Arroyo vs. De Venecia G.R. No.

127255, August 14, 1997

Sunday, January 25, 29 !osted "y #o$ee%o&ic 'rites
(a"e&s) #ase Digests, !o&itica& (a*
+acts) A ,etition *as -&ed c%a&&enging t%e va&idity o. RA /24, *%ic% a0ends certain
,rovisions o. t%e Nationa& 1nterna& Revenue#ode. !etitioners, *%o are 0e0"ers o.
t%e 2ouse o. Re,resentatives, c%arged t%at t%ere is vio&ation o. t%e ru&es o. t%e
2ouse *%ic% ,etitioners c&ai0 are constitutiona&&y30andated so t%at t%eir vio&ation
is tanta0ount to a vio&ation o. t%e #onstitution.
4%e &a* originated in t%e 2ouse o. Re,resentatives. 4%e Senate a,,roved it *it%
certain a0end0ents. A "ica0era& con.erence co00ittee *as .or0ed to reconci&e
t%e disagreeing ,rovisions o. t%e 2ouse and Senate versions o. t%e "i&&. 4%e
"ica0era& co00ittee su"0itted its re,ort to t%e 2ouse. During t%e inter,e&&ations,
Re,. Arroyo 0ade an interru,tion and 0oved to ad5ourn .or &ac6 o. 7uoru0. 8ut
a.ter a ro&& ca&&, t%e #%air dec&ared t%e ,resence o. a 7uoru0. 4%e inter,e&&ation t%en
,roceeded. A.ter Re,. Arroyo9s inter,e&&ation o. t%e s,onsor o. t%e co00ittee re,ort,
:a5ority (eader A&"ano 0oved .or t%e a,,rova& and rati-cation o. t%e con.erence
co00ittee re,ort. 4%e #%air ca&&ed out .or o"5ections to t%e 0otion. 4%en t%e #%air
dec&ared) ;4%ere "eing none, a,,roved.< At t%e sa0e ti0e t%e #%air *as saying
t%is, Re,. Arroyo *as as6ing, ;'%at is t%at=:r. S,ea6er>< 4%e #%air and Re,.
Arroyo *ere ta&6ing si0u&taneous&y. 4%us, a&t%oug% Re,. Arroyo su"se7uent&y
o"5ected to t%e :a5ority (eader9s 0otion, t%e a,,rova& o. t%e con.erence co00ittee
re,ort %ad "y t%en a&ready "een dec&ared "y t%e #%air.
?n t%e sa0e day, t%e "i&& *as signed "y t%e S,ea6er o. t%e 2ouse o.
Re,resentatives and t%e !resident o. t%e Senate and certi-ed "y t%e
res,ective secretaries o. "ot% 2ouses o. #ongress. 4%e enro&&ed "i&& *as signed into
&a* "y !resident Ra0os.
1ssue) '%et%er or not RA /24 is nu&& and void "ecause it *as ,assed in vio&ation o.
t%e ru&es o. t%e 2ouse
2e&d)
Ru&es o. eac% 2ouse o. #ongress are %ard&y ,er0anent in c%aracter. 4%ey are
su"5ect to revocation, 0odi-cation or *aiver at t%e ,&easureo. t%e
"ody ado,ting t%e0 as t%ey are ,ri0ari&y ,rocedura&. #ourts ordinari&y %ave no
concern *it% t%eir o"servance. 4%ey 0ay "e *aived or disregarded "y t%e
&egis&ative "ody. #onse7uent&y, 0ere .ai&ure to con.or0 to t%e0 does not %ave t%e
e$ect o. nu&&i.ying t%e act ta6en i. t%e re7uisite nu0"er o. 0e0"ers %as agreed to a
,articu&ar 0easure. 8ut t%is is su"5ect to 7ua&i-cation. '%ere t%e construction to "e
given to a ru&e a$ects ,erson ot%er t%an 0e0"ers o. t%e &egis&ative "ody, t%e
7uestion ,resented is necessari&y 5udicia& in c%aracter. @ven its va&idity is o,en to
7uestion in a case *%ere ,rivate rig%ts are invo&ved.
1n t%e case, no rig%ts o. ,rivate individua&s are invo&ved "ut on&y t%ose o. a 0e0"er
*%o, instead o. see6ing redress in t%e 2ouse, c%ose to trans.er t%e dis,ute to t%e
#ourt.
4%e 0atter co0,&ained o. concerns a 0atter o. interna& ,rocedure o. t%e 2ouse *it%
*%ic% t%e #ourt s%ou&d not "e concerned. 4%e c&ai0 is not t%at t%ere *as no
7uoru0 "ut on&y t%at Re,. Arroyo *as e$ective&y ,revented .ro0 7uestioning t%e
,resence o. a 7uoru0. Re,. Arroyo9s ear&ier 0otion to ad5ourn .or &ac6 o. 7uoru0
%ad a&ready "een de.eated, as t%e ro&& ca&& esta"&is%ed t%e eAistence o. a 7uoru0.
4%e 7uestion o. 7uoru0 cannot "e raised re,eated&y es,ecia&&y *%en t%e 7uoru0 is
o"vious&y ,resent .or t%e ,ur,ose o. de&aying t%e "usinesso. t%e 2ouse.