Sangguni angBay an.
     Thus,petit
    ioner,asthenMay orofValencia,di
    dnotusehi si nf
    luence,
    authori
    tyorpowert ogainsuchpecuni aryorfi
    nanciali
    nterestint he
    cockpit.Neitherdidheintenti
    onallyhidehisinter
    estint hesubj ect
    cockpitbytransfer
    ri
    ngthemanagementt her
    eoftohiswif
    econsi dering
    thatthesaidt r
    ansf
    eroccurr
    edbef oret
    heef f
    ecti
    vi
    tyofthepresentLGC
    prohibi
    ti
    ngpossessionofsuchinterest
    .
    o GREGOVSCOMELEC–Sec.40( b)oftheLGChasnor etr
    oacti
    veef
    fectand
    ther
    efore,di
    squal
    i
    fiesonl
    yt hoseadminist
    rat
    ivel
    yremovedfr
    om off
    iceaft
    er
    Jan.1,1991whentheLGCt ookef f
    ect
    .
    Inthisr egard,petit
    ionersubmi t
    sthatal thought heCodet ookef f
    ectonly
    on Januar y 1,1992.Sect i
    on 40( b) must nonet hel ess be gi ven
    retroactiveef f
    ectandappl i
    edt oBasco' sdi smi ssalf rom of ficewhi ch
    tookpl acei n1981.I ti
    sst ressedt hatt hepr ov i
    sionoft hel awaswor ded
    doesnotment i
    onorev enqual i
    fyt hedat eofr emov alfrom of ficeoft he
    candi datei n orderf ordi squalif
    icat ion t her eundert o at tach.Hence,
    petiti
    oneri mpressesupont heCour tt hatasl ongasacandi dat ewas
    remov ed f r
    om of fi
    ce due t o an admi nistrative case,r egar dless of
    whet heri ttookpl acedur ingorpr iort ot heef fecti
    v i
    tyoft hecode,t he
    disqual i
    ficati
    on appl i
    es.To hi m,t hisi nter pretati
    on i s made mor e
    ev i
    dentbyt he manneri n which t he pr ov isi
    ons ofSect i
    on 40 ar e
    couched.Si ncet hepastt enseisusedi nenumer atingt hegr oundsf or
    disqual i
    ficati
    on,pet i
    ti
    onerst r
    ongl ycont endst hatt hepr ov isionmust
    hav e also r efer
    red tor emov alf rom of fice occur ring pr iort ot he
    effectivi
    tyoft heCode.Wedonot ,howev er ,subscr ibet opet it
    ioner'
    s
    view.Ourr efusalt o giver etr
    oact iveappl icationt ot hepr ov i
    sionof
    Sect i
    on40( b)isalreadyaset tl
    edi ssueandt hereexi stsnocompel li
    ng
    reasonf orust odepartt herefr
    om.
    o MARQUEZVSCOMELEC–Thet er
    m“fugit
    ivefr
    om j
    ust
    ice”whi
    ch,undert
    he
    I
    RR oftheLGC,ref
    ersonlytoapersonwhohasbeenconv i
    ctedoff i
    nal
    j
    udgmenti
    saninor
    dinat
    eandundueci
    rcumscri
    pti
    onoft
    helaw.
     Thecor ei ssueofwhich,suchast obeexpect ed,focusesonwhet her
    privater espondentwho,att hetimeoft hef i
    li
    ngofhi scerti
    fi
    cat eof
    candi dacy( andtodate),i
    ssai dtobef aci
    ngacr iminalchargebef orea
    foreigncour tandevadingawar r
    antforhisarrestcomeswi thi
    nthet erm
    "fugiti
    vef rom justi
    ce"cont emplated bySect ion 40( e)oft he Local
    Gov ernmentCodeand,t herefor
    e,disquali
    fi
    edf rom bei ngacandi date
    for,andt herebyinel
    i
    giblefrom holdi
    ngont o,anel ecti
    velocaloff
    ice.
     Petit
    ioner's positi
    on is per spicuous and tot he point
    .The law,he
    assev er
    at es,needsnof urtherinterpr
    etati
    onandconst r
    ucti
    on.Secti
    on
    40(e)ofRepubl icActNo.7160,i sratherclear,hesubmi ts,andi t
    disquali
    fies" fugi
    ti
    vefrom justice"incl
    udesnotonl yt
    hosewhof l
    eeaft
    er
    convicti
    ont oavoidpuni shmentbutl ikewisethosewho,af t
    erbeing
    chargedf leet oavoidpr osecut i
    on.Thisdef i
    nit
    iontrulyfi
    ndssuppor t
    fr
    om j ur
    ispr udenceanditmaybesoconcededasexpr essingthegeneral
    andor di
    nar yconnotat
    ionoft het erm.
     TheCour tbelievesandt husholdst hatAr t
    icle73oft heRul
    esand
    Regulati
    onsI mplementingtheLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991,t othe
    ext
    entt hatitconf i
    nestheter
    m" fugit
    ivefr
    om j ust
    ice"toref
    eronl
    ytoa
    person( t
    hef ugit
    ive)"
    whohasbeenconv ictedbyf inalj
    udgment
    ."i
    san
    i
    nor di
    nateandundueci rcumscri
    ptionofthelaw.
     Unfortunately,the COMELEC di d notmake anydef i
    ni t
    efindi
    ng on
    whetherornot ,i
    nf act,pri
    vater espondentisa" fugi
    ti
    vef rom just
    ice"as
    sucht erm mustbei nterpretedandappl i
    edi nt helightoft heCour t
    's
    opini
    on.Theomi ssi
    oni sunder standablesincet heCOMELECdi smissed
    outri
    ghtlythepet iti
    onf orquowar rantoont hebasi sinst eadofRule73
    oftheRul esandRegul at
    ionspr omul gat
    edbyt heOv ersightCommi ttee.
    TheCour titself,
    notbei ngat rieroffacts,i
    st husconst rainedtoremand
    thecaset ot heCOMELECf oradet erminat
    ionoft hi
    sunr esolv
    edf actual
    mat t
    er.
    o RODRI GUEZVSCOMELEC–Def i
    nit
    ionoffugi
    ti
    vefr
    om j
    ust
    iceindi
    catesthat
    theintentt
    oev adeist hecompell
    ingfact
    orthatani
    mat
    esone’sfli
    ghtfr
    om a
    part
    icularj
    uri
    sdict
    ion.Notthecaseatbar.
     Theterm" f
    ugi
    ti
    vefrom j
    ustice"asagr oundforthedisquali
    fi
    cat
    ionor
    i
    neli
    gibi
    li
    tyofaper sonseekingtor unf oranyelect
    ivelocalpetit
    ion
    under Sect
    ion 40(
    e) of the LocalGov er
    nmentCode,shoul d be
    under
    stoodaccordi
    ngtothedef i
    nit
    iongivenint
    heMARQUEZDeci si
    on,
    towit
    :
     A" f
    ugi
    ti
    vef r
    om just
    ice"i
    ncludesnotonl yt
    hosewhofleeaf
    ter
    convi
    cti
    onto avoid puni
    shmentbutl i
    kewi
    sethosewho,af
    ter
    bei
    ngcharged,f
    leetoavoi
    dpr osecut
    ion.
     Thedef
    ini
    ti
    ont
    husindi
    cat
    est
    hattheint
    entt
    oev adeisthecompel
    li
    ng
    fact
    ort
    hatani
    matesone'sf
    li
    ghtfr
    om apar t
    icularj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.And
    obvi
    ously
    ,t her
    e can onl
    y be an i
    ntentt
    o evade prosecuti
    on or
    puni
    shmentwhen t her
    eisknowledge byt
    he f
    leei
    ng subjectofan
    al
    ready inst
    it
    uted i
    ndi
    ctment
    ,or of a pr
    omulgated judgment of
    convi
    cti
    on.
     Rodr i
    guez'casej ustcannotf i
    tint hisconcept .Thereisnodi sput ethat
    hisar r
    ivalint hePhi lippinesfrom t heUSonJune25,1985,asper
    cert
    ifi
    cationsi ssuedbyt heBur eauofI mmi grati
    onsdatedApr i
    l27and
    June26of1995,pr ecededt hef i
    li
    ngoft hef elonycomplaintint heLos
    AngelesCour tonNov ember12,1985andoft heissuanceonev endat e
    oft hear restwar rantbyt hesamef oreigncour t
    ,byal mostf i
    v e(5)
    mont hs.Itwascl earl
    yi mpossi bleforRodr i
    guezt ohav eknownabout
    suchf el
    onycompl ai
    ntandar r
    estwar r
    antatt hetimehel efttheUS,as
    there was i nf actno compl aintand ar restwar rant— much l ess
    conv i
    cti
    on — t o speak ofy etatsuch t ime.Whatpr osecut ion or
    punishmentt henwasRodr i
    guezdel i
    beratelyrunningawayf rom wi thhis
    departuref rom t heUS?Thev eryessenceofbei nga" fugiti
    vef rom
    j
    ustice"undert heMARQUEZDeci siondef initi
    on,isjustnowher et obe
    foundint heci r
    cumst ancesofRodr iguez.
    I
    ntenttoev adeont hepar tofacandidat
    emustt her
    efor
    ebeest abli
    shed
    byprooft hatther
    ehasal readybeenaconv ict
    ionoratleast,acharge
    hasalreadybeenf i
    led,att heti
    meoff l
    ight
    .Notbeinga" fugit
    ivefr
    om
    j
    usti
    ce"undert hi
    sdef i
    nit
    ion,Rodr
    iguezcannotbedeniedt heQuezon
    Provi
    nceguber natorialpost.
    o MERCADOVSMANZANO -Forcandi dat
    esforl
    ocalel
    ecti
    veoff
    icewit
    hdual
    cit
    izenshi
    p,i
    tshoul
    dsuf
    fi
    ceif,
    uponthefi
    l
    ingoft
    hei
    rcert
    if
    icat
    esofcandidacy
    ,
    theyelectPhi
    li
    ppi
    neci
    ti
    zenshi
    ptoter
    minatet
    hei
    rstat
    usaspersonswithdual
    cit
    izenshi
    p.
     Thedi squali
    ficati
    onofpr i
    vat
    er espondentManzanoi sbeingsought
    under§40oft heLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991( R.
    A.No.7160) ,
    which declaresas" disqual
    if
    ied fr
    om running foranyelecti
    velocal
    posit
    ion:...( d)Those with dualcit
    izenshi
    p."This pr
    ovisi
    on i
    s
    i
    ncorporatedint heChart
    eroftheCityofMakati.
     Tobegi nwi t
    h,dualci t
    izenshipisdi fferentfrom dualal l
    egiance.The
    formerar iseswhen,asar esul
    toft heconcur rentapplicat
    ionoft he
    diff
    erentl aws oft wo ormor e states,a per son is simultaneously
    consideredanat i
    onalbyt hesai dstates.9Fori nstance,suchasi t
    uati
    on
    mayar i
    sewhenaper sonwhosepar entsar eciti
    zensofast atewhi ch
    adher estotheprinci
    pleofj ussangui nisisborni nastatewhichf oll
    ows
    thedoct r
    ineofj ussol i
    .Suchaper son,ipsof actoandwi thoutany
    voluntaryactonhi spar t,isconcur r
    ent l
    yconsi deredaci ti
    zenofbot h
    states.Consider
    ingtheci ti
    zenshipclause( Ar
    t.IV)ofourConst it
    uti
    on, i
    t
    i
    spossi bleforthefollowingcl assesofci ti
    zensoft hePhili
    ppinest o
    possessdualci t
    izenship:
    (1)Those bor
    n ofFi
    l
    ipi
    no fat
    hersand/
    ormot
    her
    sinf
    orei
    gn
    count
    ri
    eswhichfol
    l
    owthepr
    inci
    pleofj
    ussol
    i
    ;
    (2)Thosebornint hePhi
    li
    ppi
    nesofFi l
    i
    pinomother
    sandalien
    fat
    her si
    fbythelawsofthei
    rfat
    her
    's'count
    rysuchchi
    l
    drenare
    cit
    izensoft
    hatcountr
    y;
    (3)Thosewhomar ryali
    ensifbythelawsofthelat
    ter
    'scountr
    y
    the f ormerare consi
    dered ci
    ti
    zens,unl
    ess by t
    heiractor
    omi ssion they ar
    e deemed t o haverenounced Phil
    ippi
    ne
    cit
    izenship.
     Theremaybeot hersi
    tuat
    ionsinwhichaciti
    zenofthePhili
    ppinesmay,
    wit
    houtperf
    orminganyact ,bealsoacit
    izenofanot herst
    ate;butthe
    abovecasesareclear
    lypossibl
    egivent
    heconstit
    utionalpr
    ovisionson
    ci
    ti
    zenshi
    p.
     Dualall
    egiance,ont heotherhand,referstot hesituat
    ioninwhicha
    personsimultaneouslyowes,bysomeposi t
    iveact,loyal
    tytotwoor
    mor est
    ates.Whiledualcit
    izenshi
    pisinvolunt
    ary,dualal
    legi
    anceist
    he
    resul
    tofanindivi
    dual'
    svoli
    tion.
     Thephr ase" dualci t
    izenship"i
    nR. A.No.7160,§40( d)andi nR.A.No.
    7854,§20 mustbe under st
    ood as r ef er
    ring t
    o" dualal l
    egiance."
    Consequent ly,per sonswi thmer edualcitizenshipdonotf al
    lundert hi
    s
    disquali
    fi
    cation.Unl i
    ket hosewithdualal l
    egiance,whomust ,therefore,
    besubj ectt ost r
    ictpr ocesswi threspectt ot het erminati
    onoft heir
    status,f
    orcandi dateswi thdualciti
    zenship, i
    tshouldsufficeif
    ,upont he
    fi
    lingoft hei
    rcer t
    ifi
    catesofcandi dacy,theyel ectPhili
    ppineciti
    zenship
    tot ermi
    nat ethei rstatusasper sonswi t
    hdualci t
    izenshipconsider i
    ng
    thattheirconditioni st heunavoidableconsequenceofconf l
    icti
    ngl aws
    ofdi f
    fer
    entst ates.
     Byelect
    ingPhi li
    ppineciti
    zenship,suchcandidatesatthesamet ime
    for
    swearall
    egiancet otheot hercountr
    yofwhicht heyar
    eal
    sociti
    zens
    andther
    ebytermi natetheirstat
    usasdualcit
    izens.Itmaybethat
    ,from
    thepoi
    ntofviewoft heforeignstat
    eandofitslaws,suchanindi
    vidual
    hasnoteff
    ecti
    v el
    yr enouncedhisforei
    gnci
    ti
    zenship.
     Ther ecordshowst hatpri
    vaterespondentwasbor ninSanFr anci
    sco,
    Cali
    fornia on September 4,1955,of Fi l
    i
    pino parent
    s.Si nce the
    Phil
    i
    ppi nesadherestot hepri
    ncipl
    eofj ussangui
    nis,whil
    et heUnited
    Stat
    esf oll
    owsthedoct r
    ineofjussoli
    ,theparti
    esagreethat
    ,atbirt
    hat
    l
    east,hewasanat i
    onalbothofthePhil
    ippi
    nesandoft heUni
    tedStates.
     Bydeclari
    nginhi scert
    ifi
    cateofcandi dacyt hatheisaFi li
    pinociti
    zen;
    thatheisnotaper manentr esidentori mmi grantofanothercount r
    y;
    thathewi l
    ldefendandsuppor tt heConst i
    tuti
    onoft hePhil
    ippi
    nesand
    beartruef ai
    thandal legi
    ancet her
    etoandt hathedoessowi thout
    mentalreservati
    on,pri
    vaterespondenthas,asf arasthelawsoft his
    countr
    yar econcerned,eff
    ectivelyrepudiat
    edhi sAmer i
    canci t
    izenship
    andany t
    hingwhichhemayhav esai dbeforeasadualci t
    izen.
     On the otherhand,pr
    ivater
    espondent's oat
    h ofall
    egi
    ance t
    ot he
    Phi
    li
    ppines,whenconsi
    deredwit
    hthef actthathehasspenthi
    syouth
    andadulthood,r
    ecei
    vedhiseducat
    ion,practi
    cedhispr
    ofessi
    onasan
    ar
    ti
    st,andtakenparti
    npastelecti
    onsi
    nthi
    scount
    ry,
    leav
    esnodoubtof
    hi
    selecti
    onofPhil
    ippi
    necit
    izenshi
    p.
    o CORDORAVSCOMELEC
     Tambunt i
    ng’sDualCi ti
    zenship–Tambunt ingdoesnotdenyt hatheis
    bornofaFi li
    pinomot herandanAmer i
    canfather.Nei
    therdoeshedeny
    thatheunder wentt heprocessinvol
    vedinI NSFormI -130( Peti
    ti
    onfor
    Relat
    ive)becauseofhi sf at
    her’
    scit
    izenship.Tambunt ingclaimsthat
    becauseofhi spar ents’diff
    eri
    ngciti
    zenships,heisbot hFil
    ipi
    noand
    Amer i
    canbybi r
    th.Cordora,ontheotherhand,insi
    stst hatTambunting
    i
    sanat ural
    izedAmer i
    canciti
    zen.
     Weagr eewi t
    hCommi ssionerSar miento’
    sobser vati
    ont hatTambunt i
    ng
    possessesdualci tizenshi p.Becauseoft hecircumst ancesofhi sbi
    rth,
    i
    t was no l onger necessar y for Tambunt i
    ng t o under go the
    naturali
    zationpr ocesst oacqui reAmer i
    canci t
    izenship.Thepr ocess
    i
    nv ol
    v ed inI NS For m I -130 onl y serv
    ed to conf irm the Amer i
    can
    cit
    izenshipwhi chTambunt ingacqui redatbirth.Thecer tifi
    cat
    ionfr
    om
    theBur eauofI mmi grat ionwhi chCor dorapresentedcont ainedtwotri
    ps
    wher eTambunt i
    ngcl aimedt hathei sanAmer i
    can.Howev er,t
    hesame
    certi
    ficat
    ionshowedni neot hertri
    pswher eTambunt i
    ngcl aimedthathe
    i
    sFi li
    pino.Clearly,Tambunt ingpossesseddualci ti
    zenshippr i
    ortothe
    fi
    li
    ngofhi scerti
    ficateofcandi dacybeforethe2001el ecti
    ons.Thefact
    thatTambunt i
    ng had dualci ti
    zenship did notdi squalifyhim fr
    om
    runningforpubl i
    cof f
    ice.
     Tambunting’sr esi
    dency–Cor doraconcludedthatTambuntingf ai
    ledto
    meetther esidencyrequir
    ementbecauseofTambunt i
    ng’snaturali
    zat
    ion
    asanAmer ican.Cordora’sreasoningfai
    lsbecauseTambunt ingisnota
    natur
    ali
    zedAmer i
    can.Mor eover,resi
    dency,f
    ort hepurposeofel ect
    ion
    l
    aws,includest hetwinel ement softhefactofresidi
    nginaf ixedplace
    andthei ntentiont oreturnt herepermanentl
    y ,andisnotdependent
    uponcit
    izenshi p.
    Inv i
    ew oft heabov e,wehol dt hatCor dorafail
    edt oestabli
    sht hat
    Tambunt i
    ngi ndeedwi l
    l
    full
    ymadef al
    seent r
    iesinhi scerti
    fi
    catesof
    candidacy
    . On t he contr
    ary,Tambunt ing suff
    ici
    entl
    y proved hi s
    i
    nnocenceoft hechar
    gef i
    l
    edagai nsthim.Tambunt i
    ngiseli
    gibl
    efort he
    offi
    cewhi chhesoughtt obeel ectedandf ul
    fil
    l
    edt heciti
    zenshi
    pand
    resi
    dencyr equir
    ementsprescr
    ibedbyl aw.
    o OSARI
    OVSCOMELEC
     Thepresentspeci alci
    vilacti
    onf orcerti
    orari,
    prohi
    bit
    ionandmandamus
    i
    mpugnst heMar ch30, 2004r esoluti
    onoft heCommi ssiononEl ect
    ions
    (COMELEC)En Banc,i n SPA- 02-162 (BRGY),which i nt urn denied
    peti
    ti
    oner'
    smot i
    onf orreconsi der
    ationofanear li
    erresolut
    ionr endered
    bytheCOMELEC' sFi r
    stDi vi
    siononAugust23,2002.Thel attergranted
    pri
    vaterespondent '
    spet i
    ti
    onf ordisquali
    ficat
    ionofpetit
    ionerint heJuly
    15,2002bar angayelections.
     Theundi
    sput
    edf
    act
    sfol
    l
    ow.
    Pet
    it
    ionerandpr
    ivat
    erespondent
    swer
    e
    bot
    hcandidat
    esf ort
    heposi
    ti
    onofBar
    angayChai
    rmani
    nthe2002
    bar
    angayel
    ect
    ions.
     Priv
    aterespondentfi
    ledadisqual
    i
    ficati
    oncaseagai
    nstpet
    it
    ioneront he
    groundthatthelat
    terwasfoundgui l
    tyofdi
    shonest
    ybytheCivilSer
    vice
    Commi ssion(CSC)whileholdi
    ngpubl i
    coff
    ice.Sai
    dCSCdeci sionwas
    fi
    nalandexecutory.
     Peti
    ti
    onerwont hebar
    angayel
    ectionby21v otes.Howev er,onAugust
    23,2002,theCOMELECFi rstDi
    visionr
    eleaseditsresol
    utiondeclar
    ing
    peti
    ti
    onerdisquali
    fi
    edt
    orunforanypubli
    celect
    ivepositi
    on:
     Afterconsi deri
    ngal lthedocument aryev idences( sic)onhand,
    WE f ind t hepet i
    tion to bemer itorious.TheRespondentwas
    found gui l
    tyofdi shonestyin a deci sion oft he Ci vilService
    Commi ssi onunderi tsCSCResol utionNo.981985dat ed22Jul y
    1998.Sai ddeci sionwasl ateraffirmedunderCSC Resol ution
    990564dat ed15Mar ch1999.Thef ailureoft heRespondentt o
    elevatet hiscaset otheSupr emeCour tort otheCour tofAppeal s
    makest hedeci si
    onoft heCivi
    lSer vi
    ceCommi ssionf inaland
    execut ory.Si ncethepenal tyimposeduponher einRespondent
    i
    nclude[ d] di smissal f rom ser vice as a r esult of t hat
    admi nistrativ
    eCase,WEf i
    ndt heRespondentt ohav ev i
    olated
    COMELECResol utionNo.4801Sect ion3( b)inrel ati
    ont oSect ion
    40(b)oft heLocalGov er
    nmentCodeandt hus,disqual if
    iedtobea
    candidat ei nthe15Jul y[2002]BarangayEl ect
    ions.
     OnSeptember9,2002,t
    heCOMELECEnBancdeni
    edt
    hemot
    ionf
    or
    r
    econsi
    derat
    ion.
     Thus,
    thepr
    esentpet
    it
    ion.
     Peti
    ti
    onerinsi
    stst
    hattheword" offi
    ce"i
    nSecti
    on40(b)ofthe1991
    LocalGover
    nmentCoderef
    ersexclusi
    vel
    ytoanel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    ce.
     Wedi
    sagr
    ee.
     Pet
    it
    ioner
    'scausef ordi
    squal
    if
    icat
    ionisprovi
    dedinSecti
    on3(
    b)of
    COMELECr esol
    uti
    on4801promulgatedonMay23,2002:
     Secti
    on3.Disqual
    i
    ficat
    ions.-Thefol
    lowi
    ngar edisqual
    ifi
    edfrom
    runni
    ng foranyelecti
    ve barangayand sangguniang kabat
    aan
    posit
    ions:
    o(b) Those remov ed f
    rom of
    fi
    ce as a r
    esul
    t of an
    administ
    rat
    ivecase.
    i
    nrel
    ati
    ont
    oSect
    ion40(
    b)oft
    heLocalGov
    ernmentCode:
    (b)Thoser
    emov
    edf
    rom of
    fi
    ceasar
    esul
    tofanadmi
    nist
    rat
    ive
    case.
     Theabove-statedpr ov
    isionsstat
    e"remov edfrom off
    ice"withoutany
    qual
    if
    icat
    ion.Itisacardinalrul
    einstat
    utoryconst
    ructi
    onthatwhent he
    l
    aw doesnotdi st
    ingui
    sh,wemustnotdi sti
    ngui
    sh,i
    naccor dancewith
    themaxim ubilexnondi sti
    ngui
    tnecnosdisti
    ngueredebemus.
     WHEREFORE,
    thepet
    it
    ioni
    sher
    ebyDI
    SMI
    SSED.
    o MORENOVSCOMELEC
     Weshoul dment ionatt hisj unct uret hatther ei snoneedt or uleon
    whet herAr bitraryDet ention,t hecr imeofwhi chMor enowasconv i
    cted
    byf inalj udgment ,inv olvesmor alt urpitudef al l
    i
    ngundert hef ir
    stpar tof
    the abov e-quot ed pr ovision. The quest ion of whet her Ar bitrar y
    Det ent i
    oni sacr imei nvolv ingmor alt ur
    pitudewasnev err ai
    sedi nt he
    petitionf ordi squal ificationbecauset hegr oundr el i
    eduponbyMej es,
    andwhi cht heComel ecusedi ni tsassai l
    edr esolut ions,i shisal leged
    disqual ifi
    cat ionf rom r unni ngf oral ocalel ectiveof ficewi thint wo( 2)
    year sf r
    om hi sdi schar gef r om pr obat ionaf terhav i
    ngbeenconv i
    ctedby
    fi
    nalj udgmentf oranof fensepuni shabl ebyFour( 4)Mont hsandOne( 1)
    Dayt oTwo( 2)Year sandFour( 4)Mont hs.Besi des,adet erminat i
    on
    thatt hecr imeofAr bitr
    ar yDet ent ioni nvolv esmor alt urpitudei snot
    deci sive oft hi s case,t he cr uci ali ssue bei ng whet herMor eno’ s
    sent encewasi nf actser v ed.I nthi ssense,Del aTor rev .Comel ecisnot
    squar el
    y appl icabl e.Ourpr onouncementt hereint hatt he gr antof
    probat i
    ondoesnotaf fectt hedi squal i
    fi
    cationunderSec.40( a)oft he
    LocalGov ernmentCodewasbasedpr imar il
    yont hef indingt hatt he
    crimeoff enci ng ofwhi ch pet itionerwasconv icted i nvolvesmor al
    turpitude, aci r
    cumst ancewhi chdoesnotobt ainint hiscase.Atanyr at e,
    thephr ase" withi nt wo( 2)y earsaf terser v i
    ngsent ence"shoul dhav e
    beeni nter pretedandunder stoodt oappl ybot ht ot hosewhohav ebeen
    sent encedbyf inalj udgmentf oranof f
    ensei nv olvingmor alturpitude
    andt ot hosewhohav ebeensent encedbyf inaljudgmentf oranof fense
    puni shabl ebyone( 1)y earormor eofi mprisonment .Thepl aci
    ngoft he
    comma( ,)int hepr ov i
    sionmeanst hatt hephr asemodi fi
    esbot hpar tsof
    Sec.40( a)oft heLocalGov er nmentCode.
     Sec.40( a)oft heLocalGov ernmentCodeappear sinnocuousenoughat
    fi
    rstglance.Thephr ase" serviceofsent ence,
    "understoodi nitsgeneral
    andcommonsense,meanst heconf inementofaconv ictedpersoni na
    penalfaci l
    it
    yf ort heperiodadj udgedbyt hecour t
    .10Thi sseemi ngly
    clearandunambi guouspr ovision,howev er,hasspawnedacont rover
    sy
    wor t
    hyoft hisCour t’
    sattent i
    onbecauset heComel ec,i ntheassai l
    ed
    resolut
    ions,i sallegedt ohav ebr oadenedt hecov erageoft helaw to
    i
    ncludeev ent hosewhodi dnotser veadayoft hei
    rsent encebecause
    theywer egr antedpr obat
    ion.Mor enoar gues,quit
    eper suasively
    ,thathe
    shouldnothav ebeendi squal i
    fiedbecausehedi dnotser vetheadjudged
    sentencehav i
    ngbeengr ant edpr obat i
    onandf inall
    ydi schargedbyt he
    tri
    alcour t
    .
    I
    nBacl ayonv .Muti
    a,theCour tdeclar
    edthatanor derplaci
    ngdef endant
    onpr obati
    oni snotasent encebuti srather,i
    neffect,asuspensionof
    theimposi t
    ionofsent ence.Wehel dt hatt hegrantofpr obat i
    ont o
    peti
    ti
    oner suspended t he impositi
    on of t he princi
    palpenal ty of
    i
    mpr i
    sonment ,aswellast heaccessorypenal t
    iesofsuspensionf rom
    publi
    cof fi
    ceandf rom t herighttofoll
    ow apr ofessionorcall
    ing,and
    thatofperpetualspecialdisqual
    if
    icat
    ionf r
    om ther i
    ghtofsuff
    rage.We
    thusdel etedfrom theor dergr anti
    ngpr obationt hepar agraphwhi ch
    requir
    ed t hatpetit
    ionerr efr
    ainf rom cont inuing wi th hert eaching
    professi
    on.Appl yi
    ngt hi
    sdoct rinet othei nstantcase,t heaccessor y
    penalti
    esofsuspensi onf rom publ i
    cof f
    ice,from t her i
    ghtt of ol
    l
    ow a
    professi
    onorcal l
    ing,andt hatofper pet
    ualspeci aldisqualif
    icati
    onfrom
    ther i
    ghtofsuf fr
    age,at tendantt ot hepenaltyofar r
    estomay orinits
    maxi mum periodtopr isi
    oncor reccionali
    ni t
    smi ni
    mum per iodimposed
    uponMor enower esi mil
    ar l
    ysuspendedupont hegr antofpr obati
    on.It
    appearst henthatdur i
    ngt heper iodofpr obation,thepr obationeri
    snot
    even disqualif
    ied from r unning f or a publ i
    c of fi
    ce because t he
    accessor ypenalt
    yofsuspensi onf rom publ i
    cof fi
    cei sputonhol dfor
    thedurationofthepr obation.
     Clearl
    y,t
    heper i
    odwi t
    hinwhi chaper soni sunderpr obati
    oncannotbe
    equatedwithser v
    iceoft hesent enceadj udged.Sec.4oft heProbat
    ion
    Law specif
    icall
    ypr ov
    idest hatt hegr antofpr obationsuspendst he
    executi
    on of t he sent ence.Dur ing the per i
    od of probation,the
    probati
    onerdoesnotser vet hepenaltyimposeduponhi m bythecourt
    butismerelyrequiredtocompl ywithallthecondit
    ionsprescri
    bedinthe
    probati
    onorder.
     TheComel eccoul dhav ecor r
    ect l
    yresol
    vedthiscasebysi mplyappl y
    ing
    the l aw tot he let t
    er.Sec.40( a)oft he LocalGov ernmentCode
    unequi vocallydisqual i
    fiesonl ythosewhohav ebeensent encedbyf i
    nal
    j
    udgmentf oranof fensepuni shablebyimprisonmentofone( 1)yearor
    mor e,wit
    hint wo( 2)y earsaf t
    erser vi
    ngsentence.Thi sisasgoodat i
    me
    asanyt ocl arif
    yt hatt hosewhohav enotser vedt hei
    rsent enceby
    reasonoft hegr antofpr obat i
    onwhi ch,wer eiter
    ate,shouldnotbe
    equat edwi t
    hser v i
    ceofsent ence,shouldnotl ikewisebedi squal
    if
    ied
    from r unningf oral ocalel ectiveoffi
    cebecauset hetwo( 2)-
    yearperiod
    ofi neli
    gibi
    lit
    yunderSec.40( a)oft heLocalGov ernmentCodedoesnot
    ev enbegi ntor un.
     Ev enassumi ngt hatt her ei sanambi gui
    tyinSec.40( a)oft heLocal
    Gov ernmentCode whi ch gi v
    es room f orjudicialinterpr etati
    on,our
    concl usionwillr
    emai nt hesame.I tisunfort
    unatet hatthedel iberati
    ons
    ont heLocalGov ernmentCodeaf for
    dusnocl ueast ot hei ntended
    meani ngofthephr ase" serv i
    ceofsentence,"i
    .e.,
    whet hert hel egislature
    alsomeantt odi squal ifyt hosewhohav ebeengr antedpr obat i
    on.The
    Cour t’
    sf unct
    ion,int hef aceoft hi
    sseemi ngdissonance,i st ointerpret
    andhar monizet hePr obat ionLaw andt heLocalGov ernmentCode.
    Interpretar
    eetconcor dar el egi
    slegibusestoptimusi nterpret andi.
    Itisimpor tantt onotethatthedisqual
    ifi
    cati
    onunderSec.40( a)oft he
    LocalGov ernmentCodecov ersoff
    ensespunishabl ebyone( 1)y earor
    mor e ofi mpr isonment,a penaltywhi ch al
    so cov ers probat i
    onable
    offenses.I nspi t
    eoft hi
    s,theprovi
    siondoesnotspeci f
    icall
    ydi squali
    fy
    probationersf rom runni
    ngf oralocalelect
    iveoffice.Thisomi ssionis
    signif
    icantbecausei tof
    fersagli
    mpsei ntothelegisl
    ati
    vei nt
    entt ot r
    eat
    probationers as a di st
    inctclass ofof f
    enders notcov ered by t he
    disqualif
    ication.Furt
    her,itshoul
    dbement i
    onedt hatthepr esentLocal
    GovernmentCodewasenact edi n1991,somesev en( 7)yearsaf ter
    Bacl
    ay onv .Mut iawasdeci ded.Whent helegisl
    atureappr ov ed t
    he
    enumer at
    eddi squal
    if
    icat
    ionsunderSec.40( a)oftheLocalGov ernment
    Code,itispr esumedt ohav eknowl edgeofourr ul
    ingi nBacl ayonv .
    Mutiaont heef f
    ectofpr obati
    onont hedi squal
    ifi
    cationfrom hol di
    ng
    publ
    ic offi
    ce.Thati tchose nott oi ncl
    ude probationers withinthe
    purv
    iewoft heprovi
    sionisacl earexpressionofthel egi
    slati
    vewi l
    lnot
    todi
    squalifyprobati
    oners.
     Ont hisscore,weagr eewi t
    hMor enot hatthePr obati
    onLawshoul dbe
    construedasanexcept i
    ont ot heLocalGov ernmentCode.Whi lethe
    LocalGov ernmentCodei sal aterlawwhi chset sfort
    ht hequali
    fi
    cati
    ons
    anddi squali
    ficati
    onsofl ocalel ectiv
    eof fi
    cial
    s,thePr obati
    onLaw isa
    speciallegi
    sl ati
    onwhi chappl i
    esonl yt oprobationers.Itisacanonof
    stat
    utoryconst r
    ucti
    ont hatal aterst at
    ute,generalinitstermsandnot
    expresslyrepeal i
    ngapr iorspeci alstatut
    e,willordi
    narilynotaff
    ectthe
    specialprovisionsofsuchear li
    erst atut
    e.
    - Sec.4RA8295(
    LoneCandi
    dat
    eLaw)
    o Secti
    on4.Disquali
    ficat
    ion.–I nadditi
    ont othedi
    squali
    fi
    cati
    onsmenti
    onedin
    Sec.
    s12and68oft heOmni busElecti
    onCodeandSec.40ofRepubl i
    cActNo.
    7160,ot
    her
    wi seknownast heLocalGov ernmentCode,whenevert
    heevi
    dence
    ofguil
    tisstrong,thef ol
    lowingper sonsaredisquali
    fi
    edtor uninaspecial
    el
    ecti
    oncal
    ledt ofi
    llthevacancyinanel ecti
    veoff
    ice,
    towit:
     a)Anyelect
    iveoff
    ici
    alwhohasr esi
    gnedfrom hi
    soff
    icebyaccept
    ingan
    appoi
    nti
    veofficeorforwhateverreasonwhichhepr ev
    iousl
    yoccupi
    ed
    buthascausedtobecomev acantduet ohi
    sresi
    gnat
    ion;and
     b)Anyper sonwho,di r
    ectlyori ndir
    ectl
    y,coerces,bri
    bes,t hr
    eatens,
    har
    asses,inti
    mi dat
    es oract uall
    y causes,inf
    li
    cts orpr oduces any
    vi
    olence,i
    njur
    y,punishment ,tort
    ure,damage,lossordi sadvantageto
    anypersonorper sonsaspi ri
    ngt obecomeacandi dateort hatofthe
    i
    mmedi atememberofhi sf ami l
    y,hishonororpropert
    ythatismeantt o
    el
    iminateal
    lotherpotent
    ialcandidate.
    - 3.MannerofEl
    ect
    ions
    o Sect
    ion41.MannerofEl
    ect
    ion.–
    o(a)Thegov ernor,v
    ice-gover
    nor,citymay or,cityvice-
    mayor,municipalmayor
    ,
    muni ci
    palvice-mayor,andpunongbar angayshal lbeelectedatlargeinthei
    r
    respecti
    veuni tsbyt hequalif
    iedv ot
    ersther ei
    n.Howev er,thesangguniang
    kabataanchai r
    manf oreachbar angayshallbeel ectedbytheregi
    steredvot
    ers
    ofthekatipunanngkabat aan,aspr ovi
    dedint hisCode.
    o(b)The r egul
    armember soft he sangguni ang panlal
    awigan,sangguni ang
    panl
    ungsod,andsangguni angbayanshallbeel ectedbydi stri
    ct,asmaybe
    provi
    dedf orbylaw.Sangguniangbarangaymember sshallbeel ectedatlarge.
    Thepr esi
    dentsoft heleaguesofsangguni anmember sofcomponentci ties
    andmuni ci
    pal
    it
    iesshal lserv
    easexof f
    iciomember soft hesangguni ang
    panl
    alawiganconcer ned.Thepresi
    dentsoft he"l
    igangmgabar angayandt he
    pederasyon ng mga sangguni ang kabataan"el ected by t hei
    rr espective
    chapter
    s,asprovi
    dedint hi
    sCode,shallser
    veasexoffi
    ciomembersofthe
    sangguniangpanl
    alawi
    gan,sangguni
    angpanl
    ungsod,
    andsangguni
    angbay
    an.
    o(c)Inadditi
    onthereto,t
    hereshal lbeone( 1)sect
    oralr epresentat
    ivefrom the
    women,one( 1)f rom thewor ker s,andone( 1)from anyoft hef ol
    lowing
    sectors:t
    heurbanpoor ,i
    ndigenouscul t
    uralcommuni t
    ies,disabledpersons, or
    anyot hersect
    orasmaybedet ermi nedbyt hesangguni anconcer nedwi thin
    ninety(90)dayspr iort
    ot hehol di ngoft henextlocalel ecti
    onsasmaybe
    providedforbylaw.TheCOMELECshal lpromulgatether ulesandr egulat
    ions
    toeffecti
    vel
    yprovidefortheelectionofsuchsect or
    alr epresentati
    ves.
    o RA8553
     Secti
    on1.Sec.41(
    b)ofRepubl
    icActNo.7160,ot
    her
    wiseknownasthe
    LocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991,i
    sherebyamendedt
    or eadasf
    oll
    ows:
    "(
    b) The r egul
    ar member s of the sangguni
    ang panl
    alawi
    gan,
    sangguni
    angpanlungsod,andsangguni
    angbayanshal
    lbeel
    ectedby
    dist
    ri
    ctasfol
    lows:
    "Fir
    stand second- classpr ovincesshal lhav eten ( 10)r egular
    member s;thi
    rdandf ourth-classpr ovinces, ei
    ght( 8);andf i
    fthand
    sixt
    h- cl
    asspr ovinces,six( 6):Pr ovided,Thati npr ovi
    nceshav i
    ng
    mor et hanfive(5)legislativedi stri
    cts, eachdi st
    ri
    ctshal lhav etwo
    (2)sangguni angpanl alawi ganmember s,withoutpr ejudi
    cet othe
    provisionsofSec.2 ofRepubl i
    cActNo.6637.Sangguni ang
    barangaymember sshal lbeel ect edatl arge.Thepr esidentsof
    thel eaguesofsangguni anmember sofcomponentci ti
    esand
    muni cipal
    iti
    es shal l ser ve as ex of fi
    cio member s of t he
    sangguni angpanl alawiganconcer ned.Thepr esi
    dent soft heli
    ga
    ng mga bar angayand t he peder asy on ng mga sangguni ang
    kabat aanelectedbyt heirr espect i
    v echapt ers,aspr ov i
    dedi nthis
    Code,shal lserveasexof f
    icio member soft hesangguni ang
    panlalawigan,sangguni angpanl ungsod, andsangguni angbay an."
    o ABELLAVSCOMELEC
     Abel lacl ai
    mst hatt heFr iv
    aldoandLabocaseswer emi sappliedbyt he
    COMELEC.Accor dingt ohimt hesecasesar ef undament allydiff
    erent
    from SPCNo.88- 546i nthattheFr ivaldoandLabocaseswer epeti
    ti
    ons
    fora quo war r
    ant of il
    ed undersect i
    on 253 oft heOmni busCode,
    cont est i
    ng t he el igi
    bili
    ty oft he r espondent s aftert hey had been
    procl aimeddul yelectedt otheOf fi
    cef rom whicht heywer esoughtt obe
    unseat edwhi leSPCNo.88- 546whi chwasf i
    ledbef orepr oclamation
    undersect ion78oft heOmni busEl ect i
    onCodesoughtt odenydue
    cour se t o Lar razabal '
    s cer tif
    icate of candi dacy f or mat erial
    mi srepr esentations and was seasonabl yf i
    led on el ecti
    on day .He,
    ther efore,av erst hatsi nceundersect ion6ofRepubl icAct6646i tis
    prov idedt her eint hat:Anycandi datewhohasbeendecl aredbyf i
    nal
    j
    udgmentt obedi squal ifi
    edshal lnotbev ot
    edf or,andt hevotescastf or
    him shal lnotbecount ed.Thev otescasti nf avorofLar razabalwho
    obt ained t he highestnumberofv otesar e notconsi dered count ed
    making hera non-candi
    date,he,who obt
    ained t
    he second hi
    ghest
    numberofv ot
    esshoul dbei nstal
    l
    edasregularGover
    norofLey t
    ei n
    accordancewi
    ththeCourt'
    sruli
    nginG.
    R.No.88004.
     Thepet i
    tioner'
    sar gument sar enotper suasi ve.Whi l
    ei tist ruet hatSPC
    No.88- 546wasor iginallyapet iti
    ont odenyduecour set ot hecer ti
    ficate
    ofcandi dacyofLar razabalandwasf iledbef oreLar razabalcoul dbe
    proclaimedt hefactr emainst hatt hel ocalel ectionsofFebr uary1, 1988
    i
    nt hepr ov i
    nceofLey teproceededwi thLar razabalconsi deredasa
    bona- fidecandi dat e.Thev otersoft hepr ov i
    ncev ot edf orheri nt he
    sincer ebel iefthatshewasaqual ifi
    edcandi datef ort heposi ti
    onof
    gov ernor .Herv ot eswer ecount edandsheobt ainedt hehi ghestnumber
    ofv otes.Thenetef fectisthatt hepet i
    tionerl ostintheel ection.Hewas
    repudi atedbyt heel ectorat
    e. I
    nt heFr i
    v aldoandLabocases,t hisi s
    precisel yt her eason whyt hecandi dateswho obt ained t hesecond
    highestnumberofv oteswer enotal lowedt oassumet heposi tions
    vacat ed by Fr i
    v aldo t he gov ernor ship ofSor sogon,and Labo,t he
    posi t
    ion ofmay ori n Bagui o Ci ty.The nat ure oft he pr oceedi ngs
    therefor e,isnott hatcompel li
    ng.Whatmat ter sist hati nt heev enta
    candi dat eforanel ect edposi ti
    onwhoi sv otedf orandwhoobt ai
    nst he
    highestnumberofv ot esisdi squal i
    fiedf ornotpossessi ngt heel i
    gibi l
    it
    y
    requirement s att he t ime oft he elect ion as pr ov i
    ded byl aw,t he
    candi dat ewhoobt ainst hesecondhi ghestnumberofv ot esfort he
    sameposi t
    ioncannotassumet hev acat edposi t
    ion.
    o CENIZAVSCOMELEC–Vot ersi
    nhighlyurbanizedci
    ti
    esdonothavet her
    ight
    to sel
    ectelecti
    veprov
    inci
    aloffi
    cial
    ssi ncet heseprovi
    nci
    aloffi
    cial
    shav e
    ceasedtoexerci
    seanygovernment
    aljuri
    sdict
    ionandauthori
    tyov
    ersaidci
    ty.
     Art.XI,Secti
    on4( 1)oft hesaidConst i
    tutionpl aceshi ghlyurbanized
    ci
    tiesout si
    det hesuper visor
    ypoweroft hepr ovincewher etheyar e
    geographical
    lylocated.Thi si
    sasi tshoul dbebecauseoft hecompl ex
    and v ar
    ied problems i n a highly urbanized ci ty due t o a bigger
    populati
    on and gr eater economi c act i
    vity whi ch r equire gr
    eat er
    autonomy .Coroll
    aryt oindependencehowev er
    ,ist heconcomi t
    antloss
    oft herighttopar ti
    ci
    patei nprov i
    nci
    alaf fai
    rs,mor epar t
    icul
    arl
    yt he
    sel
    ectionofel ecti
    v eprovinci
    aloffi
    cial
    ssi ncet hesepr ovi
    ncialoff
    icials
    haveceasedt oexer ciseanygov ernment aljuri
    sdi ct
    ionandaut hority
    oversaidcity.
     Thecl assifi
    cati
    onofci t
    iesintohighlyurbanizedci t
    iesandcomponent
    cit
    ies on t he basi s oft heirregularannuali ncome is based upon
    substantialdist
    inction.Ther evenueofaci t
    ywoul dshowwhet herornot
    i
    tiscapabl eofexi stenceanddev el
    opmentasar el
    ati
    vel
    yi ndependent
    social
    ,economi c,andpol i
    ti
    calunit.I
    twoul dalsoshowwhet hert hecity
    has suf fici
    ent economi c or industri
    alact i
    v i
    ty as to war rant its
    i
    ndependencef rom t hepr ovincewher ei tisgeogr aphi
    callysi t
    uated.
    Cit
    ieswi thsmal lerincomeneedt hecontinuedsuppor toft
    hepr ovinci
    al
    gov er
    nmentt husj usti
    fyingthecont inuedpar t
    icipat
    ionofthev otersi
    n
    theelecti
    onofpr ov i
    ncialoffi
    cial
    sinsomei nst
    ances.
     Thepet i
    t i
    onersalsocontendt hatthev otersinMandaueCi t
    yaredenied
    equalpr otect
    ionoft helaw sincet hev otersinothercomponentci ti
    es
    areal l
    owedt ovotef orprov i
    nci
    alof f
    icials.Thecont ent
    ioniswi t
    hout
    merit.Thepr act
    iceofal l
    owingv ot
    er sinonecomponentci t
    ytovotefor
    provi
    ncialof f
    ici
    alsanddeny i
    ngthesamepr i
    vil
    egetov ot
    ersinanother
    componentci tyisa mat terofl egislati
    v e di
    scr
    eti
    on whi ch v
    iol
    ates
    neit
    hert heConstitut
    ionnort hevoter'
    sr i
    ghtofsuf f
    rage.
     Theequalpr otecti
    onoft helawcont emplatesequal i
    tyi ntheenj oyment
    ofsi mi l
    arr i
    ghtsandpr i
    vil
    egesgr antedbyl aw.I twoul dhav ebeen
    discriminatoryandadeni aloft heequalpr ot ectionoft hel aw ift he
    statuteprohibitedani ndivi
    dualorgroupofv oter sint heci t
    yfrom v oting
    forprov i
    ncialoffi
    cialswhi l
    egranti
    ngi ttoanot heri ndividualorgr oupsof
    votersi nthesameci ty.Neithercani tbeconsi deredani nfringement
    upont hepet i
    ti
    oner s'ri
    ghtsofsuf fr
    agesi ncet heConst i
    tuti
    onconf ers
    nor ightt oav ot
    eri naci t
    yt ovotef orthepr ovincialoffi
    cialsoft he
    provincewher etheci tyislocated.Theirrighti slimitedt other i
    ghtt o
    votef orelectiveci tyoffi
    cial
    si nlocalelectionswhi cht hequest i
    oned
    statuesnei t
    herwi t
    hdr awnorr estr
    ict
    .
     Thepet iti
    onersf urthercl aimt hattopr ohibitt hevotersi naci tyfrom
    voting f orel ectiv
    e pr ov i
    ncialof f
    icials woul di mpose a subst antial
    requirementont heexer ci
    seofsuf frageandwoul dv i
    olatet hesanct ity
    oft hebal l
    ot,cont raryt ot hepr ovisionsofAr t
    .VI,Sect ion1oft he
    Const it
    ut i
    on.Thepr ohibiti
    oncont empl atedi nt heConstitution,howev er,
    hasr eferencet osuchr equirements,ast heVi rgini
    apollt ax,inval
    idated
    i
    nHar perv s.Vi rgi
    niaBoar dofEl ections,ort heNew Yor kr equir
    ement
    thatt obeel igibletov otei naschooldi stri
    ct ,onemustbeapar entofa
    chil
    denr oll
    edi nal ocalpubl icschool ,nulli
    fiedi nKramerv s.UnionFr ee
    SchoolDi str
    ict,395U. S.621,whi chi mposebur densont her i
    ghtof
    suffrage wi thout achi eving permi ssible est ate object i
    ves.I nt his
    particularcase,nosuchbur densar ei mposedupont hev otersoft he
    cit
    iesofCebuandMandaue.Theyar ef reet oexerciset hei
    rr i
    ghts
    withoutanyot herr equirement ,savet hatofbei ngregisteredv oter
    si n
    theci t
    ieswher etheyr esideandt hesanct it
    yoft hei
    rball
    oti smai ntai
    ned.
    Itisal socont endedt hatthepr ohibit
    ionwoul dsubv erttheprincipleof
    republicanism asi twoul ddepriveaci ti
    zenhisrighttopar t
    ici
    patei nthe
    conductoft heaf f
    airsoft hegov ernmentuni tthrought heexer ci
    seof
    hisr ightofsuf fr
    age.I thas been poi nt
    ed out ,howev er
    ,t hatt he
    provincialgov ernmenthasno gov ernmentalsuper visi
    onov erhi ghl
    y
    urbanizedci t i
    es.Theseci tiesarei ndependentoft hepr ovi
    ncei nt he
    admi nistr
    ationoft heiraff
    airs.Suchbei ngt hecase,i tisbutj ustand
    propert oli
    mi tthesel ect
    ionandel ecti
    onoft hepr ovi
    ncialoffi
    cial
    st othe
    votersoft hepr ov i
    ncewhosei nterestsarev it
    all
    yaf f
    ectedandexcl ude
    therefrom thev otersofhighlyurbanizedciti
    es.
    - 4.Dat
    eofEl
    ect
    ions
    o Sect
    ion42.DateofEl
    ect
    ion.-Unl
    essot
    her
    wisepr
    ovi
    dedbylaw,t
    heel
    ecti
    ons
    forl
    ocalof
    fi
    cial
    sshal
    lbeheldever
    ythr
    ee(3)y
    ear
    sonthesecondMondayof
    May
    .
    - 5.Ter
    m ofOf
    fi
    ce
    o Sec.8Ar t
    .10const i-Thet erm ofof fi
    ceofel ect
    ivelocalof f
    icials,except
    bar angayof f
    icial
    s,whichshallbedet erminedbylaw,shallbet hreey ear sand
    nosuchof fi
    cialshal
    lserveformor et hanthreeconsecuti
    vet erms.Vol untar
    y
    renunci ati
    onoft heoffi
    ceforanyl engthoft i
    meshallnotbeconsi der edasan
    i
    nt errupti
    oni nthecont i
    nui
    tyofhisser v
    iceforthefullt
    ermf orwhi chhewas
    elected.(Thus, invol
    untary reli
    nquishment of of f
    ice is consi dered an
    i
    nt errupti
    oni nthecont i
    nui
    tyofhisser v
    iceforthefullt
    ermf orwhi chhewas
    elected)
    o RA8524
     Secti
    on1.Sec.43ofRepubli
    cActNo.7160,other
    wiseknownasthe
    LocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991,
    isher
    ebyamendedtoreadasf
    oll
    ows:
    "Sec.43.Term ofof fi
    ce.–( a)Theterm ofof f
    iceofal lel
    ective
    offi
    cial
    selectedaf tert heef
    fecti
    vi
    tyofthi
    sCodeshal lbethr
    ee( 3)
    years,st
    arti
    ngf rom noonofJune30,1992orsuchdat easmay
    bepr ovi
    dedf orbyl aw,exceptthatofelect
    ivebar angayoffi
    cials
    andmember soft hesangguni angkabataan:Pr ovi
    ded,Thatal l
    l
    ocalof f
    ici
    alsf i
    rstel ectedduri
    ngthelocalelect
    ionsi mmediately
    fol
    lowingther ati
    ficationofthe1987Const i
    tuti
    onshal lser
    veunt i
    l
    noonofJune30, 1992.
    "(b)Nol ocalelect
    iveoffi
    cialshal
    lserveformoret hanthree(3)
    consecutivetermsinthesameposi ti
    on.Volunt
    aryrenunciat
    ionof
    theof f
    iceforanyl engthoft i
    meshal lnotbeconsi der
    edasan
    i
    nt er
    rupti
    onint heconti
    nuit
    yofser vi
    cefortheful
    ltermf orwhich
    theelecti
    veof f
    ici
    alconcer
    nedwasel ected.
    "(
    c) The t er
    m of bar angay offici
    als and member s of t he
    sangguniangkabat aanshallbef orfive( 5)years,whi chshall
    begin af
    terthe regularelecti
    on ofbar angayof fi
    cial
    s on t he
    secondMondayofMay1997:Pr ovi
    ded,Thatt hesangguni ang
    kabataanmember swhower eelectedint heMay1996el ect
    ions
    shal
    lserveuntilt
    henextregularel
    ecti
    onofbar angayof f
    icial
    s."
    o RA 9164 -AN ACT PROVI
    DING FOR SYNCHRONI
    ZED BARANGAY AND
    SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN ELECTI
    ONS,AMENDING REPUBLI
    C ACT NO.
    7160,ASAMENDED,OTHERWI SEKNOWN ASTHE" LOCALGOVERNMENT
    CODEOF1991",
    ANDFOROTHERPURPOSES
     Secti
    on1.Dat eofElecti
    on.–Thereshallbesynchr
    onizedbarangayand
    sangguniangkabataanelect
    ionswhichshallbeheldonJul y15,2002.
    Subsequent sy nchr
    onized barangay and sangguni ang kabataan
    elect
    ionsshallbeheldonthelastMondayofOctoberandeverythree(3)
    yearsthereaf
    ter.
     Secti
    on2.Ter m ofOffi
    ce.–Thet er
    m ofoffi
    ceofallbarangayand
    sangguni
    angkabataanoff
    ici
    alsaf
    tertheef
    fect
    ivi
    tyoft
    hisActshal
    lbe
    thr
    ee(3)year
    s.
     No bar angay elect
    ive off
    ici
    alshallser veformor ethan three (3)
    consecutivetermsi nthesameposi ti
    on:Provided,however
    ,Thatt he
    ter
    m ofof f
    iceshallber eckonedf rom the1994bar angayel ect
    ions.
    Voluntaryrenunciat
    ionofof fi
    cef oranyl engthoft i
    meshal lnotbe
    consideredasani nter
    rupti
    onint hecont i
    nuit
    yofser vi
    cefort hef ul
    l
    ter
    mf orwhichtheelect
    iveoffi
    cialwaselect
    ed.
     Section 3.Regi str
    ation.– For purposes of the Jul
    y 15,2002
    synchroni
    zedbar angayandsangguniangkabataanelecti
    onsprovi
    ded
    undert hi
    sAct ,aspeci alr
    egist
    rat
    ionofv ot
    ersforthesangguniang
    kabataanshallbef ixedbytheCommi ssiononElecti
    ons(COMELEC) .
    Subsequentregistr
    ationofbar
    angayandsangguniangkabataanvoter
    s
    shallbegover
    nedbyRepubl icActNo.8189.
     Secti
    on4.AssumptionofOffice.–Thet erm ofof f
    iceoft hebarangay
    and sangguni
    ang kabat
    aan of fi
    cial
    s el
    ect ed undert hi
    s Actshal l
    commenceonAugust15,2002.Thet erm ofoffi
    ceoft hebarangayand
    sangguni
    angkabat
    aanof fi
    cialselect
    edinsubsequentel ecti
    onsshall
    commenceatnoonofNov ember30nextf ollowingtheirel
    ecti
    on.
     Sect i
    on 5.Hol d Ov er.– Al li ncumbent barangay of fi
    cial
    s and
    sangguniangkabat aanoffi
    cialsshallremaininof fi
    ceunl esssooner
    remov edorsuspendedf orcauseunt i
    lthei
    rsuccessorsshallhavebeen
    electedandqual i
    fi
    ed.Thepr ovi
    sionsoft heOmni busEl ecti
    onCode
    relati
    vetot hef ail
    ureofelecti
    onsandspeci alelecti
    onsar ehereby
    reiter
    atedi
    nt hi
    sAct .
     Secti
    on6.Secti
    on424ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.7160,ot
    her
    wiseknownas
    theLocalGover
    nmentCodeof1991,i
    sherebyamendedtoreadas
    fol
    lows:
    "Sec.424.KatipunanngKabat aan.–Thekat i
    punanngkabat aan
    shallbecomposedofFi li
    pinociti
    zensactual
    lyresi
    dingi nthe
    barangayforatl eastsix(6)months,whoar efi
    ft
    een(15)butless
    thaneighteen( 18)y ear
    sofageont hedayoft heelect
    ion,and
    whoar edulyregisteredintheli
    stofthesangguniangkabataanor
    i
    nt he of
    fici
    albar angayl istinthe custodyoft he barangay
    secret
    ary.
    "
     Secti
    on7.Secti
    on428ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.7160,ot
    her
    wiseknownas
    theLocalGover
    nmentCodeof1991,i
    sherebyamendedtoreadas
    fol
    lows:
    "Sec.428.Qualif
    icati
    ons.–Anel ecti
    veoffi
    cialofthesangguni ang
    kabat aan mustbe a Fi l
    i
    pino ci ti
    zen,a qual i
    fi
    ed voteroft he
    katipunanngkabat aan,ar esidentoft hebarangayforatleastone
    (1)y earimmediatelypriortoel ection,atleastfif
    teen(15)y ears
    butl essthanei
    ghteen( 18)y earsofageont hedayoft heelection,
    ablet or eadandwr it
    eFi l
    ipino,Engl i
    sh,ort helocaldial
    ect,and
    mustnothav e been conv i
    cted ofanycr i
    me involvi
    ng mor al
    turpitude."
     Sect
    ion8.Appr
    opr
    iat
    ion.– Theamountofonebi
    l
    li
    ononehundr
    ed
    mill
    i
    on pesos( P1,
    100,000,
    000.00)needed f
    orthe pur
    pose shallbe
    charged f
    rom the appropr
    iati
    on ofthe COMELEC aut
    horized under
    Republi
    c ActNo.9162,ot herwi
    se known as t
    he FY 2002 General
    Appropri
    ati
    onsAct.
    Inaddit
    ion,thesavi
    ngsoft heCOMELECnotexceedingthreehundr
    ed
    mil
    lion pesos (P300,000,
    000.
    00) shal
    lbe used to augmentsaid
    appropr
    iati
    onsasaut hori
    zedunderCOMELECSpecialProvisi
    onNo.2
    oftheRepublicActNo.9162.
     Thef undsment i
    onedabov emaybeaugment edbyanamountnot
    exceeding t
    en percent(10%)ofthe sangguni
    ang kabat
    aan f
    unds
    reser
    vedpursuanttoSect
    ion532(
    c)ofRepubl
    icActNo.7160.
     Sect
    ion9.Applicabil
    i
    tyofOt herEl
    ect
    ionLaws.–TheOmni busEl
    ecti
    on
    Codeandot herexist
    ingelecti
    onlaws,asfaraspract
    icabl
    e,shal
    lappl
    y
    tobarangayandsangguniangkabataanelect
    ions.
    o RA9340-AN ACTAMENDI
    NG REPUBLI
    CACTNO.9164,RESETTI
    NG THE
    BARANGAYANDSANGGUNI
    ANGKABATAAN ELECTI
    ONS,ANDFOROTHER
    PURPOSES
     SECTION1.Sect
    ion1ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.9164i
    sher
    ebyamendedt
    o
    readasf
    oll
    ows:
    "SECTION 1.Date ofElecti
    on.-Ther e shal lbe synchr
    oni
    zed
    barangayandsangguniangkabat aanel ecti
    onswhi chshallbe
    heldonJuly15,2002.Subsequentsy nchronizedbarangayand
    sangguni
    angkabataanel
    ectionsshallbeheldont hel
    astMonday
    ofOctober2007andeverythree(
    3)y ear
    st hereaft
    er.
    "
     SEC.2.Sect
    ion4ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.9164i
    sher
    ebyamendedt
    oread
    asfol
    lows:
    "SEC.4.Assumpt ion ofOf f
    ice.-The t er
    m ofof fi
    ce ofthe
    barangayandsangguni angkabat aanof
    fici
    alsel
    ect
    edundert hi
    s
    Actshal lcommenceonAugust15,2002,nextf ol
    lowingthei
    r
    elect
    ions.Thet er
    m ofof fi
    ceoft hebarangayandsangguniang
    kabataan off
    ici
    als el
    ected int he Oct
    ober2007 electi
    on and
    subsequentelecti
    onsshallcommenceatnoonofNov ember30
    nextfoll
    owingthei
    relecti
    on."
     SEC.3.Sect
    ion5ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.9164i
    sher
    ebyamendedt
    oread
    asfol
    lows:
    "SEC.5.HoldOv er.-Alli
    ncumbentbar angayandal lsangguniang
    kabataanoffi
    cialsshal lremaininoffi
    ceunl esssoonerr emov ed
    orsuspendedf orcauseunt ilt
    heirsuccessorsshal lhavebeen
    elect
    edandqual i
    fiedProvided,howev er,Thatbar angayandal l
    sangguniangkabat aanof f
    ici
    alswhoar eexof fi
    ciomember sof
    thesangguniangbay an,sangguni
    angpanl ungsodorsangguni ang
    panlal
    awiganast hecasemaybeshal lcont i
    nuet oser veassuch
    member si nthesangguni anconcernedunt i
    lthenextbar angay
    elect
    ion.TheLi gangmgaBar angayatt hemuni cipal
    ,cit
    y ,and
    provi
    nciallevel
    s shall
    ,withi
    nt hir
    ty(30)days aft
    erthe next
    barangayelecti
    on,
    conductelecti
    onsforexof
    fi
    cioposi
    ti
    onsi
    nt he
    sangguniansundert hesuper v
    isi
    on oftheDepartmentoft he
    Int
    eriorandLocalGovernment.
    "
     SEC.4.Sect
    ion8ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.9164i
    sher
    ebyamendedt
    oread
    asfol
    lows:
    "SEC.8 .Appr opr
    iat
    ions.-The amountnecessar yf ort he
    i
    mpl ement
    ationofthisActshallbet
    akenfrom theappropr i
    ati
    on
    oftheCommi ssi
    ononEl ecti
    ons(COMELEC)undert heGener al
    Appropr
    iat
    ions Act and/ or supplementar
    y appr opriati
    ons
    ther
    eaft
    er.
    "I
    nadditi
    on,thesavingsoftheCOMELECnotexceedi ngThree
    hundr
    ed mi l
    li
    on pesos (P300,
    000,000.00) shal
    lbe used to
    augmentsaid appropri
    ati
    ons as authori
    zed underCOMELEC
    Speci
    alProv
    isionNo.2ofRepubli
    cActNo.9162.
    "Thefundsmenti
    onedabov emaybeaugmentedbyanamount
    notexceedi
    ngtenper cent(
    10%)ofthesangguni
    angkabat
    aan
    fundsreser
    vedpursuanttoSect
    ion532(
    c)ofRepubl
    icActNo.
    7160."
    o Ter
    m ofof
    fi
    ce–det
    ermi
    nedbyt
    heconst
    it
    uti
    onandst
    atut
    e
     Thet er
    m ofoff
    iceofal
    llocalel
    ect
    iveoff
    ici
    als,exceptbar
    angayof
    fi
    cial
    s,
    i
    sf ixed bythe const
    it
    ution.Whil
    et he term ofof fi
    ce ofbar
    angay
    off
    icial
    sisfi
    xedbylaw.
     Forlocalel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    ci
    als,exceptbar
    angayof
    fi
    cial
    s,const
    ifi
    xedt
    hei
    r
    ter
    m ofoffi
    cefor3y
    ears.Whil
    eforbar
    angayof
    fi
    cial
    s:
     RA8524[
    1998]–5y
    ear
    s
     RA9164[
    2002]–3y
    ear
    s;upt
    o3t
    ermsonl
    yandt
    obei
    ngi
    nyear
    1994
     RA9340[2005]–extendedthet
    erm(whi
    chendedonNov
    .30,
    2005)t
    oNov.30,
    2007;butst
    il
    l3y
    ear
    s
     Not
    e:“
    Hol
    d-ov
    erpr
    inci
    ple”v
    ali
    dlyappl
    i
    est
    obar
    angayof
    fi
    cial
    sonl
    y.
     GR:Hold-overi
    snotallowed,precisel
    ybecausethereisaterm of
    off
    ice.Ift
    hereisaterm pr
    ovided,thati
    sani mpl
    iedprohi
    bit
    ionon
    thepartoft hepubli
    cof f
    ici
    altohol d-
    over.Aft
    ertheendofhi s
    ter
    m,t hepublicoffi
    cialmustst epdown,WON t her
    eisanew
    off
    ici
    aleit
    herelect
    edorappointedt ohol
    dtheoffi
    ce.
    o E:Bar
    angayof
    fi
    cial
    s
    o Reason:Since barangayoffi
    cial
    sar e heading t
    he most
    fundamentaland basi c poli
    ti
    caluni t of our soci
    et y,
    pragmati
    sm shouldallow,ot
    herwise,i
    twouldpr ej
    udi
    cet he
    deli
    veryofbasicser v
    icesorcreatehiatusingov er
    nment
    servi
    ce.Thus,hold-overi
    sallowedf orbarangayoffi
    cials,
    butnotal
    l
    owedt
    oal
    lot
    her
    sunl
    esst
    hel
    awal
    l
    owsi
    t.
     SAMBARANIVSCOMELEC
     Ast hel awnowst ands,t hel anguageofSect ion5ofRA9164i s
    clear .Itisthedutyoft hisCour ttoapplyt hepl ainmeaningoft he
    l
    anguageofSect i
    on5.Si ncet herewasaf ailureofelectionsi n
    the15Jul y2002r egularel ect i
    onsandi nt he13August2002
    speci alel ecti
    ons,petitioner s can legallyr emai nin office as
    bar angaychai rmenoft hei rrespecti
    vebar angay sinahol d-ov er
    capaci t
    y .Theyshal lcont i
    nue t o discharge t hei
    rpower s and
    dut i
    esaspunongbar angay ,andenj oyt her ightsandpr ivileges
    per taining tot he office.Tr ue,Sect i
    on 43( c) of the Local
    Gov ernmentCodel i
    mitst het erm ofelectivebar angayof f
    icialsto
    threey ears.Howev er,Sect i
    on5ofRA 9164expl i
    cit
    lypr ov i
    des
    thati ncumbentbar angayof fici
    alsmaycont i
    nuei noff
    iceinahol d
    ov ercapaci tyunti
    lthei
    rsuccessor sareel ectedandqual ifi
    ed.
     Theappl i
    cati
    onoft hehol d-
    overprinci
    plepreservesconti
    nuit
    yin
    the t
    ransacti
    on ofof fi
    cialbusinessand pr eventsa hiatusin
    governmentpendingt heassumpt ionofasuccessori nt
    oof f
    ice.
    Ashel dinTopacioNuenov .Angel
    es,casesofext remenecessity
    j
    ustif
    yt heappl
    icat
    ionofthehol d-
    overprinci
    ple.
    o The“
    Thr
    eeTer
    m Li
    mitRul
    e”
     El
    ement
    s:E-
    F-C
    i
    .Of
    fi
    ci
    alsel
    i ect
    edt
    hreet
    imes;
    i
    i
    .Of
    fi
    ci
    alf
    ull
    yser
    vedt
    hreet
    erms;
    i
    i
    i.Of
    fi
    ci
    ali
    sel
    ect
    edt
    hreet
    imesconsecut
    ivel
    yi hesameof
    nt fi
    ce
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.1
     1993:X,t
    heVM succeededY,t
    heM whodi
    ed,byoper
    ati
    onofl
    aw.X
    ser
    vedasMayorunt
    il1995.
     1995-
    1998:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    or
     1998-
    2001:
    Xwasr
    e-el
    ect
    edandagai
    nser
    vedasMay
    or
     2001El
    ect
    ions:
    WasXbar
    redt
    orunasMay
    or?
     Answer
    :NO,
    for2r
    easons:
    i
    .In1993,
    hewasnotel
    ect
    edbecausehesucceededbyoper
    ati
    on
    ofl
    aw
    i
    i
    .In1993,hewaselectednoti
    nthesameof f
    icebecausedur
    ing
    st
    t
    he1 t er
    m,hewaselectedf
    ort
    heposit
    ionofVM,andnotforM
     BORJA,
    JR.VSCOMELEC
     Pri
    vaterespondentwasf i
    rstel
    ect
    edasv ice-may or,butupont
    he
    deathoftheincumbentmay or,
    heoccupiedthel att
    er’ spostfor
    theunexpiredterm.Hewas,t hereaf
    ter,elect
    edf ort womor e
    ter
    ms.TheCour thel
    dthatwhenprivat
    er espondentoccupiedt
    he
    postoft hemayorupont hei
    ncumbent’
    sdeathandservedforthe
    remainderofthet
    erm, hecannotbeconst
    ruedashavi
    ngserveda
    ful
    lt erm as contemplated underthe subj
    ectconstit
    uti
    onal
    provi
    sion.Theterm servedmustbeone“ f
    orwhich[
    theof f
    icial
    concerned]waselect
    ed.”
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.2
     1988-
    1995:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    orf
    or2consecut
    ivet
    erms
     1995:Xwasr
    e-el
    ect
    edandst
    art
    edser
    vingasMay
    or
     1997:Comel
    ecrul
    edthatXwasnotv
    ali
    dlypr
    ocl
    aimedandXst
    epped
    downasorder
    edbytheComel
    ec.
     1998el
    ect
    ions:
    WasXbar
    redt
    orunasMay
    or?
     Answer
    :NO
     LONZANI
    DAVSCOMELEC
     Petit
    ionerwasel ected and ser ved two consecutivet er msas
    may orf rom 1988 t o 1995.He t hen ran againf ort he same
    positi
    oni ntheMay1995el ections,wonanddi schargedhi sdut ies
    asmay or .Howev er ,hisopponentcont estedhi spr oclamat ion
    beforet heRTC,whi chr uledt hattherewasaf ai
    lur
    eofel ections
    and decl ared the posi tion ofmay orv acant.The COMELEC
    affi
    rmedt hi
    sr ul
    i
    ngandpet i
    ti
    oneraccededt otheor dert ov acat e
    thepost .Dur i
    ngtheMay1998el ect i
    ons,peti
    ti
    onert hereinagai n
    fi
    ledhiscer ti
    fi
    cateofcandi dacyf ormay or.Apet i
    ti
    ont odi squal i
    fy
    him wasf i
    l
    edont hegr oundt hathehadal r
    eadyser vedt hr ee
    consecut i
    v eterms.The Cour truled,howev er,thatpet it
    ioner
    cannotbeconsi deredashav ingbeendul yelectedtot heposti n
    theMay1995el ections,andt hatpet i
    ti
    onerdidnotf ull
    yser vet he
    1995- 1998 may or al
    ty t erm by r eason of i nvolunt ary
    reli
    nquishmentofof fice.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.3
     1992-
    1998:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    orf
    or2consecut
    ivet
    erms
     1998:Xr
    anasMay
    orbutl
    ostt
    oY
     2000:Yfacedar
    ecal
    lel
    ect
    ionandXwasel
    ect
    edi
    nther
    ecal
    lel
    ect
    ion
    andser
    vedasMayor
     2001:WasXbar
    redt
    orunasMay
    or?
     Answer
    :NO
     ADORMEOVSCOMELEC
     Thei ssuewaswhet herornotanassumpt i
    ontoofficethr
    ougha
    recallel
    ecti
    onshouldbeconsi deredasonet erminappl y
    ingthe
    three-t
    ermlimi
    trule.Privat
    er espondentwasel ect
    edandser ved
    fort woconsecuti
    vet ermsasmay or.Het henranf orhisthi
    rd
    termi ntheMay1998el ect
    ions,butlosttohisopponent.InJune
    1998,hi sopponentf acedr ecallproceedi
    ngsandi ntherecal
    l
    el
    ectionsofMay2000, pr
    ivat
    er espondentwonandser vedf ort
    he
    unexpiredter
    m.Fort heMay2001el ecti
    ons,privaterespondent
    fi
    ledhiscerti
    ficateofcandidacyf ortheofficeofmay or.Thiswas
    questioned.TheCour theldt hatprivater espondentcannotbe
    construed as hav i
    ng been el ect
    ed and ser v ed f or thr
    ee
    consecutiveter ms.Hi sloss int he May1998 el ections was
    consideredbyt heCour tasani nter
    ruptioninthecont inuit
    yofhis
    servi
    ceasmay or
    .Fornearlytwoy ears,pri
    vaterespondentt herei
    n
    l
    ivedasapr ivatecit
    izen.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.4
     1992-
    2001:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    orf
    or3consecut
    ivet
    erms
     2001el
    ect
    ions:
    Xdi
    dnotr
    un;
    Ywasel
    ect
    edMay
    or
     2002:Yfacedrecal
    lel
    ect
    ionandXf
    il
    edcer
    ti
    fi
    cat
    eofcandi
    dacyf
    ort
    he
    recal
    lel
    ect
    ions
     CanXpar
    ti
    ci
    pat
    eint
    her
    ecal
    lel
    ect
    ions?
     Answer
    :YES
     SOCRATESVSCOMELEC
     The pr i
    ncipali ssue was whet herornotpr i
    vater espondent
    Hagedor n was qual ified tor un dur ing the r ecallel ections.
    Hagedor nhad al readyser ved f ort hreeconsecut i
    vet ermsas
    may orfrom 1992unt il2001anddi dnotr uni nthei mmedi ately
    foll
    owingr egularelections.OnJul y2, 2002, t
    hebar angayof fi
    cials
    ofPuer to Pr i
    ncesa conv ened t hemsel ves into a Pr epar atory
    RecallAssembl yt oi niti
    atet her ecal loft hei ncumbentmay or
    ,
    Socrates.OnAugust23,2002,Hagedor nf i
    ledhi scer t
    ificateof
    candidacyf ormay ori nt her ecal lel ecti
    on.A pet i
    ti
    on f orhi s
    disquali
    fi
    cationwasf iledont hegr oundt hathecannotr unf ort he
    saidpostdur i
    ngt her ecallelect i
    onsf orhewasdi squal i
    fiedf rom
    runningforaf ourthconsecut iv
    et erm.TheCour truledi nf avorof
    Hagedor n,holdingt hatt hepr i
    nci plebehi ndt het hree-ter ml imit
    ruleistopr ev entconsecut ivenessoft heser viceoft erms,and
    thattherewasi nhi scaseabr eaki nsuchconsecut ivenessaf ter
    theendofhi sthir
    dt erm andbef oret her ecallelection.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.5
     1992-
    2001:
    XwasMay
    orofamuni
    cipal
    i
    tyf
    or3consecut
    ivet
    erms
     Bef
    oreMay2001el
    ect
    ions:
    Themuni
    cipal
    i
    tybecameanewci
    ty
     2001el
    ect
    ions:
    Xfi
    l
    edCOCf
    ormay
    oroft
    henewci
    ty
     WasXqual
    i
    fiedt
    orunf
    orMay
    oroft
    henewci
    ty?
     Answer
    :NO
     LATASAVSCOMELEC
    Itcan be seen fr
    om Lonzanida and Ador
    meo t hatthe l
    aw
    cont
    emplat
    esar estper
    ioddur
    ingwhi cht
    helocalel
    ecti
    veoff
    ici
    al
    st
    epsdownf rom of
    ficeandceasestoexerci
    sepoweroraut
    hori
    ty
    overtheinhabi
    tant
    soft heterr
    itor
    ialj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    onofapar t
    icul
    ar
    l
    ocalgovernmentuni
    t .
     Shoul dpeti
    ti
    onerbeallowedanotherthr
    eeconsecuti
    vet
    ermsas
    may oroft heCi t
    yofDi gos,pet
    iti
    onerwouldthenbepossibl y
    holding offi
    ce as chiefexecuti
    ve overthe same terr
    it
    orial
    j
    urisdicti
    onandi nhabi
    tant
    sf orat ot
    alofei
    ghteenconsecuti
    ve
    years.Thi sisthev er
    yscenariosoughttobeav oi
    dedbyt he
    Const i
    tuti
    on,i
    fnotabhorr
    edbyit.
     Spi
    ri
    toft
    hel
    awwasappl
    i
    ed.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.6
     1995-
    1998:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    or
     1998-2001:X wasre-
    elect
    edandser
    vedasmay
    or,butanel
    ect
    ion
    prot
    estwasfil
    edagai
    nstXin1998
     2001-
    2004:X was re-
    elect
    ed and ser
    ved as may
    or,and t
    he 1998
    el
    ecti
    onprot
    estwasdeci
    dedagainstX
     2004el
    ect
    ions:
    WasXqual
    i
    fiedt
    orunasmay
    or?
     Answer
    :NO
     FRANCI
    SONGVSJOSEPHALEGRE
     Petit
    ionerOngwasdul yel ectedmay or(SanVi cente)i
    nt heMay
    1995andagai nint heMay2001el ectionsandser vi
    ngtheJuly1,
    1995-June30,1998andt heJul y1,2001- June30,2004t er
    msi n
    ful
    l.Thecont r
    oversyr evolvedar oundt he1998- 2001term.Ong
    ranformay orofthesamemuni cipali
    tyintheMay1998el ecti
    ons
    and act uall
    y served t he 1998-2001 t erm by v i
    rt
    ue of a
    proclamationiniti
    allydeclaringhim may or-
    electofSanVi cente.
    Butaf t
    ert heterm 1998- 2001,itwasdecl aredt hatOngwasnot
    therealwi nnerintheel ect
    ions.Thequest i
    onwaswhet herornot
    Ong’sassumpt i
    onofof fi
    ceasMay orofSanVi cent efr
    om July1,
    1998 to June30,2001,maybeconsi dered asonef ullterm
    servi
    ce.
     TheSupr emeCour t heldthat suchassumpt ionofof fice
    consti
    tutes,forFr
    ancis,“
    servi
    cef orthefullt
    erm”,andshoul dbe
    countedasaf ul
    lter
    m servedi ncontemplati
    onoft hethree-t
    erm
    l
    imitpr escri
    bedbyt heconst it
    uti
    onalandst at
    utoryprovisi
    ons,
    supra,bar r
    ing l
    ocalelecti
    ve offi
    cial
    sfrom bei ng el
    ected and
    serv
    ing f ormor ethan three consecut
    ivet erm forthe same
    posit
    ion.
     Hispr ocl
    amat ionbyt heMunici
    palBoar dofCanv assersofSan
    Vicenteast hedulyelectedmayorint he1998may oral
    tyel
    ecti
    on
    coupledbyhi sassumptionofof
    f i
    ceandhi sconti
    nuousexercise
    ofthef unctionsthereoffr
    om starttofini
    shofthet erm,should
    l
    egallybet akenasser vi
    ceforaf ul
    ltermincontemplati
    onofthe
    thr
    ee-
    term rule(ev
    en i
    fhe was lateron,afterthe f
    ullt
    erm,
    decl
    aredthathewasnott
    hewinnerintheel
    ect
    ion).
     SameRul
    i
    ngi
    nATTY.RI
    VERAI
    IIVSCOMELEC
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.7
     1995-
    1998:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edandser
    vedasMay
    or
     1998-
    2001:Xwasr
    e-el
    ect
    edandser
    vedagai
    nasMay
    or,butapr
    otest
    wasfi
    ledi
    n1998
     2001-
    2004:Xwasre-el
    ect
    edandservedagai
    nasMay
    or,buti
    nJul
    yof
    2001,
    the1998pr
    otestwasdeci
    dedagai
    nstX.
     2004el
    ect
    ions:Xfil
    edCOCformay
    orbuti
    twascancel
    l
    ed,
    alt
    houghhe
    wonandwaspr ocl
    aimedMayor
     May17,
    2007:
    Xst
    eppeddownasmay
    orasor
    der
    ed
     2007:Xwasel
    ect
    edagai
    nasmay
    or
     WasXqual
    i
    fiedt
    orunasmay
    orf
    or2007?
     Answer
    :YES
     DI
    ZONVSCOMELEC
     Weconcedet hatMor al
    esoccupied t
    heposi t
    ionofmay orof
    Mabalacatforthefol
    lowingper
    iods:1July1995t o30June1998,
    1July1998t o30June2001,1Jul y2001t o30June2004,and1
    Jul
    y2004t o16May2007.Howev er,because of his
    di
    squali
    fi
    cation,Moraleswasnott hedulyelect
    edmay orforthe
    2004-
    2007t erm.NeitherdidMoralesholdthepositi
    onofmay or
    ofMabalacatforthefullt
    erm.
     Mor alescannotbedeemedt ohav eservedt hefullt
    erm of2004-
    2007becausehewasor deredt ov acatehispostbef or
    et he
    expirati
    onoft het erm.Mor ales’occupancyoft hepositi
    onof
    may orf r
    om 1Jul y2004t o16May2007cannotbecount edasa
    ter
    mf orpurposesofcomput i
    ngt hethree-
    termlimit.I
    ndeed,the
    peri
    odf r
    om 17May2007t o30June2007ser vedasagapf or
    purposesoft het hree-t
    erml i
    mi trul
    e.Thus,t hepresent1Jul y
    2007t o30June2010t ermi sef f
    ecti
    velyMor al
    es’fi
    rstter
    mf or
    purposesoft hethree-terml i
    mi trul
    e.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.8
    I
    n1994,
    1997and2002:
    Xwasel
    ect
    edPunongBar
    angay
     2004:Xranandwonasmuni
    cipalcounci
    l
    or,
    leav
    inghi
    spostaspunong
    barangay
     2007:X fil
    ed COC f
    ort
    heposi
    ti
    on ofpunong bar
    angay(
    thesame
    barangay
    )
    I
    shequal
    i
    fied?
     Answer
    :NO
     BOLOS,
    JR.VSCOMELEC
     TheCour tagreeswit
    ht heCOMELEC t hatt
    herewasv ol
    unt
    ar y
    renunci
    ati
    onasPunongBar angay
    .TheCOMELECcor r
    ectl
    yheld:
    Itisourfindi
    ngthatNicasi
    oBolos,Jr .
    ’
    srel
    inqui
    shmentofthe
    offi
    ce of Punong Barangay of Biki
    ng,Dauis,Bohol
    ,as a
    consequenceofhisassumpti
    ontoof fi
    ceasSangguni
    angBayan
    memberof Daui s,Bohol
    ,on Jul y 1,2004,isav ol
    unt
    ar y
    renunci
    ati
    on.
     Alltheactsat t
    endinghispur suitofhi selecti
    onasmuni cipal
    counci
    lorpointouttoanintentandr eadinesstogi v
    euphispost
    asPunongBar angayonceelectedt othehigherelecti
    veof
    fi
    ce.He
    knewthathiselect
    ionasmuni cipal councilor woul d ent ai
    l
    abandonmentoft hepositi
    onhehel d,andhei nt
    endedt oforego
    ofit
    .Abandonment ,l
    iker
    esignation,i
    sv ol
    untar
    y.
    o Pr
    obl
    em No.9
     Xwasel ectedmay
    or3t
    imesdur
    ingt
    het
    erms:1998-
    2001,2001-
    2004
    and2004-2007
    I
    nSept ember2005,X wasor
    der
    ed“
    prev
    ent
    ivel
    ysuspended”byt
    he
    Sandi
    ganbayan
    I
    n2007,
    Xfi
    l
    edaCOCandr
    anf
    ormay
    or.
     WasXqual
    i
    fiedt
    orunf
    ort
    he2007el
    ect
    ions?
     Answer
    :NO
     ALDOVI
    NOVSCOMELEC
     Q:Ist heprev
    ent
    ivesuspensi
    onofanelect
    edpubli
    coff
    ici
    alan
    i
    nterr
    upt i
    onofhi
    sterm ofoff
    icef
    orpur
    posesofthethr
    ee-
    ter
    m
    l
    imitrule?
     A:“Int
    errupti
    on”ofaterm exempt i
    nganelect
    iveoffi
    cialfrom the
    thr
    ee-ter
    m l imi
    tr ul
    ei s one thatinvol
    ves no less t han the
    i
    nvoluntarylossoftit
    letoof f
    ice.Anoffi
    cerwhoi spr ev ent
    ivel
    y
    suspendedi ssimplybarr
    edf r
    om exerci
    singthefunctionsofhi s
    off
    icebutt i
    tl
    etooffi
    ceisnotlost.
    - 6.“
    Hol
    d-ov
    er”Pr
    inci
    ple
    o Sec.5RA9164-Hol dOv er.-Al li
    ncumbentbar angayandal lsangguniang
    kabataanoffici
    alsshal lremaini noffi
    ceunlesssoonerr emov edorsuspended
    forcauseuntilt
    hei rsuccessor sshallhavebeenel ectedandqual i
    fi
    edPr ovi
    ded,
    howev er
    ,Thatbar angayandal lsangguni
    angkabat aanof fi
    cialswhoar eex
    offi
    cio member s oft he sangguni ang bayan,sangguni ang panl ungsod or
    sangguniangpanl alawiganast hecasemaybeshal lconti
    nuet oser veassuch
    member sint hesangguni anconcer nedunt i
    lt henextbar angayel ecti
    on.The
    LigangmgaBar angayatt hemuni ci
    pal,ci
    ty,andpr ovinci
    allevelsshall,wi
    thi
    n
    thir
    ty(30)day saf tert henextbar angayel ecti
    on,conductel ect
    ionsf orex
    offi
    ciopositi
    onsint hesangguni ansundert hesuper visi
    onoft heDepar t
    ment
    oftheInter
    iorandLocalGov ernment .
    "
    B.Vacanci
    esandSuccessi
    on
    - 1.Per
    manentVacanci
    es;
    Grounds
    o Section 44.Per manentVacanci es int he Of fi
    ces oft he Gover nor,Vi ce-
    Gov ernor,May or
    ,andVi ce-May or.-I faper manentv acancyoccur si nt he
    offi
    ceoft hegov er
    norormay or,thev ice-governororv i
    ce-mayorconcer ned
    shallbecomet hegov ernorormay or.Ifaper manentv acancyoccur sint he
    offi
    ces oft he gov er
    nor ,v i
    ce-governor,may or,orv i
    ce-mayor,t he highest
    rankingsangguni anmemberor ,i
    ncaseofhi spermanentinabil
    i
    ty,t hesecond
    highestr anking sangguni an member ,shal lbecome t he gov ernor,v ice-
    gover nor
    ,may ororv i
    ce-may or,ast hecasemaybe.Subsequentv acanci esin
    thesai dofficeshallbef il
    ledaut omat i
    call
    ybyt heothersanggunianmember s
    accor di
    ngt otheirrankingasdef i
    nedher ein.
    o(b)Ifaper manentvacancyoccursintheofficeoft
    hepunongbar
    angay,the
    highestrankingsangguni
    anbar angaymemberor ,i
    ncaseofhispermanent
    i
    nabili
    ty,thesecondhighestrankingsanggunianmember
    ,shal
    lbecomet he
    punongbar angay.
    o(
    c)Atiebet
    weenoramongthehighestr
    anki
    ngsangguni
    anmember
    sshal
    lbe
    r
    esol
    vedbythedr
    awingofl
    ots.
    o(
    d)Thesuccessorsasdef
    inedher
    einshal
    lser
    veonl
    ytheunexpi
    redt
    ermsof
    t
    hei
    rpr
    edecessors.
    o Forpurposesoft hi
    sChapter,apermanentv acancyari
    seswhenanel ect
    ive
    l
    ocalof f
    icialfi
    ll
    sahi ghervacantof f
    ice,refusestoassumeof f
    ice,fail
    st o
    quali
    fy,dies,isr emoved f
    rom of f
    ice,v ol
    untari
    lyresi
    gns,oris otherwise
    permanentlyincapaci
    tat
    edtodischarget hefuncti
    onsofhisof
    fi
    ce.
    o Forpur poses ofsuccession as provi
    ded inthe Chapt
    er,ranking i
    nt he
    sanggunianshallbedet ermined onthebasi soft hepropor
    tionofv otes
    obtai
    nedbyeachwi nni
    ngcandi datetothetot
    alnumberofregi
    steredvot
    ersin
    eachdistri
    cti
    ntheimmedi atel
    yprecedi
    nglocalel
    ect
    ion.
    o Sect
    ion45.Per
    manentVacanci
    esi
    ntheSangguni
    an.–
    o(a)Permanentvacanci
    esi
    nthesanggunian wher
    eautomati
    csuccessi
    on
    prov
    idedabovedonotappl
    yshal
    lbefil
    ledbyappoint
    mentinthef
    oll
    owing
    manner:
    (1)ThePresi
    dent
    ,throughtheExecuti
    veSecretar
    y,i
    nt hecaseoft
    he
    sangguni
    angpanl
    alawiganandt hesangguni
    angpanlungsodofhi
    ghl
    y
    urbani
    zedci
    ti
    esandindependentcomponentci
    ti
    es;
    (2)The gover
    nor
    ,inthe case oft he sangguni
    ang panl
    ungsod of
    componentci
    ti
    esandt
    hesangguniangbayan;
    (3)Thecit
    yormunici
    palmay
    or,inthecaseofsangguniangbarangay
    ,
    uponrecommendat
    ionoft
    hesangguni
    angbarangayconcerned.
    o(b)Exceptforthesangguniangbarangay,onl
    ythenomineeofthepol i
    ti
    cal
    part
    yunderwhi cht
    hesanggunianmemberconcer nedhadbeenelectedand
    whoseelevati
    ontotheposit
    ionnexthigheri
    nrankcr
    eat
    edthelastvacancyi
    n
    thesangguni anshal
    lbeappoi nt
    edint hemannerher einabovepr ovided.The
    appoi nteeshallcomef rom t
    hesamepol i
    ti
    calpartyast hatofthesangguni an
    memberwhocausedt hevacancyandshal lser
    vet heunexpiredt erm ofthe
    vacantof f
    ice.Intheappoi ntmenther ei
    n ment ioned,anomi nation and a
    certi
    ficateofmember shipoft heappoi nteef r
    om t hehighestofficialofthe
    polit
    icalpar t
    yconcernedar econditionssi nequanon,andanyappoi ntment
    withoutsuchnomi nat
    ionandcer t
    if
    icati
    onshal lbenul landvoidabi nit
    ioand
    shallbeagr oundforadmi nistr
    ati
    veact ionagai nsttheof f
    ici
    alr esponsibl
    e
    therefore.
    o(c)Incaseorper
    manentvacancyiscausedbyasangguni anmemberwho
    doesnotbelongtoanypol
    iti
    calpar
    ty,thelocalchiefexecut
    iveshal
    l
    ,upon
    recommendati
    onoft
    hesanggunianconcerned,appointaqual
    if
    iedper
    sonto
    fi
    llt
    hevacancy
    .
    o(
    d)Incaseofv acancyintherepresent
    ati
    onofthey
    outhandt
    hebarangayin
    t
    hesanggunian,sai
    dv acancyshallbefi
    ll
    edaut
    omati
    cal
    lybyt
    heoff
    ici
    alnext
    i
    nrankoftheorganizat
    ionconcer
    ned.
    o Fact
    orst
    oconsi
    der
    :P-
    R-L
     1.Meani
    ngof“
    per
    manentv
    acancy
    ”
     2.Met
    hodof“
    ranki
    ng”
     3.Meani
    ngof“
    lastv
    acancyi
    ntheSangguni
    an”
     becausewhoev ercausedt
    hel astvacancyinthesangguni
    an,hi
    s
    poli
    ti
    calaff
    il
    iat
    ionwi l
    lmat
    ter,inwhichcase,hispartywillhav
    e
    theri
    ghttonomi nat
    etheof
    fici
    al whowillf
    il
    l-
    upthevacancy
    o Per
    manentVacancy
     Of
    fi
    ci
    al:
    F-R-
    FD-
    R-R-
    P
    i
    .Fi
    l
    lsahi
    gherv
    acantposi
    ti
    on
    i
    i
    .Ref
    usest
    oassumeof
    fi
    ce
    i
    i
    i.Fai
    l
    stoqual
    i
    fy
    i
    v.Di
    es
    v
    .Remov
    edf
    rom of
    fi
    ce
    v
    i.Resi
    gns
    vi
    i
    .Permanentl
    yIncapaci
    tat
    edtodischar
    get
    hef
    unct
    ionsofhi
    s
    of
    fice(
    eit
    herphy
    sical
    lyorot
    her
    wise)
    o Example:May
    orkidnappedandhi
    swher
    eabout
    sunknown;
    convi
    ctedbyf
    inal
    judgment
    “
    Ranki
    ng”
     Formula:Votesobt
    ained/
    tot
    alr
    egi
    ster
    edv
    oter
    sineachdi
    str
    ict
    (notv
    ot escast
    )
     Not
    e:Ati
    ebetweenandamongt hehighestranki
    ngsangguni
    an
    member
    sshal
    lberesol
    vedby“
    drawingoflot
    s”.
     Vacancy
     Howt
    ofi
    l
    lupt
    hev
    acancy
    ?
    oI
    tdependsont heki ndofLGUandi tdependsonwhet her
    theonewho“ causedt hel astvacancy”i samemberofa
    poli
    ti
    calpar t
    yornot .I
    fnotamemberofpol i
    ti
    calpart
    y,the
    Sanggunian concer ned “ recommends” t o either the
    Presi
    dent( Prov,HUC,I CC)ort heGov ernor(CC&Mun) ,as
    thecasemaybe.I famemberofpol it
    icalparty,
    thepartyof
    theoffi
    cialwho“ causedt helastvacancy ”shal
    lnominateto
    thePresidentort heGov ernor,asthecasemaybe.I finthe
    BarangaySangguni an,sincethereisnopol i
    ti
    calpart
    y,the
    Sanggunianconcer nedrecommendst otheMay or.
    I
    ll
    ust
    rat
    ion:
     May
    or:
    X(XXX)
     Vi
    ce-
    May
    or:
    Y(PPP)
     Counci
    l
    ors:
    o 1stA(
    KKK)
    o 2ndB(
    XXX)
    o 3rdC(
    XYZ)
    o 4thD(
    PPP)
    o 5thE(
    KKK)
    o 6thF(
    Independent
    )
    o 7thG(
    YYY)
    o 8thH(
    XYZ)
     SupposeMayorXdies.Howdoyoufi
    ll
    -upthevacancycausedby
    the deat
    h ofX includi
    ng t
    he v
    acancy thatmay affectthe
    sangguni
    an?
    o Ybecomesmay
    or.AbecomesVi
    cemay
    or.
    o Buthowt
    ofi
    l
    lthev he8thspot
    acancyont ?
     Far
    inascase
    o Butwho“
    causedt
    hel
    astv
    acancy
    ”?
     Nav
    arr
    ocase
    I
    t’
    sA,
    sot
    hatKKKwi
    l
    lnomi
    nat
    e.
    I
    ll
    ust
    rat
    ion:
     May
    or:
    X(XXX)
     Vi
    cemay
    or:
    Y(PPP)
     Counci
    l
    ors:
    o 1stA(
    Independent
    )
    o 2ndB(
    XXX)
    o 3rdC(
    PPP)
    o 4thD(
    PPP)
    o 5thE(
    KKK)
    o 6thF(
    Independent
    )
    o 7thG(
    YYY)
    o 8thH(
    PPP)
     Samef
    act
    s.Howt
    ofi
    l
    l-upt
    hev
    acancy
    ?
    o Far
    inascase
    o VICTORIAVSCOMELEC–TheSangguni anmemberwhor ecei
    vedthehi
    ghest
    ranki
    ngont hebasisoftheproport
    ionofvotesobtai
    nedbyeachcandi
    dateto
    thetot
    alnumberofr egi
    ster
    edvotersineachdist
    ri
    ctshoul
    dassumetheoffi
    ce
    oftheVice-
    Governor.
     Thelawi scleart
    hattheranki
    ngintheSangguni anshallbedet ermined
    onthebasi softhepr opor
    ti
    onoft hev ot
    esobt ai
    nedbyeachwi nning
    candidateofthet
    otalnumberofregist
    eredvot
    erswhoact uall
    yv ot
    ed.In
    suchacase, theCourthasnorecoursebuttomer elyappl
    yt helaw.The
    courtsmaynotspecul ateastot heprobableintentoft helegislat
    ure
    apartfrom t
    hewords.
     Pet
    it
    ioner'
    s contenti
    on i
    st her
    efore unt
    enable consi
    deri
    ng t
    he clear
    mandateofthel aw,whi
    chleavesnor oom forot
    herint
    erpr
    etat
    ionbutit
    mustv er
    ywel lbeaddressedtot helegi
    slati
    vebranchandnott othis
    Cour
    twhi chhasnopowert ochangethelaw.
    o RECABOVSCOMELEC–Thev acancyint
    hepositionofvice-
    may orduetot
    he
    i
    neli
    gibil
    i
    tyoft
    hewinni
    ngcandi
    dateshoul
    dbef i
    l
    ledupi naccordancewit
    hSec.
    44oft heLGCwhichprovi
    desthatthehi
    ghestrankingsanuggunianmember
    shal
    lbecomev i
    ce-
    mayor.
    Iti
    ssett
    ledt
    hatthedisquali
    fi
    cati
    onornon-quali
    fi
    cat
    ionofthewinnerin
    avicemayoral
    tyracedoesnotjusti
    fytheprocl
    amationofthedefeated
    candi
    datewhoobtainedthesecondhighestnumberofvot
    es.
     Hence, i
    ntheev entthathereinpeti
    ti
    onerKaiserRecabo, Jr
    .obt ainedthe
    plur
    ali
    tyofv otesi ntheMay11,1998el ectionsf orViceMay oroft he
    Municipali
    tyofMai nit
    ,Sur igao delNorte,t he vacancydue t ot he
    i
    neli
    gibil
    it
    yofher ei
    npet i
    ti
    onershoul dbef i
    lledupi naccor dancewi th
    Secti
    on44oft heLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991whi chpr ovidesthat
    thehighestrankingsanggunianmembershal lbecomet hevice-may or.
    I
    nthesum,wefi
    ndthattherespondentCommi ssi
    ondi
    dnotactwi
    thout
    j
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    onorwi
    thgraveabuseofdi scr
    eti
    onincancell
    i
    nganddenying
    duecour
    set
    opeti
    ti
    onerRecabo,Jr.
    'scert
    if
    icat
    eofcandi
    dacy
    .
    o FARINAS VS BARBA – WherevacancyiscausedbyaSangguni anBayan
    member not bel ongi
    ng to a pol i
    ti
    cal party
    ,t he Gov er
    nor, upon
    recommendat
    ionbytheSagnuggi
    nanBayan,
    appointst
    herepl
    acement.
     Sect
    ion45mustbeconst
    ruedt
    omeant
    hat—
    I
    .WherethePermanentVacancyisCausedbyaSangguni
    an
    MemberBel
    ongi
    ngt
    oaPolit
    icalPar
    ty
    o A. Sangguni ang Panl alawigan and Sangguni ang
    Panlungsod ofhighlyurbanized cit
    ies and independent
    componentci t
    ies— ThePr esident,t
    hrought heExecut i
    ve
    Secretar
    y,upon the nomination and cert
    if
    icati
    on oft he
    poli
    ti
    calpartyt o which the memberwho caused t he
    vacancybel
    onged, asprov
    idedi n§45(b).
    o B.Sangguniang Panlungsod ofcomponentci t
    ies and
    Sangguni
    angBayan— TheGov er
    norupont henominati
    on
    andcerti
    fi
    cat
    ionofthepolit
    icalpar
    tyt
    owhi chthemember
    whocausedthevacancybelonged,asprov
    idedin§45( b)
    .
    I
    I.Wher
    etheVacancyisCausedbyaSangguni
    anMemberNot
    Bel
    ongi
    ngt
    oaPolit
    icalPar
    ty
    o A. Sangguni ang Panl al
    awi gan and Sangguni ang
    Panl
    ungsod of hi ghl
    y ur banized and i ndependent
    componentcites— ThePr esident,t
    hroughtheExecut i
    ve
    Secr
    etary
    ,upon r ecommendat i
    on of the Sangguniang
    Panl
    alawiganorSangguniangPanl ungsodasthecasemay
    be.
    o B.Sangguniang Panl
    ungsod ofcomponentciti
    es and
    Sangguni
    angBayan—TheGov er
    noruponr
    ecommendati
    on
    oftheSangguni
    angPanlungsodorSangguni
    angBayanas
    thecasemaybe
    I
    II.Wheret he Vacancy is Caused by a Member of the
    Sangguni
    ang Barangay — Ci t
    y or Muni ci
    pal May
    or upon
    recommendati
    onoftheSangguni
    angBarangay
     Thereisonlyoner ulegoverni
    ngappoi ntmentstotheSangguniang
    Barangay
    .Anyvacancyther
    eincausedbyt hecessat
    ionf
    rom of
    fi
    ceofa
    membermustbemadebyt hemay orupontherecommendati
    onofthat
    Sangguni
    an.Thereasonisthatmember softheSangguni
    angBarangay
    arenotal
    lowedtohavepart
    yaf f
    il
    iat
    ions.
    Indeedt hereisnor easonf orsupposi ngt hatt hosewhodr afted§45
    i
    nt endedt omaket hemanneroff i
    ll
    ingv acanci esi nt heSangguni ans,
    createdbymember swhodonotbel ongt oanypol it
    icalparty
    ,di f
    ferent
    from t hemanneroff i
    ll
    i
    ngsuchv acancieswhencr eatedbymember s
    whobel ongt opoli
    ti
    calpar t
    yorpar t
    ies.Thepr ov i
    sionf orthefir
    stmust
    appr oximatet heprov i
    si
    onf orthesecondsi tuation.Anydi ffer
    encei n
    procedur emustbel i
    mi t
    edt othef actt hati nt hecaseofv acanci es
    causedbyt hosewhohav epol i
    ti
    calaf fi
    li
    ationst herei sapar t
    ywhi ch
    cannomi nateareplacementwhi lether eisnonei nt hecaseoft hose
    whohav enopol i
    ti
    calaffi
    li
    ati
    on.Accor dingly,wher et hereisnopol iti
    cal
    par t
    yt omakeanomi nati
    on,theSangguni an, wher ethev acancyoccur s,
    must be consider
    ed the appr
    opriat
    e aut hori
    tyf or maki
    ng the
    recommendati
    on,byanal
    ogytovacanci
    escr eatedintheSangguni
    ang
    Barangaywhosemembersarebylawpr ohi
    bitedfrom hav
    inganypart
    y
    affi
    li
    ati
    on.
     Havingdeterminedthatappointmentsincaseofvacanci
    escausedby
    Sanggunianmember swhodonotbel ongtoanypoli
    ti
    calpar
    tymustbe
    madei naccordancewi ththe" recommendat
    ion"oftheSanggunians
    concerned wherethev acanciesoccur,thenextquesti
    on is:I
    st he
    appointi
    ng aut hor
    it
    y l i
    mited t o the appoint
    ment of t hose
    "r
    ecommended"t ohi
    m?Wet hinkanaf f
    ir
    mati
    veanswermustbegi ven
    tothequesti
    on.
     Theappoi nti
    ngauthorit
    yisnotboundt oappoi ntanyonerecommended
    tohim byt heSangguni anconcer ned.Thepowerofappoi ntmentisa
    discret
    ionarypower.Ont heot herhand,neitheristheappointi
    ngpower
    vested wi t
    h so l arge a di scr
    eti
    on t hat he can di sregar
    d the
    recommendat i
    on of t he Sangguni an concer ned, Si nce the
    recommendat i
    ontakest hepl aceofnomi nati
    onbypol i
    ti
    calparty,t
    he
    recommendat i
    onmustl i
    kewi sebeconsi deredaconditi
    onsi nequanon
    forthev al
    i
    dityoft
    heappoi nt
    ment ,byanalogytotheprovi
    sionof§45(b).
     Theupshotoft hi
    si sthatint hecaseatbar ,si
    ncenei therpetit
    ionerAl
    Nacinonorr espondentEdwar dPal af oxwasappoi ntedi nthemanner
    i
    ndicatedint hepr ecedingdiscussi on,nei t
    herisent i
    tledtot heseati n
    theSangguniangBay anofSanNi col as,Il
    ocosNor t
    ewhi chwasv acated
    bymemberCar l
    i
    toB.Domi ngo.Forwhi l
    epet iti
    onerAlNaci nowas
    appointedbyt hepr ovi
    ncialgover nor ,hewasnotr ecommendedbyt he
    SangguniangBay anofSanNi colas.Ont heot herhand,r espondent
    Edwar dPalafoxwasr ecommendedbyt heSangguni angBay anbuti t
    wast hemay orandnott heprovincialgov ernorwhoappoi ntedhim.
    o NAVARROVSCOMELEC
     Whati scr
    uciali
    st heinterpr
    etati
    onofSect i
    on45( b)provi
    dingthat"xxx
    onlythenomi neeoft hepol i
    ti
    calpartyunderwhi cht heSangguni an
    memberconcer ned has been el ect
    ed and whose el evati
    on tot he
    positi
    onnexthigherinr ankcreatedthelastvacancyintheSangguni an
    shallbeappointedinthemannerher ei
    nabov eprovi
    ded.Theappoi ntee
    shallcomefrom t hepol i
    ti
    calpartyasthatoftheSangguni anmember
    whocausedt hev acancyxxx."
     Ther easonbehindt herightgivent oapol i
    ti
    calpart
    ytonomi nat
    ea
    repl
    acementwher eaper manentv acancyoccursi
    ntheSangguni
    anisto
    maintainthepar
    tyrepresentat
    ionaswi ll
    edbythepeopl
    eintheel
    ecti
    on.
     Withtheelevat
    ionofpetit
    ionerTamay o,whobelongedt oREFORMA- LM,
    totheposi t
    ionofVi ce-
    May or,av acancyoccurr
    edi nt heSangguni an
    thatshoul
    dbef il
    l
    edupwi thsomeonewhoshoul dbel ongtot hepolit
    ical
    partyofpeti
    ti
    onerTamay o.Otherwise,REFORMA-LM'sr epresent
    ationin
    theSanggunianwouldbedi minished.Toarguethatthev acancycreated
    was t hatformerly hel
    d by Rol ando Lalas,a LAKAS- NUCD-Kampi
    member ,wouldresultint hei ncreaseoft hatpart
    y'
    sr epresentationin
    theSangguni anattheexpenseoft heREFORMA- LM.Thisinterpretat
    ion
    i
    scont raryt otheletterandspi r
    itoft hel aw andthusv i
    olati
    veofa
    fundament alrul
    einst atutoryconst ructi
    onwhi chist oascer tainand
    giveeff
    ectt otheintentandpur poseoft hel aw.Asear l
    i
    erpoi ntedout,
    thereasonbehi ndpar.( b),secti
    on44oft heLocalGov er
    nmentCodei s
    themai ntenancepartyr epresentationintheSangguni aninaccor dance
    withthewi l
    loftheelectorate.
     The" lastvacancy
    "int heSangguni anreferst othatcr eatedbyt he
    el
    ev ati
    onoft hememberf ormer l
    yoccupy ingthenexthi gheri
    nr ank
    whichi nturnalsohadbecomev acantbyanyoft hecausesal ready
    enumer at
    ed.Thet er
    m" l
    astv acancy "i
    st hususedi nSec.45( b)to
    di
    fferenti
    ateitf
    rom t
    heot herv acancyprev i
    ousl
    ycr eated.Theterm by
    nomeansr efer
    stot hevacancyi nt heNo.8posi ti
    onwhi choccurred
    wit
    ht he el
    ecti
    on ofRolando Lal as tot he seventh positi
    on i
    nt he
    Sanggunian.Suchconstr
    uctionwi l
    lresul
    tinabsurdity.
     Petiti
    onersal soal l
    eget hattheCourtofAppeal serr
    edi ngivi
    ngdue
    courset othepet i
    ti
    onbecauset heveri
    fi
    cat
    ionisdefecti
    ve.Iti
    sargued
    thattheaffidavitmer el
    ystatedthatt
    heall
    egati
    onsthereinare"
    trueand
    correcttot hebestofmyownknowl edgeandi nfor
    mat i
    on"whereas
    Section4,Rul e7oft heRul esofCourtspeci
    fical
    l
    yr equi
    resthatthe
    all
    egationsbe" trueandcor r
    ectofhisknowl
    edgeandbel i
    ef.
    "
     Thecontenti
    oniswi thoutmer i
    t.Veri
    ficationbasedont heaffiant
    'sown
    knowledge and informat i
    on i
    s sufficientundert he ci r
    cumst ances.
    Veri
    fi
    cati
    oni smer elyaf ormalandnotaj uri
    sdicti
    onalr equisit
    ewhi ch
    doesnotaffectthev al
    idi
    tyoreffi
    cacyoft hepleading,orthej uri
    sdict
    ion
    ofthecourt.Therefore,adefecti
    vev eri
    f i
    cati
    on,asi nt hepr esentcase,
    doesnotr enderthepl eadingort hepet iti
    oni nvali
    dandt heCour tof
    Appealsdi
    dnoter ringivi
    ngduecour set ot hepetiti
    on.
     WHEREFORE,
    thepet
    it
    ioni
    sher
    ebyGRANTED.
    o DAMASENVSTUMAMAO
     Facts:TheVi ceMay orofSanI sidr
    oIsabeladi edsoshewasr epl
    acedby
    thehi ghestr ankingmemberoft heSanggui niangBay anwhowasa
    memberofLDP.Becauseoft heper manentv acancyi ntheSangguinang
    Bayan,May orLimr ecommendedt oGov ernorPadacat heappoi nt
    ment
    ofTumamaoashewasamemberofLDP.Tumamaowasappoi nted,
    tookhi soat handat tendedsessi onsaroundApr i
    l2005.OnMay2005,
    Atty.Damasen,becameamemberofLDPandgothol dofal etterof
    nomi nati
    ont ot heSangguni anBay anf r
    om pr ovincialchair
    manofLDP
    Balauagaddr essedt oGov er
    norPadaca.Hewasappoi ntedtoSB,t ook
    his oath.Butwhen he at tended sessions he was notr ecognized
    becauseoft hepr esenceofTumamao.Sohef il
    edapet i
    ti
    onf orquo
    warrantowi thpr ay erforwr i
    tofpr eli
    minar yinjunct i
    onwi ththeRTC.I t
    was gr anted,and ev entual
    lyt he RTC r esolved t hatDamasen was
    enti
    tledtot heposi ti
    on.Tumamaoappeal edt ot heCAandi truledthat
    Damasenwasnotent itl
    edtot heposit
    ionbuti twasTumamao.
    I
    ssue:WhetherornotDamasen i
    s ent
    it
    led t
    othe posi
    ti
    on i
    nthe
    Sanggui
    nangBay
    an.
     Rul
    ing:TheSChel
    dthatDamasenwasnotent
    it
    ledandi
    tshoul
    dbe
    Tumamao.
     Ascanbegl eanedfr
    om Sec.45,t helawprovidesf orcondit
    ionsforthe
    rul
    eofsuccessiontoapply:First,theappointeeshal lcomef rom the
    samepol i
    ti
    calpar
    tyasthatoftheSangguni anmemberwhocausedt he
    vacancy.Second,the appointee musthav e a nomi nat
    ion and a
    Certi
    fi
    cateofMembershipfr
    om t hehighestoffi
    cialofthepolit
    icalpart
    y
    concerned
     Letterf
    rom t
    heLDPt hatDamasenisnotabonaf idemember-Whati s
    damningtothecauseofDamasen,isthel ett
    erofDemar eeJ.
    B.Raval
    ,
    the Deput
    ySecr et
    aryCounseloft he LDP,addr essed t
    o Gov
    ernor
    Padacawhereinitiscategor
    ical
    l
    ystat
    edt hatDamaseni snotabona
    fi
    dememberoft heLDP,towit:
     Asr egardsthecl aim ofMr .LuckyMagal aDamasen,pl easebe
    i
    nformed t hatpur suantt ot heLDPConst i
    tut
    ion,Mr.Damasen
    doesnotappeari nourr ecordsasabonaf i
    dememberoft heLDP.
    Whilei tist r
    ue t hatMr .Damasen mayhav e been issued a
    Certi
    ficateofMember shipdat edMay5,2005byourPr ovi
    nci
    al
    Chairman f or Isabela, Mr s. Ana Beni t
    a G. Bal auag, his
    member shi
    phasnotbeenendor sed( event odate)tot heLDP
    National Councilf or approv al. Besides,the Cer ti
    fi
    cate of
    CandidacyofMr .Damasenf ort heMay10,2004el ect
    ionsshows
    thathewasnomi natedbyt he“ Lakas-CMDPar t
    y ”
     Liket heCA,t hisCourthasnor easont odoubtthev er
    acit
    yoft hel et
    ter
    comi ngf r
    om theLDPl eadership.Qui teclearl
    y,from thet enoroft he
    l
    et ter,itappear sthatt hemember ship ofDamasen st il
    lhad t o be
    appr ov ed by t he LDP Nat i
    onal Counci l. Thus, not wit
    hst anding
    Damasen’ s procurementofa Cer t
    if
    icate ofMember shipf r
    om LDP
    Prov incialChai rmanBal auag,t ot hisCour t
    ’smi nd,thesamemer ely
    star t
    edt heprocessofhi smember shipintheLDP,andi tdidnotmean
    aut omat i
    cmember shipthereto.Whi leitmaybear guedthatDamasen
    wasal readyamemberuponr eceiptofaCer ti
    ficateofMember ship
    from LDPPr ovinci
    alChai r
    manBal auag,thisCour tcannotimposesuch
    view ont heLDP.I ftheLDPl eader shipsay sthatt hemember shipof
    Damasenst i
    llhadt obeendor sedt otheNat i
    onalCounci lforappr oval
    ,
    thent hisCour tcannotquest i
    onsuchr equir
    ementi ntheabsenceof
    ev i
    dence t ot he contrary.Iti s wellset tl
    ed thatt he discretion of
    accept ingmember stoapol i
    ti
    calpar tyisar i
    ghtandapr i
    vil
    ege, apurely
    i
    nt ernalmat t
    er,whichthisCour tcannotmeddl ein.
    I
    nr esol
    vi
    ngthepeti
    ti
    onatbar ,t
    hisCour
    tisguidedbyNav ar
    rov.Cour
    t
    ofAppeals(Nav
    arr
    o),wherethisCour
    texpl
    ainedthereasonbehi
    ndthe
    rul
    eofsuccessi
    onunderSec.45(b)ofRA7160, t
    owit
    :
     Ther
    easonbehi
    ndt
    her
    ightgi
    vent
    oapol
    i
    ticalpar
    tyt
    onomi
    nat
    e
    ar epl
    acementwhere a permanentvacancy occur
    sinthe
    Sangguni
    anistomaintai
    nthepart
    yrepr
    esentat
    ionaswil
    l
    edby
    thepeopl
    eintheel
    ect
    ion.
     Witht heelevati
    onofpet it
    ionerTamay o,whobelongedt oREFORMA- LM,
    totheposi ti
    onofVi ce-May or,av acancyoccurredi nt heSanggunian
    thatshoul dbef il
    l
    edupwi thsomeonebel ongingtot hepoliti
    calpar
    tyof
    peti
    tionerTamay o.Ot herwise,REFORMA- LM’sr epresentati
    on inthe
    Sangguni anwoul dbedi minished.Xxx.Asearli
    erpointedout ,t
    hereason
    behind Par .( b),Sec.45 oft he LocalGov ernmentCode i st he
    maint enanceofpar t
    yr epresentati
    oni ntheSangguni ani naccordance
    withthewi lloftheelectorate.
     Sincet heper manentv acancyi nt heSangguni anoccurredbecauseof
    theelev ati
    onofLDPmemberAl onzot ov i
    ce- mayor,i
    tfollowsthatt he
    persont osucceedhershoul dal sobel ongt ot heLDPsoast opreserve
    partyrepresentat i
    on.Thus,t hisCour tcannotcount enanceDamasen’ s
    i
    nsi st
    encei nclingingt oanappoi ntmentwhenhei sinf actnotabona
    fi
    dememberoft heLDP.Whi let her ev ocati
    onoft henomi nati
    ongi ven
    toDamasencameaf terthef actofhi sappoi ntment,thisCourtcannot
    ruleinhisf avor
    , becauset hev eryf ir
    str equirementofSec.45( b)isthat
    the appoi ntee mustcome f r om t he pol i
    ticalpartyas t hatoft he
    Sangguni anmemberwhocausedt hev acancy .Tostress,Damaseni s
    notabonaf i
    dememberoft heLDP.
    In addi t
    ion,appoi nt
    ing Damasen woul d notser vet he wil
    loft he
    electorate.Hehimsel fadmi ttsthathewaspr ev i
    ouslyamemberoft he
    Lakas-CMD,andt hather anf ortheposi ti
    onofMay orundert hesai d
    partyont heMay2004El ect i
    ons.Likewise,hedi dnotr esignfrom t he
    saidpar tywhenhej oinedt heLDP,andev enadmi tt
    edt hathi
    sj oini
    ng
    theLDPwasnotbecauseofpar tyideal
    s,butbecausehej ustwant edt o.
    How cant hewil
    loft heel ectoratebebestser v ed,giventhefor egoing
    admi ssionsofDamasen?I fthisCour tweret ogr anthereinpetition,it
    woul def fecti
    vel
    ydi mini
    sht hepar tyrepresentati
    onoft heLDPi nthe
    Sangguni an,asDamasenwoul dst i
    llbeconsider edamemberoft he
    Lakas-CMD,nothav i
    ngr esignedt herefr
    om,ascenar i
    ot hatdefeat sthe
    purpose oft he law,and t hatul ti
    matelyruns cont rarythe rat i
    o of
    Nav arr
    o.
     Last
    ly,
    therecor
    dsofthecaser evealthatTumamaohast henomination
    ofSenatorEdgardoJ.Angar a,thePar t
    yChair
    manand,t her
    efore,the
    hi
    ghestoffi
    ci
    aloftheLDP.Inaddi tion,heisamemberi ngoodstanding
    ofthe LDP.Thus,gi ven t
    he f oregoing,iti
    st hisCourt
    ’sview that
    Tumamaohascompl i
    edwitht herequirementsoflaw.
    - 2.Tempor
    aryVacancyi
    ntheOf
    fi
    ceoft
    heLCE
    o Sect
    ion46.Tempor
    aryVacancyi
    ntheOf
    fi
    ceoft
    heLocalChi
    efExecut
    ive.–
    o(a)When the governor,cit
    yormuni ci
    palmay or,orpunong barangayi s
    tempor
    ari
    lyincapaci
    tatedtoperfor
    m hi
    sdutiesforphysicalorl
    egalreasons
    suchas,butnotlimitedto,leav
    eofabsence,tr
    avelabroad,andsuspension
    from offi
    ce,thev ice-governor,ci
    tyormuni ci
    palvice-mayor,ort hehighest
    ranking sangguniang bar angay membershal laut omati
    cally exerci
    se the
    power sandper f
    ormt hedut i
    esandf uncti
    onsoft helocalchiefexecut i
    ve
    concerned,exceptt hepowert o appoi
    nt,suspend,ordi smissempl oyees
    whichcanonl ybeexer ci
    sedi ftheperi
    odoft empor aryincapacit
    yexceeds
    thir
    ty(30)workingday s.
    o(b)Sai dtemporaryincapaci
    ty shal
    lterminat
    e upon submission tot he
    appropri
    atesangguni
    anofawr i
    tt
    endeclarat
    ionbythelocalchiefexecut
    ive
    concernedthathehasreport
    edbackt ooffi
    ce.I
    ncaseswheret hetemporary
    i
    ncapacityisduet ol
    egalcauses,thelocalchi
    efexecut
    iveconcernedshall
    alsosubmitnecessar
    ydocument sshowingthatsai
    dlegalcausesnol onger
    exist
    .
    o(c)Whent heincumbentl ocalchiefexecutiv
    ei straveli
    ngwi t
    hint hecountry
    butoutsidehist err
    itor
    ialj
    uri
    sdicti
    onf oraper iodnotexceedi ngt hree(3)
    consecuti
    veday s,hemaydesignat einwrit
    ingtheof f
    icer-
    in-
    chargeoft hesaid
    offi
    ce.Suchaut hori
    zati
    onshallspeci fythepower sandf unctionst hatthe
    l
    ocalof fi
    cialconcerned shal
    lexer ci
    se int he absence oft he localchief
    executi
    veexceptthepowert oappoi nt
    ,suspend,ordismissempl oyees.(S-A-D)
    o(d)I ntheev ent ,however,thatt helocalchiefexecuti
    veconcer nedf ai
    lsor
    refusest oissuesuchaut horizati
    on,thev i
    ce-gover
    nor,thecit
    yormuni cipal
    vice-mayor,ort hehighestr ankingsangguni angbarangaymember ,ast he
    casemaybe, shallhavetherightt oassumet hepowers,duti
    es,andf uncti
    ons
    oft hesaidof ficeont hefour th(4th)dayofabsenceoft hesaidl ocalchief
    executive,subjecttotheli
    mitat i
    onsprovidedinsubsecti
    on(c)hereof.
    o(e)Exceptaspr ov i
    ded above,thelocalchi
    efexecut i
    veshallin no case
    authori
    zeanyl ocaloffi
    ci
    altoassumet hepowers,
    duties,andfunct
    ionsofthe
    offi
    ce,otherthant hev i
    ce-gov
    ernor,t
    hecityormunicipalvice-
    may or
    ,orthe
    highestr
    ankingsangguni angbarangaymember,asthecasemaybe.
    oi
    .Inst
    ancesofTempor
    aryVacancy(
    L-T-
    S-O)
     a.l
    eav
    eofabsence
     b.t
    rav
    elabr
    oad
     c.suspensi
    onf
    rom of
    fi
    ce
     d.ot
    hert
    empor
    aryi
    ncapaci
    tyf
    orphy
    sical
    orl
    egal
    reasons
    oi
    i
    .Whomayexer
    ciset
    hepower
    sinanact
    ingcapaci
    ty
    In case oftemporar
    yincapaci
    ty,the vi
    ce orthe hi
    ghestranki
    ng
    sanggunianmember(HRS)shal
    lautomati
    cal
    lyexer
    ciset
    hepowersand
    functi
    onsoftheLCE.
    oi
    i
    i.Whatpower
    smayandmaynotbeexer
    cisedbyt
    heact
    ingof
    fi
    cial
     Allpowersandf uncti
    onsoftheLCEcanbeexer ci
    sedbytheviceorthe
    HRS,except t he powerst o appoint,suspend or di
    smiss (SAD)
    employees,unl
    esst hetemporar
    yincapaci
    tyexceeds30days,inwhich
    case,t
    heactingof f
    ici
    almaynowexerciset
    heSADpower s.
     Hence,i
    nPEOPLEVS BUSTAMANTE,t
    hev
    icemay
    or(
    whowast
    he
    act
    ingmay
    or)washel
    dtohav
    ethepowertosol
    emni
    zemarri
    age,
    whi
    ch
    i
    sapowerbelongi
    ngtothemayorundert
    heLGC.It
    ’snotoneoft
    he
    SADpower
    s.
    oi
    v.Per
    iodoft
    empor
    aryi
    ncapaci
    ty
    ov.“
    Off
    icer
    -i
    n-char
    ge”;whenandhow t
    odesi
    gnat
    eanOI
    C;whatpower
    smay
    andmaynotbeexercisedbyt
    heOIC
    ov
    i.Mandat
    oryOI
    C;condi
    ti
    ons
     OI
    CvsAct
    ingOf
    fi
    ci
    al
     TheOICi stobedesi gnatedbyt heLCEwhenhei s“ t
    rav
    eli
    ng
    wit
    hinthecount r
    ybutout sidehisterr
    itor
    ialj
    uri
    sdict
    ion”fora
    per
    iod notexceeding 3 day s;whil
    et he act
    ing off
    ici
    alshall
    aut
    omat i
    cal
    lyexerci
    sethepower soft
    heLCEwhenhei strav
    eli
    ng
    out
    sidethecountr
    yortravel
    ingabroad
     TheOI C( whi
    chthemay ormayappoint,eit
    hert heviceorHRS)
    shallper f
    ormthepowersandf unct
    ionsasmaybedel egatedto
    him byt heLCEexceptt
    hepower stoappoint,suspendordismiss
    empl oyees;whil
    et heacti
    ng off
    ici
    alexercisesal lpowersand
    functionsoftheLCEexcepttheSADpower s
    I
    ftheLCEhasnotdesi
    gnatedanOI
    C,t
    heVi
    ceortheHRShast
    he
    t
    h
    ri
    ghttoassumetheoffi
    ceoftheLCEonthe4 dayasacti
    ng
    off
    ici
    al.
    - 3.Appr
    ovalofLeav
    eofAbsences
    o Sect
    ion47.Appr
    ovalofLeav
    esofAbsence.–
    o(
    a)Leav
    esofabsenceofl
    ocalel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    cial
    sshal
    lbeappr
    ovedasf
    oll
    ows:
    (1)Leavesofabsenceoft hegov ernorand themay orofahighl
    y
    urbani
    zedcit
    yoranindependentcomponentcityshal
    lbeappr
    ovedby
    thePresi
    dentorhi
    sdul
    yauthori
    zedrepresent
    ati
    ve;
    (2)Leav esofabsenceofv i
    ce-gov
    ernororacit
    yormuni ci
    palvi
    ce-mayor
    shallbeappr ovedbyt hel
    ocalchi
    efexecut
    iveconcer
    ned:Provi
    ded,That
    thel eavesofabsenceoft hemember soft hesanggunian and i
    ts
    empl oyeesshal lbeapprovedbythev i
    ce-
    governororcit
    yormuni ci
    pal
    vice-
    may orconcerned;
    (3)Leavesofabsenceofthecomponentci
    tyormuni
    cipalmay
    orshal
    l
    beapprovedbythegover
    nor;and
    (4)Leavesofabsenceofapunongbarangayshallbeappr
    ovedbyt he
    cit
    y or muni ci
    palmayor
    :Pr ovi
    ded,That leaves of absence of
    sangguniang bar
    angaymembers shal
    lbe approved bythe punong
    barangay.
    o(b)Whenevert
    heappli
    cat i
    onforleav
    eofabsenceher
    einabovespeci
    fi
    edisnot
    acteduponwithi
    nfive(5)wor ki
    ngdaysafterr
    ecei
    ptthereof
    ,theappli
    cat
    ion
    forleav
    eofabsenceshallbedeemedapproved.
    PARTI
    X–DI
    SCI
    PLI
    NARYACTI
    ONS
    - 1.Gr
    ounds
    o Secti
    on60.Groundsf orDi
    sci
    pli
    nar
    yAct
    ions.-Anel
    ect
    ivelocalof
    fi
    cialmaybe
    di
    scipli
    ned,suspended,orremoved f
    rom offi
    ce on anyoft he fol
    lowi
    ng
    grounds:
    (
    a)Di
    sloy
    alt
    ytot
    heRepubl
    i
    coft
    hePhi
    l
    ippi
    nes;
    (
    b)Cul
    pabl
    evi
    olat
    ionoft
    heConst
    it
    uti
    on;
    (c)Dishonest
    y,oppr
    essi
    on,mi
    sconducti
    nof
    fi
    ce,gr
    ossnegl
    i
    gence,or
    derel
    i
    ctionofduty
    ;
    (d)Commissi
    onofanyoff
    ensei
    nvol
    vingmor
    alt
    urpi
    tudeoranof
    fense
    puni
    shabl
    ebyatl
    eastpr
    isi
    onmayor;
    (
    e)Abuseofaut
    hor
    it
    y;
    (f
    )Unaut hori
    zedabsencef orfift
    een(15)consecut
    ivewor ki
    ngdays,
    exceptint he case ofmember s ofthe sangguni
    ang panlal
    awi
    gan,
    sangguni
    ang panl ungsod, sangguni
    ang bayan, and sangguni
    ang
    barangay
    ;
    (
    g)Appli
    cat
    ionf
    or,oracquisi
    ti
    onof,f
    orei
    gnciti
    zenshi
    porr
    esi
    denceor
    t
    hestat
    usofanimmigrantofanot
    hercountr
    y;and
    (
    h)Suchot
    hergr
    oundsasmaybepr
    ovi
    dedi
    nthi
    sCodeandot
    herl
    aws.
    o An el
    ecti
    velocaloff
    ici
    almay be removed f
    rom of
    fi
    ce on t
    he gr
    ounds
    enumerat
    edabovebyorderoft
    hepr
    opercour
    t.
    - 2.Fi
    l
    ingofCompl
    aint
    o Sect
    ion 61.Form and Fi
    li
    ng ofAdmi nist
    rat
    ive Compl
    aint
    s.-A v er
    if
    ied
    complai
    ntagai
    nstanyer
    ri
    nglocalel
    ect
    iveoff
    ici
    alshal
    lbepr
    eparedasf
    oll
    ows:
    (a)A complai
    ntagai
    nstanyel ecti
    veoff
    ici
    alofaprovince,ahighl
    y
    urbani
    zedci
    ty,ani
    ndependentcomponentci
    tyorcomponentci
    tyshal
    l
    befil
    edbef
    oretheOff
    iceofthePresi
    dent
    ;
    (b)Acompl aintagai
    nstanyelectiveoffi
    cialofamuni
    cipal
    ityshal
    lbe
    fi
    led befor
    et hesangguniang panlal
    awigan whosedecisi
    on maybe
    appealedtotheOffi
    ceofthePresident;
    and
    (c)A compl
    aintagai
    nstanyel ect
    ivebar
    angayoff
    ici
    alshal
    lbefil
    ed
    befor
    ethesangguni
    angpanlungsodorsangguni
    angbayanconcer
    ned
    whosedeci
    sionshal
    lbef
    inalandexecut
    ory.
    - 3.Not
    iceofHear
    ing
    o Sect
    ion62.Not
    iceofhear
    ing.–
    o(a)Withinsev en(7)daysaftert
    headmi ni
    str
    ativ
    ecomplainti
    sfi
    led,t
    heOffi
    ce
    oft hePr esidentort hesangguni
    anconcer ned,asthecasemaybe,shal l
    requir
    et her espondenttosubmithi
    sv eri
    fi
    edanswerwi t
    hinfi
    ft
    een(15)days
    from receiptthereof
    ,andcommencet hei nvesti
    gat
    ionofthecasewithi
    nten
    (10)day safterrecei
    ptofsuchansweroftherespondent
    .
    o(b)When the respondenti
    s an electi
    ve offi
    cialofa pr ovi
    nce orhi ghl
    y
    urbani
    zedcit
    y,suchheari
    ngandinvesti
    gati
    onshal lbeconductedintheplace
    whereher endersorholdsoff
    ice.Foral lotherlocalelect
    iveoffi
    cial
    s,the
    venueshal
    lbetheplacewher
    ethesangguni anconcernedislocat
    ed.
    o(c)Howev er
    ,noi nv
    estigationshal lbeheldwi thi
    nninet
    y(90)day
    simmediat
    ely
    pri
    ortoanyl ocalelection,andnopr ev
    ent i
    v esuspensi
    onshallbei
    mposed
    withi
    nthesaidper i
    od.I fpr ev
    entivesuspensi onhasbeenimposedpri
    ort
    othe
    90-day peri
    od immedi ately preceding localelecti
    on,itshal
    lbe deemed
    automatical
    l
    yl i
    ft
    edupont hestartofaforesaidperi
    od.
    - 4.Pr
    event
    iveSuspensi
    on
    o Sect
    ion63.Pr
    event
    iveSuspensi
    on.–
    o(
    a)Pr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    onmaybei
    mposed:
    (1)Byt he Presi
    dent,i
    fthe respondentisan elect
    ive of
    fi
    cialofa
    prov
    ince,ahighl
    yurbani
    zedoranindependentcomponentcit
    y;
    (2)Bythe governor
    ,ifthe r
    espondenti
    s an el
    ect
    ive of
    fi
    cialofa
    componentci
    tyormunici
    pal
    i
    ty;or
    (
    3)Byt
    hemay
    or,
    ift
    her
    espondenti
    sanel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    cialoft
    hebar
    angay
    .
    o(b)Preventi
    v esuspensi onmaybei mposedatanyt imeaf tertheissuesar e
    j
    oined,whent heev i
    denceofgui ltisstrong,andgi vent hegr avityoft he
    offense,therei s greatpr obabi
    li
    tythatt he conti
    nuance i n off
    ice oft he
    respondentcoul dinfl
    uencet hewitnessesorposeat hreatt othesafetyand
    i
    ntegrit
    y oft he r ecords and ot herev i
    dence:Pr ov i
    ded,That ,any single
    preventi
    vesuspensi onofl ocalel
    ecti
    veoffi
    cialsshallnotext endbey ondsixty
    (60)day s:Prov i
    ded,f ur t
    her,Thatint heev entthatsev eraladmi nist
    rat
    ive
    cases ar ef i
    led agai nstan el ecti
    ve offi
    cial,he cannotbe pr eventiv
    ely
    suspendedf ormor ethanni net
    y(90)dayswi t
    hinasi ngley earont hesame
    groundorgr oundsexi stingandknownatt het imeoft hef i
    rstsuspension.
    o(c)Uponexpi rat i
    onoft hepr eventi
    vesuspensi on,t
    hesuspendedel ectiv
    e
    off
    ici
    alshal lbe deemed r einstat
    ed in offi
    ce wi t
    houtpr ejudice t
    ot he
    conti
    nuati
    onoft heproceedingsagai nsthi
    m,whi chshallbet ermi nat
    edwithi
    n
    onehundredt went y(120)day sf r
    om theti
    mehewasf ormal lynot i
    fi
    edofthe
    caseagainsthim.Howev er
    ,ifthedelayintheproceedingsoft hecasei sdue
    tohisfaul
    t,neglect,orrequest,otherthant
    heappealdul yfi
    led, thedurat
    ionof
    suchdelayshallnotbecount edincomput ingthet i
    meoft ermi nati
    onofthe
    case.
    o(d)Anyabuseoftheexer
    ciseofthepowerofpr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    onshal
    lbe
    penal
    izedasabuseofaut
    hori
    ty.
    oi
    .Aut
    hor
    it
    y
    oi
    i
    .Gr
    ounds
    oi
    i
    i.Dur
    ati
    on
    oi
    v.Pr
    ohi
    bit
    ion
    - 5.Sal
    aryofRespondentpendi
    ngpr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    on
    o Secti
    on64.Sal aryofRespondentPendi ng Suspensi
    on.-Ther espondent
    off
    ici
    alprevent
    ively suspended f
    rom of fi
    ce shal
    lreceive no salary or
    compensati
    ondur i
    ngsuchsuspension;butuponsubsequentexonerati
    onand
    rei
    nstat
    ement,heshal lbepaidfullsal
    aryorcompensat i
    oni ncl
    udingsuch
    emolumentsaccrui
    ngdur i
    ngsuchsuspension.
    - 6.Ri
    ght
    sofRespondent
    o Secti
    on65.Ri ghtsofRespondent .-Ther espondentshallbeaccordedful
    l
    opport
    unitytoappearanddef endhimselfi
    npersonorbycounsel,toconfr
    ont
    andcross-examinet hewi
    tnessesagainsthim,andt orequi
    retheatt
    endance
    ofwitnessesandt heproductionofdocument ar
    ypr ocessofsubpoenaor
    subpoenaducest ecum.
    - 7.Penal
    ty;
    eff
    ect
    s
    o Sect
    ion66.For
    m andNot
    iceofDeci
    sion.–
    o(a)Theinv esti
    gati
    onoft hecaseshal lbeterminatedwithi
    nninety(90)day s
    from t
    hest artt
    hereof.Withinthi
    rt
    y( 30)daysaft
    ertheendoft heinvesti
    gati
    on,
    the Offi
    ce oft he Pr esi
    dentort he sanggunian concerned shal
    lr endera
    decisi
    oninwr i
    ti
    ngst ati
    ngclearl
    yanddi sti
    nctl
    yt hefactsandthereasonsf or
    suchdeci sion.Copiesofsai ddeci sionshalli
    mmedi at
    elybef ur
    nishedthe
    respondentandal li
    nterestedpart
    ies.
    o(b)Thepenal t
    yofsuspensionshallnotexceedt heunexpiredter
    m oft he
    respondentoraperi
    odofsix(6)monthsf orev
    er yadmini
    str
    ati
    veoff
    ense,nor
    shallsai
    dpenaltybeabartothecandidacyoft herespondentsosuspended
    aslongashemeet sthequal
    ifi
    cat
    ionsrequir
    edfortheoffi
    ce.
    o(c)The penal
    tyofr emov
    alfr
    om of
    fi
    ce asa resultofan admini
    strat
    ive
    i
    nvest
    igati
    onshal
    lbeconsi
    der
    edabartot
    hecandidacyoft
    herespondentfor
    anyel
    ecti
    veposit
    ion.
    - 8.Admi
    nist
    rat
    iveAppeal
    s
    o Sect
    ion67.Administ
    rat
    iveAppeals.-Deci
    sionsi
    nadmi
    nistr
    ati
    vecasesmay
    ,
    wit
    hinthi
    rt
    y(30)daysfr
    om recei
    ptther
    eof,
    beappeal
    edt
    ot hefol
    lowi
    ng:
    (a)Thesangguni ang panl
    alawi
    gan,i
    nthecaseofdeci
    sionsofthe
    sangguniang panl
    ungsod ofcomponentci
    ti
    esand t
    hesangguni
    ang
    bayan;and
    (b)The Off
    ice ofthe Presi
    dent,inthe case ofdeci
    sions ofthe
    sangguni
    angpanlal
    awiganandt hesangguni
    angpanl
    ungsodofhi ghl
    y
    urbani
    zedci
    ti
    esandindependentcomponentci
    ti
    es.
    o Deci
    sionsoft
    heOf
    fi
    ceoft
    hePr
    esi
    dentshal
    lbef
    inalandexecut
    ory
    .
    - 9.Execut
    ionpendi
    ngappeal
    o Secti
    on68.Execut ionPendingAppeal.-Anappealshallnotpr
    eventadecisi
    on
    fr
    om becomi ngf inalorexecutory.Ther espondentshallbeconsider
    edas
    havi
    ngbeenpl acedunderpr event
    ivesuspensiondur i
    ngthependencyofan
    appealintheev enthewi nssuchappeal.I
    nt heeventtheappealresul
    tsinan
    exonerat
    ion,heshal lbepai
    dhissalaryandsuchot heremolumentsduri
    ngthe
    pendencyoft heappeal.
    - Not
    e:Onl
    ythepr
    operCOURTcanor
    dert
    heREMOVALoft
    heof
    fi
    cial
    .
    - Fi
    l
    ingofcompl
    aint
    :(gover
    nedbytheOmbudsmanl awortheLGCdependi
    ngont
    he
    gr
    oundandwherethecomplai
    nti
    slodged;
    onedoesn’
    tbartheot
    her
    )
    o Of
    fi
    ceoft
    hepr
    esi
    dent–Pr
    ovi
    nce,
    HUC,
    andCi
    ty
    o Sangguni
    angpanl
    alawi
    gan–Muni
    cipal
    i
    ty
    [
    appeal
    abl
    etot
    heof
    fi
    ceoft
    hepr
    esi
    dent
    ]
    o Sangguni
    angpanl
    ungsodorsangunni
    angbay
    an–bar
    angay
    [
    deci
    sioni
    sfi
    nalandexecut
    ory
    ,thus,
    nomodeofappealt
    otheof
    fi
    ceof
    t
    hepresi
    dent
    ]
    - Rul
    esandpr
    ohi
    bit
    ionsdur
    ingi
    nvest
    igat
    ion:
    oi
    .Inv
    est
    igat
    ionshal
    lcommence10day
    saf
    terr
    espondentanswer
    s;
    oi
    i.Invest
    igat
    ionshal
    lbehel
    donl
    yint
    hepl
    acewher
    ether
    espondenthol
    ds
    off
    ice;
    oi
    ii
    .Noinvest
    igat
    ionwithi
    n90day
    simmediat
    elypri
    ortolocalelect
    ionandno
    Pr
    event
    ive Suspensi
    on shal
    lbe i
    mposed wit
    hin sai
    d period (ifal
    ready
    i
    mposedipsofactoli
    ft
    ed)
     Reason:Topr
    eventt
    hismechani
    sm asat
    ool
    forpol
    i
    tical
    har
    assment
    s
    - Pr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    on:
    o Aut
    hor
    it
    y:
     1.Pr
    esi
    dent
    ,int
    hecaseofHUCandI
    CC;
     2.Gov
    ernor
    ,int
    hecaseofCCandmun.
    ;
     3.May
    or,
    int
    hecaseofbar
    angay
    o Requi
    sit
    esbef
    orepr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    oncanbei
    mposed:
    (J-
    E-I
    )
    (
    a)i
    ssueshav
    eal
    readybeenj
    oined;
     af
    terfi
    l
    ingoftheanswer,whi
    chmaybei nvari
    ousf or
    mssol
    ong
    asitwi
    llr
    endert
    heall
    egati
    onsbeconsi
    deredasissues
    (
    b)ev
    idenceofgui
    l
    tisst
    rong;
    (
    c)gi ven t
    he grav
    ity ofthe of
    fense,respondentmi
    ghti
    nfl
    uence
    wi
    tnessesorposeathreatt
    orecor
    ds/evi
    dence.
    - Lengt
    hofpr
    event
    ivesuspensi
    on:
    o Si
    ngl
    e–60;
    mul
    ti
    ple–90
    o Note:Pri
    orhear
    ingi
    snotrequi
    redi
    nprevent
    ivesuspensi
    onbecausei
    tisnota
    penalt
    yandwill
    notvi
    olat
    edueprocess
    - Ri
    ght
    sofRespondent
    :
    o Hear
    ing
    o Counsel
    o Cr
    oss-
    Exami
    newi
    tnesses
    o Compul
    sor
    yPr
    ocess
    o Per
    iodofI
    nvest
    igat
    ion-90day
    s
    o Per
    iodt
    oDeci
    de-
    30day
    s
    o Penal
    tyofSuspensi
    onshallnotexceedtheunexpi
    redter
    m oraper
    iodofsi
    x
    (6)mont
    hsperadminist
    rat
    ivecase,norabart
    ocandidacy
    .
     Becauser emovalfrom off
    iceasar esul
    tofanadmi ni
    strat
    ivecase
    duri
    ng the effect
    ivi
    ty ofthe LGC of1991 isthe onlyf orm of
    admini
    strati
    vepenalt
    yconsi
    deredasagroundf
    ordi
    squal
    if
    icati
    on
    - Agui
    nal
    dodoct
    ri
    ne
    o Apublicof f
    ici
    alcannotber emovedfrom off
    icef
    oradmini
    str
    ati
    vemisconduct
    commi tt
    eddur i
    ngapr i
    ort erm,si
    ncehisreel
    ecti
    ontot
    heof f
    iceoper
    atesasa
    condonationoftheof f
    icer’spr
    eviousmisconductbyt
    hepeopletotheextent
    ofcutt
    ingof fhi
    srightt
    or emovehimt her
    efor.
    oI
    tappl
    iesonl
    ytoadmi
    nist
    rat
    ivecaseformi
    sconduct
    ,sot
    heof
    fi
    cialmayst
    il
    l
    behel
    dcri
    minal
    l
    yorci
    vi
    ll
    yli
    ablef
    orthesameact.
    - GARCI
    AVSMOJI
    CA
    o Theall
    egedmi sconduct(si
    gni
    ngofir
    regul
    arcont
    ract)wascommitted4days
    bef
    oreelect
    iondayandi twasnotknownt othepubl i
    c/v
    oterunti
    lMayor
    Gar
    ciawasalreadyre-el
    ectedandser
    vedhi
    snewt erm.
    oItwasar guedthatsincet heelector
    atesdidnothaveknowledgeofsuch
    misconductatt
    hetimet heyvot
    edf orGarci
    a,i
    tcoul
    dnotbesai
    dthatt
    heyhad
    condonedthemisconductofGarcia.
    o Supr emeCourtdisagreedbecauseitisreall
    yimpossibl
    etodet er
    mineactual
    orlackofknowledgebyt heelect
    orat
    esaboutt hemisconductatthetimet
    hey
    castt heirvot
    es.Whatcan be det er
    mined isthatt he misconductwas
    commi t
    tedduri
    ngapr iorter
    m.Thef actthatthemisconductwascommi tt
    ed
    duringthepri
    orterm,Aguinal
    doDoctrineappli
    es.
    - AGUINALDO DOCTRI
    NE DOES NOT APPLY TO AN APPOINTED OFFI
    CIAL WHO
    COMMI TTED MI
    SCONDUCTWHI LEIN HISAPPOINTI
    VEOFFI CEAND WHO WAS
    LATERONELECTEDINTOOFFICE(becausei
    tshoul
    dbeREELECTI
    ON)
    - Aguinal
    dodoct
    ri
    ne appl
    i
    esonl
    ytoadmini
    str
    ati
    vecasef
    ormisconduct
    ,sot
    he
    of
    fici
    almaysti
    l
    lbehel
    dcri
    minal
    l
    yorci
    vi
    ll
    yli
    abl
    efort
    hesameact
    .
    - Admi
    nist
    rat
    iveappeal
    s
    o Of
    fi
    ceoft
    hepr
    esi
    dent
    ,incaseofdeci
    sionofSPofpr
    ovi
    nce,
    HUC,
    andI
    CC;
    o SPofpr
    ovi
    nce,
    int
    hecaseofdeci
    sionofSPofCCandmuni
    cipal
    i
    ty
    o Not
    e:Deci
    si
    onoft
    heof
    fi
    ceoft
    hepr
    esi
    dentshal
    lbef
    inal
    andexecut
    ory
    - Execut
    ionpendi
    ngappeal
    o Therespondentshal
    lbeconsi
    deredashavingbeenplacedunderpr ev
    enti
    ve
    suspensiondur
    ingthependencyoftheappeali ntheeventhewi nssuch
    appeal.Heshal
    lbepai
    dhi
    ssalaryandbenef
    itsi
    ftheappealexoner
    ateshim.
    o Secti
    on7,Rul eII
    IoftheRulesofPr ocedur
    eoftheOf f
    iceoftheOmbudsman
    wasal readyamendedbyAdmi nist
    rati
    veOrderNo.17wher eintheperti
    nent
    provi
    sionont heexecuti
    onoft heOmbudsman’ sdecisionpendingappealis
    now simi l
    artoSecti
    on47oft he“ Unif
    orm Rul
    esonAdmi ni
    str
    ativ
    eCasesi n
    theCiv i
    lServi
    ce”– thatis,decisi
    onsoft heOmbudsmanar ei mmediat
    ely
    executoryevenpendi
    ngappeal,regardl
    essofpenal
    ty.
    o Anappealshal lnotstopthedecisi
    onfrom beingexecutory.Incaset he
    penaltyi
    ssuspensionorremovalandtherespondentwinssuchappeal ,he
    shallbeconsi
    deredashavi
    ngbeenunderpreventi
    vesuspensi
    onandshal lbe
    pai
    dt hesalar
    yandsuchotheremolument
    st hathedidnotreceiv
    ebyr eason
    ofthesuspensionorr
    emoval
    .
    o Adeci si
    onoftheOf fi
    ceoft heOmbudsmani nadmi ni
    strat
    ivecasesshallbe
    executedasamat t
    erofcour se.TheOf fi
    ceoft heOmbudsmanshal lensure
    thatthedecisi
    onshal lbest ri
    ctl
    yenf or
    cedandpr operl
    yi mpl
    emented.The
    refusalorf
    ail
    urebyanyof fi
    cerwithoutjustcausetocompl ywit
    hanor derof
    theOf fi
    ceoftheOmbudsmant or emove,suspend,demot e,fi
    ne,orcensure
    shallbeagroundfordisci
    pli
    naryact i
    onagainstsai
    dof f
    icer.
    - ONLY THECOURT (
    RTC,CA,orSANDI
    GANBAYAN)CAN REMOVEAN ELECTED
    OFFI
    CIAL!
    o Reason:Ther ul
    ewhichconfer
    st othepropercour t
    sthepowertoremovean
    el
    ecti
    vel ocaloff
    ici
    alf r
    om offi
    ce isintended as a check agai
    nstany
    capri
    ciousnessorpart
    isanact
    ivi
    tybythedisci
    pli
    ningaut
    hori
    ty.
    - AGUINALDOVSSANTOS–Anadmi nist
    rati
    ve,
    notcr
    imi
    nal
    ,casef
    ordi
    sloy
    alt
    ytot
    he
    Republ
    iconl
    yrequi
    ressubst
    ant
    ial
    evidence.
    o The rul
    ei st hata publ i
    c offici
    alcannotbe r emoved foradmi ni
    strat
    ive
    misconductcommi t
    teddur ingapr iorterm,si ncehisr eelecti
    ont o off
    ice
    operat
    esasacondonat i
    onoft heoffi
    cer
    ’spr evi
    ousmi sconductt otheextent
    ofcutti
    ngofftherighttoremov ehimtherefore.Theforegoingr ul
    e,howev er
    ,
    fi
    ndsnoapplicati
    ont ocr
    imi nalcasespendingpet i
    ti
    onerforact shemayhav e
    commi t
    tedduringthefai
    ledcoup.
    o Petit
    ionerisnotbei
    ngpr osecutedherecr
    iminal
    lyunderArt
    .137oft heRPCon
    disl
    oy al
    tybutadministrati
    velywiththeendi nv i
    ew ofremov i
    nghi mf rom
    offi
    cef oractsofdi sloyaltytotheRepublicwher ethequant um ofproof
    requir
    edi sonl
    ysubstantialevi
    denceandnotproofbeyondreasonabledoubt.
    - PABLICOVSVI LLAPANDO–Thepowert or emov eer
    ringelect
    ivelocalof
    fi
    cial
    sfrom
    servi
    ceisl odgedexclusi
    velywi
    ththecour ts.Hence,Art.124(b)oftheI RRoft he
    LGC,insofarasitvestspoweront he“disci
    plini
    ngauthori
    ty”toremov efrom of
    fice
    err
    ingelecti
    velocalof
    fici
    als,
    isv
    oidforbeingrepugnanttothelastparagr
    aphofSec.
    60oft heLGC.
    o Theperti
    nentpor
    ti
    onofSect
    ion60oft
    heLocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991
    prov
    ides:
     Secti
    on60.GroundsforDisci
    pli
    naryAct
    ions.–Anelect
    ivel
    ocalof
    fi
    cial
    maybedi sci
    pli
    ned,suspended,orremovedfrom of
    fi
    ceonanyoft he
    fol
    lowi
    nggrounds:
     xxxxxx xxxAnel ect
    ivel
    ocalof
    fi
    cialmayber
    emov edf
    rom of
    fi
    ce
    ont
    hegr
    oundsenumer
    atedabovebyorderoft
    hepr
    opercour
    t.
    oItisclearf r
    om t helastparagraphoftheaf or
    ecit
    edpr ov
    isiont hatthepenalty
    ofdismi ssalfrom servi
    ceuponaner r
    ingel ect
    ivelocalofficialmaybedecr eed
    onlybyacour toflaw.Thus, i
    nSalali
    ma, etal.v.Gui ngona, etal.
    ,weheldt hat
    “[t
    ]heOf fi
    ceoft hePr esi
    dentiswi t
    houtanypowert or emov eelectedoff
    ici
    als,
    sincesuchpoweri sexclusivelyvestedi nt hepr opercour t
    sasexpr essly
    providedf orinthelastparagraphoftheaf orequotedSect i
    on60. ”
    o Ver
    il
    y,theclearlegi
    slat
    iveintenttomakethesubj
    ectpowerofr
    emov
    ala
    j
    udi
    cialpr
    erogat
    iveispatentfr
    om thedel
    i
    ber
    ati
    onsi
    ntheSenat
    e.
    oIti
    sbey ondcav il
    ,ther efore,thatt hepowert or emov eer ri
    ngel ect i
    vel ocal
    off
    icialsf rom servicei slodgedexcl usivel
    ywi tht hecourts.Hence, Ar t
    icle124
    (b)
    ,Rul e XIX,of t he Rul es and Regul ations Impl ement i
    ng t he Local
    Gover nmentCode,i nsof arasi tv estspoweront he“di
    sci pliningaut hority
    ”t o
    remov ef rom officeer ri
    ngel ectivelocalofficials,isvoi
    df orbei ngr epugnantt o
    thelastpar agr
    aphofSect i
    on60oft heLocalGov er
    nmentCodeof1991.The
    l
    aw onsuspensi onorr emov alofel ecti
    vepubl i
    cof f
    icialsmustbest rictl
    y
    constr uedandappl i
    ed,andt heaut hori
    tyinwhom suchpowerofsuspensi on
    orremov alisv estedmustexer cisei twi thut mostgoodf aith,forwhati s
    i
    nvolv edi snotj ustanor dinarypubl icoffi
    cialbutonechosenbyt hepeopl e
    thr
    ought heexer ci
    seoft heirconst i
    tuti
    onalr ightofsuf frage.Thei rwi llmust
    notbeputt onaughtbyt hecapr i
    ceorpar t
    isanshi pofthedi scipl i
    ningaut hor i
    ty.
    Wher et hedi scipli
    ningaut horit
    yi sgi venonl yt hepowert osuspendandnot
    thepowert oremov e,i tshouldnotbeper mi ttedtomani pul atethel aw by
    usurpingt hepowert or emov e.
    - CASTILLO VS VI LLARAMA – The power of i nvest
    igat
    ing and deci
    ding an
    Administ
    rat
    ivecasefil
    edagainstamunici
    palof
    fi
    cialisnotexecuti
    vei
    nnature.I
    tis
    l
    odgedi nthePr ovi
    ncialBoardasabody ,theper f
    ormanceofwhi chcannotbe
    fr
    ust
    ratedbytheabsence,fort
    uit
    ousordel
    i
    berat
    e,ofthePr ov
    inci
    alGover
    nor
    .
    o FACTS: Gov er
    nor Vi l
    l
    ar ama f i
    led an admi ni str
    ative case agai nst May or
    Bei nvenido Cast il
    lo wi th a si mul t
    aneous or der of suspensi on. Upon
    suspensi on,theVi ce-
    may orassumedt heof ficeoft hemay or.Thechar gewas
    fi
    ledonMay19, 1965.I nit
    snextr egularweekl ymeet i
    ng, May26, theGov ernor
    wasabsent ,sot heVi ce-Gov ernorpresidedt hemeet ingandagr eedwhent he
    caseshoul dbesetf orhear i
    ng.TheGov ernorf rom t hispoi nt,r efusedt o
    recogni zet heaut horityoft hePB.Accor dingt otheGov ernor,t heVi ce-gov
    hasl imitedaut hori
    tyinhi sabsenceandsuchdoesnotext endt omat ter snot
    i
    nt heagendabef orehand.Howev er,itappear sthatoneoft heagendawast o
    sett headmi ncaseoft hepetiti
    onerf orhear i
    ng.OnJune9,1965,pet itioner
    Cast il
    lo w/counselcamebutt hesessi onhal lwher et hehear i
    ngwi llbe
    conduct edwasl ocked.TheGovandVi ce-govdi dnotshow- up,sot he3
    member soft heboar ddeci dedt ohol ditint heof fi
    ceof1oft hem.Ther eafter
    thepr ov i
    ncialboar d(PB)conduct edani nv estigati
    onr egardingtheadmi ncase
    fi
    led.Howev er,t he PB acqui tted May or Cast illo and or der ed f or hi s
    reinstatement .TheGov ernorrefusedt or ecogni zet heor deroft hePB,t husi t
    i
    nst ructedt heVi ce-may ornottor el
    inquisht heof ficeoft hemay or ,prompt ing
    MayorCast
    il
    lotoi
    nit
    iat
    epeti
    ti
    onf
    orprohi
    biti
    onunderRul
    e65t
    opr
    eventt
    he
    Vi
    ce-mayorfr
    om f
    oll
    owingt
    heGover
    nor’
    sinst
    ruct
    ion.
    oI
    SSUE:WON t heGovernorcanref
    usetorecogni
    zethedecisi
    onoft hePB,
    r
    enderedunanimousl
    ybyits3membersafteraninv
    est
    igat
    ionconductedby
    t
    hem ataregul
    armeetingwher
    etheGov
    ernorwasnotpr
    esent.
    o RULI NG:NO.Thepowert oinvesti
    gateanadmi nist
    rativecasei snotexecut iv
    e
    i
    nnat ure,i
    tisl
    odegdi nt hePB.SEC.5.Composi ti
    onoft hePr ovincialBoar d.—
    The pr ov i
    nci
    alboar di nf irst,second and thi r
    d class pr ov i
    nces shal lbe
    composedoft heprov i
    nci algov er
    nor,whoshal lbet hepr esidingof fi
    ceroft he
    boar d,thev i
    ce-governor ,andt hr
    eeot hermember swhoshal lbeel ectedat
    l
    ar gebyt hequal if
    ied el ectorsoft heprovince. ..Thepr esenceoft hree
    member sshallconstitut eaquor um forthet ransactionofbusi nessbyt he
    boar d.Incaseofat ieonanymat terdeli
    berat
    eduponbyt heboar d, t
    hesi dein
    favorofwhi cht hegov ernorhasv oted,shal
    lpr evail.Int heabsenceoft he
    gov ernor,thev oteofmaj or i
    tyoft hemember spr esentshal lconstitutea
    bindingactoft heboar d.
    oItmaybenot edt hatal t
    hought heforegoi
    ngpr ovisi
    onmakest hePr ov i
    ncial
    Governort hepr esidi
    ngof f
    iceroft heBoar d,i
    tdoesnotmakehi spr esence
    i
    ndispensablef ort hev ali
    dt r
    ansact i
    onofbusi ness,foritnotonlyconsiders
    the presence oft hree member s(outoft he ent i
    re membership off i
    ve)
    suff
    ici
    entt oconst it
    uteaquor um forthatpurpose,butalsoanti
    cipat
    esacase
    whent heGov ernori sabsent ,inwhi chcase" t
    hev oteofamaj or
    it
    yoft he
    member spresentshal lconstituteabindingactoftheboar d.
    "Thedesignation
    oftheGov ernoraspr esi
    dingof fi
    cerisobv i
    ouslymeantt oapplytomeet ings
    wherehei spresent ,ast hel ogicoft hesituati
    ondi ctat
    es,hebei ng the
    Executiveandhi ghestof fi
    cerinat t
    endance.
    o Thepowerofi nvestigati
    nganddeci dinganadmi ni
    strati
    vecasef i
    l
    edagai nsta
    municipaloff
    icialisnotexecut iv
    ei nnat ure.Itislodgedi nthePr ovincialBoar d
    asabody ,whichi senj oi
    nedbyl awt of ixtheday ,hourandpl acefort hetri
    alof
    thecaseand,ast husf i
    xed,"tohearandi nv esti
    gatet hetruthorf alsit
    yoft he
    charges...
    "Theper for
    manceoft hisdut ycannotbef r
    ustratedbyt heabsence,
    for
    tuit
    ousordel i
    berate,ofthePr ovincialGov ernor.Inthev erynatureoft hi ngs
    hemayconsi deri tpoliti
    call
    yexpedi enttoabsenthi msel fespeci all
    yi fhe
    happenst obelongt oapol i
    ti
    calpar tydiff
    er entfrom thatof theoffi
    cialagai nst
    whom he hi msel f has f i
    l
    ed t he admi nistrati
    ve char ges.The adv erse
    consequencesofsuchr ecal
    citr
    ance,notonl ytot heoffici
    aldirectlyaf f
    ect ed
    buttopublici
    nt erestaswel l,caneasi l
    ybei magi ned.
    - MALINAO VS REYES – Reel ect
    ion abates any admi
    nist
    rat
    ive di
    sci
    pli
    nar
    y
    pr
    oceedi
    ngsagai
    nstt
    hel
    ocal
    electi
    veoff
    ici
    al.
    o Peti
    tioner’sbasiccontenti
    oni sthatinasmuchast he“Decision”ofSept ember
    5,1994hadbecomef inalandexecut ory,forfail
    ureofr espondentMay orto
    appeal,itwasbey ondt hepoweroft heSangguni antor enderanot herdecisi
    on
    on Oct ober21,1994 whi ch in effectr ever
    sed the f i
    rstdeci si
    on.These
    contentionsarewi t
    houtmer i
    t.Whatpet i
    tionerclai
    mst obet heSept ember5,
    1994“ Decision”oftheSangguni angPanlalawiganboret hesi gnatureofonly
    onemember( Rodri
    go V.Sot t
    o)who si gned t he“Decision”as“ Presidi
    ng
    Chai
    rman,
    BlueRi
    bbonCommi
    tt
    ee,
    Sangguni
    angPanl
    alawi
    gan.
    ”
    o Neit
    hermay the so-cal
    led “Deci
    sion”prepared by Sangguni
    an Member
    Rodri
    goV.Sott
    oonSept ember5,1994ber egardedasthedecisi
    onofthe
    Sangguni
    anf
    orlackofthesignat
    uresoftherequisi
    temajor
    it
    y.
    o Atal
    lev ent
    s,thiscaseisnowmootandacademi casar esul
    toft
    heexpir
    ati
    on
    ofrespondent ’
    st er
    m dur i
    ng which t
    he actcomplained ofwas al
    legedl
    y
    committed,andf urt
    herproceedi
    ngsagainstr
    espondentMay orar
    ebarredby
    hi
    sreelecti
    ononMay8, 1995.
    o Pursuantt o§66( b)oftheCode, t
    hepenalt
    yofsuspensi
    oncannotexceedt he
    unexpiredt er
    m oft her espondentoraper i
    odofsix(6)mont hsf orevery
    administrati
    veof fense. Ont heotherhand,anyadminist
    rat
    ivedisci
    pli
    nary
    proceedingagai nstr espondentisabatedi
    finthemeantimehei sreelect
    ed,
    becausehi sr eelecti
    onr esul
    tsinacondonationofwhatevermisconducthe
    mighthav ecommi t
    tedduringhisprev
    ioust
    erm.
    - SALALIMAVSGUINGONA–Thel iabi
    l
    iti
    esoftheSangguni
    anmemberswhower
    e
    reel
    ect
    edar
    econdonedwi
    thoutpr
    ejudi
    cetoappropr
    iat
    eci
    vil
    orcr
    imi
    nal
    cases.
    o Secti
    on66( b)ofR.A.No.7160expr essl
    yprovi
    des:
    SEC.66.Form andNotice
    ofDeci si
    on.-xxx( b)Thepenal tyofsuspensionshallnotexceedt he
    unexpiredter
    m oft herespondentoraper iodofsix(6)mont hsforevery
    administr
    ati
    veoff
    ense,norshallsai
    dpenalt
    ybeabart othecandidacyofthe
    respondentsosuspendedaslongashemeet st
    hequali
    fi
    cat
    ionsfortheof
    fi
    ce.
    o Thisprovisi
    onset st
    helimit
    st othepenal t
    yofsuspension,viz.
    ,itshouldnot
    exceedsi xmont hsort heunexpi r
    edpor ti
    onoft heterm ofof f
    iceoft he
    respondentf oreveryadminist
    rativ
    e offense.
    [1]An administr
    ative offense
    meansev eryactorconductoromi ssionwhichamountsto,orconst i
    tutes,any
    ofthegroundsf ordi
    sci
    pli
    naryacti
    on.
    o Assuming then thatthe fi
    ndings and concl usions oft he Office oft he
    Presi
    dentineachoft hesubj ectf ouradmi ni
    strati
    vecasesar ccor rect,i
    t
    commi t
    ted no gr av
    e abuse of di scr eti
    on i ni mposing t he penal ty of
    suspensi
    on,althoughtheaggr egat et hereofexceededsi xmont hsandt he
    unexpi
    redporti
    onoft hepeti
    ti
    oner s’term ofof f
    ice.Thef actremai nst hatthe
    suspensi
    on imposed foreach admi nistrati
    ve offense did notexceed si x
    monthsandt herewasanexpr esspr ov i
    siont hatthesuccessiveser v i
    ceoft he
    suspensi
    onshoul dnotexceedt heunexpi redpor ti
    onoft heter m ofof ficeof
    thepeti
    ti
    oners.Theirter
    m ofof fi
    ceexpi redatnoonof30June1995. [2]And
    thi
    sCour tisnotpr epared t
    or ulet hatt hesuspensi on amount ed tot he
    peti
    ti
    oners’
    remov alf
    rom of
    fi
    ce.[3]
    o Thepet i
    ti
    oner scannotbeadmi ni
    st r
    ativ
    el yli
    able.Thisissobecausepubl i
    c
    offi
    cial
    s cannot be subj ect to di scipli
    nary action for admi nist
    rativ
    e
    misconductcommi tt
    edduringapr iorterm.TheCour tshouldneverremov ea
    publi
    cof f
    icerforactsdonepriortohispr esentterm ofoff
    ice.Todoot herwise
    wouldbet odeprivethepeopleoft heirrighttoelectthei
    rof fi
    cer
    s.Whent he
    peoplehav eelectedamant oof fi
    ce,itmustbeassumedt hatt
    heydi dt hi
    s
    withknowl edgeofhisli
    feandchar acter,andthattheydisregardorforgavehis
    faul
    tsormi sconduct,i
    fhehadbeengui l
    tyofany .Itisnotf ort
    hecour t,by
    reasonofsuchf
    aul
    tsormi
    sconductt
    opr
    act
    ical
    l
    yov
    err
    ulet
    hewi
    l
    loft
    he
    people.
    o So aret he l
    i
    abil
    iti
    es,ifany ,ofpet i
    ti
    onermember s ofthe Sangguni ang
    Panlal
    awiganngAl bay,whosi gnedResoluti
    onNo.129aut hori
    zi
    ngpet iti
    oner
    Salal
    imatoenterintot
    her etai
    nercontr
    actinquest
    ionandwhower ereelected
    i
    nt he1992electi
    ons.Thisi s,however
    ,withoutpr
    ejudicetotheinst
    ituti
    onof
    appropr
    iateciv
    ilandcr i
    mi nalcasesasmaybewar rantedbytheat tendant
    ci
    rcumstances.
    - GARCI AVSMOJI CA–Ar eel
    ectedl ocaloffi
    cialmaynotbehel dadmi ni
    str
    ati
    vely
    accountabl
    eformisconductcommi t
    teddur i
    nghi spri
    orterm ofof f
    ice.Thereisno
    disti
    ncti
    onastothepreci
    set i
    mingorper i
    odwhent hemi sconductwascommi t
    ted,
    reckonedfrom t
    hedateoft heof f
    ici
    al’sreel
    ect i
    on,exceptthatitmustbepr i
    orto
    saiddate.
    - MAYORDAGADAGVSTONGNAWA
    o FACTS: MayorDagadagcreatedagr ievancecommi tteetoinv esti
    gatechar ges
    againstTongnawa&Gammod( r
    espondent s)
    .Thecommi tt
    eet hereaft
    erfound
    the respondent
    s guil
    ty ofi nsubordi
    nat i
    on,non-performance ofdut i
    es &
    absencesw/ oleave.TheMay orthensuspendedt her espondent sfrom their
    repecti
    vepositi
    onsfor2mos.Respondent sappealedt otheCSCcont ending
    thattheirri
    ghttoduepr ocessi sv i
    olated.Whil
    et heappeali spendi ngt he
    May ororderedrespondent
    st obedr oppedf rom ther ol
    lofee’ s.CSC t hen
    i
    ssued a r esol
    uti
    on affi
    rming t he orderoft he May or/petit
    ioner.When
    appealedt otheCA,t helatterr ul
    edt ot hecontrary,andor deredf ort he
    rei
    nstatementoft herespondent sandpay mentofbackwages,hencet hi
    s
    i
    nstantpetit
    ion.
    oI
    nt her espondentsj
    ointcomment,theyaverthatpet
    it
    ionerhasno legal
    personal
    it
    yt ofil
    etheinst
    antpet
    it
    ionbecausehehadceasedasmuni cipal
    May orandonl ytheCSCbeingtheonlyaggri
    evedpart
    yi squal
    if
    iedasthe
    properpart
    y.
    oI
    SSUE:Whomayappealdeci
    si
    onoft
    heCA?
    o RULING:Bot
    ht heMay or&theCSCar eproperpart
    iestoappealthedeci
    sion
    oftheCA.Howev er,t
    heMay or
    /pet
    iti
    onerceasedtobet hemunicipalmayor
    duri
    ngtheappeal,theref
    orehecannotbeany moretheproperpar
    tytofi
    lethe
    appeal
    .
    o Secti
    on2,Rule3oft he1997Rul esofCivilPr ocedure,asamended,pr ov
    ides:
    SEC.2.Parti
    esi
    ninterest.'Arealpart
    yi ninterestisthepar t
    ywhost andsto
    bebenefit
    edori
    njuredbyt hejudgmentint hesui t,orthepartyenti
    tl
    edtothe
    avai
    lsofthesuit
    .Unl essotherwiseauthorizedbyl aw ortheseRules,every
    acti
    onmustbepr osecutedordef endedi nt henameoft her ealpar
    tyin
    i
    nterest
    .
    o Theestabli
    shedr ul
    eist hatar ealpart
    yini nt
    er estisonewhowoul dbe
    benef
    it
    edori njuredbythej udgment ,oroneenti
    tledt otheavail
    soft hesui t
    .
    Thewor d'i
    nterest,ascontemplatedbyt heRules,meansmat eri
    alinter
    estor
    anint
    erestinissueandt obeaf fectedbythejudgment ,asdist
    inguishedfrom
    mereinter
    esti nt hequestioninv ol
    vedoramer ei nci
    dentali
    nterest.Stated
    di
    fferentl
    y,the ruler ef
    erst oar ealorpr esentsubst anti
    alinterestas
    di
    stinguishedfr
    om amer eexpectancy,orafut
    ure,cont
    ingent,subor
    dinate,or
    consequent i
    ali
    nterest
    .Asagener alr
    ule,onewhohasnor i
    ghtorinterestto
    protectcannoti
    nv okethejur
    isdi
    cti
    onoft hecour
    tasparty-pl
    ainti
    ffi
    nanact ion.
    o Weholdthatt
    heCSCandt hemay orofTanudanarerealpart
    iesi
    nint
    erestin
    thi
    scaseand,t
    her
    efor
    e,cancont
    esttheassai
    ledj
    ointDecisi
    onoftheCourtof
    Appeal
    sbefor
    eus.
    o TheCSCi sthepartyadver
    selyaf
    fectedbyt hequesti
    onedDeci sionofthe
    CourtofAppeal sbecause ithasbeen mandat ed bythe Const i
    tut
    ion t
    o
    preserveandsaf eguar
    dthei nt
    egri
    tyofourci vi
    lser
    v i
    cesystem.Thus,any
    tr
    ansgr essi
    onbyher ei
    nrespondentsoft heCSC rulesandr egulati
    onswill
    adverselyaffecti
    tsint
    egr
    ity
    .Signi
    fi
    cantl
    y,ithasnotchall
    engedt heassail
    ed
    Decision.
    o Asr egardsthemay orofTanudan,t herear etwo( 2)reasonswhyhemay
    i
    nterposesuchappeal.Thef i
    rsti
    sr oot edinhispowert oappointoff
    icialsand
    employeesofhi smunici
    pali
    ty.Bothr espondent swereappointedbypet i
    tioner
    duri
    nghi sincumbency.InFranciscoAbel la,Jr.vs.Civ
    ilServi
    ceCommi ssion,
    theCour tEnBanc( t
    hroughJust iceAr temi oV.Pangani ban)heldt hatt he
    municipalmay or
    ,bei
    ngtheappoi ntingaut hori
    ty,i
    stherealpartyi
    ninterestt o
    chal
    lengetheCSC' sdi
    sapprovaloft heappoi nt
    mentofhi sappoint
    ee,thus:
     xxx.Thepowerofappoi nt mentnecessar i
    lyent ail
    stheexer ci
    seof
    j
    udgmentanddi scr
    etion.Luegov s.Civi
    lServiceCommi ssiondeclared:
    Appointmenti s an essent iall
    y discret
    ionary powerand mustbe
    perf
    or medbyt heof f
    icerinwhi chitisvestedaccor dingtohisbestli
    ghts,
    the only condition being t hatt he appointee shoul d possess the
    quali
    ficati
    onsrequiredbyl aw.I fhedoes,t hent heappoi nt
    mentcannot
    bef aultedont hegr oundt hatt her
    ear eot hersbet terquali
    fi
    edwho
    should hav e been pr ef
    erred.Thi si s a polit
    icalquest i
    on involv
    ing
    considerati
    ons ofwi sdom whi ch onlyt he appoi nti
    ng authori
    tycan
    deci
    de.
    o Si
    gnif
    icantl
    y,'
    thesel
    ect i
    onoftheappointee'taki
    ngi nt
    oaccountthetotal
    it
    yof
    hi
    squalif
    icati
    ons,i
    ncludingt
    hoseabstractqualit
    iesthatdefi
    nehispersonal
    it
    y
    'i
    stheprerogati
    veoft heappoint
    ingauthori
    ty.Not r
    ibunal
    ,noteventhi
    sCourt
    maycompelt heexerciseofanappoint
    mentf oraf avoredperson.
    o TheCSC' sdisappr ov alofanappoi ntmenti sachal lenget otheexerciseoft he
    appointi
    ngaut hor i
    t y'
    sdi screti
    on.Theappoi ntingaut horit
    ymusthav ether i
    ght
    tocontestthedi sappr ov al
    .Thus,Sect ion2ofRul eVIofCSCMemor andum
    Circul
    ar40,s.1998i sj ustif
    iedinsofarasi tall
    owst heappoi nti
    ngauthor i
    tyto
    request reconsider ation or appeal .I n Cent r
    alBank v s. Civi
    lSer vi
    ce
    Commi ssion,thisCour thasaf fi
    rmedt hattheappoi nti
    ngaut hori
    tystandst o
    beadv ersel
    yaf fect edwhent heCSCdi sapprov esanappoi ntment.Thus,t he
    saidauthori
    tycan' defendi tsappointmentsi ncei tknowst her easonsf orthe
    same.I tisalsot heactoft heappoi ntingaut hori
    tyt hatisbeingquest ioned
    whenanappoi ntmenti sdi sapproved(id.).
    o Si
    mil
    arl
    y,wher
    eamuni
    ci
    palmay
    oror
    der
    sthesuspensi
    onordi
    smi
    ssalofa
    municipalempl oyeeongr oundshebel iev
    est obepr oper,buthi sor deris
    rever
    sedornul li
    fi
    edbyt heCSCort heCourtofAppeal s( asi nthi
    scase) ,he
    hasther i
    ghttocont estsuchadv erserul
    ing.Hisrighttoappealf l
    owsf rom the
    factthathi
    spowert oappoi ntcarr
    ieswithitthepowert oremov e.Beingchief
    executiv
    e oft he muni cipali
    ty,he possesses this disci
    plinarypowerov er
    appointi
    vemuni ci
    palof fi
    cial
    sandempl oyees.Tobesur e,whenev erhisorder
    i
    mposi ng admi ni
    strativ
    e sanct i
    ons upon er r
    ing muni cipalper sonneli s
    chall
    enged,heshoul dbeal l
    owedt odefendhisact i
    onconsi der
    ingthathei s
    theappointi
    ngaut horit
    y.
    o Thesecondr easonwhythemunicipalmay orofTanudanhasl egalper
    sonali
    ty
    tochal l
    engetheDeci
    sionoftheCour tofAppealsi sbecauset hesal
    ari
    esof
    ther espondent
    s,bei
    ng munici
    palof fi
    cial
    s,aredr awnf rom themuni ci
    pal
    funds.Obv i
    ousl
    y,t
    hemay orhasrealandsubst anti
    alinter
    estintheoutcome
    oftheadmi ni
    str
    ati
    vecasesagai
    nstrespondents.xxx..
    .xxx.
    ..
    xxx.
    ..
    oInt
    erpretingtheaboverul
    e,i
    nMi randav s.Carr
    eon,Hei r
    sofMay orNemencio
    Galvezv s.CourtofAppeal
    s,andRoque,etal .vs.Delgado,etal
    .,weheldthat
    wheret hepet i
    ti
    oner(apubl
    icoffi
    cer)ceasestobemay or
    ,theappealand/or
    acti
    onhei ni
    ti
    atedmaybecont i
    nuedandmai nt
    ainedbyhi ssuccessori
    fthere
    i
    ssubst anti
    alneedtodoso.I ft hesuccessorf ai
    ledt opursuet heappeal
    and/oract i
    on,thesameshouldbedismissed.
    o Records show thatupon peti
    ti
    oner'
    s cessat
    ion from publi
    c offi
    ce,his
    successordi
    dnotfil
    eanymanif
    estat
    iontotheeffectt
    hatheiscont
    inuingand
    maintai
    ningthi
    sappeal
    .
    o We thus agr
    ee withthe r
    espondent
    st hatpet
    it
    ionerhas l
    osthi
    slegal
    per
    sonal
    it
    ytoint
    erposethei
    nst
    antpeti
    ti
    on
    - MAYORFLORESVSSANGGUNI
    ANGPANLALAWI
    GANOFPAMPANGA
    o Fact s:
    Anadmi nistrati
    vecompl aintwasf i
    ledagai nstMay orFl oresi ntheSPof
    Pamapanggaf ordi shonest y& mi sconduct .Thecompl ai ntal l
    egest hathe
    execut edapur chaser eceiptnot obuyanacqui si
    tionequi pmentw/ oany
    ordinanceorr esolutionenact edbyt heSangguni angBay anofMi nali
    n.Whi l
    e
    the bi dding was st illconduct ed KaiEl ectronics del i
    vered t he equi pment
    already .Thenot iceofawar dst at
    est hatt hebi ddingt ookpl aceonAugust1
    whent hepurchaser eceiptwasal soi ssued,whent hebi ddingact uall
    yt ook
    placeonAugust6.Mor eover,t heequi pmentwasov erpricedbya100%.On
    Sept ember9,2002,i ssued an or derr ecommendi ng t hatt he May orbe
    prev entivel
    ysuspended,t otheGov .w/ oseeki nganMRt ot heor deroft heSP
    May orFl oressental ettertot heGov .request i
    ngt ov etot heor deroft heSP.
    Alsow/ owai t
    ingf ortheGov .
    ’saction, May orFloresfil
    edw/t heCApet i
    tionfor
    cer t
    iorari
    ,hecont endedt hatt heSPact edw/gr av
    eabuseofdi scretionin
    i
    ssui ngt heorderofpr eventi
    vesuspensi on.
    oISSUE:WONpetit
    ionforcer
    tior
    arifi
    l
    edint
    heCAwaspr
    emat
    uref
    orf
    ail
    i
    ngt
    o
    exhaustf
    ir
    stadmini
    str
    ati
    veremedies.
    o RULING:YES.TheMayorshoul
    dhav efil
    edanMRt ot heorderoft
    heSP.After
    recei
    vi
    ng theOrderofrespondentSangguniang Panlal
    awiganprev
    enti
    vely
    suspendi
    ng him fr
    om offi
    ce,peti
    tionershould havef i
    led a moti
    on for
    reconsi derationinor dertogi v
    et helatt
    ert heoppor tuni t
    yt ocor rectitsel
    fif
    ther ewasanyer roroni tspar t
    .Suchmot ioni sacondi tionsi nequanonbef ore
    fi
    ling a pet it
    ion forcer t
    iorariunderRul e 65 oft he 1997 Rul es ofCi vi
    l
    Pr ocedur e,asamended. [
    5]Sect ion1oft hesameRul er equi rest hatpetiti
    oner
    mustnotonl yshowt hatr espondentSangguni angPanl alawi gan, inissui
    ngt he
    quest ionedOr der,“actedwi t
    houtori nexcessofi tsjurisdict i
    on,orwi t
    hgr ave
    abuseofdi screti
    onamount i
    ngt olackorexcessofj urisdiction,”butt hat
    “therei snoappeal ,noranypl ai
    n, speedy, andadequat er emedyi ntheordinary
    cour seofl aw.”[
    6]Wehav ehel dt hatt he“ pl ain”and “ adequat eremedy ”
    referredt oi nSect i
    on1ofRul e65i samot ionf orr econsi der ati
    onoft he
    assai ledOr derorResol ution.[
    7]Pet it
    ionermaynotar rogat et ohi msel fthe
    det ermi nati
    onofwhet heramot i
    onf orreconsi der ati
    oni snecessar yornot .[
    8]
    To di spensewi tht her equi r
    ementoff il
    i
    ng a mot ion f orr econsi derati
    on,
    pet it
    ionermustshowaconcr ete,compel li
    ng,andv ali
    dr easonf ordoingso. [
    9]
    Thi s,pet i
    ti
    onerf ailedt odo.Thus,t heCour tofAppeal scor rect l
    yheldt hat
    pet it
    ionershoul dhav ef irstinterposedamot ionf orr econsi der ati
    onoft he
    quest ionedOr derissuedbyr espondentSangguni angPanl alawi gan.
    o Wemustadd t hatpeti
    ti
    oner,bef oref i
    li
    ng wi t
    ht heCour tofAppeal shis
    peti
    ti
    onf orcerti
    orari
    ,shoul
    dhav ewai t
    edf orrespondentGov er
    norLapid’
    s
    acti
    onont herecommendat i
    onofr espondentSangguni angPanlalawigant
    hat
    hebepr eventi
    velysuspendedf rom of fi
    ce;andonhi sl ett
    errequesti
    ngthe
    Governortovetot hequesti
    onedOr der,consider
    ingthatt helat
    teristheone
    empower edbylawt oimposepr eventiv
    esuspensi onuponhi m.(Sect
    ion63of
    theLocalGovernmentCode)..
    .xxx..
    .xxx.
    ..
    o Peti
    ti
    onerhas notshown anyv ali
    d and compell
    ing r
    eason why,without
    wait
    ingfortheGover
    nor
    ’sact
    ionont hemat t
    er,heimmediat
    elyfi
    l
    edwi t
    ht he
    CourtofAppealsapeti
    ti
    onforcer t
    ior
    ari
    .Bydoi ngso,peti
    ti
    onereff
    ectiv
    ely
    depr
    ived the Gov
    ernorofhi s dutytot ake appropr
    iat
    e acti
    on on t he
    cont
    roversy.
    oItis a wel l
    -sett
    led rulet hatwher e,as her e,t he pet i
    ti
    onerhas av ail
    able
    remedi es wi thinthe admi nistrat
    ive machi nery agai nstt he act ion ofan
    admi nistrati
    veboar d,body ,orof f
    icer,theinter ventionoft hecour tscanbe
    resortedt obyhi m onl yaf terhav i
    ngexhaust edal lsuchr emedi es.[10]The
    rati
    onal eoft hisrul
    er estsupont hepr esumpt i
    ont hatt headmi nistrativebody,
    i
    fgi v
    ent hechancet ocor r
    ecti tsmi stakeorer ror,mayamendi tsdeci sionon
    agivenmat teranddeci dei tproperly.Thestr i
    ctappl i
    cat i
    onoft hedoct ri
    neof
    exhaust i
    on ofadmi nist
    rativer emedi eswi l
    lal so pr eventunnecessar yand
    premat urer esorttot hecour t
    .[11]Wecannotcount enancepet itioner ’
    sut t
    er
    disr
    egar doft hi
    sprocedur alnor m andf rust
    ratei tspur poseofat tainingaj ust,
    speedy ,inexpensiveandor derlyjudici
    alproceedi ngs.
    - HON.TOMASJOSONI
    IIVSCA
    o FACTS:8 membersoft heSP f i
    l
    ed an administ
    rati
    vecaseagai nstMay or
    Vargas,all
    egi
    ngthatthelatt
    ersubmi t
    tedtot heprovinci
    albudgetoffi
    cer2
    fal
    sif
    ieddocuments,appr
    opriat
    ionNo.1&Resol ut
    ionNo.2.May orVar gas
    counter
    ed a complai
    ntforannul mentoff alsif
    ied minut
    es ofsession &
    appropri
    ati
    onordi
    nancew/ damagesagai nsttheSB member sint heRTC.
    Then,May orVar gasalsof
    il
    edw/t heSPamot i
    ontosuspendpr oceedingsdue
    toapr ejudicialquestionoft hecasehef i
    l
    edi ntheRTC.W/ Or esolvi
    ngthe
    motiontheSPi ssuedanor derrecommendi ngt ot heGov.,t
    hatMay orVargas
    bepr eventivelysuspended.Lat er,theSP ev ent
    ual l
    ydeniedt hemot ionto
    suspendf i
    ledbyMay orVargas.Thel atterappeal edhisdeniedmot iontothe
    Offi
    ceoft hePr esi
    dent.Howev er,Gov .Josoni ssuedanor derputti
    nghi m
    underpr eventivesuspension.TheOf fi
    ceoft hePr esi
    dentreversedandl i
    ft
    ed
    theorderofpr eventi
    vesuspension.Unsat i
    sfied,Gov .Josonfil
    edanMRt othe
    Offi
    ceoft hePr esi
    dent,t
    hel att
    ergr antedt heGov .’
    sMR,t hust heorderof
    prevent
    ivesuspensi onwasr ei
    nstated.
    oI
    SSUE:WON the pr
    event
    ive suspensi
    on i
    s pr
    oper
    .(NECESSI
    TY OF THE
    SUSPENSI
    ONORDER)
    o RULI NG:
    Under Section 63 of t he LocalGov er
    nment Code,pr eventi
    ve
    suspensionmaybei mposed( a)af t
    ert hei ssuesar ejoined;(b)whent he
    evidenceofguil
    tisst rong;and( c)givent hegr avi
    tyoftheof fense,thereis
    greatprobabi
    li
    tyt hatt he conti
    nuance i n offi
    ce oft he respondentcoul d
    i
    nf l
    uencethewi t
    nessesorposeat hreatt othesaf etyandi ntegri
    tyoft he
    recordsandotherevidence.Issuesareconsi deredjoinedwhent hecompl ai
    nt
    hasbeenanswer edandt her
    earenol ongeranysubst anti
    alprel
    iminaryissues
    thatremaint
    obet hreshedout .
    oInitsOr derdat ed22Apr il2003,t heOfficeofthePr esidentst atedt hatt he
    factsoft hecasedonotwar rantaconclusionthatissuesar edeemedj oined.
    Furthermor e,theOf fi
    ceoft hePr esidentfoundnobasi sforthei ssuanceoft he
    prevent i
    ve suspensi on.The Of f
    ice of the President expl ained:I nt he
    admi nistrativecase,i tappear sthatpetit
    ionerdi
    dnotf il
    e,sof ar ,ananswert o
    thecompl aintthust hei ssuescoul dnothav ebeenconsi der edj oined.What
    shedi dwast of i
    l
    eaMot ionToSuspendPr oceedingsAnd/ OrMot ionTo
    Dismi ss whi ch was t reated byt he sanggunian as heranswer .Howev er
    ,
    nothingi nt her ecordscanbei nferredthatthepet i
    ti
    oneri nt endedt hesai d
    mot i
    ont obeheranswer .I nfact,whent hemot i
    onwasdeni edonMar ch17,
    2003t hroughSPResol utionNo.105- s-
    2003,shei mmedi atel yappeal edt he
    saidResol utiontot hi
    sOf fi
    ce.
    oInf i
    ne,noi nferencecanbehadt hatt hemot i
    onf i
    ledwasconsi deredher
    answerot her wi
    se,pet it
    ionercoul d hav e st ated so t her ein.Finally,ev en
    assumi ngthatpet i
    tioner’smot ionwasal readyheranswerandt herefore,the
    i
    ssues hav e been j oi
    ned,i tis obser v ed t hatt he gr ounds ci ted by t he
    sangguniani nrecommendi ngt heassai ledpr ev ent iv
    esuspensi onar egener al
    statements – mer e v erbati
    m r epr oduct ion of t he pr ovi
    sion of l aw,
    unsupportedbyanyf actualandsubst antialev idence.Ther ei snoshowi ng
    thattheevidenceofgui ltisstrong,wi thbot hpar tieschar gingeachot herwi th
    falsi
    fi
    cati
    onofdocument s.Infact,t hatist hesubj ectofCi vilCaseNo.4442.
    Mor eover
    ,itcannotbesai dthatthecont inuancei nofficeofr espondentcoul d
    i
    nf l
    uencet hewi tnessesorposeat hr
    eatt ot hesaf etyandi ntegrit
    yoft he
    recordsandot herev idence.Ther ecital
    si nSPResol utionNo.105s.2003ar e
    unconvinci
    ng.
    o xxx.
    ..
    xxx.
    ..
    xxx.
    ..I
    t woul
    dthus appear t
    hat t
    he gr
    ounds ci
    ted by t
    he
    Sangguni angPanl alawiganf orr ecommendi ngt hepr event i
    vesuspensi onof
    May orVar gaswer ejustgener alstat
    ement sunsuppor t
    edbyanyev idence.
    Thisiscont raryt other equisitesforapr eventivesuspensi onwhi chr equire
    thatevidenceofgui l
    tmustbest r
    ongandt hatgivent hegr avit
    yoftheof fense,
    thereisgr eatpr obabi l
    it
    yt hatt hecontinuancei nof fi
    ceoft herespondent
    couldinf l
    uencet hewi tnessesorposeat hreattot hesaf etyandi ntegrit
    yof
    the recor ds and ot her ev idence.The hast ei ni ssui ng the resolution
    recommendi ngt hepr eventi
    vesuspensi onofMay orVar gasi sunreasonabl e
    consideringt hegr av i
    tyoft heef fect
    sofsuchsuspensi on.Suspensi onf rom
    offi
    ceofanel ectiv
    eof fi
    cialwoul ddepri
    vet heelectorateoft heserv
    icesoft he
    persont heyhav ev ot
    edi ntooffice.AsheldinGanzonv .Cour tofAppeals:
    o Thepl aintruthist hatt hi
    sCour thasbeeni l
    lateasewi thsuspensi onsxxx
    becausei tisoutoft heor dinarytohav eav acancyinlocalgov er
    nment .The
    soleobj ecti
    v eofasuspensi on,aswehav ehel d,issimpl y"topr ev entthe
    accusedf r
    om hamper ingthenor malcause( sic)oftheinv esti
    gati
    onwi thhis
    i
    nf l
    uenceandaut hor i
    tyov erpossiblewi tnesses"ort o keephi m of f"the
    recor dsandot herev i
    dence."Itisameans, andnomor e,toassistpr osecutors
    i
    nf irmi ngupacase,i fany,againstaner ringl ocaloff
    icial.Undert heLocal
    Gov er nmentCode, itcannotexceedsi xtyday s,whichistosayt hatitneednot
    beexact lysixtydaysl ongifashor t
    erper i
    odi sot her
    wisesuf fi
    cient
    ,andwhi ch
    i
    sal sot osayt hati toughtt obel i
    ftedifpr osecut
    orshav eachiev edt hei
    r
    purposei nashor terspan.
    - EDMUNDOJOSEBUENCAMI
    NOVSCA
    o FACTS: Const antino Pascual,pr i
    vater espondent f i
    led an admi ni
    strat
    ive
    compl aint agai nst Edmundo Buencami no, may or of Bul acan in t he
    Ombudsman.Thecompl aintall
    eget hatMay orBuencami nodemandapass
    wayf eewor th1000pesosperdel iverytruckofmar blerocksthatpassest he
    terr
    it
    orialj uri
    sdicti
    on ofBul acan w/ o offi
    cialr ecei
    pt .MayorBuencami no
    denied t he allegati
    ons and expl ained t hatt he same was i mposed as
    regulatoryfeesunderanor dinanceenact edbyt heSBofSanMi guelBulacan.
    Howev er ,accordingtoConstantinoPascual ,theor di
    ancewasdi sapprovedby
    theSPofBul acanf orbei
    ngul travir
    es.I nadeci sion,theOmbudsmanf ound
    May orBuencami noguilt
    y&suspendedhi mf or6mos.
    oI
    SSUE:WON t he deci
    si
    on oft
    he Ombudsman i
    simmedi
    atel
    y execut
    ory
    pendi
    ngappeal
    .
    o RULING:Decisi
    ons ar
    ei mmediately execut
    ory even pending appeal
    ,no
    di
    stinct
    ionwhet
    hersmallorbi
    gcases.Howev er,asaptl
    ystatedbyt heOff
    ice
    oftheOmbudsmani ni
    tscomment,Sect i
    on7,Rul eI
    IIofAdminist
    rativ
    eOrder
    No.07hasbeenamendedbyAdmi nistr
    ativeOrderNo.17,t
    hus:
    o Sec.7.Finali
    tyandexecut i
    onofdeci si
    on.-Wherether espondentisabsolved
    ofthechar ge,andincaseofconv ict
    ionwherethepenal tyimposedi spubli
    c
    censureorr epri
    mand,suspensi onofnotmor ethanonemont h,oraf i
    nenot
    equiv
    alentt oonemont hsal ary,t
    hedeci si
    onshallbef i
    nal,executor
    yand
    unappealabe.Inallothercases,thedecisi
    onmaybeappeal edt otheCourtof
    Appeals on a v erif
    ied peti
    tion forreview undert he requirements and
    condit
    ionssetf ort
    hinRul e43oft heRul esofCourt,withinfi
    fteen(15)days
    f
    rom r
    eceiptofthewr i
    tt
    enNot
    iceoft
    heDeci
    sionorOr
    derdeny
    ingt
    heMot
    ion
    f
    orReconsider
    ation.
    o Anappealshal lnotstopthedecisi
    onfrom beingexecutory.Incaset he
    penaltyi
    ssuspensionorremovalandtherespondentwinssuchappeal ,he
    shallbeconsi
    deredashavi
    ngbeenunderpreventi
    vesuspensi
    onandshal lbe
    pai
    dt hesalar
    yandsuchotheremolument
    st hathedidnotreceiv
    ebyr eason
    ofthesuspensionorr
    emoval
    .
    o Adeci si
    onoftheOf fi
    ceoft heOmbudsmani nadmi ni
    strat
    ivecasesshallbe
    executedasamat t
    erofcour se.TheOf fi
    ceoft heOmbudsmanshal lensure
    thatthedecisi
    onshal lbest ri
    ctl
    yenf or
    cedandpr operl
    yi mpl
    emented.The
    refusalorf
    ail
    urebyanyof fi
    cerwithoutjustcausetocompl ywit
    hanor derof
    theOf fi
    ceoftheOmbudsmant or emove,suspend,demot e,fi
    ne,orcensure
    shallbeagroundfordisci
    pli
    naryact i
    onagainstsai
    dof f
    icer.
    o Clear
    ly,consi
    deringt hatanappealunderAdmi ni
    str
    ativ
    eOr derNo.17,t he
    amendatoryrule,shal
    lnotstoptheDecisi
    onoft heOfficeoft heOmbudsman
    fr
    om beingexecut or
    y,weholdthattheCourtofAppealsdi dnotcommi tgrave
    abuseofdiscreti
    onindeny i
    ngpeti
    ti
    oner’
    sappli
    cat i
    onforinjunct
    iver
    eli
    ef.
    - SANGGUNI
    ANGBARANGAYOFDONMARI
    ANOMARCOSVSMARTI
    NEZ
    oI
    SSUE:1.WONt heSangguni
    angBay
    anhast
    hepowert
    oremov
    eanel
    ect
    ive
    of
    fi
    cialf
    rom of
    fi
    ce.
    o NO.Ast hel awst ands,Sect ion61oft heLocalGov ernmentCodepr ovidesf or
    thepr ocedur eforthef il
    ingofanadmi nist
    rat i
    vecaseagai nstaner r
    ingel ect ive
    barangayof fi
    cialbeforet heSangguni angPanl ungsodorSangguni angBay an.
    Howev er
    ,t heSangguni angPanl ungsodorSangguni angBay ancannotor der
    ther emov alofaner ringel ectivebar angayof ficialfrom of f
    ice,ast hecour ts
    are exclusi vel
    yv ested wi tht his powerunderSect ion 60 oft he Local
    Gov ernmentCode.Thus,i ft heact sal l
    egedl ycommi ttedbyt hebar angay
    offi
    cialareofagr avenat ureand,i ffoundgui lty,woul dmer itt
    hepenal tyof
    remov alfrom of f
    ice,thecaseshoul dbef i
    ledwi tht her egionaltri
    alcour t.Once
    thecour tassumesj urisdict i
    on,i tr etainsj uri
    sdi cti
    onov erthecaseev eni fit
    woul dbesubsequent lyappar entdur i
    ngt het rialthatapenal tyl esst han
    remov alfrom of fi
    cei sappr opr i
    at e.Ont heot herhand,t hemostext reme
    penal t
    ythatt heSangguni angPanl ungsodorSangguni angBay anmayi mpose
    ont heer ringel ectiv
    ebar angayof ficialissuspensi on;ifitdeemst hatt he
    remov aloft heof fici
    alf rom ser vicei swar ranted,t heni tcanr esol
    v et hatt he
    properchar gesbef il
    edi ncour t.
    o Ther ulewhi chconf erst othepr opercour t
    st hepowert or emoveanel ecti
    ve
    l
    ocalof fi
    cialfrom officeisintendedasacheckagai nstanycapr i
    ciousnessor
    part
    isanact i
    vi
    t ybythedi sci
    pli
    ningaut horit
    y.Vest i
    ngt helocall
    egislat
    ivebody
    witht hepowert odeci dewhet herornotal ocalchi efexecutivemaybe
    remov edfr om of f
    ice,andonl yr el
    egatingt ot hecour tsamandat orydutyto
    i
    mpl ementt hedecision,wouldst il
    lnotfreether esoluti
    onoft hecasef r
    om the
    caprici
    ousness or par t
    isanship of t he di sci
    pli
    ning aut hor
    it
    y.Thus,t he
    peti
    tioner’
    si nterpr
    etationwoul ddefeatt heclearintentofthelaw.
    o Mor
    eov
    er,suchanar
    rangementcl
    ear
    lydemot
    est
    hecour
    tst
    onot
    hingmor
    e
    thanani mplement i
    ngarm oft heSangguni angPanl ungsod,orSangguni ang
    Bayan.Thiswouldbeanunmi stakablebreachoft hedoctri
    neonsepar ationof
    powers,thusplacingthecour tsundertheor dersoft helegisl
    ati
    vebodi esof
    l
    ocalgov ernments.Thecourtswouldbest ri
    ppedoft heirpowerofr evi
    ew, and
    thei
    rdiscreti
    oninimposingtheextremepenal tyofremov alfrom of
    ficeisthus
    l
    efttobeexer cisedbypol i
    ticalfacti
    onswhi chstandt obenef i
    tf r
    om t he
    removalfrom off
    iceofthelocalelecti
    veoffici
    alconcerned,theveryev i
    lwhich
    Congress soughtt o avoi
    d when i tenact ed Section 60 of t he Local
    GovernmentCode.
    o Congresscl ear l
    ymeantt hattheremov alofanel ect
    ivelocalof ficialbedone
    onlyafterat ri
    albef or
    et heappr opriat
    ecourt,wherecour trul
    esofpr ocedure
    andevidencecanensur eimpar t
    ial
    ityandfai
    rnessandpr otectagai nstpoli
    tical
    maneuv erings.Elevati
    ngt heremov alofanel ecti
    velocalof f
    icialf rom offi
    ce
    fr
    om anadmi nistr
    ati
    vecaset oacour tcasemaybej ustif
    iedbyt hefactthat
    suchr emov alnotonl ypuni shest heoffi
    cialconcernedbutal so,i neffect,
    depri
    vest heel ector
    ateoft heservicesoftheoffici
    alf
    orwhom t heyv ot
    ed.
    oI
    SSUE 2:WON t heinter
    pret
    ati
    on,thatthepowert or
    emov
    eisaj
    udi
    cial
    f
    unct
    ion,
    viol
    atesthedoct
    ri
    neofseparat
    ionofpower
    s.
    o Thedoct ri
    neofseparati
    onofpower sisnotabsoluteinitsappli
    cati
    on;rather,
    i
    tshoul dbeappl i
    edinaccordancewi ththepr i
    nci
    pleofchecksandbal ances.
    Theremov alfrom of
    fi
    ceofel ect
    iveof f
    ici
    alsmustnotbet ai
    ntedwi t
    hpar t
    isan
    poli
    ti
    csandusedt odefeatthewillofthev oti
    ngpubli
    c.Congressitsel
    fsawi t
    fi
    ttov estthatpowerinamor eimpar t
    ialtr
    ibunal
    ,thecourt
    .Furthermore,the
    l
    ocalgov ernmentunit
    sar enotdeprivedoft heri
    ghttodisci
    pli
    nelocalelecti
    ve
    off
    ici
    als;rather,t
    heyar epreventedf rom imposingtheext r
    emepenal t
    yof
    di
    smi ssal
    .
    - SALUMBI
    DESVSOFFI
    CEOFTHEOMBUDSMAN
    o FACTS: Towardst heendof2001,t hemay orsaw theneedt oconst ruct2-
    classroom bui ldi
    ng,soheconsul tedSal umbides(muni
    cipallegalof
    ficer).The
    l
    at t
    eradv i
    sedt hemay orthatt heconst r
    ucti
    onogt hebuil
    dingbechar gedon
    theMai ntenance&ot herOper ati
    ngExpenses/ Repai
    r&Mai ntenanceFaci li
    ti
    es
    (MOOE/ RMF)al r
    eadyi mplement ed.Howev er,whent heyconsul t
    edGl enda
    (muni cipalbudgetof f
    icer
    )t heyf ound outt hatt
    here were no funds l ef
    t
    MOOE/ RMF.Si nce,TheSBi si nr ecess,Glenda&Sal umbidesadv isedt he
    may ort osour cethefundsfrom the1M MOOE/ RMFall
    ocati
    oni ntheappr oved
    muni cipalbudgeti n2002.
    o The may or then instruct
    ed the municipal engineer t
    o pr oceed with
    constr
    ucti
    on project.Upon advice Her
    nan Jason ( muni
    cipalplanning &
    devel
    opmentof fi
    cer,themay ori
    ncl
    udedtheconst ructi
    onproject
    si ntheli
    st
    schedul
    edf orbi
    ddingonJan.25,2002w/ cfai
    led.Mov edtoanot herbiddi
    ng
    w/calsofai
    led.
    o Themayorl
    ater
    ,admi t
    tedhisexpect
    ati
    ont ober ei
    mbursedoftheadvances
    he made t
    o startthe project
    ,since the constr
    ucti
    on ofthe projects
    commencedw/oanyappr ovedappropri
    ationandaheadoft hebiddi
    ng.On
    May13,2002,Ricar
    doAgonet .al
    .(respondents)fi
    ledacomplaintint he
    Ombudsman against,t he mayor,Hernan Jason,Aqui no,Sal umbides and
    Glenda.Byor
    dertheombudsmandeni edt heprayeroft her espondentstoput
    thepeti
    ti
    oner
    sunderpr eventi
    vesuspension.Lateritdroppedt hemay orinthe
    casebecausehi
    sr e-el
    ect i
    ontothesameof fi
    ceser vedasacondonat i
    onfor
    actsdoneinapri
    orterm, t
    husnolongeradmi nistr
    ativ
    elyliable.
    oISSUE:WONt hecondonat
    ionoft
    heactofanel
    ecti
    veoff
    ici
    alinapr
    iort
    erm
    wouldalsocondonet hesameactdonebyappointedoffi
    cial
    swhowere
    administ
    rat
    ivelychar
    gedal
    ongw/ther
    e-el
    ect
    edof
    fi
    cial
    .
    o RULI
    NG:NO.Thedoct
    ri
    neofcondonat
    iondoesnotext
    endt
    o appoi
    nti
    ve
    of
    fi
    cial
    s.
    o Mor ethan60y earsago,t heCour tinPascualv .Hon.Pr ov
    incialBoardof
    Nuev aEcij
    a17i ssuedt helandmarkr uli
    ngthatprohi
    bit
    st hedi
    scipli
    ningofan
    elect
    ive offi
    cialf ora wr ongfulactcommi t
    ted dur i
    ng hisi mmedi at
    ely
    precedingterm ofof fi
    ce.TheCour texpl ai
    nedthat"[
    t]
    heunder lyi
    ngt heoryis
    thateacht ermissepar atefrom otherterms,andthatt hereel
    ectiont ooff
    ice
    operatesasacondonat i
    onoft heofficer
    'sprevi
    ousmi sconducttot heextent
    ofcuttingofftherighttoremov ehimt heref
    or.
    "18
    o TheCour tshouldnev erremov eapubl icof f
    icerf oractsdonepr i
    ortohi s
    presentterm ofoffice.Todoot her
    wisewoul dbet odepr i
    vethepeopl
    eoftheir
    ri
    ghtt oelectthei
    rof fi
    cers.Whent hepeopl eelect[e]
    damant ooffi
    ce,i
    tmust
    beassumedt hattheydi dt hi
    swi t
    hknowl edgeofhi sli
    feandcharacter
    ,and
    thattheydisregardedorf orgavehisfault
    sormi sconduct,i
    fhehadbeengui l
    ty
    ofany .Itisnotf ort hecour t,byreasonofsuchf aul
    tsormisconduct[
    ,
    ]to
    practi
    call
    yov err
    ulet hewillofthepeople.
    19
    o xxx..
    .xxx..
    .xxx... 28 29Sal ali
    mav .Guingona, Jr. and May orGar ciav.
    Hon.Moj icaadmi nistr
    at i
    vecompl aintwasnotf i
    l
    edbef orether eel
    ect i
    onof
    thepubl icof ficial
    ,andev eni ftheal l
    egedmi sconductoccur redf ourday s
    beforet heelect ions,respectivel
    y.Sal ali
    madi dnotdi sti
    nguishast ot hedat e
    offil
    ingoft headmi ni
    strati
    vecompl aint,aslongast heallegedmi sconduct
    wascommi tteddur i
    ngt hepriorter
    m,t hepr eciset i
    mi ngorper iodofwhi ch
    Garciadi dnotf urt
    herdi sti
    nguish,asl ongast hewr ongdoingt hatgav eriseto
    thepubl icofficial'
    scul pabil
    it
    ywascommi tt
    edpr i
    ort ot hedateofr eelecti
    on.
    xxx..
    .xxx..
    .xxx...
    o Thedoct r
    inet hi
    sCour tlaiddowninSalali
    mav .Gui ngona,Jr.andAgui
    nal
    dov .
    Santosar einappl i
    cablet othepresentcircumst ances.Respondentsinthe
    mentionedcasesar eel ect
    iveoffi
    cial
    s,unli
    ker espondenther ewho i
    san
    appoint
    edof fici
    al.I
    ndeed,electi
    onexpressesthesov erei
    gnwi l
    loft
    hepeople.
    Underthepr inci
    pleofv oxpopul iestsupremal ex,ther e-el
    ect
    ionofapublic
    off
    ici
    almay ,indeed,super sedeapendi ngadmi nistr
    ativecase.Thesame
    cannotbesai dofar e-appointmenttoanon-careerposit i
    on.
    o Subst antialdi
    sti
    ncti
    onsclearl
    yexistbetweenelecti
    veoffi
    cial
    sandappoint
    ive
    offi
    cials.Thef ormeroccupyt hei
    rof f
    icebyv ir
    tueoft hemandat eoft he
    elect
    or ate.Theyar eelectedtoanof ficeforadef ini
    teterm andmaybe
    remov ed t heref
    rom only upon stri
    ngentcondi t
    ions.On the otherhand,
    appoint i
    veof f
    ici
    alshol
    dtheiroff
    icebyvirtueoft
    heirdesi
    gnati
    ontheret
    obyan
    appoi
    nti
    ng authori
    ty.Some appointi
    ve offi
    cial
    s holdtheir of
    fi
    ce ina
    permanentcapaci
    tyandareent
    it
    ledtosecur
    it
    yoft enur
    ewhil
    eothersser
    veat
    thepl
    easureoftheappoi
    nti
    ngauthor
    it
    y.
    o An el ection ist he embodimentoft he popularwi l
    l,perhaps t he pur est
    expressi onoft hesov er
    eignpoweroft hepeople.Iti
    nv olv
    est hechoi ceor
    selectionofcandi datest opublicofficebypopul arvote.Consi deri
    ngt hat
    electedof fi
    cialsareputinofficebytheirconstit
    uentsforadef ini
    teterm, xxx
    compl etedef er
    encei saccordedt ot hewi lloft heelectorat
    et hatt heybe
    servedbysuchof f
    ici
    alsunti
    ltheendoft heter
    mf orwhi chtheywer eel ected.
    Incont r
    ast,ther eisnosuchexpect ationinsofarasappoi ntedof fi
    cialsar e
    concer ned.(emphasi sandunder scor
    ingsuppl i
    ed)
    o Theelect orate'
    scondonat i
    onoft hepreviousadmi ni
    strati
    veinfr
    act
    ionsoft he
    reel
    ectedof f
    ici
    alcannotbeext endedt othatoft her eappointedcoter
    mi nous
    employ ees,theunder l
    y i
    ngbasi softher ul
    ebei ngt ouphol dthewi l
    loft he
    people expr essed through the ballot.I n otherwor ds,thereis nei t
    her
    subversionoft hesov erei
    gnwi llnordisenfranchisementoft heelectorateto
    speakof ,inthecaseofr eappointedcoterminousempl oyees.
    oItisthewi llofthepopulace,nott hewhim ofoneper sonwhohappenst obe
    theappoi ntingauthori
    ty,
    thatcoul dextingui
    shanadmi nist
    rati
    veli
    abil
    i
    ty.Since
    petit
    ionershol dappointi
    veposi tions,theycannotclaimt hemandat eoft he
    elect
    or at
    e.The peopl e cannotbe char ged wit
    ht he presumption off ul
    l
    knowl edgeoft hel i
    feandchar acterofeachandev er
    ypr obableappoint
    eeof
    theelectiveoffi
    cialaheadofthel atter
    'sactualr
    eel
    ecti
    on.
    o Theappel l
    atecour tcorrectlyr uledt hatasmuni cipallegalofficer,pet i
    tioner
    Salumbi des"fai
    ledt ouphol dt hel awandpr ov i
    deasoundl egalassi stanceand
    suppor tt ot he may ori n car r
    ying outt he del iver yofbasi cser vi
    cesand
    provisionsofadequat efacil
    itieswhenheadv i
    sed[ t
    hemay or]topr oceedwi th
    theconst ruct
    ionoft hesubj ectpr oj
    ectswi thoutpr i
    orcompet i
    ti
    v ebiddi ng."38
    Aspoi ntedoutbyt heOf fi
    ceoft heSol ici
    torGener al,toabsolveSal umbi desi s
    tantamountt oal l
    owingwi t
    hi mpuni tyt
    hegi v i
    ngofer roneousori ll
    egaladv i
    ce,
    whenbyl awhei spreciselyt askedt oadv iset hemay oron" matt er
    sr elatedt o
    uphol dingt her uleofl aw."39I ndeed,al egalof fi
    cerwho r ender sal egal
    opiniononacour seofact i
    onwi thoutanyl egalbasi sbecomesnodi fferent
    from al ayper sonwhomayappr ov ethesamebecausei tappearsj ustif
    ied.
    o Asregardspeti
    ti
    onerGlenda,
    theappel l
    atecourtheldthattheimproperuseof
    gover
    nmentf undsupont hedi r
    ecti
    onoft hemay orandpr i
    oradv i
    cebyt he
    munici
    pallegaloff
    icerdi
    dnotr eli
    eveherofl i
    abil
    ityf
    orwi ll
    i
    nglycooperati
    ng
    rat
    herthanregi
    ster
    ingherwri
    ttenobjecti
    on40asmuni cipalbudgetoffi
    cer
    .

    PARTX–RECALL
    - 1.Bywhom exer
    cised
    o Sect
    ion69.ByWhom Exer ci
    sed.-Thepowerofr ecal
    lforlossofconfi
    dence
    shal
    lbeexerci
    sedbytheregi
    ster
    edv ot
    ersofalocalgover
    nmentunittowhich
    thel
    ocalel
    ecti
    veoff
    ici
    alsubj
    ecttosuchrecal
    lbel
    ongs.
    - 2.I
    nit
    iat
    ionofRecal
    lPr
    ocess
    o Sect
    ion70.I
    nit
    iat
    ionoft
    heRecal
    lPr
    ocess.–
    o a.TheRecal lofanyel ecti
    veprovi
    ncial,ci
    ty,municipalorbar angayof f
    icial
    shallbe commenced by a pet i
    tion ofa r egi
    stered voterint he local
    governmentunitconcernedandsupportedbyt heregister
    edv ot
    ersinthelocal
    governmentunitconcer nedduri
    ngt heel ecti
    oni nwhi cht helocalof f
    icial
    soughtto be r ecal
    led was el
    ected subjectt ot he foll
    owing percentage
    requi
    rements:
     1.Atleastt
    went
    y-f
    ivepercent(25%)i
    nthecaseoflocalgov
    ernment
    unit
    s wit
    hav ot
    ing populat
    ion ofnotmor
    et han t
    wentythousand
    (20,
    000);
     2.Atleasttwent
    yper cent(20%)i nthecaseofl ocalgover nmentuni
    ts
    wit
    hav ot
    ingpopulat
    ionofatl easttwent
    yt housand( 20,000)butnot
    moret hansevent
    y-fi
    vet housand( 75,
    000):Provided,Thati nnocase
    shal
    ltherequi
    redpeti
    tionersbelessthanfi
    vet housand(5,000);
     3.Atleastfi
    ft
    eenper cent( 15%)int hecaseofl ocalgover
    nmentnits
    wit
    hav oti
    ngpopul ati
    onofatl eastsev enty-
    fi
    v ethousand(75,
    000)but
    notmor ethanthreehundr edt housand( 300,000):Provi
    ded,however
    ,
    Thati
    nnocaseshal lther equirednumberofpet i
    ti
    onersbelessthan
    fi
    ft
    eenthousand(15,000);
    and
     4.Atleasttenpercent(10%)inthecaseoflocalgovernmentunit
    swi t
    h
    av ot
    ingpopulati
    onofov ert
    hreehundredthousand(300,
    000):Pr
    ovided,
    howev er
    ,Thatinnocaseshalltherequir
    edpetit
    ioner
    sbelessthanforty
    -f
    ivethousand(45,000)
    .
    o b.Theprocessofr
    ecal
    lshal
    lbeef
    fect
    edi
    naccor
    dancewi
    tht
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ng
    pr
    ocedur
    e:
     1.Awr it
    tenpeti
    ti
    onf orr
    ecalldulysignedbyt
    herepresentat
    ivesofthe
    peti
    ti
    onersbeforetheelecti
    onr egist
    rarorhi
    srepresent
    ativ
    e,shallbe
    fi
    ledwi t
    htheComel ecthroughi t
    sof fi
    ceint
    helocalgovernmentunit
    concerned.
     2.Thepet
    it
    iont
    orecal
    lshal
    lcont
    aint
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ng:
     a.Thenamesandaddressesoft
    hepet
    it
    ioner
    swr
    it
    teni
    nlegi
    ble
    for
    m andt
    hei
    rsi
    gnat
    ures;
     b.Thebarangay,ci
    tyormunicipal
    i
    ty,l
    ocall
    egi
    slat
    ivedi
    str
    ictand
    thepr
    ovi
    ncet owhichthepet
    it
    ionersbel
    ong;
     c.Thenameoft
    heof
    fi
    cialsoughtt
    ober
    ecal
    l
    ed;
    and
     d.Abr
    iefnar
    rat
    ionoft
    her
    easonsandj
    ust
    if
    icat
    ionst
    her
    efor
    e.
     1.TheComel ecshal l
    ,withinf i
    ft
    een(15)day sfr
    om t hefi
    l
    ingoft he
    pet
    it
    ion,cer
    ti
    fytot hesuffi
    ciencyoftherequi
    rednumberofsi gnat
    ures.
    Fai
    l
    uret o obtai
    nt he r
    equired numberofsi gnatur
    es automaticall
    y
    nul
    l
    ifi
    esthepetit
    ion;
     2.I
    fthepet
    it
    ioni
    sfoundt
    obesuf
    fi
    cienti
    nfor
    m,t
    heComel
    ecori
    tsdul
    y
    aut horizedr epresentati
    veshal l
    ,withi
    nt hree( 3)daysf ormt heissuance
    oft hecer t
    ifi
    cation,provi
    det heof fi
    cialsoughtt ober ecall
    edacopyof
    thepet i
    ti
    on,causei t
    spubl icati
    on a nat ionalnewspaperofgener al
    circulationandanewspaperofgener alcir
    culationinthel ocali
    ty,oncea
    weekf ort hree( 3)consecutiveweeksatt heexpenseoft hepet it
    ioners
    andatt hesamet imepostcopi est hereofi npublicandconspi cuous
    placesf oraper iodofnotl esst hanten( 10)day snormor ethant went y
    (20)day s,forthepur poseofal lowinginterestedpar t
    iestoexami neand
    verifyt hev ali
    dityoft hepetit
    ionandt heaut hent i
    cit
    yoft hesi gnatures
    cont ainedt herein.
     3.The Comel ec ori ts dulyaut hor i
    zed representat
    ives shall
    ,upon
    i
    ssuanceofcer ti
    fi
    cati
    on,pr oceedi ndependent lywitht heverif
    icati
    on
    andaut henti
    cationoft hesi gnatur
    esoft hepet iti
    onersandr egister
    ed
    voter
    scont ainedt her
    ein.Represent ati
    vesoft hepet i
    ti
    onersandt he
    off
    ici
    alsoughtt ober ecall
    edshal lbedul ynotifi
    edandshal lhav ethe
    ri
    ghtt o parti
    cipatet herein as mer e observers.The f il
    i
    ng ofany
    chall
    engeorpr ot estshallbeal l
    owedwi thi
    nt heper i
    odpr ovi
    dedi nthe
    i
    mmedi atelyprecedi ngparagraphandshal lber ul
    eduponwi t
    hf inal
    it
    y
    wit
    hinf if
    teen (15)day sf rom t hedat eoff il
    ing ofsuch pr ot
    estor
    chall
    enge;
     4.Uponthel apseoft heaf or
    esaidperiod,theComel ecori t
    sduly
    aut
    hori
    zedrepresent
    ativeshallannouncetheacceptanceofcandidat
    es
    tot
    heposit
    iveandt hereaf
    terpr epar
    ethelistofcandi
    dateswhichshall
    i
    ncl
    udethenameoft heoffi
    cialsoughttoberecall
    ed.
    - 3.El
    ect
    iononRecal
    l
    o SEC.71.El ecti
    ononRecal l.-Upont hef i
    li
    ngofav ali
    dpet i
    ti
    onf orrecal lwi
    th
    theappr opriat
    el ocalof
    fi
    ceoft heComel ec,theComel ecori tsdulyauthor i
    zed
    representativeshallsetthedat eoft heelecti
    onorr ecall
    ,whi chshal lnotbe
    l
    atert hanthirt
    y( 30)daysupont hecompl eti
    onoft hepr ocedur eoutli
    nedi nthe
    precedingar ti
    cle,inthecaseoft hebar angay,cityormuni cipaloffi
    cials,and
    fort
    y -
    five(45)day sinthecaseofpr ovinci
    alof f
    ici
    als.Theof fici
    alssoughtt o
    ber ecall
    edshal lautomatical
    lybeconsi deredasdul yr egisteredcandi dateor
    candidatest otheper ti
    nentposi t
    ionsand,l ikeot hercandi dates,shal lbe
    enti
    tledt obev otedupon.
    - 4.Ef
    fect
    ivi
    tyofRecal
    l
    o Secti
    on72.Effectivi
    tyofRecal
    l.-Therecal
    lofanelect
    ivel
    ocaloffi
    cialshallbe
    eff
    ectiveonlyupont heelecti
    onand pr ocl
    amati
    onofasuccessori nt he
    personofthecandi dat
    ereceiv
    ingthehighestnumberofvotescastdur i
    ngt he
    el
    ectiononrecall.Shoul
    dtheof f
    ici
    alsoughttoberecal
    ledrecei
    vethehi ghest
    numberofv otes,confi
    denceinhimi sther
    ebyaffi
    rmed,andheshal lcontinue
    i
    nof fi
    ce.
    - 5.Pr
    ohi
    bit
    ionf
    rom Resi
    gnat
    ion
    o Secti
    on73.Pr ohi
    bit
    ionf
    rom Resi
    gnat
    ion.-Theel
    ect
    ivel
    ocaloff
    ici
    alsoughtt
    o
    ber ecall
    ed shal
    lnotbeal l
    owed tor esi
    gnwhil
    et herecal
    lprocessisin
    progress.
    - 6.Li
    mit
    ati
    onsonRecal
    l
    o Sect
    ion74.Li
    mit
    ati
    onsonRecal
    l
    .–
    o(a)Anyelect
    ivel
    ocaloff
    ici
    almaybet hesubjectofar
    ecal
    lel
    ect
    iononl
    yonce
    duri
    nghister
    m ofoffi
    ceforlossofconf
    idence.
    o(b)Nor ecal
    lshal
    ltakepl
    acewit
    hinone(1)y
    earfrom t
    hedateoft
    heoffi
    cial
    '
    s
    assumpt i
    ontoof f
    iceorone(1)yearimmediat
    elyprecedi
    ngaregul
    arlocal
    elect
    ion.
    - 7.Expenses
    o Section75.ExpensesIncidentt
    oRecallElecti
    ons.-Allexpensesincidentto
    recallelect
    ionsshal
    lbebornebyt heCOMELEC.Fort hispurpose,thereshal
    l
    bei ncludedintheannualGeneralAppropr
    iat
    ionsActacont i
    ngencyf undat
    thedi sposaloft
    heCOMELECf ortheconductofrecal
    lel
    ecti
    ons.
    - Recal
    l
    o Recalli
    samodeofr
    emov
    inganel
    ect
    edof
    fi
    cialbyt
    hepeopl
    ebef
    oret
    heend
    ofhister
    m.
    o Gr
    ound:
    “lossoft
    rustandconf
    idence”
    o NO MORE PREPARATORY RECALL ASSEMBLY (
    PRA) AS MODE OF
    I
    NITI
    ATI
    NGRECALL.
    o Thereisonlyonemodeofi
    nit
    iat
    ingr
    ecal
    l
    :Byt
    heRegi
    ster
    edVot
    ers(
    fol
    l
    owi
    ng
    cer
    tainpercent
    age)
    o Thei ncumbentoff
    ici
    als,whoi sthesubjectofther ecal
    lproceedings,wi
    l
    l
    automatical
    l
    ybecomeacandi dat
    ef ort
    hatrecal
    lel
    ection.I
    nfact,hecannot
    resi
    gn.Then,Comelecwill
    inv
    iteotherst
    ifi
    l
    eCOCf ortherecal
    lelect
    ion.
    o 2t
    hingsmayhappen:
    i
    .incumbentoffi
    cialwi
    llwi
    nt herecal
    lelecti
    on,meani
    ng,therecal
    l
    el
    ecti
    onfail
    ssinceithasbeenshownt hatthepeopl
    estil
    lhav
    et hei
    r
    tr
    ustandconfi
    denceonthei
    ncumbent
    i
    i.i
    fsomebodyelsewinst
    herecal
    lel
    ect
    ion,meani
    ng,t
    herecal
    lelect
    ion
    succeeds,si
    ncei
    thasbeenshownthatthepeopl
    elostt
    heirtr
    ustand
    confi
    denceonthei
    ncumbent
    - Pr
    ohi
    bit
    ioni
    nrecal
    lpr
    oceedi
    ngs
    o Nor
    esi
    gnat
    iondur
    ingr
    ecal
    lpr
    ocess;
    o Recal
    lelecti
    onshouldonlybeoncedur ingt
    heter
    m oftheoff
    ici
    al.(
    not
    eof
    “el
    ect
    ion”,not“
    proceedi
    ng”
    ,thus,
    ini
    ti
    ati
    oncanbedonemoret
    hanonce)
    o Nor ecal
    l(el
    ecti
    on)shallt
    akeplacewi t
    hinone(1)yearfr
    om dat eofoffi
    cial’
    s
    assumptiontooffi
    ceorone( 1)yearimmediat
    elyprecedi
    ngar egularel
    ection
    (dayofelect
    ionandthatel
    ecti
    onaf f
    ecti
    ngtheoffi
    ceoftheof
    ficialconcer
    ned)
    - Resi
    gnat
    ionofel
    ect
    iveof
    fi
    ci
    al
    o Effect
    iveuponaccept
    ancebyPr
    esi
    dent
    ,Gov
    ernor
    ,Sangguni
    an,orMay
    or,as
    thecasemaybe.
    oI
    fnotacted upon byt
    heaut
    hor
    it
    ywi
    thi
    n 15 wor
    king day
    sfr
    om r
    ecei
    pt,
    deemedaccept
    ed.
    o Not
    e:Anel
    ectedoffi
    cialcannotresi
    gnwhen(
    a)f
    aci
    ngr
    ecal
    lpr
    ocessor(
    b)
    f
    aci
    ngadmi
    nistr
    ati
    veproceeding.
    - ANGOBUNGVSCOMELEC
    o Facts:Petiti
    onerwon as the dul
    yelect
    ed Mayoroft he Muni
    cipal
    it
    yof
    Tumauini,Isabel
    ainthelocalel
    ect
    ionsof1995.Hegar
    nered55% ofallthe
    votescast.Pri
    vater
    espondentdeAl
    banwasalsoacandi
    datei
    nsaidelect
    ions.
    o Somet i
    mei nearlySept
    ember,1996,priv
    ater espondentfil
    edwi ththeLocal
    El
    ectionRegist
    rarinTumauni
    ,I
    sabela,aPetit
    ionforRecall
    [3]
    againstpeti
    tioner
    .
    On Sept ember 12,1996,pet i
    ti
    oner received a copy of t his petiti
    on.
    Subsequentl
    y said peti
    ti
    on was f orwarded tot he RegionalOf f
    ice i n
    Tuguegarao,Cagayanandthentothemai nof fi
    ceofCOMELECi nManila,for
    approval
    .
    o Actingont hepetiti
    on,Deput yExecuti
    veDi r
    ectorf orOper at
    ionsPioJose
    Josonsubmi t
    tedtotheCOMELECEnBanc, aMemor andum[ 4]
    datedOctober8,
    1996 recommendi ng appr
    ov aloft he peti
    ti
    on f orrecallf i
    l
    ed by private
    respondentandit
    ssi gni
    ngbyot herqual
    ifi
    edvotersinor dertogarneratleast
    25%oft hetotalnumberofr egist
    eredvotersasr equir
    edbySect i
    on69(d)of
    theLocalGovernmentcodeof1991.
    oI
    nt ur
    nactingontheabovement
    ionedMemor andum ofDeputyExecut
    ive
    Di
    rect
    orJoson,t
    heCOMELECenbanci ssuedt
    heherei
    nassail
    edResolut
    ion
    No.96-
    2951.
    oI
    ssue:Whet
    herornott
    heone-
    yearbanappl
    i
    esi
    nthi
    scase
    o Ruling:TheSC r esolv
    edt hei ssueagainstMay orParas,becausethenext
    electi
    onisf orBarangay,notMay or
    alt
    yposit
    ionwhichistheonetober ecal
    led
    from.The“ regul
    arlocalelecti
    on”r ef
    err
    edtoi nSecti
    on74,LGC,meanst hat
    theappr oachinglocalelecti
    onmustbeonewher ethepositi
    onoftheof fi
    cial
    tober ecall
    edi sactual
    lycontestedandtobef i
    ll
    edbytheelector
    ate.
    o Privater espondenti scorrecti nsay ingthati nt hel
    ightofourpr onouncement
    i
    nPar asv .COMELEC[ 8]
    ,ther ecallelecti
    onschedul edonDecember2, 1996i n
    thei nstantcasecannotbesai dt obebar redbyt heMay12,1997Bar angay
    Elections.Inconst ruingthemeani ngoft het erm,“regularl
    ocalel ecti
    on”i n
    Sect i
    on74oft heLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991whi chprov idest hat“ no
    recallshal ltakepl acewi t
    hinone( 1)y earxxxi mmedi atelypr ecedi nga
    regularlocalel ecti
    on,”wer uledt hatf orthet imebart oapply,theappr oaching
    regularl ocalel ecti
    onmustbeonewher et hepositi
    onoft heof f
    ici
    alt obe
    recalled,istobeact ual
    lycont estedandf i
    lledbytheel ector
    at e.Thus,i nthe
    i
    nst antcasewher ethetimebari sbei nginv okedbypet i
    ti
    onermay orinviewof
    theappr oachingBar angayEl ectionsi nMay1997,t her ecanbenoappl i
    cation
    oftheoney earbar ,hencenoi nvali
    di tymaybeascr ibedtoResol uti
    onNo.96-
    2951ont hi
    sgr ound.
    - PARASVSCOMELEC–I twouldbemor einkeepingwit
    htheintentoftherecal
    l
    pr
    ovi
    sionoft
    heLGCt
    oconst
    rueregul
    arl
    ocalel
    ect
    ionasoneref
    err
    ingtoanelect
    ion
    wheretheofficehel
    dbythelocalelect
    iveoffi
    cialsoughttober ecal
    ledwil
    lbe
    cont
    estedandf i
    l
    ledbyt
    heel
    ector
    ate.Barangayrecal
    lelect
    ioncannotbebar
    redby
    SKelecti
    ons.
    o Theev i
    denti ntentofSect i
    on74i stosubj ectanel ecti
    velocalof f
    icialtorecal l
    el
    ectiononcedur i
    nghi sterm ofof fi
    ce.Par agraph( b)constr
    uedt oget herwi th
    paragraph( a)mer elydesignat estheper iodwhensuchel ecti
    vel ocalof ficial
    maybesubj ectofar ecal
    lelect i
    on,thatis,duri
    ngt hesecondy earofhi st erm
    ofoffice.Thus, subscribi
    ngt opet it
    ioner’
    sinterpretat
    ionofthephr aser egular
    l
    ocalel ect i
    ont oi ncl
    udet heSKel ecti
    onwi l
    lundul ycir
    cumscr i
    bet henov el
    provi
    sionoft heLocalGov ernmentCodeonr ecall
    ,amodeofr emov alof
    publi
    cof f i
    cersbyi nit
    iati
    onoft hepeopl ebef or
    et heendofhi ster m.Andi ft he
    SKel ectionwhi chi ssetbyR. A.No.7808t obehel deverythr eey earsf rom
    May1996wer et obedeemedwi thi
    nt hepur vi
    ewoft hephrase“ regularl ocal
    el
    ection” ,aser roneousl yinsistedbypet i
    ti
    oner,thennor ecallelectioncanbe
    conduct edr ender i
    ngi nuti
    lether ecallprovi
    sionoft heLocalGov ernmentCode.
    oItwould,ther
    efor
    e,bemor ei
    nkeepi ngwiththei nt
    entoftherecal
    lpr
    ovi
    sionof
    theCodet oconstrueregul
    arlocalelecti
    onasoner efer
    ri
    ngt oanelect
    ion
    wheret heoffi
    ceheldbythelocalelect
    iveoffi
    cialsoughttoberecal
    l
    edwi l
    lbe
    contestedandbef i
    l
    ledbytheelectorat
    e.
    o Never
    thel
    ess,r
    ecal
    latt
    histi
    meisnol ongerpossi
    blebecauseoftheli
    mitati
    on
    st
    atedunderSecti
    on74( b)oftheCodeconsi deri
    ngt hatthenextregul
    ar
    el
    ecti
    oninvol
    vi
    ngthebarangayoffi
    ceconcernedi sbarelyseven(
    7)mont hs
    away,t
    hesamehav i
    ngbeenschedul
    edonMay1997.
    - CLAUDIOVSCOMELEC–Thet er
    m“ r
    ecall
    ”inSec.74(b)r
    efer
    stotherecal
    lel
    ecti
    on
    i
    tsel
    fanddoesnotincl
    udetheconveni
    ngoft hePRA.Thephr ase“regul
    arlocal
    el
    ecti
    on”r
    efer
    stot
    hedayoft
    heregul
    arlocalel
    ect
    ionandnottot
    heelecti
    onperi
    od.
    o Petit
    ionercont endst hatt het er
    m" recall
    "in§74( b)r eferstoapr ocess,i n
    contrasttothet erm" recallel ecti
    on"foundin§74( a),whichobv i
    ouslyr efersto
    an electi
    on.He cl aims t hat" when severalbar angay chairmen metand
    convenedonMay19,1999andunani mouslyresol v
    edt oini
    ti
    atet her ecal
    l,
    fol
    lowedbyt hetakingofv otesbyt hePRAonMay29, 1999f orthepur poseof
    adopt i
    ngar esoluti
    on‘ toinitiatetherecallofJovit
    oCl audioasMay orofPasay
    Cit
    yf orlossofconf idence, ’t heprocessofr ecal
    lbegan"and,si nceMay29,
    1999wasl esst hanay earaf terhehadassumedof fi
    ce,thePRAwasi l
    l
    egal l
    y
    convenedandal lproceedi ngshel dthereaft
    er,i
    ncludingt hefil
    i
    ngoft her ecal
    l
    peti
    tiononJul y2, 1999, wer enul landvoid.
    o Wecanagr eet hatr ecal
    lisapr ocesswhichbegi
    nswi t
    ht heconv eningofthe
    prepar
    atory
    , r
    ecallassembl yorthegatheri
    ngofthesignatur
    esatl east25%of
    theregi
    steredv otersofal ocalgover
    nmentunit,andt henproceedst othe
    fi
    li
    ngofar ecallr esolut
    ionorpet i
    ti
    onwi t
    htheCOMELEC,t hev erif
    icat
    ionof
    suchresol
    ut i
    onorpet i
    ti
    on,thefixi
    ngofthedateoftherecallel
    ection,andthe
    holdi
    ngoftheel ectiononthescheduleddate.
    o However
    ,asusedinparagraph(b)of§74,"recal
    l"r
    eferstotheelect
    ionit
    self
    bymeansofwhichvot
    ersdeci dewhet
    hertheyshouldretai
    nthei
    rlocalof
    fici
    al
    orel
    ecthi
    srepl
    acement,excludi
    ngtheconveningofthePRAandt hefi
    li
    ngof
    apet
    it
    ionf
    orr
    ecal
    lwi
    tht
    heComel
    ec.
    o Theter
    m" recall
    "inpar
    agraph(b)ref
    erstot
    her
    ecal
    lel
    ect
    ionandnott
    othe
    prel
    i
    minar
    ypr oceedi
    ngstoini
    ti
    ater
    ecall–
     1.Because§74speaksofli
    mi t
    ati
    onson" recall
    "which,accordingt
    o§69,
    i
    sapowerwhi chshal
    lbeexer ci
    sedbyt her egi
    steredvotersofal ocal
    gover
    nmentuni t
    .Si
    ncethev oter
    sdonotexer cisesuchr i
    ghtexceptin
    anelecti
    on,i
    ti scl
    earthatthei ni
    ti
    ati
    onofr ecallproceedingsi
    snot
    prohi
    bit
    edwithi
    ntheone-
    yearperiodprovidedinpar agr
    aph( b);
     2.Becausethepurposeoft hefir
    stlimitat
    ioninparagr
    aph( b)i
    st o
    provi
    devoter
    sasuff
    ici
    entbasisf
    orjudginganelect
    ivel
    ocalof
    fi
    cial
    ,and
    fi
    nalj
    udgingi
    snotdoneunti
    lthedayoftheelecti
    on;and
     3.Becausetoconstruethelimi
    tat
    ioninparagraph(b)asincl
    udingthe
    i
    nit
    iat
    ionofrecal
    lproceedingswouldundulycurtai
    lfr
    eedom ofspeech
    andofassemblyguaranteedint
    heConstit
    ution.
    o Astherecal
    lel
    ecti
    oninPasayCi
    tyi
    ssetonApri
    l15,2000,
    morethanoneyear
    aft
    erpeti
    ti
    onerassumedoffi
    ceasmayoroft
    hatcit
    y,weholdt
    hatther
    eisno
    bartoi
    tsholdi
    ngonthatdat
    e.
    o Petiti
    onercont ends,howev er,t
    hatt hedat esetbyt heCOMELECf ort
    her ecal
    l
    electi
    oniswi t
    hinthesecondper i
    odofpr ohibit
    ioninparagraph(
    b).Hear gues
    thatthephr ase" regul
    arlocalel ecti
    ons"inpar agraph(b)doesnotonlymean
    "thedayoft heregularlocalelect i
    on"whi ch,fortheyear2001isMay14,but
    theel ect
    ionper iodaswel l,whi chi snor mall
    yatl eastfortyf
    ive(45)day s
    i
    mmedi at
    el ybeforethedayoft heel ect
    ion.Hence, hecontendst
    hatbeginning
    Mar ch30, 2000,nor ecal
    lelecti
    onmaybehel d.
    o Thi
    scont
    ent
    ioni
    sunt
    enabl
    e.
    o Thelawisunambiguousinprovidi
    ngt
    hat"[n]orecallshal
    ltakeplacewi t
    hin...
    one(1)yearimmediatel
    yprecedingar egularlocalelecti
    on."HadCongr ess
    i
    ntended t
    hisli
    mitat
    ion torefertothecampai gn period,whi ch peri
    od is
    defi
    nedintheOmnibusElect
    ionCode,
    [10]itcouldhav eexpressl
    ysaidso.

    PARTXI–HUMANRESOURCESANDDEVELOPMENT
    - Secs.76-
    96 -seecodal
    - Pr
    act
    iceofpr
    ofessi
    on
    o GR:Al
    lLCEscannotpracti
    ceprof
    essi
    onnorengagei
    nanyoccupat
    ionot
    her
    t
    hantheexer
    ciseoft
    heirf
    unct
    ionsasLCEs.
     E:I
    fheisadoct or
    ,inwhichcase,hecanpract
    icesuchprof
    essi
    onbut
    onl
    yi n case of emergency even dur
    ing sessi
    on hour
    s without
    compensat
    ion.
    o SP Membercanpr acti
    ceprofessi
    onorengageinanyoccupat i
    onexcept
    duri
    ng sessi
    on hours,wit
    h certai
    nli
    mit
    ati
    ons t
    o Lawy
    ers on grounds of
    confl
    ictofi
    nter
    est
    s.
    o Doct
    orscanpr
    act
    icei
    ncaseofemer
    gencyev
    endur
    ingsessi
    onhour
    swi
    thout
    compensat
    ion.
    - DERAMAVSCOURTOFAPPEALS
    o Facts:Uponhi sassumpt i
    ont ot heposi ti
    onofMay orofPagbi lao,Quezon,
    peti
    tonerConr adoDeRamawr oteal ettertotheCSCseeki ngther ecallofthe
    appointments of14 muni cipalempl oyees.Pet i
    ti
    onerj usti
    fied hi sr ecal
    l
    requestont heal l
    egati
    ont hatt heappoi nt mentsofsai dempl oy eeswer e
    “midnight”appointmentsofthefor mermay or,doneinviolat
    ionofAr t.VII
    ,Sec.
    15oft heConst i
    tuti
    on.TheCSCdeni edpet i
    tioner’
    srequestf orther ecallofthe
    appointmentsoft he14empl oyeesf orlackofmer i
    t.TheCSC di smissed
    peti
    tioner’
    sallegati
    onthatthesewer e“ midnight”appointment s,poi nti
    ngout
    thattheconst i
    tuti
    onalprovi
    sionrelieduponbypet i
    ti
    onerpr ohi
    bi t
    sonl ythose
    appointmentsmadebyanout goingPr esidentandcannotbemadet oappl yto
    l
    ocalel ecti
    veof fi
    cial
    s.TheCSC opi nedt hatt heappoi ntingaut hori
    tycan
    vali
    dlyissueappointmentsunt i
    lhisterm hasexpi red,aslongast heappoi ntee
    meet sthequalifi
    cati
    onstandardsf ortheposi ti
    on.
    oI
    ssue:Whetherornottheappoi
    ntment
    smadebytheout
    goi
    ngMay
    orar
    e
    f
    orbi
    ddenunderAr
    t.VI
    I,
    Sec.15oft
    heConst
    it
    uti
    on
    o Held:TheCSCcor rect
    lyrul
    edt hattheconsti
    tutionalpr
    ohibi
    ti
    ononso- call
    ed
    “midnight appoi
    ntments,
    ” specifi
    call
    y those made wi t
    hin 2 mont hs
    i
    mmedi at
    elypri
    ort othe nextpr esi
    denti
    alel ecti
    ons,appli
    es onl
    yt ot he
    Presi
    dentorAct i
    ngPr esi
    dent.Thereisnol aw t hatprohi
    bit
    slocalelecti
    ve
    offi
    cial
    sfrom maki
    ngappointmentsduringthelastdaysofhisorhertenure.
    o Petit
    ioneradmi tst hathisv er
    yf i
    rstof fi
    cialactuponassumi ngtheposi t
    ionof
    town may orwas t oi ssue Of fi
    ce Or derNo.95- 01 whi ch recalled the
    appointment soft hepr i
    vaterespondent s.Ther ewasnoprev iousnotice,much
    l
    essahear i
    ngaccor dedt othel att
    er .Clearl
    y,itwaspeti
    tionerwhoact edin
    unduehast etor emov ethepr iv
    ater espondent swit
    houtregar dforthesi mple
    requir
    ement sorduepr ocessofl aw.I ndoi ngso,heov er
    steppedt hebounds
    ofhisaut horit
    y.Whi l
    ehear guest hatt heappointi
    ngpowerhast hesol e
    authori
    tyt or evokesai dappoi ntment s,thereisnodebat et hathedoesnot
    havebl anketaut hori
    tytodoso.Nei thercanhequest iontheCSC' sjurisdict
    ion
    toaffir
    m orr evoket herecall.
    o RuleV,Sect ion9oft heOmni busI mpl ement ingRegul ati
    onsoft heRev ised
    Admi nist
    rat
    iveCodespeci fi
    call
    ypr ovidest hat"anappoi ntmentaccept edby
    theappoi nt
    eecannotbewi thdrawnorr ev okedbytheappoi nti
    ngaut horit
    yand
    shallremaininf orceandineffectuntildi sapprovedbyt heCommi ssion."Thus,
    i
    tist heCSCt hatisauthori
    zedt orecallanappoi ntmenti ni
    tial
    lyappr oved,but
    onlywhensuchappoi ntmentandappr ov alarepr ov
    ent obei ndisregardof
    applicabl
    epr ov i
    si
    onsoft heci v
    ilser vicel aw andr egulations.
    19Mor eover
    ,
    Section10oft hesamer ul
    epr ovi
    des:
    o Sec.10.Anappoi ntmenti
    ssuedinaccordancewit
    hper t
    inentlawsandr ul
    es
    shal
    lt akeeff
    ectimmediat
    elyuponitsissuancebyt heappointi
    ngaut hori
    ty,
    andift heappointeehasassumedt hedut i
    esoft hepositi
    on,heshal lbe
    enti
    tl
    edt orecei
    vehi ssal
    aryatoncewi thoutawaiti
    ngt heapprov alofhis
    appointmentbytheCommi ssi
    on.Theappoint
    mentshallr
    emai neffecti
    veuntil
    disappr
    ovedbytheCommi
    ssion.Innocaseshal
    lanappoi
    ntmentt
    akeef
    fect
    earli
    ert
    hanthedat
    eofi
    tsi
    ssuance.
    o Secti
    on 20 ofRuleVIal so pr
    ovi
    des:Sec.20.Notwi
    thst
    andi
    ng t
    hei ni
    ti
    al
    approvalofanappoi
    ntment,
    thesamemayber ecal
    l
    edonanyofthefol
    l
    owing
    grounds:
    (a) Non-
    compli
    ance wit
    ht he pr
    ocedur
    es/
    cri
    ter
    ia pr
    ovi
    ded i
    nthe
    agency'
    sMeri
    tPromoti
    onPlan;
    (
    b)Fai
    l
    uret
    opasst
    hrought
    heagency
    'sSel
    ect
    ion/
    Promot
    ionBoar
    d;
    (c)Vi
    olat
    ionoft
    heexist
    ingcol
    l
    ect
    iveagreementbet
    weenmanagement
    andemployeesr
    elat
    ivet
    opromoti
    on;or
    (
    d)Vi
    olat
    ionofot
    herexi
    sti
    ngci
    vi
    lser
    vicel
    aw,
    rul
    esandr
    egul
    ati
    ons.
    o Accor di
    ngl
    y ,the appoi ntments oft he privater espondent
    s may onl y be
    recall
    edont heabov e-citedgrounds.Andy et,theonlyreasonadv ancedbythe
    petit
    ionertojustifyt her ecal
    lwast hatthesewer e"midni
    ghtappoi nt
    ments.
    "
    TheCSCcor r
    ectlyr uled,howev er,thattheconst i
    tut
    ionalprohi
    biti
    ononso-
    call
    ed " midni
    ghtappoi ntments,"specifi
    call
    yt hose made wi thintwo (2)
    mont hsimmedi atelypr i
    ort othenextpresidentialel
    ecti
    ons,appli
    esonlytothe
    PresidentorActingPr esident
    .
    oI
    fev ert
    herewereot herproceduralorl
    egalr
    equir
    ementst hatwerevi
    olat
    edin
    i
    mpl ementi
    ngtheappoi ntmentsoft hepriv
    aterespondents,thesamewer e
    notseasonabl
    ybr oughtbeforetheCivi
    lSer
    viceCommission.Thesecannotbe
    rai
    sedforthef
    irstti
    meonappeal .
    - PEOPLEVSTOLEDANO–RA7160whi chr
    epeal
    edBP337,reenact
    edinitsSec.89
    thelegalprovi
    si
    onofSec.41ofBP337andpenal i
    zesthesameactpr ev
    iousl
    y
    penali
    zed underthe r
    epeal
    ed l
    aw,such t
    hatthe actcommi t
    ted befor
    et he
    reenact
    mentconti
    nuest
    obeacrime.
    o Respondent judge di
    smissed the infor
    mat i
    on on the gr
    ound t
    hat the
    admini
    strat
    ivecasefil
    edagainstpri
    vaterespondentBunaowi
    ththeOff
    iceof
    theOmbudsmanhadbeendi smissed.
    o ButAr ticl
    e 89 ofthe Revi
    sed PenalCode enumer
    ates t
    he grounds f
    or
    ext
    inction ofcri
    minalli
    abi
    li
    ty;and,di
    smissalofan admi
    nist
    rat
    ivecharge
    againstaccusedisnotoneofthem.
    oItisindeedaf undament alprincipleofadmi ni
    str
    ativ
    el aw t
    hatadmi nistrative
    casesar eindependentf r
    om cr i
    mi nalacti
    onsf orthesameactoromi ssion. [
    7]
    Besides,thereliancemadebyr espondentj udgeont her e-
    electi
    onofpr i
    v ate
    respondentasKagawad i nt heMay1992 el ecti
    on so ast o warrantt he
    dismissalofthei nf
    ormationfil
    edagai nsthim, ci
    ti
    ngAgui nal
    dov s.Santos[ 8]is
    mi spl
    aced.Ther ul
    i
    nginsaidcasewhi chforbidsther emov alfrom offi
    ceofa
    publicoffi
    cialforadmi ni
    strati
    vemi sconductcommi t
    t eddur i
    ngapr iort er m,
    fi
    ndsnoappl i
    cationtocri
    mi nalcases, pendi
    ngagai nstsai dpublicof
    ficer.
    o Fi
    nall
    y,Republ
    i
    cAct7160,ot
    herwi
    seknownast heLocalGover
    nmentCodeof
    1991,whichrepeal
    edB.P.Blg.337reenact
    edi nit
    sSection89t hel egal
    prov
    isi
    onofSecti
    on41ofB.P.Bl
    g.337underwhichpri
    vat
    erespondentBunao
    wascharged and penal
    izesthesameactpr evi
    ousl
    ypenalized undert he
    repeal
    edl
    aw,suchthattheactcommitt
    edbeforethereenact
    mentcont inuous
    tobeacr ime.[
    9]Hence,prosecut
    ionwil
    lproceedundert heprov i
    sionsof
    Secti
    on89inrel
    ati
    ontoSection514ofR.
    A.7160.[
    10]

    PARTXI
    I–LOCALLEGI
    SLATI
    ONS
    - 1.Or
    dinancev
    sResol
    uti
    on
    o Ar
    t.107I
    RR
     Art.107.Or
    dinancesandResolut
    ions.-Thefol
    lowi
    ngr
    ulesshal
    lgov
    ern
    theenactmentofordi
    nancesandr esol
    uti
    ons:
    (a)Legi
    slati
    veactionsofagener alandpermanentcharact
    ershall
    beenact edinthef orm ofordinances,whil
    et hosewhichareof
    temporarycharactershallbepassedi nt
    hef orm ofr
    esolut
    ions.
    Mattersrel
    atingtopropriet
    aryfunctionsandt opri
    vat
    econcerns
    shallal
    sobeact eduponbyr esoluti
    on.
    (b)Pr oposedor di
    nancesandr esolut
    ionsshal lbei nwriti
    ngand
    shallcont ai
    nanassi gnednumber ,atitl
    eorcapt ion,anenacting
    oror dainingclause,andthedat eofi tspr oposedeffecti
    vit
    y.In
    additi
    on,ev eryproposedordinanceshal lbeaccompani edbya
    bri
    efexpl anatorynotecont
    aini
    ngthejust i
    ficati
    onforitsapproval
    .
    Itshallbesi gnedbyt heauthororaut horsandsubmi tt
    edt othe
    secretaryt othesanggunianwhoshal lreportthesamet ot he
    sangguni anatitsnextmeeti
    ng.
    (
    c)Aresoluti
    onshallbeenactedinthesamemannerpr escr
    ibed
    f
    oran ordinance,exceptthatitneed notgo t
    hrough at hi
    rd
    r
    eadi
    ngfori t
    sf i
    nalconsi
    derat
    ionunl
    essdeci
    dedotherwisebya
    maj
    ori
    tyofallthesangguni
    anmember s.
    (d)Noor dinanceorr esol
    uti
    onshallbeconsider
    edonsecond
    readi
    nginanyr egularmeet i
    ngunlessi
    thasbeenrepor
    tedoutby
    thepropercommi tteet owhichitwasr ef
    err
    edorcer t
    if
    iedas
    urgentbythelocalchiefexecut
    ive.
    (e)Any legi
    slat
    ive matterduly cer
    ti
    fi
    ed by t he localchief
    execut
    iveasurgent,whetherornoti
    tisincludedinthecalendar
    ofbusi
    ness,maybepr esentedandconsi
    deredbyt hebodyatt he
    samemeet i
    ngwithoutneedofsuspendi
    ngt herul
    es.
    (f)The secretar
    yt ot he sanggunian ofthe prov i
    nce,ci t
    yor
    municipali
    tyshallpreparecopi esoft heproposedor dinanceor
    resol
    utionintheformi twaspassedonsecondr eading,andshall
    dist
    ri
    but et
    oeachsangguni anmemberacopyt hereof,exceptthat
    ameasur ecerti
    fi
    edbyt hel ocalchiefexecuti
    veconcer nedas
    urgentmaybesubmi tt
    edf orfi
    nalvotingimmediatelyafterdebate
    oramendmentdur i
    ngt hesecondr eading.
    (g)Noor di
    nanceorr esol
    uti
    onpassedbyt hesangguni ani na
    regularorspecialsessiondulycall
    edf ort hepur poseshal lbe
    vali
    dunl essapprovedbyamaj ori
    tyoft hemember spr esent
    ,
    therebeingaquor um.Anyor di
    nanceorr esolutionauthorizingor
    dir
    ect i
    ngthepaymentofmoneyorcr eat
    ingl iabi
    li
    ty,shal
    lr equi
    re
    theaf f
    irmat
    ivevoteofamaj ori
    tyofallthesangguni anmember s
    forit
    spassage.
    (h)Upont hepassageofal lordi
    nancesandr esol
    uti
    onsdirect
    ing
    thepay mentofmoneyorcr eati
    ngli
    abil
    it
    y,andatt herequestof
    anymember ,ofanyresoluti
    onormot i
    on,thesanggunianshall
    recordtheayesandnay s.Eachapprovedordinanceorresolut
    ion
    shallbestampedwiththesealoft hesanggunianandrecordedin
    abookkeptf ort
    hepurpose.
    - 2.Requi
    sit
    esf
    ort
    hev
    ali
    dit
    yofor
    dinances
    o ALBONVSBAYANIFERNANDO
     Likeal lLGUs, theCi tyofMar i
    kinaisempower edtoenactor di
    nancesf or
    thepur posessetf or t
    hi ntheLocalGov ernmentCode( RA7160) .Itis
    expressl yv est ed wi t
    h police power s delegated to LGUs undert he
    gener alwel fare cl ause ofRA 7160. 8 Wi ththis power ,LGUs may
    prescr i
    be r easonabl eregulations t o protectthe l i
    ves,heal t
    h,and
    proper tyoft hei rconst i
    tuentsandmai ntainpeaceandor derwi t
    hintheir
    respect ivet er r
    it
    orialjurisdi
    ct i
    ons.Ci t
    iesandmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    esal sohav e
    thepowert oexer cisesuchpower sanddi schargesuchf uncti
    onsand
    responsi bili
    ties as may be necessar y,appr opriate orincidentalt o
    effi
    cientandef fectivepr ovisi
    onsoft hebasi cser vi
    cesandf acili
    ti
    es,
    i
    ncludi ngi nfrastruct ur
    ef aci
    liti
    esintendedpr imari
    lytoser v
    icetheneeds
    ofthei rr esi
    dent sandwhi char efinancedbyt heirownf unds.10These
    i
    nf r
    ast ructuref acili
    tiesincludemuni ci
    palorci t
    yr oadsandbr i
    dgesand
    simil
    arf acil
    ities.
     Therei snoquest ionaboutt hepubl icnatureanduseoft hesi dewalksin
    theMar i
    kinaGr eenhei ghtsSubdivision.Oneoft he" whereascl auses"of
    PD121612( whichamendedPD95713)decl arest hatopenspaces, 14
    roads,alleysandsi dewalksi nar esident
    ialsubdi v i
    sionar ef orpubli
    c
    useandbey ondt hecommer ceofman.I nconj unctionher ewith,PD957,
    asamendedbyPD 1216,mandat essubdi v isionowner st osetasi de
    openspaceswhi chshal lbedev ot edexcl usi velyfort heuseoft he
    generalpubl ic.Thus,t hetrialand appel lat ecour t
    swer ecor r
    ectin
    upholdingt hev al
    idityofOr di
    nanceNo.59, s.1993.I twasenact edinthe
    exerciseoft heCi tyofMar i
    kina’
    spol i
    cepower st oregulat etheuseof
    sidewalks.Howev er,boththet ri
    alandappel latecour tser redwhent hey
    i
    nv oked our 1991 deci sion i n Whi t
    e Pl ains Associ ati
    on and
    automat icall
    yappl ieditinthi
    scase.
     Thi
    s Court has al
    ready r
    esolv
    ed three interr
    elat
    ed Whi t
    e Plai
    ns
    Associ
    ati
    oncases:
    15(1)G.
    R.No.5568516resolvedin1985;(2)G.
    R.No.
    9552217deci
    dedin1991and( 3)G.R.No.12813118deci dedin1998.
    Theruli
    nginthe1991Whi t
    ePlainsAssociati
    ondeci si
    onreli
    edonby
    boththet rialandappellat
    ecour tswasmodi fi
    edbyt hi sCour tin1998i n
    Whi t
    ePl ainsAssoci at
    ionv .CourtofAppeal s.19CitingYoungv .Cit
    yof
    Mani l
    a,
    20t hisCour theldini ts1998deci si
    ont hatsubdi v
    isionstreets
    belonged t ot he ownerunt ildonat ed tot he gov ernmentorunt i
    l
    expropriateduponpay mentofj ustcompensat i
    on.Thewor d" st
    reet,
    "in
    i
    tscor rectandor di
    naryusage,includesnotonl yther oadwayusedf or
    carri
    agesandv ehicul
    artraffi
    cgener all
    ybutal sot hepor ti
    onusedf or
    pedestriant ravel
    .21Thepar toft hest reetsetasi def ort heuseof
    pedestriansi sknownasasi dewalk.
     Undersubdi vi
    sionl aws,
    23l otsall
    ott
    edbysubdi vi
    siondev el
    opersas
    roadl ot
    sincluder oads,sidewal
    ks,al
    leysandpl anti
    ngst r
    ips.24Thus,
    whati st r
    uef orsubdi vi
    sionroadsorst reet
    sappl i
    est osubdi visi
    on
    sidewalksaswel l
    .Ownershipofthesidewalksinapr i
    vatesubdivisi
    on
    belongstot hesubdi v
    isi
    onowner /
    developerunti
    liti
    sei t
    hertransferr
    ed
    tot hegovernmentbywayofdonat i
    onoracqui redbyt hegov ernment
    throughexpropriati
    on.
     Section335ofRA7160i scl earandspeci f
    icthatnopubl i
    cmoneyor
    propertyshallbeappr opri
    atedorappl iedforprivat
    epur poses.Thi sisin
    consonancewi t
    ht hefundament alpr i
    ncipleinlocalfi
    scaladmi nistrat
    ion
    thatlocalgov ernmentf undsandmoni esshallbespentsol el
    yf orpubl i
    c
    purposes.I nPascualv .Secretar yofPubl i
    cWor ks,26t heCour tl
    aid
    downt het estofv al
    i
    dityofapubl icexpendi tur
    e:i tist heessent ial
    characteroft hedi rectobjectoft heexpendi turewhi chmustdet ermine
    i
    t svali
    dityandnott hemagni tudeoft heinterest
    stobeaf f
    ectednort he
    degreet owhi cht hegener aladv antageoft hecommuni ty,andt hust he
    public welfare,may be ul t
    imat el
    y benef it
    ed by t heirpr omot i
    on.27
    Inci
    dent aladv antaget othepubl icort ot heSt ater esulti
    ngf rom t he
    promot i
    onofpr ivateinter
    estsandt hepr osper i
    tyofpr ivateenter pri
    ses
    orbusinessdoesnotj usti
    fytheiraidbyt heuseofpubl i
    cmoney .
     Thei mpl ement ingr ulesofPD957,asamendedbyPD1216,pr ovide
    thatitisther egisteredownerordev eloperofasubdi visionwhohast he
    responsibil
    it
    yf ort hemai ntenance,r epairandi mpr ov ementofr oadl ots
    and open spacesoft he subdi vision pr iort ot hei rdonat ion tot he
    concer nedLGU.Theownerordev elopershal lbedeemedr el
    ievedoft he
    responsibil
    it
    yofmai ntaini
    ngt her oadl otsandopenspaceonl yupon
    securingacer t
    ificateofcompl et ionandexecut i
    ngadeedofdonat ionof
    theser oadlot sandopenspacest ot heLGU.Ther ef or e,theuseofLGU
    fundsf orthewi deni ngandi mpr ov ementofpr ivately -ownedsi dewal ks
    i
    sunl awfulasi tdi rectlycont rav enesSect ion335ofRA 7160.Thi s
    conclusionfindsf urthersuppor tf rom t hel anguageofSect i
    on17ofRA
    7160whi chmandat esLGUst oef ficientlyandef fect i
    v elyprov i
    debasi c
    servi
    ces and f acili
    ti
    es.The l aw speaks ofi nf rast ructuref acili
    ties
    i
    ntendedpr i
    mar i
    lyt oser vi
    cet heneedsoft her esident soft heLGUand
    "whichar ef undedoutofmuni cipalf unds. "32I tpar ticular
    lyr eferst o
    "municipalroadsandbr i
    dges"and" simi larf acil
    iti
    es. "Appl yi
    ngt her ules
    ofejusdem gener is,thephr ase" simi larf acilit
    ies"r ef erst oori ncludes
    i
    nf r
    ast r
    uctur
    ef acili
    ti
    esl i
    kesi dewal ksownedbyt heLGU.Thus, RA7160
    contemplates t
    hatonlyt he constr
    ucti
    on,i
    mprov
    ement,repai
    rand
    maintenance ofinf
    rast
    ructur
    ef aci
    li
    ti
    esowned bythe LGU maybe
    bankrol
    ledwithl
    ocalgover
    nmentf unds.
    - 3.LocalLegi
    slat
    iveBodi
    es
    o Section 48.LocalLegi slati
    ve Power .-Locallegi
    slati
    ve powershallbe
    exercisedbythesangguniangpanl al
    awi ganf
    orthepr
    ov i
    nce;t
    hesangguniang
    panlungsodforthecity
    ;t hesangguni angbayanfort
    hemuni cipal
    i
    ty;andthe
    sangguniangbarangayfort hebarangay.
    - 4.Pr
    esi
    dingOf
    fi
    cer
    o Sect
    ion49.Pr
    esi
    dingOf
    fi
    cer
    .–
    o(a)The v i
    ce-gover
    norshal lbe the pr
    esidi
    ng of f
    iceroft he sangguniang
    panl
    alawigan;t he ci
    tyv i
    ce-mayor,oft he sangguni ang panlungsod;the
    municipalvi
    ce-mayor,oft
    hesangguniangbay an;andt hepunongbar angay
    ,of
    thesangguniangbarangay.Thepr
    esidingoffi
    cershallv ot
    eonlytobreakatie.
    o(b)Intheeventoftheinabil
    it
    yoft her
    egularpresi
    dingoffi
    certopresideata
    sangguniansessi
    on,themember spresentandconst i
    tut
    ingaquor um shal l
    electfr
    om amongt hemselvesat emporarypresi
    dingoffi
    cer.Heshallcertif
    y
    withi
    nten(10)daysfrom thepassageofor di
    nancesenactedandr esoluti
    ons
    adoptedbythesanggunianinthesessi
    onov erwhichhetempor ar
    il
    ypresided.
    - 5.I
    nter
    nalRul
    esofPr
    ocedur
    e
    o Sect
    ion50.I
    nter
    nalRul
    esofPr
    ocedur
    e.–
    o(a)Onthef i
    rstr egul
    arsessionf ol
    lowi
    ngtheelect
    ionofit
    smembersand
    withi
    nninet
    y( 90)day sther
    eafter
    ,thesangguni
    anconcer
    nedshal
    ladoptor
    updatei
    tsexi
    st i
    ngr ul
    esofprocedure.
    o(
    b)Ther
    ulesofpr
    ocedur
    eshal
    lpr
    ovi
    dedf
    ort
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ng:
    (1)Theorganizationoft hesangguni anandt heelecti
    onofi tsoffi
    cers
    aswellast hecreati
    onofst andingcommi t
    teeswhi chshallincl
    ude,but
    shal
    lnotbel imitedt o,t
    hecommi t
    teesonappr opriat
    ions,womenand
    famil
    y,human r ights,youth and spor t
    sdev elopment ,envir
    onmental
    prot
    ecti
    on,andcooper at
    ives;thegeneralj
    uri
    sdicti
    onofeachcommi tt
    ee;
    andtheelecti
    onoft hechai r
    manandmember sofeachcommi tt
    ee;
    (
    2)Theor
    derandcal
    endarofbusi
    nessf
    oreachsessi
    on;
    (
    3)Thel
    egi
    sl
    ati
    vepr
    ocess;
    (
    4) The par
    li
    amentar
    y procedur
    es whi
    ch i
    ncl
    ude t
    he conductof
    membersdur
    ingsessi
    ons;
    (5)Thedi scipli
    neofmember sf ordisorderl
    ybehav i
    orandabsences
    withoutjust
    ifiablecausef orfour( 4)consecuti
    v esessions,forwhi ch
    theymaybecensur ed,reprimanded,orexcl udedf rom thesessi on,
    suspendedf ornotmor et
    hansi xt
    y( 60)days,orexpel
    led:Prov i
    ded,That
    thepenaltyofsuspensi onorexpul sionshallr
    equiret
    heconcur renceof
    atleasttwo-thirds(2/3)voteofallthesangguni anmember s:Provided,
    furt
    her,Thatamemberconv ictedbyf i
    naljudgmenttoi mprisonmentof
    atl
    eastone(1)y earf
    oranycr
    imei nvolvi
    ngmoralt
    urpi
    tudeshal
    lbe
    aut
    omati
    cal
    lyexpell
    edfr
    om t
    hesanggunian;and
    (
    6)Suchot
    herr
    ulesast
    hesangguni
    anmayadopt
    .
    - 6.Ful
    ldi
    scl
    osur
    eofFi
    nanci
    al/
    Busi
    nessi
    nter
    estofmember
    sofSangguni
    an
    o Sect
    ion51.Ful
    lDi
    scl
    osur
    eofFi
    nanci
    alandBusi
    nessI
    nter
    est
    sofSangguni
    an
    Members.–
    o(a)Everysanggunianmembershal l
    ,uponassumpt i
    ontooffi
    ce,makeaf ul
    l
    discl
    osureofhisbusinessandf i
    nanciali
    nter
    ests,orprof
    essi
    onalrelati
    onship
    oranyrelat
    ionbyaf f
    ini
    tyorconsanguinit
    ywithi
    nt hefour
    thci
    vi
    ldegree, which
    hemayhav ewi t
    hanyper son,fi
    rm,orent i
    tyaffectedbyanyor dinanceor
    resol
    uti
    onunderconsi der
    ationbyt hesanggunianofwhi chheisamember ,
    whichrelat
    ionshi
    pmayr esulti
    nconf li
    ctofinterest
    .Suchrelat
    ionshipshall
    i
    nclude:
    (
    1)Owner
    shipofstockorcapi
    tal
    ,ori
    nvest
    ment,int
    heent
    it
    yorf
    ir
    mto
    whi
    cht
    heordinanceorr
    esol
    uti
    onmayapply;and
    (2)Contract
    s oragreements wit
    h anyperson orenti
    tywhi
    ch t
    he
    ordi
    nanceorresol
    uti
    onunderconsi
    derat
    ionmayaffect
    .
    Int he absence ofa speci fi
    c constituti
    onalorst at
    utor
    y provision
    applicabl
    et othi
    ssituat
    ion,"confl
    ictofinterest
    "ref
    ersingeneraltoone
    wher eitmayber easonablydeducedt hatamemberofasangguni an
    maynotacti nthepubl i
    cinterestduet osomepr i
    vat
    e,pecuniary,or
    otherper sonalconsi
    derati
    onst hatmayt endtoaffecthisj
    udgmentt o
    thepr ej
    udiceoftheservi
    ceort hepublic.
    o(b)Thedi scl
    osurerequi
    red underthisActshal lbemadei n wr
    it
    ing and
    submit
    ted tot he secr
    etar
    y oft he sangguni
    an ort he secr
    etar
    y oft he
    committeeofwhichhei samember .Thediscl
    osureshal
    l,i
    nallcases,for
    m
    partofther ecor
    doft heproceedingsandshal lbemadei nthefoll
    owing
    manner:
    (1)Discl
    osureshallbemadebef oret
    hememberpar t
    icipatesint he
    deli
    berat
    ions on the ordi
    nance orresoluti
    on underconsi der
    ati
    on:
    Provi
    ded,That ,ift he member did not par t
    ici
    pat
    e dur ing the
    deli
    berat
    ions,the discl
    osur
    e shallbe made bef or
    ev oti
    ng on t he
    ordi
    nanceorresol
    utiononsecondandthir
    dr eadi
    ngs;and
    (
    2)Disclosur
    eshallbemadewhenamembert akesapositi
    onormakes
    aprivi
    l
    egespeechonamat tert
    hatmayaf f
    ectthebusinessint
    erest
    ,
    f
    inanci
    alconnect
    ion,orpr
    ofessi
    onalr
    elat
    ionshipdescr
    ibedher
    ein.
    - 7.Meani
    ngof“
    Conf
    li
    ctofI
    nter
    est
    ”
    - 8.Sessi
    ons
    o Sect
    ion52.Sessi
    ons.–
    o(
    a)Ont hef i
    rstdayoft hesessi
    onimmedi at
    elyfoll
    owingtheelecti
    onofits
    members,thesanggunianshall
    ,byresol
    uti
    on,fixtheday ,t
    ime,andplaceof
    i
    tsregul
    arsessions.Themini
    mum number sofregularsessi
    onsshallbeonce
    a weekf orthe sangguni
    ang panl
    alawi
    gan,sangguni ang panl
    ungsod,and
    sangguni
    angbay
    an,
    andt
    wiceamont
    hfort
    hesangguni
    angbar
    angay
    .
    o(
    b)Whenpubl ici
    nter
    estsodemands,speci
    alsessi
    onsmaybecal l
    edbyt
    he
    l
    ocalchi
    efexecut
    iveorbyamaj
    ori
    tyofthemember soft
    hesangguni
    an.
    o(c)Allsangguniansessionsshal
    lbeopent ot hepubli
    cunl essaclosed-door
    sessionisor dered byanaf fi
    rmati
    vev oteofamaj or
    it
    yoft hemember s
    present,t
    herebeingaquor um,i
    nthepublicint
    erestorforreasonsofsecurit
    y,
    decency,ormor ali
    ty.Notwo(2)sessi
    ons,regularorspeci
    al,maybehel dina
    singl
    eday .
    o(d)Inthecaseofspecialsessi
    onsofthesangguni
    an,awrit
    tennot
    icetothe
    member sshal
    lbeservedpersonal
    lyatt
    hemember '
    susualpl
    aceofresi
    dence
    atleastt
    wenty
    -four(
    24)hoursbeforet
    hespeci
    alsessi
    onisheld.
    o Unl
    essotherwiseconcurr
    edi nbytwo-thi
    rds(2/3)voteoft
    hesangguni
    an
    memberspresent,t
    her
    ebeingaquor um,noothermatter
    smaybeconsi
    der
    ed
    ataspeci
    alsessi
    onexceptthosest
    atedinthenoti
    ce.
    o(
    e)Eachsangguni
    anshallkeepajournalandr
    ecor
    dofitsproceedi
    ngswhi
    ch
    maybepubli
    sheduponresolut
    ionoft
    hesangguni
    anconcer
    ned.
    - 9.Quor
    um
    o Sect
    ion53.Quor
    um.–
    o(a)Amaj orit
    yofal lt
    hemember softhesanggunianwhohav ebeenel ect
    ed
    andqual i
    fi
    edshallconst
    it
    uteaquorum tot
    ransactoffi
    cialbusiness.Shoulda
    questi
    onofquor um beraiseddur
    ingasessi on,thepr esidi
    ngof f
    icershall
    i
    mmedi at
    elyproceedtocallt
    herol
    lofthemember sandt hereaf
    terannounce
    theresult
    s.
    o(b)Wherethereisnoquor um,thepresi
    dingoffi
    cermaydecl ar
    earecessunt i
    l
    suchtimeasaquor um i
    sconst i
    tut
    ed,oramaj ori
    tyofthemember spresent
    mayadj ournfr
    om dayt odayandmaycompelt heimmediateat
    tendanceof
    anymemberabsentwi thoutjusti
    fi
    ablecausebydesi gnat
    ingamemberoft he
    sangguniantobeassi stedbyamemberormember soft hepoli
    cef orce
    assi
    gnedi ntheter
    ri
    tori
    aljur
    isdi
    cti
    onoft helocalgovernmentuni
    tconcerned,
    toarr
    esttheabsentmemberandpr esenthi
    m att hesessi
    on.
    o(c)Ifthereissti
    llnoquorum despitet heenfor
    cementoft heimmediatel
    y
    precedi
    ngsubsection,nobusinessshallbet
    ransact
    ed.Thepr esi
    dingof
    fi
    cer,
    uponpr opermot
    iondulyapprovedbyt hememberspresent
    ,shallt
    hendeclar
    e
    thesessionadj
    ournedforl
    ackofquor um.
    - 10.Appr
    ovalofOr
    dinances
    o Sect
    ion54.Appr
    ovalofOr
    dinances.–
    o(a)Everyordinanceenact edbyt hesangguni angpanlalawigan,sangguniang
    panlungsod,orsangguni ang bay an shallbe pr esented tot he pr
    ovincial
    governororci t
    yormuni cipalmay or,ast hecasemaybe.I fthelocalchief
    executiv
    econcer nedappr ov est hesame,heshal laff
    ixhissignatur
    eoneach
    andev erypagethereof;
    ot her wise,heshallv et
    oi tandretur
    nt hesamewi thhis
    objecti
    onstothesangguni an, whichmaypr oceedt oreconsi
    dert hesame.The
    sanggunianconcer nedmayov err
    idethev et ooft helocalchiefexecuti
    veby
    t
    wo-t
    hir
    ds(2/3)vot
    eofalli
    tsmember s,t
    herebymaki
    ngt
    heor
    dinanceor
    r
    esol
    uti
    oneff
    ecti
    vef
    oral
    ll
    egali
    ntent
    sandpurposes.
    o(b)Thevetoshal
    lbecommunicatedbythelocalchi
    efexecut
    iveconcernedto
    thesangguni
    anwithi
    nfif
    teen(
    15)daysinthecaseofapr ovi
    nce,andten(10)
    daysinthecaseofacityoramuni ci
    pal
    it
    y;otherwi
    se,t
    heordinanceshallbe
    deemedapprovedasifhehadsignedi
    t.
    o(
    c)Or
    dinancesenact
    edbythesangguni
    angbar
    angayshal
    l
    ,uponappr
    ovalby
    t
    hemajori
    tyofal
    li
    tsmembers,
    besignedbyt
    hepunongbarangay
    .
    - 11.Vet
    opowerofLCE
    o Sect
    ion55.Vet
    oPoweroft
    heLocalChi
    efExecut
    ive.–
    (a)Thelocalchiefexecuti
    vemayv etoanyordi
    nanceofthesangguni
    an
    panlal
    awigan,sangguniangpanlungsod,orsanggunianbayanont he
    groundthatiti
    sultravi
    resorpr
    ejudici
    altot
    hepublicwel
    far
    e,stat
    inghi
    s
    reasonsther
    eforinwr i
    ti
    ng.
    (b)Thel ocalchi efexecutive,exceptt hepunongbar angay ,shal
    lhav e
    thepowert ov et oanypar ticularitem ori temsofanappr opri
    ations
    ordinance, anor dinanceorresol uti
    onadopt ingal ocaldev elopmentpl an
    andpubl ici nvestmentpr ogram,oranor dinancedi recti
    ngt hepay ment
    ofmoneyorcr eat i
    ngliabi
    li
    ty.Insuchacase,t hev etoshal lnotaffect
    thei tem ori t
    emswhi char enotobj ectedto.Thev etoedi tem oritems
    shallnott akeef fectunlesst hesangguni anov erri
    dest hev etoint he
    manner her ei
    n pr ovi
    ded; ot herwise, the i t
    em or i tems i n t he
    appr opri
    ationsor dinanceoft hepr eviousy earcor r
    espondi ngt othose
    vetoed, i
    fany ,shallbedeemedr eenacted.
    (c)Thel ocalchi
    efexecutiv
    emayv etoanordi
    nanceorr esolut
    iononly
    once.Thesangguni anmayov er
    ri
    det hevet
    oofthelocalchiefexecut
    ive
    concernedbyt wo-t
    hirds(2/3)v
    oteofal li
    tsmembers,therebymaking
    theordinanceef f
    ecti
    v eevenwithouttheapprovaloft helocalchief
    execut
    iveconcerned.
    o DELOSREYESVSSANDI GANBAYAN–Theapprovalofanor
    dinancewhere
    theLCEaf
    fi
    xeshi
    ssi
    gnat
    urei
    snotapur
    elymi
    nist
    eri
    alact
    .Hei
    nf acthasv
    eto
    power.
    Inanef fortt
    oexoneratehi mselffrom thechar ge,
    petit
    ionerarguesthat
    thedeliberat
    ionsundertakenandt heconsequentpassageofResol ution
    No.57- S-
    92 arelegisl
    at i
    vein nat ure.He adds t hatas l ocalchief
    executi
    v e,hehasneithertheof fi
    cialcustodyofnort hedutyt oprepare
    saidresoluti
    on;hence,hecouldnothav et akenadvantageofhi soff
    icial
    positi
    on i n committi
    ng t he crime off alsi
    fi
    cati
    on as def i
    ned and
    punishedunderAr t
    icl
    e1716oft heRev i
    sedPenalCode.
     Petit
    ionerwouldli
    ketoimpressupont hi
    sCour tthatthefi
    nalstepinthe
    approvalofanor di
    nanceorr esol
    uti
    on,wheret helocalchiefexecutive
    aff
    ixeshissignatur
    e,ispur
    elyami nist
    eri
    alact.Thisv i
    ewiser roneous.
    Art
    icle109(b)oftheLocalGov er
    nmentCodeout l
    inesthevetopowerof
    theLocalChi efExecuti
    vewhi chprovi
    des:
    Art.109( b).Thel ocalchief
    executi
    v e,
    exceptthepunongbarangayshal
    lhavethepowert
    ov etoany
    parti
    cularit
    em orit
    emsofanappr opri
    ati
    onsordi
    nance,anor
    dinanceor
    resol
    utionadoptingal ocaldevel
    opmentplanandpubl ici
    nvestment
    program oranor dinancedir
    ect
    ingthepaymentofmoneyorcr eat
    ing
    l
    iabil
    it
    y.....
     Cont raryt o pet i
    tioner'
    sbel ief,t hegr antoft hev eto powerconf ers
    author i
    tybey ondt hesi mplemechani calactofsi gninganor di
    nanceor
    resolution,asar equisit
    et oitsenf orceabi l
    it
    y.Suchpoweraccor dst he
    l
    ocalchi efexecut ivethedi scretiont osust ai
    nar esoluti
    onoror dinance
    i
    nt hef irstinstanceort ov etoi tandr eturnitwi thhisobj ecti
    onst othe
    Sangguni an,whi ch may pr oceed t o r econsider t he same. The
    Sangguni anconcer ned,howev er,mayov erri
    det hev etobyat wo-thi
    rds
    (2/3)v oteofal litsmember st herebymaki ngt heordinanceorr esolut
    ion
    effectivef oral
    ll egalintentsandpur poses.I tisclear,therefor
    e,thatthe
    concur renceofal ocalchiefexecut ivei ntheenact mentofanor dinance
    orr esolutionrequi res,notonl yaf l
    our i
    shoft hepen,butt heapplicat
    ion
    ofjudgmentaf t ermet icul
    ousanal ysisandi ntell
    igenceaswel l
    .
     Themi nut
    esoft hesessi
    onr ev
    ealthatpeti
    tionerattendedthesessi on
    oftheSangguni angBayanonJul y27,1992.Itisevident,t
    heref
    ore,that
    peti
    tionerapprovedthesubjectresol
    utionknowi ngf ul
    l
    ywel lthat"the
    subjectmat t
    ertreat
    edtherei
    nwasnei thertakenupanddi scussednor
    passeduponbyt heSangguni
    angBay anduri
    ngt helegisl
    ati
    vesession."
     TheSandi
    ganbay
    ani
    sdi
    rect
    edt
    osett
    hecr
    imi
    nalcasef
    orar
    rai
    gnment
    andt
    ri
    al.
    - 12.Rev
    iewofOr
    dinances
    oi
    .ofComponentCi
    tyandMuni
    ci
    palOr
    dinances
     Secti
    on56.Rev i
    ew ofComponentCityandMuni
    cipalOr
    dinancesor
    Resolut
    ionsbyt
    heSangguni
    angPanl
    alawi
    gan.
    (a)Wi thinthree(3)daysaft
    erapproval
    ,thesecr etarytothesanggunian
    panlungsodorsangguni angbay anshallf orwardt ot hesangguniang
    panlalawi gan forrevi
    ew,copi es ofappr oved or di
    nances and the
    resolutions appr ov
    ing the local development pl ans and publ i
    c
    i
    nv estmentpr ogr
    amsformulat
    edbyt helocaldev elopmentcouncil
    s.
    (b)Withint hi
    rt
    y( 30)daysafterthereceiptofcopi esofsuchor dinances
    and resol uti
    ons,t he sangguniang panlalawigan shal lexami ne t
    he
    document sort ransmitthem tot heprov i
    nci
    alat t
    orney,ori ft herebe
    none,t ot he pr ovi
    ncialprosecutor for prompt exami nat ion.The
    provi
    ncialat t
    orneyorpr ovi
    ncialprosecutorshal l
    ,withinaper iodoft en
    (10)day sf r
    om r eceiptoft he document s,inform t he sangguni ang
    panl
    alawi gani nwr it
    ingofhiscomment sorr ecommendat ions,whi ch
    maybeconsi deredbyt hesangguni angpanl al
    awi ganinmaki ngit
    s
    deci
    sion.
    (c)Ifthesangguniangpanlalawi
    ganfindst hatsuchanor di
    nanceor
    resolut
    ion i
    s beyond the powerconf er
    red upon the sangguni
    ang
    panlungsod orsangguniang bay
    an concerned,itshal
    ldeclaresuch
    ordi
    nanceorresolut
    ioninval
    idinwholeorinpart.Thesangguniang
    panl
    alawi
    ganshallenteri
    tsacti
    onintheminutesandshalladvi
    sethe
    corr
    espondi
    ngcit
    yormuni ci
    palaut
    hor
    it
    iesoft
    heactioni
    thastaken.
    (d)I
    fnoactionhasbeent akenbythesangguniangpanlal
    awi ganwithi
    n
    thi
    rt
    y(30)daysaftersubmissi
    onofsuchanor dinanceorresolut
    ion,
    the
    sameshallbepresumedconsistentwi
    thl
    awandt heref
    orevalid.
    oi
    i
    .ofBar
    angayOr
    dinances
     Sect
    ion 57.Revi
    ew ofBar angay Or
    dinances by t
    he Sangguni
    ang
    Panl
    ungsodorSangguni
    angBayan.–
    (a)Wit
    hinten(
    10)daysaf t
    erit
    senactment,t
    hesangguni
    angbar angay
    shal
    lfurni
    shcopiesofal lbarangayor
    dinancestothesangguni ang
    panl
    ungsodorsangguniangbayanconcer
    nedf orr
    evi
    ewast owhet her
    theor
    dinancei
    sconsi
    stentwit
    hl awandci
    tyormunici
    palor
    dinances.
    (b)I
    fthesangguniangpanlungsodorsangguni
    angbayan,asthecase
    maybe,fai
    lstot akeact
    iononbar angayordi
    nanceswit
    hinthi
    rt
    y(30)
    daysfr
    om r
    eceiptther
    eof
    ,thesameshallbedeemedapproved.
    (c)Ifthesangguni angpanl ungsodorsangguni angbay an,ast hecase
    maybe,f i
    ndst hebarangayor dinancesinconsistentwithlaworci t
    yor
    muni ci
    palordi
    nances, t
    hesangguni anconcernedshal l
    ,withi
    nthi r
    ty(30)
    daysf rom receiptthereof,r eturnt hesamewi thitscomment sand
    recommendat ions t o t he sangguni ang bar angay concer ned f or
    adjustment,amendment ,ormodi fi
    cati
    on;inwhi chcase,t heef fect
    ivit
    y
    ofthebar angayor di
    nancei ssuspendedunt i
    lsucht i
    meast her evi
    sion
    call
    edf ori
    seffected.
    - 13.Enf
    orcementofDi
    sappr
    ovedOr
    dinances
    o Sect i
    on58.Enf orcementofDi sapprovedOrdinancesorResolutions.-Any
    attemptt o enfor
    ce anyor dinance oranyr esolut
    ion appr
    ovi
    ng t he l
    ocal
    dev el
    opmentpl an and publi
    ci nvestmentprogram,af terthe disappr
    ov al
    thereof,shal
    lbesuf fi
    cientgroundf orthesuspensionordi smissaloft he
    offici
    aloremployeeconcerned.
    - 14.Ef
    fect
    ivi
    tyofOr
    dinancesandResol
    uti
    ons
    o Sect
    ion59.Ef
    fect
    ivi
    tyofOr
    dinancesorResol
    uti
    ons.–
    o(a)Unlessot her
    wisestatedi ntheordinanceort her esol
    utionapprovingthe
    l
    ocaldev el opmentplanandpubl i
    cinvestmentpr ogram,thesameshal lt
    ake
    eff
    ectaf tert en(
    10)daysf r
    om thedateacopyt hereofispost edinabul l
    eti
    n
    boardatt heentranceoft heprovi
    ncialcapit
    olorci t
    y,muni cipal
    ,orbarangay
    hall
    ,ast hecasemaybe,andi natleasttwo( 2)otherconspi cuousplacesin
    thelocalgov ernmentunitconcerned.
    o(b)Thesecr etarytot hesanggunianconcernedshal
    lcauset heposti
    ngofan
    ordinanceorr esolut
    ioni nthebul
    leti
    nboardatt heentranceoftheprovi
    ncial
    capitolandtheci t
    y,muni ci
    pal
    ,orbarangayhalli
    natleasttwo(2)conspi
    cuous
    placesi nt
    hel ocalgovernmentunitconcer
    nednotlaterthanfi
    ve(5)daysaft
    er
    appr ovalt
    hereof.
    o Thet extoftheordinanceorr
    esoluti
    onshal
    lbedisseminat
    edandpost edin
    Fi
    li
    pinoorEngl ishandi nthelanguageunder
    stoodbyt hemaj ori
    tyofthe
    peoplei nthelocalgov er
    nmentunitconcer
    ned,and thesecretar
    yt othe
    sanggunianshallr
    ecordsuchfactinabookkeptforthepurpose,st
    ati
    ngthe
    datesofapprovalandposti
    ng.
    o(c)Thegi stofal lor
    dinanceswi thpenalsanct
    ionsshal
    lbepubl i
    shedina
    newspaper of gener alcircul
    ation wi
    thi
    nt he provi
    nce wheret he l
    ocal
    l
    egisl
    ativ
    ebodyconcer nedbelongs.Intheabsenceofanynewspaperof
    generalcir
    culati
    onwithinthepr ovi
    nce,posti
    ngofsuchordinancesshal
    lbe
    madei nallmuni ci
    pal
    iti
    esandci t
    iesoftheprovi
    ncewherethesangguni
    anof
    ori
    ginissituat
    ed.
    o(d)Int hecaseofhi ghlyurbani
    zedandi ndependentcomponentci ties,the
    mainf eat
    uresoft heordi
    nanceorr esolut
    iondulyenact edoradopt edshal l,i
    n
    addit
    iont obeingposted,bepublishedoncei nal ocalnewspaperofgener al
    cir
    culati
    onwithinthecit
    y:Provi
    ded, Thati
    nt heabsencet hereoftheor dinance
    orresolut
    ionshallbepubli
    shedinanynewspaperofgener alci
    rcul
    ation.
    o Ar
    ts.113-
    114I
    RR
     Art.113.Effect
    ivityofOrdi
    nancesandResol ut
    ions.-Unlessot herwi
    se
    statedintheor dinanceorresoluti
    onappr ov
    ingt helocaldevelopment
    planandpubl i
    cinv est
    mentprogram, thesameshal lt
    akeeffectaftert
    en
    (10)day sfr
    om t hedateacopyt hereofi
    spost edinabul l
    eti
    nboar dat
    theentranceoft heprovi
    nci
    alcapi t
    olorcit
    y,municipal
    ,orbarangayhall,
    ast hecasemaybe,andi natleastt wo(2)otherconspicuousplacesin
    theLGUconcer ned.
     Art.114.Post ingandPubl icati
    onofOr dinancewi t
    hPenalSanct i
    ons.-(a)
    Ordinanceswi thpenalsanct i
    onsshal lbepost edatconspi cuousplaces
    i
    nt hepr ov i
    ncialcapit
    ol,orcity,munici palorbarangayhal l
    ,asthecase
    maybe,f orami nimum per i
    odoft hree( 3)consecut i
    veweeks.Such
    ordinancesshal lalsobepubl i
    shedi nanewspaperofgener alcir
    culati
    on,
    wher eav ail
    able,withi
    nt heterri
    tori
    aljur i
    sdict
    ionoft heLGUconcer ned,
    excepti nt hecaseofbar angayor di
    nances.Unl essotherwiseprov i
    ded
    therein,sai d ordi
    nances shal ltake ef fecton t he dayf ol
    lowing it
    s
    publicati
    on,oratt heendoft heper iodofpost i
    ng,whi cheveroccurs
    l
    ater.
    (b)Anypubli
    cof fi
    ceroremployeewhov i
    olatesanordi
    nancemaybe
    metedadministr
    ati
    vedisci
    pli
    naryact
    ion,withoutpr
    ejudi
    cetothef
    il
    ing
    oftheappr
    opriat
    ecivi
    lorcr
    iminalact
    ion.
    (c)Thesecr et
    aryt othesangguni anconcer nedshalltransmi
    toffi
    cial
    copiesofsuchor dinancestothechi efexecutiveoff
    iceroftheOffi
    cial
    Gazettewit
    hinsev en(7)daysf ol
    lowingt heapprovalofsaidordi
    nance
    forpubli
    cat
    ion.TheOf f
    ici
    alGazettemaypubl i
    shordinanceswi
    thpenal
    sancti
    onsforarchivalandrefer
    encepur poses.
    o GAMBOA VS AGUI RRE – A vice-governorwho is concur
    rent
    lyan acti
    ng
    gov
    ernoris act
    ual
    lya quasi-
    gov ernor
    .Fort he pur
    pose ofexercisi
    ng his
    l
    egi
    slat
    ivepr
    erogat
    ivesandpowers, heisdeemedanonmemberoft heSPf or
    t
    het
    imebei
    ng.
     AVi ce-Governorwhoi sconcur
    rent
    lyanAct
    ingGov er
    nori
    sactual
    lya
    quasi-Governor.Thi
    s means,t hatforpurposes ofexer
    cisi
    ng hi
    s
    l
    egislati
    vepr er
    ogat
    ivesandpowers,hei
    sdeemedasanon- memberof
    theSPf orthetimebeing.
     Being t he Act i
    ng Gov er
    nor,the Vi ce-Gov ernorcannotcont inue to
    simultaneousl yexer ci
    sethedut i
    esoft helatterof f
    ice,sincet henatur e
    oft hedut iesoft hepr ovi
    ncialGovernorcal lforaf ul
    l-
    timeoccupantt o
    discharget hem.19Suchi snotonlyconsi stentwi thbutal soappear sto
    bet hecl earrati
    onaleoft henewCodewher eint hepolicyofper forming
    dualf unctionsinbot hoffi
    ceshasal readybeenabandoned.Tor epeat,
    thecr eat i
    on ofat emporaryv acancyi nt heof fi
    ceoft heGov er
    nor
    createsacor r
    espondi ngtempor ar
    yv acancyi nt heof fi
    ceoft heVi ce-
    Gov ernorwhenev ert he l
    atteracts as Gov ernorbyv irtue ofsuch
    tempor aryv acancy .
     Thisev entconst i
    tutesan" i
    nabilit
    y"ont hepar tofther egularpresi
    ding
    offi
    cer( ViceGov ernor)topr esideduri
    ngt heSPsessi ons,whi chthus
    call
    sf ort heoper at
    ionoft her emedyseti nAr t
    icle49( b)oft heLocal
    Gov ernmentCode— concer ningt heelectionofat empor arypresi
    ding
    offi
    cer .Thecont i
    nuityoftheAct i
    ngGov ernor'
    s(ViceGov ernor)powers
    aspr esi dingof f
    iceroft heSPi ssuspendedsol ongashei si nsuch
    capaci ty.UnderSect ion49(b) ,"(i
    )ntheev entoft hei nabil
    i
    tyoft he
    regularpr esidi
    ng of f
    icerto presideatt hesangguni an session,the
    member spr esentandconst it
    utingaquor um shallelectf rom among
    themsel vesat empor arypr
    esidingoffi
    cer .
    "
    o MALONZO VSZAMORA– Thel aw doesnotr equi
    rethecomplet
    ionoft he
    updati
    ng or adopti
    on of the i nt
    ernalr ules of pr
    ocedur
    es beforet he
    Sangguni
    ancouldactonanyot hermat terli
    ketheenactmentofanordinance;
    Thereisnot
    hinginthelaw,whichpr ohi
    bitsthatthe3readi
    ngsofapr oposed
    ordi
    nancebeheldinjustonesessionday .
    o ROBERTTAYABANVSPEOPLE
     Facts:I
    n1988,Tay abanwast hemay orofTinoc,I f
    ugao.Heint i
    mat eda
    proj
    ectpr oposalwi tht heGov er norforapubl i
    cmar kettobeer ected.
    Thesamewasappr ovedandi twasf undedbyt heCor dil
    l
    eraExecut ive
    Board.Thepr ojectbi ddingwassubsequent l
    ywonbyLopezPugong.
    Pugongbeganer ect i
    ngt hemar ketbuti n1989,Tay abanandTi noc’s
    council
    orsenf orcedar esolutiont odemol i
    sht hest r
    ucturebeingbui l
    t
    onthegr oundt hatt hest ructurei snotbeingerect edinthepr operar ea
    asspecifi
    edbyTay abanandt hatt hestr
    uctureisapubl i
    cnuisanceand
    byvirt
    ueofpol icepowert opr ot ectgeneralwelf
    ar e.
     Tay abanandsomecouncilorsthenwenttothesiteanddemoli
    shedthe
    structur
    e.PugongsuedTay abanetalf orviol
    ati
    onofSecti
    on3( e)of
    Republ i
    cActNo.3019( AntiGr af
    tAct).Pugongalsoaver
    redthatthe
    resoluti
    onrev
    iewingthesaidlocalpubl
    i
    cdev el
    opmentproj
    ect(market
    )
    thatthecouncilpassedi
    n1989wasnotpost edinaconspi
    cuousplace
    asrequiredbySecti
    ons56and59( a)ofthe1991LGC( R.
    A.No.7160).
    Tayaban lostand he appeal
    ed cont
    ending t
    hathe demoli
    shed t
    he
    str
    ucturebyv ir
    tueofPD 1096( Nati
    onalBuil
    dingCode)andLOI19
    (r
    emov alofil
    l
    egalst
    ruct
    ures).
     Held:Ontheotherhandthough,asheldbytheOSG,Sec56and59of
    theLGCof1991i snotappli
    cabl
    eassai dl
    aw wasnoty etpassedi
    n
    1989hencetherewasnoneedf orTayabant
    opostthe’89resol
    uti
    oni
    n
    aconspi
    cuousplace.
    o SOCI
    ALJUSTI
    CESOCI
    ETYVSHON.MAYORATI
    ENZA
     TheLocalGov ernmentCodei mposesuponr espondentt hedut y,asci t
    y
    may or,to“ enfor ceal llawsandor dinancesr elati
    vet othegov ernanceof
    theci ty.
    ”[20]Oneoft hesei sOrdinanceNo.8027.Ast hechiefexecut ive
    oft heci ty,hehast hedut ytoenf orceOr dinanceNo.8027asl ongasi t
    hasnotbeenr epeal edbyt heSangguni anorannul ledbyt hecour ts.
    [21]
    Hehasnoot herchoi ce.Itishi
    smi nisteri
    aldut ytodoso.I nDi mapor ov .
    Mi t
    ra,Jr .,[
    22]west ated ther easonf ort his:Theseof fi
    cer scannot
    refuset oper for mt heirdutyont hegr oundofanal legedinvalidi
    tyoft he
    statutei mposi ngt hedut y.Ther easonf ort hisisobv i
    ous.I tmi ght
    seriouslyhi ndert het ransacti
    onofpubl i
    cbusinessi ftheseofficerswer e
    tobeper mi t
    tedi nallcasest oquest iontheconst i
    tuti
    onali
    tyofst atutes
    and or dinances i mposi ng duties upon t hem and whi ch hav e not
    j
    udi ciall
    ybeendecl aredunconst i
    tutional.Of fi
    cersoft hegov ernment
    from t hehi ghestt othel owestar ecr eaturesoft helawandar eboundt o
    obeyi t
    .
     OrdinanceNo.8027wasenact edri
    ghtaf t
    erthePhili
    ppines,al
    ongwith
    ther estofthewor l
    d,witnessedthehor r
    oroft heSeptember11,2001
    attackont heTwinTower soft heWorldTr adeCenteri
    nNewYor kCity
    .
    Theobj ecti
    veoftheordinanceistoprotecttheresi
    dentsofManilafr
    om
    thecat astr
    ophi
    cdev ast
    ationthatwil
    lsurelyoccurincaseofat err
    ori
    st
    attack[25]onthePandacanTer minals.Nor easonexistswhysucha
    protectivemeasureshouldbedelayed.
    o ONGSUCOVSMALONES
     Arti
    cle 219 oft he LocalGov er
    nmentCode pr ovides t hata l ocal
    governmentuni texer cisingi tspowert oimposet axes, feesandchar ges
    shouldcompl ywi tht her equirementsseti nRul eXXX,ent i
    tl
    ed“ Local
    Gov er
    nmentTaxat i
    on”:Ar ti
    cle 219.Powert o Cr eate Sour ces of
    Revenue. —Consistentwi tht hebasicpolicyofl ocalautonomy ,eachLGU
    shallexercisei
    tspowert ocr eateitsownsour cesofr ev enueandt olev y
    taxes,fees,orchar ges,subj ecttot hepr ov isi
    onsoft hisRul e.Such
    taxes,fees,orchar gesshal laccrueexclusiv el
    yt otheLGU.Ar ti
    cle221( g)
    oftheLocalGov ernmentCodeof1991def ines“ charges”as:Ar t
    icl
    e221.
    Defini
    ti
    onofTer ms.xxxx( g)Chargesr efert opecuni aryli
    abil
    ity,as
    rentsorf eesagai nstper sonsorpr operty.Ev idently
    ,t her evenuesofa
    l
    ocalgov ernmentuni tdonotconsi stoft axesal one,butal sootherf ees
    and char ges.And r entalsand goodwi l
    lf ees,i mposed byMuni cipal
    OrdinanceNo.98- 01f ort heoccupancyoft hest al
    lsatt hemuni cipal
    publ
    i
    cmar
    ket
    ,fal
    lundert
    hedef
    ini
    ti
    onofchar
    ges.
     Therei snodi sputeher ei
    nt hatthenot icessentt opetit
    ionersandot her
    stal
    lhol der satthemuni cipalpubl i
    cmar ketweresentouton6August
    1998, informingt hem oft hesupposed“ publi
    chear i
    ng”tobehel don11
    August1998.Ev enassumi ngt hatpet i
    tionersreceivedtheirnot icealso
    on6August1998,t he“publichear i
    ng”wasal readyschedul ed,and
    actuallyconduct ed,onl yf iv
    e day slat er
    ,on 11 August1998.Thi s
    contrav enes Ar t
    icle 277( b)(
    3) of t he Implement ing Rul es and
    Regulat ionsoft heLocalGov er nmentCodewhi chr equirest hatthe
    publi
    chear i
    ngbehel dnol esst hant enday sf r
    om t hetimet henot i
    ces
    weresentout ,post ed,orpubl ished.Whent heSangguni angBay anof
    Maasi nsoughtt ocor rectthispr oceduraldefectthroughResol utionNo.
    68,ser iesof1998,dat ed18Sept ember1998,r espondentv etoedt he
    saidr esol uti
    on.Al thought heSangguni angBay anmayhav ehadt he
    powert oov erri
    der espondent’sv eto,
    [37]itnolongerdidso.
     Thedef ectint heenact mentofMuni cipalOrdinanceNo.98wasnot
    curedwhenanot herpublichear i
    ngwashel don22Januar y1999,after
    thequest i
    onedor dinancewaspassedbyt heSangguniangBay anand
    appr ovedbyr espondenton17August1998.Sect ion186oft heLocal
    Gov ernmentCodepr escr
    ibesthatthepubl i
    chear i
    ngbeheldpriortothe
    enact mentbyal ocalgov ernmentunitofanor di
    nancelevyi
    ngtaxes,
    fees,andchar ges.Si ncenopubl i
    chear i
    nghadbeendul yconducted
    pri
    ort ot he enact mentofMuni cipalOr di
    nance No.98-01,sai d
    ordinancei sv oidandcannotbegi venanyef fect.Consequent
    ly,avoid
    andi neffecti
    veor dinancecoul dnothav econferr
    eduponr espondentthe
    j
    urisdicti
    ont oor derpet i
    tioners’st
    all
    satt hemuni ci
    palpubli
    cmar ket
    vacant .
    - Locall
    egi
    slat
    ivebodi
    es
    o Quor
    um
    o Att
    endance may be compel
    l
    ed – the Presi
    ding of
    fi
    cercan ask f
    ort
    he
    assi
    stanceoft
    hel
    ocal pol
    i
    cef
    orcet
    oeffectthearr
    est.
    o Unl
    i
    keHR andtheSenate,SANGGUNI
    ANSDO NOTHAVETHEI NHERENT
    POWERTOISSUESUBPOENAORCI TEAPERSONI
    NCONTEMPT!
     Reasons:
    i
    .Suchpowerisinher
    entinCongresstoef
    fectpr
    operlegisl
    ati
    on,
    unli
    keinl
    gus,whichhavederi
    vati
    veepowerfrom congressand
    suchpoweri
    snotdelegat
    edtothelgusint
    heLGC;
    i
    i.Thisisapowernotor i
    ginal
    lylegi
    slat
    ive,butbyi t
    snat ur
    e,a
    j
    udicialpower
    ,thus,i
    t’
    sonlywhent her
    e’sclearconfermentor
    grantofsuchpowertol
    gusthattheyareall
    owedt oexerci
    sesuch
    powerbutsuchpowerisnotexpr
    esslygrantedintheLGC.
    - Locall
    egi
    slat
    ions
    o Or
    dinancev
    sresol
    uti
    on
    o Appr
    oval
    ofor
    dinance
    o Vet
    obyt
    heLCEv
    sRev
    iewbymot
    herSP
    o Rul
    esonv
    eto(
    Whocanmakei
    tem v
    eto?
    ;Howmanyt
    imesmayt
    heLCEv
    eto?
    )
     PunonyBr
    gy.cannotmakei
    tem v
    eto
     Vet
    ocanonl
    ybemadeonce
    o Ef
    fect
    ivi
    tyofor
    dinance;Whati
    stheeffectofr
    evi
    ewmechani
    sm byt
    hemot
    her
    SPtotheeff
    ect
    ivit
    yoftheordi
    nance?
    o Whator
    dinanceshoul
    dbepubl
    i
    shed?
     UndertheCode,asageneralrul
    e,al
    lor
    dinancesneednotbepublished,
    exceptift
    heordinancehasapenalprovisi
    onorapenalor di
    nance,in
    whichcasepubl
    icati
    onisrequir
    edinor
    dert ocomplywit
    hduepr ocess
    requi
    rement.
     Publ
    i
    cat
    ion–publ
    i
    cat
    ionofgener
    alci
    rcul
    ati
    on–gener
    alr
    eader
    shi
    p

    PARTXI
    II–LOCALI
    NITI
    ATI
    VEANDREFERENDUM
    - 1.Scope
    o GARCI
    AVSCOMELEC
     TheConst itut i
    oncl ear l
    yi ncludesnotonl yor dinancesbutr esolutionsas
    appropr i
    ate subj ects ofa l ocalinitiative.Sect ion 32 ofAr ti
    cle VI
    provides i nl umi nous l anguage:" The Congr ess shal l
    ,as ear ly as
    possibl e,pr ov idef orasy stem ofi niti
    ativ eandr efer endum,andt he
    except ionst her efrom,wher ebyt hepeopl ecandi rect l
    ypr oposeand
    enactl awsorappr oveorr ejectanyactorl aworpar tt her eofpassedby
    theCongr ess,orl ocallegi slativebody... "Anacti ncl udesar esol uti
    on.
    Black20def inesanactas" anexpr essionofwi l
    lorpur pose...i tmay
    denot esomet hing done...asa l egislatur e,incl udi ng notmer el
    y
    physicalact s,butal so decr ees,edi cts,l aws,j udgment s,resolv es,
    awar ds,anddet ermi nations.... "Iti sbasi cthatal aw shoul dbe
    const ruedi nhar monywi thandnoti nv iolationoft heconst i
    tution.The
    const i
    t ut
    ionalcommandt oincludeact s(i.
    e. ,resolutions)asappr opr i
    ate
    subject sofi niti
    ativewasi mpl ement edbyCongr esswheni tenact ed
    Republ i
    cActNo.6735 ent it
    led "An ActPr ov i
    ding f ora Sy stem of
    Ini
    ti
    at iveandRef erendum andAppr opr i
    atingFundsTher ef or
    ."Thus,i t
    s
    section3( a)expr essl yincludesr esolutionsassubj ect sofi ni
    tiativeson
    l
    ocall egislations.Ther ecanhar dlybeanydoubtt hatwhenCongr ess
    enact ed Republ ic ActNo.6735 i ti ntend r esolutions t o be pr oper
    subject sofl ocalini t
    iati
    v es.Thedebat esconf irmt hisi ntent .
     Contr
    aryt ot he submissi
    on oft he r
    espondent
    s,t he subsequent
    enact
    mentoft helocalGovernmentCodeof1991whi chalsodeal twi
    th
    l
    ocali ni
    ti
    ati
    ve did notchange t he scope ofits coverage.Mor e
    speci
    fi
    call
    y,theCodedi dnotl i
    mi tthecov er
    ageoflocalinit
    iati
    vesto
    ordi
    nancesalone.Secti
    on120,Chapt er2,Titl
    eIXBookIoft heCode
    ci
    tedbyr espondentsmerelydefinest heconceptoflocalini
    tiat
    iveas
    thelegalprocesswher ebytheregist
    eredvot
    ersofal ocalgover
    nment
    unitmaydi rect
    lypropose,enact,oramendanyor di
    nance.Itdoesnot
    ,
    howev er
    ,dealwi t
    ht hesubjectsormat t
    ersthatcanbet akenupina
    l
    ocalinit
    iat
    ive.I
    tissection124ofthesameCodewhi chdoes.
     Thispr ov i
    si
    on( sect i
    on124)cl earl
    ydoesnotl i
    mittheappl i
    cationof
    l
    ocali ni
    tiati
    vest oor di
    nances,butt oall"subjectsormat terswhi chare
    within the l egal power s of t he Sangguni ans to enact ," which
    undoubt edlyincl udesr esoluti
    ons.Thi sinterpret
    ati
    oni ssuppor tedby
    Section 125 oft he same Code whi ch provides:"Limi t
    at i
    ons upon
    Sangguni ans.— Anypr opositi
    onoror dinanceappr ovedt hrought he
    system ofi ni
    tiativeandr efer
    endum asher ei
    npr ovi
    dedshal lnotbe
    repealed,modi fiedoramendedbyt hesangguni anconcer nedwi thinsi
    x
    (6)mont hsf r
    om t hedat eoft heappr ovalthereof.... "Cer t
    ainly,t
    he
    i
    nclusion oft hewor d proposit
    ion isinconsistentwi t
    hr espondent s'
    thesisthatonl yor dinancescanbet hesubjectoflocalini
    tiati
    v es.
     Wenot et hatr espondent
    sdo notgi veanyr easonwhyr esolut i
    ons
    shoul dnotbet hesubjectofalocalini
    tiati
    v e.Intrut
    h,thereasonl i
    esin
    thewel lknowndi sti
    ncti
    onbetweenar esolut i
    onandanor di
    nance—i .
    e.,
    thatar esol ut
    ionisusedwhenev erthel egislat
    urewi shestoexpr essan
    opinionwhi chist ohaveonlyat empor aryef f
    ectwhi l
    eanor dinancei s
    i
    ntendedt oper manent l
    ydi
    rectandcont rolmat tersapplyi
    ngtoper sons
    ort hingsingener al
    .25Thus,r esol
    utionsar enotnor mall
    ysubj ectto
    referendum f or it may destroy the ef fici
    ency necessaryt ot he
    successf uladmi nist
    rat
    ionofthebusinessaf f
    air
    sofaci ty.
     Finall
    y ,itcannotbegai nedt hatpetiti
    onerswer edeni edduepr ocess.
    Theywer enotf urni
    shedacopyoft helett
    er-pet
    iti
    onofVi ceMay or
    EdilbertoM.deLeont other espondentCOMELECpr ay i
    ngf ordeni alof
    theirpet iti
    onf oral ocalinit
    iati
    veonPambay angKapasy ahanBl g.10,
    Sery e1993.Wor se,respondentCOMELECgr antedt hepet i
    tionwi thout
    affordingpet i
    ti
    onersanyf airopportuni t
    ytoopposei t.Thi spr ocedur al
    l
    apsei sf atalforatstakeisnotanor dinaryri
    ghtbutt hesanct i
    tyoft he
    sov ereigntyoft hepeopl e,theirori
    ginalpowert olegi slatethr ought he
    processofi ni
    ti
    ati
    ve.Our sisthedutyt olist
    enandt heobl i
    gationt oobey
    thev oiceoft hepeople.Itcouldwellbet heonlyf or
    cet hatcoul dfoilthe
    mushr oomi ngabusesi ngov ernment.
    - 2.LocalI
    nit
    iat
    ive
    o a.Def
    ini
    ti
    on
     Secti
    on 120.LocalIniti
    ati
    ve Defi
    ned.-Locali ni
    ti
    ati
    veisthe l
    egal
    processwherebytheregist
    eredvoter
    sofal ocalgover
    nmentuni
    tmay
    di
    rectl
    ypropose,
    enact
    , oramendanyor di
    nance.
    o b.Aut
    hor
    it
    y
     Section121.WhoMayExer ci
    se.-Thepoweroflocalini
    ti
    ati
    veand
    ref
    erendum maybeexerci
    sedbyal lr
    egi
    ster
    edv
    oter
    softheprovinces,
    cit
    ies,muni
    ci
    pal
    it
    ies,
    andbarangays.
    o c.Pr
    ocedur
    e
     Sect
    ion122.Pr
    ocedur
    einLocalI
    nit
    iat
    ive.–
    (a)Notl essthanonet housand(1,000)regi
    ster
    edvotersincaseof
    provi
    ncesandci ti
    es,onehundr ed(100)incaseofmuni ci
    pal
    it
    ies,and
    fi
    fty(50)incaseofbar angays,mayf i
    leapeti
    ti
    onwiththesanggunian
    concernedproposi
    ngt headoption,
    enactment,r
    epeal
    ,oramendmentof
    anordinance.
    (b)Ifnofavorabl
    eactionthereonist akenbyt hesanggunianconcer ned
    withinthi
    rty(30)daysf r
    om i t
    spr esentati
    on,thepr oponents,thr
    ough
    theirdulyauthor
    izedandr egister
    edr epresentat
    ives,mayi nvoketheir
    powerofi ni
    ti
    ati
    ve,gi
    vi
    ngnot i
    cet hereoftothesangguni anconcerned.
    (c)Thepr oposi
    ti
    onshal
    lbenumberedser ial
    l
    yst ar
    ti
    ngfrom Roman
    numeralI.TheCOMELECoritsdesi
    gnatedrepresent
    ati
    veshal
    lext
    end
    assi
    stanceinthefor
    mul
    ati
    onoft
    heproposit
    ion.
    (
    d)Two(
    2)ormor
    epr
    oposi
    ti
    onsmaybesubmi
    tt
    edi
    nani
    nit
    iat
    ive.
    (e)Pr oponentsshallhaveni nety(90)day si ncaseofpr ov i
    ncesand
    citi
    es,sixty(60)daysincaseofmuni ci
    pali
    t i
    es,andthir
    ty( 30)day sin
    caseofbar angays,f
    rom noticement i
    onedi nsubsecti
    on( b)her eofto
    coll
    ectt her equi
    rednumberofsi gnatur
    es.( f)Thepet it
    ionshal lbe
    signedbef oretheelect
    ionregistrar
    .orhisdesi gnatedrepresent at
    ives,
    i
    nt he pr esence of a r epresentat
    ive of t he proponent ,and a
    representati
    veoft hesangguni anconcer nedi napubl i
    cpl acei nthe
    l
    ocalgov ernmentunit,ast hecasemaybe.St ati
    onsf orcol lecti
    ng
    signaturesmaybeest abli
    shedi nasmanypl acesasmaybewar ranted.
    (g)Uponthelapseoft heperiodher
    einpr
    ovi
    ded, theCOMELEC,through
    i
    tsof f
    iceinthel ocalgov er
    nmentunitconcerned,shal
    lcert
    if
    yast o
    whetherornott herequir
    ednumberofsi gnatureshasbeenobt ained.
    Fail
    uretoobt
    aint herequi
    rednumberdefeat
    sthepr oposi
    ti
    on.
    (h)I
    fther equirednumberofsi gnat uresisobtai
    ned,theCOMELECshal l
    thensetadat ef ort heinit
    iati
    vedur ingwhi chtheproposit
    ionshallbe
    submitted t ot he r egistered vot er
    si nthe localgov ernmentuni t
    concernedf orthei rapprov alwithinsi xt
    y(60)day sfrom t hedateof
    cert
    if
    icationbyt heCOMELEC,aspr ov i
    dedinsubsecti
    on( g)hereof,i
    n
    case of pr ovinces and ci ti
    es,f orty-
    fi
    ve( 45) daysi n case of
    municipalit
    ies,andt hir
    ty(30)day si ncaseofbar angays.Thei ni
    ti
    ativ
    e
    shal
    lthenbehel dont hedat eset ,afterwhichtheresult
    sthereofshall
    becertif
    iedandpr ocl
    aimedbyt heCOMELEC.
    o d.Ef
    fect
    ivi
    ty
     Secti
    on123.Ef f
    ectiv
    ityofLocalPr opositi
    ons.-Ifthepr oposi
    ti
    oni s
    approvedbyamaj ori
    tyoft
    hev otescast,itshal
    ltakeeff
    ectfif
    teen(15)
    daysaftercer
    ti
    ficati
    onbytheCOMELECasi faf
    fi
    rmati
    veact i
    onthereon
    hadbeenmadebyt hesanggunianandl ocalchi
    efexecuti
    veconcerned.
    Ifi
    tfail
    st oobtainsaidnumberofv otes,theproposit
    ionisconsidered
    defeat
    ed.
    o e.Li
    mit
    ati
    ons
    i
    .onl
    ocal
    ini
    ti
    ati
    ve
     Sect
    ion124.Li
    mit
    ati
    onsonLocalI
    nit
    iat
    ive.–
    (a)Thepowerofl
    ocali
    nit
    iat
    iveshal
    lnotbeexer
    cisedmor
    ethan
    onceayear.
    (
    b)Ini
    ti
    ati
    veshallext
    endonl
    ytosubject
    sormat t
    erswhi
    char
    e
    wi
    thi
    nthelegalpower
    soft
    hesangguni
    antoenact
    .
    (c)Ifatanyt i
    mebef oretheinit
    iat
    iveishel d,thesanggunian
    concernedadoptsintototheproposi
    tionpresentedandt helocal
    chief execut
    ive approves t
    he same,t he i ni
    tiati
    ve shallbe
    cancell
    ed.Howev er,t
    hoseagainstsuchact i
    onmay ,i
    ft heyso
    desir
    e,applyfori
    nit
    iat
    iveint
    hemannerher einprovided.
    i
    i
    .uponSangguni
    ans
     Section125.Limi tationsuponSangguni ans.-Anypr oposi
    ti
    onor
    ordinance appr oved t hr
    ough t he sy st
    em of i niti
    ati
    ve and
    referendum asher einprovidedshal lnotber epeal
    ed,modifi
    edor
    amendedbyt hesangguni anconcer nedwi thi
    nsix( 6)mont hs
    from t hedateoft heappr ovalthereof,andmaybeamended,
    modi fi
    edorr epeal edbyt hesangguni anwi thi
    nthree( 3)years
    thereafterbyav oteoft hr ee-f
    ourths( 3/
    4)ofal litsmember s:
    Prov i
    ded,Thatincaseofbar angays,theperiodshallbeeighteen
    (18)mont hsaftertheappr ov alt
    hereof.
    - 3.LocalRef
    erendum
    o a.Def
    ini
    ti
    on
     Secti
    on126.LocalRef
    erendum Defi
    ned.-Localrefer
    endum ist
    helegal
    processwherebytheregi
    ster
    edv ot
    er softhelocalgov er
    nmentunit
    s
    mayapprove,amendorrej
    ectanyordinanceenactedbythesangguni
    an.
     Thelocalr efer
    endum shal
    lbeheldunderthecontr
    olanddir
    ect
    ionof
    theCOMELEC wi thi
    nsixty(60)day
    sincaseofpr ovi
    ncesandcit
    ies,
    for
    ty-
    fiv
    e( 45)daysincaseofmunici
    pal
    it
    iesandthi
    rt
    y(30)day
    sincase
    ofbarangay s.
     The COMELEC shal
    lcer
    ti
    fy and pr
    ocl
    aim t
    he r
    esul
    ts oft
    he sai
    d
    ref
    erendum.
    o b.Cont
    rol
    andSuper
    visi
    on
    o c.Li
    mit
    ati
    on
    - 4.Aut
    hor
    it
    yofCour
    ts
    o Secti
    on127.Aut hor
    it
    yofCourts.-Nothi
    ngint hi
    sChaptershallprev
    entor
    precl
    ude the propercourt
    sf r
    om declar
    ing nul
    land void anyproposi
    ti
    on
    approvedpursuanttothi
    sChapterforv
    iol
    ati
    onoft heConsti
    tuti
    onorwantof
    capaci
    tyofthesanggunianconcer
    nedtoenactthesaidmeasure.
    o SUBI
    CBAYMETROPOLI
    TANAUTHORI
    TYVSCOMELEC
     POLI
    TICALLAW;ELECTI
    ONS;I
    NITI
    ATI
    VEANDREFERENDUM;MAYBE
    EXERCI SED BY THE PEOPLE TO PROPOSE AND ENACT LAWS OR
    APPROVEOR REJECT ANY ACT OR LAW OR ANY PART THEREOF
    PASSED BY THE CONGRESS OR LOCAL LEGI SLATI VE BODY. -The
    Const itut i
    on cl ear lyi ncludes notonl yor di nances butr esolution as
    appr opr iate subj ect s ofa l ocalinitiati
    ve.Sect ion 32 ofAr ticle VI
    providesi nl umi nousl anguage:' TheCongr essshal l,
    asear lyaspossi ble,
    providef orasy st em ofi niti
    ativeandr efer endum,andt heexcept i
    ons
    therefrom,wher ebyt hepeopl ecandi rectl
    ypr oposeandenactl awsor
    appr ov eorr ejectanyactorl aworpar tther eofpassedbyt heCongr ess,
    orl ocall egislativebodyxxx. 'Anacti ncl udesar esoluti
    on.Bl ack
    definesanactas' anexpr essi onofwi llorpur posexxxi tmaydenot e
    somet hingdonexxxasal egislatur
    e, i
    ncludi ngnotmer el
    yphy sicalact s,
    but al so decr ees,edi ts,l aws,j udgment s,resol v
    es,awar ds,and
    deter mi nat i
    onsxxx. 'I tisbasi ct hata l aw shoul d be const rued i n
    harmonywi t
    handnoti nv iolati
    onoft heConst i
    tuti
    on.I nl i
    newi ththis
    post ulate,wehel di nInReGuar i
    nathat' i
    ft her eisdoubtoruncer t
    ainty
    ast ot hemeani ngoft hel egislat
    ive,ift hewor dsorpr ovi
    sionsar e
    obscur e,ori ft he enact menti sf airlysuscept ible oft wo ormor e
    const ruct ions,t hati nt er
    pr etati
    onwi llbeadopt edwhi chwi l
    lav oidt he
    effectofunconst ituti
    onal i
    ty,ev enthoughi tmaybenecessar y,f orthis
    purpose,t o di sr egar dt he mor e usualorappar enti mpor toft he
    l
    anguageused. "'
     Ther e ar e st at utory and concept ual demar cations bet ween a
    referendum andani nit
    iative.Inenact ingt he" Init i
    ativeandRef er endum
    Act ,Congr essdi fferentiated onet erm f rom t heot her .Al ong t hese
    statutorydef ini
    t i
    ons,Just iceI saganiA.Cr uzdef i
    nesi niti
    ativeast he
    "poweroft hepeopl etopr oposebi llsandl aws,andt oenactorr eject
    them att hepol lsi ndependentoft hel egi slativeassembl y."Ont heot her
    hand, heexpl ainst hatr eferendum " ist her ightr eser vedt othepeopl et o
    adoptorr ej ectanyactormeasur e whi ch has been passed bya
    l
    egi sl
    ativebodyandwhi chi nmostcaseswoul dwi thoutact ionont he
    partofel ect orsbecomeal aw. "Thef oregoi ngdef i
    ni ti
    ons,whi char e
    basedonBl ack' sandot herleadi ngAmer i
    canaut horities,ar eechoedi n
    the LocalGov ernmentCode ( R.A.7160) .Pr escindi ng f rom t hese
    definiti
    ons,wegat herthati nitiativei sr esor tedt o( ori niti
    ated)byt he
    peopl edi rect lyei therbecauset hel aw- maki ngbodyf ai l
    sorr ef usest o
    enactt hel aw,or dinance,r esolut ionoractt hatt heydesi r
    eorbecause
    theywantt oamendormodi fyoneal readyexi sting.UnderSec.13of
    R.A.6735,t hel ocall egislativebodyi sgi vent heoppor t
    unityt oenact
    theproposal .I fitr efuses/ neglect st odosowi thint hirty( 30)day sf rom
    i
    ts pr esent ation,t he pr oponent st hrough t hei rdul y -authorized and
    registeredr epr esent ativesmayi nv oket hei rpowerofi niti
    ative,gi ving
    notice t hereoft ot he locall egi sl
    at i
    v e bodyconcer ned.Shoul dt he
    proponent sbeabl et ocol l
    ectt henumberofsi gnedconf ormitieswi thin
    theper iodgr ant edbysai dst at ute,t heCommi ssi ononEl ections" shall
    then seta dat ef ort he i niti
    at iv
    e( notr ef er endum)atwhi ch t he
    proposi ti
    onshal lbesubmi ttedt ot her egi ster edv ot ersi nt hel ocal
    gov ernmentuni tconcer ned x x x. "On t he ot herhand,i nal ocal
    referendum, t
    hel aw- maki ngbodysubmi tstot her egi steredv otersofi
    t s
    terri
    tori
    alj ur
    isdiction,f orappr ov alorr eject ion,any or dinance or
    resoluti
    on whi ch i s dulyenact ed orappr ov ed bysuch l aw-making
    authority.Sai
    dr eferendum shal lbeconduct edal soundert hecont rol
    anddi r
    ecti
    onoft heCommi ssiononEl ecti
    ons.I not herwor ds,whil
    e
    i
    nitiati
    veisent i
    relyt hewor koftheel ectorate,r efer endum i sbegunand
    consent edt o byt hel aw-maki ngbyt hepeopl et hemsel ve'swi t
    hout
    process of l aw wi shes of t heir el ected r epr esentati
    v es, whil
    e
    referendum consi st smer elyoft heel ectorat eappr ovi
    ngorr ej
    ecti
    ng
    whathasbeendr awnuporenact edbyal egi slat ivebody .Hence,t he
    processandt hev otinginani ni
    tiativeareunder st andabl ymor ecompl ex
    thani nar eferendum wher eexpect edlyt hev oter swi llsi
    mpl ywri
    te
    eit
    her" Yes"or"No"i nthebal l
    ot.
     COMELECEXERCI SESADMI NISTRATI ONANDSUPERVI SIONCONDUCT
    THEREOF. -From t heabov edi ffer entiati
    on,itfoll
    owst hatt her eisneed
    fort heComel ect osuper v i
    seani niti
    ativemor ecl osely,i tsaut hor i
    ty
    thereonext endingnotonl yt ot hecount i
    ngandcanv assi ngofv otesbut
    alsot oseei ngt oi tthatt hemat teroractsubmi ttedt ot hepeopl ei sin
    thepr operf orm andl anguagesoi tmaybeeasi l
    yunder stoodandv oted
    upon byt he el ect orate.Thi si s especi al
    lyt r
    ue wer et he pr oposed
    l
    egislat i
    oni slengt hyandcompl icated,andshoul dt husbebr okendown
    i
    nt o sev eralaut onomous par ts,each such par tt o be v ot ed upon
    separ ately.Car emustal sobeexer cisedt hat"(n) opet iti
    onembr acing
    mor et hanonesubj ectshal lbesubmi ttedtot heel ectorat e,"al though
    "twoormor epr oposi ti
    onsmaybesubmi tt
    edi nani niti
    ativ e."I tshoul d
    benot edt hatunderSec.13( c)ofR. A.6735,t he" Secr etar yofLocal
    Gov ernmentorhi sdesi gnat edr epr esentativ
    eext endassi st ancei nt he
    formul ati
    on oft he pr oposi ti
    on. "I ni niti
    ati
    ve and r efer endum,t he
    Comel ecexer cisesadmi nistrationandsuper visi
    onoft hepr ocessi tsel
    f,
    akint oi tspower sov ert heconductofel ections.Thi sl aw-maki ng
    power sbel ongt ot hepeopl e,hencet herespondentCommi ssi oncannot
    controlorchanget hesubst anceort hecont entofl egislat ion.I nt he
    exerciseofi tsaut hor it
    y,itmay( inf actitshoul dhav edonesoal ready )
    i
    ssue r elevantand adequat e gui del i
    nes and r ules f ort he or derly
    exerciseoft hese" people-power "f eaturesofourConst itution.
     THECOURTCANNOTPASSUPONAPROPOSEDI NI TI
    ATIVEUNTI LTHE
    PEOPLEHAVEVOTED FORI TAND I THASBECOMEAN APPROVED
    ORDI NANCE OR RESOLUTI ON.Del iberati
    ng ont hisissue,theCour t
    agrees wi th pri
    vaterespondentGar ciat hatindeed,t he municipal
    resoluti
    oni ssti
    llinthepr oposalstage.I tisnoty etanappr ov
    edl aw.
    Shoul dthepeopl erej
    ectit,t
    hent herewoul dbenot hi
    ngtocontestand
    toadj udicat
    e.Itisonlywhent hepeopl ehav ev otedf oritandithas
    becomeanappr ovedordinanceorr esoluti
    ont hatrightsandobli
    gations
    canbeenf orcedorimplement edthereunder .Atthispoi nt
    ,iti
    smer elya
    proposaland t he writofpr ohibit
    ion cannoti ssue upon a mer e
    conjectureorpossi bi
    li
    ty.Constit
    utionallyspeaking,cour t
    smaydeci de
    onlyact ualcontr
    oversi
    es,nothy potheticalquestionsorcases.Weal so
    notet hatt he I ni
    ti
    at i
    v e and Ref er endum Acti tselfpr ov i
    des that
    "(n)
    ot hingi nt hi
    sActshal lpreventorpr ecludet hepr opercour tsf r
    om
    declar i
    ngnul landv oi danypr oposi tionappr ovedpur suantt ot hisAct
    xxx."Sot oo,t heSupr emeCour ti sbasi call
    yar evi
    ew cour t.Itpasses
    uponer r
    orsofl aw( andsomet i
    mesoff act,asi nt hecaseofmandat ory
    appeal sofcapi talof f
    enses)ofl owercour tsaswel lasdet ermines
    whet hert her ehadbeengr av eabuseofdi scretionamount ingt ol ackor
    excessofj ur i
    sdicti
    onont hepar tofany" branchori nstrument alit
    y"of
    gov ernment .I nt hepr esentcase,i ti squi tecl eart hatt heCour thas
    author ityt or evi
    ew Comel ecResol ution No.2848 t o det erminet he
    commi ssionofgr aveabuseofdi scret ion.Howev er,
    itdoesnothav et he
    sameaut hor ityinregar dt othepr oposedi nitiati
    v esinceithasnotbeen
    promul gated or appr oved,or passed upon by any " branch or
    i
    nst rument ality"orl owercour t,fort hatmat t
    er .TheCommi ssionon
    Elections i tselfhas made no r ev iewabl e pr onouncementaboutt he
    i
    ssuesbr oughtbyt hepl eadings.TheComel ecsi mpl yincludedv erbatim
    thepr oposali nitsquest i
    onedResol uti
    onNo.2848.Hence,t herei s
    reallynodeci sionoract i
    onmadebyabr anch,i nstrument alit
    yorcour t
    whicht hisCour tcoul dt akecogni zanceofandacqui rejurisdi cti
    onov er
    ,
    i
    nt heexer ciseofi t
    sr eviewpower s.
     THECOMELECMYPASSUPONSUCHPROPOSALI NSOFARASTOI TS
    FORM ANDLANGUAGEARECONCERNEDANDWHETHERTHESAMEI S
    PATENTLY AND CLEARLY OUTSI DETHECAPACI TY OFTHELOCAL
    LEGI SLATI VEBODYTO ENACT. -Hav ingsai dt hat ,wear ei nnowi se
    suggest ingthatt heComel ecitselfhasnopowert opassuponpr oposed
    resolutionsi nani niti
    ative.Quitet hecont r
    ar y,wear erulingthatt hese
    mat tersar einf actwi t
    hint heinit
    iator yjur
    isdictionoft heCommi ssion-
    towhi cht hent heher ei
    nbasi cquest ionsoughtt ohav ebeenaddr essed,
    andbywhi cht hesameshoul dhav ebeendeci dedi nt hef ir
    sti nstance.
    In ot her wor ds,whi ler egular cour ts may t ake j uri
    sdiction ov er
    "approv ed"pr oposit
    ions"persai dSec.18ofR. A.6735,t heComel eci n
    the exer cise ofi t
    s quasi -
    judi
    cialand admi nistr ati
    ve power s may
    adjudicateandpassuponsuchpr oposalsi nsof arast hei
    rf orm and
    l
    anguagear econcer ned, asdiscussedear li
    er; andi tmaybeadded, even
    ast ocont ent,wher et hepr oposal sorpar t
    st hereofar epat entlyand
    clearlyout sidet he" capaci t
    yoft hel ocall egislat ivebodyt oenact .
    "
    Accor dingly,thequest ionofwhet hert hesubj ectoft hisinit i
    ati
    v ei s
    withinthecapaci tyoft heMuni cipalCounci lofMor ongt oenactmaybe
    ruleduponbyt heComel ecuponr emandandaf t
    erhear ingt hepar ti
    es
    thereon.
     STATUTORY CONSTRUCTI ON;LAWS REGARDI NG I NITI
    ATIVE AND
    REFERENDUM ARE LI BERALLY CONSTRUED TO EFFECTUATE I TS
    PURPOSES. -Indecidi
    ngt hiscase,theCourtreal
    izesthatinit
    iati
    veand
    ref
    erendum, asconceptsandpr ocesses,ar
    enewi nourcount ry.Wear e
    remanding the mat t
    ert ot he Comelec so thatpr opercor rect
    ive
    measures,asabov edi scussed,maybeunder taken,wi t
    hav iew to
    helpi
    ngf ul
    fi
    llourpeople'saspirat
    ionsfort
    heact uali
    zati
    onofef fect
    ive
    directsov er
    eignt y.Indeedwer ecogni zet hat" (p)rovisionsf ori nit
    iat
    ive
    andr eferendum ar eliber
    all
    yconst ruedt oef fectuatet heirpur poses,t o
    facili
    tat eandnott ohampert heexer cisebyt hev otersoft her i
    ghts
    grant edt hereby .
    "I nhi sauthor i
    tat i
    vet reat i
    seont heConst i
    tuti
    on,Fr.
    Joaqui nG.Ber nas, S.J.tr
    easur est hese" i
    nst rument swhi chcanbeused
    shoul dt helegislativeshowi tsel findiff
    erentt ot heneedsoft hepeopl e.
    "
    Impel ledbyasenseofur gency ,Congr essenact edRepubl icActNo.
    6735t ogi veli
    feandf ormtot heconst itut i
    onalmandat e.Congr essalso
    i
    nter phased i nitiativ
    e and r efer endum i ntot he wor kings ofl ocal
    gov ernment s by i ncludi
    ng a chapt eron t his subj ecti nt he Local
    Gov er nmentCodeof1991.Andt heCommi ssiononEl ect i
    onscandono
    l
    essbyseasonabl yandj udi
    ci ousl ypromul gat i
    nggui delinesandr ul
    es,
    forbot hnationalandl ocaluse,i ni mplement ati
    onoft hesel aws.Fori ts
    par t
    ,thi sCourtear lyonexpr essl yr ecogni zedt her evolut i
    onar yimpor tof
    reserv ingpeopl epoweri nthepr ocessofl aw- maki ng.
    -I
    nit
    iat
    ivev
    sRef
    erendum (
    bot
    har
    echar
    act
    eri
    sti
    csofadi
    rectdemocr
    acy
    )
    oIni
    ti
    ati
    veifthe pr
    oposed l
    egi
    slat
    ion comes fr
    om the peopl
    e and then
    submitt
    ed t
    othe l
    ocallegi
    sl
    ati
    ve bodyin or
    derto become a l
    egi
    slati
    ve
    measure
    o Refer
    endum i
    faquestionisaskedandsubmi
    tt
    edt
    othepeopl
    einor
    dert
    othe
    senti
    mentsoftheconsti
    tuent
    s.
    - Subjectmat
    teri
    nini
    ti
    ati
    veorref
    erendum:Anymat
    tert
    hati
    ssubj
    ectofl
    egi
    slat
    ion,
    thus,i
    tmaybeanordi
    nanceoraresol
    uti
    on

    PARTXI V–MANDATEDLOCALAGENCI ES/BODIES:Local


    SchoolBoar
    ds;LocalHeal
    th
    Boards;
    LocalDevelopmentCounci
    l;
    Local PeaceandOrderCounci
    l;
    People’
    sLaw
    Enf
    orcementBoards;Local
    Pre-
    quali
    fi
    cation,Bi
    dsandAwar dsCommitt
    ee(LocalPBAC)
    - 1.Cr
    eat
    ion&Composi
    ti
    on
    - 2.Funct
    ions
    - Ar
    ts.182-
    187I
    RR
    o Art
    . 182. Local Dev el
    opment Counci ls. - Every LGU shal l have a
    compr ehensivemult
    i-
    sectoraldevelopmentplant obei ni
    ti
    atedbyt heLDC
    concer nedandapprovedbyi tssanggunian.Forthispurpose,t
    hepr ovinci
    al,
    ci
    ty, muni cipal
    , or barangay dev el
    opment counci l
    , shall assist the
    correspondingsanggunianinsettingthedi r
    ecti
    onofeconomi candsoci al
    development ,and coordi
    nati
    ng dev el
    opmentef fort
    s withinitst err
    itor
    ial
    j
    urisdicti
    on.
    o(
    a)Composi
    ti
    on.–
    (1)Thepr
    ovi
    nci
    aldevel
    opmentcounci
    lshal
    lbeheadedbyt
    hegov
    ernor
    andshal
    lbecomposedofthef
    oll
    owingmembers:
    (
    i)Al
    lmay
    orsofcomponentci
    ti
    esandmuni
    cipal
    i
    ties;
    (i
    i)Thechair
    man oft hecommi
    tt
    eeon appr
    opr
    iat
    ionsoft
    he
    sangguni
    angpanl
    alawi
    gan;
    (
    ii
    i)Thecongr
    essmanorhi
    srepr
    esent
    ati
    ve;
    and
    (i
    v)Represent
    ativesofNGOsoperat
    ingintheprov
    ince,whoshal
    l
    consti
    tutenotlessthanone-
    four
    th(1/4)ofthemember softhe
    ful
    lyorgani
    zedcouncil
    .
    (
    2)Theci
    tyormunici
    paldevel
    opmentcounci
    lshal
    lbeheadedbyt
    he
    may
    orandshal
    lbecomposedofthef
    oll
    owingmembers:
    (
    i)Al
    lpunongbar
    angay
    sint
    heci
    tyormuni
    cipal
    i
    ty;
    (i
    i)Thechair
    man oft hecommi tt
    eeon appropr
    iat
    ionsofthe
    sangguni
    angpanl
    ungsodorsangguniangbay
    anconcerned;
    (
    ii
    i)Thecongr
    essmanorhi
    srepr
    esent
    ati
    ve;
    and
    (i
    v)Repr
    esent
    ati
    vesofNGOsoperati
    nginthecit
    yormunici
    pali
    ty,
    asthecasemaybe,whoshal
    lconsti
    tut
    enotlessthanone-
    four
    th
    (1/
    4)ofthemembersoft
    heful
    lyorgani
    zedcouncil
    .
    (3)Thebarangaydevel
    opmentcounci
    lshallbeheadedbythepunong
    barangayandshal
    lbecomposedofthefol
    l
    owi ngmembers:
    (
    i)Member
    soft
    hesangguni
    angbar
    angay
    ;
    (i
    i)Representat
    ivesofNGOsoper
    ati
    ngint
    hebar
    angay
    ,whoshal
    l
    consti
    tutenotlessthanonefour
    th(1/
    4)oft
    hemembersofthe
    ful
    lyorganizedcounci
    l.
    (
    ii
    i)Ar
    epr
    esent
    ati
    veoft
    hecongr
    essman.
    (4)TheLDCmaycalluponanylocalornati
    onalof
    fi
    ciali
    ntheLGUto
    assist i
    nthe f
    ormul
    ati
    on of the dev
    elopment pl
    ans and publ
    i
    c
    i
    nv est
    mentpr
    ogr
    amsofthesai
    dLGU.
    o(b)Repr esentat
    ion ofNGOs -Wi t
    hin a peri
    od ofsi xty(60)daysfrom
    organizat
    ion ofLDCs,NGOs shal lchoose from among t hemsel
    ves t
    heir
    representat
    ivestosaidLDCs.Thesangguni
    anconcer nedshal
    laccr
    edi
    tNGOs,
    subjecttosuchcr i
    ter
    iaasprov
    idedi
    nRuleXIIIoftheseRules.
    o(c)Reconsti
    tuti
    onofLDCs-Uponef fect
    ivi
    tyoft
    heseRules,al
    lexi
    sti
    ngLDCs
    organizedunderEO319,ser
    iesof1988,asamended,shal
    lbereconst
    itut
    edi
    n
    accordancewiththi
    sRul
    e.
    o(d)Funct
    ionsofLDCs-(1)Theprovi
    nci
    al,ci
    ty,andmuni
    cipaldev
    elopment
    counci
    lsshal
    lper
    for
    mthefol
    l
    owingfunct
    ions:
    (i
    )For mul
    atelong-
    ter
    m,medium-
    ter
    m,and annualsoci
    oeconomi
    c
    devel
    opmentpl
    ansandpol
    i
    cies;
    (
    ii
    )For
    mul
    atemedi
    um-
    ter
    m andannualpubl
    i
    cinv
    est
    mentpr
    ogr
    ams;
    (i
    i
    i)Eval
    uat
    eandpr
    ior
    it
    izesoci
    oeconomi
    cdev
    elopmentpr
    ogr
    amsand
    proj
    ect
    s;
    (i
    v)For
    mulat
    elocalinvestmentincent
    ivest
    opr
    omot
    ethei
    nfl
    ow and
    di
    recti
    onofpri
    vat
    einvestmentcapit
    al;
    (
    v) Coor
    dinat
    e, moni
    tor
    , and ev
    aluat
    e t
    he i
    mpl
    ement
    ati
    on of
    dev
    elopmentpr
    ogr
    amsandpr
    oject
    s;and
    (vi
    )Perf
    orm such ot
    herf
    unct
    ions as maybe pr
    ovi
    ded byl
    aw or
    componentaut
    hor
    it
    y.
    o(
    2)Thebar
    angaydev
    elopmentcounci
    lshal
    lper
    for
    mthef
    oll
    owi
    ngf
    unct
    ions:
    (
    i)Mobi
    l
    izepeopl
    e'
    spar
    ti
    ci
    pat
    ioni
    nlocaldev
    elopmentef
    for
    ts;
    (
    ii
    )Pr
    epar
    ebar
    angaydev
    elopmentpl
    ansbasedonl
    ocalr
    equi
    rement
    s;
    (i
    i
    i)Monit
    orand evaluatethe i
    mpl
    ement
    ati
    on ofnat
    ionalorl
    ocal
    progr
    amsandpr
    oject
    s; and
    (i
    v)Perf
    orm such ot
    herf
    unct
    ions as maybe pr
    ovi
    ded byl
    aw or
    componentaut
    hor
    it
    y.
    o(e)Meeti
    ngs-TheLDCsshallmeetatl
    eastonceev
    erysi
    x(6)mont
    hsoras
    oftenasmaybenecessar
    y.
    o(f
    )Executi
    v e Commi tt
    ee -The pr ovinci
    al,cit
    y,municipal
    ,orbarangay
    devel
    opmentcouncilshall
    ,byr
    esoluti
    onandwi thi
    nthree(
    3)monthsfr
    om t he
    dateofr
    eorgani
    zati
    onoft heLDC,createanexecutiv
    ecommi tt
    eet
    orepresent
    andacti
    nbehalfoftheLDCwheni tisnotinsession.
    (
    1)Composi
    ti
    on–
    (i
    )The execut i
    ve commi tt
    ee oft he provi
    ncialdev elopment
    counci
    lshallbecomposed oft hegov ernoraschai r
    man,t he
    repr
    esentat
    iveoft hecomponentci tyandmuni cipalmay orstobe
    chosenfrom amongt hemselves,thechair
    manoft hecommi ttee
    onappropri
    ationsoft hesangguniangpanlalawigan,thepresident
    ofthepr ov
    incialli
    gangmgabar angay,andar epresentati
    veof
    NGOst hatarerepresentedi
    nt heLDC, asmember s.
    (i
    i)Theexecuti
    vecommi t
    teeofthecityormuni ci
    paldevel
    opment
    councilshallbe composed oft he mayoras chai rman,t he
    chairmanofthecommitteeonappr opri
    ati
    onsoft hesangguniang
    panlungsodorsangguniangbay an,thepresidentoftheci t
    yor
    muni ci
    palli
    gangmgabar angay,andar epresentat
    iveofNGOs
    thatarerepr
    esent
    edintheLDC, asmember s.
    (i
    ii
    )The execut i
    ve commit
    tee oft he barangay dev
    elopment
    counci lshallbecomposedofthepunongbar angayaschair
    man,
    ar epresentati
    veofthesangguniangbarangaytobechosenf rom
    among i t
    s member s,and a represent
    ati
    ve ofNGOs t hatare
    representedi ntheLDC,asmember s.
    (2)Power
    sandFuncti
    ons.-Theexecut
    ivecommi
    tt
    eeshal
    lexer
    ciseand
    perf
    ormthef
    oll
    owingpowersandfunct
    ions:
    (i
    )Ensur
    ethatthedeci
    sionsoft
    heLDCar
    efai
    thf
    ull
    ycar
    ri
    edout
    andimpl
    emented;
    (
    ii
    )Actonmat
    ter
    sthatneedi
    mmedi
    ateat
    tent
    ionandact
    ionof
    t
    heLDC;
    (
    ii
    i)For
    mul
    ate pol
    i
    cies,pl
    ans,and pr
    ogr
    ams based on t
    he
    obj
    ect
    ivesandpr
    ior
    it
    iessetbyt
    heLDC;
    and
    (i
    v)Takefi
    nalacti
    ononmatter
    st hatmaybeauthor
    izedbyt
    he
    LDCexcepttheapprov
    alofl
    ocaldevel
    opmentpl
    ansandannual
    i
    nvest
    mentplans.
    (3)Meet
    ings-Theexecutiv
    ecommi t
    teeshal
    lhol
    ditsmeet
    ingsatl
    east
    onceamont h.Speci
    almeetingsmaybecall
    edbythechai
    rmanorbya
    major
    it
    yofitsmember s.
    o(
    g)Sect
    oralandFunct
    ionalCommi
    tt
    ees–
    (
    1)TheLDCsmayf orm sectoralorf unct
    ionalcommi
    tt
    eest
    oassi
    st
    t
    hem i
    ntheper
    for
    manceoftheirfunct
    ions.
    (2) To ensure policy coordi
    nat i
    on and uniformi t
    yin oper at
    ional
    dir
    ecti
    ons,t he sectoraland f unctionalcommi ttees shalldirect
    ly
    establ
    i
    sh linkages wi th NGAs and such sect oral or funct
    ional
    commi t
    teesor gani
    zedbyt hegov ernmentfordevel
    opment ,invest
    ment
    andconsult
    at i
    vepurposes.
    (
    3)Consistentwi
    thnationalpol
    i
    ciesandst
    andar
    ds,t
    hesect
    oralor
    f
    unct
    ionalcommit
    teesshall
    :
    (
    i)Pr
    ovi
    detheLDC withdat
    aandi nf
    ormati
    onessent
    ialt
    othe
    f
    ormul
    ati
    onofpl
    ans,
    progr
    ams,andact
    ivi
    ti
    es;
    (i
    i
    )Def ine sect
    oralorfuncti
    onalobject
    ives,settargets,and
    i
    dentif
    yprograms,proj
    ect
    s,andacti
    vi
    ti
    esfort hepar
    ti
    cularsect
    or
    orfuncti
    on;
    (
    ii
    i)Col
    l
    ateandanal
    yzei
    nfor
    mat
    ionandst
    ati
    sti
    csandconduct
    r
    elat
    edstudi
    es;
    (
    iv)Conductpubl
    i
    chear
    ingsonv
    itali
    ssuesaf
    fect
    ingt
    hesect
    oror
    f
    uncti
    on;
    (v
    )Coordi
    natepl
    anning,programming,and i
    mplement
    ati
    on of
    progr
    ams,
    proj
    ect
    s,andacti
    vit
    ieswi
    thineachsect
    or;
    (
    vi)Moni
    torandev
    aluat
    epr
    ogr
    amsandpr
    oject
    s;and
    (
    vii
    )Per
    for
    m suchot
    herf
    unct
    ionsasmaybeassi
    gnedbyt
    heLDC.
    o(h)Part
    ici
    pati
    onofLDCMember sinSect
    oralorFunct
    ionalCommit
    tees-Each
    memberoft heLDCshal l
    ,asf araspracti
    cabl
    e,parti
    cipat
    einatleastone
    sector
    alorfunct
    ionalcommit
    tee.
    o(i
    )Secr etari
    at-Ther e shal
    lbe constituted foreach LDC a secr et
    ari
    at
    responsiblef orprovi
    dingtechnicalandadmi ni
    str
    ati
    vesupport,document
    ing
    proceedi ngs,prepari
    ngreports;andprovi
    di ngsuchot herassi
    stanceasmay
    ber equiredbyt heLDC.TheLDCmayav ailoftheser v
    icesofanyNGO or
    educationalorr esear
    chinsti
    tuti
    onforthi
    spur pose.
    o Thesecretar
    iatoft
    heprov
    incial
    ,cit
    y,andmunicipaldevel
    opmentcounci
    ls
    shal
    lbe headed by thei
    rr especti
    velocalplanning and dev
    elopment
    coor
    dinat
    ors.
    o Thesecretar
    iatofthebarangaydevelopmentcounci
    lshal
    lbeheadedbythe
    bar
    angaysecr et
    arywhoshal lbeassistedbythecit
    yormunicipalpl
    anni
    ng
    anddevelopmentcoordi
    natorconcer
    ned.
    o(
    j)Rel
    ati
    onofLDCst
    otheSangguni
    anandt
    heRegi
    onalDev
    elopmentCounci
    l
    –
    (1)Thepol
    i
    cies,progr
    ams,andproj
    ect
    sproposedbytheLDCsshal
    lbe
    submit
    tedt
    ot hesangguni
    anconcer
    nedforappr
    opr
    iat
    eacti
    on.
    (
    2)Thel ocaldev
    elopmentpl
    anapprov
    edbyt hesangguni
    anshal
    lbe
    i
    ntegr
    atedint
    othedevel
    opmentpl
    anofthenexthi
    gherLDC.
    (3)Approveddev elopmentpl ansofpr ovi
    nces,highl
    y-urbanizedci
    ti
    es,
    andindependentcomponentci t
    iesshallbesubmi tt
    edt ot heregi
    onal
    devel
    opmentcounci l,whi ch shallbe integr
    ated intot he regi
    onal
    devel
    opment plan f or submission t
    o NEDA,i n accordance wit
    h
    appli
    cabl
    elaws,rulesandr egulat
    ions.
    o(k)LocalDevelopmentPlanningProcess-TheDILGshall
    ,i
    ncoor
    dinat
    ionand
    consultat
    ionwithNEDAandt hel
    eaguesofLGUs,f or
    mulat
    etheoperat
    ional
    guidel
    inesofthelocaldevel
    opmentplanni
    ngprocess.
    o(
    l)BudgetInf
    ormati
    on-TheDBM shal lf
    urni
    shLDCsi nf
    ormati
    ononfi
    nanci
    al
    r
    esources and budgetary all
    ocati
    ons appli
    cable to thei
    rrespecti
    ve
    j
    uri
    sdi
    ctionst
    oguidethem i
    nthei
    rplanni
    ngfunct
    ions.
    o Art.183.ALocalPrequal
    if
    icat
    ion,BidsandAwar dsCommi ttee.-( a)Cr eati
    on
    and Composi ti
    on -There shallbe cr eat
    ed in every province,ci ty,and
    muni ci
    pali
    tyaPBACwhi chshal lbeprimaril
    yresponsiblefortheconductof
    prequali
    fi
    cati
    on of contract
    ors, bidding, ev
    aluati
    on of bi ds, and t he
    recommendat i
    on ofawards concer ni
    ng localinfr
    astruct
    ure pr ojects.The
    governor,ci
    tyormunici
    palmay orshallactaschairmanwi t
    ht hef ollowi ngas
    member s:
    (
    1)Thechai
    rmanoft
    heappr
    opr
    iat
    ionscommi
    tt
    eeoft
    hesangguni
    an;
    (
    2)Arepresent
    ati
    veoft
    heminori
    typart
    yint
    hesanggunian,i
    fany
    ,orif
    t
    her
    ebenone,one( 1)chosenbyt hesangguni
    anfrom among it
    s
    members;
    (
    3)Thel
    ocalt
    reasur
    er;
    (4)Two(2)repr
    esent
    ati
    vesofNGOst hatar
    er epr
    esentedintheLDC
    concer
    ned,
    tobechosenbytheor
    gani
    zati
    onsthemselves;and
    (5)Anypr actici
    ngcert
    if
    iedpubli
    caccount ant,fr
    om t
    hepr iv
    atesector,t
    o
    bedesignat edbyt hel
    ocalchapteroft hePhi l
    ippi
    neInsti
    tuteofCerti
    fi
    ed
    Publi
    cAccount ants,i
    fany.Repr esentati
    v esofCOAshal lobserv
    et he
    proceedingsoft hePBACandshal lcert
    if
    yt hatther
    ulesandpr ocedure
    forprequali
    ficati
    on,bi
    dsandawar dshav ebeencompl iedwith.
    o(
    b)AgendaandMeet
    ings–
    (1)Theagendaandot heri
    nfor
    mat i
    onrel
    evanttot
    hemeet ingsofthe
    PBACshallbedeli
    ber
    ateduponbyt hecommitt
    eeatleastone(1)week
    befor
    ethehol
    dingofsuchmeetings.
    (2)Al
    lmeetingsoft hePBACshal lbeheldintheprovinci
    alcapitolorthe
    cit
    yormuni ci
    palhal l
    .Themi nutesofsuchmeet i
    ngsoft hecommi t
    tee
    and anydeci sion made therein shallbe dulyr ecorded,post ed at
    conspi
    cuouspl acesintheprovincialcapi
    tolorthecityormuni ci
    palhall,
    anddeli
    veredbyt hemostexpedi entmeanst oel ecti
    vel ocaloffi
    cial
    s
    concer
    ned.
    o(
    c)Techni
    calCommi
    tt
    ee–
    (1)Atechnicalcommi t
    teeshallbecreat edi nev erypr
    ovi
    nce,cit
    y,and
    munici
    pali
    tyt o pr
    ovide techni
    calassist ance to PBACs.I tshallbe
    composedoft helocalengineer,t
    helocalpl anninganddev el
    opment
    coor
    dinat
    or,andsuchot heroffi
    cial
    sdesignat edbyt hel
    ocalPBAC.
    (2)Thechai
    rmanofthetechni
    calcommi t
    teeshallbedesignatedbythe
    l
    ocalPBACandshallat
    tenditsmeet i
    ngsinordertopresenttherepor
    ts
    andrecommendat
    ionsofthesaidtechni
    calcommi t
    tee.
    o Art.184.LocalSchoolBoards.-(
    a)Creati
    onandCompositi
    on-Thereshallbe
    establi
    shedinev er
    yprovi
    nce,ci
    tyormunici
    pali
    tyapr
    ovi
    ncial
    ,ci
    tyormunicipal
    schoolboard,respect
    ivel
    y,i
    naccordancewit
    hthefol
    l
    owing:
    (1)Thepr ovi
    ncialschoolboar dshallbecomposedoft hegovernorand
    thedi visi
    onsuper int
    endentofschool sasco- chairmen;thechairmanof
    theeducat i
    oncommi tteeofsangguni angpanl alawigan,theprovincial
    treasurer,ther epresent ativeoft hepeder asyonngmgasangguni ang
    kabat aaninthesangguni angpanl al
    awigan,thedul yelect
    edpresidentof
    the pr ovi
    ncialf ederation ofpar ent
    s-teachers associati
    ons,the dul y
    electedr epresentati
    v eoft het eachers'organizati
    onsi nthepr ovince,
    andt hedul yel ectedr epr esentat
    iveoft henon- academicpersonnelof
    publicschool sinthepr ov ince,asmember s;
    (2)Theci tyschoolboar dshallbecomposedoft hecitymay orandt he
    citysuper i
    ntendentofschool sasco- chai
    rmen;t hechairmanoft he
    commi tt
    ee on educat i
    on oft he sangguniang panlungsod,the ci t
    y
    treasurer,the representati
    ve ofpeder asyon ng mga sangguni ang
    kabat aaninthesangguni angpanl ungsod,thedulyelectedpresidentof
    theci tyfederat
    ionofpar ents-t eachersassoci
    ations,t
    hedul yelected
    representati
    veoft het eachers'or gani
    zati
    onsint hecity,andthedul y
    electedrepresentat
    iveoft henon- academicpersonnelofpublicschools
    i
    nt heci t
    y,asmember s;and
    (3)Themuni cipalschoolboar dshal lbecomposedoft hemuni cipal
    may orand t he districtsuper visorofschool s as co- chai
    rmen;t he
    chairmanoft hecommi tt
    eeoneducat ionoft hesangguni angbay an, t
    he
    muni ci
    paltreasurer,t he represent ati
    v e oft he peder asyon ng mga
    sangguniang kabat aan i nt he sangguni ang bay an,t he dulyel ected
    presidentofthemuni cipalfederationofpar ents-teacher sassociations,
    thedul yelected representat i
    veoft het eacher s'organi zat
    ion int he
    muni ci
    pali
    ty,andt hedul yel ectedr epresent at
    iveoft henon- academi c
    personnelofpubl i
    cschool sint hemuni ci
    pality,asmember s.
    I
    nthe ev
    entt
    hata pr
    ovi
    nce orci
    tyhas t
    wo (
    2)ormor
    e school
    super
    int
    endents,andint heeventthatamuni
    cipal
    i
    tyhast wo(2)or
    moredistr
    ictsupervi
    sors,theco-
    chair
    manofthelocalschoolboar
    d
    shal
    lbedeterminedasfoll
    ows:
    (i
    )TheDepart
    mentofEducat
    ion,Cul
    tur
    eandSports(
    DECS)shal
    l
    desi
    gnatetheco-chai
    rmanf ortheprov
    inci
    alandcit
    yschool
    boar
    ds;and
    (i
    i
    )Thedi visi
    onsuper i
    ntendentofschool
    sshalldesi
    gnat
    ethe
    di
    str
    ictsupervisor who shallserve as co-
    chai
    rman of t
    he
    munici
    palschoolboard.
    o(
    b)Funct
    ions.-Thepr
    ovi
    nci
    al,
    cit
    yormuni
    cipalschoolboar
    dshal
    l
    :
    (1)Det er
    mi ne,inaccordancewi t
    ht hecr i
    teri
    asetbyDECS,t heannual
    supplement albudgetaryneedsf ort heoper ati
    onandmai nt enanceof
    publicschoolswi t
    hinthepr ovince,ci
    ty,ormuni ci
    pal
    it
    y,asthecasemay
    be,andt hesuppl ement ar
    yl ocalcostofmeet i
    ngsuchneeds,whi ch
    shallbe r efl
    ected int he form ofan annualschoolboar d budget
    correspondingt oitsshar eoft hepr oceedsoft hespeci
    all evyonr eal
    propertyconstitut
    ingthespeci aleducationfundandsuchot hersour ces
    ofrevenueast heCodeandot herlawsoror di
    nancesmaypr ov i
    de;
    (2)Authorizetheprovi
    ncial
    ,cit
    y,ormuni
    cipalt
    reasurer,
    asthecasemay
    be,todi sbursefundsfrom thespeci
    aleducationfundpursuanttothe
    budgetpr epar
    ed in accordance wi
    th appli
    cable exi
    sti
    ng rul
    es and
    regul
    ations;
    (3)Serve as advisor
    ycommi t
    tee tothe sangguni
    an concerned on
    educati
    onalmatterssuchas,butnotl imi
    tedt o,t
    henecessit
    yf orand
    theusesoflocalappropr
    iat
    ionsforeducat
    ionalpur
    poses;and
    (4)Recommendchangesinthenamesofpubli
    cschool
    swi thi
    nthe
    ter
    ri
    tor
    ialj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on oft
    he LGU f
    orenact
    mentbythe sangguni
    an
    concer
    ned.
    o(c)Consul
    tat
    ion.-TheDECS shal lconsul
    tthelocalschoolboardont he
    appoi
    ntment of divisi
    on superi
    ntendent
    s, di
    str
    ict super
    visor
    s, school
    pri
    nci
    pals,
    andotherschoolof
    fi
    cial
    s.
    o(
    d)Pr ohibi
    tion f
    rom Delegati
    on -The per for
    mance oft he dut
    ies and
    r
    esponsibil
    i
    tiesoftheoffi
    cial
    smentionedinparagr aph(a)ofthi
    sAr t
    icl
    ein
    t
    hei
    rrespectivel
    ocalschoolboar
    dsshallnotbedelegated.
    o(
    e)Meet
    ingsandQuor
    um –
    (1)Thel
    ocalschoolboar
    dshal
    lmeetatl
    eastonceamont
    horasof
    ten
    asmaybenecessary.
    (2)Anyoft heco-chair
    menmaycal lameet ing.A majori
    tyofal
    lits
    member s shallconst i
    tute a quorum.When bot h co-
    chair
    men are
    presenti
    nameet i
    ng,thelocalchiefexecut
    iveconcer
    ned,asamatterof
    protocol
    ,shallbegi
    venpr efer
    encet opresi
    deoverthemeeting.
    o(f
    )Budget-The divi
    si
    on super
    int
    endent,ci
    ty super
    int
    endent
    ,ordi st
    ri
    ct
    super
    visor
    ,ast
    hecasemaybe,shal
    lprepar
    ethebudgetoftheschoolboard
    concer
    ned.Such budgetshal lbe suppor
    ted by programs,proj
    ect
    s and
    acti
    vi
    ti
    esoft heschoolboardfort
    heensui
    ngfiscalyear
    .Amaj or
    it
    yofallt
    he
    member sshallbenecessar
    ytoapprov
    ethebudget.
    o Theannualschoolboar
    dshal
    lgi
    vepr
    ior
    it
    ytot
    hef
    oll
    owi
    ng:
    (
    1)Const
    ruct
    ion,repai
    randmaint
    enanceofschoolbui
    l
    dingsandot
    her
    f
    aci
    l
    iti
    esofpubli
    celementar
    yandsecondar
    yschool
    s;
    (2) Establ
    ishment and mai
    ntenance of ext
    ensi
    on cl
    asses when
    necessary;
    and
    (3)Holdi
    ngofspor
    tsact
    ivi
    ti
    esatt
    hedi
    vi
    sion,di
    str
    ict
    ,muni
    cipal
    ,and
    barangayl
    evel
    s.
    o(g)SpecialEducat i
    onFund-Thepr oceedsf rom theaddi
    ti
    onaloneper cent
    (1%)taxonr ealpropertyaccr
    uingt ot heSpecialEducat
    ionFund( SEF)shallbe
    automat i
    cal
    lyreleasedt othel ocalschoolboar dsprovi
    dedt hatincaseof
    provi
    nces,thepr oceedsshal lbedi videdequal l
    ybetweenthepr ov
    inci
    aland
    municipalschoolboar dsandpr ovidedfurther,thattheproceedsshal lbe
    all
    ocatedi naccor dancewi t
    hAr t i
    cle327ofRul eXXXIoft heseRul es,as
    deter
    mi nedbyt helocalschoolboar ds.
    o(h)Compensat i
    onandRemuner ati
    on-Theco- chair
    menandmember softhe
    provinci
    al,ci
    ty,ormunici
    palschoolboardshallperfor
    mt hei
    rduti
    esassuch
    withoutcompensat i
    onorr emunerat
    ion.Member sthereofshallbeent
    it
    ledto
    necessaryt r
    aveli
    ngexpensesandallowanceschargeableagainstt
    hefundsof
    thelocalschoolboardconcerned.
    o Art
    .185.LocalHeal
    thBoar
    ds.-(a)Creat
    ionandComposi
    ti
    on-Thereshallbe
    est
    abli
    shed i
    n ever
    y prov
    ince,cit
    y,ormuni ci
    pal
    i
    tya localheal
    th board
    composedofthefol
    lowi
    ng:
    (1)Thepr ovi
    ncialheal thboardshal lbeheadedbyt hegov er
    noras
    chai
    rman,t he pr ovi
    ncialhealth off
    iceras vi
    ce chairman,and t he
    chai
    rmanoft hecommi tteeonhealthofthesangguni
    anpanlalawigan,a
    repr
    esentat
    ivefr om t he priv
    ate sectororNGO i nvolved i
    n health
    serv
    ices,
    andar epr esentat
    iveoftheDOHi ntheprovi
    nce,asmember s;
    (2)Theci tyheal
    thboardshal
    lbeheadedbyt heci
    tymay oraschair
    man,
    the cityhealth off
    iceras vi
    ce chairman,and the chair
    man oft he
    commi t
    teeonheal t
    hoft hesangguniangpanlungsod,arepresent
    ati
    ve
    from thepr i
    vat
    esect ororNGO i nvolved i
    n heal
    th servi
    ces,and a
    representati
    veoftheDOHi ntheci
    ty,asmember s;
    (3)Themunicipalhealt
    hboar dshallbeheadedbyt hemunici
    palmay or
    aschairman,themuni ci
    palhealthofficerasvi
    cechai r
    man,andt he
    chai
    rmanoft hecommi tt
    eeonheal t
    hoft hesangguni
    angbay an,a
    repr
    esentat
    ivef r
    om t he pri
    vate sectororNGO i nv
    olved in healt
    h
    servi
    ces and a representat
    ive ofthe DOH i nthe municipal
    ity,as
    member s.
    o(
    b)Funct
    ions-Thepr
    ovi
    nci
    al,
    cit
    y,andmuni
    cipalheal
    thboar
    dsshal
    l
    :
    (
    1)Pr
    opose t
    othe sangguni
    an concer
    ned,i
    n accor
    dance wi
    tht
    he
    standardsandcr
    it
    eri
    asetbyDOH,annualbudget
    aryal
    l
    ocati
    onsfort
    he
    operati
    onandmai nt
    enanceofheal
    thfaci
    l
    iti
    esandser
    viceswi
    thint
    he
    provi
    nce,ci
    ty,
    ormunici
    pali
    ty,
    ast
    hecasemaybe;
    (2)Serv
    easanadv i
    sorycommi tt
    eet othesangguni
    anconcer nedon
    heal
    th matt
    ers such as,butnotl i
    mited t
    o,the necessit
    yf or
    ,and
    appl
    icat
    ionofl
    ocalappropr
    iat
    ionsforpubl
    icheal
    thpurposes;and
    (3) Cr eat
    ecommi tt
    eeswhi chshal ladv
    ise,localhealt
    hagenci
    eson
    mat t
    ers such as,butnotl i
    mi ted to,technicaland admini
    str
    ati
    ve
    standardsofDOH, per
    sonnelselectionandpromot ion,
    bidsandawards,
    griev
    ances and compl aints,per sonnel discipl
    i
    ne,budget revi
    ew,
    operati
    onsr ev
    iewandsimilarfuncti
    ons.
    o(
    c)Meet
    ingsandQuor
    um –
    (1)Theboardshal
    lmeetatl
    eastonceamont
    horasof
    tenasmaybe
    necessar
    y.
    (2)Amaj ori
    tyofthemember softheboar
    dshallconsti
    tut
    eaquorum,
    butthechair
    manort hev i
    cechairmanmustbepresentduri
    ngmeeti
    ngs
    where budgetar
    ypr oposals ar
    e bei
    ng pr
    epar
    ed orconsi der
    ed.The
    aff
    ir
    mat i
    vev ot
    eofamaj or
    it
    yoft hemembersshallbenecessaryto
    approvesuchproposals.
    o(d)Compensat i
    onand Remuner ati
    on-Thechai r
    man,v i
    cechai r
    man,and
    member softheprovinci
    al,ci
    ty,ormunicipalheal
    thboardsshal
    lperformtheir
    duti
    esassuchwi thoutcompensat i
    onorr emunerati
    on.Member sthereofwho
    arenotgov ernmentof f
    icial
    sorempl oyeesshallbeent i
    tl
    edt onecessar y
    trav
    elingexpensesandal lowanceschar geableagai
    nstthefundsoft helocal
    healt
    hboar dconcerned,subjecttoexisti
    ngaccountingandauditi
    ngr ul
    esand
    regulati
    ons.
    o(e)Dir
    ectsupervisi
    onandcont r
    olofDOH ov erlocalhealt
    hoper ati
    ons-I n
    casesofepidemics,pesti
    lence,andot herwidespr eadpubli
    cheal t
    hdanger s,
    theSecretar
    yofHeal t
    h may ,upon thedi r
    ecti
    on oft hePr esidentand in
    consul
    tati
    onwi t
    ht heLGUconcer ned,temporari
    lyassumedi rectsupervi
    sion
    and contr
    olov erhealth oper at
    ions i
    n any LGU f orthe durati
    on oft he
    emergency,butinnocaseexceedi ngacumul at
    iveperiodofsix( 6)months.
    Withthe concurrence oft he LGU concerned,t he peri
    od forsuch direct
    nati
    onalcontr
    olandsupervisionmaybef ur
    therextended.
    o Art.186.LocalPeaceandOrderCouncil
    s.-Ther
    eshallbeestabli
    shedinev er
    y
    province,ci
    ty,andmunici
    pal
    i
    tyalocalpeaceandordercouncilpur
    suanttoEO
    No.309,ser iesof1988,asamended( AnnexC) .Thelocalpeaceandor der
    councilsshallhavethesamecompositi
    onandf uncti
    onsasthosepr escr
    ibed
    bysai dexecutiv
    eorder
    .
    o Art
    .187.People'
    sLawEnforcementBoards.-Ther
    eshal
    lbeestabl
    ishedi
    nthe
    LGU concernedapeople'
    sl aw enf
    orcementboard(PLEB)pursuanttothe
    per
    tinentprovi
    si
    onsofRA6975( AnnexD).ThePLEBsshallhavet hesame
    compositi
    onandfunct
    ionsasthoseprescr
    ibedbysai
    dlaw.
    o OSEAVSMALAYA–Ther
    equi
    rementi
    nSec.99ofpr
    iorconsul
    tat
    ionwi
    tht
    he
    l
    ocalschoolboar
    d,doesnotappl
    yint
    hiscase.I
    tonl
    yref
    erst
    oappoi
    ntment
    s
    madebyt heDECS.
     Section 99 of t he LocalGov ernment Code of 1991 appl i
    es t o
    appointment smadebyt heDepar tmentofEducat ion, CultureandSpor ts.
    Thisisbecauseatt het imeoft heenact mentoft heLocalGov ernment
    Code,school s divisi
    on super intendents wer e appoi nted by t he
    Depar tmentofEducat ion,Cul tureandSpor tst ospeci ficdiv i
    sionor
    l
    ocat i
    on. I n 1994, t he Car eer Execut ive Ser vi
    ce Boar d issued
    Memor andum Ci r
    cularNo.21,Ser iesof1994,pl acingt heposi ti
    onsof
    school s di v
    isi
    on super i
    ntendent and assi stant school s di vi
    sion
    super i
    ntendentwi thint hecar eerexecut i
    veser vice.Consequent ly,the
    powert oappoi ntper sonst ocar eerexecut i
    veser viceposi t
    ionswas
    tr
    ansf err
    edf rom t
    heDepar t
    mentofEducat ion,Cul t
    ureandSpor tst othe
    President.9Theappoi nt mentmaynotbespeci ficast ol ocation.The
    prerogativetodesi gnatet heappoi nteestot hei
    rpar ticul
    arst ati
    onswas
    vestedi nt heDepar tmentofEducat ion,CultureandSpor tsSecr etary,
    pursuantt ot heexigenci esoft heser v
    ice,asprov idedi nDepar tmentof
    Educat i
    on,Cul t
    ureandSpor tsOr derNo.75, Seriesof1996.
    I
    nt hecaseatbar ,theappoi nt
    menti ssuedbyPresi
    dentRamosi nfavor
    ofr espondentt ot he Schools Divisi
    on Super
    int
    endentpositi
    on on
    September3, 1996di dnotspecif
    yherst ati
    on.
    10ItwasSecretar
    yGl or
    ia
    who,i n a Memor andum dat ed Nov ember3,1997,assi gned and
    designatedrespondenttot heDivi
    sionofCamar i
    nesSur,andpetit
    ioner
    totheDiv i
    si
    onofIri
    gaCi ty
    .
     Weagr eewi tht heCi vi
    lSer viceCommi ssi
    onandt heCour tofAppeals
    that,undert he ci rcumst ances,t he designati
    on ofr espondentas
    School sDi vi
    sionSuper int
    endentofCamar inesSurwasnotacaseof
    appoi nt
    ment .Herdesi gnationpar t
    ookoft henat ur
    eofar eassi
    gnment
    from Iri
    gaCi ty,whereshepr evi
    ouslyexercisedherfunct
    ionsasOf fi
    cer-
    i
    n- Charge-School sDi vi
    sionSuper i
    ntendent,toCamar i
    nesSur .Clearl
    y,
    therefore,ther equir
    ementi nSect i
    on99oft heLocalGov ernmentCode
    of1991ofpr iorconsul tati
    onwi ththelocalschoolboard,doesnotapply.
    Itonlyr eferstoappoi ntment smadebyt heDepar t
    mentofEducat ion,
    Cul t
    ureandSpor ts.Suchi st heplai
    nmeani ngoft hesai
    dlaw.
    o THE COMMI SSION ON AUDI T VS GARCI A – Thesal ari
    esand personnel-
    relatedbenefit
    soft heteachersappointedbyt heprovinci
    alschoolboardof
    Cebui nconnect i
    onwi ththeest abli
    shmentandmai ntenanceofext ension
    classes,aredecl aredchargeableagainsttheSpecialEducationFundoft he
    prov i
    nce.Howev er,theexpensesincurr
    edbyt heprovi
    ncialgover
    nmentf orthe
    collegescholarshipgrantsshouldnotbechar gedagainsttheSEF,butagainst
    theGener alFundsoft heprovinceofCebu.
     SEC.100.Meet
    ingandQuor
    um;
    Budget
    xxx xxx xxx
    (
    c)Theannualschoolboar
    dbudgetshal
    lgi
    vepr
    ior
    it
    ytot
    he
    f
    oll
    owi
    ng:
    o(
    1) Const
    ruct
    ion,r
    epai
    r,and mai
    ntenance of school
    buil
    dings and ot
    herf
    aci
    l
    iti
    es ofpubl
    i
    c el
    ement
    ary and
    secondaryschool
    s;
    o(
    2)Establ
    i
    shmentandmai
    ntenanceofext
    ensi
    oncl
    asses
    wher
    enecessar
    y;and
    o(3)Sportsacti
    vi
    ti
    esatt
    hedi
    vi
    sion,di
    str
    ict
    ,muni
    cipal
    ,and
    barangaylev
    els.
     The intentoft he legi
    slatur
    eist he contr
    oll
    ing f
    actorint he
    i
    nterpretat
    ion ofa statute.6Inthi
    s connecti
    on,the fol
    lowing
    porti
    onsoft hedel
    iberat
    ionsoftheSenateont hesecondreading
    oftheLocalGov er
    nmentCodeonJul y30,1990aresigni
    fi
    cant:
    o Continui
    ngheri nter
    pell
    ati
    on,Ms.Ray mundot henadv er
    ted
    to subsection 4 of Sect i
    on 101 [ now Sect ion 100,
    paragraph(c)]andaskedi fthebudgetisli
    mi tedonlytothe
    thr
    eepr i
    ori
    tyareasment ioned.Sheal so asked whati s
    meantbyt hephr ase"maintenanceofextensionclasses.
    "
    oInr esponse,Mr .DePedrocl ari
    fi
    edt hatt
    hepr ovi
    sionisnot
    l
    imi tedt othethreeacti
    vi
    t i
    es,towhi chmaybeaddedot her
    set s ofpr iori
    ti
    es atthe pr opert ime.As t o ext
    ension
    classes, hepointedoutthatt heschoolboar dsmaypr ovide
    outofi ts own funds,f oradditionalteacher s orother
    requi rementsi fthenationalgov ernmentcannotpr ovide
    fundi ng theref
    or.Upon Ms.Ray mundo' s query,Mr .de
    Pedr of urt
    herexplai
    nedthatsuppor tfort
    eachert oolscould
    fallundert hepr i
    ori
    ti
    esci ted and iscov ered bycer t
    ain
    circulars.
     Undoubt
    edly,t he aforeci
    ted exchange of views clear
    ly
    demonstr
    atesthatt
    helegisl
    atur
    eint
    endedtheSEFtoanswerfor
    thecompensat
    ionofteacher
    shandli
    ngextensi
    oncl
    asses.
     Evenundert hedoctri
    neofnecessaryimpl i
    cation,t
    heal
    locati
    on
    oftheSEFf ort heest
    abl
    ishmentandmai ntenanceofextensi
    on
    cl
    asseslogicall
    yimpli
    esthehir
    ingoft eacherswhoshould,asa
    matterofcoursebecompensatedfortheirservi
    ces.
     Wi t
    hr espect,howev er,tocollegescholarshipgrants,ar eadingof
    theper t
    inentlawsoft heLocalGov ernmentCoder evealsthat
    saidgr antsarenotamongt hepr oj
    ectsf orwhichthepr oceedsof
    theSEFmaybeappr opr i
    ated.Itshoul dbenot edthatSect i
    ons
    100( c)and272oft heLocalGov ernmentCodesubst anti
    all
    y
    reproducedSect ion1,ofR. A.No.5447.But ,unli
    kepay mentof
    salari
    es of t eacher s whi ch fall
    s wi thi
    n t he ambi t of
    "establi
    shmentand mai ntenance ofext ension classes"and
    "operationandmai ntenanceofpubl i
    cschool s,"the" grantingof
    gov er
    nmentschol arshi pto poorbutdeser vi
    ng student s"was
    omi tt
    edi nSect ions100( c)and272oft heLocalGov ernment
    Code.Casusomi ssuspr oomi ssohabendusest .Aper son, obj
    ect,
    orthingomi t
    tedf rom anenumer ati
    oni nast at
    utemustbehel dto
    havebeenomi tt
    edintenti
    onal
    l
    y .I
    tisnotf orthi
    sCour
    ttosuppl
    y
    suchgrantofschol
    arshipwherethelegi
    slatur
    ehasomit
    tedi
    t.

    PARTXV–THELOCALGOVERNMENTUNI
    TS
    - Secs.384-
    468–seecodal
    - 1.MannerofCr
    eat
    ion(
    see:
    PARTI
    II
    )
    - 2.Requi
    sit
    esf
    orCr
    eat
    ion(
    see:
    PARTI
    II
    )
    - 3.Chi
    efOf
    fi
    cial
    sandOf
    fi
    ces
    o Power
    sandFunct
    ionsof
    :
     a.PunongBar
    angay–Sec.389
     b.Muni
    ci
    pal
    May
    or–Sec.444
     c.Ci
    tyMay
    or–Sec.455
     d.Pr
    ovi
    nci
    alGov
    ernor–Sec.465
     e.Muni
    ci
    pal
    Vice-
    May
    or–Sec.445
    f
    .Ci
    tyVi
    ce-
    May
    or–Sec.456
     g.Pr
    ovi
    nci
    alVi
    ce-
    Gov
    ernor–Sec.466
    o ACEBEDOOPTI CALVSCA–Thef actthatapar t
    yacqui escedi
    nthespecial
    condit
    ionsimposedbyt heCit
    yMay orinsubjectbusinesspermitdoesnot
    precl
    udeitfrom chal
    l
    engi
    ngthesaidimpositi
    on,whichisul tr
    avi
    esorbeyond
    theambi tofauthori
    tyoftheCit
    yMay or
    .Ultr
    av iesactsoract swhichare
    clear
    lybeyondthescopeofone’saut hor
    it
    yarenul landv oidandcannotbe
    givenanyeff
    ect.
     Fact
    s:Peti
    ti
    onerappli
    eswiththeoff
    iceofthecitymay orofIli
    gana
    busi
    ness per
    mit.RespondentCity Mayorissued business per
    mit
    subj
    ectt
    othefol
    lowingcondi
    ti
    ons:
     1.Sincei
    tisacorpor
    ati
    on,Acebedocannotputupanopt
    ical
    cl
    ini
    cbutonl
    yacommerci
    alst
    ore;
     2.Acebedocannotexami
    neand/orprescr
    ibereadi
    ngandsi mi
    lar
    opti
    calglasses f
    orpati
    ent
    s,because these arefunct
    ions of
    opti
    calcl
    ini
    cs
     3.Acebedocannotsel
    lreadingandsimilareyegl
    asseswi t
    houta
    prescr
    ipt
    ion hav
    ing fi
    rst been made by an i ndependent
    optometri
    st(
    noti
    tsemployee),ori
    ndependentopti
    calcli
    nic
     TheCi t
    ymay or,then,af
    teri
    nvest
    igat
    ionsentpetit
    ioneranoticeof
    resol
    uti
    oncancell
    ingit
    sbusi
    nesspermi
    tforvi
    olat
    ingthecondi
    ti
    onsset
    fort
    hinit
    sbusinesspermi
    t.
     Held:The author
    it
    yofci
    tymay or
    stoissue orgr
    antli
    censes and
    businessper
    mitsi
    sbey
    ondcav
    il
    .Iti
    spr
    ovi
    dedforbyl
    aw.
     Dist
    inct
    ionmustbemadebetweenthegr
    antofali
    censeorpermitt
    odo
    busi
    nessandt hei
    ssuanceofali
    censetoengageinthepracti
    ceofa
    parti
    cularprof ession.Thef ir
    sti susuallygrant
    edbythelocalauthorit
    ies
    and t he second i si ssued byt he Board orCommi ssion t
    asked t o
    regulatethepar ti
    cularpr ofessi on.A businesspermitauthorizest he
    person,nat uralorot herwi se,t oengagei nbusinessorsomef orm of
    commer ci
    alact i
    vi
    ty.Apr ofessionallicense,ontheotherhand,i st he
    grantofaut hor i
    tyt oanat uralpersont oengagei nt hepract i
    ceor
    exerciseofhisorherpr ofessi on.
    Inthecaseatbar ,whatissoughtbypet i
    ti
    onerfrom respondentCi t
    y
    May orisapermittoengageinthebusinessofrunninganopt i
    calshop.
    Itdoesnotpur porttoseekal icensetoengagei nthepr acti
    ceof
    optomet r
    yasacor porat
    ebodyorent i
    ty,al
    thoughi tdoeshav einits
    empl oy
    ,personswhoar edulyli
    censedt opract
    iceopt ometrybyt he
    BoardofExami nersinOptomet
    ry.
     A busi ness per miti sissued pri
    mar i
    lyt oregulat
    et he conductof
    businessandt heCi tyMay orcannot ,thr
    ought hei ssuanceofsuch
    permit,regulatet hepr acti
    ceofapr ofessi
    on,li
    ket hatofopt ometr
    y.
    Suchaf uncti
    oni swi thi
    nt heexcl
    usivedomai noft headmi nist
    rat
    ive
    agencyspeci f
    icall
    yempower edbylaw t osupervi
    set hepr ofessi
    on,in
    thi
    scaset hePr ofessi
    onalRegulat
    ionsCommi ssionandt heBoar dof
    Exami nersinOpt omet r
    y .
     Thecontenti
    ont hatthebusinesspermitwasacont ractbet
    weenI l
    igan
    Cit
    y and peti
    ti
    onerwas t heref
    ore bi
    nding between them and that
    peti
    ti
    onerisest oppedf r
    om quest i
    oni
    ngt hesamear eunt enabl
    e.A
    l
    icenseorpermitisnotinthenatureofacontractbutaspecialpr
    ivi
    l
    ege.
     ...alicenseoraper mitisnotacont ractbetweenthesov er
    eignt
    y
    and the l i
    censee orper mitee,and i s nota propertyi nthe
    constit
    utionalsense,ast owhi chtheconst i
    tuti
    onalproscri
    pti
    on
    againstimpai r
    mentoft heobl i
    gati
    onofcont ractsmayext end.A
    l
    icense isr at
    heri nt he nature ofa speci alpriv
    il
    ege,ofa
    permissionoraut hori
    tytodowhati swithinit
    sterms.Itisnotin
    anywayv ested,per
    manentorabsol ute.
    Itist hereforedecisi
    vel
    ycl earthatestoppelcannotappl yi nthi
    scase.
    Thef actt hatpeti
    ti
    oneracquiescedint hespecialcondit
    ionsi mposedby
    theCi tyMay orinsubjectbusinessper mitdoesnotpr ecludeitfr
    om
    challengingt hesaidimpositi
    on,whichi sultr
    av i
    resorbey ondtheambit
    ofaut horityofrespondentCityMay or
    .Ul t
    rav i
    resactsoract swhichare
    clearlybey ondthescopeofone' sauthor i
    tyarenullandv oidandcannot
    begi v enanyef fect.Thedoct r
    ineofest oppelcannotoper atetogive
    effectt oanactwhi chisotherwisenullandv oidorult
    rav i
    res.
     Therespondentcit
    ymay ori
    sherebyorder
    edtor ei
    ssuepeti
    ti
    oner
    ’s
    busi
    nesspermiti
    naccor
    dancewi
    thlawandwitht
    hisdi
    sposi
    ti
    on.
    o LI
    M VSCA–May orLi
    m hadnoaut
    hor
    it
    ytoclosedownBistr
    o’sbusi
    nessor
    anybusi
    nessest
    abli
    shmenti
    nManil
    awit
    houtduepr
    oceeoflaw.
     Fact
    s:Bist
    roPigal
    lef
    il
    edbef
    oret
    hetr
    ialcour
    tapet
    iti
    onf
    ormandamus
    and pr
    ohibi
    ti
    on agai
    nstMayorLi
    m becausepoli
    cemen underLi
    m’s
    i
    nstruct
    ionsinspect
    edandi nvesti
    gatedBistro’
    slicenseaswel lasthe
    work permit
    s and healt
    h certi
    fi
    cates ofi t
    s staff.This caused the
    st
    oppageofwor kinBist
    ro’
    snightclubandr est
    aurantoperations.Li
    m
    al
    sor ef
    usedt oacceptBistro’
    sapplicat
    ionf orabusi nesslicense,as
    wellastheworkpermitappl
    icati
    onsofBistro’
    sstaf f
    .
     Held:Theauthori
    tyofmayorstoissuebusinessli
    censesandpermit
    sis
    beyondquestion.Thelaw expr
    esslyprov
    idesf orsuchauthor
    it
    yunder
    Secti
    on11( l
    ),Arti
    cl
    eIIoftheRevisedCharteroftheCit
    yofManilaand
    Secti
    on455(3)( i
    v)oft
    heLocalGov er
    nmentCode.
     From t hel anguageoft het wol aws,i tiscl eart hatthepoweroft he
    may ort oissuebusi nessl i
    censesandper mi tsnecessar i
    lyincludest he
    coroll
    ar ypowert osuspend,r evokeorev enr efuset oissuet hesame.
    Howev er,t
    hepowert osuspendorr evoket hesel i
    censesandper mitsis
    expresslypr emisedont hev iolationoft hecondi ti
    onsoft heseper mits
    and licenses.The l aws speci ficall
    yr efert ot he "violati
    on oft he
    conditi
    on( s)"onwhi chthel i
    censesandper mitswer eissued.Si milar
    ly,
    thepowert orefusetoissuesuchl i
    censesandper mitsi spremi sedon
    non-compl iancewi t
    ht hepr erequisitesforthei ssuanceofsuchl icenses
    andper mits.Themay ormustobser v
    eduepr ocessi nexer ci
    singt hese
    power s,whi ch means t hatt he may ormustgi vethe appl icantor
    l
    icenseenot iceandoppor tunitytobehear d.
     True,t he may orhas the powert oi nspectand i nvest
    igate pri
    vate
    commer cialest
    abli
    shmentsf oranyv i
    olati
    onoft heconditionsoftheir
    l
    icensesandper mi
    ts.Howev er
    ,themay orhasnopowert oordera
    police raid on t
    hese establi
    shmentsi nt he guise ofinspecting or
    i
    nv esti
    gat i
    ngthesecommer ci
    alestabl
    ishments.Lim actedbey ondhi s
    authori
    t ywhenhedi r
    ectedpolicementor aidt
    heNewBangkokCl uband
    theExot icGardenRestaur
    ant .
     Lim hasnoaut horityt oclosedownBi str
    o’sbusinessoranybusi ness
    establishmenti nMani l
    awi t
    houtduepr ocessofl aw.Lim cannott ake
    refugeundert heRev isedChar t
    eroft heCityofMani l
    aandt heLocal
    Gov ernmentCode.Ther eisnopr ov i
    sionint hesel awsexpr esslyor
    i
    mpl i
    edl y grant i
    ng t he may or aut hori
    tyt o cl ose down pr iv
    ate
    commer cialestablishment swi thoutnot i
    ceandhear i
    ng,andev enif
    therei s,suchpr ovisionwoul dbev oi
    d.Theduepr ocesscl
    auseoft he
    Const i
    t uti
    onr equirest hatLi
    m shoul dhav egiv
    enBi st
    roanoppor tunit
    y
    tor ebutt heallegationst hatitv
    iolat
    edt heconditi
    onsofi tsl
    icensesand
    permi ts.
    I
    nthei nst
    antcase,wef i
    ndthatLi
    m’sexer
    ciseofthi
    spowervi
    olat
    ed
    Bi
    str
    o’spropert
    yright
    sthatar
    eprot
    ect
    edundertheduepr
    ocesscl
    ause
    oft
    heConst i
    tut
    ion.
    o NAZARENOVSCI
    TYOFDUMAGUETE
    I
    tistruethatt
    hereisnoconsti
    tut
    ionalprohi
    bit
    ionagainsttheissuance
    of"massappoint
    ment s"bydef
    eatedlocalgovernmentoffi
    cial
    spr i
    orto
    theexpi
    rati
    onofthei
    rterms.Cl
    ear
    ly,thi
    sisnotthesameasa" mi dni
    ght
    appoint
    ment,"pr
    oscri
    bedbytheConsti
    tut
    ion,whichrefer
    st othose
    appoint
    mentsmadewi thi
    ntwomonthsimmediatelypri
    ortothenext
    presi
    denti
    alel
    ect
    ion.
    15Aswerul
    edi
    nDeRamav .CourtofAppeal
    s:
    16
     Ther ecor
    dsr evealt hatwhen t hepet i
    ti
    onerbr oughtthemat terof
    recal
    li
    ngt heappoi nt
    ment soft hefourteen( 14)pr i
    vat
    er espondent s
    beforetheCSC,theonl yreasonheci t
    edt ojusti
    fyhisacti
    onwast hat
    theseweremidnightappoi nt
    ment sthataref orbi
    ddenunderAr ti
    cleVI I
    ,
    Secti
    on15oft heConst it
    ution.Howev er,t
    heCSCr ul
    ed,andcorrectlyso,
    thatthesaidprohibit
    ionappl iesonlyt opresidenti
    alappointment s.In
    trut
    handi nfact,therei snol aw thatprohibit
    sl ocalel
    ecti
    veof fici
    als
    from maki
    ngappoi ntment sduringthelastdaysofhi sorhertenure.
     However,evenwhil
    eaf
    fi
    rmi
    ngDeRama,weexpl
    ainedi
    nQui
    rogv
    .
    Aumentado,
    17that
    :
     We,howev er,hastent oaddt hatt heaf orementionedr uli
    ngdoesnot
    meant hatther aisond'et rebehi ndt hepr ohibi
    tionagai nstmidnight
    appoint
    ment smaynotbeappl i
    edt ot hosemadebychi efexecutiv
    esof
    l
    ocalgov er
    nmentuni ts,asher e.Indeed,t hepr ohibit
    ionispr eci
    sely
    desi
    gnedt odi scourage,nay ,ev enpr eclude,losingcandi dat
    esf rom
    i
    ssuingappoi nt
    ment smer elyf orpar ti
    sanpur posest herebydepr i
    ving
    the incoming admi nist
    ration of t he oppor t
    uni t
    y t o make t he
    corr
    espondingappoi ntment sinl i
    newi thitsnewpol ici
    es.
     XXXI ndeed,notal
    lappointmentsissuedaftert
    heelecti
    onsbydef eated
    off
    ici
    alsar einval
    i
    d.CSC Resol ut
    ionNo.010988doesnotpur por tto
    nul
    lif
    yal l"massappointments."Howev er
    ,i tmustbeshownt hatt he
    appointmentshaveunder gonether egul
    arscreeni
    ngpr ocess,t
    hatt he
    appointee i
    s quali
    fi
    ed,thattherei s a need tofil
    lup t he v
    acancy
    i
    mmedi at
    ely,
    andthattheappointmentsarenotinbulk.
    - 4.Sangguni
    an
    o Sec.9Ar t
    .10const i-Legi
    sl
    ati
    vebodi
    esofl ocalgov
    ernment
    sshal
    lhav
    e
    sect
    oralr
    epresent
    ati
    onasmaybeprescr
    ibedbylaw.
    oi
    .Composi
    ti
    on
     Secti
    on390.Composi t
    ion.-Thesangguniangbarangay,thel
    egislati
    ve
    bodyoft hebarangay
    ,shallbecomposedoft hepunongbar angayas
    presi
    ding of
    fi
    cer,and the sev
    en (
    7)r egularsangguniang barangay
    member select
    ed atlargeand sangguniang kabat
    aan chairman,as
    member s.
     Sect
    ion446.Composi
    ti
    on.–
    (a)Thesangguni angbayan,t
    hel egi
    slat
    ivebodyoft hemuni ci
    palit
    y,
    shal
    lbecomposedoft hemuni
    cipalvi
    cemay orasthepresidi
    ngoffi
    cer,
    the regul
    arsanggunian member s,the presidentoft he municipal
    chapteroftheli
    gangmgabar angay,thepresidentofthepambay ang
    pederasyon ng mga sangguni ang kabat aan, and t he sectoral
    repr
    esentati
    ves,
    asmember s.
    (
    b)I
    naddi
    ti
    ont
    her
    eto,t
    her
    eshal
    lbet
    hree(
    3)sect
    oralr
    epr
    esent
    ati
    ves:
    one(1)from t
    hewomen;andasshal lbedet
    erminedbyt hesanggunian
    concernedwithinninety(90)day spri
    ort
    otheholdingoflocalel
    ecti
    ons,
    one( 1)from theagr icult
    uralorindust
    ri
    alworkers,andone( 1)from
    other sector
    s, i ncluding t he urban poor,i ndigenous cult
    ur al
    communi ti
    es,ordisabledper sons.
    (c)Theregul
    armembersofthesangguni
    angbay
    anandthesector
    al
    repr
    esent
    ati
    vesshal
    lbeel
    ect
    edinthemannerasmaybeprov
    idedfor
    bylaw.
     Sect
    ion457.Composi
    ti
    on
    (a)Thesangguniangpanl ungsod,thelegisl
    ati
    vebodyoft hecit
    y,shal
    l
    becomposedoft heci tyv i
    ce-mayoraspr esidi
    ngof fi
    cer,theregul
    ar
    sanggunianmember s,thepr esi
    dentoft hecitychapteroft heli
    gang
    mgabar angay,t
    hepr esidentofthepanlungsodnapeder asy
    onngmga
    sangguniangkabat
    aan, andthesectoralrepr
    esentat
    ives,asmember s.
    (b)Inadditi
    ont her
    eto,thereshal lbethr
    ee(3)sector
    alr epr
    esent
    ati
    ves:
    one( 1)fr
    om thewomen;andasshal lbedet
    erminedbyt hesangguni
    an
    concernedwi thinninety( 90)day spri
    ortothehol dingoft helocal
    elect
    ions,one( 1)from agr i
    culturalori
    ndustr
    ialworkers;andone( 1)
    from theothersect ors,incl
    udingt heurbanpoor,indigenouscult
    ural
    communi ti
    es,ordisabledper sons.
    (c)The r
    egularmembers ofthe sangguni
    ang panl
    ungsod and t
    he
    sect
    oralr
    epresent
    ati
    vesshal
    lbeel ect
    edi nthemannerasmaybe
    prov
    idedf
    orbylaw.
     Sect
    ion467.Composi
    ti
    on.
    (a)Thesangguni angpanlalawigan,thel egislat
    ivebodyoft hepr ovi
    nce,
    shal
    lbecomposedoft heprovincialvi
    ce-gov ernoraspr esidingof f
    icer
    ,
    theregul arsanggunianmember s,thepresidentoft heprovincialchapter
    oft he l i
    ga ng mga bar angay,t he presidentoft he panl alawi
    gang
    peder asyon ng mga sangguni ang kabat aan,t he presidentoft he
    provincialfederati
    on ofsangguni an member sofmuni cipalit
    iesand
    componentci ti
    esandt hesectoralrepresent ati
    ves,asmember s.
    (b)Inadditi
    ont hereto,thereshal lbethr
    ee( 3)sectoralrepresent
    ati
    ves:
    one( 1)fr
    om thewomen;andasshal lbedeterminedbyt hesanggunian
    concernedwi thinni nety( 90)day spr i
    ort othehol dingoft helocal
    elect
    ions,one(1)f rom theagr icul
    tur
    alorindustr
    ialworkers;andone( 1)
    from othersect orsi ncluding the urban poor ,indigenous cult
    ural
    communi ti
    es,ordi sabledper sons.
    (c)Theregul
    armember softhesangguni
    angpanl
    alawi
    ganandt
    he
    sect
    oralr
    epresent
    ati
    vesshal
    lbeelect
    edinthemannerasmaybe
    prov
    idedf
    orbylaw.
     PROVI
    NCEOFAGUSANDELNORTEVSCOMELEC
     Secti
    ons1and2ofR. A.No.8553,amendi
    ngSec.41(b)ofthe
    LocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991( R.A.No.7160)
    ,respect
    ivel
    y
    stat
    e:
     SECTI
    ON 1.Sect
    ion41(b)ofRepubl
    i
    cActNo.7160,ot
    herwise
    known as t
    he LocalGover
    nmentCode of1991,is hereby
    amendedtor
    eadasfoll
    ows:
    (b)Theregul
    armembersofthe[
    SP],sangguni
    angpanlungsod,
    andsangguni
    angbay
    anshal
    lbeel
    ect
    edbydistri
    ctasf
    oll
    ows:
    o Fir
    standsecond- cl
    asspr ovincesshal lhav eten(10)regular
    member s;xxx;Pr ovi
    ded:Thati npr ovinceshav i
    ngmor e
    thanfive( 5)legisl
    ati
    vedi str
    icts,eachdi stri
    ctshallhavetwo
    (2)[SP]member s,withoutpr ejudicet ot heprov i
    sionsof
    Secti
    on2ofRepubl i
    cActNo.6637.xxx.Thepr esi
    dentsof
    theleaguesofsangguni anmember sofcomponentci ti
    es
    andmuni cipalit
    iesshallserveasexof f
    iciomember softhe
    [SP]concer ned.The pr esidents of t he li
    ga ng mga
    Barangay and t he peder asy on ng mga sangguni ang
    kabataanel ectedbyt heirrespectivechapt er
    s,aspr ovi
    ded
    i
    nt hi
    sCode,shal lser
    v easexof f
    iciomember soft he[SP],
    sangguni angpanl ungsod, andsangguni angbay an.
     Pursuantt
    ot heafore-
    quotedpr ovisi
    ons,theCOMELECenbanc
    i
    ssuedRes.No.6662whi chi ncreasedtheallocatedslot
    sf or
    AgusandelNor t
    eSPf rom eight( 8)toten(10)seats(1slotfor
    the1stDistr
    ictand9sl otsfort he2ndDi st
    ri
    ct)
    .Thepr ovi
    nce’s
    recentacqui
    siti
    on ofsecond cl ass stat
    us accounted f
    orthe
    i
    ncreaseofall
    ocatedseats.
     Appropr i
    atel
    y,t he Constitut
    ion14 i nv est st he COMELEC wi th
    broadpowert oenforceandadmi nist eral llawsandr egul ations
    relat
    ivet ot he conductofan el ect i
    on,pl ebiscit
    e and ot her
    elect
    oralexer cises.Int he dischar ge ofi tsl egalduties,t he
    COMELECi spr ovi
    dedbyt helaw wi tht ools,ampl ewher ewi thal,
    andconsi derablelati
    tudei nadoptingmeanst hatwi l
    lensur et he
    accompl i
    shmentoft hegreatobject i
    vesf orwhichi twascr eat ed-
    topromot efree, or
    derl
    yandhonestel ect ions.15Concei v
    edbyt he
    charterast heef f
    ecti
    vei nst
    rumentt opr eservet hesanct i
    tyof
    popularsuf f
    rage,endowedwi thindependenceandal lt
    heneeded
    concomi tantpower s,COMELECdeser v est obeaccor dedbyt he
    Courtt hegr eatestmeasur eofpr esumpt ionofr egul
    ari
    tyi nits
    courseofact ionandchoi ceofmeansi nper formingitsdut ies,to
    theendt hati tmayachi eveitsdesi gnedpl aceint hedemocr ati
    c
    fabri
    cofourgov er
    nment.16
     XXXAst herequirementsofR. A.No.8553andRes.No.6662
    appeartohavebeencompl i
    edwithinsofarasAgusandelNor t
    e
    wasconcerned,t heComel ecenbancwas,undert hepremi ses,
    corr
    ectinhavingt he8thand9t hwinningSPcandi dat
    esf orsaid
    provi
    nce’
    sSecondDi st
    ri
    ctprocl
    aimed.Tobesur e,t
    herei sno
    cl
    earshowingt hattheCOMELEC’ sordertoprocl
    aim wasmadei n
    graveabuseofdi screti
    on,aphrasewhi chdenotesacapr icious,
    despoti
    corwhi msicalexer
    ciseofjudgmentasi sequiv
    al entto
    l
    ackofj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on.
     SEC.2.Upont hepeti
    ti
    onoft heprovinci
    alboar
    d,theelect
    ionfor
    anyadditi
    onalregul
    armembert ot he[SP]asprovidedforunder
    thi
    sAct,shal
    lbeheldnotearl
    iert
    hansi x(6)monthsaft
    ertheMay
    11,1998nati
    onalandlocalel
    ecti
    ons.
    oi
    i
    .Power
    s,Dut
    iesandFunct
    ionsof
     a.Sangguni
    angBar
    angay–Sec.391
     b.Sangguni
    angBay
    an–Sec.447
     c.Sangguni
    angPangl
    ungsod–Sec.458
     d.Sangguni
    angPanl
    alawi
    gan–Sec.468
    - 5.Appoi
    nti
    veOf
    fi
    ci
    alsCommont
    oMuni
    cipal
    i
    ties,
    Cit
    iesandPr
    ovi
    nces
    o Secs.469-
    490–seecodal
    o Ar
    t.119I
    RR
     Art.119.Appoi ntmentofAppoi nt
    ive LocalOf f
    ici
    als.-(a)Unless
    other
    wisepr ov
    idedint hi
    sRule,headsofof f
    icesanddepart
    mentsint he
    LGUsshal lbeappointedbythelocalchiefexecuti
    veconcer
    nedwi t
    ht he
    concurrenceofamaj orit
    yofallthemember softhesanggunian,
    subject
    tociv
    ilservi
    celaws,rulesandregulat
    ions.
    (b)Thesangguni
    anconcer
    nedshallactont heappointmentwit
    hin
    fi
    ft
    een(15)day
    sfrom t
    hedateofi
    tssubmissi
    on;ot
    herwise,t
    hesame
    shal
    lbedeemedconf
    ir
    med.
    (c)Theter
    m ofof
    fi
    ceofthel
    ocaladmini
    str
    ator
    ,locall
    egalof
    fi
    cer
    ,and
    l
    ocalinfor
    mati
    onoffi
    ceri
    scoter
    minouswiththatoft hei
    rappoi
    nti
    ng
    author
    it
    y.
    o Ar
    t.121I
    RR
     Art
    .121.Resi
    dencyRequi r
    ement.-Ther equir
    ementf oranappoi
    nti
    ve
    l
    ocalof
    fi
    cialt
    obear esi
    dentoftheLGUconcer nedshal
    lbeconst
    rued
    tomeanasact ualr
    esidencei
    nt helocal
    ityforatleastsi
    x(6)months
    i
    mmediatel
    yprecedi
    nghisappointment.
    o Ar
    t.123I
    RR
     Art.123.Resignati
    ons.-Resi gnati
    onofappoi ntiv
    elocalof f
    ici
    alsand
    employeesmustbei nwr iti
    ngandshal lbedeemedef f
    ectiv
    eupon
    acceptancebyt helocalchiefexecuti
    veconcer ned.I
    nt hecaseoft he
    provi
    ncial
    ,cit
    y,andmunicipaltreasur
    ers,andtheirr
    especti
    veassistants,
    thei
    rresignati
    onsshallbedeemedef fecti
    veuponaccept ancebyt he
    Secret
    aryofFinance.
    o NEGROS ORI
    ENTAL I
    IELECTRI
    C COOPERATI
    VE I
    NC.VS SANGGUNI
    ANG
    PANLUNGSODOFDUMAGUETE
     Al i
    ne shoul
    d be dr
    awn between the powers ofCongress as t
    he
    r
    eposit
    oryofthelegi
    slat
    ivepowerundert heConsti
    tut
    ion,andthose
    t
    hatmaybeexerci
    sedbyt hel
    egi
    slat
    ivebodiesofl
    ocalgover
    nmentunit,
    e.g.t he Sangguni ang Panl ungsod ofDumaguet e whi ch,as mer e
    creatures ofl aw,possess del egated legisl
    ati
    ve power .Whi l
    et he
    Const i
    tutiondoesnotexpr esslyv estCongr esswiththepowert opunish
    non-member sf orl egislat
    ive cont empt,t he powerhas nev erthel
    ess
    beeni nvoked byt hel egi
    slati
    v ebodyasameansofpr eserv i
    ng its
    authorityanddi gnityi nt hesamewayt hatcourtswi eldani nher
    ent
    powert o" enfor
    cet hei rauthority,preser
    vet hei
    rintegr
    it
    y ,mai ntaintheir
    digni
    ty ,andensur et heef fecti
    v enessoft headmi nist
    rationofj usti
    ce."
    Theexer cisebyCongr essoft hisawesomepowerwasquest i
    onedf or
    thefirstt imei nt hel eadingcaseofAr naultv.Nazar eno,wher et his
    Courthel dt hatthel egisl
    ativebodyi ndeedpossessedt hecont empt
    power .
     Thepr inciplethatCongr essoranyofi tsbodi eshast hepowert opuni sh
    recalcitrantwi tnessesi sf oundeduponr easonandpol icy.Saidpower
    mustbeconsi der edimpl iedori ncidentalt ot heexer ciseofl egisl
    ative
    power .How coul dal egislati
    v e body obt aint he knowl edge and
    i
    nf ormat iononwhi chtobasei ntendedl egislationi fi tcannotr equire
    andcompelt hedi scl
    osur eofsuchknowl edgeandi nfor mation,ifitis
    i
    mpot entt opuni shadef ianceofi tspowerandaut hor i
    ty?Whent he
    framer s oft he Const itution adopt ed t he pr inciple ofsepar ati
    on of
    power s,maki ngeachbr anchsupr emewi thint her ealofi t
    sr espective
    author ity,itmusthav ei ntendedeachdepar tment '
    saut horit
    yt obef ul
    l
    andcompl et
    e,independent lyoft heot her'saut hor it
    yorpower .Andhow
    coul dt heaut horityandpowerbecomecompl et eiff orev eryactof
    refusalev eryactofdef iance,ev eryactofcont umacyagai nsti t
    ,t he
    l
    egi slative body must r esortt ot he j udicialdepar tment f or t he
    appr opr i
    ater emedy ,becausei tisi mpot entbyi tsel ft opuni shordeal
    therewi th,wi t
    ht heaf f
    rontscommi ttedagai nstitsaut hor ityordignity
    .
     Theexer cisebythelegislatureoft hecont emptpoweri samat terofself
    -preserv ati
    on as thatbr anch oft he gov ernmentv ested wi t
    ht he
    l
    egi sl
    at i
    v e power,independent ly oft he judicialbr anch,asser t
    si t
    s
    author i
    tyandpuni shescont empt st her eof.Thecont emptpoweroft he
    l
    egi sl
    at ureis,t
    heref
    or e,suigener i
    s,andl ocall egi
    slativ
    ebodi escannot
    correctlycl ai
    mt opossessi tf orthesamer easonst hatt henat ional
    l
    egi sl
    at uredoes.Thepowerat tachesnott ot hedischar geofl egisl
    ativ
    e
    functionspersebutt othechar act eroft hel egisl
    at ureasoneoft he
    threei ndependentandcoor dinatebr anchesofgov ernment .Thesame
    thi
    ngcannotbesai dofl ocall egislativebodi eswhi char ecreationsof
    l
    aw.
     To begin wi t
    h,therei s no expr ess provisi
    on eitheri nt he 1973
    Constit
    uti
    onori ntheLocalGov ernmentCodegr ant
    ingl ocall
    egisl
    ati
    ve
    bodies,t
    hepowert osubpoenawi tnessesandt hepowert opunishnon-
    member sf orcontempt.Absentaconst ituti
    onalorl egalprovisi
    onfor
    theexerciseoft hesepower s,theonl ypossi blejustifi
    cati
    onf orthe
    i
    ssuanceofasubpoenaandf ort hepuni shmentofnon- member sfor
    contumaciousbehav i
    ourwouldbef orsaidpowert obedeemedi mpli
    ed
    i
    nt hestatutor
    ygrantofdelegatedl egi
    slativ
    epower .But ,thecontempt
    powerand t he subpoena powerpar take ofa judici
    alnature.They
    cannotbei mpliedi nthegr antoflegi
    slati
    vepower .Neithercanthey
    existasmerei ncidentsoftheperformanceofl egi
    slati
    vefuncti
    ons.To
    all
    ow locallegislat
    ivebodi
    esoradmi nist
    rat
    iveagenciest oexerci
    se
    thesepowerswi thoutexpr
    essst atut
    orybasiswoul dr unafoulofthe
    doctri
    neofsepar ati
    onofpower s.
     Thus,t hecont emptpower ,aswel last hesubpoenapower ,whi cht he
    framer softhef undament allawdi dnotexpr esslyprov i
    def orbutwhi ch
    thet henCongr esshasasser tedessent iallyf orsel f
    -preserv ationasone
    oft hree co- equalbr anches oft he gov er nmentcannotbe deemed
    i
    mpl ied int he del egat i
    on ofcer tainl egisl ati
    vef unctions t ol ocal
    l
    egi slativ
    ebodi es.Thesecannotbepr esumedt oexi stinf av oroft he
    l
    at t
    erandmustbeconsi der edasanexcept iont oSec.4ofB. P.337
    whi ch pr ovides f orl iberalr ul
    es ofi nter pr etat
    ion inf av orofl ocal
    autonomy .Sincet heexi st enceoft hecont emptpoweri nconj unct ion
    wi t
    ht hesubpoenapoweri nanygov er nmentbodyi nevitabl yposesa
    potent ialder ogationofi ndi vidualr i
    ght s,i .e.compul sionoft estimony
    and puni shmentf orr efusalt ot estify,t he l aw cannotbe l iber all
    y
    const r
    uedt ohav ei mpl i
    edl ygr antedsuchpower stol ocall egi slative
    bodi es.I tcannotbel ightlypr esumedt hatt hesov erei
    gnpeopl e,t he
    ulti
    mat esour ceofal lgov ernmentpower s,hav ereposedt hesepower s
    i
    n al lgov er
    nmentagenci es.Thei ntent i
    on oft hesov erei gn peopl e,
    throught heirr epresent ativesi nt helegi slatur e,toshar et heseuni que
    andawesomepower swi tht hel ocall egi slat i
    v ebodiesmustt her efore
    clear l
    yappeari nper ti
    nentl egisl
    ation.
     There being no provi
    sion int he LocalGov er
    nmentCode expl ici
    tl
    y
    grant
    inglocallegi
    sl
    ativ
    ebodi es,thepowertoissuecompulsor yprocess
    andthepowert opunishf orcont empt
    ,theSanggunianPanl ungsodof
    Dumaguet eisdev oidofpowert opunishthepet i
    ti
    oner
    sTor resand
    Umbacf orcontempt.TheAd- HocCommi tteeofsaidlegislati
    vebody
    hasev enlessbasi
    st oclai
    mt hatitcanexerci
    sethesepower s.
    - 6.Select
    ion and Transf
    erofLocalGov er
    nmentSi
    te,Of
    fi
    ces,and Faci
    l
    iti
    es,
    Gov
    ernmentCenters;
    Requisi
    tes/
    Condi
    ti
    ons
    o Sect
    ion11.Sel
    ect
    ionandTr
    ansf
    erofLocalGov
    ernmentSi
    te,Of
    fi
    cesand
    Faci
    l
    iti
    es.–
    o(a)Thel aw oror di
    nancecr eati
    ngormer gingl ocalgov ernmentuni t
    sshall
    specifytheseatofgov ernmentf r
    om wher egov ernment aland corpor
    ate
    servi
    ces shallbe del iv
    ered.I n selecti
    ng sai d site,f actorsrelat
    ing to
    geographical centr
    ali
    ty, accessi
    bil
    ity
    , av ai
    labil
    it
    y of t ranspor
    tati
    on and
    communi cati
    onf aci
    li
    ti
    es,drai
    nageandsani tation,developmentandeconomi c
    progress,andotherrel
    evantconsiderati
    onsshal lbetakeni ntoaccount.
    o(b) When condit
    ions and dev elopment si nt he l
    ocalgov er
    nment unit
    concernedhavesi
    gnificant
    lychangedsubsequentt otheestabl
    i
    shmentoft he
    seatofgovernment,it
    ssanggunianmay ,aft
    erpubli
    cheari
    ngandbyav oteof
    two-t
    hirds(
    2/3)ofalli
    tsmember s,transferthesametoasitebettersui
    tedto
    i
    tsneeds.Provi
    ded,howev er,
    Thatnosucht ransf
    ershal
    lbemadeout si
    dethe
    t
    err
    it
    ori
    alboundar
    iesoft
    hel
    ocalgov
    ernmentuni
    tconcer
    ned.
    o Theoldsi t
    e,toget
    herwi
    ththeimprovementsthereon,maybedisposedofby
    the sale orlease orconver
    ted t
    o such otheruse as the sangguni
    ang
    concernedmaydeem benefici
    altothelocalgovernmentuni
    tconcernedand
    i
    tsinhabit
    ants.
    o(c)Localgover
    nmentof f
    icesandfaci
    li
    ti
    esshallnotbet
    ransfer
    red,rel
    ocat
    ed,
    orconvertedtootherusesunlesspubl
    ichear
    ingsarefi
    rstconductedforthe
    purposeand theconcur renceofthemaj or
    it
    yofal lthemember soft he
    sanggunianconcernedi
    sobt ai
    ned.
    o Section12.Gov ernmentCent ers.-Pr ovinces,cit
    ies,andmuni ci
    palit
    iesshall
    endeavort o est abli
    sh a gov ernmentcent erwher e offi
    ces,agenci es,or
    branchesoft henat ionalgov ernment ,localgovernmentuni t s,orgov ernment-
    ownedorcont rolledcor porationsmay ,asf araspr act
    icabl e,belocat ed.In
    designati
    ngsuchacent er,thelocalgov ernmentuni tconcer nedshal ltakeinto
    accounttheexist i
    ngf acil
    iti
    esofnat i
    onalandl ocalagenciesandof ficeswhi ch
    mayser veast hegov er
    nmentcent erascont emplatedundert hi
    sSect i
    on.The
    nati
    onal gov ernment ,l ocal gov ernment uni t or gov ernment -owned or
    control
    ledcorpor ati
    onconcer nedshal lbeartheexpensesf ort heconst ruct
    ion
    ofitsbuil
    dingsandf aci
    li
    tiesint hegov ernmentcent er.
    - 7.Nami
    ngofLGUs,
    Publ
    i
    cPl
    aces,
    Str
    eet
    sandSt
    ruct
    ures,
    Requi
    sit
    es/
    Condi
    ti
    ons
    o Secti
    on13.Nami
    ngofLocalGov
    ernmentUni
    tsandPubl
    i
    cPl
    aces,
    Str
    eet
    sand
    Str
    uctur
    es.–
    o(
    a)Thesangguni angpanl
    alawi
    ganmay,inconsul
    tat
    ionwi
    tht
    hePhi
    li
    ppi
    ne
    Hi
    stori
    calCommi ssi
    on(PHC),changet
    henameoft hefol
    l
    owi
    ngwit
    hini
    ts
    t
    err
    itor
    ialj
    uri
    sdi
    cti
    on:
    (
    1)Componentcit
    iesandmuni
    cipal
    i
    ties,upont
    her
    ecommendat
    ionof
    t
    hesangguni
    anconcer
    ned;
    (
    2)Pr
    ovi
    nci
    alr
    oads,
    avenues,
    boul
    evar
    ds,
    thor
    oughf
    ares,
    andbr
    idges;
    (
    3)Publi
    cvocat
    ionalort
    echni
    calschool
    sandot
    herpost
    -secondar
    yand
    t
    ert
    iar
    yschool
    s;
    (
    4)Pr
    ovi
    nci
    alhospi
    tal
    s,heal
    thcent
    ers,
    andot
    herheal
    thf
    aci
    l
    iti
    es;
    and
    (5) Any ot
    herpubl
    i
    c pl
    ace orbui
    l
    ding owned by t
    he pr
    ovi
    nci
    al
    government
    .
    o(b)Thesangguni anofhi ghlyurbanizedciti
    esandofcomponentci ti
    eswhose
    chart
    ers prohi
    bitt heirvotersf r
    om v oting f
    orpr ovi
    nci
    alelect
    ive of
    fi
    cial
    s,
    herei
    nafterref
    erredtoi nthisCodeasi ndependentcomponentcit
    ies,may,i
    n
    consult
    ationwiththePhi l
    i
    ppineHi stor
    icalCommi ssi
    on,changethenameof
    thefol
    lowingwithinitsterr
    it
    orialj
    urisdi
    cti
    on:
    (1)Citybarangays,upon t
    he r
    ecommendat
    ion oft
    he sangguni
    ang
    barangayconcer
    ned;
    (
    2)Ci
    tyr
    oads,
    avenues,
    boul
    evar
    ds,
    thor
    oughf
    ares,
    andbr
    idges;
    (
    3)Publ
    i
    cel
    ement
    ary
    ,secondar
    yandv
    ocat
    ionalort
    echni
    calschool
    s,
    communi
    tycol
    l
    egesandnon-
    char
    ter
    edcol
    l
    eges;
    (
    4)Ci
    tyhospi
    tal
    s,heal
    thcent
    ersandot
    herheal
    thf
    aci
    l
    iti
    es;
    and
    (
    5)Anyot
    herpubl
    i
    cpl
    aceorbui
    l
    dingownedbyt
    heci
    tygov
    ernment
    .
    o(c) The sanggunians of component ci t
    ies and muni ci
    pal
    i
    ties may
    ,in
    consult
    ati
    onwiththePhi l
    i
    ppineHi stor
    icalCommi ssi
    on,changethenameof
    thefol
    lowi
    ngwi t
    hinitst
    err
    it
    orialj
    urisdi
    cti
    on:
    (1) Ci
    ty and munici
    palbarangays,upon r
    ecommendat
    ion of t
    he
    sangguni
    angbarangayconcer
    ned;
    (
    2) Ci
    ty, munici
    pal and bar
    angay r
    oads, av
    enues, boul
    evar
    ds,
    t
    hor
    oughf
    ares,
    andbridges;
    (
    3)Cit
    yandmuni cipalpublicelementar
    y,secondaryandvocat
    ionalor
    t
    echni
    calschool
    s,post-secondaryandotherter
    ti
    aryschool
    s;
    (
    4)City and muni
    ci
    palhospi
    tal
    s,heal
    th cent
    ers and ot
    herheal
    th
    f
    aci
    l
    iti
    es;and
    (5)Any ot
    herpubl
    i
    c pl
    ace orbui
    l
    ding owned by t
    he muni
    cipal
    gover
    nment
    .
    o(d)Noneoft hef or egoi
    ng localgovernmentuni ts,i
    nsti
    tut
    ions,places,or
    buil
    dingsshal lbenamedaf teral i
    vi
    ngper son,normayachangeofnamebe
    madeunl essf oraj usti
    fi
    abl
    er easonand,i nanycase,notoftenerthanonce
    everyten( 10)y ears.Thenameofal ocalgovernmentunitorapubl icplace,
    str
    eetorst ruct urewi thhist
    orical
    ,cul
    tural
    ,oret hni
    csigni
    fi
    canceshal lnotbe
    changed,unl essbyaunani mousv oteoft hesanggunianconcernedandi n
    consultat
    ionwi t hthePHC.
    o(
    e)A changeofnameofa publ icschoolshallbemadeonl
    yupon t
    he
    r
    ecommendat
    ionoft
    hel
    ocalschoolboar
    dconcerned.
    o(f)A changeofnameofpubl
    i
    chospi
    tals,heal
    thcenter
    s,andotherheal
    th
    faci
    l
    iti
    esshallbemadeonl
    yupontherecommendationofthelocalheal
    th
    boardconcerned.
    o(g)Thechangeofnameofanylocalgover
    nmentuni
    tshal
    lbeeff
    ecti
    veonly
    uponrati
    fi
    cat
    ioninapl
    ebi
    sci
    teconduct
    edfort
    hepurposei
    nthepoli
    ti
    caluni
    t
    dir
    ectl
    yaff
    ected.
    o(
    h)I
    nanychangeofname,t heOffi
    ceofthePresi
    dent
    ,therepr
    esent
    ati
    veof
    t
    hel
    egi
    slat
    ivedi
    str
    ictconcer
    ned,andtheBur
    eauofPostsshal
    lbenoti
    fi
    ed.
    - Kat
    arungangPambar
    angay
    o Sect i
    on515.RefusalorFai l
    ureofAnyPar tyorWitnesstoAppearbef orethe
    LuponorPangkat .-Refusalorwi ll
    fulfail
    ureofanypar tyorwitnesstoappear
    befor et
    heluponorpangkati ncompl iancewi thasummonsi ssuedpur suant
    tothepr ovi
    si
    onsont heKat arungangPambar angayunderChapt er7,Ti t
    leIII
    oft hisCodemaybepuni shedbyt heci t
    yormuni cipalcourtasf orindir
    ect
    cont emptofcourtuponappl i
    cationf i
    l
    edt herewit
    hbyt heluponchai r
    man,t he
    pangkatchairman,orbyanyoft hecont endingpart
    ies.Suchrefusalorwi l
    lful
    fai
    lur et
    oappearshallber efl
    ectedi nther ecordsoftheluponsecr etaryorin
    theminutesoft hepangkatsecret
    aryandshallbarthecompl
    ainantwhof ail
    s
    toappear,from seeki
    ngjudici
    alrecour
    sef orthesamecauseofact i
    on,and
    therespondentwhor efusestoappear,from fil
    i
    nganycountercl
    aim ar
    ising
    outof,ornecessari
    l
    yconnectedwiththecomplaint.
    o Apangkatmemberwhoser v
    esassuchshallbeenti
    tl
    edt
    oanhonorari
    um,the
    amountofwhichistobedeter
    minedbythesangguni
    anconcer
    nedsubj
    ectto
    thepr
    ovi
    sionsint
    hisCodeci
    tedabove.

    PARTXVI–SETTLEMENTOFBOUNDARYDI
    SPUTES
    - 1.Jur
    isdi
    cti
    onalResponsi
    bil
    i
    ty
    o Sect
    ion118.Jurisdi
    cti
    onalResponsi
    bil
    i
    tyf
    orSett
    lementofBoundar
    yDisput
    e.
    -Boundarydisputesbetweenandamongl ocalgover
    nmentunitsshal
    l,as
    muchaspossible,besett
    ledamicabl
    y.Tot
    hisend:
    (a)Boundarydi
    sputesinvolv
    ingtwo(2)ormor ebarangaysi
    nthesame
    cit
    yormuni ci
    pali
    tyshallberef
    erredforsett
    lementtothesangguni
    ang
    panlungsodorsangguniangbayanconcerned.
    (b)Boundar
    ydisput
    esinvol
    vingtwo(2)ormoremuni
    cipal
    i
    tieswi
    thi
    n
    thesameprovi
    nceshallberefer
    redf
    orset
    tl
    ementt
    othesangguni
    ang
    panl
    alawi
    ganconcer
    ned.
    (c)Boundar
    ydisput
    esinvolv
    ingmuni ci
    pali
    ti
    esorcomponentci
    ti
    esof
    dif
    fer
    entprovi
    nces shallbe joi
    ntlyrefer
    red f
    orset
    tl
    ementt othe
    sangguni
    ansofthepr
    ovinceconcerned.
    (d)Boundarydisputesinvol
    v i
    ngacomponentcit
    yormunici
    pal
    it
    yonthe
    onehandandahi ghlyurbanizedcit
    yontheother
    ,ortwo(2)ormore
    highl
    yurbanizedci t
    ies,shallbejoint
    lyr
    efer
    redforset
    tl
    ementtothe
    respect
    ivesangguniansoft hepart
    ies.
    (e)Intheeventthesanggunianf ai
    lstoef f
    ectanami cableset t
    lement
    withi
    nsixt
    y(60)daysfrom thedat ethedisputewasr eferr
    edther eto,i
    t
    shalli
    ssueacerti
    fi
    cat
    iontot hateffect
    .Thereaft
    er,thedisputeshal lbe
    formall
    ytr
    iedbythesanggunianconcernedwhi chshalldecidethei ssue
    withi
    nsixt
    y(60)daysfr
    om thedat eofthecerti
    fi
    cationrefer
    redtoabov e.
    - 2.Appeal
    o Section119.Appeal .-Wi thinthetimeandmannerpr escri
    bedbyt heRulesof
    Cour t
    ,anypar tymayelev atethedeci si
    onoft hesanggunianconcernedtothe
    properRegi onalTri
    alCour thav i
    ngjuri
    sdicti
    onov ert
    hear eaindispute.The
    RegionalTr i
    alCourtshalldecidet heappealwi t
    hinone(1)yearfrom thefi
    li
    ng
    thereof.Pendingfi
    nalresol uti
    onoft hedisputedareapri
    ortothedisputeshall
    bemai ntainedandcontinuedf oralll
    egalpurposes.
    - Set
    tl
    ementofBoundar
    yDi
    sput
    es
    o Ami
    cabl
    eSet
    tl
    ementf
    ir
    stbyt
    heSPconcer
    nedwi
    thi
    n60day
    s;
    o Joi
    ntRef
    err
    alf
    orset
    tl
    ement
    oI
    fnotset
    tl
    edami
    cabl
    y,SPi
    ssuescer
    ti
    fi
    cat
    ionandTRI
    ESt
    hecase.TheSP
    shal
    ldeci
    det
    hecasewi
    thi
    n60day
    sfr
    om dat
    eofcer
    ti
    fi
    cat
    ion.
    o Deci
    sionofSPmaybeappeal
    edt
    otheRegi
    onal
    Tri
    alCour
    t
    - MUN.OFSANTAFEVSMUN.OFARI
    TAO
    o Asshownabov e,sincet heef f
    ecti
    vit
    yofR. A.No.6128,t heSangguni ang
    Panlalawigan has been t he pri
    mar ytri
    bunalresponsibl
    eint he ami cabl
    e
    sett
    lement of boundar y di sputes between or among t wo or mor e
    muni ci
    palit
    ieslocatedinthesamepr ovi
    nce.Wit
    htheLGCof1991, howev er,
    a
    majorchangehasbeeni ntroduced–t hatint
    heev enttheSanggunianfail
    sto
    eff
    ectaset t
    lement,itshallnotonlyissueacer ti
    ficat
    iontothateffectbut
    mustal soformal l
    yhearanddeci dethecasewithi
    nt heregl
    ementaryperi
    od.
    o Notably,unlikeR. A.No.6128 and B. P.337,t heLGC of1991 gr antsan
    expandedr oleont heSangguni angPanl alawiganconcer nedinr esol vingcases
    ofmuni ci
    palboundar ydisputes.Asidef rom hav ingt hef unctionofbr i
    ngi ng
    thecontendi ngpar t
    iestogetherandi nt erveningorassi sti
    ngi nt heami cable
    settl
    ementoft hecase,t heSangguni angPanl alawigani snow speci fically
    vestedwi t
    hor iginaljuri
    sdicti
    ont oact ual l
    yhearanddeci det hedi sput ein
    accordancewi tht heprocedur eslaiddowni nt hel aw andi tsi mpl ement ing
    rul
    esandr egul ations.Thissituati
    on,inef fect,revertstot heol dr uleundert he
    RAC,pr i
    ort oi tsamendmentbyR. A.No.6128,underwhi cht hepr ovincial
    boardswer eempower edtoi nvesti
    gate, heart hepar t
    iesandev ent uallydeci de
    thecaseont hebasi sthereof.Ont heot herhand,undert heLGCof1991,t he
    tri
    alcourtlosesi t
    spowert ot ry,att hef i
    rstinstance,casesofmuni ci
    pal
    boundarydi sput es.Onlyint heexer ciseofi tsappel latejurisdict i
    oncant he
    properRTCdeci det hecase,onappeal ,shoul danypar tyaggr ievedbyt he
    decisi
    onoft heSangguni angPanl alawiganel ev at
    et hesame.

    PARTXVI
    I–SANGGUNI
    ANGKABATAAN
    - Sect
    ion423.Cr
    eat
    ionandEl
    ect
    ion.–
    o(a)Ther
    eshal
    lbeinever
    ybar
    angayasangguniangkabat
    aantobecomposed
    ofachair
    man,sev
    en(7)members,
    asecr
    etary
    ,andat r
    easur
    er.
    o(b)Asangguniangkabataanoff
    ici
    alwho,duri
    nghi ster
    m ofof
    fi
    ce,shal
    lhave
    passed the age oftwenty
    -one (
    21)y ear
    s shallbe all
    owed t
    o serv
    et he
    remaini
    ngpor t
    ionoft
    hetermforwhichhewasel ected.
    - Secti
    on 424.Kat i
    punan ng Kabataan.-The kat ipunan ng kabat aan shallbe
    composedofal lci t
    izensofthePhil
    ippi
    nesactuall
    yr esidinginthebar angayforat
    l
    eastsix(6)mont hs, whoarefi
    ft
    een(15)butnotmor ethant wenty-
    one( 21)yearsof
    age,andwhoar edul yregi
    ster
    edinthelistofthesangguni angkabataanorint he
    off
    ici
    albarangaylistinthecust
    odyofthebarangaysecr etary
    .
    - Secti
    on425.Meet i
    ngsoftheKatipunanngKabat aan.-Thekati
    punanngkabataan
    shal
    lmeetatl eastonceever
    ythree( 3)months,oratthecal
    loft
    hechairmanofthe
    sangguniangkabataanoruponwr i
    ttenpet
    it
    ionofatleastone-
    twenti
    eth(1/
    20)ofi
    ts
    member s,todecideonimport
    antissuesaff
    ectingtheyout
    hofthebarangay.
    - Sect
    ion 426.Power
    s and Funct
    ions of t
    he Sangguni
    ang Kabat
    aan.- The
    sangguni
    angkabat
    aanshal
    l
    :
    o(
    a)Promul
    gater
    esol
    uti
    onsnecessaryt
    ocarryoutt
    heobject
    ivesoft
    heyout
    h
    i
    nthebar
    angayi
    naccor
    dancewiththeappl
    i
    cablepr
    ovi
    sionsofthi
    sCode;
    o(b)Init
    iateprogr
    amsdesi
    gnedt
    o enhancet
    hesocial
    ,poli
    ti
    cal
    ,economic,
    cul
    tural
    ,i ntel
    l
    ect
    ual
    ,moral
    ,spi
    ri
    tual
    ,and phy
    sicaldev
    elopment of t
    he
    member s;
    o(c)Holdfund-r
    aisi
    ngact
    ivi
    ti
    es,theproceedsofwhichshal
    lbet ax-
    exemptand
    shallaccruetot hegeneralfund oft hesangguni
    ang kabataan:Prov
    ided,
    however,Thati ntheappropr
    iati
    ont hereof
    ,thespeci
    fi
    cpur poseforwhich
    suchactivi
    tyhasbeenhel
    dshallbefirstsati
    sfi
    ed;
    o(d)Creat
    esuchbodi
    esorcommit
    teesasi
    tmaydeem necessar
    ytoef
    fect
    ivel
    y
    carr
    youtitspr
    ogr
    amsandacti
    vi
    ti
    es;
    o(
    e)Submi tannualandend-
    of-
    termreport
    st othesangguni
    angbar
    angayon
    t
    hei
    rproject
    sandact i
    vi
    ti
    esforthesurvi
    valanddevel
    opmentoftheyout
    hin
    t
    hebarangay;
    o(f
    )Consultandcoordi
    natewit
    hallyout
    horgani
    zat
    ionsi
    nthebar
    angayf
    or
    poli
    cyf
    ormulat
    ionandprogr
    am i
    mplement
    ati
    on;
    o(
    g)Coordi
    natewi
    ththeappropr
    iat
    enationalagencyf
    ortheimplement
    ati
    onof
    y
    outhdevel
    opmentproj
    ect
    sandpr ogr
    amsatt henati
    onall
    evel
    ;
    o(h)Exer
    cisesuchotherpower
    sandperfor
    m suchotherdut
    iesandf
    unct
    ions
    asthesangguniangbar
    angaymaydet
    ermineordel
    egate;
    and
    o(i
    )Exer
    cisesuchot herpower
    sandper f
    orm suchot
    herdut
    iesandf
    unct
    ions
    asmaybepr escr
    ibedbylaworor
    dinance.
    - Section427.Meet i
    ngsoftheSangguni angKabat aan.-Thesangguni angkabataan
    shallmeetregularl
    yonceamont hont hedat e,ti
    me, andplacetobefixedbythesaid
    sanggunian.Specialmeeti
    ngsmaybecal ledbyt hesangguniangkabataanchairman
    oranyt hree(3)ofitsmember sbygivingwr it
    tennot i
    cetoallmember softhedat e,
    ti
    me,pl aceandagendaoft hemeetingatl eastone( 1)dayinadvance.Noticesof
    regularorspeci almeet i
    ngs shal
    lbe f ur
    nished the punong barangayand t he
    sangguniangbar angay.
    - Amaj
    ori
    tyoft
    hemember
    soft
    hesangguni
    angkabat
    aanshal
    lconst
    it
    uteaquor
    um.
    - Secti
    on428.Qual i
    fi
    cati
    ons.-Anel ectiv
    eof fi
    cialoft hesangguni angkabataanmust
    beaci ti
    zenoft hePhi l
    i
    ppines,aqual ifi
    edv oteroft hekat ipunanngkabat aan,a
    resi
    dentoft hebarangayforatleastone( 1)y eari mmedi at
    elypr i
    ortoelect
    ion,at
    l
    eastfif
    teen(15)yearsbutnotmor ethant went y-one(21)y earsofageont hedayof
    hisel
    ection,
    abletoreadandwr it
    eFi l
    ipi
    no, English,orthelocaldialect
    ,andmustnot
    havebeenconv i
    ctedofanycrimeinv olvi
    ngmor alturpi
    tude.
    - Secti
    on429.Ter
    m ofOf f
    ice.-Thesangguni angkabataanchair
    manandmember s
    shal
    lholdof
    fi
    ceforaperi
    odoft hree(
    3)y ears,unl
    esssoonerremovedf
    orcauseas
    prov
    idedbyl
    aw,permanentl
    yincapaci
    tat
    ed, di
    eorresignfr
    om off
    ice.
    - RA 9164 - AN ACT PROVI
    DING FOR SYNCHRONIZED BARANGAY AND
    SANGGUNI
    ANGKABATAANELECTIONS,AMENDI
    NGREPUBLI
    CACTNO.7160,AS
    AMENDED,OTHERWI
    SEKNOWN ASTHE" LOCALGOVERNMENTCODEOF1991"
    ,
    ANDFOROTHERPURPOSES
    o Secti
    on1.Dat eofEl ecti
    on.– Ther
    eshallbesy nchronizedbarangayand
    sangguni
    ang kabataan el
    ecti
    ons whi
    ch shal
    lbe hel d on July 15,2002.
    Subsequentsy
    nchronizedbar
    angayandsangguni
    angkabat aanelecti
    onsshal
    l
    beheldonthelastMondayofOctoberandever
    ythree(3)yearsthereaft
    er.
    o Secti
    on 2.Term ofOffice.–The t
    erm ofof f
    ice ofal
    lbarangay and
    sangguni
    angkabat
    aanof
    fi
    cial
    saft
    ert
    heeff
    ect
    ivi
    tyofthi
    sActshal
    lbethr
    ee(3)
    year
    s.
    o Nobar angayelecti
    veoffi
    ci
    alshal lserveformor ethant hree(3)consecut i
    ve
    termsi nthesameposi ti
    on:Provided,howev er,Thatt heter
    m ofof fi
    ceshallbe
    reckonedf rom the1994bar angayel ect
    ions.Vol untaryrenunciati
    onofof fi
    ce
    foranyl engt
    hoft imeshal lnotbeconsi dered asani nter
    r upt
    ionint he
    continuit
    yofser vi
    cefort
    heful lt
    ermf orwhicht heelectiv
    eof fi
    cialwaselected.
    o Secti
    on3.Regi str
    ati
    on.– Forpur posesoft heJul
    y15,2002sy nchroni
    zed
    barangayandsangguni angkabat aanelect
    ionsprovi
    dedundert hi
    sAct ,a
    specialr
    egi
    strationofv ot
    ersforthesangguniangkabataanshallbef i
    xedby
    the Commi ssion on El ect
    ions (COMELEC) .Subsequent registr
    ati
    on of
    barangayandsangguni angkabataanv ot
    ersshal
    lbegovernedbyRepubl i
    cAct
    No.8189.
    o Secti
    on4.Assumpt i
    onofOf fi
    ce.–Thet er
    m ofof f
    iceofthebarangayand
    sangguniangkabataanof f
    ici
    alselect
    edundert hi
    sActshal lcommenceon
    August15,2002.The t erm ofof fi
    ce ofthe barangayand sangguni
    ang
    kabataanoff
    ici
    alselectedinsubsequentelect
    ionsshallcommenceatnoonof
    November30nextf ollowingtheirel
    ecti
    on.
    o Secti
    on5.Hol dOv er.– Allincumbentbar angayoffi
    cial
    sandsangguni ang
    kabataanoffi
    ci
    alsshallremaininoffi
    ceunlesssoonerremov edorsuspended
    forcauseunt i
    lthei
    rsuccessor sshallhav
    ebeenel ect edandqualif
    ied.The
    provi
    sionsoft heOmni busElecti
    onCoder el
    ati
    vetot hefail
    ureofelecti
    ons
    andspecialel
    ecti
    onsar eherebyrei
    ter
    atedinthisAct
    .
    o Secti
    on6.Secti
    on424ofRepubl i
    cActNo.7160,otherwi
    seknownast
    he
    LocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991,
    isher
    ebyamendedt
    or eadasf
    oll
    ows:
    "Sec.424.Kati
    punanngKabat aan.–Thekat i
    punanngkabat aanshall
    becomposedofFi li
    pinocit
    izensact uall
    yresi
    dingint hebarangayforat
    l
    eastsi x(6)months,whoar efi
    fteen( 15)butlesst haneighteen(18)
    yearsofageont hedayoft heelection,andwhoar edulyregist
    eredin
    thelistofthesangguniangkabat aanori ntheof f
    icialbar
    angayl i
    stin
    thecustodyofthebarangaysecretary."
    o Secti
    on7.Secti
    on428ofRepubl i
    cActNo.7160,otherwi
    seknownast
    he
    LocalGov
    ernmentCodeof1991,
    isher
    ebyamendedt
    or eadasf
    oll
    ows:
    "Sec.428.Qual i
    fi
    cati
    ons.– An electi
    veof fi
    cialoft hesangguni
    ang
    kabataanmustbeaFi li
    pinoci
    ti
    zen,aquali
    fiedvoterofthekati
    punanng
    kabataan,a residentoft he barangay foratl eastone (1)y ear
    i
    mmedi at
    elypr
    iortoelecti
    on,atleastfi
    ft
    een( 15)y earsbutl
    essthan
    eight
    een( 18)y
    earsofageont hedayoft heelecti
    on,abletoreadand
    wri
    teFi l
    i
    pino,Engl
    i
    sh,orthelocaldial
    ect
    ,andmustnothav
    ebeen
    convi
    ctedofanycri
    meinvol
    vi
    ngmor alt
    urpi
    tude.
    "
    o Secti
    on8.Appr opr
    iati
    on.– Theamountofonebi l
    li
    ononehundredmill
    i
    on
    pesos(P1,100,
    000,
    000.00)neededf
    orthepurposeshallbechar
    gedfr
    om the
    appropr
    iat
    ion ofthe COMELEC authori
    zed underRepubli
    c ActNo.9162,
    otherwi
    seknownast heFY2002GeneralAppropri
    ati
    onsAct.
    oInadditi
    on,thesavingsoftheCOMELECnotexceedi
    ngt
    hreehundr
    edmi l
    li
    on
    pesos( P300,000,
    000.00)shal
    lbeusedtoaugmentsai
    dappr opr
    iat
    ionsas
    author
    izedunderCOMELECSpeci alProv
    isi
    onNo.2oftheRepublicActNo.
    9162.
    o Thefundsmentionedabovemaybeaugment edbyanamountnotexceedi
    ng
    tenpercent(
    10%)oft hesangguni
    angkabat
    aanfundsr
    eserv
    edpursuantto
    Sect
    ion532(c)ofRepubli
    cActNo.7160.
    o Sect
    ion9.Appli
    cabi
    l
    ityofOtherEl
    ect
    ionLaws.–TheOmni busEl
    ect
    ionCode
    andotherexi
    sti
    ngel
    ectionl
    aws,asfaraspract
    icabl
    e,shal
    lappl
    ytobarangay
    andsangguni
    angkabataanel
    ecti
    ons.
    - MONTESCLAROSVSCOMELEC– Onewhoi snol ongerqual
    i
    fiedbecauseofan
    amendmentint
    helawcannotcompl
    ainofbei
    ngdeprivedofapr
    opriet
    aryr
    ightt
    oSK
    membershi
    p.SKmembershipi
    snotapropert
    yri
    ghtprotect
    edbytheconst
    ibecause
    i
    tisamerestat
    utor
    yri
    ghtconf
    err
    edbylaw.

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