CASE LAWS OR JURI

SPRUDENCE FOR FURTHER READI

NG AND FOR
CASEDIGEST–SS208D

UNI
TII–THELAW
1.TheLaw–Def i
nit
ion(
s)
2.Classi
fi
cati
onOfLawUnderThePhi
l
ippi
neSy
stem
3.ConceptsasRegardLaws
4.SourcesofLaw
5.Appli
cableJur
ispr
udence

(a)LORNAGUILLENPESCA,v
s.ZOSIMOAPESCA,G.R.No.136921,
Apr
il
17,
2001–theDoct
ri
neof“Star
eDecisi
setNonQui
etaMov
ere”

(
b) S.D.MARTI
NEZ andhi
swi f
e,CARMEN ONG DEMARTI NEZ,v
s.
WILLIAM VANBUSKI
RK,G.
R.No.L-
5691,December27,1910–Cust
omsasa
SourceofLaw

UNI
TII
I.SELECTEDLAWSONEDUCATI ON–SELECTEDPROVI SI
ONS
1.The1987 Const i
tuti
onoft hePhil
ippi
nes– Art
icleXIV:Educati
on,Sci
enceand
Technology
,Arts,
CultureandSports
2.Republ i
cActNo.8292–Hi gherEducati
onModer
nizati
onActof1997
3.Appl i
cableJur
isprudence

(a)DEPARTMENTOFEDUCATI ON,CULTUREANDSPORTS( DECS)and

DIRECTOROFCENTERFOREDUCATI ONALMEASUREMENT,v s.ROBERTOREY
C.SAN DI EGO andJUDGETERESI TA DI
ZON-CAPULONG,inhercapacityas
Presi
dingJudgeoftheRegionalTr
ialCour
tofVal
enzuel
a,Metr
oMani l
a,Br
anch
172,G.R.No.89572,December21,1989–TheRightoft
heStudentt
oChoosea
Course

(b)TERESI TA TABLARI N,MA,LUZ CI RIACO,MA NI MFA B.ROVI RA,

EVANGELI NA S.LABAO,i nt heirbehalfand i n behalfofappl icant
sf or
admi ssi
oni ntotheMedicalCollegesduringtheschooly ear1987-88andf ut
ure
years who hav e nottaken orsuccessf ul
ly hurdl
ed til
e Nati
onalMedi cal
Admi ssion Test ( NMAT) ,v s. THE HONORABLE JUDGE ANGELI NA S.
GUTI ERREZ, Presi
dingJudgeofBr anchXXXVI IoftheRegionalTri
alCourtofthe
NationalCapi talJudicialRegi on wit
h seatatMani la,THE HONORABLE
SECRETARYLOURDESQUI SUMBI NG,i
nhercapaci tyasChairmanoft heBOARD
OF MEDI CAL EDUCATI ON, and THE CENTER FOR EDUCATI ONAL
MEASUREMENT ( CEM) ,G. R.No.78164,Jul y31,1987 – TheRi ghtoft he
Studentt oChooseaCour se

(
c)BENGUETSTATEUNI VERSI
TYr epr
esentedbyitsPresi
dentROGELI
O
D.COLTING,vs.COMMI
SSI
ONONAUDI T,G.R.No.169637,June8,2007–The
Power
sGr ant
edbyLaw(Republ
icActNo.8292)tot heBoardofRegent
sofan
SUC

(
d)EPI
CHARIST.GARCIA,vs.THEFACULTYADMI SSI
ON COMMITTEE,
LOYOLA SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY,her ei
nrepresent
ed by FR.ANTONIO B.
LAMBI NO,G.
R.No.L-
40779 November28,1975–TheConceptofAcademi c
Freedom

(
e)LUPOL.LUPANGCO,RAYMONDS.MANGKAL,NORMANA.MESI NA,
ALEXANDER R.REGUYAL,JOCELYN P.CATAPANG,ENRI
CO V.REGALADO,
JEROME O.ARCEGA,ERNESTOC.BLAS,JR.,ELPEDI
O M.ALMAZAN,KARL
 2

CAESAR R. RIMANDO, v s. COURT OF APPEALS and PROFESSI ONAL

REGULATIONCOMMI SSION,G.R.No.77372 Apr i
l29,1988–TheAcademi c
Ri
ghtoftheSchoolVer
sustheRegulat
oryOrderoftheProf
essi
onalRegulat
ion
Commission(
PRC)

UNI
TIV.ADMINISTRATI VELAW -SELECTEDPROVI SIONS
1.Admi nistr
ativeProceedings
2.Quant um ofPr oofinAdmi nist
rat
iveCases
3.DuePr ocessinDiscipli
naryCasesI nvolv
ingStudents
4.Pert
inentLaws:
(a)TheCi vi
lServiceLaw-Ti t
leI,BookV, E.
O.No.292
(b)Rev isedUni f
orm RulesonAdmi ni
strat
iveCasesi
ntheCi
vi
lSer
vice
(c)DECSRul eofPr ocedure
5.Appli
cabl eJurisprudence

(
a)JOSES.ANGELESandGI LBERTO G.MERCADO,i nhiscapaci
tyas
DeanofI nsti
tut
eofTechnol ogy,FEU,vs.HON.RAFAELS.SI SON,asJudgeof
the CourtofFi r stInstance ofMani l
a,EDGARDO PI CAR and WILFREDO
PATAWARAN, r epresented by hi s father WENCESLAO PATAWARAN,
respondents.G.
R.No.L- 45551,Februar
y16,1982–Di scipl
inar
yAct
ionTaken
AgainstActsCommi tt
edOut si
det heSchoolCampus

(b)EMMANUELS.LI CUP,NOELF.TABASA,andJOELMARCCAI RO,vs.

THEUNI VERSITYOFSANCARLOS( USC)
,FR.RODERICKSALAZAR, JR.
,SVD,in
hi
scapacityasPresidentofUSC,FR.EDUARDOR.ROCHA,SVD,i nhiscapaci
ty
asChairmanofDiscipli
naryBoardofUSC,G.R.No.85839,Oct
ober19,1989–
AcademicFreedom oftheSchoolandDueProcessfort
heStudent

(
c)DIOSDADOGUZMAN, ULYSSESURBI ZTONDO,andARI
ELRAMACULA,
vs.NATI ONALUNI VERSITY and DOMI NGO L.JHOCSON inhiscapacit
yas
Presi
dentofNationalUni
versi
ty,G.R.No.L-
68288,Jul
y11,1986–theRightof
theStudenttoDueProcessinDisci
plinar
yProceedi
ngs

THECASES:

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
 3

Bagui
oCi
ty

THI
RDDI
VISI
ON

G.
R.No.136921 
 Apr
il17,
2001

LORNAGUI
LLENPESCA,
pet
it
ionerv
s.ZOSI
MOAPESCA,
respondent
.

VI J.
TUG, :

Submittedf orr evi

ew ist hedeci si
onoft heCour tofAppeal s,
promulgated on 27 May 1998,i n C.
A.G. R.CV.No.52374,
rever
sing the deci si
on oft he RegionalTrialCourt( "
RTC")of
Caloocan City,Br anch 130,whi ch has declar
ed the mar r
iage
betweenpet it
ionerandr espondenttobenul landvoidabi ni
ti
oon
thegroundofpsy chologi
calincapacit
yonthepar tofrespondent.
Peti
tionerLor naG.Pescaandr espondentZosi moA.Pescaf ir
stmetsomet i
mei n1975
whil
eonboar dani nter-i
sl
andv essel boundf orBacolodCity.Aft
erawhi rl
windcourt
ship,
theygotmar riedon03Mar ch1975.I nit
iall
y,theyoungcoupl edi dnotl i
v et
ogetheras
peti
tionerwasst i
llast udentincol legeandr espondent,aseaman,hadt oleavethe
count r
yonboar danocean- goingv esselbar el
yamont hafterthemar r
iage.Sixmonths
l
ater,they oungcoupl eestabli
shedt heirresi
dencei nQuezonCi tyunt i
ltheywereableto
buil
dt hei
rown housei n Caloocan Ci t
ywher et heyf i
nall
yr esided.I twasbl i
ssful
marriagef orthecoupl eduri
ngt hetwomont hsoft heyearthattheycoul dstaytoget
her
-whenr espondentwasonv acati
on.Theuni onbegotf ourchil
dr en,19-yearoldRuhem,
17-yearoldRez, 11-y
earol dRyan,and9- y
earol dRichie.

Itstartedin1988, peti
ti
onersai d,whenshenot i
cedthatrespondentsur pri
singlyshowed
signsof" psychologi
calincapaci t
y"toper f
orm hismar i
talcov enant.His"truecolor"of
beinganemot ionall
yimmat ureandi rr
esponsiblehusbandbecameappar ent.Hewas
cruelandv iol
ent.Hewasahabi tualdri
nker,st
ayingwithf r
iendsdailyfrom 4:00o'clock
i
nt heaf ternoonunt i
l1:
00o' clockinthemor ni
ng.Whencaut i
onedt ostopor ,t
oatl east
,
mi nimizehi sdri
nking,r
espondentwoul dbeat ,
slapandki ckher .Atonet i
me, hechased
pet i
ti
onerwi t
hal oadedshot gunandt hreat
enedt oki l
lheri nthepr esenceoft he
children.Thechi l
drenthemsel veswer enotsparedfrom phy si
cal vi
olence.

Fi
nal
ly,
on19Nov ember1992,pet
iti
onerandherchil
drenl
eftt
heconjugalabodetolive
i
nthehouseofhersi st
erinQuezonCityastheycouldnolongerbearhi
sv i
olentways.
Twomont hslat
er,peti
ti
onerdeci
dedtoforgi
verespondent
,andsher et
urnedhomet o
gi
vehim achancetochange.But,t
oherdismay,t
hingsdidnotsoturnoutasexpected.
I
ndeed,matt
ersbecamewor se.

Ont hemor ningof22Mar ch1994,aboutei ghto'cl

ock,respondentassaul tedpeti
ti
oner
forabouthal fanhourinthepr esenceoft hechil
dren.Shewasbat teredblackandbl ue.
Shesubmi tt
edher sel
ft omedi calexaminationatt heQuezonCi t
yGener alHospital
,
whichdi agnosedherinjuri
esascont usionsandabr asions.Petit
ionerfil
edacompl aint
witht hebar angayauthorit
ies,and acasewasf il
ed againstr espondentf orsli
ght
physicalinj
uries.Hewasconv ict
edbyt heMet ropoli
tanTrialCourtofCaloocanCi t
yand
sentencedt oelevendaysofimpr i
sonment .

Thi
sti
me,pet
it
ionerandherchi
ldr
enlef
ttheconj
ugalhomef
orgoodandst
ayedwi
th
hersi
ster
.Eventual
ly
,they deci
ded torentan apart .Pe
ment ti
ti
onersued
 4

respondentbeforetheRegionalTri
alCour
tforthedeclarati
onof
null
it
y of t hei
r mar r
iage invoki
ng psy
chological i
ncapaci
ty.
Petit
ionerl
ikewisesoughtthecustodyofhermi norchil
drenand
prayedforsupportpendent
elite.
Summons, togetherwit
hacopyoft hecompl ai
nt,wasser v
edonr espondenton25Apr i
l
1994byper sonalservicebyt hesheri
ff.Asr espondentf ail
edt ofil
eananswerort o
enterhisappearancewi thintheregl
ement aryperiod,t hetri
alcourtor der
edthecity
prosecut
ortol ookintoapossi bl
ecollusi
onbet weent hepar t
ies.Prosecut
orRosaC.
Reyes,on03August1994, submit
tedherreporttotheef fectt
hatshef oundnoevidence
toestabl
ishthatther
ewascol l
usi
onbetweent heparties.

On11Januar y1995,r espondentbel

atedl
yf il
ed,withoutleaveofcourt
,ananswer ,and
thesame,al t
houghf il
edl at
e,wasadmi ttedbyt hecour t
.Inhisanswer,respondent
admitt
edthef actofhismar ri
agewithpeti
tionerandt hebirthoft
heirchi
l
dren.Heal so
confi
rmedthev eraci
tyofAnnex" A"ofthecompl ai
ntwhi chlist
edtheconj
ugalproperty
.
Respondentv ehementlydenied,however,theal l
egationthathewaspsy chol
ogicall
y
i
ncapacit
ated.

On15Nov ember1995,f ol
lowinghear i
ngsconductedbyi t,t
he
tri
alcourtrendereditsdecisi
ondecl ari
ngthemar ri
agebetween
peti
ti
onerandr espondenttobenul landvoidabini
ti
oont hebasi
s
ofpsychologicali
ncapaci
tyont hepartofrespondentandorder
ed
theli
quidati
onoft heconj
ugalpartnershi
p.
Respondentappealedtheabovedeci
siontotheCourtofAppeals,cont
endi
ngthatt
he
tr
ialcourterred,part
icul
arl
y,i
n hol
ding t
hatther
e wasl egalbasisto decl
aret
he
marri
agenullandvoidandindenyi
nghismotiont
oreopenthecase.

TheCourtofAppealsreversedt hedeci
sionoft
hetri
alcourtand
decl
aredthemarri
agebet weenpet i
ti
onerandrespondentvali
d
andsubsi
sti
ng.
Theappel
l
atecour
tsai
d:

"Defi
nit
elyt heappel l
eehasnotest ablishedt hefoll
owing:Thatt heappel l
ant
showedsi gnsofment ali
ncapacityaswoul dcausehi mt obetrulyincogniti
veof
thebasicmar it
alcov enant,assopr ovidedf orinArt
icl
e68oft heFami l
yCode;
thattheincapaci
t yisgrave,hasprecededt hemar ri
ageandi si
ncur able;thathis
i
ncapacitytomeethi smar it
alresponsibili
tyisbecauseofapsy chological,not
physi
cali l
lness;t hatthe rootcause oft he i
ncapaci
tyhas been i dentif
ied
medicall
yorcl i
nicall
y,andhasbeenpr ovenbyanexper t
;andthatthei ncapaci t
y
i
sper manentandi ncurableinnature.

"Thebur
denofprooftoshowt henul
li
tyofmarriagel
iesi
nthepl
aint
if
fandany
doubtshoul
dber esol
vedi nfavoroftheexistenceandconti
nuat
ionofthe
1
marri
ageandagai
nsti
tsdissol
uti
onandnull
i
ty.
"

Peti
ti
oner,
inherpl
eatothi
sCourt
,wouldhavet
hedecisi
onofthe
CourtofAppeal srever
sed on t
he thesi
sthatthe doctr
ine
2
enunci
atedinSantosvs.Cour
tofAppeals,pr
omulgatedon14
January1995,aswellasthegui
deli
nessetouti
nRepublicv s.
 5

3
Cour tofAppealsandMol ina, pr
omul gat edon13Febr uary1997,
shoul dhavenor etroacti
veappl icationand,ont heassumpt i
on
thattheMolinarul
ingcouldbeappl iedr etroact
ivel
y,t
hegui del
i
nes
thereinoutl
i
nedshoul dbet akent obemer el
yadv i
soryandnot
mandat oryi n nature. I
n any case,pet it
ioner argues,t he
applicat
ionoftheSant osandMol nadi
i ctashouldwarrantonlya
remandoft hecaset othetrialcour tforf urt
herproceedingsand
notitsdismissal
.

Bethatasitmay,r
espondentsubmi t
s,t
heappel l
atecourtdi
dnot
erri
nitsassai
l
eddecisi
onf orther
eisabsolutel
ynoevidencethat
hasbeenshownt oprovepsy chol
ogi
calincapaci
tyonhispartas
theter
m hasbeensodefinedinSantos.

I
ndeed,
ther
eisnomer
iti
nthepet
it
ion.

The term " psychologicali ncapacity

," as a ground for the
decl
arati
onofnul li
tyofamar riageunderArti
cle36oftheFami l
y
Code,hasbeenex pl
ainedbyt heCour t
,inSantosandrei
ter
atedin
Moli
na.TheCour
t,i
nSant
os,concl
uded:

"I
tshoul dbeobv ious,l ookingatal lt hef oregoi ngdi squisitions,i ncludi ng,and
mosti mpor t
antly,thedel i
berationsoft heFami l
yCodeRev i
sionCommi tteei tself,
thatt heuseoft hephr ase' psychol ogicali ncapaci t y'underAr ticle36oft heCode
hasnotbeenmeantt ocompr ehendal lsuchpossi blecasesofpsy chosesas,
l
ikewi sement i
onedbysomeeccl esiastical aut horities,extremel yl owi nt elli
gence,
i
mmat ur i
ty,andl ikeci rcumst ances( citedi nFr .Ar temi oBal umad' s' Voi dand
Voidabl eMar ri
agesi nt heFami lyCodeandt heirPar all
elsinCanonLaw, 'quot ing
form t heDi agnost icSt atisti
calManuelofMent alDi sorderbyt heAmer i
can
Psy chiat ri
c Associ ati
on;Edwar d Hudson' s' Handbook I If orMar ri
age Nul li
ty
Cases' ) .Ar t
icle 36 oft he Fami ly.Code cannotbe t aken and const rued
i
ndependent lyof,butmustst andi nconj unct i
onwi th, existi
ngpr ecept si nourl aw
onmar ri
age.Thuscor related,'psy chologi cali ncapaci ty
'shoul dr efert onol ess
thanament al(notphy sical)incapaci tyt hatcausesapar t
yt obet rulyi ncogni tive
oft he basi c mar i
talcov enantst hatconcomi tant l
y mustbe assumed and
dischar gedbyt hepar ti
est ot hemar ri
agewhi ch,assoexpr essedbyAr ti
cl e68of
theFami lyCode,i ncludet heirmut ualobl igationst ol i
vet oget her ,obser vel ov e,
respectandf ideli
tyandr enderhel pandsuppor t
.Ther ei shar dlyanydoubtt hat
thei nt endmentoft hel aw hasbeent oconf i
net hemeani ngof' psy chol ogi cal
i
ncapaci t
y't o t he most ser i
ous cases of per sonality di sor der s cl ear ly
demonst rati
ve of an ut ter insensitivity or i nabi li
tyt o gi v e meani ng and
significancet ot hemar riage.Thi spsy chol ogi ccondi ti
onmustexi statt het ime
themar ri
agei scelebrated."

The-"doctr
ineofst ar
edeci sis,
"ordainedi nArti
cle8oft heCi vi
l
Code,expressest hatjudi
cialdecisi
onsappl y
ingori nterpreti
ng
thelaw shallform partoft helegalsy stem oft hePhi l
ippines.
Ther ul
ef oll
owst heset t
ledl egalmaxi m -" l
egisinterpretado
l
egisv i
m obt inet
"-t hatt he i
nterpretati
on placed upon t he
 6

3
wr i
ttenl aw byacompet entcour thast hef orceofl aw. The
i
nt erpretati
onorconst ructi
onpl acedbyt hecour t
sest abli
shes
thecont empor aneousl egislati
vei ntentofthel aw.Thel atteras
soi nterpretedandconst r
uedwoul dthusconst it
uteapar tofthat
l
awasoft hedat et hest atuteisenact ed.Itisonl ywhenapr i
or
ruli
ngoft hisCour tf i
ndsi tsel
fl aterov err
uled,andadi ffer
ent
view isadopt ed,thatt henew doct rinemayhav etobeappl i
ed
prospect ivelyinf av orofpar t
ieswho hav er eli
ed on theol d
doct ri
neandhav eact edi ngoodf aithinaccor dancether ewih5
t
undert hef ami l
iarruleof" l
expr ospicit,
nonr espici
t."
Thephr ase"psychologi calincapacit
y,"bor rowedfrom Canonl aw,isanent i
relynov el
provisi
oni nourst atutebooks,and,unt i
lther el
ati
vel
yr ecentenactmentoftheFami ly
Code,t heconcepthasescapedj ur
isprudent i
alatt
enti
on.ItisinSant oswhen,f orthe
fi
rstt i
me,t heCour thasgi venl i
fetot het erm.Mol i
na,thatfoll
owed,hasaddi t
ionally
providedpr ocedur
algui deli
nest oassistt hecour t
sandt hepar t
iesintry
ingcasesf or
annulment of mar r
iages gr ounded on psy chol
ogical incapaci
ty. Molina has
strengthened,notov erturned,Santos.

Atallevents, peti
ti
onerhasut t
erlyfai
led,bothinherall
egat
ionsi
n
the compl aintand i n herevi
dence,t o make outa case of
psychologicalincapaci t
yont hepar tofr espondent
,letal
oneat
thet i
meofsol emni zat
ionoft hecont ract,soast owar r
anta
declar
ationofnul li
tyoft hemar r
iage.Emot ionali
mmat ur
it
yand
i
rresponsibil
ity,i nvoked by her , cannot be equat ed wit
h
psychological i
ncapacity.

TheCour trei
ter at
esi t
sr emindert hatmar ri
ageisani nvi
olabl
e
6
soci
alinst
itut
ionandt hef oundati
onoft hef amil
yt hattheSt at
e
cheri
shes and pr otects.Whi let he Cour tcommi serates wit
h
peti
ti
onerinherunhappymar i
talrelati
onshipwithr espondent,
tot
all
yterminatingthatr el
ati
onship,howev er,maynotnecessar i
l
y
bethef i
tt
ingdenouementt oit.Int hesecases,thelaw hasnot
quit
egivenup, neit
hershoul dwe.

WHEREFORE,
theher
einpet
it
ioni
sDENI
ED.Nocost
s.
SOORDERED.

Vi
tug,J.C.
;Mel
o,J.
A.R;Pangani
ban,A.
V.;Gonzaga-
Reyes,M.
P.;Sandoval
-Gut
ier
ez,A.
,
Concur.

Foot
not
es:
1
Rol
l
o.pp.42-
43
2
240SCRA20.
 7

3
268SCRA198.
4
Peopl
evs.Jabi
nal
,55SCRA607
5
UncianoParamedicalCol
l
ege,
Inc.v
s.CourtofAppeals,221SCRA285;Tanada
vs.Guingona,235SCRA507;ColumbiaPi
ctures,I
nc.
,v s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,261
SCRA144.
6
SeeSect
ion2,
Art
icl
eXV,
1987Const
it
uti
on.

NOTABENE:

Timeandagai n,t heCour thashel dt hati ti sav erydesi r

able
andnecessar yjudicialpr act i
cet hatwhenacour thasl ai
ddown
apr i
ncipleofl awasappl icabl etoacer tainst ateoff acts,itwill
adher etothatpr i
ncipl eandappl yitt oal lf ut urecasesi nwhi ch
thefactsar esubst ant ial
lyt hesame.St ar edeci sisetnonqui eta
mover e.Standbyt hedeci si onsanddi st urbnotwhati ssettl
ed.
Staredeci sis simpl ymeanst hatf ort hesakeofcer t
ainty
,a
conclusionr eachedi nonecaseshoul dbeappl iedt ot hoset hat
fol
low ifthef actsar esubst anti
all
yt hesame,ev ent hought he
parti
esmaybedi f
fer ent.I tpr oceedsf r
om t hef i
rstpr i
ncipl
eof
j
usticet hat,absentanypower f
ulcount er vailingconsi derati
ons,
13
l
ikecasesoughtt obedeci dedal ike. Thus,wher et hesame
questionsr elati
ngt ot hesameev enthav ebeenputf orwardby
parti
essi mi l
ar l
ysi tuat ed asi napr ev i
ouscasel it
igated and
decidedbyacompet entcour t ,t
her uleofst aredeci sisi sabart o
14
anyat temptt or el
itigat et hesamei ssue. (NANCYL.TY,v s.
BANCO FILI
PINO SAVINGS & MORTGAGE BANK,G.R.No.144705,
November15,2005,
SECONDDIVI
SION,
AUSTRI
A-MARTI
NEZ,J.
:)

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.L-
5691 December27,
1910

S.D.MARTI NEZandhiswi
fe,CARMEN ONG DEMARTI NEZ,pl
aint
if
fs-
appel
lees,
vs.WI
LLI
AM VANBUSKIRK,
def
endant
-appel
lant
.

Li
onelD.Har
gisforappell
ant.
SanzandOppissoforappel
lee.

J.
MORELAND, :
 8

Thef
act
sfoundbyt
het
ri
alcour
tar
eundi
sput
edbyei
therpar
tyi
nthi
scase.Theyar
e—

Thatont he11t hdayofSept ember ,1908,t hepl aintif

f,CarmenOngdeMar ti
nez,
wasr i
dingi nacar romat aonCal leReal ,districtofEr mita,cit
yofMani l
a,P. I
.,
alongt hel eft
-handsi deoft hest r
eetasshewasgoi ng,whenadel i
verywagon
belongingt ot hedef endantusedf ort hepur poseoft ransportati
onoff odderby
thedef endant, andt owhi chwasat tachedapai rofhor ses, cameal ongthest reet
i
nt heopposi tedi r
ectiont ot hatthei nwhi chsai dplainti
ffwaspr oceeding,and
thatt hereupont hedr iv
eroft hesai dpl ai
nt if
f'
scar romat a,obser v
ingt hatt he
deli
v erywagonoft hedef endantwascomi ngatgr eatspeed,cr owdedcl oset o
thesi dewal kont heleft-handsi deoft hest r
eetandst opped,inor dert ogi ve
defendant '
sdel iverywagonanoppor tuni
tyt opassby ,butthatinsteadofpassi ng
byt hedef endant 'swagonandhor sesr ani ntot hecar romat aoccupi edbysai d
plai
nt i
ffwi thherchi l
dandov ert
ur nedi t,sev er elywoundi ngsai dpl ainti
ffby
maki ngaser i
ouscutuponherhead,andal soi njur
ingt hecar r
omat aitselfand
thehar nessupont hehor sewhi chwasdr awi ngi t.

xxx     xxx     xxx

Thesef actsar enotdi spute,butt hedef endantpr esent edev i

dencet otheef f
ect
thatthecocher o,whowasdr i
vinghi sdel i
v erywagonatt het imet heaccident
occur r
ed,wasagoodser vantandwasconsi deredasaf eandr eli
ablecocher o;
thatthedel i
v er
ywagonhadsentt odel i
versomef orageatPacoLi veryStabl
eon
CalleHer r
an,andt hatf orthepur poseofdel i
veryt her eoft hecocher odr i
vingthe
team asdef endant '
sempl oyeeti
edt hedr i
vi
ngl i
nesoft hehor sest ot hefr
ontend
oft hedeli
ver ywagonandt henwentbacki nsideoft hewagonf ort hepurposeof
unloadingt hef oraget obedel ivered;thatwhi l
eunl oadi ngt hef orageandi nthe
actofcar ryingsomeofi tout,anot herv ehi cl
edr ov eby ,thedr iverofwhi ch
cracked awhi p and madesomeot hernoi ses,whi ch frightened t hehor ses
attachedt ot hedel i
v erywagonandt heyr anaway ,andt hedr iverwast hr
own
from thei nsideoft hewagonoutt hrought her earupont hegr oundandwas
unablet ost opt hehor ses;thatthehor sesthenr anupandonwhi chstreetthey
camei nt
ocol l
isionwi tht hecar romat ainwhi cht hepl ai
nt i
ff
,Car menOngde
Mar ti
nez,wasr iding.

Thedef
endanthi
msel
fwasnotwi
tht
hev
ehi
cleont
hedayi
nquest
ion.

Upont hesefactsthecourtbelow foundthedefendantgui

lt
yofnegli
genceandgave
j
udgmentagai nsthimf orP442.50,withi
nter
estthereonatther
ateof6percentper
annum from t
he17t hdayofOct ober,
1908,andforthecost
softheact
ion.Thecasei
s
befor
eusonanappeal from t
hatjudgment.

Thereisnogenerall
awofnegli
genceinthePhil
ippi
neI
slandsexceptt
hatembodi
edi
n
theCiv
ilCode.Thepr
ovi
sionsoft
hatcodepert
inentt
othi
scasear e—

Art.1902.Apersonwhobyanactoromissi
oncausesdamaget oanot
herwhen
thereisfaul
tornegl
i
genceshal
lbeobl
i
gedtorepai
rthedamagesodone.

Art.1903.Theobl i
gati
onimposedbypr ecedi
ngarti
cleisdemandabl
e,notonl
y
forpersonalactsandomissi
ons,butal
soforthoseofthepersonsf
orwhom t
hey
shouldber esponsi
ble.

Thefather
,andonhisdeat
hori
ncapaci
tyt
hemot
her
,isl
i
abl
efort
hedamages
causedbytheminor
swholi
vewi
ththem.

Guar
diansar
eli
abl
efort
hedamagescausedbymi
nor
sori
ncapaci
tat
edper
sons
 9

whoar
eundert
hei
raut
hor
it
yandl
i
vewi
tht
hem.

Ownersofdir
ect
orsofanestabli
shmentorenterpr
iseareequal
lyl
i
abl
efort
he
damagescausedbytheemployeesintheservi
ceoft hebr
anchesi
nwhicht
he
l
att
ermaybeempl oy
edoronaccountofthei
rduti
es.

TheSt atei
sliablei
nt hissensewhenitact
sthr
oughaspeci alagent
,butnot
whent hedamagesshoul dhavebeencausedbyt
heoffi
cialt
owhom pr operl
yit
pertai
nedtodot heactperfor
med,i
nwhichcaset
heprovi
sionsoftheprecedi
ng
art
icleshal
lbeappli
cable.

Fi
nall
y,mast
ersordi
rect
orsofar
tsandtr
adesareli
ablefort
hedamagescaused
bythei
rpupi
l
sorapprent
iceswhi
l
etheyareundert
heircust
ody.

Theliabi
li
tyrefer
redtointhisart
icleshal
lceasewhenthepersonsmenti
oned
ther
einprovethattheyemployedallthedi
l
igenceofagoodf
atherofafamil
yto
avoi
dt hedamage.

Passingt hequest i
onwhet herornotanempl oyerwhohasf urnishedagent l
eand
tr
actableteam andat rust
yandcapabl edri
veris,underthelastparagraphoftheabove
provi
sions,li
ableforthenegligenceofsuchdr i
verinhandlingthet eam,wear eofthe
opini
ont hatthejudgmentmustber ev
ersedupont hegroundthattheev i
dencedoesnot
di
scloset hatthecocherowasnegl i
gent.

Whilet helaw relat

ingt onegl i
genceinthisj uri
sdicti
onmaypossi bl ybesomewhat
dif
ferentfr
om t hatinAngl o-Saxoncountri
es,aquest ionwedonotnow di scuss,the
rul
esunderwhi cht hef actofnegligenceisdet er
mi nedar e,nev er
theless,general
lythe
same.Thati stosay ,whil
et helawdesignatingtheper sonr esponsibleforanegl i
gent
actmaynotbet hesameher easinmanyj uri
sdicti
ons,t hel aw deter miningwhatisa
negli
gentactist hesameher e,general
lyspeaki ng,asel sewher e.(Supr emecour tof
Spain,4December ,
1903; 16May ,
1893;27June, 1894; 9Apr il
,1896;14Mar ch,1901;2
March,1904;7Febr uary,1905;16June,1905;23June,1905;13Apr il
,1903;7Mar ch,
1902; 12June,1900; 2Mar ch,1907;18Mar ch,1898; 3June, 1901.)

Itappear sf r
om t heundi sput
edev i
dencet hatthehor seswhi ch
causedt hedamagewer egentl
eandt ractable;thatthecocher o
wasexper iencedandcapabl e;thathehaddr ivenoneoft he
horsessev eralyear sandt heot herf i
veorsi xmont hs;thathe
hadbeeni nt hehabi t,duri
ngallthattime,ofl eav i
ngthem int he
conditioninwhi cht heywer eleftont hedayoft heacci dent
;that
theyhadnev err unawayupt ot hatt i
meandt herehadbeen,
therefore,noacci dentduet osuchpr actice;thattol eavet he
horsesandassi stinunl oadi
ngt hemer chandisei nthemanner
describedont hedayoft heacci dentwast hecust om ofal l
cocher o who del ivered merchandiseoft hechar acteroft hat
whichwasbei ngdel iveredbyt hecocher ooft hedef endanton
the dayi n quest i
on,whi ch custom was sanct i
oned byt heir
empl oyers.
I
nourj
udgment,t
hecocher
ooft
hedefendantwasnotnegli
genti
nleavi
ngt
hehor
sesin
t
hemannerdescri
bedbytheev
idencei
nt hi
scase,ei
therunderSpani
shorAmeri
can
 10

j
uri
spr
udence.( nchv
Ly s.Nurdi
n,1Q.B.
, 422;Rumseyv
s.Nel
son,58Vt., akev
590;Dr s.
Mount
,33N.J.L. ,442;HobokenLandandI mpr ementCo.v
ov s.Lal
l
y,48N.J.L.,604;
Wasmervs.D.L.&W.R.R.Co. ,80N.Y.
,212.)

I
nthecaseofHay
manvs.Hewi
tt(
PeakeN.P.Cas.
,pt
.2,
p.170)
,Lor
dKeny
onsai
d:

Hewasper for
minghisdutywhi l
er emovi
ngthegoodsi ntot hehouse,and,if
ever
ypersonwhosufferedacartt
or emai
ninthestreetwhilehet ookgoodsout
ofitwasobl i
ged to empl
oyanot hertolookaftert he horses,itwould be
i
mpossiblef
orthebusi
nessofthemet r
opol
istogoon.

I
nthecaseofGr
iggsvs.Fl
eckenst
ein(
14Mi
nn.
,81)
,thecour
tsai
d:

Thedegreeofcar erequiredoft hepl ai

nti
ff,orthosei nchar
gedofhi shor se,at
thetimeoft heinj
ury,i
st hatwhi chwoul dbeexer cisedbyaper sonofor di
nar y
careandprudenceunderl i
kecircumst ances.Itcannotbesai dt hatt
hef actof
l
eav i
ngthehor seunhitchedi sini t
selfnegli
gence.Whet heritisnegl igencet o
l
eav eahor seunhitchedmustbedependupont hedisposi
tionoft hehor se;
whetherhewasundert heobser v at
ionandcont rolofsomeper sonallt het i
me,
andmanyot herci
rcumst ances;andi saquest iont obedetermi nedbyt hejur y
from t
hefactsofeachcase.

InthecaseofBellesvs.Kell
ner(67N.J.L.,255),
itwasheldthati
twaserroronthepart
ofthetri
alcourttorefusetochargethat"itisnotnegli
genceforthedri
verofaqui t
e,
gentl
ehorsetol eavehim unhit
chedandot herwiseunat
tendedont hesi
deofapubl ic
highwayswhil
et hedriveri
supont hesidewalkloadi
nggoodsont hewagon. "Thesaid
courtcl
osedit
sopi ni
onwi t
hthesewords:

Therewasev idencewhichcouldhav ef ull

yjustif
iedt hej uryinf indingt hatthe
horsewasqui teandgentl
e,andt hatthedr i
verwasupont hesi dewal kloading
goodsont hewagon,att i
meoft heal l
egedi nj
ury,andt hatthehor sehadbeen
usedf oryearsi nthatwaywi thoutacci dent.Ther efusaloft het rialcourtto
chargeasr equestedlef
tthejuryf reetof indwasv erdictagai nstt hedef endant
,
al
thoughthej urywasconvincedthatt hesef actswerepr oven.l
awphi l
.net

I
nthecaseofSout
hwor
thvs.Ry.Co.(
105Mass.
,342)
,itwashel
d:

Thatev i
dencet hataser vant
,whom t r
adersempl oyedt odel i
vergoods,upon
stoppingwithhishor seandwagont odeli
verapar celatahousef r
om fi
ftyt
oa
hundredrodsf r
om ar ail
roadcrossing,l
eftthehorseunf astenedforfourorfi
ve
mi nut
eswhi l
ehewasi nt hehouse,knowingt hati
twasnotaf rai
dofcars,and
hav i
ngusedi tf
ort hreeorf ourmont hswithouteverhitchingitorknowingitto
start,
isnotconclusiv
e, asamat teroflaw,ofawantofduecar eonhi spart
.

Theduty, aviol
ati
onofwhi chisclai
medt obenegl i
genceintherespectinquest i
on,i
sto
exer
ciser easonablecareandprudence.Wher ereasonabl
ecar eisempl oyedindoingan
actnotitselfil
legalorinherent
lyli
kel
ytopr oducedamaget oothers,therewil
lbeno
l
iabi
li
ty,althoughdamagei nfactensues.(MilwaukeeRy .Co.v s.Arms,91U.S. ,489;
Parr
ottvs.Wel ls,
15Wal l.
,524;Brownvs.Kendall,6Cushi
ng, 292;JacksonAr chi
tect
ural
Ir
onWor ksv s.Hurlbut
,158N.Y. ,34West erf
i dv
el s.Levi
s,43La.An. ,63;Niosivs.
EmpireSt eam Laundry,
117Cal .
,257.)

Theactofdef
endant
'sdri
verinleavi
ngthehorsesint
hemanner
proved was not unreasonable or imprudent. Act
s t he
perf
ormanceofwhichhasnotpr oveddest
ructi
veorinjur
ious
 11

andwhi chhave,therefore,beenacqui escedi nbysoci etyforso

l
ongat imethattheyhav er i
penedi ntocust om, cannotbehel dt o
be themselves unreasonabl e ori mpr udent .I ndeed t he v ery
reasonwhyt heyhavebeenper mi ttedbysoci etyist hatt heyar e
benefi
cialr
atherthanpr ejudici
al,ifatal l
.Acci dent ssomet i
mes
happenandi njur
iesr esultf rom themostor di
nar yact sofl ife.
Butsucharenott heirnat uralorcust omar yr esults.Tohol dt hat,
becausesuchanactoncer esul
tedi nacci dentori njury, t
heact or
i
snecessaril
ynegl i
gent ,ist ogof ar.Thefactt
hatthedoctr
ineofresipsa
l
oquit
urissomet imessuccessf
ull
yinvokedinsuchacase,doesnoti nanysense
mil
i
tateagainstthereasoni
ngpresent
ed.Thatmaxim atmostonlycr
eatesapri
ma
f
aciecase,andthatonl
yintheabsenceofproofoft
hecir
cumst
ancesunderwhi
chthe
actcompl ainedofwasperformed.Iti
ssomet hi
ngi
nvokedi nfavoroft
heplai
nti
ffbef
ore
defendant'scaseshowi ngthecondi t
ionsandcir
cumst ancesunderwhi chtheinj
ury
occurred,thecreati
vereasonf orthedoctr
ineofresipsal oqui
turdi
sappear
s.Thisis
demonst ratedbythecaseofI nl
andandSeaboardCost ingCo.vs.Tol son(139U.S.
,
551),wher ethecour
tsaid(p.554):

...Thewhol eef fectoft hei nstructi

oni nquest i
on,asappli
edtothecasebef ore
thej ur
y ,wast hati fthest eamboat ,onacal m dayandi nsmoot hwat er,was
thrownwi thsuchf orceagai nstawhar fpr oper l
ybuil
t,astotearupsomeoft he
planksoft heflooring,thiswoul dbepr imaf aci
eevidenceofnegl i
genceont he
partoft hedef endant '
sagenti nmaki ngt hel andi
ng,unlessupont hewhol e
evidencei nthecaset spr
hi imaf acieevi dencewasr ebut
ted.Assuchdamaget o
awhar fisnotor dinaril
ydonebyast eamboatundercont r
olofherof f
icersand
carefull
ymanagedbyt hem,ev i
dencet hatsuchdamagewasdonei nthiscase
waspr i
maf aci
e,and,i funexpl ained,suf fi
cientev i
denceofnegligenceont hei
r
part,andt hejur
ymi ghtpr operlybesoi nstructed.

Therewaspresentedinthiscase,andbytheplai
nti
ff
st hemselves,notonlythefactof
therunwayandt heaccidentresul
ti
ngtheref
rom,butalsot heconditi
onsunderwhi ch
therunawayoccurred.Thoseconditi
onsshowingoft hemselvest hatthedefendant'
s
cocherowasnotnegl i
gentint hemanagementoft hehor hepr
se,t i
maf aci
ecasei n
plai
nti
ff
s'f
avor
,ifany,wasdestroyedassoonasmade.

Itisamat terofcommonknowl edgeaswel lasprooft hatitis

theuni versalpr act i
ceofmer chant st odel i
vermer chandi seof
theki ndoft hatbei ngdeliveredatt het i
meoft heinjury,inthe
manneri nwhi cht hatwast henbei ngdel i
v ered;andt hatitisthe
univer salpr acti
cet oleavet hehor sesi nt hemanneri nwhi ch
theywer el eftatt het i
meoft heacci dent.Thi si
st hecust om in
allciti
es.I thasnotbeenpr oduct iveofacci dentsorinjuries.The
publ i
c, f i
ndi ng i tself unprejudiced by such pr actice, has
acqui escedf ory ear swithoutobj ect i
on.Oughtt hepubl icnow,
through t he cour ts,wi t
houtpr i
orobj ection ornot i
ce,t o be
permi ttedt or everset hepr acti
ceofdecadesandt herebymake
culpabl eandgui ltyonewhohadev eryreasonandassur anceto
believet hathewasact i
ngundert hesanct ionoft hest rongestof
 12

al
lci
vi
lfor
ces,
thecust
om ofapeopl
e?Wet
hinknot
.
Thej
udgementi
srev
ersed,
wit
houtspeci
alf
indi
ngast
ocost
s.Soor
der
ed.

Ar
ell
ano,
C.J.
,Mapa,
Johnson,
Car
sonandTr
ent
,JJ.
,concur
.

Separ
ateOpi
nions

J.
TORRES, ,
dissent
ing:

Iam oft
heopi
niont
hatt
hej
udgmentshoul
dbeaf
fi
rmed.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.89572 December21,
1989

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATI ON,CULTURE AND SPORTS ( DECS)and

DIRECTOROFCENTERFOREDUCATI ONALMEASUREMENT,pet it
ioner
s,
vs.ROBERTO REY C.SAN DI EGO and JUDGE TERESI TA DI ZON-
CAPULONG, inhercapaci
tyasPresi
dingJudgeoft heRegi
onalTr
ialCourt
ofValenzuel
a,Metr
oMani l
a,Br
anch172, r
espondents.

RamonM.Guevar
aforpr
ivat
erespondent
.

J.
CRUZ, :

Thei ssuebef
oreusismediocri
ty.Thequest
ioniswhet
hera
personwhohast hri
cefai
ledtheNat i
onalMedi
calAdmi
ssi
on
Test(NMAT)isent
it
ledt
otakeitagai
n.

Thepet
it
ionercont
endshemaynot
,underi
tsr
ulet
hat
-

h)Ast udentshallbeal
lowedonl
ythree(3)chancesto
taketheNMAT.Af t
erthr
ee(3)successi
vef ai
l
ures,a
studentshallnotbeall
owedtotaketheNMATf orthe
fourt
htime.

Thepr
ivat
erespondenti
nsi
stshecan,
onconst
it
uti
onal
grounds.
 13

Butf
ir
stt
hef
act
s.

Theprivater espondentisagr aduateoft heUni versi

tyoft heEast
withadegr eeofBachel orofSciencei nZool ogy.Thepet i
ti
oner
clai
mst hathet ookt heNMATt hreet i
mesandf l
unkedi tasmany
1
ti
mes. Whenheappl i
edt otakeitagai n,thepet i
ti
onerr ej
ected
hisapplicat
ionont hebasi softheaf oresaidrule.Het henwentt o
theRegi onalTr i
alCour tofValenzuela,Met roMani la,tocompel
hisadmi ssi
ont othet est.
In hi
sor igi
nalpet i
ti
on formandamus,hef ir
stinv oked hisconst i
tut
ionalrightst o
academicf reedom andqual i
tyeducati
on.Byagreementoft heparti
es,thepr ivate
respondentwasal lowedt ot aketheNMATschedul edonApr il16,1989,subjecttot he
outcomeofhi spet it
ion.2 I
nanamendedpet i
ti
onfiledwithl eaveofcour t
,hesquar ely
chall
engedt heconst it
uti
onalityofMECSOr derNo.12,Ser iesof1972,cont ainingt he
above-ci
tedrule.Theadditional gr
oundsrai
sedwer
eduepr ocessandequal pr
ot ect
ion.

Afterheari
ng,therespondentj
udgerenderedadecisiononJul
y4,1989,declari
ngthe
chall
engedorderinvali
dandgranti
ngthepetit
ion.JudgeTer
esi
taDi zon-
Capul
ongheld
thatthepeti
ti
onerhadbeendepr i
vedofhisri
ghttopursueamedicaleducat
ionthr
ough
anar bi
tr
aryexerci
seofthepoli
cepower.3

Wecannotsust
aint
her
espondentj
udge.Herdeci
sionmustbe
r
ever
sed.
4
InTablari
nv .Guti
err
ez, t
hisCour tuphel
dtheconst
itut
ionali
tyof
the NMAT as a measur ei ntended toli
mitthe admission t o
medicalschool sonlyt ot hosewho hav eini
ti
all
ypr oved their
compet ence and preparat
ion f ora medicaleducati
on.Justice
Fl
orent
inoP.Fel
i
cianodecl
aredf
oraunani
mousCour
t:

Perhapst heonl yi ssuet hatneedssomeconsi derat i

oni swhet hert herei s
somer easonabl er elationbet weent hepr escr ibingofpassi ngt heNMAT
asacondi t
ionf oradmi ssiont omedi calschoolont heonehand,andt he
securingoft heheal thandsaf etyoft hegener alcommuni t
y ,ont heot her
hand.Thi squest ioni sper hapsmostusef ullyappr oachedbyr ecallingt hat
theregul ati
onoft hepr ati
ceofmedi cinei nal li t
sbr ancheshasl ongbeen
recogni zedasar easonabl emet hodofpr otect ingt heheal thandsaf etyof
thepubl ic.Thatt hepowert or egulateandcont rolt hepract i
ceofmedi cine
i
ncludest hepowert or egulat eadmi ssi ont ot her anksoft hoseaut hor i
zed
to pr act ice medi cine,i s al so wel lr ecogni zed.Thus,l egislation and
admi nist rat
iveregul ationsr equi r
ingt hosewhowi sht opr act i
cemedi cine
fi
rstt ot akeandpassmedi calboar dexami nat i
onshav el ongagobeen
recogni zed as v alid exer cises ofgov ernment alpower .Si milarly,t he
establishmentofmi nimum medi caleducat ionalr equirement s-i
.e.,t he
compl etion ofpr escr ibed cour sesi nar ecogni zed medi calschool -
for
admi ssi on tot he medi calpr ofession,has al so been sust ai
ned as a
l
egitimat eexerci seoft heregul atoryaut hor it
yoft hest ate.Whatwehav e
beforeusi nthei nst antcasei sclosel yr elat ed:t her egulati
onofaccesst o
medi calschool s.MECSOr derNo.52, s.1985, asnot edear lier,arti
culat es
the r ationale of r egul ati
on of t hist y pe:t he i mprov ement of t he
professi onalandt echni calqual it
yoft hegr aduat esofmedi calschool s, by
 14

upgradingthequalit
yoft hoseadmi t
tedtothest udentbodyoft hemedi cal
schools.Thatupgr adi
ng i s soughtby sel ect iv
ityint he process of
admission, select
ivi
ty consisting, among ot her t hings, of l i
miting
admissiont othosewhoexhi biti nther equireddegr eet heapt i
tudef or
medicalstudiesandev entual
lyformedi calpract ice.Theneedt omai ntain,
andt hedi f
fi
culti
esofmai ntaining,highst andar dsi nourpr ofessional
schoolsingener al
,andmedi calschool sinpar t
icular,inthecur r
entst ate
ofoursocialandeconomi cdevelopment ,arewi delyknown.

Webel ievet hatthegov ernmenti sent i

tledt opr escr i
beanadmi ssiont est
l
iket heNMATasameansofachi ev ingi tsst atedobj ect iveof"upgr ading
theselectionofappl icantsinto[ our ]medi calschool s"andof" impr ov[i
ng]
thequal i
tyofmedi caleducat ioni nt hecount r
y .
"Giv ent hewi despreaduse
todayofsuchadmi ssiont estsi n,f ori nstance,medi calschool si nt he
UnitedSt atesofAmer i
ca( theMedi calCol legeAdmi ssi onTest[ MCAT]
andqui teprobably,i
not hercount rieswi thf armor edev el opededucat i
onal
resourcest hanourown,andt akingi ntoaccountt hef ailureorinabi l
it
yof
thepet i
ti
oner stoevenat temptt opr oveot herwise,wear eentitl
edt ohol d
thattheNMATi sreasonabl yrelatedt ot hesecur i
ngoft heulti
mat eendof
l
egislati
onandr egul
at i
oni nthisar ea.Thatend, itisusef ultorecall,i
st he
protecti
on of t he publ ic f rom t he pot ent i
all
y deadl y effects of
i
ncompet enceandi gnor ancei nt hosewhowoul dunder taketot reatour
bodiesandmi ndsfordi seaseort rauma.

However
,ther espondentjudgeagreedwi t
ht hepetit
ionerthatt
hesai
dcasewasnot
appl
i
cable.Herr easonwast hatitupheldonl
yt herequirementf
ort
headmissi
ont
est
andsai
dnothingaboutt heso-cal
l
ed" t
hree-
fl
unkr ul
e."

Weseenor easonwhyt herat

ionalei
nt heTablari
ncasecannotappl yt
ot hecaseatbar
.
Thei ssueraisedinbothcasesi stheacademi cpreparati
onoftheappli
cant.Thi
smay
begaugedatl easti
nit
iall
ybytheadmi ssiontestand,indeedwithmorereli
abi
li
ty,
bythe
three-f
lunkrule.Thelattercannotber egar
dedanyl essv al
i
dt hant
hef ormerinthe
regulati
onoft hemedicalprof
ession.

Thereisnoneedt oredefineheret hepol i

cepoweroft heSt ate.
Suff
iceittor epeatthatt hepoweri sv al
idlyexer
cisedi f(a)the
i
nterestsofthepubl i
cgener al
ly,asdi st
inguishedfr
om t hoseofa
part
icul
arclass,requiretheinterferenceoft heState,and( b)the
meansempl oyedar ereasonablynecessar ytotheat t
ainmentof
theobjectsoughtt obeaccompl ishedandnotundul yoppr essi
ve
5
uponindivi
duals.
I
notherwords,theproperexerci
seoft
hepol
i
cepowerr
equi
rest
heconcur
renceofa
l
awf
ul subj
ectandalawfulmethod.

Thesubj ectoft hechall

engedr egulat
ioniscertai
nlywi t
hinthe
ambi toft he police power.Iti st he ri
ghtand i ndeed the
responsibili
tyoftheStatetoinsurethatthemedicalprofessi
onis
noti nf
il
tratedbyi ncompetentstowhom pat i
entsmayunwar il
y
entrusttheirli
vesandhealth.

The met
hod empl
oyed by t
he chal
lenged r
egul
ati
on i
s not
 15

i
rrel
evantt othe pur
pose oft he l
aw norisi tarbi
tr
ary or
oppressi
ve.The thr
ee-f
lunk ruleisint
ended toinsul
atethe
medicalschool
sandulti
mat el
ythemedicalpr
ofessi
onfrom t
he
i
ntrusi
onofthosenotquali
fi
edt obedoct
ors.

Whi l
eev eryper soni senti
tledtoaspiretobeadoct or
,hedoes
nothav eaconst it
ut i
onalri
ghttobeadoct or .Thi
si strueofany
othercal l
ingi nwhi chthepubl i
cinterestisi nv
olved;andt he
closerthel i
nk,thel ongerthebri
dgetoone' sambi ti
on.TheSt ate
hast heresponsi bi
litytoharnessit
shumanr esourcesandt osee
toitthattheyar enotdi ssi
patedor,nolesswor se,notusedatal l
.
Theser esour cesmustbeappl i
edinamannert hatwi l
lbest
promot et hecommongoodwhi lealsogi vingthei ndivi
duala
senseofsat i
sfaction.

A person cannotinsi
ston bei ng aphy si
cian ifhewi l
lbea
menacet ohispati
ents.I
fonewhowant st obeal awyermay
provebet t
erasaplumber,heshouldbesoadv i
sedandadv ised.
Ofcour se,hemaynotbef or
cedt obeapl umber,butont he
otherhandhemaynotf orcehisentryi
ntot hebar .Bythesame
token,ast udentwhohasdemonst rat
edpr omiseasapi anist
cannotbeshunt edasidet otakeacour sei nnursing,howev er
appropriat
ethiscar
eermaybef orother
s.

Therighttoquali
tyeducat
ioninvokedbythepri
vaterespondentis
notabsolute.TheConst i
tuti
onal sopr
ovidesthat"everycit
izen
hasther i
ghttochooseapr of
essionorcourseofstudy,subj
ectto
fai
r,r easonable and equi t
able admission and academi c
6
requi
rements.
Theprivat
erespondentmusty i
eldtothechall
engedr
uleandgiv
ewayt othosebett
er
prepar
ed.Wher eevent hosewhohav equal
if
iedmaystil
lnotbeaccommodatedinour
al
readycrowdedmedi cal school
s, t
her
eisal
lthemorereasont
obarthosewho,l
ikehi
m,
havebeentestedandf oundwant ing.

Thecontent
ionthatthechal
lengedr
ulevi
olat
estheequalpr
otecti
oncl
auseisnotwel
l
-
taken.Alaw doesnothavetooperat
ewithequalforceonallper
sonsorthi
ngstobe
conformabl
etoArti
cleII
I,
Secti
on1oftheConsti
tut
ion.

Therecanbenoquest iont hatasubst anti

aldisti
ncti
onexists
between medi calstudent s and ot herst udents who are not
subjectedt otheNMAT andt het hree-f
lunkr ul
e.Themedi cal
professiondirect
lyaffectst hev erylivesoft hepeople,unl
ike
othercar eer
swhich,fort hi
sr eason,donotr equi
remorev i
gil
ant
regulat
ion.Theaccount ant,f orexampl e,whi l
ebelongi
ngt oan
 16

equall
yrespect
ableprof
essi
on,doesnothol
dt hesamedeli
cate
responsi
bil
i
tyasthatoft
hephysi
cianandsoneednotbesi
milar
ly
treat
ed.
Therewouldbeunequalprot
ect
ioni
fsomeappl i
cantswhohav epassedthet
estsare
admitt
edandotherswhohavealsoqual
i
fiedar
edeni edent
rance.I
notherwor
ds,what
theequal
prot
ecti
onrequi
resi
sequal
it
yamongequal s.

TheCour tfeelsthati
tisnotenought osimplyinv
okether i
ghttoquali
tyeducat
ionasa
guaranteeoft heConst i
tut
ion:onemustshow t hatheisent i
tl
edtoitbecauseofhi s
preparati
onandpr omise.Thepr i
vat
er espondenthasf ai
ledtheNMATf ivetimes.7
Whilehisper sist
enceisnot ewort
hy,tosayt heleast
,itiscertai
nlymispl
aced,li
kea
hopelesslove.

Nodepreci
ati
oni
sintendedormadeagai nstthepri
vat
erespondent.I
tisstressedthata
per
sonwhodoesnotqual if
yintheNMATi snotanabsol ut
eincompetentunf i
tforany
workoroccupati
on.Theonl yinf
erencei sthatheisapr obabl
ybet ter
,notf orthe
medical
prof
essi
on,butforanot
hercall
i
ngt hathasnotexcit
edhisi
nterest.

Intheformer,
hemaybeabungl eroratleastl
ackluster;i
nthelatt
er,
heismor eli
kel
yto
succeedandmayev enbeout
standing.Iti
sfortheappr opri
atecal
li
ngthatheisenti
tl
ed
toqualit
yeducati
onf ort
heful
lhar nessi
ngofhi spot ent
ial
sandt hesharpeni
ngofhis
l
atenttal
entstowardwhatmayev enbeabr il
li
antfuture.

Wecannothav easocietyofsquarepegsi nroundhol

es,of
denti
stswhoshouldneverhav
eleftthefar
m andengi
neer
swho
shoul
dhav estudi
edbankingandteacherswhocouldbebett
er
asmer chant
s.
Iti
stimeindeedthattheStatetookdecisi
v estepstoregul
ateandenr i
choursy stem of
educati
on bydirecti
ng the st
udentt ot he course f
orwhi ch he is bestsuit
ed as
deter
minedbyi niti
altestsandev aluati
ons.Ot her
wise,wemaybe" swampedwi th
mediocri
ty,
"int
hewor dsofJust i
ceHol mes,notbecausewear elacki
ngi nint
ell
i
gence
butbecausewear eanationofmisfi
ts.

WHEREFORE,t he peti
ti
on is GRANTED.The deci
sion oft
he
respondentcourtdated January13,1989,i
sREVERSED,wi t
h
costsagainstt
hepriv
aterespondent
.Iti
ssoor
dered.
Fer
nan,C.J.,Narvasa Mel
enci
o-Herr
era,Guti
err
ez,Jr
.,Par
as,Feli
ciano,Gancayco,
Padi
ll
a,Bi
din,Sar
mient
o,Cor
tes,
Gr i
ño-
Aquino,
Medial
deaandRegal
ado,JJ.,
concur.

Foot
not
es

1A checkwi t
htheDepar t
mentofEducat ionshowedt hatt hepr
ivat
e
respondenthadactual
lytakenandf l
unkedf ourtest
salreadyandwas
applyi
ngtotakeafi
fthexaminat
ion.2Healsofail
edthi
sfi
fthtest.

2Rol
l
o,pp.26-
34.

3152SCRA730.
 17

4USv s.Tori
bio,15Phil
.85;Fabi
ev.Ci
tyofMani
l
a,21Phi
l
.486;Ynotv
.
I
nter
mediateAppell
ateCourt
,148SCRA659.

5Ar
ti
cleXI
V,Sect
ion5(
3).

6Foot
not
eNos.1&2.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.78164 Jul
y31,
1987

TERESITA TABLARI N,MA,LUZ CI RI

ACO,MA NI MFA B. ROVI RA,
EVANGELI NA S.LABAO,i nt hei
rbehal fandinbehal fofappl icantsfor
admissi
oni nt
ot heMedicalCol l
egesdur i
ngtheschooly ear1987- 88and
fut
urey earswhohav enott akenorsuccessf ul
lyhur dledt i
leNat i
onal
MedicalAdmi ssion Test( NMAT) ,pet i
ti
oner
s,v s.THE HONORABLE
JUDGEANGELI NAS.GUTI ERREZ,Pr esi
dingJudgeofBr anchXXXVI Iof
theRegionalTri
alCourtoft heNationalCapit
alJudici
alRegi onwi thseat
atManila,THEHONORABLESECRETARYLOURDESQUI SUMBI NG,i nher
capaci
tyasChai rmanoft heBOARDOFMEDI CALEDUCATI ON,andTHE
CENTERFOREDUCATI ONALMEASUREMENT( CEM),respondent s.

FELI
CI J.
ANO, :

Thepet i
ti
onerssoughtadmi ssi
on int
o col
legesorschool sof
medici
nef ort
heschoolyear1987-1988.Howev er,thepet i
tioners
eit
herdid nottake ordid notsuccessful
l
yt ake t he Nat i
onal
MedicalAdmissi
onTest(NMAT)r equir
edbytheBoar dofMedi cal
Educati
on,oneofthepubl
icrespondents,
andadmi nister
edbyt he
pri
vaterespondent,the CenterforEducationalMeasur ement
(CEM).

On5Mar ch1987,t hepet i

ti
oner sf i
l
edwi t
ht heRegi onalTr ial
Court,Nati
onalCapitalJudici
alRegi on,aPet i
ti
onf orDeclarator y
Judgment and Pr ohi
bit
ion wi th a pr ayer for Tempor ar y
Restr
aining Orderand Pr eli
mi naryI njuncti
on.The pet i
tioners
soughtt oenjoi
ntheSecr etaryofEducat ion,CultureandSpor ts,
theBoar dofMedi calEducationandt heCent erf orEducat i
onal
Measur ementfrom enfor
cingSect ion5( a)and( f)ofRepubl i
cAct
No.2382,asamended,andMECSOr derNo.52,ser i
esof1985,
dated23August1985andf rom r equi
ringt hetakingandpassi ng
oftheNMATasacondi ti
onf orsecuringcer t
if
icatesofeligibi
lity
 18

foradmi ssion,fr
om pr oceedingwi thaccepti
ngappli
cat
ionsfor
taki
ngt heNMATandf rom administeri
ngtheNMATasscheduled
on26Apr i
l 1987andint hefutur
e.Af t
erheari
ngonthepet
iti
onfor
i
ssuance ofpr el
iminaryi nj
uncti
on,t he t
ri
alcour
tdenied said
peti
ti
on on 20 Apr il1987.The NMAT was conduct ed and
administeredaspreviouslyscheduled.
Petit
ioner
saccor di
ngl
yfil
edthisSpeci
alCi
vi
lActi
onforcer
ti
orar
iwiththisCour
ttoset
asidetheOrderoft herespondentj
udgedenyi
ngthepeti
ti
onforissuanceofawritof
preli
minaryi
njuncti
on.

Republ
icAct2382,asamendedbyRepublicActsNos.4224and5946,knownast
he
"Medi
calActof1959"def
inesi
tsbasi
cobj
ect
ivesi
nthefol
l
owingmanner
:

Sect on 1.Obj
i ectives.— Thi s Actpr ovi
des f orand shallgov er
n( a) t
he
standar di
zat
ionandr egul
ati
onofmedi caleducat i
on (b)theexaminati
onf or
registrati
onofphy sici
ans;and( c)thesuperv
ision,controlandregul
ati
onofthe
practiceofmedicinei nthePhil
ippines.(
Underscoringsuppli
ed)

The st at
ute,among ot hert hings,cr eated a Boar d ofMedi calEducat i
on whi ch is
composedof( a)theSecr etaryofEducat i
on,Cul tur
eandSpor t
sorhi sdul yaut horized
repr
esent ati
ve,as Chai rman;( b)t he Secr etary ofHeal th orhi s dul y authorized
repr
esent ati
ve;(c)theDirectorofHi gherEducat ionorhisdulyaut hori
zedr epresentative;
(d)theChai r
manoft heMedi calBoar dorhi sdul yauthorizedr epresentati
ve;( e)a
repr
esent ati
veoft hePhi l
ippineMedi calAssoci ati
on;(f)theDeanoft heCol l
egeof
Medi ci
ne,Uni v
er si
tyofthePhi l
ippines;(g)ar epresentat
iveoft heCounci lofDeansof
Phil
ippineMedi calSchools;and( h)ar epresent ati
veoft heAssoci ationofPhi l
ippine
Medi calColleges,asmember s.Thef unctionsoft heBoar d ofMedi calEducat ion
specifi
edi nSect i
on5oft hest atuteincludet hef oll
owing:

a)Todet
( ermi
neandpr
escr
iber
equi
rement
sforadmi
ssi
oni
ntoar
ecogni
zed
col
l
egeofmedi
ci
ne;

(b)Todetermineandpr escri
berequir
ementsformi ni
mum phy si
calfaci
l
itiesof
coll
eges ofmedi ci
ne,t o wit
:buildi
ngs,incl
uding hospi tal
s,equipmentand
suppli
es,appar at
us,i nst
ruments,appli
ances,labor atori
es,bed capaci tyfor
i
nstruct
ion purposes,oper ati
ng and del
iv
eryr ooms,f acil
it
ies f
orout pati
ent
servi
ces,andot hers,usedf ordi
dacti
candpr acticalinstruct
ioninaccor dance
withmoderntrends;

(c) To determi
ne and prescr
ibe the mi
nimum number and mi
nimum
qual
ifi
cat
ionsoft
eachi
ngper
sonnel,
incl
udi
ngst
udent
-t
eacher
srat
io;

(d)Todeter
mineandprescri
bet
hemi
nimum r
equi
redcur
ri
cul
um l
eadi
ngt
othe
degreeofDoct
orofMedi
cine;

(e)Toaut horizethei mplementati

onofexper imentalmedi calcurri
cul
um i na
medicalschoolt hathasexceptionalfacul
tyandinstrumentalfaci
li
ti
es.Suchan
experiment
alcur ri
culum mayprescribeadmissionandgr aduati
onr equi
rements
otherthanthosepr escri
bedinthisAct;Provi
ded,Thatonlyexceptionalstudent
s
shallbeenrol
ledintheexperimentalcurri
cul
um;

(
f)Toacceptappl
i
cat
ionsf
orcer
ti
fi
cat
ionf
oradmi
ssi
ont
oamedi
calschooland
keep a r
egi
steroft
hose i
ssued sai
d cer
ti
fi
cat
e;and t
o col
l
ectf
rom sai
d
 19

appl
i
cantstheamountoftwent
y-fi
vepesoseachwhi
chshal
laccr
uet
othe
oper
ati
ngfundoft
heBoar
dofMedicalEducat
ion;

(g)Toselect,deter
mineandappr ovehospit
alsorsomedepart
ment softhe
hospi
tal
sfortrai
ningwhichcomplywiththemini
mum speci
fi
cphy
sicalf
aci
l
iti
es
asprovi
dedinsubparagr
aph(b)hereof
;and

h)Topr
( omul
gat
eandpr
escr
ibeandenf
orcet
henecessar
yrul
esandr
egul
ati
ons
f
ort
hepr
operi
mpl
ement
ati
onoft
hef
oregoi
ngf
unct
ions.(
Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)

Sect
ion7pr
escr
ibescer
tai
nmi
nimum r
equi
rement
sforappl
i
cant
stomedi
cal
school
s:

Admi
ssi
onr
equi
rement
s.— Themedi
calcol
l
egemayadmi
tanyst
udentwhohas
notbeen conv icted byanycour tofcompet entj uri
sdict
ion ofanyof fense
i
nvolvingmor altur pi
tudeand whopr esents(a)ar ecordofcompl eti
onofa
bachelor
'sdegreei nsci enceorarts;b)acer
( t
ifi
cateofel igi
bil
ityf
orentrancetoa
medicalschoolf rom t heBoar dofMedi calEducat ion;(c)acer ti
fi
cateofgood
moralchar act
erissuedbyt wof ormerprofessor sint hecollegeofl i
beralarts;
and( d)birthcertifi
cate.Not hi
ngi nthisactshal lbeconst ruedt oinhibi
tany
col
lege ofmedi cine f rom establi
shi
ng,i n addition tot he preceding,other
entr
ancer equi
rement st hatmaybedeemedadmi ssible.

xxx     xxx     xxx(
Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)

MECSOr derNo.52,s.1985,i ssuedbyt het henMi nist

erofEducat ion,Cultureand
Sport
sanddat ed23August1985,est abli
shedauni f
orm admi ssi
ont estcall
edthe
Nati
onalMedi calAdmi ssi
onTest( NMAT)asanaddi t
ionalrequi
rementf ori
ssuanceof
a cert
ifi
cate ofel i
gibil
it
yf oradmi ssi
on int
o medi calschools oft he Phil
ippi
nes,
begi
nningwitht heschool year1986-1987.ThisOrdergoesont ostatethat :

2.TheNMAT,anapt
it
udet
est
,isconsi
der
edasani
nst
rumentt
owar
dupgr
adi
ng
thesel
ecti
on ofappl
i
cantsforadmissi
on intothemedicalschool
sand its
cal
cul
atedtoi
mprovethequal
i
tyofmedicaleducat
ioni
nthecountr
y.Thecut
off
scoreforthesuccessfulappli
cant
s,basedonthescoresontheNMAT,shallbe
deter
minedev er
yy earbytheBoardofMedicalEducat
ionaf
terconsul
tat
ionwi
th
the Associat
ion ofPhili
ppine Medi
calColeges.The NMAT r
l ati
ng ofeach
appli
cant
,toget
herwiththeotheradmissi
onrequi
rement saspresentl
ycall
edfor
underexist
ingrul
es,shallser
veasabasi sfort
hei ssuanceoft heprescr
ibed
cert
if
icat
eofelegi
bil
i
tyforadmissioni
ntothemedicalcoll
eges.

3.Subj
ectt
othepr
iorappr
ovaloft
heBoar
dofMedi
calEducat
ion,eachmedi
cal
col
l
ege may gi ve other t
estsf or appl
i
cants who have been issued a
cor
respondi
ngcert
if
icateofel
igi
bil
i
tyforadmissi
onthatwi
l
lyi
eldinf
ormationon
otheraspect
soft heappl
i
cant
'
sper
sonal
i
tyt
o compl
ementt
hei
nfor
mat
ion
deri
vedfr
om theNMAT.

xxx     xxx     xxx

8.Noappl
i
cantshal
lbei
ssuedt
her
equi
sit
eCer
ti
fi
cat
eofEl
i
gibi
l
ityf
orAdmi
ssi
on
(CEA),oradmitt
edforenroll
mentasf i
rstyearstudenti
nanymedi
calcoll
ege,
beginni
ngtheschoolyear
,1986-87,wi
thouttherequir
edNMATqual
if
icat
ionas
call
edforundert
hisOrder
.(Under
scori
ngsuppli
ed)

PursuanttoMECSOr derNo.52,s.1985,thepr i
vat
erespondentCenterconducted
NMATs f orent
rance t
o medicalcol
leges dur
ing t
he schooly ear1986-1987.In
December1986 and in Apr
il1987,r
espondentCenterconducted the NMATs for
 20

admi
ssi
ont
omedi
cal
col
l
egesdur
ingt
heschool
year1987.
1988.

Peti
tionersr aisethequest ionofwhet herornotawr itofpr el
iminaryinjunctionmaybe
i
ssuedt oenj ointheenf orcementofSect ion5( a)and( f
)ofRepubl icActNo.2382,as
amended,and MECS Or derNo.52,s.1985,pendi ng resoluti
on oft he issue of
constituti
onal i
tyoftheassai ledstatut
eandadmi nistrati
veor der.Wer egar dthisissue
asent i
rel
yper i
pheralinnat ure.Itscarcelyneedsdocument ati
ont hatacour twoul d
i
ssueawr i
tofpr el
iminaryi njuncti
ononl ywhent hepet it
ionerassai l
ingast atut
eor
admi nistr
ati
v eor derhasmadeoutacaseofunconst i
tuti
onalit
yst rongenought o
overcome,i nt hemi ndoft hej udge,thepr esumptionofconst it
uti
onal i
ty,asidef r
om
showi ngacl earlegalrighttot heremedysought .Thef undament alissuei sofcour se
theconst it
utionali
tyofthest at uteororderassail
ed.

1.Thepet i
ti
onersinvokeanumberofprov
isi
onsofthe1987Consti
tut
ionwhichare,i
n
theirassert
ion,v
iolat
edbytheconti
nuedimplementat
ionofSect
ion5( a)and( f
)of
RepublicAct2381,asamended,andMECSOr derNo.52,s.1985.Thepr ov
isi
ons
i
nv okedreadasfoll
ows:

(a)Ar
ti
cl
e11,Sect
ion11:" Thestat
evaluesthedi
gni
tyofev
eryhumanper
son
andguar
ant
eesful
lrespectofhumanri
ghts."

(b)Arti
cl
eII
,Sectionl3:"TheStater
ecognizesthev it
alroleoft heyout
hinnation
buil
dingandshallpromot eandprotectt
heirphysical
,mor al,spir
it
ual
,i
ntell
ectual
andsocialwellbeing.Itshal
lincul
cateinthey outhpatr i
oti
sm andnat i
onali
sm,
andencouragetheirinv
olvementinpubli
candci vi
caf f
airs."

(c)Arti
cleII
,Secti
on17:"TheStateshal
lgi
vepri
orit
ytoeducati
on,sci
enceand
technology,ar
ts,cul
ture and spor
tstof ost
erpat r
iot
ism and nati
onal
i
sm,
accelerat
e socialprogr
ess and to promotet otalhuman liber
ati
on and
development."

(d)Ar t
icl
eXIV,Sectionl:"TheStat
eshallprot
ectandpr omotether
ightofal
l
cit
izenstoquali
tyeducati
onatall
level
sandtakeappropr
iatest
epstomakesuch
educationaccessi
bletoall
."

(e)Art
icl
eXIV,Secti
on5( 3)
:"Ev
erycit
izenhasarighttoselectaprofessi
onor
course ofstudy,subjecttof air
,reasonabl
e and equi
table admissi
on and
academicrequi
rements."

Arti
cleI Ioft he1987Const i
tuti
onset sf ort
hi nitssecondhal fcertain" Statepol i
cies"
whicht hegov ernmenti senj oi
nedt opur sueandpr omot e.Thepet i
ti
oner sher ehav enot
seri
ousl yunder takent odemonst r
atetowhatex t
entori nwhatmannert hest atuteand
theadmi ni
st r
ativeordert heyassai lcoll
idewi t
ht heSt atepol ici
esembodi edi nSect ions
11,13and17.Theyhav enot ,i
not herwor ds,dischargedt hebur denofpr oofwhi chl i
es
upont hem.Thi sbur deni sheav yenoughwher et heconst i
tut i
onalpr ovisioninv okedi s
rel
ativelyspeci f
ic,r
athert hanabst ract,i
nchar acterandcasti nbehav ioral oroper at
ional
terms.Thatbur denofpr oofbecomesofnecessi t
yheav i
erwher et heconst itut
ional
provisioni nvoked i scast ,ast hesecond por tionofAr t
icleI Ii scast ,inl anguage
descr i
ptiveofbasi cpol icies,ormor epr ecisel
y,ofbasi cobj ectivesofSt atepol icyand
thereforehi ghlygener al
izedi ntenor .Thepet i
ti
oner shav enotmadet heircase,ev ena
pri
maf aci
ecase,andwear enotcompel l
edt ospecul ateandt oi magi nehow t he
l
egislation and r egulati
on i mpugned as unconst it
utionalcoul d possi blyof fend t he
const i
tuti
onal provisi
onspoi ntedtobyt hepet i
ti
oner s.

Tur
ningtoArt
icl
eXIV,Sect
ion1,ofthe1987Consti
tut
ion,wenotethatoncemor e
pet
it
ioner
shav
efail
edtodemonst
rat
ethatt
hest
atuteandregul
ati
ontheyassai
linf
act
 21

clashwi ththatpr ov i
sion.Ont hecontrarywemaynot e-i
nant icipati
onofdi scussion
i
nf r
a— t hatthest atuteandt heregulat
ionwhichpetiti
onersat t
ackar einfactdesigned
topr omot e"qualityeducation"att helevelofprofessionalschool s.Whenoner eads
Section1i nrelat
iont oSection5( 3)ofArti
cleXI
Vasonemustonecannotbutnot ethat
thelatterphraseofSect i
on1i snottober eadwithabsolutelit
eralness.TheSt ateisnot
reall
yenj oi
nedt ot akeappr opri
atestepst omakequal ityeducat i
on"accessi bletoall
whomi ghtforanynumberofr easonswi shtoenrol
linapr of
essi onalschoolbutr ather
mer elytomakesucheducat ionaccessi et
bl oal
lwhoqual i
fyunder" fai
r,reasonableand
equi
tabl
eadmi
ssi
onandacademi
crequi
rement
s."

2.I nt het ri
alcourt,petiti
onershadmadet heargumentt hatSect ion5( a)and( f)of
Republ icActNo.2382,asamended,of f
endagainstt heconst i
tut
ionalprinci
plewhi ch
forbidst heunduedel egationofl egisl
ativepower,byf ai
li
ngt oestablishthenecessar y
standar dt obef ol
lowedbyt hedel egate,theBoardofMedi calEducat i
on.Thegener al
principleofnon- delegationofl egislati
vepower,whi chbot hf l
owsf rom ther einf
or ces
themor ef undament alruleoft hesepar ati
onandallocationofpower samongt het hree
1
greatdepar tmentsofgov ernment ,mustbeappl i
edwi t
hcircumspect ioninr espectof
statuteswhi chli
ket heMedi calActof1959,dealwi t
hsubj ectsasobv i
ouslycompl ex
andt echnicalasmedi caleducat ionandt hepracti
ceofmedi ci
nei nourpr esentday
wor l
d.Mr .Justi
ceLaur elstressedt hispoint47yearsagoi nPangasi nanTr ansportation
2
Co. ,
Inc.vs.ThePubl i
cSer viceCommi ssion:

Onet hing,howev er,i

sappar entinthedev el
opmentoft heprincipleofsepar ation
ofpower sandt hatist hatt hemaxi m ofdel egatusnonpot estdel egar eor
delegate potestasnon pot estdel egare,adopt ed this practice (Del egibus et
Consuet udini
i
sAngl iaeditedbyG. E.Woodbi ne,Yal eUni ver
sityPr ess,1922,Vol .
2,p.167)butwhi chisalsor ecognizedi npri
nciplei ntheRomanLaw( d.17. 18.3)
hasbeenmadet oadaptitselftothecompl exi
tiesofmoder ngover nment ,giving
ri
se t ot he adoption,wi thi
n certainl imit
s oft he pr i
nciple of" subor dinate
l
egislati
on,"notonlyintheUni tedSt atesandEngl andbuti npract i
call
yal lmoder n
gov er
nment s.( Peoplev s.Rosent haland Osmena [ 68 Phi l
.318,1939] .
Accor di
ngly,wit
ht hegrowi ngcompl exi
tyofmoder nlife,themul tipl
icationoft he
subj
ect
sofgovernmentalregul
ati
onandt heincr
easeddiffi
cult
yofadmini
steri
ng
thel
aws,t
her
ei saconstantl
ygrowingtendencytowardthedelegat
ionofgreater
powerbyt
helegisl
atur
e,andtowardtheapprovalofthepracti
cebythecour
ts."3

Thest
andardssetforsubor di
natelegi
slat
ioni
nt heexerci
seofrul
emakingaut
hori
tyby
anadmini
strat
iveagencyliketheBoardofMedi calEducat
ionar
enecessar
il
ybroadand
hi
ghl
yabstract
.Asexplainedbyt henMr.Justi
ceFernandoinEduv.Er
i a4—
ct

The st
andar
d maybe eit
herexpressed orimpli
ed.Ift
he f
ormer
,t he non-
del
egat
ionobject
ioni
seasi
lymet.Thest andar
dthoughdoesnothavetobe
spel
ledoutspeci
fi
cal
ly.Itcoul
dbeimpli
edfr
om t
hepol
icyandpurposeoftheact
consider
edasawhol e.I ntheRef
lect
orLaw,cl
ear
lyt
hel egi
slat
iveobj
ecti
veis
publi
csafety.Whati
ssoughtt obeattai
nedasinCal
alangv.Wi ll
i
amsis"safe
tr
ansitupont oads.5
her

Webel i
eveandsohol dthatthenecessarystandardsaresetfor
thi nSect
ion1oft he
1959Medi calAct :"t
hestandardi
zat
ionandr egul
ati
onofmedi caleducati
on"andi n
Secti
on5( a)and7oft hesameAct ,thebodyoft hestat
uteitsel
f,andthatt
hese
consi
dered togetherare suff
ici
entcompl i
ance wi t
ht he r
equi
rements ofthe non-
del
egati
onpr i
nciple.

3.Thepetiti
onersalsourgethatt
heNMATpr escri
bedinMECSOrderNo.52,s.1985,i
s
an" unf
air
,unreasonableandinequi
tabl
erequirement,
"whi
chresul
tsi
nadeni alofdue
process.Again,peti
ti
onershavefai
ledtospeci f
yjustwhatf
actor
sorfeaturesofthe
 22

NMATr enderit"unfair"and" unreasonabl e"or"i

nequit abl
e."Theyappeart osuggestthat
passingt heNMATi sanunnecessar yr equir
ementwhenaddedont opoft headmission
requi
rement ssetouti nSect ion7oft heMedi calActof1959,andot heradmission
requi
rement sestablishedbyi nternalregulati
onsoft hev ariousmedi calschools,publi
c
orpr ivate.Pet it
ioners ar gument st hus appeart or el
atet o util
i
tyand wi sdom or
desir
abi li
tyoft heNMATr equirement.Butconst ituti
onal i
tyi sessent i
all
yaquest i
onof
poweroraut horit
y:t hisCour thasnei thercommi ssionorcompet encet opassupon
questions oft he desi rabil
it
y orwi sdom orut ili
ty ofl egislat
ion oradmi nist
rati
ve
regul
at i
on.Those quest i
ons mustbe addr ess t ot he polit
icaldepartments oft he
governmentnott ot hecour t
s.

Therei sanot herreasonwhyt hepet i

ti
oners'argument smustf ail:thelegi
slat
iveand
admi nist
rati
veprovisi
onsimpugnedbyt hem consti
tute,t
ot hemi ndoft heCourt
,av ali
d
exerciseofthepol i
cepoweroft hestate.Thepol i
cepower ,iti
scommonpl acelearni
ng,
i
st heper vasiveandnon- wai
vablepowerandaut horityofthesov ereigntosecureand
promot eant hei mportanti
nter
est sandneeds— i nawor d,t hepubl icorder— oft he
6
gener alcommuni ty. Animportantcomponentoft hatpublicor deri sthehealthand
physicalsafetyandwel lbei
ngoft hepopulati
on,thesecuringofwhi chnoonecandeny
7
i
sal egi t
imateobjecti
veofgovernmental ef
fortandregulat
ion.

Perhapst he onl yi ssue t hatneedssome consi deration i swhet hert herei ssome
reasonabl erelationbet weent hepr escr i
bingofpassi ngt heNMATasacondi ti
onf or
admi ssiont omedi calschoolont heonehand, andt hesecur ingoft heheal thandsaf et y
oft hegener alcommuni ty,ont heot herhand.Thi squest ioni sper hapsmostusef ully
appr oached byr ecal li
ng t hatt he r egulat i
on oft he pr act i
ce ofmedi ci ne in alli ts
brancheshasl ongbeenr ecogni zedasar easonabl emet hodofpr ot ect ingt heheal th
8
and saf etyoft hepubl i
c. Thatt hepowert or egulateand cont rolt hepr acticeof
medi cinei ncludest hepowert or egulateadmi ssiont ot her anksoft hoseaut hor i
zedt o
pract i
ce medi cine,i s al so wel lr ecogni zed.t hus,l egislat i
on and admi nistrative
regulationsr equiringt hosewhowi sht opr act i
cemedi cinef i
rstt ot akeandpassmedi cal
boar dexami nationshavel ongagobeenr ecogni zedasv alidexer cisesofgov ernment al
9
power . Similarly,t heest abl ishmentofmi nimum medi caleducat ionalr equirement s—
i
.e.,t he compl etion ofpr escr ibed cour ses i nar ecogni zed medi calschool— f or
admi ssiont ot hemedi calpr ofessi on,hasal sobeensust ainedasal egi timat eexer cise
10
ofther egulatoryaut horit
yoft hest at
e. Whatwehav ebef or eusi nt hei nstantcasei s
closelyr el
ated:t her egulationofaccesst omedi calschool s.MECSOr derNo.52,s.
1985,as not ed ear li
er,ar ticul ates t he r ati
onal e ofr egul ati
on oft hist y
pe:t he
i
mpr ovementoft hepr ofessi onalandt echni calqual ityoft hegr aduat esofmedi cal
school s,byupgr adi ngt hequal ityoft hoseadmi t
tedt ot hest udentbodyoft hemedi cal
school s.Thatupgr adi ngi ssoughtbysel ect i
vi
tyi nt hepr ocessofadmi ssi on,select ivity
consi sti
ng,among ot hert hings,ofl imi ti
ng admi ssiont ot hosewho exhi biti nt he
requireddegr eet heapt i
tudef ormedi calst udiesandev ent uallyf ormedi calpr actice.
The need t o mai nt ain,and t he di ff
iculties ofmai ntaini ng,hi gh st andar ds i n our
professi onalschool si ngener al,andmedi calschool sinpar t
icular,i nt hecur rentst age
ofoursoci alandeconomi cdev el opment ,arewi delyknown.

We bel iev
et hatt he gov ernmentis enti
tl
ed to prescri
be an
admi ssi
ont estliketheNMATasameansf orachievi
ngitsstat
ed
objecti
ve of" upgrading t
he select
ion ofapplicantsinto[our]
medi calschool s"and of" i
mprov[
ing]the qualit
y ofmedi cal
educat i
onint hecount ry
."Giventhewidespr
eaduset odayofsuch
admi ssi
ont est sin,forinstance,medicalschoolsintheUni t
ed
11
StatesofAmer i
ca( t
heMedi calColl
egeAdmi ssi
onTest[ MCAT]
 23

andqui tepr obablyinot hercount r

ieswi t
hfarmor edev el
oped
educationalresourcest hanourown,andt aki
ngintoaccountthe
fail
ureori nabili
tyoft hepet i
ti
oner stoev enattemptt oprove
otherwise,wear eent it
ledt ohol dt hattheNMATi sr easonabl
y
relat
edt ot hesecur ingoft heul ti
mat eendofl egisl
ati
onand
regulat
ioni nt hi
sar ea.Thatend,i tisusef ult
or ecall
,isthe
protecti
onoft hepubl icfrom t hepot enti
all
ydeadlyef f
ectsof
i
ncompet enceandi gnor ancei nt hosewhowoul dundertaketo
treatourbodiesandmi ndsf ordiseaseort r
auma.
4.Peti
ti
oner
shavecontended,f
inal
ly
,thatMECSOrderNo.52,s.1985,isi
nconfl
i
ctwith
theequalpr
otect
ioncl
auseoftheConstit
uti
on.Morespeci
fi
cal
ly,pet
it
ioner
sassertt
hat
thatpor
ti
onoftheMECSOr derwhichprovi
desthat

thecut
offscor
efort
hesuccessf ulappl
i
cant
s,basedont
hescor
esont heNMAT,
shal
lbedet er
mined ever
y-yearbyt heBoard ofMedi
cal11 Educati
on af
ter
consult
ati
onwi
tht
heAssoci
ati
onofPhi
l
ippi
neMedi
calCol
l
eges.(
Emphasi
s
suppl
ied)

i
nf r
inges t
he requir
ements ofequalpr otect
ion.Theyassert,i
n otherwords,t hat
studentsseeki
ngadmi ssi
onduri
ngagi venschoolyear
,e.
g.,
1987-1988,whensubjected
toadi f
fer
entcutoffscorethanthatestabli
shedforan,e.g.
,earl
ierschoolyear,are
di
scr i
minatedagainstandthatt
hisrenderstheMECSOr der"arbi
tr
aryandcaprici
ous."
Thef or ceoft hisar gumenti smor eappar entthanr eal.Differ
ent
cutoffscor es f ordi fferentschooly ear s maybe di ctated by
diff
ering condi tions obt aini
ng dur ing those y ear
s.Thus,t he
appropr iat
ecut offscor eforagi veny earmaybeaf uncti
onof
suchf actorsast henumberofst udentswhohav er eachedt he
cutoffscor eest abl ishedt hepr ecedingy ear ;
thenumberofpl aces
avail
abl einmedi calschool sdur i
ngt hecur r
enty ear;theav erage
scoreat t
aineddur ingt hecur renty ear;t
hel evelofdifficult
yoft he
testgi vendur ingt hecur r
enty ear,andsof orth.Toest abli
sha
permanentandi mmut ablecut offscorer egar dl
essofchangesi n
cir
cumst ances f rom y ear to y ear ,may wen r esulti n an
unreasonabl er i
gi dity .Theabov elanguagei nMECSOr derNo.52,
farfrom bei ngar bi t
r aryorcapr ici
ous, l
eav estheBoar dofMedi cal
Educat ion wi t
ht he measur e of f l
exibili
ty needed t o meet
cir
cumst ancesast heychange.

Weconcl udet hatprescri

bingt
heNMAT andr equi
ri
ngcertai
n
minimum scorestherei
nasaconditionf
oradmissiontomedical
school
sint hePhili
ppines,donotconst
it
uteanunconsti
tut
ional
i
mpositi
on.

WHEREFORE,thePeti
ti
onforcerti
orar
iisDISMI
SSED andt
he
Or
derofther
espondentt
ri
alcour
tdenyingt
hepet
it
ionf
orawrit
 24

ofpr
eli
minar
yinj
unct
ioni
sAFFI
RMED.Cost
sagai
nstpet
it
ioner
s.
SOORDERED.

Teehankee,C.J.
,Yap,Fernan,Narvasa,Mel
encio-
Herrer
a,Gut
ier
rez,Jr
.,Cr
uz,Par
as,
Gancayco,Padil
l
a,Bi
din,
Sarmient
oandCor t
es,JJ.,
concur.

Foot
not
es
1
SeePeoplev
.Ver
a,65Phi
l
.56(
1937)andPel
aezv
.Audi
torgener
al,15SCRA
569(1965)
.
2
70Phi
l
.221(
1940)
.
3
70Phi
l
.,at229;
under
scor
ingsuppl
i
ed.
4
35SCRA481(
1970)
.
5
35SCRA,at497;under
scori
ngsuppl
ied.Atthi
spoi
nt,Mr
.Just
iceFer
nando
dr
oppedausef
ulf
ootnot
eofthefol
l
owingtenor
:

"This Cour thas considered as suff

ici
entst andards,"publi
c welfare,
"
Muni cipal
ityofCardonav .Bi
nangonan,36Phi l.547(I917);"necessaryin
theinterestoflawandor der,
"Rubiv.ProvincialBoard,39Phil.660(1919);
"publicinter
est,
"Peoplev.Rosenthal,
68Phi l.328( 1939);and"justi
ceand
equityand subst anti
almer i
tsoft hecase, "I nter
nationalHar dwood v.
Pangi lFederat
ionofLabor,70Phil
.602( 1940) ."

I
nPeopl
ev.Exconde,
101Phi
l
.1125(
1957)
,Mr
.Just
iceJ.
B.L.Rey
essai
d:

"I
tiswel lestabli
shedi nthi
sj ur
isdicti
ont hat,whi l
et hemaki ngoflawsi sa
non- delegabl e act i
vity that cor r
esponds excl usively t o Congr ess,
nev erthel ess,the lat t
er may const i
tuti
onal l
y del egat e authori
ty and
promul gat er ul
esandr egulati
onst oi mplementagi venl egi
slati
onand
effect uat eitspolici
es,f orther easont hatt hel egislatureoftenf indsi t
i
mpr ac t i
cable( i
fnoti mpossi ble)t o ant i
cipate and pr ovi
de f ort he
mul tifariousandcompl exsituati
onst hatmaybemeti ncar ry
ingt hel aw
i
ntoef f
ect .Allt
hatisr equi
redi sthatt heregul at
ionshoul dbeger manet o
the obj ects and pur poses oft he l aw,"t hatt he r egulati
on be noti n
cont radi cti
onwi t
hi t
,butconf ormt ot hest andardst hatt helawpr escribes
-.
"(101Phi l.at1129;underscor i
ngsuppl i
ed).
6
E.
G.,U.
S.v .Tori
bio,
15Phil
.85(1910)
;Er
mita-
Mal
ateHot
elandMotelOperat
ors
Associ
ati
on, I
nc.v.MayorofManil
a,20SCRA849(
1967)andMorf
ev .Mutuc,22
SCRA424( 1968).
7
E.
G.,Casev.BoardofHeal
th,24Phi
l
.256(1913)
;Peoplevs.Wi
tt
e,146NE178
(
1925)andLorenzov.Di
rect
orofHeal
th,
50Phil
.595(1927)
.
8
Barskyv.Boar
dofRegents,347US442,98L. Ed.829,74SCT.650( 1954);
LouisianaSt
ateBoardofMedicalExami
ner
sv.Beatty
,220La.1,55So2d.761
(1951)andReisi
ngerv.Com.
,Stat
eBoardofMedi
calEducat
ionandLi
censure,
et
al.
,399A2d1160( 1979).
 25

9
Dentv.WestVi
rgi
nia,
129US114,32L.
Ed.623,
9SCt
.231(
1889)
;St
atev
.Bai
r,
112Jowa466,84NW 532(1900)
.
10
Peopl
ev.Lov
e,298I l
l304,131NE809,16ALR703(
1921)
;Col
l
insv
.Texas,
223US288,56L.Ed.439,
32SCt .286(
1912)
.
11
See,
e.g.
,McDonal
dv.Hogness,
etal
.,
92Wash.431,
598P.2d.707(
1979)
.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.176162 Oct
ober9,
2012

CI
VILSERVI
CECOMMI SSI
ON,Petit
ioner
,vs.COURT OFAPPEALS,DR.
DANTEG.GUEVARRAandATTY.AUGUSTUSF.CEZAR,Respondent
s.

x-----------------------x

G.
R.No.178845

ATTY.HONESTO L.CUEVA,Peti
ti
oner
,vs.COURT OF APPEALS,DR.
DANTEG.GUEVARRAandATTY.AUGUSTUSF.CEZAR,
Respondent
s.

DECISION

J.
MENDOZA, :

Theseareconsoli
dat
edpetit
ionsf
orrev
iewunderRule45oft heRevi
sedRulesofCivi
l
Procedureassai
l
ingt
heDecember29,2006Deci on1 oft
si heCourtofAppeals(CA)in
CA-G.R.SPNo.95293,ent
it
led"Dr
.DanteG.Guevarr
aandAt t
y.August
usCezarv.Civi
l
Ser
viceCommi
ssi
onandAt
ty.Honest
oL.Cueva.
"

TheFact
s

Respondent s Dante G.Guev arra( Guevarr

a)and Augustus F.
Cezar( Cezar)weretheOf f
icer-
in-
Char ge/Pr
esi
dentandtheVice
Presidentf orAdmi nist
rat
ion,respectivel
y,ofthe Pol
ytechnic
2
Universit
yoft hePhi
lippi
nes(PUP)i n2005.

OnSept ember27,2005,pet it
ionerHonest oL.Cuev a( Cueva),
then PUP Chi efLegalCounsel ,fil
ed an admi nist
rat
ive case
agai
nst Guev ar r
a and Cezar f or gross di shonest
y,gr ave
misconduct,f al
sifi
cati
on of of fi
cial document s, conduct
prej
udicialt
ot hebesti nter
estoft heser v
ice,beingnotoriousl
y
undesirabl
e,andf orviol
ati
ngSect i
on4ofRepubl i
cAct(R.A.)No.
3
6713. Cuev achar ged Guev arrawithf al
sif
icati
onofapubl i
c
 26

document ,specificall
ytheApplicati
onf orBondofAccount able
Of f
icialsandEmpl oyeesoft heRepubl i
coft hePhili
ppines,in
whi cht hel atterdeniedtheexist
enceofhi spendingcri
minaland
admi nistrat i
vecases.Ast heheadoft heschool,Guevarrawas
requi redt obebondedi nordertobeabl etoengagei nfinancial
4
transact i
onsonbehal fofPUP. I nhisApplicat
ionforBondof
Account able Of fi
cial
sand Empl oyeesoft he Republi
coft he
Philippi nes( GeneralForm No.58- A),heansweredQuestionNo.
11i nt hiswi se:

11.Doy ouhaveanycr
iminaloradmini
strat
iver
ecor
ds?–NO.I
f
5
so,st
atebri
efl
ythenat
urethereof–NO.

Thiswasdespi tetheundisputedf actthat,atthattime,bot h

Guevarra and Cezaradmi t
tedly had 17 pending cases f or
vi
olat
ion of Sect ion 3(e) of R. A. No. 3019 bef ore t he
6
Sandi
ganbay an. Cezar,knowing f ul
lywel lthatboth he and
Guevarra had exi st
ing cases bef or
e t he Sandiganbay an,
7
endorsedandr ecommendedt heappr ovaloftheappl
icati
on.
Therespondent
sexpl ai
nedt
hatt heybelieved"crimi
naloradminist
rativ
er ecords"to
8
meanf i
nalconvi
cti
oni nacr
iminaloradmi nist
rati
vecase.Thus,becauset heircases
hadnotyetbeendecidedbyt
heSandi ganbayan,theyasser
tedt
hatGuev arr
ar esponded
9
toQuesti
onNo.11inGeneralForm No.58-Acorrectl
yandingoodfait
h.

OnMar ch24,2006,theCivi
lServi
ceCommi ssi
on(CSC)i
ssuedResolut
ionNo.06052110
for
mallychargi
ngGuev arr
awithDi shonest
yandCezarwi t
hConductPr ej
udi
cialtothe
BestInter
estoftheSer v
iceafterapr i
maf aciefi
ndi
ngthattheyhadcommi ttedacts
puni
shableundertheCivi
lServ
iceLawandRul es.

Subsequent ly,t
her espondent sf
il
edt heirMot i
onf orReconsi der ationandMot iont o
Declare Absence of Pr i
ma Facie Case11 pr ayi
ng t hatt he case be suspended
i
mmedi atelyandthattheCSCdecl areacompl eteabsenceofapr i
maf aciecaseagai nst
them.Cuev a,ontheot herhand,f i
ledanUr gentEx- Par teMot ionf ort heI ssuanceof
Preventiv
eSuspensi on12 andanOmni busMot on13 seeki
i ngt heissuanceofanor derof
preventi
vesuspensi onagai nstGuev arraandCezarandt heinclusionoft hef ol
l
owi ng
offensesi ntheformalchar geagainstt hem:Gr aveMi sconduct ,Fal sifi
cationofOf f
icial
Document ,ConductPr ejudici
alt
ot heBestI nterestoft heSer vice,Bei ngNot ori
ousl y
Undesirable,andViolat
ionofSection4ofR. A.No.6713.
14
I
nResol ut
ionNo.061141,dat ed June30,2006, theCSC deni ed themot ionf or
reconsider
ationfi
ledbyt her espondent sforbei nganon- responsivepleadi ng,akintoa
mot i
ont odismiss,whi chwasapr ohibit
edpl eadi ngunderSect ion16oft heUni f
orm
15
RulesonAdmi ni
strat
iveCasesi nt heCiv i
lServiceCommi ssion. I
talsodeni edCuev a’s
mot i
on toi ncl
udeaddi t
ionalchar gesagai nstt her espondents.TheCSC,howev er
,
placedGuev arraunderpr ev
entivesuspensi onf orni nety( 90)day s,believ i
ngitt obe
necessarybecause,ast heof f
icer-
in-
chargeofPUP,hewasi naposi tiont oundul y
i
nf l
uencepossiblewitnessesagai nsthim.

Aggr
iev
ed,Guev
arr
aandCezarf
il
edapet
it
i orcer
onf ti
orar
iandpr
ohi
bit
ionbef
oret
he
 27

CAessent i
all
yquest i
oningthej urisdicti
onoft heCSCov ert
headmi nistrat
ivecompl aint
fi
ledagai nstthem byCuev a.OnDecember29,2006,t heCA r ender edi tsDeci si
on
granti
ngt hepet i
ti
onandnul li
fyingandset ti
ngasi det hequest ionedr esolut
ionsoft he
CSCf orhav i
ngbeenr enderedwi thoutj ur
isdict i
on.Accor dingt ot heCA,Sect ion47,
Chapter7,Subt itl
eA,Ti t
leI,BookVofExecut iveOr derNo.292( TheAdmi nistr
ati
v e
Codeof1987) ,thesecondpar agr aphofwhi chst atesthatheadsofagenci esand
i
nst r
ument ali
ti
es" shallhavej urisdicti
ont oi nv est igateanddeci demat ter
si nvolvi
ng
disci
plinaryact i
onagai nstofficersandempl oy eesundert heirjurisdicti
on,"best ows
upont heBoar dofRegent sthej ur i
sdicti
ont oi nv est i
gateanddeci demat tersinvolvi
ng
disci
plinaryact i
onagai nstrespondent sGuev arraandCezar .I naddi tion,theCAnot ed
thattheCSCer redi nrecognizingt hecompl aintf iledbyCuev a,reasoni ngoutt hatthe
l
at t
ershoul dhav eexhaust edalladmi nist
rati
ver emedi esbyfirstbringinghi sgrievances
totheat tentionoft hePUPBoar dofRegent s.

Hence,
thesepet
it
ions.

THEI
SSUE

I
nG.
R.No.176162,
pet
it
ionerCSCr
aisest
hesol
eissueof
:

Whet herornott he Ci
vilServi
ce Commission has or
igi
nal
concurrentjur
isdi
cti
onoveradminist
rat
ivecasesfall
ingunder
thejuri
sdict
ionofheadsofagenci
es.
Thesamei
ssuei
samongt
hoser
aisedbypet
it
ionerCuev
ainG.
R.No.178845.

The Courtagrees t
hat t
he only quest
ion whi
ch must be
addr
essedinthi
scaseiswhethertheCSChasj ur
isdi
cti
onov er
admini
str
ati
vecasesfil
eddir
ectl
ywithitagai
nstof f
ici
alsofa
char
ter
edstateuni
ver
sit
y.
TheCour
t’
sRul
ing

Thepet
it
ionsar
emer
it
ori
ous.
BothCSCandCuev acontendt hatbecauset heCSCi st hecent ralpersonnelagencyof
thegov ernment ,ithasbeenexpr essl
ygr antedbyExecut iveOr der(E.O. )No.292t he
authorityt oassumeor i
ginaljuri
sdicti
onov ercompl aintsdi r
ect lyfi
ledwi thit
.TheCSC
explainst hatundert hesaidl aw,i thasappel l
atejurisdictionov eral ladmi nistr
ati
ve
disci
plinar ypr oceedingsandor i
ginaljuri
sdictionovercompl aintsagainstgov ernment
16
offi
cialsandempl oyeesfil
edbef orei tbypr ivat
ecitizens. Accordingly ,theCSChas
concur rentor iginaljuri
sdicti
on,t ogetherwi tht hePUP Boar d ofRegent s,ov erthe
admi nistrativ
ecaseagai nstGuev arraandCezarandi tcant akecogni zanceofacase
fi
leddi rect l
ywi thit
,despi t
et hef actt hatt heBoar dofRegent sist hedi scipl
ini
ng
authorityofuni ver
sit
yempl oyees.

Respondent
sGuev ar
raandCezar,ont heotherhand,f
ul l
yadopt
edthepositi
onofthe
CAinitsquest
ioneddecisi
onandpr opoundedtheaddit
ionalar
gumentthatt
hepassage
ofR.A.No.8292hasef f
ecti
velyr
emov edfrom theCSCt heaut
hori
tyt
ohearanddecide
oncasesfil
eddirectl
ywit
hit.

CSChasjuri
sdi
cti
onovercasesf
il
eddi
rect
lywi
thi
t,r
egar
dless
ofwhoi
nit
iat
edthecomplai
nt
 28

TheCSC, asthecentr
alper
sonnelagencyoft hegov ernment ,has
thepowert oappointanddisci
pli
neitsoffi
cialsandempl oyees
and to hearand deci
deadmi ni
strat
ivecasesi nstituted byor
17
broughtbefor
eitdi
rectl
yoronappeal. Sect
ion2(
1),Ar
ti
cleIX(
B)oft
he
1987Const
it
uti
ondef
inest
hescopeoft
heci
vi
lser
vice:

Theciv
ilser
viceembracesal
lbranches,
subdi
vi
sions,
instr
ument
ali
ti
es,andagenci
esof
theGovernment,i
ncl
udinggovernment-
ownedorcont r
oll
edcor
porati
onswithori
ginal
char
ter
s.
18
Byv ir
tueofPr esi
dent
ialDecr ee(
P.D.
)No.1341, PUP becameacharter
ed st
ate
univ
ersit
y,therebymaki ngi tagover
nment-
ownedorcont roll
edcor
por
ati
onwithan
ori
ginalchart
erwhoseempl oy
eesarepar
toftheCi vi
lSer
v i
ceandaresubj
ectt
ot he
19
provi
sionsofE.O.No.292.

Thepar t
iesint hesecasesdo notdenyt hatGuevarr
aandCezararegov ernment
employeesandpar toft heCi v
ilSer
vice.Thecontroversy
,howev
er,st
emsf rom the
i
nter
pretati
onoft hedi scipl
inaryj
uri
sdicti
onoft heCSC asspecifi
edinSection47,
Chapter7,Subt
it
leA, Ti
tleI,BookVofE. O.No.292:

SECTI ON47.Di sciplinaryJur isdict

ion.—(1)TheCommi ssionshal
ldeci deuponappeal
alladmi ni
str
ati
v edi scipli
narycasesi nvolvi
ngthei mpositi
onofapenal t
yofsuspensi on
formor ethant hirtyday s,orf i
nei nanamountex ceedingt hirt
yday
s’ sal
ar y,
demot i
onin
rankorsal aryort ransfer,remov alordismissalfrom office.Acompl aintmaybef il
ed
directl
ywi t
ht heCommi ssionbyapr i
vatecit
izenagai nstagov ernmentof fici
alor
empl oyeeinwhi chcasei tmayhearanddeci dethecaseori tmaydeput i
zeany
depar t
mentoragencyorof ficialorgroupofof f
icial
st oconductt heinv est
igat
ion.The
resultsoftheinv estigati
onshal lbesubmi tt
edtot heCommi ssi
onwithrecommendat i
on
ast othepenaltyt obei mposedorot heracti
ontobet aken.

(2)TheSecr et
ari
esandheadsofagenci esandi nst r
umentalit
ies,pr ovinces,citi
esand
muni cipal
i
t i
es shallhav ej ur
isdicti
on toi nvesti
gate and deci de mat t
ersi nvol
vi
ng
discipli
nar
y action agai nstof f
icers and empl oyees undert heirj urisdi
ction.Their
decisionsshallbef inalincaset hepenaltyimposedi ssuspensi onf ornotmor ethan
thir
tyday sorf i
nei nanamountnotexceedi ngt hi
rtydays’salar y.Incaset hedecisi
on
renderedbyabur eauorof fi
ceheadi sappealabl
et otheCommi ssion,thesamemaybe
i
nitiall
yappealedt othedepar t
mentandf i
nall
ytot heCommi ssionandpendi ngappeal,
thesameshal lbeexecut oryexceptwhent hepenal tyi
sr emov al,inwhi chcaset he
sameshal lbeexecutoryonlyaf t
erconf i
rmationbyt heSecretaryconcer ned.[ Emphases
andunder scori
ngsuppl ied]

Whilei ni tsassai l
ed deci
sion,t heCA conceded t hatparagraph oneoft hesame
provisi
onabov equotedall
owst hef i
l
ingofacompl aintdir
ect
lywi ththeCSC,itmakesa
dist
inctionbet weenacompl aintf i
ledbyapr i
vat
eci t
izenandt hatofanempl oyeeunder
thejurisdicti
onoft hediscipl
iningaut hor
it
yinvolved.TheCA r esolv
edthatbecause
Cuev awast hent heDeanoft heCol l
egeofLaw andt heChiefLegalCounselofPUP
whenhef i
ledthecompl ai
ntwi ththeCSC, hewasundert heaut hori
tyoft
hePUPBoar d
ofRegent s.Thus,itistheBoar dofRegent swhichhadexcl usivejuri
sdi
cti
onov erthe
admi ni
st r
ativ
ecasehei niti
atedagai nstGuevar
raandCezar .

TheCour
tfi
ndsi
tsel
funabl
etosust
aint
her
eadi
ngoft
heCA.

Thei
ssuei
snotnov
el.
 29

Theunderst
andi
ngbytheCAofSect ion47,Chapter7,Subti
tl
eA,Ti t
leI
,BookVofE.O.
No.292whichstat
esthat"acomplaintmaybef i
leddir
ectl
ywi t
ht heCommissi
onbya
pri
vat
eciti
zenagai
nstagovernmentoffi
cialoremploy
ee"isthattheCSCcanonlytake
cogni
zanceofacasef i
leddirect
lybefor
ei tift
hecompl ai
ntwasmadebyapr i
vate
ci
ti
zen.

TheCour tisnotunawar eoft heuseoft hewor ds" pri

v atecitizen"int hesubj ect
provi
sionandt heplainmeani ngr uleofst atutoryconstructionwhi chr equir
est hatwhen
thelawi sclearandunambi guous,i tmustbet akentomeanexact lywhati tsay s.The
Court,howev er
,fi
ndst hatasi mpl isticinterpretat
ionisnoti nkeepi ngwi ththei ntenti
on
ofthest at
uteandpr evailingjurispr udence.I tisawel l
-establishedrulet hatlawsshoul d
begivenar easonableint erpretationsoasnott odefeatthev erypurposef orwhi chthey
werepassed.Assuch," al i
terali nterpretati
oni stober ej
ect edifitwoul dbeunj ustor
20 21
l
eadt oabsur dresul
ts." I
nSecr et aryofJust icev.Koruga, theCour temphasi zedt hi
s
pri
ncipleandcautionedusont heov erzealousappl i
cat
ionoft heplainmeani ngr ule:

Thegener alr ul
ei nconstruingwor dsandphr asesusedi nast atut
ei st hatint he
absenceofl egislat
iveint
entt othecont rary
,theyshouldbegi venthei
rpl ai
n,ordinary,
andcommonusagemeani ng.Howev er ,al it
eralint
erpr
etati
onofast atuteistobe
rej
ectedifitwilloper
ateunjustl
y,leadtoabsur dresult
s,orcontr
acttheevidentmeani ng
ofthestatutetakenasawhol e.Afterall,
st at
utesshouldrecei
veasensibleconst r
uction,
suchaswi l
lgiveef f
ecttot helegislat
ivei ntent
ionandsoast oav oi
danunj ustoran
absurdconcl usi
on.Indeed,courtsar enott ogi vewordsmeani ngsthatwoul dleadt o
22
absurdorunr easonableconsequences.

Al i
teralinterpretationofE. O.292woul dmeant hatonl ypri
vate
cit
izens can f i
le a compl aint directl
y wi th the CSC. For
admi nistr
ativ
ecasesi nstit
utedbygov ernmentempl oyeesagainst
theirf el
l
ow publ icser vants,t heCSCwoul donlyhav eappel l
ate
j
urisdicti
on ov ert hose.Such a pl ainr eading oft he subject
prov i
sionofE. O.202woul def f
ectivel
ydi vestCSCofi tsor i
ginal
j
urisdicti
on,al bei
tshar ed,pr ov i
dedbyl aw.Mor eover,itisclearly
unreasonabl e as i twoul d be t antamountt o disenfranchi
sing
gov ernmentempl oy eesbyr emov ingf rom them anal t
ernativ
e
cour seofact i
onagai nsterringpubl icof fi
cial
s.

Thereisnocogentr easontodi f
fer
ent
iat
ebet weenacompl ai
nt
fi
ledbyapr i
vat
eciti
zenandonef i
l
edbyamemberoft hecivi
l
servi
ce,especi
all
yinli
ghtofSecti
on12(11),
Chapter3,Subt
it
leA,
Titl
eI,BookVoft hesameE. O.No.292whi chconfer
supont he
CSCt hepowerto"hearanddecideadmini
str
ati
vecasesinst
it
uted
by orbr oughtbeforeitdirectl
y oron appeal"wi t
houtany
quali
fi
cati
on.
23
I
nt hecaseofCamachov .Gloria, theCour tstatedthat"under
E.O.No.292,acompl ai
ntagainstast ateuniver
sityof
fici
almay
bef i
l
edwitheithertheuni v
ersity’
sBoar dofRegent sordirectl
y
24
withtheCi
vilServi
ceCommi ssion."I tisimport
anttonot ethat
theCourtdidnoti nterpr
ettheAdmi nist
rati
veCodeasl i
mi t
ing
 30

suchaut
hor
it
ytoexcl
udecompl
aint
sfi
l
eddi
rect
lywi
thi
tbya
memberoft
heci
vi
lser
vice.
25
Mor eov er,asear l
yasi nt hecaseofHi l
ariov.CivilSer vi
ceCommi ssion, t
heCour t
i
nt erpretedSect i
on47,Chapt er7,Subt it
leA,Titl
eI,BookVofE. O.No.292asal lowing
thedi r
ectf il
ingwitht heCSC byapubl i
cof f
ici
alofacompl ai
ntagai nstaf el
low
gov ernmentempl oyee.I nthesai dcase,QuezonCi tyVice-May orCharit
oPl anasdi rectl
y
fi
ledwi tht heCSC acompl aintf orusurpati
on,grav emi sconduct,beingnot oriousl
y
undesi rable,grossinsubor di
nat ion,andconductpr ejudi
cialtot hebesti nterestoft he
ser v
iceagai nsttheCityLegalOf ficerofQuezonCi t
y.TheCSCi ssuedar esol uti
onr uli
ng
thatt her espondentof fici
alshoul dnotbeal l
owedt ocont i
nueholdingt heposi ti
onof
l
egalof fi
cer.Inapetiti
ont otheSupr emeCour t,t
heof fi
cialinquesti
onasser t
edt hatthe
CityMay orwast heonl yonewhocoul dremov ehimf r
om of fi
cedirect
lyandnott heCSC.
The Cour tupheldt he deci sion oft he CSC,ci t
ing t he same pr ov i
sion oft he
Admi ni
strativ
eCode:

Alt
houghr espondentPlanasisapubl i
cof f
ici
al,
thereisnothi
ngunderthelawt
oprevent
herfrom fi
li
ngacompl aintdi
rectlywi ththeCSCagai nstpeti
ti
oner.Thus,
whentheCSC
determinedthatpetit
ionerwasnol ongerentit
ledtoholdt hepositi
onofCityLegal
Offi
cer,itwasact i
ngwi thi
ni t
saut hori
tyundert heAdmi ni
strat
iveCodetohearand
26
decidecompl ai
ntsfi
l
edbef or
eit. [Underscori
ngsuppl i
ed]
27
Ithasbeenar guedt hatHi lar
ioisnotsquar el
yi npoint. Whil
ei tist ruet hatthe
circumst ancespr esentinthet wocasesar enotidenti
cal
,acar efulreadingofHi lari
o
revealst hatpet i
ti
onert herein quest i
oned the author
it
y oft he CSC t o heart he
discipli
nar y case fi
led againsthi m,al legi
ng t
hatt he CSC’ sj uri
sdicti
on was onl y
appel l
atei nnature.Hence,t hereferencet otheabovequotedpassagei nHi lar
ioisv er
y
appr opri
at ei
nt hi
scaseasr espondent sherei
nposeasi mil
arquer ybef oreus.

I
tcannotbeov er
emphasizedthattheidentit
yoft hecomplai
nanti
simmat er
ialtot he
acqui
sit
ionofj
uri
sdi
cti
onov eranadminist
rati
vecasebyt heCSC.Thelawisquiteclear
thattheCSCmayhearanddeci deadmi nistr
ati
vedisci
pli
nar
ycasesbroughtdi r
ect l
y
befor
eitori
tmaydeputi
zeanydepar t
mentoragencyt oconductaninv
esti
gati
on.

CSChasconcurr
entori
ginalj
urisdi
cti
onwi
tht
heBoar
dof
Regent
soveradmini
str
ativecases
TheUnifor
m Rul
esonAdmi
nist
rat
iveCasesi
nt heCivi
lService28 (t
heUnifor
m Rul
es)
expl
i
cit
lyal
lowst
heCSCt
ohearanddeci
deadminist
rat
ivecasesdi rectl
ybr
oughtbef
ore
i
t:

Sect
ion4.Juri
sdi
ctionoftheCi vi
lServ
iceCommi ssi
on.–TheCivi
lServiceCommi ssi
on
shal
lhearanddecideadmi nist
rat
ivecasesi
nsti
tutedby,orbr
oughtbeforeit
,di
rectl
yor
onappeal,
incl
udi
ngcont estedappointment
s,andshallr
eviewdeci
sionsandactionsof
i
tsoffi
cesandoftheagenci esatt
achedtoit
.

Exceptasot herwisepr ovidedbyt heConsti

tut
ionorbyl aw,the
Civi
lServiceCommi ssionshal lhavethefi
nalauthorit
yt opass
uponther emov al,separationandsuspensi
onofal loffi
cersand
employeesi nt hecivilservi
ceanduponal lmatt
ersrelat
ingtothe
conduct,discipli
neandef f
iciencyofsuchof
fi
cersandempl oyees.
[
Emphasesandunder
scor
ingsuppl
i
ed]
 31

The CA const rued the phr ase "t

he CivilServi
ce Commission shal
lhav et he fi
nal
authori
tyt opassupont her emoval,separat
ionandsuspensi onofallof ficersand
empl oyeesint
heci vi
lservice"t omeant hatt
heCSCcoul donlystepinaft
ert her el
evant
di
scipli
naryauthorit
y,inthi scaset heBoar dofRegentsofPUP,hadi nvestigatedand
decidedont hechargesagai nsttherespondents.Regr
ett
ably,t
heCAf ail
edt ot akeinto
considerat
iont hesucceedi ngsect ionoft hesamer ul
eswhi chundeni ablygr anted
ori
ginalconcurrentj
urisdi
ct i
ont otheCSCandbel iedi
tssuggestiont
hattheCSCcoul d
onlytakecognizanceofcasesonappeal :

Secti
on7.Jur i
sdi
cti
onofHeadsofAgenci es.– HeadsofDepar t
ment s,agenci
es,
provi
nces,ci t
ies,municipal
it
ies and ot
her i
nst
rumental
iti
es shallhav e origi
nal
concurr
entj uri
sdi
cti
on,wi tht he Commi
ssi
on,overt hei
rr espect
ive offi
cer
s and
29
employees. [Emphasissuppli
ed]

Itwasalsoar guedthatal
thoughSect i
on4oft heUnifor
m Rul
esissil
entastowhocan
fil
eacompl aintdi
rect
lywit
htheCSC, i
tcannotbeconstr
uedtoauthor
izeonewhoi snot
apr i
vat
ecitizentofil
eacompl aintdir
ectl
ywiththeCSC.Thisisbecausear ul
eissued
byagov ernmentagencypur suantt oitslaw-makingpowercannotmodify,reduceor
30
enlar
gethescopeoft helawwhi chitseekstoimplement.

Fol
lowi ng theearli
erdi squi
sit
ion,itcan besai dt hatt heUnif
orm Rulesdoesnot
contradicttheAdmi nist
rati
veCode.Rat her,theformersi mplyprov
idesar easonabl
e
i
nterpretati
onoft hel at
ter.Suchact i
oni sperfectl
ywi thint
heauthori
tyoft heCSC,
pursuantt oSecti
on12( 2),Chapter3,Subtit
leA,Ti t
leI,BookVofE. O.No.292,which
gi
vesi tt hepowerto" prescr
ibe,amendandenf orcerulesandregul
ati
onsforcarryi
ng
i
ntoef fectthepr
ovisionsoftheCi v
ilSer
viceLawandot herper
ti
nentl
aws."

Anotherv i
ew hasbeenpr opoundedt hatt heori
ginaljuri
sdicti
onoft heCSChasbeen
fur
therl i
mitedbySect ion5oft heUni f
orm Rules,sucht hattheCSC canonl ytake
cognizanceofcompl aintsf i
leddirect
lywi thitwhich:(1)arebr oughtagainstper
sonnel
oftheCSCcent raloff
ice,( 2)areagai nstt hi
rdleveloffi
cialswhoar enotpr esi
dential
appointees,(3)areagai nstof f
icial
sandempl oyees,butar enotact eduponbyt he
agenciesthemselves,or( 4)otherwiser equiredi
rectorimmedi at
eactionintheinter
est
ofjusti
ce:

Sect
ion5.Jur
isdi
cti
onoft heCivi
lServi
ceCommissi
onProper.– TheCi
vi
lSer
vice
Commissi
onPropershal
lhavej
uri
sdi
cti
onovert
hef
oll
owingcases:

A.Di
sci
pli
nar
y

1.Decisi
onsoftheCi
vi
lSer
viceRegi
onalOf
fi
cesbr
oughtbef
orei
ton
pet
it
ionforr
evi
ew;

2.Deci si
ons of heads of depar
tment s,agenci
es,provinces,cit
ies,
muni ci
pal
it
iesandotherinstr
umental
i
ties,imposi
ngpenalt
iesexceeding
thi
rtydayssuspensi
onorf ineinanamountexceedingthir
tyday ssal
ary
broughtbefor
eitonappeal;

3.Compl
aint
sbr
oughtagai
nstCi
vi
lSer
viceCommi
ssi
onPr
operper
sonnel
;

4.Compl ai
nts agai
nstt
hir
dlev
elof
fi
cial
s who ar
e notpr
esi
dent
ial
appoi
ntees;

5.Compl
aint
sagainstCivi
lServi
ceoff
ici
alsandemployeeswhicharenot
act
eduponbyt heagenci
esandsuchot hercompl
aint
sr equi
ri
ngdi
rector
i
mmediateact
ion,i
ntheint
erestofj
usti
ce;
 32

6.Request
sfort
ransferofv
enueofhear
ingoncasesbei
nghear
dbyCi
vi
l
Serv
iceRegi
onal
Offices;

7.Appeal
sfr
om t
heOr
derofPr
event
iveSuspensi
on;
and

8.Suchot heracti
onsorrequest
sinvolvi
ngissuesar
isi
ngoutofori
n
connect
ionwiththefor
egoi
ngenumerat
ions.

ItistheCour t
’sposi tionthatt heUni for
m Rul esdi dnotsuppl antthel awwhi chpr ov i
ded
theCSCwi thor i
ginalj uri
sdi cti
on.Whi let heUni form Rulesmayhav esopr ov i
ded,t he
Cour tinv i
tesat tentiont ot hecasesofCi vilSer v
iceCommi ssionv .Al fonso31 andCi vi
l
32
ServiceCommi ssionv .Soj or,t obef ur therdi scussedi nt hecour seoft hisdeci sion,
bothofwhi chbut tressedt hepr onouncementt hattheBoar dofRegent sshar esi ts
author i
tyt odi sciplineer ringschoolof ficialsandempl oyeeswi tht heCSC.I tcanbe
presumedt hat,att het imeoft hei rpromul gat i
on, themember soft hisCour t, inAl fonso
andSoj or,wer ef ul
lyawar eofal ltheexi stinglawsandappl icabl
er ulesandr egulat i
ons
pertainingt ot hej urisdi
ct i
onoft heCSC,i ncludi ngtheUni f
orm Rul es.Inf act ,Soj or
specificall
yci tedt heUni for m Rul esi nsuppor tofi t
srulingal l
owi ngt heCSCt ot ake
cognizanceofanadmi nistrati
vecasef il
eddi rectlywit
hi tagai nstt hepr esi dentofa
stateuni versi
ty.Ast heCour t
,i nt het wocases,di dnotconsi derSect ion5oft he
Uniform Rul esasal imi t
ationt ot heor i
ginalconcur r
entj
ur i
sdicti
onoft heCSC, i
tcanbe
statedt hatSect ion5i smer elyimpl ement ary.Itismer el
ydi r
ectoryandnotr est r
ictiveof
theCSC’ spower s.TheCSC i tselfisoft hisv iew asi thasv igorouslyasser t
edi ts
j
ur i
sdictionov ert hiscaset hrought hispet i
tion.

ThecaseofAl onso33 i
f sonal lfour swiththecaseatbench.Thecasei nv ol
veda
compl ai ntf i
ledbeforet heCSCagai nstaPUPempl oyeebyt woempl oyeesoft hesame
univ
er sity .TheCAwast henf acedwi ththeidenticalissueofwhet heri
twast heCSCor
thePUP Boar dofRegent swhi chhadj uri
sdi
ctionov ertheadmi ni
strati
vecasef i
led
againstt he sai d PUP empl oy ee.The CA si milarl
yr ul
ed thatt he CSC coul dt ake
cognizanceofan admi ni
strativecasei fthedeci sionsofsecr etar
iesorheadsof
agenci es, instrumental
ities,pr ov i
nces, ci
ti
esandmuni cipal
it
ieswer eappeal edt oitorif
aprivat eci tizendir
ectlyf il
edwi tht heCSCacompl ai
ntagai nstagov ernmentof fi
cialor
empl oy ee.Becauset hecompl ainant si nthesai dcasewer ePUPempl oyeesandnot
pri
vat eci tizens,theCAhel dt hatt heCSChadnoj uri
sdi cti
ontoheart headmi nistr
at i
ve
case.I tf urtherposited t hatev en assumi ng t
heCSC had t heaut hori
tyt o do so,
i
mmedi ater esorttot heCSC v i
olat edthedoct r
ineofexhaust i
onofadmi nistr
at i
ve
remedi esast hecompl aintshoul dhav ebeenf i
rstlodgedwi t
hthePUPBoar dofRegent s
toallowt hem t heoppor tunityt odeci deont hemat ter.ThisCour t,
howev er,reversedt he
sai
ddeci sionanddecl ar edthef oll
owi ng:

xxx.Admi tt
edl
y,theCSChasappel lat
ejuri
sdict
ionov erdisci
pli
nar
ycasesdecidedby
gov er
nmentdepart ment
s,agenci
esandinstr
ument al
i
ties.However,
acomplai
ntmaybe
fi
leddirectl
ywit
ht heCSC,andtheCommi ssi
onhast heaut hor
it
ytohearanddecidet
he
case,al t
houghitmayoptt odeputi
zeadepar t
mentoranagencyt oconductthe
i
nv esti
gati
on.xxx

xxx     xxx     xxx

Wear enotunmi ndf

ulofcer tainspeci all awst hatal l
ow thecr eationofdi sciplinary
commi tt
eesandgov erni
ngbodi esindi fferentbr anches,subdivisions,agenciesand
i
nstrument ali
ti
esoft he governmentt o hearand deci de admi nistrat
ive compl aints
againstt heirrespect
iveoffi
cersandempl oy ees.Bet hatasitmay ,wecannoti nt erpret
thecr eati
onofsuchbodi esnort hepassageofl awssuchas–R. A.Nos.8292and4670
all
owi ngf orthecreati
onofsuchdi scipli
narybodi es–ashav ingdiv estedtheCSCofi ts
i
nher entpowert osuper vi
seanddi scipl
inegov ernmentempl oy
ees,i ncludi
ngt hosei n
 33

theacademe.Toholdot her
wisewoul dnotonlynegatet heverypurposef
orwhichthe
CSCwasest abl
i
shed,i
.e.toinsti
l
lprofessi
onal
ism,integri
ty,andaccount
abi
l
ityinour
civ
ilser
vice,
butwouldalsoi
mpl i
edlyamendtheConst i
tuti
onitsel
f.

xxx     xxx     xxx

Buti ti
snotonl yforthisreasont hatAl f
onso’ sargumentmustf ail.Equal
lysignifi
cantis
thef actthathehadal readysubmi ttedhi msel ftot hejuri
sdict
ionoft heCSCwhenhe
fi
ledhi scount er-
aff
idav i
tandhi smot ionforr econsiderati
onandr equestedf orachange
ofv enue,notf r
om theCSCt otheBORofPUP,butf r
om t heCSC- Centr
alOf fi
cetot he
CSC- NCR.I twasonl ywhenhi smot ionwasdeni edthathesuddenl yhadachangeof
heartandr aisedthequest i
onofpr operj urisdict
ion.Thiscannotbeal l
owedbecausei t
woul dv iol
at et he doctrine ofr es judi
cat a,a l egalpr i
ncipl
et hatis appli
cablet o
admi nistr
ativecasesaswel l.Atthev eryl east,r
espondent ’sacti
v epart
icipati
onint he
proceedings byseeki ng affir
mat i
ver eliefbef or ethe CSC al readybar s him from
i
mpugni ngt heCommi ssion’sauthori
tyundert hepr i
ncipl
eofest oppelbylaches.

Int his case,t he compl ai

nt-affi
dav its wer ef i
l
ed byt wo PUP
empl oy ees.These compl aint s wer e not l odged bef oret he
discipli
nar ytri
bunalofPUP, butwer ei nst eadfiledbef or
et heCSC,
withav erment sdet ai
l
ingrespondent ’
sal l
egedv iolati
onofci vi
l
service l aws, rul
es and r egulations. Af ter a f act -
fi
nding
i
nv estigation,the Commi ssion f ound t hata pr ima f acie case
existed agai nstAlfonso,pr ompt ing t he Commi ssion t of il
ea
formalchar geagainstthelatter.Verily, sincet hecompl aintswer e
fi
leddi rectl
ywi t
ht heCSC,andt heCSC hasopt edt oassume
j
ur i
sdict i
onov erthecompl aint,theCSC’ sexer ci
seofj urisdicti
on
shallbet ot heexclusi
onofot hert r
ibunal sexer cisingconcur r
ent
j
ur i
sdict i
on.Tor epeat,itmay ,howev er ,chooset odeput i
zeany
depar tmentoragencyorof fi
cialorgr oupofof fi
cialssuchast he
BOR ofPUP t o conductt hei nv estigat ion,ort o del egatet he
i
nv estigationtothepr operregionalof f i
ce.Butt hesamei smer ely
34
permi ssi v
eandnotmandat oryupont heCommi ssion. [ Emphases
andunder
scor
ingsuppl
i
ed]

I
thasbeenopi nedthatAlf
onsodoesnotappl ytot hecaseatbarbecauserespondent
therei
nsubmi tt
edhi msel
ft othej ur
isdict
ionoft heCSC whenhef il
edhiscounter-
affi
davitbef
oreit,t
herebyprevent
inghimf r
om lat
erquestioni
ngt hej
uri
sdi
cti
onoft he
35
CSC.Suchci r
cumstanceissaidtobet otall
yabsentinthi
scase.

Ther ecordsspeakot herwise.Asi nAl fonso,respondentsher ei

n
submi t
tedt hemselvestot hej uri
sdi ct
ionoft heCSCwhent hey
36
fi
ledtheirJointCounter-
Affidav i
t.I twasonl ywhent heirMot i
on
forReconsi derati
onandMot iont oDecl areAbsenceofPr ima
37
FacieCase wasdeni edbyt heCSCt hattheyt houghtt oputin
i
ssue t he jurisdi
cti
on oft he CSC bef or
et he CA,cl earl
ya
desperate at t
emptt o evade pr osecut i
on byt he CSC.As i n
Alfonso,respondent sareal soest oppedf r
om quest ioningthe
 34

j
uri
sdi
cti
onoft
heCSC.

Basedonal lofthef
oregoing,theinescapableconclusi
onisthat
theCSC mayt akecognizanceofanadmi nist
rati
vecasef i
led
direct
lywi thitagai
nstanof fi
cialorempl oyeeofachar t
ered
statecol l
egeoruni ver
sity.Thisi sregardl
essofwhet herthe
compl ainantisapri
vateciti
zenoramemberoft heciv
ilservi
ce
and such or igi
naljuri
sdicti
on is shared wi t
ht he Board of
Regent softheschool.
Gaoi
rannotappl
icabl
e

Ini
tsdeci
sion,t
heCAr eli
edheavil
yonGaoir
anv.Al
cala38tosuppor
tit
sjudgmentthati
t
i
stheBoardofRegents, andnottheCSC,whi
chhasjurisdi
cti
onovert
headminist
rati
ve
complai
ntf
iledagai
nsttherespondent
s.

At horoughst udyoft hesai dcase,howev er,r evealsthati

ti si rrel
ev antt ot heissues
discussedi nt hecaseatbench.Gaoi ranspeaksofacompl aintfiledagai nstahi gh
schoolt eacherofast at
e-super visedschoolbyanot herempl oy eeoft hesameschool .
Thecompl aintwasr eferr
edt ot heLegalAf fairsSer vi
ceoft heCommi ssi
ononHi gher
Educat i
on( LAS- CHED) .Afteraf act-fi
ndi ngi nv estigat
ionestablishedt heexi stenceofa
primaf aciecaseagai nstthet eacher ,theOf ficer-i
n-Chargeoft heOf ficeoft heDi rect or
ofLAS- CHEDi ssuedaf ormalchar gef orGr av eMi sconductandConductPr ejudicialt o
theBestI nterestoft heSer vi
ce,t oget herwi tht heOr derofPr ev enti
veSuspensi on.The
newl y-
appointed Di rector of LAS- CHED,howev er,dismissed t he admi nistrative
compl aintont hegr oundt hatt hel ett
er-compl aintwasnotmadeunderoat h.Unawar eof
thisprev i
ousr esoluti
on,t heChai rmanoft heCHEDi ssuedanot herr esoluti
onf inding
petiti
onerther einguiltyoft hechar gesagai nsthi m anddismissi nghimf rom theser vice.
Thet ri
alcour tuphel dt heresolut ionoft hedi rect orofLAS-CHEDbutonappeal ,thi
swas
reversedbyt heCA,af fi
rmi ngt hedeci sionoft heCHEDchai rmanr emov ingpet i
tioner
from ser vi
ce.Oneoft hei ssuesr aisedt herei nbef orethi
sCour twaswhet hert heCA
erredindi sregar di
ngt hef actt hatt hecompl aintwasnotmadeunderoat hasr equired
byt heOmni busRul esI mplement ingBookVofE. O.292.

Inthesai dcase,theCourtconcurr
edwi ththefindingsoft heCAt hatitwast heformal
char gei ssuedbyt heLAS- CHED whi chconst i
t utedt hecompl ai
nt,andbecauset he
samewasi ni
ti
atedbytheappr opr
iatedi sci
pli
ningaut hori
ty,i
tneednotbesubscr ibed
andswor ntoandCHEDacqui r
edjurisdicti
onov ert hecase.TheCour tf ur
theraffir
med
theaut hori
tyoft heheadsofagenci est oi nvestigateanddeci demat t
ersi nvol
v i
ng
discipli
naryactionagai
nsttheiroff
icersandempl oyees.I
tbearsst r
essing,atthispoint,
thatt hereisnot hi
nginthecaset hatr emot el
yi mpl i
esthatthisCour tmeantt oplace
upont heBoar dofRegentexclusiv
ej uri
sdicti
onov eradminist
rativ
ecasesf i
ledagainst
theirempl oyees.

I
nf act
,fol
lowingtherulinginGaoi r
an,i
tcanbearguedthati
twasCSCResol ut
ionNo.
060521whi chfor
mallychar gedrespondentst
hatconst
it
utedthecomplai
nt,andsince
thecompl ai
ntwasi nit
iatedbyt heCSC it
sel
fast hedisci
pli
ningaut
hor
ity,theCSC
proper
lyacquir
edjur
isdicti
onov erthecase.

R.
A.No.8292i
snoti
nconf
li
ctwi
thE.
O.No.292.
I
naddi
ti
on,t
her
espondent
sar
guet
hatR.
A.No.8292,whi
ch
 35

grantedtot
heboar dofr egentsorboar doft r
usteesdi scipl
inar
y
authori
tyov
erschoolempl oyeesandof fi
cial
sofchar teredst at
e
coll
egesanduni ver
siti
es,shoul dprevai
lov erthepr ov i
sionsof
39
E.O.No.292. Theyanchort hei
rasserti
ont hattheBoar dof
Regentshasexclusivejuri
sdictionoveradmi ni
strat
ivecaseson
40
Secti
on4ofR. A.No.8292, t owi t
:

Section 4.Power s and duties ofGov er

ning Boards.– The
governingboar dshallhavet hefol
lowingspecifi
cpower sand
duti
esi naddit
iontoitsgeneralpowersofadmi ni
str
ationandthe
exerciseofallthepowersgrantedtot heboardofdi r
ectorsofa
corporati
on under Secti
on 36 of Bat as Pambansa Bl g.68
otherwiseknownast heCorporati
onCodeoft hePhil
ippines;

xxxx

(h) to f ix and adj ust salaries of f aculty member s and

administrati
veoffici
alsandempl oyeessubj ecttot hepr ovi
sions
ofther evisedcompensat i
onandcl assifi
cati
onsy stem andot her
perti
nentbudgetand compensat i
on laws gov erning hours of
servi
ce,andsuchot herdutiesandcondi t
ionsasi tmaydeem
proper;togr antthem,atitsdi screti
on,leavesofabsenceunder
suchr egulati
onsasi tmaypr omul gate,anypr ovi
sionsofexist i
ng
l
aw t ot hecont r
arynotwi thst anding;andt or emov et hem for
causei naccordancewi t
hther equirement sofduepr ocessofl aw.
[Emphasi ssuppli
ed]

Ther
espondent
sar
emi
staken.

Basicist hepr inci

plei nstat
utor
yconst ruct
ionthati nterpr
eti
ng
andhar moni zingl awsi sthebestmet hodofi nterpretati
oni n
ordert of or
m a uni form,compl ete,coherent,and i ntell
igi
ble
system ofj uri
spr udence,inaccor dancewi t hthel egalmaxi m
i
nterpretare et concor dar
e l eges l egi
bus est opt imus
41
i
nterpretandimodus. Si mpl
ybecauseal at
erst at
uter elat
est o
asi mil
arsubj ectmat terasthatofanear l
ierstatutedoesnot
42
resulti
nani mpl iedrepealofthelatter
.

Aper usaloftheabov equotedprovisioncl earl

yreveal
st hatthe
samedoesnoti ndicateanyi nt
entiont or emov eemployeesand
off
ici
alsofstateuni versi
ti
esandcol l
egesf r
om theambi tofthe
CSC.Whati tmer elyst atesisthatt hegov erni
ngboar dofa
schoolhas t he aut horit
yt o discipline and remov ef acult
y
 36

member sandadmi ni
str
ati
veoff
icial
sandempl oy
eesforcause.
Itnei
thersupersedes norconf
licts wi
th E.O.No.292 whi ch
all
owst heCSC tohearanddeci deadministr
ati
vecasesf i
led
dir
ect
lywithi
toronappeal.

Inaddi ti
ont ot hepr evi
ousl yci t
edcaseofAl fonso,t hecaseof
43
TheCi v i
lServiceCommi ssionv .Sojor i slikewiseinst ructi
ve.In
the sai d case,t his Cour tr uled thatt he CSC v alidlyt ook
cognizanceoft headmi nistrativecompl aintsdi r
ectl
yf iledwithit
concer ning violat
ions ofci vilser vi
ce r ules commi tted by a
universit
ypr esident.ThisCour tacknowl edgedt hatt heboar dof
regents of a st ate uni versity has t he sole power of
admi nistrat
ionov erauni versity,i
naccor dancewi thi tschar t
er
andR. A.No.8292.Wi t
hr egar dtot hedi scipli
ningandr emov alof
i
ts empl oyees and of fi
cials,howev er,such aut hor i
tyi s not
exclusivet oitbecauseal lmember soft heci vi
lservicef al
lunder
thejurisdicti
onoft heCSC:

Ver i
ly
,t heBORofNORSUhast hesolepowerofadmi nistrati
on
overt heuni versi
ty.Butthi
spoweri snotexcl usiveinthemat ter
of di scipli
ning and r emoving its empl oy
ees and of fi
cials.
Althought heBORofNORSUi sgivent hespeci f
icpowerunder
R.A.No.9299t odisci
pli
neitsempl oyeesandof f
ici
als,t herei s
noshowi ngt hatsuchpoweri sexcl usi
v e.Whent helawbest ows
uponagov ernmentbodyt hej urisdi
ctionto hearanddeci de
casesi nv olv
ingspeci f
icmatters,itistobepr esumedt hatsuch
j
urisdictionisexclusiveunlessi tbepr ovedthatanot herbodyi s
l
ikewi sev estedwi ththesamej urisdi
ct i
on,i
nwhi chcase,bot h
bodieshav econcur r
entjur
isdicti
onov erthemat ter.
Al
lmembersoftheciv
ilser
viceareunderthejur
isdi
cti
onoftheCSC,unlessot
herwi
se
pr
ovi
dedbylaw.Bei
nganon- car
eerci
vilserv
antdoesnotremoverespondentf
rom t
he
ambi
toft
heCSC.

Careerornon-car
eer
,aci
vi
lser vi
ceof fi
cialorempl oyeeiswi
thi
n
44
thejur
isdi
cti
onoftheCSC. [Emphasesandunder
scor
ingsuppl
i
ed]

Ithasbeenpoi ntedoutt hatthecaseofSoj ori snotappl icablet ot hecaseatbar

becausethedi sti
nctionbetweenacompl ai
ntfi
ledbyapr i
vateciti
zenandonef iledbya
45
governmentempl oy eewasnott akenintoconsi derat
ioninthesai dcase. Thedi ssent
fai
lstoconsi derthatSojoriscit
edi ntheponenci at osuppor tt
her ul
ingt hatR. A.No.
8292i snoti nconfl
ictwithE.O.No.292andt ocount errespondent s’flawedar gument
thatthepassageofR. A.No.8292gr antedt heBoar dofRegent sexcl usivej ur
isdiction
overadmi nistr
ati
vecasesagai nstschoolempl oyeesandof fi
cial
sofchar ter
edst ate
coll
egesanduni v
ersiti
es.Alsonoteworthyisthef actthatthecompl ai
nant sbef oret he
CSCi nSoj orweref acult
ymember sofast at
euni versi
tyandwer e,thus,gov er nment
 37

employees.Nev
erthel
ess,despit
et hi
s,t
heCour tal
lowedtheCSCt oassertjur
isdi
cti
on
overtheadminist
rati
vecase,proclai
mingt hatthepoweroftheBoardofRegent st o
46
di
scipl
ineit
soff
ici
alsandempl oyeesisnotexcl
usivebuti
sconcur
rentwit
ht heCSC.

ThecaseofUni versityofthePhi li
ppinesv .Regino47 wasalsoci tedtobol sterthecl aim
thatori
ginaljuri
sdict i
onov erdiscipl
inarycasesagai nstgov ernmentof fi
cialsisv ested
upon t he departmentsecr et
aries and heads ofagenci es and i nstrument ali
ties,
provi
nces,ci t
iesandmuni cipali
ti
es,wher east heCSConl yenj oysappellatejurisdi
ct i
on
48
oversuchcases. Theinterpret
at i
ont hereinoft heAdmi nistr
ativeCodesupposedl y
renderseffectualthepr ovisi
onsofR. A.No.8292anddoesnot" depri
vet hegov erning
bodyoft hepowert odiscipli
neitsownof ficial
sandempl oy eesandr enderi nutil
et he
49
l
egal pr
ovisionsondi sci
pli
narymeasur eswhi chmaybet akenbyi t."

TheCour trespect full

ydisagr ees.Regi noi sobv i
ouslyinapplicabletot hiscasebecause
there,theschool empl oyeehadal readybeenf oundgui l
tyanddi smi
ssedbyt heBoar dof
Regent soft heUni versi
tyoft hePhi l
ippines.Ther efor
e,t hei ssueputf or thbeforet hi
s
Cour twaswhet hert heCSC hadappel latejuri
sdicti
onov ercasesagai nstuniversit
y
empl oyees,consi dering the uni versity char t
erwhi ch gi ves itacademi cf reedom
all
egedl yencompassi ngi nsti
tutionalaut onomy .Incont r
ast,noadmi nistr
at i
vecasewas
fi
ledbef oret heBoar dofRegent sofPUPbecauset hecasewasf ileddi rectl
ywi t
ht he
CSCandso,t hequest i
onher eiswhet hertheCSChasor i
ginalconcur r
entj ur
isdict
ion
overdi sci
plinarycases.Rat i
onal ly,thequot edpor ti
onsi nRegi nofindnoappl i
cati
ont o
thecaseatbenchbecauset hosest atement sweremadet ouphol dt heCSC’ sappel l
ate
j
ur i
sdicti
on whi ch wasbei ng cont est ed bypet it
ionert herein.Att he r i
skofbei ng
repetit
ive,i
tisher ebyst ressedt hatt heaut hori
tyoftheCSCt ohearcasesonappeal has
alreadybeenest ablishedi nthiscase.Whati sinquest i
onher eisit
sor iginaljur
isdict
ion
overadmi nistrati
v ecases.

A diff
erentint
erpr etati
on ofthe Admi ni
str
ati
ve Code was suggested in or
dert o
harmonizethepr ov i
sionsofR.A.No.8292andE. O.292.Byal l
owingonlyapr i
vate
ci
ti
zent ofi
leacompl ai
ntdir
ect
lywit
ht heCSC,t heCSCmai ntai
nsit
spowert orevi
ew
onappealdecisionsoft heBoardofRegent swhileatt hesamet i
met hegov er
ning
50
boardisnotdepri
v edofi t
spowertodiscipl
ineit
soffi
cial
sandempl oy
ees.

Tobegi nwi th,ther

ei snoi ncongrui
tybet weenR. A.No.8292and
E.O.No.292, asprev i
ousl
yexplainedi nSoj or.Mor eov er ,
theCour t
fai
lst oseehow acompl aintfil
edbyapr ivateci tizeni sany
dif
ferentfrom onef iledbyagov ernmentempl oyee.I ft hegr antt o
theCSC ofconcur rentorigi
naljurisdictionov eradmi ni strat
ive
casesf il
edbypr iv
at ecit
izensagainstpubl i
cof f
icialswoul dnot
deprivethegov er
ningbodi esofthepowert odi scipli
net hei rown
offi
cial
sandempl oy eesandwoul dnotbev iolativeofR. A.No.
8292, i
tisinconceiv ablet
hatasi milarcasef iledbyagov ernment
empl oyeewoul ddoso.Suchadi sti
nct ionbet weencasesf i
ledby
pri
vateci t
izensandt hosebyci vi
lser vantsissi mpl yi l
logi caland
unreasonabl e.Toaccedet osuchami st akeni nterpret ationoft he
Admi nist
rati
v eCodewoul dbeagr eatdi sservicet oourdev elopi
ng
j
urisprudence.

I
tistheref
oreappar
entt
hatdespi
tet
heenact
mentofR.
A.No.
8292giv
ingtheboar
dofregent
sorboar
doftr
ust
eesofast
ate
 38

schoolt heaut hori

tyt odiscipl
ineitsempl oyees,theCSC stil
l
retai
nsj uri
sdi
ct i
onov ertheschoolandi t
sempl oyeesandhas
concurrentor igi
nalj uri
sdict
ion,togetherwi tht he boar
d of
regentsofast ateuniversi
ty,overadministrat
ivecasesagainst
stateuniversi
tyoffi
cialsandempl oyees.

Final
ly,wi thr egardt ot he concer nt hatt he CSC may be
overwhel medbyt hei ncreasei nnumberofcasesf il
edbef oreit
51
whichwoul dr esultfr
om ourr uli
ng, i tbehoov esust oal laysuch
wor r
iesbyhi ghli
ght i
ngt woi mpor tantf acts.Fi rst
ly,i
tshoul dbe
emphasi zed t hatt he CSC has or iginalconcur r
entj urisdi
ction
sharedwi ththegov erningbodyi nquest ion,inthi scase, theBoar d
ofRegent sofPUP.Thi smeanst hati ft heBoar dofRegent sfir
st
takes cogni zance of t he compl aint,t hen i t shal lexer cise
52
j
ur i
sdicti
on t o t he excl usi on of t he CSC. Thus,not al l
admi nistr
ati
vecaseswi l
lf alldi r
ect lyundert heCSC.Secondl y
,
Section 47,Chapt er 7,Subt itl
e A,Ti tleI ,Book V of t he
Admi nistr
ati
veCodeaf for dst heCSC t heopt i onofwhet hert o
decidet hecaseort odeput izesomeot herdepar tment, agencyor
offi
cialt o conductan i nv estigation i ntot he mat ter,t hereby
considerablyeasi ngthebur denpl acedupont heCSC.
Havi
ngt husconcl
uded,
theCour
tseesnoneedt
odi
scusst
heot
heri
ssuesr
aisedi
nthe
pet
it
ions.

WHEREFORE,t he peti
ti
ons ar
e GRANTED.The December29,
2006Deci
sionoft heCourtofAppealsisher
ebyREVERSEDand
SETASIDE.Resoluti
onNos.060521and061141datedMarch24,
2006 and June 30,2006,r espect
ivel
y,ofthe Ci
vi
lServi
ce
Commissi
onar eREINSTATED.
SOORDERED.

JOSECATRALMENDOZA
Associ
ateJust
ice

WECONCUR:

MARI
ALOURDESP.A.SERENO
ChiefJust
ice

ANTONIOT.CARPI O PRESBITEROJ.VELASCO,JR.
Associ
ateJust
ice Associ
ateJust
ice

TERESI
TAJ.LEONARDO-
DE ARTUROD.BRION
CASTRO Associ
ateJust
ice
 39

Associ
ateJust
ice

(Nopart)
* LUCASP.BERSAMI N
DI
OSDADOM.PERALTA
Associ
ateJust
ice
Associ
ateJusti
ce

MARI
ANOC.DELCASTI LLO ROBERTOA.ABAD
Associ
ateJust
ice Associ
ateJust
ice

MARTI
NS.VILLARAMA, JR. JOSEPORTUGALPEREZ
Associ
ateJust
ice Associ
ateJust
ice

(Nopart)
ESTELAM.PERLAS- BERNABE
BI
ENVENIDOL.REYES*
Associ
ateJust
ice
Associ
ateJusti
ce

CERTIFICATION

PursuanttoSecti
on13,Art
icl
eVIIIoft
heConsti
tut
ion,Iher
ebycert
if
ythatthe
conclusi
onsintheabov
eDeci si
onhadbeenreachedinconsul
tati
onbeforethecase
wasassignedtothewrit
eroftheopini
onoftheCourt.

MARIALOURDESP.A.SERENO
Chi
efJust
ice

Foot
not
es
*
Nopar
t.
1
Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.176162)
,pp.57-
72.
2
I
d.at57.
3
I
d.at97.
4
I
d.at196-
197.
5
I
d.at196.
6
I
d.at98,
197.
7
I
d.at197.
8
I
d.at107.
9
I
d.at110.
10
I
d.at196-
199.
11
I
d.at106-
120.
12
I
d.at146-
148.
 40

13
I
d.at155-
162.
14
I
d.at200-
212.
15
 Secti
on16.FormalCharge.–Aft
erafi
ndi
ngofapri
mafaci
ecase,the
di
scipl
i
ningauthor
it
yshall
f or
mall
ychar
getheper
soncompl
ainedof
.xxx

Ift
herespondenthassubmittedhiscommentandcounter
-af
fi
davi
ts
duri
ngtheprel
iminar
yinvest
igati
on,heshal
lbegi
ventheopport
uni
tyto
submitaddi
ti
onalevi
dence.

Thediscipli
ningauthori
tyshal
lnotent
ertainrequestsforclar
if
icat
ion,bi
l
ls
ofparti
cularsormot i
onstodismisswhichar eobviouslydesi
gnedt odel
ay
theadministrat
iveproceedi
ngs.I
fanyoft hesepleadingsareinter
posedby
therespondent,thesameshallbeconsideredasananswerandshal l
be
eval
uatedassuch.[ Underscor
ingsuppl
ied]
16
Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.176162)
,pp.730-
731.
17
Const
it
uti
on(1987)
,Ar
ti
cleIX(B),
Sect
ion2;Execut
iveOrderNo.292(
1987)
,
BookV,Tit
leI,
Subti
tl
eA,Chapter3,
Sect
ion12(6)and(11)
.
18
(
1978)
.
19
Execut
iveOr
derNo.292(
1987)
,BookV,
Tit
leI
,Subt
it
leA,
Chapt
er2,
Sect
ion6:

SECTI ON6.Scopeoft heCiv

ilSer
vice.—(1)TheCivi
lServi
ceembr acesal
l
branches,subdi
vi
sions,i
nstr
umentalit
ies,andagenciesoftheGovernment,
i
ncludinggovernment-ownedorcontroll
edcorporat
ionswithori
ginal
charters.
20
Munici
pal
it
yofNuevaEra,I
locosNort
ev.Muni
cipal
i
tyofMar
cos,
Il
ocosNor
te,
G.
R.No.169435,
Febr
uary27,2008,547SCRA71,96.
21
G.
R.No.166199,
Apr
il24,
2009,
586SCRA513.
22
I
d.at523-
524.
23
456Phi
l
.399(
2003)
.
24
I
d.at411.
25
312Phi
l
.1157(
1995)
.
26
I
d.at1165.
27
Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion(
J.Vel
asco)
,pp.10-
11.
28
Civi
lSer
viceCommissi
onResol
uti
onNo.99-
1936(
1999)i
nMemor
andum
Ci
rcul
arNo.19(1999)
.
29
I
d.
30
Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion(
J.Vel
asco)
,pp.6-
7.
31
G.
R.No.179452,
June11,
2009,
589SCRA88.
 41

32
G.
R.No.168766,
May22,
2008,
554SCRA160.
33
 
Civ
ilSer
viceCommi
ssi
onv
.Al
fonso,
supr
anot
e31.
34
I
d.at96-
100.
35
Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion(
J.Vel
asco)
,p.10.
36
Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.176162)
,pp.232-
235.
37
I
d.at106-
132.
38
486Phi
l
.657(
2004)
.
39
Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.176162)
,pp.603-
604.
40
(
1997)
.
41
Valenci
av .CourtofAppeals,
449Phil.711,726(
2003)andDreamwor
k
Constr
uct
ion,Inc.v.Jani
ola,
G.R.184861,June30,2009,
591SCRA466,474.
42
Val
erav
.Tuason,
Jr.
,80Phi
l
.823,
827(
1948)
.
43
Supr
anot
e32.
44
I
d.at176.
45
Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion(
J.Vel
asco)
,p.10.
46
Ci
vi
lSer
viceCommi
ssi
onv
.Soj
or,
supr
anot
e32,
at174.
47
G.
R.No.88167,
May3,
1993,
221SCRA598.
48
Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion(
J.Vel
asco)
,p.8.
49
I
dat9.
50
I
d.at11.
51
I
d.at9.
52
Pusev
.Del
osSant
os-
Puse,
G.R.No.183678,
Mar
ch15,
2010,
615SCRA500.

DI
SSENTI
NGOPI
NION

VELASCO,
JR.
,J.
:

Wher
et helaw i
sclearandunambiguous,i
tmustbet akento
meanexact
lywhati
tsaysandtheCourthasnochoi
cebuttosee
1
t
oitt
hatit
smandateisobey
ed.
TheCase
 42

Forconsi
derat
ionbeforetheCourtareconsolidat
edpeti
ti
onsforreview oncer
tior
ari
2
assai
li
ngtheDecember29,2006Deci si
onoft heCourtofAppeals(CA)inCA-G.
R.SP
No95293,null
ify
ingandsetti
ngasidetheresoluti
onsoft
heCivilServ
iceCommi ssi
on
(CSC)onj
uri
sdicti
onalgr
ound.

TheFact
s

OnSept ember27,2005,pet itionerHonest oL.Cuev a( Cuev a) ,thenChi efLegalCounsel

ofthePol ytechni cUni versityoft hePhi li
ppi nes( PUP) ,fil
edanadmi nist r
ativecompl ai nt
withtheCSCagai nstr espondent sDant eG.Guev arra( Guev arra)andAugust usF.Cezar
(Cezar ),who wer e t he Of ficer -i
n- Char ge/ Pr esident and t he Vi ce-Pr esi
dent f or
Admi nistration,r espect ively,oft hePUP.Thechar gewasf orgr ossdi shonest y
,gr av e
misconduct ,f alsifi
cationofof ficialdocument s,conductpr ejudi cialt ot hebesti nt erest
oftheser vice,not ori
ousundesi rabi l
ityandv i
ol ati
onofSect ion4ofRepubl icAct( R. A.)
3
No.6713. Accor dingt oCuev a,Guev ar r
af alsifiedGener alFor m No.58- A( Appli
cat ion
forBondofAccount ableOf ficialsandEmpl oy eesoft heRepubl i
coft hePhi li
ppines) ,a
publi
cdocument ,whi chhewasr equi redt oaccompl ishast heheadofPUPi nor dert o
bebonded and consequent l
yengagei nf inanci alt ransact ionsonsai di nsti
tution’ s
4
behalf.Guev ar raal l
egedl ycommi ttedf alsificat i
onwhenhewr oteont heappl i
cat ion
thathehasnopendi ngcr imi nalandadmi nist rati
v ecaseswhenbot hr espondent sat
thattimehav esev enteen( 17)pendi ngcasesf orv iolat i
onofSec.3( e)ofR. A.No.3019
5
beforet heSandi ganbay an. Guev arraal so cl aimed t hatCezar ,not wi thstanding hi s
knowl edgeoft heseexi stingcasesagai nstt hem,st i
llendor sedandr ecommendedf or
6
approv alsai d appl i
cation. On t heirpar t
,r espondent s cl arifi
ed t hati twas t hei r
underst anding t hatt he phr ase " crimi naloradmi nistrati
v er ecords"per taintof inal
convict i
oni nacr iminaladmi nistr ati
v ecase.Theyaddt hat ,inasmuchast headv erted
sevent een( 17)caseshadnoty etbeendeci dedbyt heSandi ganbay an,Guev arr a’s
negativ eanswert oQuest ionNo.11i nGener alFor m No.58- Awhi chst ates,"Doy ou
7
haveanycr imi naloradmi ni strativer ecor ds? "wascor rect. Af terapr imaf acief i
ndi ng
thatrespondent scommi ttedact spuni shabl eundert heCi vilSer viceLawandRul es, the
8
CSC,onMar ch24,2006,i ssuedResol utionNo.060521 f or mal l
ychar gingGuev ar ra
withDi shonest yandCezarwi thConductPr ejudi cial tot heBestI nterestoft heSer vice.

Thereafter,respondent sfi
ledt heirMot i
onf orReconsi derationandMot iontoDecl are
9
AbsenceofPr i
maFaci eCase,t hereinpraying,amongot herthings,thatthecasebe
i
mmedi atelysuspended.Cuev a,on t he otherhand,i nterposed an Ur gentEx -
Parte
10 11
Motionf ortheI ssuanceofPr ev enti
veSuspensi on, aswel lasanOmni busMot i
on,
prayi
ngt hatanor derofpr eventiv
esuspensi onagai nstr espondentsi ssueandt he
i
nclusionoft hecer t
ainof f
ensesi nthef or
malchar geagainstt hetwo,particul
arl
y:grave
misconduct ,fal
sif
icationofof f
icialdocument ,conductpr ejudici
altothebestinterestof
theservice,beingnot ori
ouslyundesi r
able,andv iolat
ionofSec.4ofR. A.No.6713.

ByResol uti
onNo.061141dat edJune30,2006,t
heCSC deniedbothrespondent
s’
mot i
onf orreconsiderat
ionandCueva’
smotiontoincl
udeaddi
ti
onalchargesagai
nst
12
respondents. Nonethel
ess,t
heCSCplacedGuevar
raunderpr
event
ivesuspensi
onfor
ninet
y(90)day s.

Theref
rom,respondent swenttot heCA onapet i
ti
onf orcerti
orar
iandpr ohi
bit
ion
questi
oni
ngthej uri
sdict
ionoftheCSCovertheadministr
ati
vecomplaintf
il
edagainst
them.OnDecember29,2006,t heCArender
edaDeci si
ongranti
ngt hepet
iti
onand
null
i
fyi
ngtheresoluti
onissuedbytheCSCforl
ackofj
uri
sdicti
on.

Aggr
iev
ed,
pet
it
ioner
shav
efi
l
edt
hei
nst
antsepar
atepet
it
ions.

I
ssue
 43

WHETHER THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSI

ON HAS ORIGINAL
CONCURRENT JURISDICTION OVER ADMINISTRATI
VE CASES
FALLI
NGUNDERTHEJURI SDI
CTIONOFHEADSOFAGENCI ES.
Di
scussi
on

Thepet
it
ionsar
eber
eftofmer
it
.
Jur
isdi
cti
onasconf
err
edbyl
aw

I
tisabasiclegalpreceptthat"
juri
sdict
ionov erthesubjectmatter
13
ofacaseisconf er
redbyl aw."I ntheinstantcase,theper ti
nent
l
egalprovi
si
oni sSection47,Chapter7,Subt it
leA,Titl
eI ,BookV
of Executi
ve Or der No. 292 ( otherwise known as t he
"Admi
nist
rati
veCode" ),whi
chreads:

Sec.47.Di scipl
inar
yJur i
sdiction.— ( 1)TheCommi ssionshal l
deci deuponappealal ladmi ni
st r
ativedi sci
plinarycasesi nvolving
thei mposi t
ionofapenal tyofsuspensi onf ormor ethant hi
r t
y
day s,orfi
nei nanamountexceedi ngt hirt
yday s’salary,
demot ion
i
nr ankorsal aryortransfer,remov alordi smi ssalfrom office.A
compl aintmaybef il
eddi rectl
ywi tht heCommi ssi
onbyapr ivate
cit
izenagai nstagov ernmentof fi
cialorempl oyeeinwhi chcasei t
mayhearanddeci det hecaseori tmaydeput i
zeanydepar tment
oragency orof fi
ci
alorgr oup ofof fi
cialst o conductt he
i
nv estigat
ion.Ther esultsoft hei nvest i
gationshal lbesubmi tted
tot heCommi ssionwi threcommendat ionast othepenal tyt obe
i
mposedorot heractiontobet aken.

(2)TheSecr etariesandheadsofagenci esandi nstrument ali

ti
es,
prov inces,citi
es and muni ci
pali
ties shal lhavej urisdicti
on to
i
nv est i
gate and deci de mattersi nv ol
ving disciplinary act i
on
agai nstof fi
cers and empl oyees undert heirjurisdiction.Thei r
deci sionsshallbef i
nalincaset hepenal t
yi mposedi ssuspensi on
fornotmor ethant hirt
ydaysorf inei nanamountnotexceedi ng
thi
rt yday s’
,salary.Incaset hedeci sionrenderedbyabur eauor
officeheadi sappeal abletotheCommi ssion,thesamemaybe
i
nitiallyappealedt othedepar t
mentandf inall
ytot heCommi ssi
on
andpendi ngappeal ,thesameshal lbeexecut oryexceptwhent he
penal tyisremov al,i
nwhi chcasethesameshal lbeexecut oryonly
after conf ir
mat i
on by t he Secr etary concer ned. ( Emphasi s
suppl ied.
)
 44

Basedont hef i
rstpar agraphoft heabov e-quot edpr ovi
sionoft he
Admi nistrativeCode,i tiscl eart hat,asagener alr ul
e,t heCSC
shall hav e appel late j ur i
sdi ction ov er " al l admi nistr
ativ
e
disci
plinar y cases i nv olvi
ng t he i mposi ti
on ofa penal t
y of
suspensi on f ormor et han t hi rtyday s,orf ine in an amount
exceedi ng t hirty day s’sal ary,demot ion inr ank orsal ar
y or
tr
ansf er,r emov alordi smi ssalf rom of fice."Thi sj uri
sdi ct
ional
grantcompl ement st hesecondpar agraphoft hesamepr ovisi
on
which v ests upon t he depar tmentsecr etaries and heads of
agenci es and i nstrument al i
ties, pr ov i
nces, ci ties and
munici paliti
est heor i
gi nalj urisdi cti
ont oi nv est i
gateanddeci de
mat t
er s i nvol vi
ng di sciplinar y act i
on agai nst of f
icer s and
employ eesundert heirj urisdict i
on.Concomi tantly,thel aw even
accordsf i
nal itytothei rdeci sions" incaset hepenal tyi
mposedi s
suspensi onf ornotmor ethant hirtyday sorf inei nanamountnot
exceedi ngt hirtyday s’salary ."

Bywayofexcept i
on, thesamepr ovi
sional l
owsacompl ainttobe
"fi
l
eddi r
ectlywiththeCommi ssionbyapr i
vat
eci ti
zenagai nsta
gov er
nmentof fi
cialorempl oy eeinwhi chcasei tmayhearand
decidethecaseori tmaydeput izeanydepar t
mentoragencyor
offi
cialorgr oup of of fi
cialst o conductt he invest i
gation.
"
Evidentl
y,thelaw sanct i
onst hedirectf il
i
ngofacompl aintwith
theCSC,butonl yifapr ivat
eci ti
zenist hecompl ainant.Thus,t he
CSChasconcur rentj ur
isdi
ctionwi t
ht hedepar tmentsecr etari
es
andheadsofagenci esandi nstrumentaliti
es,provi
nces, citi
esand
muni ci
pali
ti
eswhent hecompl ainti
sf i
ledbyapr i
vatecitizen.

Inthiscase,Cuev a,thenChi efLegalCounseloft hePUP,f iled

the admi nistr
ativ
e compl aintdi rect
ly wi t
ht he CSC agai nst
respondent s.Appl y
ing t he abov ement i
oned pr ovisi
on oft he
Admi nistr
ativ
eCode,si nceapubl icempl oyeeandnotapr ivate
cit
izen fil
ed the compl ai
nt,t he case falls undert he ori
ginal
j
ur i
sdicti
onoft hedi scipli
ningaut hori
tyi nvolved,whichi st he
14
Board ofRegent s( BOR)oft he PUP. The CSC mer elyhas
appellatejuri
sdicti
on.Asst atedunderSect i
on4( h)ofR. A.No.
8292,ot herwiseknownast he" Hi
gherEducat i
onModer nization
Actof1997" :

Section 4.Power s and duties ofGoverning Boar

ds.– The
15
governingboard shal lhav
et hefol
lowi
ngspecifi
cpowersand
duti
esi naddi
ti
ont oit
sgener alpowersofadminist
rat
ionandt
he
exerciseofal
lthepower sgrant edtotheboardofdir
ector
sofa
 45

corporati
on underSect
ion 36 ofBatas Pambansa Bl
g.68
otherwiseknownastheCor
porat
ionCodeofthePhi
li
ppi
nes:
xxxx

(h)xxxandt oremov e[facul

tymembersandadmi ni
str
ati
ve
offi
cials and employ
ees]f orcause i
n accor
dance wit
ht he
requi
r ementsofdueprocessoflaw.(
Emphasi
ssuppl
ied.
)

Admit
tedly
,theRev isedUnifor
m RulesonAdmi nistr
ati
v eCasesi n
16
theCi
vil
Service ( Civi
lSer
viceRul
es)issi lentast owhocanf il
ea
compl
aintdirectl
ywi ththeCSC.Thepert
inentpr
ovi
sionoft
heCiv
ilSer
vice
Rul
espr
ovi
des:

Sec.4.Juri
sdi
cti
onoft heCi vilServ
iceCommi ssion.-TheCi v
ilServi
ceCommi ssi
on
shal
lhearanddecideadmi nistrat
ivecasesi
nsti
tutedby ,
orbroughtbeforei
t,di
rectl
yor
onappeal,
incl
udi
ngcont estedappoi ntment
s,andshal lr
evi
ewdecisionsandactionsof
i
tsoffi
cesandofagenciesat tachedtoit.

Exceptas ot her
wise provided by the Consti
tut
ion orby law,t he Civ
ilSer vi
ce
Commi ssi
onshallhavet hef i
nalaut
horityt
opassupont heremov al
,separat
ionand
suspensi
onofal loffi
cersandempl oyeesintheci vi
lserv
iceanduponal lmat t
ers
rel
ati
ng totheconduct ,discipl
i
neand ef f
ici
encyofsuch of f
icer
sand empl oy
ees.
(Emphasissuppli
ed.
)

I
tisbasi
ct hatar
uleissuedbyagov ernmentagencypursuantt
oitsquasi
-legi
slat
ive
powercannotmodify,reduce orenlar
ge t
he scope ofthe l
aw which i
tseekst o
i
mplement.Thedi
scoursemadebyt heCour
tinLokin,Jr
.v.Commissi
ononElecti
onsi s
i
nstr
uct
ive:

Theaut hori
tytomakeI RRsinordertocarryoutanexpr esslegislat
ivepur pose,ort o
effecttheoper at
ionandenforcementofal awisnotapowerexcl usivelylegislati
vein
character,butisrat
heradminist
rati
veinnatur
e.Ther ulesandr egulati
onsadopt edand
promul gated mustnot ,however,subver
torbe cont rar yto existi
ng st atutes.The
functionofpr omulgat
ingIRRsmaybel egit
imatelyexer cisedonl yforthepur poseof
carryi
ngoutt heprovi
sionsofalaw.Thepowerofadmi nistrati
veagenci esisconf i
nedto
i
mpl ement ingthelaw orputt
ingitintoeff
ect.Coroll
ar yt othisist hatadmi nistr
ati
ve
regulati
oncannotextendthelawandamendal egisl
ati
veenact ment .

Iti
saxiomatict hatthecl earlet
teroft helaw i
scont r
oll
ingand
cannotbeamendedbyamer eadmi nistr
ati
veruleissuedfori
ts
i
mpl ementat
ion.I ndeed,admi ni
strat
iveorexecut i
veact sshal
l
bev al
idonlywhent heyar enotcont rarytothel awsort he
17
Consti
tut
ion. (Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed.
)
18
Moreov
er,
inPadunanv
.Depar
tmentofAgr
ari
anRef
orm Adj
udi
cat
ionBoar
d, thi
sCour
t
hel
d:

I
tmustbest atedattheoutsetthatitisthelaw thatconfersj
uri
sdicti
onandnotthe
r
ules.Jur
isdict
ionoverasubjectmatterisconfer
redbytheConst i
tuti
onorthel
awand
r
ulesofprocedureyiel
dtosubstanti
velaw.Ot her
wisestated,j
uri
sdict
ionmustexi
stas
amat t
eroflaw.(Emphasi
ssuppl i
ed.
)
 46

Taki
ngt heforegoingintoconsider
ati
on,Sec.4oft heCivi
lServi
ceRulescannotbe
constr
uedasaut hori
zi
ngoneot hert
hanapr iv
atecit
izentofi
leacomplai
ntdi
rectl
ywit
h
theCSC,cont r
aryt otherul
ingi ntheponencia.Perti
nentl
y,ev
enSec.7oft heCivi
l
Servi
ceRulescannotruncountertotheclearprovi
sionoftheAdmini
str
ati
veCode.Sec.
7oftheCivil
ServiceRulesr
eads:

Secti
on.7.Jurisdi
cti
onofHeadsofAgenci es.– HeadsofDepar t
ment s,agenci
es,
provi
nces,citi
es,muni ci
pal
it
ies and ot
her i
nst
rument
ali
ti
es shallhav e origi
nal
concurr
entjuri
sdict
ion,witht he Commi
ssi
on,overthei
rr espect
ive offi
cer
s and
employees.(
Emphasissuppli
ed.)

Inthisregar d,"origi
nalconcur rentjuri
sdi
ct i
on"meanst hatthe
CSC and t he BOR hav e or i
ginalconcur rentj uri
sdi
ction ov er
compl ai
ntsf il
edbyapr iv
ateci tizenagainstamemberoft he
civ
ilservice,butt heBORhasor i
ginalandexcl usivejur
isdicti
on
overcompl aintsf i
ledbyamemberoft hecivilservi
ceagai nstan
offi
cerorempl oyeeoft heuni versit
y.Acont raryint
erpretati
on
vi
olatestheexpl i
citprov
isionoft heAdmi nistrati
veCode,ast his
i
scl earl
ycov eredbySec.47oft hesaidCode.

Bethatasi tmay ,andconsideringthattheCivi

lServiceRules
doesnotexpl ici
tl
yment i
onwhocanf i
leacomplai
ntdirectl
ywith
theCSC,t hent heclearimportofSec.47oft heAdmi nist
rat
ive
19
Code shoul dbecont rol
li
ng,thatis,
onlypri
vat
eciti
zenscanf il
e
administ
rati
v ecomplaint
sdirectl
ywiththeCSC.

Powert
odi
sci
pli
neadmi
nist
rat
iveof
fi
cial
sandempl
oyees
Indeed,gover
nmentemploy
ees, i
ngener
al,
beingmembersoftheciv
ilser
vice,
areunder
the jur
isdi
cti
on ofthe CSC.Thus,CSC’ s powerto di
scipl
i
ne erri
ng government
empl oy
eescannotbedoubted.Asthi
sCourthel
dinGar
ciav.Moli
na:

Thecivilservi
ceencompassesal lbr
anchesandagenciesoft heGov ernment,including
government -
ownedorcont roll
edcor porati
ons(GOCCs)wi t
hor iginalchart
ers,liket he
GSIS,ort hosecreatedbyspeci allaw.Assuch,t heempl oyeesar epar
toft heci vi
l
servi
cesy stem andaresubj ecttothel aw andtothecircul
ars,r ulesandr egulati
ons
i
ssued byt heCSC ondi scipli
ne,at t
endanceand generaltermsand condi ti
onsof
employment .TheCSChasj uri
sdict
iont ohearanddecidedi scipli
narycasesagai nst
20
err
ingempl oyees. (Emphasissupplied;ci
tati
onsomit
ted.
)

Nonetheless,CSC’ sjurisdicti
ont ohearanddeci dedi sci
pli
nar y
casesagai nster
ringgov ernmentof ficial
sisnotwi thoutlimi
tation.
As discussed abov e,the Admi nistrati
ve Code v estst he CSC
appell
atej uri
sdi
ctionov er"alladmi nistr
ativ
edi scipli
narycases
i
nvolvi
ngt hei mposit
ionofapenal tyofsuspensi onf ormoret han
thi
rtyday s,orfinei nanamountexceedi ngt hir
tyday s’salary,
demot i
oni nrankorsal ar yortransfer,remov alordismissalfrom
off
ice.
"Or igi
nalj ur
isdiction isv est ed upon t he depar t
ment
 47

secr
etari
es and heads of agenci es and i nst
rument ali
ti
es,
prov
inces,citi
es and muni
cipal
iti
es t
oi nvestigate and deci de
matter
s i nvol
ving di
sci
pli
nary acti
on agai nst of fi
cers and
employees underthei
rjuri
sdict
ion.I
n Uni
ver
sit
y ofthe Phi
l
ippi
nes v.
21
Regi
no, thi
sCour
thel
d:

TheCi v
ilServi
ceLaw( PD807)expr esslyvestsintheCommi ssionappell
atejuri
sdicti
on
i
nadmi nistr
ati
vediscipli
narycasesi nvolvi
ngmember soft heCi v
ilSer
vice.Section9(j)
mandat esthattheCommi ssionshal lhavethepowert o"hearanddecideadmi nistr
ati
ve
disci
pli
narycasesinstit
uteddi rectl
ywi thiti
naccor dancewi t
hSect i
on37orbr oughtto
i
tonappeal .
"AndSect i
on37( a)
,pr ovi
dest hat
,"TheCommi ssi
onshal ldecideupon
appealalladmi ni
str
ativedi scipli
narycasesi nvol
vingthei mpositi
onofapenal tyof
suspensionformor ethant hir t
y(30)day s,orf i
nei nanamountexceedi ngthirt
yday s’
salar
y,demot i
oninrankorsal aryortransfer
,remov alordismissalfr
om offi
ce."

Under t he 1972 Constit

uti
on,al lgovernment-
owned or cont r
oll
ed cor
porati
ons,
regardl
essoft hemanneroft hei
rcreat
ion,wereconsider
edpartoft heCivi
lServi
ce.
Undert he1987Const i
tuti
ononl ygovernment-
ownedorcont r
olledcorpor
ati
onswi th
origi
nalcharter
sf al
lwithi
nt hescopeoft heCivilServi
cepursuanttoAr t
icl
eIX-B,
Secti
on2( 1)
,whichstat
es:

TheCiv
ilSer
viceembracesal
lbranches,subdi
vi
sions,
inst
rument
ali
ti
es,andagenci
esof
thegover
nment ,i
ncl
udinggovernment-
ownedorcont rol
ledcor
porat
ionswithori
ginal
char
ter
s.

Asamer egovernment -
ownedorcontrol
ledcorporati
on,UPwascl earl
yapartoft he
Civi
lServi
ceundert he1973Consti
tut
ionandnow cont i
nuestobesobecausei twas
createdbyaspeciall
awandhasanor i
ginalchar
ter.Asacomponentoft heCi
vi
lServi
ce,
UPi sther
efor
egov ernedbyPD807andadmi ni
str
ativ
ecasesinvol
vingthedi
sci
pli
neof
i
tsempl oyeescomeundert heappell
atejuri
sdict
ionoft heCi
vilServ
iceCommission.
(Emphasissuppl
ied.)

EvenifReginoi
nvol
vestheappli
cat
ionofPresi
denti eeNo.80722 (
alDecr PD807),sti
ll
,
thedoctri
neenunci
atedther
eini
sst i
l
lappli
cabl
east heprov
isi
onont hedi
scipl
inary
j
urisdi
cti
onoftheCSCunderPD807i sretai
nedalmostver
bati
mi nt
heAdministr
ativ
e
Code.

Suchi nt erpretati
onr ender sef fect ualthepr ov i
sionsofR. A.No.
8292,whi chv est
st hegov erningboar dsoft heuni ver
sitiesand
coll
egeswi tht hepowert odi sci plinetheirer r
ingadmi nistrativ
e
offi
cials and empl oyees.Speci fi
cally,aside f rom i t
s gener al
power s ofadmi nistrat
ion,t he BOR as a gov erning boar dis
granted wi tht he speci f
ic powert o appoi ntv ice presi dents,
deans,di rectors,headsofdepar tment s,facultymember sand
23
otherof ficialsandempl oyees. Consi stentwi thitspowert ohi r
e
orappoi nti sthepowert odi sci plineitsofficialsandper sonnel .
Mor eov er,asment i
onedabov e,R. A.No.8292al sogr ant sthe
BORt hepowert or emov ei t
sof ficial
sandempl oy eesforcause
24
i
naccor dancewi thther equirement sofduepr ocessofl aw.
Clearl
y ,t hepoweroft heBORt odi scipli
neuni versit
yof fi
cials
 48

andempl
oyeescannotbedeni
ed.

Concomi t
antl
y,arul
ingt hatCSC’sjur
isdi
cti
ontohearanddeci de
di
scipl
inarycasesagai nsterringgov er
nmentoffici
alswithout
l
imit
ati
on wi llinev
itably depriv
et he BOR oft he powert o
di
scipl
ineitsownof fi
cialsandempl oyeesandrenderinut
il
et he
l
egalprovisi
onsondi scipl
inar
ymeasur eswhichmaybet akenby
i
t.

Moreimpor tant
ly,ifal
lthecompl aint
sf i
ledbyaci v
ilservi
ce
memberagai nstanothergovernmentemployeecomeundert he
concur
rentjuri
sdicti
onoftheCSC,t henthedaywillcomewhen
theCSCwi l
lbeswampedwi thallki
ndsofcases,i
ncludingthose
wherethepenaltyinvol
vedissuspensionnotexceeding30day s
orfi
nenotexceedi ng30days’salar
y.
Casesci
ted

Theponenciaci
tedsev
eralcasestosuppor
tit
srul
i
ngontheCSC’
sori
ginalj
uri
sdi
cti
on
totakecogni
zanceofacompl ai
ntdi
rect
lyf
il
edbef
orei
tbyagover
nmentemployeeor
off
ici
al.
25
Thef i
rstisCamachov .Gloria, whi
ch,asv i
ewedi ntheponenci a,didnotl i
mi tCSC’ s
authori
tytoexcl udecompl aintsfil
eddi rectlywi thitbyamemberoft heci vi
lserv i
ce.On
suchpoi nt,itiswor thment ioningthatt her eisnoneedf ortheCour ttolimi tCSC’ s
authori
tyinsai dcasebecauset hefact st hereindonotcal lforsuchdel i
neation.Asa
mat t
eroff act,peti
ti
onerthereincontendst hat" theBoar dofRegent shasnoj urisdict
ion
overhiscaseconsi der
ingthatasat eacher ,originaljuri
sdicti
onov ertheadmi nistrat
ive
case agai nsthi m isv ested wi th a commi ttee whose composi t
ion mustbe i n
accordancewi thR.A.No.4670, theMagnaCar taf orPublicSchoolTeacher s.
"Ev i
dently
,
therewasnoi ssueonCSC’ sjuri
sdict
iont ot akecogni zanceofacompl aintdirectlyfi
led
beforeitbyamemberoft heci vi
lservice.Mor eov er,i
tisnott heCour twhi chmayl i
mit
CSC’saut horit
yt oacquir
eor igi
naljuri
sdi ctionov eradmi ni
strati
vecompl ai
ntsf il
edbya
memberoft hecivi
lservi
ce.Rat her,i
tist hel awwhi chmaymakesuchl imitation, andin
thi
spar t
icularcase,iti
sthecl earprovisionoft heAdmi ni
strati
veCode.
26
Thesecondi sCi vi
lServi
ceCommi ssi
onv.Al f
onso, whichIsubmi tdoesnotal soappl y
tot hecaseatbar .Thesignif
icantdif
ferencebet weent heinstantcaseandAl fonsol i
es
i
nt hef actt hatr espondentthereinsubmi tt
edhi msel ft othejuri
sdictionoftheCSCwhen
hef i
l
ed hi scount er-
aff
idavi
tbef orei t
.Si gni
f i
cant ly,respondentt herei
n quest i
oned
CSC’ sj uri
sdi cti
on ov ert he complaintf i
led agai nsthi m onl ywhen hi smot ion for
reconsider ati
on wasdeni ed.Thus,hewasal readyest opped f r
om quest i
oning the
j
urisdictionoft heCSC.Suchci rcumst anceist otall
yabsenti nthei nstantcase.Cl earl
y,
Alfonsoi snot ,
andshoul dnotbe, aprecedentt ot hecaseatbar .Mor eover,Al
fonsoi sa
straydeci sionwhi chrunscount ertotheclearpr ov i
sionofSec.47oft heAdmi nistr
ati
v e
Code.
27
Thethir
d, Ci
vi
lServi
ceCommissionv.Soj
or, i
salsonotbi
ndingintheinst
antcase.As
i
twer e,theissueconcer
ningthedisti
nct
ionbet weenacompl aintfi
l
edbyapr ivat
e
ci
ti
zenandonef i
ledbyagov ernmentemploy eewasnott akenintoconsider
ati
onin
Soj
or.
 49

Finall
y,Hil
ariov.Ci vi
lSer vi
ceCommi ssion28isalsonotsquar elyinpoi nt.Forone,atthe
ti
met headmi ni
strati
v ecompl ai
ntwasf il
edagai nstpetiti
onert her
einbef oretheCSC, he
wasal r
eadyconsider edr esignedbyt henQuezonCi ty(QC)May orIsmaelA.Mat hay,Jr
.
(May orMat hay)almostaboutay earago.Ther efore,ifthenQCVi ce-MayorChar i
toL.
Planaswoul dstil
lf i
l
et hecaseagai nstpet it
ionerbef oret heOf f
iceoft heMay or,t
his
woul djustevidentlybeanexer ci
seinf ut
ili
ty.Andf oranot her,consi deri
ngthefactthat
petit
ionerwasal readyconsi deredresignedbyMay orMat hay,itwoul dbeabsur difthe
l
at t
erwoul dst i
llber equir
edt otakecogni zanceofanadmi ni
str
at ivecomplaintfi
led
againsthim, whois, forallintentsandpur poses,alreadysepar atedfr om employment.

Lawshar
moni
zedandr
ender
edef
fect
ual

To the ponencia,Sec.4(h)ofR. A.No.8292 ( poweroft he gover

ning boar
d of
univ
ersiti
esandcol l
egest oremov ethei
radmi ni
str
at i
veoffi
cial
sandempl oyeesf or
causei naccordancewiththerequir
ementsofduepr ocessoflaw)"doesnotindicate
anyintenti
ontor emoveemployeesandoffici
alsofstateuniv
ersit
iesandcol
legesfrom
theambi toft
heCSC. "Thi
sistrue,
toapoint.

Inthisr egard,itbear sstr

essi ngthatwithmysubmi ssiont hatonlyapr i
vateci t
izencan
fi
leacompl aintdirectl
ywi tht heCSC,t helatterisnotdepr i
vedofi tsjurisdi
ctionov er
admi nistr
ative cases f i
led bya memberoft he ci
v i
lser vice againstot herer ri
ng
governmentempl oy ees.Insuchcase,t heCSCr etai
nst hepowerofr eview ov erthe
decisionsoft hegov erni
ngboar dsofthecol legesoruni versi
tieswhent hesedeci si
ons
arebr oughtbef orei t
,onappeal ,pur
suantt oSec.47oft heAdmi ni
strati
v eCode.Att he
samet ime,wi thsuchi nterpretati
on,t
hesegov erni
ngboar dsar enotundul ydepr i
v edof
thepowert odi scipli
nethei rownof fi
cialsandempl oy
eesunderR. A.No.8292andt he
Admi nistrat
iveCode.Thi sway ,notonlyar elawshar moni zedwi theachot her,allof
them ar ealsor enderedef f
ect ualandoper at
ive.

Invi
ewoftheforegoi
ng,IsubmitthattheCSCdoesnothav
eor i
ginalj
uri
sdict
iontotake
cogni
zanceofthecompl ai
ntdirectl
yfil
edbef
orei
tbyCuev a,t
henPUPl egalcounsel
.
Onlyapri
vat
ecit
izencandirect
lyfil
eacomplai
ntwit
htheCSCandnoot her.

Accor
dingl
y,Ivotet
odenyt hepeti
ti
onsandaff
ir
mt heappeal
ed
December29,2006Deci
sionoftheCour
tofAppeal
s.
PRESBITEROJ.VELASCO,
JR.
Associ
ateJust
ice

Foot
not
es
1
Abel
l
ov.Commissi
onerofI
nter
nal
Rev
enue,
G.R.No.120721,
Febr
uar
y23,
2005,
452SCRA162;
cit
ati
onsomii
tt
ed.
2
Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.176162)
,pp.57-
72.
3
I
d.at97.
4
I
d.at197.
5
I
d.at98,
197and233.
6
I
d.at197.
 50

7
I
d.at107.
8
I
d.at196-
199.
9
I
d.at106-
120.
10
I
d.at146-
148.
11
I
d.at155-
162.
12
I
d.at200-
212.
13
Ci
tyofDumaguet
ev.Phi
l
ippi
nePor
tsAut
hor
it
y,G.
R.No.168973,
August24,
2011.
14
Sect
ion4(
h)ofRepubl
i
cAct
.No.8292ort
heHi
gherEducat
ionModer
nizat
ion
Actof1997.
15
UnderSect
ion3(a)ofR.
A.No.8292,
"[t
]hegover
ningbodyofstat
euni
ver
sit
ies
andcoll
egesisherebyint
heBoardofRegentsf
oruniver
sit
iesandi
ntheBoar
dof
Trust
eesforColl
egesxxx."
16
Promulgat
edbytheCivi
lSer
viceCommissi
ont
hroughResol
utionNo.99-
1936
datedAugust31,1999andimpl
ementedbyCSCMemor andum Cir
cul
arNo.19,
Seriesof1999.
17
G.
R.Nos.179431-
32,June22,2010,621SCRA385;ci
tingMetr
opoli
tanBank
andTrustCompany,
Inc.v.Nat
ionalWagesandProduct
ivi
tyCommissi
on,G.R.
No.144322,Febr
uar
y6,2007,514SCRA346, 349-
350.
18
G.
R.No.132163,
Januar
y28,
2003,
396SCRA196.
19
Sect
ion47,
Chapt
er7,
Subt
it
leA,
Tit
leI
,BookVoft
heAdmi
nist
rat
iveCode.
20
G.
R.Nos.157383&174137,
August10,
2010,
627SCRA540.
21
G.
R.No.88167,
May3,
1993,
221SCRA598.
22
TheCi
vi
lSer
viceLaw.
23
Sec.4(
g)ofR.
A.No.8292.
24
Sec.4(
h)ofR.
A.No.8292.
25
G.
R.No.138862,
August15,
2003,
409SCRA174.
26
G.
R.No.179452,
June11,
2009,
589SCRA88.
27
G.
R.No.168766,
May22,
2008,
554SCRA160.
28
G.
R.No.116041,
Mar
ch31,
1995,
243SCRA206.

Republ
i
coft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes
 51

SUPREMECOURT
Mani
l
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.169637 June8,
2007

BENGUETSTATEUNI VERSI
TYrepr
esent
edbyit
sPresidentROGELI
O D.
COLTI
NG,pet
it
ioner
,vs.COMMI
SSIONONAUDIT,r
espondent.

DECISION

J.
NACHURA, :

BeforethisCour tisaPet iti

onf orRev iew onCer tiorar
if i
ledby
peti
ti
onerBenguetSt at
e Uni versity(BSU)seeki ng t o null
if
y
1
Commi ssiononAudi t(COA)Deci sionNo.2003- 112 andDeci si
on
2
No.2005-019 dat edMarch17, 2005.COADeci si
onNo.2003- 112
aff
irmed COA- CAR Decisi
on No.2000- 3,disall
owi ng the ri
ce
subsidyandheal thcar
eal l
owancet otheemploy eesofBSU, whil
e
COADeci sion2005-019deni edBSU' smot ionf
orr econsiderati
on.

OnJul
y6,1997,Congr
esspassedRepubl
i
cActNo.8292ent
it
led
AnActPr ovidi
ngf ortheUnifor
m Composit
ionandPower softhe
Governi
ngBoar ds,theMannerofAppointmentandTerm ofOffi
ce
ofthePresidentofChar t
eredStateUni
ver
sit
iesandColl
eges,and
forOtherPur poses,commonl yknownast heHigherEducati
on
Modernizat
ionActof1997.Pur suantt
oSect i
on4(d)ofthesaid
l
aw,theBoar dofRegentsofBSUpassedandappr ovedBoar d
Resol
uti
onNo.794onOct ober31,1997,granti
ngri
cesubsi
dyand
heal
thcareall
owancetoBSU’sempl oyees.Thesumswer etaken
fr
om theincomeder i
vedfrom theoperationsofBSUandwer e
gi
ventotheemployeesatdi
ffer
entperi
odsi n1998.

OnOct ober20,1999,t
hegrantofthi
sr icesubsidyandheal t
hcare
all
owancei nthetot
alamountofP4, 350,000.
00wasdi sal
lowedin
auditunderNot i
ceofDisal
lowanceNo.99- 001-STF( 98)
,stat
ing
thatR.A.No.8292 does notpr ovide forthe gr antofsai d
3
all
owancet oemployeesandoffi
cial
soft heuniversi
ty.

BSU r equested the lif

ti
ng oft he di
sall
owance witht he COA
RegionalOffi
cebuti twasdeni edinCOA-CARDeci si
onNo.2000- 3
4
datedJanuar y26, 2000.Ci ti
ngSecti
on55( 2)ofR.A.No.8522or
theGener alAppropriati
onActof1998,i theldthatanon-exi
stent
i
tem, proj
ect,act
ivity,purpose,orobj
ectofexpendit
urecannotbe
funded by augment ati
on f r
om sav i
ngs or by t he use of
 52

appropri
ati
ons.Itfurt
herheldt hatthegrantofsaidal l
owances
l
acked st at
utor
y basi s, t r
ansgressed t he const i
tut
ional
proscri
pti
ononaddi ti
onal,double,orindi
rectcompensationand
rancountertotheprovi
si
onsoft heSalaryStandar
dizat
ionLaw.
BSUt her
eaft
erf
il
edapet
it
ionforr
evi
ew ofDeci si
onNo.2000-
3withtheCOA,whi
ch
peti
ti
onwasdeniedi
nDecisi
onNo.2003-1125 dat
edJul
y17,2003.TheCommissi
on
rat
ioci
nated:

Concededl
y,theprov i
sioninSect i
on8,Ar ti
cleI X-
B,1987Const i
t uti
ont hat,"No
el
ecti
veorappointi
v epubli
cof ficersorempl oyeeshal lreceiveaddi ti
onal ,doubl
e
orindir
ectcompensat i
on,unl ess specifi
callyaut hori
zed byl aw"al lows the
paymentofadditi
onalcompensat i
onwhenspeci f
ical
lyaut hori
zedbyl aw.I nthe
i
nstantcase,BSU al l
eges thatt he grantofRi ce Subsi dyand Heal t
h Care
al
lowancetoitsempl oyeesin1998i sauthorizedbyl aw, specif
icallySect i
on4of
R.A.No.8292,otherwiseknownast heHigherEducat i
onModer nizationActof
1997.However,acloserperusal ofthespecificlegalprov i
sionwhi chr eadst hus:

"
Sec.4.Power
sandDut
iesofGover
ningBoar
ds

xxx

"
d)xxx

Anypr ovisi
on ofexi sting laws,rulesand r egul
ationst othe cont rary
notwi t
hstanding,anyi ncomegener atedbyt heuniver si
tyorcol lege,fr
om
tui
tionf eeandot herchar ges,aswel lasf r
om theoper at i
onofauxi l
iary
servicesandl andgr ants,shallberetainedbyt heuniversi
t yorcol l
ege,and
maybe di sbursed byt he Board ofRegent s/Tr
ust ees fori nstruct
ion,
research,extensionorot herpr ogr
ams/ pr
ojectsoftheuni versi
tyorcol l
ege
xxx"

clearly negat e such cl aim ofaut horit

y.Iti s noted t hatt he term " other
progr ams/ projects"refer
stosuchpr ogr amswhi chtheuni versitymayspeci ficall
y
under takei npur suanceofi tsprimaryobj ect
ivewhi chi st oat tainqualityhi gher
educat ion.Thel aw couldnothav ei ntendedt hatt het erm" program/ projects"
embr aceal lpr ogramsofBSU,f ort hesebenef i
ts,thoughpar toft heov eral
l
oper ations,arenotdi rect
lyrelat
edtoBSU' sacademi cpr ogram.Undert hemaxi m
ofej usdem gener i
s,thement i
onofagener alterm af tert heenumer ati
onof
speci fi
cmat tersshoul dbehel dtomeant hatt hegener alt erm shouldbeoft he
same genus as t he specifi
c mat t
ers enumer ated and,t herefor
e,t he " other
progr amsandpr ojects"shouldbehel dt obeoft hesamenat ureasi nst r
uct i
on,
resear chandext ension.Thei ncl
usionofani ncent i
vesuchasRi ceSubsi dyand
Heal thCar eAl lowancet oitsteachersandnon- teachingper sonneli sapat entor
blatantdi sregardoft hestatutor
ylimitati
onont hepower soft hegov erningBoar d
ofSUCs,ast hesebenef i
tsar eindubitablynotoneofi nstructi
on,resear chor
extensi on.

Furthermore,employmentingov ernmentserv
iceguar anteessalari
esandother
compensat i
onpackagesandbenef itspur
suanttoperti
nentpr ov
isionsoft
heCivi
l
ServiceLaw.Allowingotherbenefi
tstobegrantedinexcessoft hoseauthori
zed
bylawi sil
legal
.Assuch,BSU' sattempttograntbenef i
tsoverandabov ethose
6
grantedbyt heCiv
ilSer
viceLawcannotbecount enanced.

Amot
ionf
orr
econsi
der
ati
onwasf
il
edbutwasdeni
edi
ntheassai
l
edDeci
sionNo.2005
 53

7
-
019dat
edMar
ch17,
2005.

Hence,
thi
spet
it
ionwi
thBSUposi
ti
ngt
hesei
ssues:

A.Whet
herornotPeti
ti
oneri
sauthor
izedtograntHeal
th
Car
eAll
owanceandRi
ceSubsi
dyt
oitsemploy
ees;and

B.Whetherornott he r
eci
pient
s shoul
drei
mbur
se t
he
8
amount
srecei
vedbyt
hem.

Beforeaddr essingt hei ssuesr aisedi nt hepr esentpet it

ion,it
bearsnot i
ngt hatwhatwasf il
edbef oret hisCour tisapet i
tion
captionedasaPet iti
onforRevi ewonCer tiorari
.Wepoi ntoutt hat
apet it
ionf orreviewoncer t
iorarii
snott hepr opermodebywhi ch
theCOA’ sdeci sionsar erev i
ewedbyt hisCour t
.UnderRul e64,
Section2oft he1997Rul esofCi v
ilProcedur e,aj udgmentorf inal
orderoft heCOAmaybebr oughtbyanaggr ievedpar tytot his
9
Cour ton cer ti
or ariunderRul e65. Thus,i tisonl ythrougha
petit
ionf orcer t
iorariunderRul e65t hatt heCOA' sdecisionsmay
ber eviewedandnul li
fi
edbyusont hegr oundofgr aveabuseof
10
discreti
onorl ackorexcessofj uri
sdicti
on.

Howev er,thoughcapt onedasaPet

i it
ionf orReviewonCer t
iorar
i,
wet r
eatt hispeti
ti
onasapet itionf orcertiorariunderRul e65f ori
t
all
eges" gr aveabuseofdi scret ion"and" r
eversiblel egaler r
or.
"
Theav erment sint hecompl aint,nott henomencl at uregivenby
11
thepar t
ies,det erminet henat ur eoft heact ion. Li kewise,in
previ
ousr uli
ngs,Wehav etr
eat eddi fferent l
ylabel edact ionsas
specialcivilact
ionsf orcert
iorar iunderRul e65f orr easonssuch
12
asjusti
ce, equit
y,andf airpl
ay .
BSU ascr i
besl egaler rorandgr aveabuseofdi scret iont otheCOA i naf fir
mingt he
disall
owanceoft her i
cesubsi dyandheal thcar ebenef its.Relyi
ngonR. A.No.8292, BSU
mai nt
ainsthati tcangr antsai dbenef it
st oi t
sempl oy ees.Itarguesthatt hesai dlaw
vestsst at
euni ver si
ti
esandcol l
egeswi thf i
scalaut onomy ,andgr antst hem ampl e
l
eewayi ntheappr opri
ationanddi sbursementoft heirf unds.BSUaddst hatt hegr ant
didnotcont ravenet heconst it
utionalpr ohibit
iononaddi ti
onalcompensat ionbecause
theallowancesar egrant edasani ncentiv
ei nappr eciat i
onofser vi
cesrender edandi n
recogniti
onoft heeconomi cpl i
ghtoft heempl oyees.Al so,theamount susedwer e
takenf rom incomegener atedbyi t
soper ationandr etainedbyt heuniv ersi
tywhi ch,
underR. A.No.8292,maybedi sbursedbyi tsGov er ni
ngBoar di namanneri tmay
determinet ocar ryouti tspr ograms.Fi nally,itarguest hattheSal ar
ySt andardization
Law doesnotexpr esslypr ohibitthebenef its,becauset hesaidallowancesar ei nt he
natureofaf i
nanci alassistanceandnotanaddi ti
onal income.

Weaf
fi
rmt
heassai
ledDeci
sions.
 54

BSU’
scont ent
iont
hatiti
sauthori
zedt ogr
antal
l
owancestoi
ts
empl
oy eesisbased on Sect
ion 4 (
d)ofR.A.No.8292.The
pr
ovi
sionreads:

SECTION4.Power sandDut i
esofGover ningBoards.— The
gover
ningboar dshallhav ethef oll
owingspeci f
icpowers
anddutiesinaddi t
iontoitsgeneralpowersofadmi ni
str
ati
on
andtheexer ciseofal lthepower sgrantedtotheboar dof
di
rect
ors of a cor porati
on underSect i
on 36 of Batas
Pambansa Bl g.68,ot her
wise known as t he Corpor
ati
on
Codeoft hePhi l
i
ppines:

xxx   xxx   xxx

d)tof i
xthetui
ti
onf eesandot
hernecessar
yschoolcharges,
suchasbutnotl i
mitedtomatri
cul
ati
onfees,graduat
ionf
ees
andl aborat
oryfees,asthei
rrespect
iveboardsmaydeem
propertoi mposeaf t
erdueconsul
tat
ionswitht hei
nvol
ved
sectors.

Suchf eesandchar ges,includinggovernmentsubsidiesand

otherincomegener atedbyt heuniversi
tyorcollege,shal l
consti
tutespeci alt
r ustf undsandshal lbedeposit
edi nany
authori
zed gov ernmentdeposi t
orybank,and allint erests
shallaccr uet heref
rom shal lpartofthesamef undf ort he
use oft he uni ver
si t
y orcol l
ege:Provided,Thati ncome
deri
ved f rom uni ver sit
y hospi t
als shall be exclusively
earmar kedf ortheoper at
ingexpensesoft hehospi
tals.

Anypr ov i
sionofex i
sti
ngl aws,rulesandr egul ationst othe
contrary not withstanding,any income gener ated by t he
universityorcol l
egef rom tuiti
onf eesandot herchar ges,as
wellasf rom t heoper ati
onofauxi l
iaryserv i
cesandl and
grants, shal lberetainedbyt heuniv er
sit
yorcol l
ege, andmay
be di sbur sed by t he Boar d of Regent s/Tr ustees for
i
nstruct ion,r esearch,extension,orot herprograms/ proj
ects
oftheuni v ersit
yorcol lege:Provided,Thatal lfiduciaryfees
shallbedi sbur sedf orthespeci f
icpur posesf orwhi chthey
arecol l
ect ed.

If
,forreasonsbeyonditscontrol
,theuniver
sit
yorcollege,
shal
lnotbeablet opur
sueanypr ojectf
orwhichfundshave
been appropri
ated and, al
located under it
s approved
 55

program ofexpendi tur

es,theBoar d ofRegent
s/Trustees
mayaut hor
izetheuseofsai dfundsf oranyreasonable
purpose which,ini ts di
screti
on,maybe necessaryand
urgentfortheattainmentoft heobj
ect
ivesandgoalsoft he
universi
ti
esorcollege;
xxx   xxx   xxx

Simil
arl
y,Commi ssiononHigherEducat
ion(
CHED)Memor andum
No.03-01,theRevisedImpl
ement i
ngRulesandRegul
ati
ons(IRR)
forR.
A.No.8292, provi
des:

RULEV

Power
sandDut
iesoft
heGov
erni
ngBoar
ds

SECTI ON18.Power sandDut i

esofGover ni
ngBoards(GBs) .
— The GBs ofchar t
ered SUCs shallhav ethe foll
owing
power s and duti
es,i
n additi
on toi t
s gener
alpower s of
admi ni
strat
ionandtheexerci
seofal lt
hepower sgrantedt o
aBoar dofDirect
orsofacor por
ati
onunderSect i
on36of
Batas Pambansa Bl g. 68, otherwise known as t he
"Corporati
onCodeofthePhi l
i
ppines,
"thus:

xxx   xxx   xxx

(d)tofi
xthetuit
ionfeesandothernecessar ychar
ges,such
as,butnotl
imi
ted,tomatri
cul
ati
onfees, graduat
ionfeesand
l
aborator
yfees,ast heymaydeem pr opert oimpose,aft
er
dueconsult
ati
onswiththeinv
olvedsectors.

Suchf eesandchar ges,includinggov er

nmentsubsidiesand
otheri ncomegener atedbyt heuni v er
sit
yorcol l
ege,shall
const i
tutespeci
altrustfundsandshal lbedeposit
edi nany
authorizedgovernmentdeposi torybank,andal li
nterestthat
shallaccruether
efrom shallbepar toft hesamef undf orthe
use oft he uni
versit
y orcol l
ege:Pr ovi
ded,thati ncome
deri
v ed f r
om univ er
sity or col lege hospital
s shal lbe
exclusivel
yearmarkedf ortheoper ationsofthehospital
s.

Anyi ncome gener at

ed byt he uni
versi
tyorcollege f
rom
tui
ti
onf eesandot hercharges,
aswellasf r
om t
heoperation
ofauxil
iaryser
vicesandl andgrant
s,shal
lberet
ainedbyt he
uni
versityorcollege,andmaybedi sbursedbyi tsGBf or
 56

i
nstruct
ion,resear
ch,extensi
on,orotherprogr
ams/proj
ects
oftheuniversit
yorcoll
ege:Provi
ded,Thatallfi
duci
aryfees
shal
lbedi sbursedforthespecif
icpurposesforwhichthey
arecoll
ected.

If
,forreasonsbey ondi tscontr
ol,theuniv
ersit
yorcol l
ege
shal
lnotbeabl etopur sueanypr oj
ectf
orwhichf undshav e
beenappropri
atedandal l
ocat
edunderitsapprovedprogram
ofexpendit
ures,i
tsGBmayaut hori
zetheuseofsai df unds
foranyreasonabl
epur posewhi ch,init
sdiscret
ion,maybe
necessar
yandur gentf ortheattai
nmentoft heobj ecti
ves
andgoalsoftheuniversityorcol
lege;
xxx   xxx   xxx

Whatisclearfrom Sect i
on4( d)ofR. A.No.8292citedbyBSUas
l
egalbasisofi t
scl aim aswel lasf r
om it
simplement ingrulesis
thati
ncomegener atedbyt heuni versi
tymaybedi sbur sedbyits
Governi
ng Boar df or"inst
ruction,resear
ch,extension,orot her
progr
ams/ pr
ojectsoft heuniversit
yorcoll
eges.
"

BSU t heori
zest hatthephr ase" otherprogr
ams/ projectsoft he
universi
tyorcol l
ege"inSect i
on4 ( d)coversal lpr oj
ectsand
programsoft heuni versi
ty,i
ncludingthosedesignedt oupl i
ftthe
economi cpl i
ghtoft he employ ees.Itisnotl i
mi ted tot hose
programs whi ch the universi
ty may specifical
l
y under take in
pursuanceofi tspr imaryobjectivetoachievequal i
tyeducat ion,
contrarytotheinterpret
ati
onoft heCOA.

Wedi
sagr
ee.

Under t he pr i
nci e of ej
pl usdem gener i
s,wher e a st atute
descr i
best hingsofapar ti
cularclassorki ndaccompani edby
wor dsofagener icchar acter
,thegener i
cwor dwi l
lusual l
ybe
l
imi ted t ot hings ofa si mil
arnat ure witht hose parti
cularl
y
enumer ated,unl esst herebesomet hingint hecont extoft he
13
statutewhi chwoul dr epelsuchi nference. TheCOAcor rectl
y
ruledt hatthe" otherprogr ams/projects"underR.A.No.8292and
i
tsI mpl ement i
ng Rul es should be oft he same nat ur
e as
i
nst ruction, r esearch, and ext ension. In BSU' s case, t he
disbursement swer eforricesubsidyandheal t
hcareal l
owances
whi char e,innoway ,i
ntendedf oracademi cprogramssi milarto
 57

i
nstruct
ion,r esear
ch,or ext
ensi
on. Secti
on 4 (d) cannot
,
ther
efore,bereli
eduponbyBSUast helegalbasi
sfort
hegrant
oftheallowances.
Fur
ther
mor e,areadi
ngoft heent
ireprovi
sionsuppor
tstheCOA’sint
erpr
etat
iont
hatt he
aut
hori
tygiventotheGov erni
ngBoar dofstat
euniversi
ti
esandcoll
egesisnotplenary
andabsol
ute.Itiscl
earinSecti
on4t hatthepowersoftheGoverni
ngBoardaresubject
tol
imit
ati
ons.Thisbeli
esBSU'sclaim ofpl
enaryandabsolut
eaut
horit
y.

NeithercanBSUf i
ndsol aceintheacademi cf r
eedom clauseof
the Const ituti
on.Academi cfreedom as adv ert
ed t oint he
Const i
tuti
on and i n R. A.No.8292 onl y encompasses t he
freedom oft hei nsti
tutionofhi gherlear ni
ngt odeterminefor
i
tself,onacademi cgr ounds,whomayt each, whatmaybet aught,
14
howi tshal lbet aught,andwhomaybeadmi tt
edtost udy. The
guaranteedacademi cf reedom doesnotgr antani nsti
tut
ionof
higherl earning unbridled aut
hor i
tyt o disbursei tsfundsand
grantaddi ti
onalbenef i
tssansst atutor
ybasi s.Unfort
unatelyf
or
BSU,i tfail
edt opr esentanysoundl egalbasi sthatwoul djust
if
y
thegrantoft heseaddi t
ionalbenefitstoitsempl oyees.
Sect
ion8,
Art
icl
eIX-
Boft
he1987Const
it
uti
on,
iscl
eart
hat
:

Noel ecti
veorappoi nt
ivepubl
icoff
icerorempl oyeeshallr
eceiv
eadditi
onal,
double orindir
ectcompensati
on,unless speci
fi
call
yauthor
ized bylaw,nor
acceptwithouttheconsentofCongr
ess,anypresent,emol
ument,off
iceorti
tl
e
ofanykindfrom anyfor
eigngover
nment.

Pensi
onsorgratui
ti
esshal
lnotbeconsi
der
edasaddi
ti
onal
,doubl
eori
ndi
rect
compensat
ion.

Besides,Sect
ion12ofR. A.No.6758ortheSal
arySt
andar
dizat
ion
Law alreadypr ov
ides forconsoli
dat
ion ofall
owances i
nt he
standardi
zedsalar
yrates,thus:

SEC.12.Consol idati
onofAl lAllowancesandCompensat i
on.
– Al l al lowances, except f or r epresentat
ion and
tr
anspor tati
onal lowances;cl othi
ngandl aundryallowances;
subsistenceal l
owanceofmar i
neof f
icer
sandcr ewonboar d
governmentv essels and hospi t
alper sonnel;hazard pay ;
al
lowancesoff orei
gnser vi
ceper sonnelstati
onedabr oad;
and such ot heraddi ti
onalcompensat ion notot herwi se
specifi
edher einasmaybedet erminedbyt heDBM,shal lbe
deemed i ncluded i nt he standardized sal
aryr at
esher ein
prescri
bed.Suchot heradditionalcompensat i
on,whet heri n
cashori nki nd, beingreceivedbyi ncumbent sonlyasofJul y
 58

1,1989noti nt
egrat
edi nt
ot hest
andar
dizedsal
aryr
ates
shal
lcont
inuetobeauthori
zed.

Thebenefit
sexcl udedf r
om t hestandardizedsalaryrat
esar ethe
"al
lowances" whi ch ar e usually gr anted to of fi
cials and
employees oft he gov ernmentt o defray orr eimburse the
expenses i ncurr
ed i n t he per formance of t hei
r of fi
cial
15
functi
ons. Cl earl
y,ther i
cesubsi dyandheal thcar eallowance
grantedbyBSUwer enotamongt heal lowancesl i
stedinSect i
on
12whi chSt at
ewor ker
scancont inuet orecei
veunderR. A.No.
6758ov erandabov etheirstandar di
zedsalaryrates.Hence,no
abuseofdi screti
onwascommi t
t edbyt heCOAi ndisall
owing
thedisbur
sementoff unds.

Asr egar dst her ef

und oft hedi sal
lowed benefi
ts,thisCourt
holdst hatt heempl oy eesneed notr efund thebenef i
tsthey
recei
ved based on ourr ul
i n Phi
ng i li
ppinePortsAut hori
tyv.
16
Commi ssiononAudi t. I nt hatcase,theCOA di sal
lowedt he
paymentofhazar d dut ypayand bi r
thdaycash gi f
tst oits
employ ees.ThisCour tsustainedt hedisall
owancebecauset he
grantwaswi thoutlegalbasi s.Howev er
,thisCourtrul
edagainst
therefundhol dingthat:

xxxPet i
ti
oner
srecei vedt hehazarddut ypayandbi r
thday
cashgifti
ngoodf ait
hsi ncet hebenefi
tswereauthori
zedby
PPA SpecialOrderNo.407- 97 i
ssued pursuantto PPA
Memor andum Ci rcular No. 34- 95 implement i
ng DBM
Nati
onalCompensat ionCi rcularNo.76,seri
esof1995,and
PPA Memor andum Ci r
cular No. 22- 97, respecti
v el
y.
Peti
ti
onersatthet i
mehadnoknowl edgethatthepay ment
ofsaidbenef i
tslackedl egalbasis.Beingi ngoodf ait
h,
17
peti
ti
onersneednotr efundt hebenefit
stheyreceiv
ed.

Ther ulinginPhi l
ippinePortsAuthorit
yappliestothi
scase.The
BSU empl oy ees received the ri
ce subsidy and heal
th car
e
al
lowancesi ngoodf ai
thsincethebenefitswereauthori
zedby
Board Resol uti
on No.794,ser ies of 1997.They had no
knowl edget hatthegr antofsaidbenefi
tslackedstat
utor
ybasis.
Theref ore,
ar efundisunnecessary.

WHEREFORE,t
he i
nstantpeti
ti
on i
s DENI
ED.Commi
ssi
on on
Audi
tDeci
si
onsNo.2003-112andNo.2005-
019ar
eAFFI
RMED
 59

butwit
hMODI FI
CATIONt hatBSUemployeesneednotref
undthe
ri
ce subsi
dy and heal
th care al
l
owance recei
ved perBoard
Resol
uti
onNo.794,seri
esof1997.
Nopr
onouncementast
ocost
s.

SOORDERED.

Quisumbi ng*,Ynares-Santi
ago,Sandoval
-Gut
ierr
ez,Carpi
o,Austr
ia-
Mar
ti
nez,
Cor
ona,
Azcuna, Tinga,Chico-Nazari
o,Garci
a,Vel
asco,Jr.
,JJ.
,concur.
Puno, C.J.
, onoffi
ciall
eave.
Carpio-Mor al
es,J.
, onleave.

Foot
not
es
*
Act
ingChi
efJust
ice.
1
Annex"
B,"r
oll
o,pp.21-
25.
2
Annex"
A,"i
d.at17-
20.
3
Annexes"
C"t
o"C-
1,"i
d.at26-
28.
4
Annex"
D,"i
d.at29-
30.
5
Supr
anot
e1.
6
I
d.at23-
24.
7
Supr
anot
e1.
8
BSU'
sMemor
andum,
p.5.
9
SEC.2.Modeofrevi
ew.-Aj udgmentorfi
nalresolut
ionoftheCommi ssi
onof
Electi
onandtheCommi ssi
ononAudi tmaybebr oughtbytheaggr
ievedpart
yto
theSupremeCourtonCerti
orar
iunderRul
e65,exceptasher ei
npr
ovided.
10
Reyesv.Commi
ssi
ononAudi
t,G.
R.No.125129,Mar
ch29,1999,305SCRA
512,
517.
11
Par
ti
dongManggawav.Commi
ssi
onofEl
ect
ions,G.
R.No.164702,
Mar
ch15,
2006,
484SCRA671,
684-
685.
12
I
d.
13
Chi
ngv.Sal
i
nas,
G.R.No.161295,
June29,
2005,
462SCRA241,
261.
14
Vi
de:Camachov.Cor
esi
s,G.
R.No.134372,August22,2002,387SCRA628,
637.
15
Phi
l
ippi
neI
nter
nat
ionalTr
adi
ngCor
por
ati
onv.Commi
ssi
ononAudi
t,G.
R.No.
152688,
Nov
ember19,
2003,
416SCRA245,
249.
 60

16
G.
R.No.159200,
Febr
uar
y16,
2006,
482SCRA490,
498.
17
I
d.at500.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.L-
40779 Nov
ember28,
1975

EPI
CHARIS T. GARCI
A, petit
ioner
,vs. THE FACULTY ADMISSI
ON
COMMITTEE,LOYOLASCHOOLOFTHEOLOGY,her ei
nrepr
esent
edbyFR.
ANTONI
OB.LAMBI NO,r
espondent.

Epi
char
isTGar
ciai
nherownbehal
f.

Bengzon,
Vil
l
egas,
Zar
raga,
Nar
cisoandCudal
aforr
espondent
s.

J.
FERNANDO, :

The speci fi
ci ssue posed by t s mandamus pr
hi oceeding to
compelt heFacul tyAdmi ssi onCommi tteeoft heLoy olaSchool
ofTheol ogy ,represent edbyFat herAntoni oB.Lambi no,toallow
petiti
onerEpi char i
sT.Gar cia,t ocont inuest udyingt hereinis
whet hershei sdeemedpossessedofsuchar i
ghtt hathast obe
respected.Thati sdeni ednotonl yongener alpr inciple,butalso
i
nv i
ew oft hechar act
eroft hepar t
iculareducat i
onali nsti
tuti
on
i
nv olved.Itisasemi nary.Itwoul dappeart her eforet hatatmost
she can l ay cl aim t o a pr ivil
ege,no dut y bei ng caston
respondentschool .Mor eov er,asar einfor cementt osuchan
obv i
ousconcl usion,therei st heaut onomyr ecogni zedbyt he
Const it
utioni nt hisexpl i
citl anguage:" Alli nst i
tuti
onsofhi gher
1
l
ear ning shal lenj oyacademi cf reedom. " The pet i
tion must
thereforef ail
.

Petit
ioner alleged:" 3. That in summer ,1975,Respondent
admi t
tedPet i
tionerf orstudiesleadi ngtoanM. A.inTheology
;4.
ThatonMay30,1975,whenPet i
tionerwant edt oenrol
lforthe
samecour sef orthef i
rstsemest er,1975-76, Respondenttoldher
aboutt helett
erhehadwr i
ttenher ,informingheroft hefacul
ty'
s
decisiontobarherf rom re-admi ssioni ntheirschool;5.Thatthe
reasons stated i n saidletter
,dat ed May19,1975 . ..do not
constitut
ev al i
dl egalgr ound f orexpul sion,f orthey neit
her
presentanyv iolat
ionofanyoft heschool '
sr egulat
ion,norare
 61

theyi ndi cat iveofgr ossmi sconduct ;6.Thatf r

om June25,1975,
Pet i
tionerspentmuch t i
meand ef forti n said schoolf ort he
purpose ofar riving ata compr omi se t hatwoul d notdul y
i
nconv eniencet hepr ofessor sand st i
llal l
ow hert o enj oyt he
benef itsoft heki ndofi nst r
uct i
ont hatt heschoolhast oof fer ,but
allinv ain;shewasi nf actt ol dbyFr .Pedr oSev il
l
a,t heschool '
s
Direct or,t hat t he compr omi ses she was of fer i
ng wer e
unaccept abl e,t hei rdeci sionwasf i
nal ,andt hati twer ebet terf or
hert o seek f oradmi ssion att he UST Gr aduat e School ;7
Pet i
tionert hensubsequent l
ymadei nqui ri
esi nsai dschool ,ast o
thepossi bilitiesf orherpur sui nghergr aduat est udi esf oranf or
M. A.i nTheol ogy ,andshewasi nf ormedt hatshecoul denr ollat
theUSTEccl esiast icalFacul ties,butt hatshewoul dhav et of ulfi
ll
theirr equi rement sf orBaccal aur eat ei nPhi l
osophyi nor dert o
hav eherdegr eel at erinTheol ogy—whi chwoul dent ailaboutf our
tof ivey ear smor eofst udies— wher easi nt heLoy olaSchoolof
Studi est owhi chshei sbei ngunl awf ullyrefusedr eadmi ssi on,i t
woul d ent ailonl y aboutt wo y ear s mor e;8.ThatPet i
tioner ,
consi der ingt hatt i
mewasoft heessencei nhercase,andnot
want ingt obedepr ivedofanoppor tuni t
yf orgai ningknowl edge
necessar yf orherl ife'swor k, enrolledasaspeci alst udentatsai d
USTEccl esi ast icalFacul t
ies,ev eni fshewoul dnott her ebybe
creditedwi thanyacademi cuni tsf ort hesubj ectshewoul dt ake; 9.
ThatPet it
ionercoul dhav er ecour senei thertot hePr esi dentofher
school ,Fr .JoseCr uz,hebei ngwi tht heFi rstCoupl e'sent our age
nowi nRedChi na,norwi t
ht heSecr etaryofEducat i
on,si ncet his
i
shi sbusi estt imeoft hey ear ,andJune11,1975i st hel astday
2
forr egi strat i
on;. .." Shepr ay edf orawr itofmandamusf ort he
purposeofal lowi nghert oenr olli nt hecur rentsemest er.She
madei tmor especi f
icinapl eadi ngshecal ledAmendedPet i
tion
sot hatshewoul dbeal l
owedcr oss- enr oll
mentev enbey ondt he
June11,1975deadl inef orr egist rationandt hatwhat everuni ts
maybeaccr edit edt oheri nt heUSTEccl esiast i
calFacul tiesbe
l
ikewi ser ecogni zedbyr espondent .Herpet it
ioni ncludedt hel etter
ofr espondentFat herLambi nowhi chst ar t
edonahappynot et hat
shewasgi vent hegr adeofB+andBi nt wot heologysubj ect s, but
endedi namannerf arf rom sat i
sf act oryf orher ,asshownbyt his
por ti
ont her eof :" Now, youwi llhav et of orgivemef orgoi ngi ntoa
mat terwhi chi snott oopl easant .Thef acul t
yhadameet ingaf ter
thesummersessi onandsev eralmember sar est r
ongl yopposed
tohav ingy oubackwi t
husatLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogy .I nt he
spiritofhonest ymayIr epor tt hist oy ouast heirreason:Theyf elt
 62

thaty ourf requentquest i

onsand diffi
culti
eswer enotal ways
per ti
nentandhadt heef f
ectofslowingdownt hepr ogressoft he
class;t heyf elty oucoul dhav etri
edt ogi vethepr esentat i
ona
chanceandexer tedmor eeffor
ttounder st
andt hepoi ntmade
bef oreimmedi at
el ythinkingofdif
fi
culti
esandpr oblems.Theway
thingsar e,Iwoul dsayt hattheadv i
sabil
it
yofy ourcompl eti
nga
progr am ( withallt hecour seworkandt hesiswr i
ti
ng)wi t
husi s
veryquest ionable.Thaty ouhavet herequisit
eintellectualabi l
it
y
i
snott o bedoubt ed.Buti twoul d seem t o bei ny ourbest
i
nt erestst owor kwi t
haf acultyt
hatismor ecompat i
blewi thyour
orientation.Ir egr ettohav etomaket hisreport,butIam onl y
3
thinkingofy ourwel fare.
"
This Cour t,i nar esol ution ofJune 23,1975,r equi red commenton t he par tof
4
respondentFacul tyAdmi ssi onCommi ttee,Loy olaSchoolofTheol ogy . Assubmi tted
onbehal fofFat herLambi no,i tsetf ortht hef ollowi ng:" Respondenti st heChai rmanof
theFacul tyAdmi ssionCommi tt
eeoft heLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogy , whi chisar el i
gious
semi nar ysi tuat edi nLoy olaHei ght s,QuezonCi ty ;Incol labor ationwi tht heAt eneode
Mani l
aUni v ersity ,t
heLoy ol aSchoolofTheol ogyal l
owssomel ayst udent st oat tendi ts
classesand/ ort akecour sesi nsai dLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogybutt hedegr ee, ifany ,to
beobt ai nedf r
om suchcour sesi sgr ant edbyt heAt eneodeMani laUni versit
yandnotby
theLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogy ;Fort her easonabov egi ven, layst udent sadmi ttedt ot he
Loy olaSchoolofTheol ogyt ot akeupcour sesf orcr edi tt her ei nhav et obeof ficiall
y
admi tt
ed byt heAssi stantDeanoft heGr aduat eSchooloft heAt eneo deMani l
a
Univ ersi tyi n or derf ort hem t o be consi der ed asadmi tted t o a degr ee pr ogr am;
Petitioneri nt hesummerof1975wasadmi ttedbyr espondentt ot akesomecour sesf or
credi tbutsai dadmi ssionwasnotanadmi ssi ont oadegr eepr ogr am becauseonl yt he
Assi stantDeanoft heAt eneodeMani laGr aduat eSchoolcanmakesuchadmi ssion;
Thati nt hecaseofpet i
tioner ,noaccept ancebyt heAssi st antDeanoft heAt eneode
Mani l
aGr aduat eSchoolwasgi v en,sot hatshewasnotaccept edt oadegr eepr ogr am
butwasmer el yal l
owedt ot akesomecour sesf orcr editdur i
ngt hesummerof1975;
Further mor e,pet i
ti
onerwasnotchar gedasi ngl ecent av obyt heLoy olaSchoolof
Theol ogyand/ ort heAt eneodeMani l
aUni ver sityi nconnect i
onwi tht hecour sesshe
tooki nt hesummerof1975,asshewasal lowedt ot akei tf reeofchar ge;That
respondentFr .Ant oni oB.Lambi no,S. J.,and/ ort heLoy ol aSchoolofTheol ogyt hr uits
Facul tyAdmi ssi onCommi ttee, necessar il
yhasdi scr etionast owhet hert oadmi tand/ or
tocont i
nueadmi tti
ngi nt hesai dschoolanypar ticularst udent ,consi deringnotonl y
academi cori ntellectualst andar dsbutal soot herconsi der ationssuchasper sonal it
y
trai
tsandchar act eror i
ent ationi nr elati
onwi thot herst udent saswel l asconsi der i
ngt he
natur e ofLoy ol a SchoolofTheol ogyas a semi nar y.The Pet ition f orMandamus
theref oredoesnotl i
e,ast herei snodut y,muchl essacl eardut y
,ont hepar tof
respondentt oadmi tthepet iti
onert herei nint hecur renty eart ot akeupf urthercour ses
5
i
nt heLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogy ."I twasl ikewi seal l
egedi nt heaf or esaidcomment
thatassetf or thi nthel et terofMay19, 1975, thedeci sionnott oal lowpet i
tionert otake
upf urthercour sesi nsai dsemi nar y" i
snotar bitrar y,asi tisbasedonr easonabl e
6
grounds,. ..." Thenr efer encewasmadet ot heav ailabi li
tyofnon- j
udi cialr emedi es
7
whichpet itionercoul dhav epur sued. Thepr ayerwasf ort hedi smi ssaloft hepet i
tion
forlackofmer it.Pet i
tionersoughtper mi ssiont or epl yandi twasgr ant ed.Ther eaf ter,
shehadadet ai l
edr eci talofwhyundert heci r cumst ancesshei sent it
ledt or el ieff rom
thecour ts.I nar esolut ionofAugust8,1975,t hi sCour tconsi deredt hecommentof
respondentasanswerandr equiredt hepar ti
est of ilet hei rr espect i
v ememor anda.That
theydi d, andt hepet it
ionwasdeemedsubmi ttedf ordeci sion.Aswasmadecl earatt he
 63

out
set
,wedonotseemer
iti
nit
.Itmustt
her
efor
ebedi
smi
ssed.

1.Inr espondent '

smemor andum, itwasmadecl earwhyapet iti
on
formandamusi snott hepr operr emedy .Thus:" Pet itionercannot
compelbymandamus,t her espondentt oadmi theri ntofurther
studiesi nt heLoy ol
aSchoolofTheol ogy .Forr espondenthasno
cleardut yt o so admi tt he pet itioner .The Loy ol a Schoolof
Theol ogy i s a semi naryf or t he pr i
est hood.Pet i
ti
oner i s
admi ttedlyandobv iouslynotst udy i
ngf ort hepr iesthood,she
beingal ayper sonandawoman.Andev enassumi ngexgr ati
a
argument ithatshei squal ifi
edt ost udyf ort hepr i
est hood,t here
i
sst il
lnodut yont hepar tofr espondentt oadmi thert osai d
studies,si ncet heschoolhascl ear lyt hedi scr etiont ot urndown
evenqual ifiedappl icant sduet ol i
mi tationsofspace,f acil
ities,
professor s and opt imum cl assr oom si ze and component
8
consi derations." No aut hor ities wer e ci ted, r espondent
appar entlybei ngoft hev i
ew t hatt hel aw hasnotr eachedt he
stagewher et hemat terofadmi ssi ont oani nst i
tutionofhi gher
l
ear ning rest son t he sol e and uncont rolled di scr eti
on oft he
appl i
cant .Ther e ar e st andar ds t hatmustbe met .Ther e are
policiestobepur sued.Di scr etionappear st obeoft heessence.I n
termsofHohf eld'
st ermi nology ,whatast udenti nt heposi t i
onof
petiti
onerpossessesi sapr ivileger athert hanar i
ght .Shecannot
therefor e sat i
sfyt he pr i
me and i ndi spensabl er equi si
te ofa
mandamuspr oceedi ng.Suchbei ngt hecase,t herei snodut y
i
mposed on t he Loy ola Schoolof Theol ogy .I nar ather
compr ehensi vememor andum ofpet i
tioner ,whounf or tunatel
ydi d
nothav ecounsel ,anat temptwasmadet odi sput ethecont ent i
on
ofr espondent .Ther ewasal abor edef f
or tt osust ainherst and,
buti twasnotsuf fi
cientlyper suasi v e.I tisunder st andabl ewhy .It
wast heski llofal ayper sonr at hert hanapr act it
ionert hatwas
evident .Whi leshepr essedherpoi nt swi t
hv igor ,shewasunabl e
todemonst r at
et heexi stenceoft hecl earl egalr ightt hatmust
existt ojustifythegr antoft hiswr it.

2.Nori
sthi .T
sal
l her
eis,aspr
evi
ousl
ynot
ed,t
her
ecogni
ti
oni
nthe
Const i
tutionofinsti
tuti
onsofhigherl
earningenjoyingacademic
freedom.I ti
smor eof t
enident
if
iedwitht herightofaf acult
y
membert opur suehi sstudi
esinhispar t
icul
arspecialt
yand
thereaftertomakeknownorpubl ishtheresultofhisendeavors
wi t
houtf earthatret
ributi
onwouldbev i
sit
edonhi mintheevent
thathisconcl usi
onsar efounddi
stast
efulorobjecti
onabletothe
 64

power st hatbe,whet heri nt hepol i

tical
,economi c,oracademi c
establi
shment s.Fort hesoci ologist,Rober tMcI v
eriti s" ar ight
claimed by t he accr edi
ted educat or,as t eacher and as
i
nv esti
gat or ,toi nterprethi sf i
ndingsandt ocommuni catehi s
conclusi ons wi t
hout bei ng subj ected t o any i nterference,
mol estation,orpenal izat
ion because t hese concl usions ar e
unaccept ablet osomeconst i
tutedaut horitywi t
hinorbey ondt he
i
nst i
tution."9Asf ort heeducat orandphi losopherSi dneyHook,
thisishi sv er sion:"Whati sacademi cfreedom?Br i
ef l
yput ,itis
the freedom ofpr of essi
onal l
y qual if
ied per sons t oi nqui re,
discover ,publ ishandt eacht het r
uthast heyseei ti
nt hef ieldof
theircompet ence.I tissubj ectt onocont roloraut horityexcept
thecont roloraut horit
yoft her ati
onalmet hodsbywhi cht r uths
orconcl usi onsar esoughtandest abl i
shedi nthesedi sciplines. "
10

3.Thati s onl y one aspectt hough.Such a v iew does not

compr ehendf ullyt hescopeofacademi cf reedom r ecognizedby
theConst i
tution.Fori ti stobenot edt hatt heref erencei st ot he
"i
nst itutionsofhi gherl earning"ast her ecipientsoft hisboon.I t
woul df ollowt hent hatt heschoolorcol l
egei t
selfi spossessedof
suchar ight.Itdeci desf ori tselfitsai msandobj ect iv
esandhow
best t o at taint hem.I ti sf ree f rom out side coer cion or
i
nt erfer ence sav e possi blywhen t he ov erri
ding publ i
cwel fare
cal l
sf orsome r est r
aint.I thas a wi de spher e ofaut onomy
cer t
ai nlyext endi ngt ot hechoi ceofst udent s.Thi sconst i
tut i
onal
prov isioni snott obeconst r
uedi nani ggar dlymannerori na
gradgi ngf ashi on.Thatwoul dbet of rust ratei tspur pose, nullif
yits
i
nt ent .For merPr esi dentVi cent eG.Si ncooft heUni versi
tyoft he
Phi l
ippi nes,i nhi sPhi l
ippinePol i
ticalLaw,i ssi milar l
yoft hev i
ew
thati t" definitel
ygr antst her ightofacademi cf reedom t ot he
uni versit yasani nst i
tuti
onasdi stingui shedf r
om t heacademi c
11
freedom ofauni ver sitypr ofessor ." Heci tedt hef ollowingf rom
Dr .Mar celBouchar d,Rect oroft heUni v
er sit
yofDi jon,Fr ance,
Pr esidentoft heconf erenceofr ect or sandv ice-chancel lorsof
Eur opeanuni versities:"" Itisawel l
-est abl ishedf act ,andy etone
whi chsomet i
mest endst obeobscur edi ndi scussi onsoft he
probl ems of f reedom, t hat t he col lective l iber t
y of an
organi zat i
oni sbynomeanst hesamet hingast hef r
eedom of
the i ndi v i
dualmember s wi thini t;i nf act ,the t wo ki nds of
freedom ar enotev ennecessar i
lyconnect ed.Inconsi deringt he
probl emsofacademi cf reedom onemustdi stingui sh,ther ef
or e,
 65

bet weent heaut onomyoft heuni ver sity,asacor por atebody ,

12
andt hef reedom oft hei ndi vidualuni v ersityt eacher ."" Al so:
"Tocl ar i
fyf ur thert hedi st i
nct i
onbet weent hef reedom oft he
univ ersity and t hatoft he i ndiv i
dualschol ar,he say s:" The
per sonalaspectoff reedom consi st si nt he r ightofeach
univ ersityt eacher— r ecogni zedandef f
ect ivel yguar ant eedby
soci ety—t oseekandexpr esst het ruthasheper sonal lyseesi t,
bot hi nhi sacademi cwor kandi nhi scapaci tyasapr i
vat eci tizen.
Thust hest at usoft hei ndi vi
dualuni v er sityteacheri satl eastas
i
mpor tant, i
nconsi der ingacademi cf reedom, ast hest at usoft he
i
nst itutions t o whi ch t hey bel ong and t hr ough whi ch t hey
13
dissemi nat et heirl ear ning. "' He l ikewi se quot ed f rom t he
Presi dentoft heQueen' sUni versi tyi nBel fast ,Si rEr icAshby :
"'
Thei nt ernalcondi tionsf oracademi cf reedom i nauni v ersi t
y
aret hatt heacademi cst af fshoul dhav edef act ocont roloft he
followi ng f unct i
ons:( i
)t he admi ssi on and exami nat ion of
student s;( i
i)t he cur ri
cul af or cour ses of st udy ;( iii)t he
appoi nt mentandt enur eofof ficeofacademi cst af f;and( iv)t he
all
ocat ion of i ncome among t he di fferent cat egor ies of
expendi ture.I twoul dbeapoorpr ospectf oracademi cf reedom
i
funi v ersiti
eshadt or elyont hel iter ali nter pr etat i
onoft heir
const itutionsi nor dert oacqui ref ort heiracademi cmember s
cont roloft hesef ourf unct ions, fori noneconst it
ut ionoranot her
mostoft hesef unct i
onsar el aidont heshoul der soft hel aw
14
gov erni ng body . '
" Just ice Fr ankf ur t
er,wi th hi s ext ensi ve
backgr ound i nl egaleducat ion asaf ormerPr of essoroft he
Har var dLawSchool , referr edt owhathecal ledt hebusi nessofa
univ ersity and t he f ouressent ialf reedoms i nt he f ollowi ng
l
anguage:" I
ti st he busi ness ofa uni versi tyt o pr ov ide t hat
atmospher ewhi chismostconduci vet ospecul ation, exper i
ment
andcr eat i
on.I tisanat mospher ei nwhi cht her epr ev ail" t
hef our
essent ialfreedoms"ofauni v ersity— t odet ermi nef ori tselfon
academi cgr oundswhomayt each,whatmaybet aught ,how i t
15
shal lbet aught ,andwhomaybeadmi ttedt ost udy .
" Thusi s
reinfor cedt heconcl usi onr eachedbyust hatmandamusdoes
notl iei nthiscase.
4.Iti
snotaneasymat terthentodisr
egardt hev i
ewsofper sonsknowl edgeableint he
fi
eld,t
owhom cannotbei mputedlackofawar enessoft heneedt or espectf r
eedom of
thoughtont hepartofstudent
sandschol ars.Mor eov
er,itcouldamountt ominimizing
thefullrespectthatmustbeaccor dedtheacademi cfr
eedom expr esslygr ant
edbyt he
Constituti
on" t
oinsti
tut
ionsofhigherlear
ning."I tisequall
ydi ffi
culttoy ieldconformi t
y
totheappr oacht akenthatcoll
egesanduni versit
iesshouldbel ookeduponaspubl i
c
uti
li
ti
esdev oidofanydi scr
eti
onast owhom t oadmi torr eject.Educat ion,especiall
y
 66

hi
ghereducat
ion,
bel
ongst
oadi
ff
erent
,andcer
tai
nlyhi
gher
,cat
egor
y.

5.I tonl yremai nst obeaddedt hatt hef uti

l
ityt hatmar kedtheper sistenceofpet it
ioner
tocont inueherst udiesi ntheLoy olaSchoolofTheol ogyi sther esultsolelyofal egal
appr aisaloft hesi t
uationbef oreus.Thedeci sionisnott obeconst ruedasi nanyway
reflectingont heschol asti
cst andingofpet iti
oner .Therewasont hepar tofrespondent
dueacknowl edgmentofheri ntell
igence.Nonet heless,forr easonsexpl ai
nedi nt he
l
et terofFat herLambi no,itwasdeemedbest ,consideringthei nter estoftheschoolas
wel lasoft heot herstudentsandherownwel fare,thatshecont inuehergr aduatewor k
elsewher e.Ther ewasnot hi
ngar bitraryinsuchappr aisaloftheci rcumst ancesdeemed
relevant .Itcoul dbet hatonmor emat urereflecti
on,ev enpetitionerwoul dr eal
i
zet hat
hert ransf ertosomeot herinsti
tutionwoul dr edoundt othebenef itofallconcerned.At
anyr at e,asi ndicatedear li
er,onlythel egalaspectoft hecontrov ersywast ouchedupon
i
nt hisdeci si
on.

WHEREFORE,
thepet
it
ioni
sdi
smi
ssedf
orl
ackofmer
it
.
Makali
ntal
,C.J.
,Barr
edo,Ant
oni
o,Esguer
ra,MuñozPal
ma,Aqui
no,Concepci
on,Jr
.and
Mart
in,JJ.
,concur
.

Cast
ro,
J.,
tooknopar
t.

 
Separ
ateOpi
nions

J.
TEEHANKEE, ,
concur
ri
ng:

Iconcurwi
tht
hedi
smi
ssal
oft
hepet
it
ionf
ormani
festl
ackofmer
it
.

Ont het hreadbareclai

mt hatdur i
ngt hesummerof1975shehadbeenadmi t
tedby
respondentFr .Antoni
oB.Lambi no, S.J.,chairmanoft heFacultyAdmissionCommi t
tee
oftheLoy olaSchoolofTheology( ar eligioussemi naryforthepri
esthood)t oattend
thereinfr
eeofchar getwosummercour sesf orcr edit
s,peti
ti
onerhasfiledthepresent
peti
tionformandamusagai nstrespondent stoor derheradmi ssi
oninsai dschoolasa
studentf oranM. A.inTheologyandf ort hepay mentt oherofexempl aryandmor al
damagesand" anamountequi v al
entmor eorl esst oatt
orney'
sfeeswhi chpetiti
oner
woul dhav epaidacompet entlawy er,hadsheempl oyedone."(Accordi
ngt opeti
tioner,
herenr oll
menti nt heLoyolasemi narywoul dal legedlyentai
l"onl
yaboutt woy ears
mor e"wher eshewoul dneed" aboutf ourt of iv
ey earsmor eofstudies"attheUST
GraduateSchoolf orEcclesi
asticalFacul tieswher eshehasnow enr oll
edasaspeci al
studentwi t
houtcreditf
oranyacademi cuni t
sf orthesubjectstakenbyher .
)

Theor iginalr
espondent ,Fr.Lambi no,fi
ledhiscommentont hepet it
ion,whi l
et hetwo
otherr espondent s,theDi rect orofPr i
vateSchool sandt heDirector ,UST Gr aduate
School,di d not ev en dei gn ( and wer e not requi
red) tof i
let heir comment s,
notwit
hst andingt heCourt'sresol utionofJune23, 1975r equir
ingtheircommentont he
amendedpet i
tion,sincebyt hev er ytermsofsai dpet it
ion,peti
tionerhadnotev en
botheredt omakeanyappl i
cat i
onorr epresent
ati
onswi t
ht hem bef or ehaili
ngt hem
beforet hisCour taspar t
ies-respondent sonherf anciedr i
ghtt oenrollmentandcr oss-
enrol
lmentatt het woinst
itutions( Loy ol
aandUST) .

Thepeti
ti
onmustbedismi
ssed,sincepet
it
ionerhasadmi
ttedl
yfai
l
edt oexhausther
admi
nist
rati
ver
emedi
es.Thefactsofrecor
dampl yshow t
hatpeti
ti
oneri
sobv iousl
y
 67

disqual
if
ied,andisnotstudyi
ng,forthepriesthood,shebeingalaywomanandnot
eli
gibl
ef oradmissi
ontorespondentseminary.Mandamust oorderheradmi
ssi
oni n
respondentseminar
ycannotli
eintheabsenceofacl earr
ightonherpar
tandaclear
dutyonrespondent'
spar
ttosoadmi ther
.

Pet
it
ionerin herpet
it
ion admit
st hatshe has f
ail
ed t
o avai
lofand exhaustt
he
admini
str
ati
veremedi
esopent oherbutseekst
ojust
if
yherfai
l
urebyal
l
egi
ng.

ThatPet i
ti
onercouldhav
er ecour
seneithertot hePr esi
dentofherschool,
Fr.JoseCr uz,
hebeingwit
ht heFi
rstCouple'
sent our
agenowi nRedChi na,
norwi ththeSecretar
yofEducation,si
ncet hisishi sbusiestt
imeoft he
year,andJune11, 1975i
sthelastdayforregistrati
on;..
.

This execuse i
s ofcour se patentlyinept,si nce nei t
hert he uni
versi
typr esident's
temporaryabsencenortheSecr et
aryofEducat i
on' shaving"hisbusi
esttimeoft hey ear"
j
ustif
iespet i
ti
oner'
sbypassi ng theseof f
icialswhose f i
naladmi nistr
ativedecision
shouldfir
stbegiven.Suchexhaust i
onofadmi nistrat
iveremediesisapr e-condit
ionf or
courtacti
onandwoul dgetallthef act
si nsoast oenabl et hecour
tsinapet i
tionf or
revi
ew simplyt o deci
deont hebasi soft hef actswhet herthequest ioned actof
peti
ti
oner'snon-admissi
onconst it
utesanar bitraryact i
ont hatwouldwar r
antjudicial
i
nterventi
on.

Wit
hal,t
hefact
sofr ecordamplyshow t
hatfarfrom beingar
bit
rar
y,pet
it
ioner
'snon-
admissi
onwasforperfect
lyv
ali
dconsi
derat
ions,
asfollows:

— TheLoyol
aSchoolofTheology,isaseminaryf ort
hepri
est
hood;andpeti
ti
oneri
s
admit
tedl
yandobv
i ydi
ousl squali
fi
edandisnotstudyi
ng,f
ort
hepri
est
hood,shebei
nga
l
aywomanandther
eforenoteli
gibl
eforadmi
ssion;

—Pet it
ionerwasadmi tt
edf r
eet otakesomesummercour sest hi
syearforcredits,but
accordingtor espondentFr.Lambi nothiswasnotanadmi ssiontoadegr eepr ogram
si
ncet heof f
ici
aladmissionbyt heAssistantDeanoft heGraduateSchooloftheAt eneo
deMani l
aUni ver
sit
y( whichisthei nst
it
ution,nottheLoyolaSchoolofTheol ogy ,that
grant
st hedecr ee)requir
edf orthepurposehasnei t
herbeensoughtbypet i
tionernor
grant
edbyt hesaidAssistantDean.RespondentFr .Lambinot husasser
tsthathei sthe
wrongpar tytobesued;

—Pet i
ti
onercl aimsont hecont rar
yt hatshewasact ual
lyadmi t
tedf oradegr eeprogram,
andar guingt hat"Thef actualissue,however ,ofwhet herornotpet it
ionerwasact ually
admi tt
edf oradegr eeprogram needst ober esolvedfi
rst"1 vehement l
yi nsistst
hatt hi
s
Cour tresolvet hefactuali
ssuei nherf av oront hebasisofherbar ecount er-
assert
ions
andt her espondentschool 'sveryletterrejectingheradmi ssion;(Pet it
ionerwhoi snota
l
awy erofcour sedoesnotappr eciatet hatthi sCourtisnei therat ri
ernorr evi
ewerof
fact
sandt hatprecisel
yoneoft hereasonsf orexhaust i
onofadmi nistrat
iver emediesis
thatal lthef actsmaybepl acedbef oret hef i
naladmi nistr
ati
v eaut hor i
ti
es,whose
decisionmayber ev i
ewedbyt hecour tsonl yuponacl earshowi ngoff raud,collusion,
2
arbi
trariness,il
legal
ity,i
mpositionormi stake.) ;and

— Aside from t he factt hathernon- admission tor espondentsemi nar yf orthe

pri
est
hoodbyv i
rt
ueofherbei ngdisqual
if
iedasal aywomani samat terofschoolpol icy
andregulati
onthatobv i
ouslycani nnowaybesai dtobear bi
trar
y( sincef emal esall
overthewor ldar eupt onow notadmi t
tedtot hepriesthood),thef acul ty'
s" str
ong
opposit
ion"tohav i
ngherbacki ntheschoolaftersummerbecause" theyf eltthat(her)
fr
equentquest i
onsanddi ffi
cult
ieswer enotal waysper t
inentandhadt heef f
ectof
sl
owingdownt hepr ogressoft heclass"andrespondentFr .Lambi no'scour teousbut
candi
dappr ai
sal"thattheadv i
sabil
it
yof(her)completi
ngapr ogram (withal lthecourse
 68

workandthesi
swr i
ti
ng)withusisver
yquestionabl
e"arematt
ersoft
echni
caland
academi
cjudgmentt
hatthecour
tswi
l
lnotor
dinari
lyi
nter
fer
ewi
th.

Peti
ti
oner'
sacti
onf ormandamuscl ear
lydoesnotl ie,si
nceno cleatrightf
orher
admissi
ontoadegr eepr
ogram foranM.A.inTheol
ogynoracl eardutyonthepartof
theLoyol
aSchoolofTheology(oroftheAteneoGraduateSchoolwhichisnotevena
part
y)tosoadmitherhav
ebeenshown.

Only after exhaust ion of admi nistrati

ver emedi es and when t herei s mar ked
arbi
trari
ness,willthecour tsi nter
ferewi t
ht heacademi cjudgmentoft heschoolf acul ty
and thepr operaut horiti
esast ot hecompet enceand f it
nessofan appl icantf or
enroll
mentort ocont inuet akingupgr aduat estudiesi nagr aduateschool .Thecour ts
simplydo nothav et he compet ence nori ncli
nation t o const
itut
et hemselves as
Admi ssi
onCommi tteesoft heuni versit
iesandi nstituti
onsofhi gherl earni
ngandt o
substit
utetheirjudgmentf ort hatoft her egul
arl
yconst i
tutedAdmi ssi
onCommi tt
eesof
sucheducat ionali nstit
uti
ons.Wer et hecour tst odoso,t heywouldconcei vablebe
swampedwi thpet i
tionsf oradmi ssionf rom thet housandsr ef
usedadmi ssionev ery
year,andnextt het housandswhof lunkedandwer edr oppedwoul dalsobepet it
ioning
thecourtsforaj udicialrevi
ewoft heirgr ades!

—————

Beforecl osingt hisconcur rence,Imustmakeofr ecordmyconcur rencewi thand

adherencet ot hefundament alpri
nciplesoffreedom andl ibert
yeloquent l
yexpr essedby
Mr.Just iceMakasi arinhi sdissent.Hisexpressionofdeepconcer nf ort hepreser vation
andenhancementoft hedi gnityandwor t
hoft hehumanper sonal ityci t
ingJust ice
Cardoso' si njunct i
ont hatman' sfreedom mustbegi vensanct uary" agai nsttheassaul ts
of oppor tuni sm,t he expedi ency of t he passi ng hour ,the er osion of smal l
encroachment sandt hescor nandder isi
onoft hosewhohav enopat iencewi t
hgener al
pri
nciples" ,andLaski 'sthesisthat" t
hehappi nessoft hei ndivi
dual, nott hewel l-beingof
theStat e, wast hecr i
teri
onbywhi chi t
sbehav iorwast obej udged, hisinterests, notits
power ,sett hel imitstot heaut hori
tyitwasent i
tl
edt oexer ci
se"r eaf f
irmf orcef ull
yt he
basict enett hatdistinguishesademocr at
icf r
om at otal
itari
anst ate,v iz,thattheSt ate
exi
stsf ort hei ndividualratherthant heotherwayar ound.

Ipar tway swi thhim ofcour sei nhi sf actualpr emisesandassumpt ionswhicht omy
mindar enotsuppor t
edbyt her ecor dnort hef actsatbar .For emostamongt hesear e
thepr emi sethatpet i
tionerhadbeenadmi tt
edt othet heol ogycour seandcannotbe
refusedf urtherat t
endancet herei n,whenasshownabov e,t hequest ionofwhet her
petit
ionerwasi nfactadmi tt
edt oadegr eepr ogr sacont
am i rovertedonewi t
hpet it
ioner
herselfmaki ngnosuchav ermenti nherpet i
tionandpr eci selyaski ngt hatthisCour t
resolvet his"fact
ualissue"andt hedi sincli
nat i
ont ogi veduecr edencet other eason
givenbyFr .Lambi nof orthef acul ty'
s" str
ongopposi ti
on"t opet itioner'sadmissionv iz,
thather" fr
equentquest i
onsanddi ff
iculti
eswer enotal way sper ti
nentandhadt he
effectofsl owingdownt hepr ogr essoft hecl ass"andherf ailure" togivethe(faculty'
s)
presentat i
onachanceandexer t(ed)mor eef forttounder st andt hepoi ntmadebef ore
3
i
mmedi atelyt hi
nking ofpr obl emsand di ff
iculti
es", when notev en the petit
ioner
quest i
onsi nherpet it
ionthev eraci t
yofsuchf acult
yopposi tionandt hequotedf actual
reasons t hereforbutonl y whet hert he same " constitutes v alidl egalground f or
expulsion".

Ido notshar ehi sview thatpri

vat
eeducat i
onalinstit
uti
onsmayoper at
eonl yby
delegati
onoftheStateand" ar
enodiff
erenti
nthisrespectfrom thecommer cialpubli
c
4
uti
lit
ieswhoserighttoexistsandtooperatedependsuponSt at
eauthori
ty" andt he
assumpt i
onthatrespondenthasprescri
bed"unreasonablerulesorregulati
ons"when
suchr ul
eshavenotev enbeensubmittedtotheCour tnoristhereanyclaimt hatsuch
 69

rul
eshav eevenbeenquest
ionedinordi sapprov
edbyt heDir
ectorofPubli
cSchool
s
(assumingt
hatsai
doff
ici
alhasjur
isdi
cti
onov erarel
i
giousseminarysuchast
heLoyol
a
SchoolofTheol
ogy)
.

Petiti
oneraccor dingtoherpet iti
onhasobt ainedenr ol
l
mentatt heUSTGr aduateSchool
forEccl esiast
icalFacul
t i
eswher eaccor di
ngt oherownpet i
ti
onshecoul dpursueher
graduat e studies foran M. A.i n Theology ( af
terfulfi
l
li
ng theirr equirementsf or
Baccalaur eatei n Philosophy and assumi ng she has t he r equir
ed r ecognized
undergr aduateuni t
s,astowhi cht hereissomequest i
on).Undert hecircumstances,it
seemsf airtostatethatpetiti
onermaywel lheedt hevoicesandv isions(thatcallherto
adegr eei nTheol ogy)wi t
houtr eject
ionot herthant hatofr espondentschooland
certai
nlywi thoutbeingdestinedt obeanot herJoanofAr c.

Makal
i
ntal
,C.
J.,
concur
s.

MAKASI J.
AR, ,
dissent
ing:

Wit
hhisusualschol
arshi
pandcharact
eri
sti
cstyl
e,Mr.Just
iceFer
nandohaswov
ena
per
suasi
vemajori
tyopi
niont
hatcommandsrespect.

The1973Const ituti
onpr ovi
dest hat
:" Allinst
it
uti
onsofhi gher
l
ear ningshallenj
oyacademi cf reedom"( Sec.8[2]
,Art.XV).Thisis
broadert hanSect ion6ofAr t
icl
eXI Voft he1935Const i
tuti
on,
whichpr ovidest hat:"Uni
versit
iesestabl i
shedbyt heSt ateshall
enjoyacademi cf reedom."Undert heaf orecit
ed clauseoft he
1973Const i
tuti
on,allcoll
egesanduni versit
iesofhigherlearni
ng,
whet herestabli
shedbyt heSt ateornot, areguarant
eedacademi c
fr
eedom.

Itshouldbest ressedt hattheacademi cfr eedom t husguar anteed

i
s notl imited tot he member s of t he facul ty nor t ot he
admi ni
strati
veaut horiti
esoft heeducat ionalinst i
tution.Itshoul d
alsobedeemedgr antedinf avorofthest udentbody ;becauseal l
three—t headmi nistr
ativeauthoriti
esoft hecollegeoruni versity
,
i
tsf acult
yandi tsst udentpopul at
ion—const i
tut
et heeducat ional
i
nst i
tuti
on,wi t
houtanyoneofwhi cht heeducat ionali nst
itution
can nei t
herexi stnoroper ate.The educat i
onali nsti
tut
ion i s
permi t
tedbyt heSt atet oexistandoper at e,notf orthebenef itof
i
tsadmi nistr
ativ
e aut horit
ies orf acult
ymember s,butf ort he
benef i
tofitsstudent r
y.
AsChi efJusti
ceWar r
en,whopennedt heopi
nioninSweezyv ersusNew Hampshi re,
emphasized:"Nof i
eldofeducat
ionissot hor
oughlycomprehendedbymant hatnew
discov
eriescannoty etbemade.Part
icular
lyi
sthattruei
nt hesocialsci
ences,where
few,ifany,princi
plesareacceptedasabsolutes.Schol
arshi
pcannotf lour
ishi nan
atmosphereofsuspi
ci
onanddi st
rust
.Teacher
sandstudent
smustalwaysremainfr
ee
toinqui
re,t
ostudyandt oeval
uat
e,togainnewmaturi
tyandunder
standi
ng;ot
herwi
se
ourcivi
li
zati
onwillstagnat
eanddi e"(354US 234;250;1L.ed.2nd1311,1325,
emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)
.
 70

Ani ndi vidualhasanat uralandi nher entrightt ol ear nanddev elophi sf aculties.Itisf or
thisreasont hatt he1973Const i
tutiondi rect stheSt atetoai dandsuppor tt
hepar ent sin
ther ear ingoft heyouth( Sec.4,Ar t.II
,1973Const it
ution) ;topr omot et heirphy sical
,
i
nt el
lect ualandsoci alwel l
-being( Sec.5,Ar tI I);toest ablish,mai ntai nandensur e
adequat esoci alser vi
cesi nt hef i
el dofeducat i
on( Sec.7,Ar t
.I I
;t oest abli
shand
mai ntainacompl eteadequat eandi ntegrat edsy stem ofeducat ionrelev anttot hegoal s
ofnat ionaldev el
opment( Sec.8[ 1]Ar t,XV) ;tor ecogni zeandpr otectt heacademi c
freedom ofal linsti
tut
ionsofhi gherl earning( Sec.8[ 2],Art .XV) ;t
omai ntainasy stem of
freepubl icelement aryeducat i
onandwher ef i
nancesper mit,asy stem off r
eepubl ic
educat i
onupt othesecondar yl evel( Sec8[ 5],Ar t.XV) ;topr ovideci t
izenshipand
vocat ionalt r
ainingtoadul tciti
zensandout -
of-schooly out hsandt ocr eat eandmai ntain
schol arshipsf orpoorand deser ving st udent s( Sec.8[ 6] ,Art.XV)and t o pr omot e
scient i
ficr esearchandi nv ention,t opat roni zear tsandl et ter
s,schol arships,gr ant s-i
n-
aidorot herfor msofi ncentivesf orspeci all
ygi ftedchi l
dr en( Sec.9[ 1],[2]and[ 3],Ar t
.
XV) .

Ontheotherhand,nopri
vat
epersonorent i
tyhast
heinher
ent
ri
ghtt
oestabl
ishandoper
ateaschool
,col
legeoruni
ver
sit
y.

Hence,t herei sneedofr e- exami ningandr ecast i

ngt hel i
mi ted
def i
niti
onofacademi cf reedom concei vedbyPr ofessorAr t
hur
Lov ej
oy( Ency clopedi aofSoci alSci ences,p.384)t ot heef f
ect
thatitis" thef reedom oft het eacherorr esear chwor kerinhi gher
i
nst it
utionsofl earningt oi nvest igat eanddi scusst hepr oblems
ofhi ssci enceandt oexpr esshi sconcl usions,whet hert hrough
publ i
cat i
on or i n t he i nstruct ion of t he t eacher ,wi thout
i
nt erf
er ence f r om pol iti
caland eccl esiasticalaut horiti
es or
admi nistrativeopi ni onsofi nstitutionsi nwhi chhei sempl oy ed,
unlesshi smet hodsar ef oundbyaqual if
iedbodyofhi sown
professi ont obecl earlyincompet entorcont raryt opr ofessional
ethics",whi ch i s echoed by MacI ver (MacI ver ,Academi c
Freedom i nOurTi me[ 6]
,1955)andbyHook( Hook,Academi c
Freedom and Academi c Anar chy ) .The scope ofacademi c
freedom shoul dnotber est r
ictedt ot henar row f ormul ationof
Mr .Just iceFr ankf urteras" anat mospher ei nwhi cht herepr evail
"thef ouressent i
alf reedomsofauni versit
y— t odet erminef or
i
tsownacademi cgr oundswhomayt each,whatmaybet aught ,
howi tshal lbet aught ,andwhomaybeadmi ttedt ost udy"'(Hi s
concur ringopi nioni nSweezyv s.New Hampshi re,353,US234,
263[ 1957] )
,whi chneut ralizeshi sbel i
efthat" i
tist hebusi ness
ofa uni versityt o pr ovide t hatat mospher e whi ch is most
conduci vetospecul ation,exper imentandcr eat i
on" ,t owhi chhe
howev erexhi bitsloy altyashecont i
nuedt ost at e:

Progr
ess i
nt he nat
uralsci
ences i
s notr emotel
y
confi
nedtofi
ndi
ngsmadei nthelaborat
or.I
y nsi
ght
s
 71

i
ntothemyst er i
esofnat urearebornofhypot hesis
andspecul
ati
on.Themor esoi st
histr
ueinthepursuit
ofunder
standinginthegr opi
ngendeavorsofwhatare
cal
ledthesoci alsciences,theconcernofwhi chi s
manandsoci ety.Theproblemsthatar
etherespectiv
e
preoccupati
ons of anthr
opology , economi cs, law,
psychology,
soci
ologyandrelat
edar easofschol arship
are mer el
y depart
mental
ized deal i
ng,by way of
manageabledivi
sionofanalysis,wit
hi nterpenet
rating
aspectsofholi
sti
cperpl
exi
ties.Forsoci ety'
sgood—i f
underst
andi
ng be an essenti
alneed ofsociet
y—
i
nquir
iesint
otheseprobl
ems,specul
ati
onaboutthem,
sti
mulati
oninother
sofr eact
ionuponthem,mustbe
l
eftunfet
ter
edaspossibl
e....
.
..Oneneedonlyr
efertot headdr
essofT.H.Huxl
eyatt
heopeni
ngof
JohnsHopki
nsUni
versi
ty,
..
.:

"I
n a univer
sit
yknowledgeisitsown end,notmer el
ya
meanst oanend.Auni ver
sit
yceasestobet r
uetoit
sown
natur
ei fitbecomest hetoolofChur chorSt at
eorany
secti
onalint
erest
.Auniver
sit
yischaracter
izedbythespi
ri
t
off r
eeinqui
ry,i
tsidealbei
ngthei dealofSocr ates— "to
fol
lowtheargumentwhereitl
eads."Thisi
mpliest heri
ghtto
examine,questi
on,modifyorrejecttradi
ti
onali deasand
beli
efs.Dogmaandhy pot
hesi
sar eincompat i
ble,and the
conceptofanimmutabl
edoct
ri
neisrepugnantt
othespir
it
ofauniver
sit
y.Theconcer
nofit
sscholar
sisnotmerel
yto
addandr
evisefact
sinrelat
iont
oanacceptedf
ramework,
butt
obeeverexami
ningandmodif
yingt
hef
rameworki
tsel
f.

"Fr
eedom t
or eason and f
reedom fordi
sputat
ion on the
basi
s ofobservat
ion and exper
imentarethe necessary
condi
ti
onsfortheadvancementofscient
if
icknowledge.A
senseoffreedom isalsonecessaryforcreat
iveworkinthe
art
swhich,equall
ywithscient
if
icresearch,i
stheconcernof
theuni
versi
ty"(Sweezyvs.NewHampshi r
e354US234; 262-
263,emphasissuppli
ed).

Thecar dinalar ti
cleoff ai
th ofourdemocr aticci vil
i
zat i
on i sthepr eservati
on and
enhancementoft hedi gnit
yandwor t
hoft hehumanper sonali
ty.ItwasMr .Justice
Frankf urterhi msel fwho emphasi zed thatman' s" inviolate character"shoul d be
"protectedt othelar gestpossi
bleext entinhist hought sandi nhisbeliefsast hecitadel
ofhi sper son"( Amer icanCommuni cati
onsAssoci ati
on, etc.v s.Douds,339US382, 421,
cit
edi nPhi l.Bloomi ngMi l
lsEmpl oy eesAssn.v s.Phil.Bloomi ngMill
sCo. ,Inc.,etal.
,L-
31195, June5, 1973, 51SCRA189, 200),sothatt heindividualcanf ull
ydev el
ophi mself
andachi ev ecompl eteful
fil
lment.Hi sf r
eedom t oseekhi sownhappi nesswoul dmean
nothingi ft hesamewer enotgi vensanct uary" againstt heassaul tsofoppor t
unism, t
he
expedi encyoft hepassi nghour ,theer osi
onofsmal lencr oachment sandt hescor nand
derisionoft hosewhohav enopat i
encewi thgener alprinciples"(JusticeCar doso,The
Nat ureofJudi cialProcess,90-93, cit
edinPhi l
.Bl oomi ngMi ll
sEmpl oyeesAssn.v s.Phil
.
 72

Bl
oomi
ngMi
l
lsCo.
,I
nc.
,supr
a,201)
.

WEl i
kewi sereit
eratedinthePhi l
i
ppineBloomi ngMill
scase, supra,that"thepur poseof
theBi l
lofRi ghtsi st owithdraw certai
nsubj ect
sf r
om t hev i
cissi
tudesofpol it
ical
controversy,
toplacet hem beyondt hereachofmaj or
iti
esandof f
icial
sandt oestabli
sh
them asl egalprincipl
estobeappl iedbyt heCour t
s.One'sr ightstol i
fe,libert
yand
propert
y ,tofreespeechorf r
eepr ess,freedom ofwor shi
pandassembl y,andt othe
fundamentalri
ghtsmaynotbesubmi t
tedtoavot e;t
heydependont heout comeofno
electi
ons"(51SCRA201),muchlessont hecapr
iceofbigoted,i
ntol
erantandimpati
ent
professor
sandcol l
egeadmi
nist
rator
s.Inthesti
rri
nglanguageofLaski,"t
hehappiness
ofthei ndi
vidualnott hewell
-beingoft heSt ate,wasthecr i
ter
ionbywhi chi t
sbehav i
our
wast obej udged,hi sinter
ests,noti tspower ,setthel i
mitst ot heaut hori
tyitwas
enti
tledt oexer cise"(51SCRA 201) .Thisi ndi
v i
dualfreedom andr ighttohappi ness
shouldber ecogni zedandr espectednotonl ybyt heSt atebutal sobyent erpri
ses
authorizedbyt heSt atetooperate;forasLaskist ressed:"Withoutf r
eedom oft hemi nd
..
.amanhasnopr ot
ecti
oninoursoci alorder.Hemayspeakwr onglyorf ool
ishly
,..
..
Yetadeni alofhi sr i
ght..
.isadeni alofhi shappi ness.Ther ebyhebecomesan
i
nstrumentofot herpeople'
sends,nothi mselfanend"( Laski,Libertyint heModer n
State,73,ci
tedi nTañadaandFer nando, Constit
utionofthePhi l
ippines,1952ed. ,
315).

AsJust i
ceHol mespronounced,"theul
ti
mat egooddesir
edisbetterreachedbyfr
ee
tradeinideas— thatthebestt estoftr
uthist hepowerofthethoughttogetit
self
acceptedinthecompetit
ionofthemarket;andthatt
rut
histheonl
ygrounduponwhich
theirwi
shessafel
ycanbecar r
iedout"(
Abramsv s.U.
S.250US616).

Thehumanmi ndi sbynatur

eaninquir
ingmind,whet
herofthever
yyoungorofthever
y
oldori
n-between;forf
reedom ofspeechinthewordsofJohnMi l
tonisthe"l
i
bert
yto
know,t
outter,andtoarguefr
eel
yaccordingt
oconscienceabov
ealll
iber
ti
es.
"

Whatisinvolvedhereisnotmer el
yacademicf r
eedom ofthehigherinst
it
uti
onsof
l
earni
ngasguar ant
eedbySection8(
2)ofArti
cleSVofthe1973Constit
uti
on.Theissue
her
estri
kesatt hebroaderf
reedom ofexpr
essionofthei
ndivi
dual— thever
ycor eof
humanli
berty
.

Eveni ft het er m" academi cfreedom"wer et obel i

mi t
edt oinstituti
onsofhi gherlear ning
—whi cht ot hemi ndofDr .Vi cent eSi nco, anemi nentaut horit
yi nConst i
tutionalLaw, i
s
ther ightoft heuni v
ersi tyasani nstitution,nott heacademi cfreedom oft heuni v ersit
y
professor( Si nco,Phi l
.Pol i
ticalLaw,1962ed. ,489)— t het erm" i
nsti
tutionsofhi gher
l
ear ning"cont ainedint heaf orecitedpr ov isi
onofourNew Const i
tuti
oncompr ehends
notonl yt hef acultyandt hecol legeadmi nistratorsbutal sot hemember soft hest udent
body .Whi l
ei ti st rue t hatt he uni ver sity professormay hav et he i nit
iati
v e and
resour cef ul
nesst opur suehi sownr esear chandf ormul atehisconcl usionsconcer ning
thepr obl em ofhi sownsci enceorsubj ect ,themot ivati
ont hereformaybepr ov okedby
quest ionsaddr essedt ohi m byhi sst udent s.I nthisr espect,thest udent— speci all
ya
graduat est udent— mustnotber est rainedf rom raisingquest ionsorf rom chal lengi ng
thev al idityofdogmaswhet hert heol ogi calornot .Thet rueschol arnev erav oids, buton
thecont rarywel comesandencour ages, suchsear chingquest ionsev eni fthesamewi ll
havet het endencyt ouncov erhi sowni gnor ance.I tisnott hehappi nessandsel f-
fulf
ill
mentoft he pr ofessoral one t hatar e guar anteed.The happi ness and f ull
devel opmentoft he cur i
ous i ntellectoft he st udentar e pr otected byt he nar r
ow
guar ant eeofacademi cf reedom andmor esobyt hebr oaderr i
ghtoff reeexpr ession,
whichi ncl udesf reespeechandpr ess, andacademi cf r
eedom.

Af
terhavingbeenadmitt
edtothetheol
ogy,course,
peti
ti
onercannotber ef
usedfurt
her
at
tendancetherei
nonthegroundthat"
herfrequentquest
ionsanddiff
icult
ieswerenot
al
waysper t
inentandhadtheeff
ectofslowingdownt hepr ogr
essoft heclass.
...
"It
 73

seemst hatthi
sexcusei smer elyaneuphemi sti
cwayofchar act
eri
zingherquest ions
whichmi ghtbeembar rassi
ngt ot hecler
gyort otheprofessororothersensiti
vesoul s,
forherquest i
onsmi ghtimpugnt heval
idi
tyofthei
rtenets,dogmasandbel i
efs.Itishard
tobelievethat"herfrequentquest i
onsanddiff
icult
ies"sl
oweddownt heprogressoft he
class;becauser espondentFat herLambinohi mselfrecognizedthatthepet i
tioneris
endowedwi th"therequisit
ei ntell
ect
ualabil
it
y"andaccor di
nglymerit
edgradesofB+
andBi ntwotheologysubjects.

Respondent sobv i
ouslyf earLaski'
spr ophecy:"Theher esieswemaysuppr esstoday
maybet heorthodoxiesoft omor r
ow.New t r
uthsbegi nsal way sinminori
tyofone;i t
mustbesomeone' spercept i
onbeforeitbecomesagener alpercepti
on.Thewor l
dgains
nothingfrom ar ef
usaltoent er
tai
nthepossi bil
it
yt hatanewi deamaybet rue.Norcan
wepi ckandchooseamongoursuppr essionswi t
hanypr ospectofsuccess.I twould,
i
ndeed,behar dlybeyondt hemar ktoaf f
irmt hatal istofopi nionscondemnedi nthe
pastaswr ongordanger ouswoul dbeal istoft hecommonpl acesofourtime"(Laski,
Li
ber tyintheModer nStat e,p.75,cit
edi nTañadaandFer nando,Constit
utionofthe
Phil
ippines,1952ed.,316- 317).

I
fshef l
unkedinsaidsubject
sortheentir
ecourse,shecoul
dhavebeenj ust
if
iabl
y
deni
edenrol
lmenti
nthesecondsemest
er.Butt
hati
snotthecaseher
e,asaf
orest
ated.

Ther espondentsneverofferedasjust
if
icat
ionf orthei
rr ef
usingpeti
ti
oneradmi ssi
onto
thenextsemest erl
imit
ationsofspacef acil
i
ties,professorsandopt i
mum cl assroom
size.Itisdoubtfulwhethert hesamecouldhav ebeenav ali
dreasoninrefusingher
furtheradmissi
on,aft
ershehadcompl iedwithal l
theot herrequi
rements.

Andt hef actt hatshewasadmi ttedf reet ost udyt heologywi thouti ntendingt obea
priest,doesnotweakenherposi ti
on.I tshoul dbest r
essedt hateducat ioni sasov er eign
statef unct ion.I tisav i
taldut yoft hest atewhi chcandel egatet hesamet opr ivate
educat ionali nstit
uti
ons t hatar e qual ifi
ed and dul yaut hor i
zed t o oper ate.Pr ivate
educat ionali nst i
tuti
onst hereforear enodi fferenti nthisrespectf rom t hecommer cial
publ i
cut i
l
ities,whoser ightt oexi standt ooper atedependsuponSt ateaut hor it
y .The
momentt heyar eal l
owedt ooper ate,t heymustabi debyt heConst it
ut i
on,lawsand
i
mpl ement ingr ulesoft heGov ernmentont hemat ter.Whilet hecol l
egeoruni ver si
t ycan
prescr i
ber egul ati
onsf oradmi ssiont ot hev ariouscour sesofst udyof feredbyi t,t hi
s
prerogat ivedoesnoti ncludet hepowert opr escribeunreasonabl er ulesorr egul at ions
vi
ol ati
veoft heconst i
tutionalr i
ght soft heci t
izen,suchasf r
eedom ofexpr essi oni n
gener alandacademi cf r
eedom i npar ticular.Theeducat ionali nsti
tutionsper f
or ma
mor ev italfunct ionthant heor dinarypubl i
cut i
li
ti
es.Thei nst it
utionofl earningf eedsand
nur t
urest hehumanmi ndandspi ri
ttoi nsur ear obust ,
healthyandeducat edcitizenr yon
whom nat ionalsur vi
valandnat i
onalgr eatnessdepend.Theor dinar ypubl i
cut i
liti
es
mer elyser vet hemat eri
al comf ortsandconv enienceoft hepeopl e,whocancer tainlygo
onl ivi
ngwi thoutt hem.Butt hepeopl ecannotwal l
owi ndar knessandi gnor ancewi thout
hast eni
ngt heirext er
mi nationfrom t hef aceoft heear t
h.

Tor
epeatt
her
emi
nderofChi
efJust
iceWar
r Schol
en:" arshi
pcannotf
lour
ishi
nan
atmosphereofsuspi
ci
onanddist
rust
.Teacher
sandstudent
smustalwaysremainfr
ee
toinqui
re,t
ostudyandtoeval
uat
e,togai
nnewmat ur
ityandunder
standi
ng;ot
herwi
se
ourcivi
li
zati
onwillst
agnat
eanddi e "(
354US234,250;1Led.2nd1311,1325,
emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed.
).

Justi
ce Fernando himsel
ff i
tt
inglyconcludes:"Int
ellectualli
bertyoccupi
es a place
i
nferiortononeinthehier
archyofhumanv al
ues.Themi ndmustbef reetot
hinkwhati t
wil
ls,whetherinthesecul
arorr el
i
gioussphere,togiveexpr essi
ont oit
sbeli
efsbyor al
di
scour seorthroughthemedi a,andt husseekot hercandi dviewsi noccasionsor
gatheri
ngsori nmor epermanentaggr upati
ons.Embr acedinsuchconceptt henare
 74

f
reedom ofr el
igi
on,fr
eedom ofspeech,ofthepress,assemblyand pet
it
ion,and
f
reedom ofassoci
ati
on"(Fer
nandoont
hePhil
ippi
neConsti
tut
ion,
1974ed.
,p.565).

Thecaseofher ei
npet i
ti
onerisamildprel
udetoar e-
enactmentofthepersecuti
onof
JoanofAr c.Sectari
anschoolsshoul
dhavereali
zedbynowt hati
ntol
erance,
bigot
ryand
theinqui
siti
on—r el
i
csoft heDarkAges—t yr
annizethemi ndandspiri
tofmanandar e
anti
theti
caltotheirver
yfuncti
onofnouri
shi
ngthei nt
ell
ectandspreadi
ngenlight
enment.

I
nmyv i
ew,thepet
it
ionerhasacl
earr
ight
,andther
espondent
shav
etheequal
l
ycl
ear
dut
ytoal
lowhert
ocontinuest
udy
ingt
heol
ogy.

Foot
not
es

1Ar
ti
cleXV,
Sect
ion8,
par
.2oft
heConst
it
uti
on.

2Pet
it
ion,
par
s.3-
9.

3Let
terofFat
herAnt
oni
oB.Lambi
no,
AnnexAt
oPet
it
ion.

4Ref er
encewasmadet orespondentsastheamendedpetiti
onincluded
TheDi r
ector,Bur eauofPr i
vateSchoolsandTheDirect
or,USTGr aduate
Schoolas r espondents.Howev er
,they di
d notdeem i tt o submit
comment s,andt hi
sCourt,i
nv iewofthenatur
eofthecontrover
sywhi ch
solel
yinvolvedt heorigi
nalrespondent
,di
dnotpressthem todoso.The
caseisthereforedecidedasi ft
heywerenotevenmadeparti
es.

5Comment
,par
s.1-
7.

6I
bid,
par
.8.

7I
bid.par
s.9-
10.

8Respondent
'sMemor
andum,
1.

9McI
ver
,Academi
cFr
eedom i
nOurTi
me,
6(1955)
.

10Hook,
Academi
cFr
eedom andAcademi
cAnar
chy(
1965)
.

11Si
nco,
Phi
l
ippi
nePol
i
tical
Law,
489(
1962)
.

12I
bid,
489-
490.

13I
bid,
490.

14I
bid,
490-
491.

15Just
iceFrankf
urt
er,concur
ri
ngi
nSweezyv
.New Hampshi
re,354US
234,
236(1957).

Teehankee,
J.,
concur
ri
ng:

1Pet
it
ioner
'smemor
andum,
page2.

2SeeLacuest
avs.Her
rer
a,62SCRA115.

3Atpage6.
 75

4Atpage7.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

FI
RSTDI
VISI
ON

G.
R.No.77372 Apr
il29,
1988

LUPO L.LUPANGCO,RAYMOND S.MANGKAL,NORMAN A.MESI NA,

ALEXANDER R. REGUYAL, JOCELYN P. CATAPANG, ENRI CO V.
REGALADO,JEROME O.ARCEGA,ERNESTOC.BLAS,JR.,ELPEDI O M.
ALMAZAN,KARL CAESAR R.RI MANDO,petit
ioner
,vs.COURT OF
APPEALSandPROFESSI
ONALREGULATIONCOMMI SSI
ON,respondent.

Bal
gos&Per
ezLawOf
fi
cesf
orpet
it
ioner
s.

TheSol
i
cit
orGener
alf
orr
espondent
s.

J.
GANCAYCO, :

I
st he Regi onalTr i
alCour tof t he same cat egory as t he
ProfessionalRegul ati
onCommi ssionsot hatitcannotpassupon
thev ali
dityoft headmi nist r
ativ
eact soft hel att
er?Can t hi
s
Commi ssi
on l awf ul
ly prohi bitthe exami nees f r
om at t
ending
revi
ewcl asses,r eceiv
inghandoutmat erials,tips,orthel i
kethree
(3)daysbef oret hedat eoft heexami nation?Thesear etheissues
presentedt ot hecour tbyt hispet iti
onf orcer tior
aritor evi
ewt he
decisi
onoft heCour tofAppeal spr omul gat edonJanuar y13,
1987,inCA- G. R.SPNo.10598,decl ari
ngnul landv oidt heother
datedOct ober21,1986i ssuedbyt heRegi onalTr i
alCour tof
Mani l
a,Br anch32i nCi vilCaseNo.86- 37950ent i
tled"LupoL.
Lupangco, etal .vs.Pr
of essional RegulationCommi ssion."
Ther
ecor
dsshowst
hef
oll
owi
ngundi
sput
edf
act
s:

On oraboutOct ober6,1986,her einrespondentPr ofessional

Regulati
onCommi ssi
on( PRC)i ssuedResoluti
onNo.105aspar t
s
ofit
s" Addi
ti
onalI
nstr
uctionst oExami nees,"t
oallthoseappl yi
ng
foradmissi
ontotaket helicensureexami nati
onsinaccount ancy.
Theresolut
ionembodiedt hefollowingperti
nentpr
ov i
sions:

Noexami neeshal
latt
endanyrevi
ew class,br
ief
ing,
conf
erenceort
heli
keconduct
edby
,orshallr
ecei
veany
 76

hand-out,revi
ew mat erial
,oranyt i
pf rom anyschool,
coll
egeoruni ver
sit
y ,oranyr evi
ewcent erorthel
ikeor
anyreviewer,l
ecturer,i
nstructoroffi
cialoremployeeof
anyoft heaforement i
onedorsi milarinsti
tut
ionsdur
ing
the t hree day s i mmedi ately pr eceding ev er
y
examinationdayincludingexami nati
onday .

Anyexamineevi
olat
ingthi
sinst
ruct
ionshallbesubj
ect
tothesancti
onsprescr
ibedbySec.8,Ar t.I
IIofthe
1
Rul
esandRegulat
ionsoftheCommission.

OnOct ober16,1986,hereinpet i
ti
oners,allrevieweespr eparing
totakethel i
censureexaminationsinaccount ancyschedul eon
October25andNov ember2oft hesamey ear,fi
ledont heirown
behalfofallot
herssimil
arl
ysituatedli
ket hem, withtheRegi onal
Tri
alCour tofMani l
a,BranchXXXI I,acompl aintforinjunction
with a prayerwitht he i
ssuance ofa wr i
tofa pr eliminary
i
njuncti
onagai nstrespondentPRC t or estraint helatterfrom
enfor
cing theabov e-
mentioned resol
utionand t o declaret he
sameunconst it
uti
onal.

RespondentPRCf iledamot iontodismi ssonOct ober21,1987

ont hegroundthatt helowercourthadnoj ur
isdi
cti
ont oreview
andt oenjoi
ntheenf orcementofi t
sr esol
uti
on.InanOr derof
October21,1987,thel owercourtdeclaredthatithadjuri
sdicti
on
totrythecaseandenj oinedtherespondentcommi ssionf r
om
enforci
ngandgivingef f
ecttoResolutionNo.105whi chitfound
tobeunconstit
uti
onal .
Notsati
sfi
edtherewi
th,respondentPRC,onNovember10,1986,fi
ledwit
htheCour tof
Appeal
sapeti
tionforthenulli
fi
cati
onoftheaboveOrderoft
helowercour
t.Sai
dpetiton
wasgrantedi
nt heDecisionoftheCourtofAppeal
spr omul
gat
edonJanuar y13,1987,
towit
:

WHEREFORE,f indi
ng t he pet i
ti
on mer i
tor
ious the same i s hereby
GRANTED andt heot herdatedOct ober21,1986i ssuedbyr espondent
courtisdecl
arednullandv oid.Therespondentcourti
sf ur
therdi
rect
edt o
di
smi sswithprejudi
ceCi vilCaseNo.86- 37950f orwantofj uri
sdict
ion
overthesubj
ectmat terther
eof .Nocostinthi
sinst
ance.

SOORDERED.2

Hence,
thi
spet
it
ion.

TheCour
tofAppeals,i
ndecidi
ngthatt
heRegi
onalTr
ialCour
tof
Mani
lahadnojur
isdict
iont
oenter
taint
hecaseandtoenjoi
nthe
 77

enforcementoft heResolut
ionNo.105,st at
edasi t
sbasi
sits
conclusi
onthattheProfessi
onalRegul
ati
onCommi ssi
onandthe
RegionalTr
ialCourtar
eco-equalbodi
es.Thusithel
d—

That t he pet i
ti
oner Pr ofessi
onal Regul at
ory
Commission is atl easta co-equalbody witht he
Regi
onalTrialCourtisbey ondquesti
on,andco-equal
bodi
eshav enopowert ocontr
oleachotherori
nterf
ere
3
wit
heachot her
'sacts.
Tost
rengt
heni
tsposi
ti
on,
theCour
tofAppeal
srel
i
edheav
iyonNat
l ionalEl
ect
ri
fi
cat
ion
Admi
nist
rat
ionvs.Mendoza,4 whi
chcit
esPinedavs.Lant
in5 andPhi
li
ppinePacif
ic
6
Fi
shi
ng,I
nc.vs.Luna, wheret hi
sCourthel
dthataCourtofFi r
stI
nstancecannot
i
nterf
erewit
htheor
der
soft
heSecur
it
iesandEx
changeCommi
ssi
on,
thet
wobei
ngco-
equalbodi
es.

Aft
eraclosescrut
inyofthefact
sandt
her
ecor
doft
hiscase,
We
rul
einf
av oroft
hepetit
ioner
.

The cases ci ted byr espondentcour tar e noti n poi nt.Iti s

glari
ngl yappar entt hatt her easonwhyt hisCour tr uledt hatt he
Cour tofFi rstI nstancecoul dnoti nterfer ewi tht heor dersoft he
Secur i
t i
es and Exchange Commi ssi
on was t hatt his was so
providedf orbyt hel aw.I nPi nedavs.Lant i
n,Weexpl ai
nedt hat
whenev erapar tyi saggr iev edbyordi sagr eewi thanor deror
ruli
ngoft heSecur i
tiesandExchangeCommi ssion,hecannot
seekr elieffrom cour tsofgener aljurisdict ionsi nceundert he
RulesofCour tandCommonweal thActNo.83,asamendedby
Republ icActNo.635,cr eat i
ngandset tingf or t
ht hepower sand
funct i
onsoft heol dSecur it
iesandExchangeCommi ssion,hi s
remedyi st ogot heSupr emeCour tonapet i
tionf orr evi
ew.
Likewi se,inPhi li
ppinePaci f
icFi shingCo. ,Inc.vs.Luna,i twas
stressed t hati fan or deroft he Secur ities and Exchange
Commi ssioni ser roneous,t heappr opr i
at er emedyt akei sfirst
,
withint heCommi ssioni tsel f,then,t ot heSupr emeCour tas
mandat edi nPr esi
dent ialDecr eeNo.902- A,t hel awcr eatingt he
newSecur iti
esandExchangeCommi ssion.Nowher ei nt hesai d
cases was i thel dt hata Cour tofFi rstI nst ance has no
j
ur i
sdict ionov eral lothergov ernmentagenci es.Ont hecont r
ar y
,
ther uli
ngwasspeci fi
cal l
ylimi t
edt otheSecur it
iesandExchange
Commi ssion.

Ther espondentcourter
redwhenitpl
acedt heSecurit
iesand
Exchange Commi ssi
on and the Professional Regul
ati
on
 78

Commi ssioni nthesamecat egory.Asal readyment ioned,wi t

h
respectt ot heSecur itiesandExchangeCommi ssi on,thel aws
cit
edexpl i
citl
ypr ovidewi tht hepr ocedur et hatneedbet aken
whenonei saggrievedbyi tsor derorr uli
ng.Upont heot herhand,
therei snol awpr ovidingf orthenextcour seofact ionf orapar ty
who want st o quest ionar uli
ngoror deroft hePr ofessional
Regul ationCommi ssi on.Unl i
keCommonweal thActNo.83and
President ial Decr ee No. 902- A,t here i s no pr ov i
sion in
President ial Decr ee No. 223, cr eating t he Pr ofessional
Regul ation Commi ssi on,t hat or ders or r esol utions of t he
Commi ssionar eappeal ableei thertot heCour tofAppeal sort o
theSupr eme Cour t.Consequent l
y,Ci vilCase No.86- 37950,
which was f i
led in or dert o enj oint he enf or cementofa
resolution of t he r espondent Pr ofessi onal Regul ati
on
Commi ssional l
egedt obeunconst i
tutional ,shouldf al
lwi t
hinthe
gener alj urisdi
ction oft he Cour tofFi rstI nstance,now t he
7
RegionalTr ialCourt.

Whati s clearf rom Pr esidenti

alDecr ee No.223 i sthatt he
ProfessionalRegul at
ionCommi ssi
onisat t
achedt otheOfficeof
8
the Presidentf orgener aldi r
ection and coordi
nation. Wel l
settledinourj ur i
sprudencei sthev i
ew thatev enact soft he
Officeoft hePr esidentmayber evi
ewedbyt heCour tofFi r
st
Instance( now theRegi onalTrialCour t
) nMedal
.I avs.Sayo,9
l
thisrul
ewast hor oughlypropoundedon, towit
:

Insof arasjuri
sdi ct
ionoftheCour tbelowt orevi
ewby
cer
tioraridecisions and/orr esolut
ions oft he Civi
l
Serv
iceCommi ssionandoft her esident
ialExecut
ive
Asssistantisconcer ned,thereshouldbenoquest i
on
butthatt hepowerofj udi
cialr
eview shouldbeupheld.
Thef ol
lowingrulingsbuttr
essthisconclusi
on:

The obj ection t oaj udicialrev i

ew of a
Presidentialactar ises f rom a f ailuret o
recognizet hemosti mpor tantprincipleinour
system ofgov ernment ,i.
e.,thesepar ati
onof
power sint othreeco- equaldepar t
ment s,the
executives,t he legi
slative and t he j udici
al,
each supr eme wi thi
n i ts own assi gned
power sanddut i
es.Whenapr esi
dent ialactis
chall
engedbef oret hecour tsofj ustice,itis
not t o be i mpl i
ed t herefrom t hat t he
 79

Executive i s bei ng made subj ect and

subordinatet othecour t
s.Thel egalityofhi s
actsar eunderj udicialrev i
ew,notbecause
theExecut i
vei si nferi
ort ot hecour t
s,but
becauset hel awisabov et heChi efExecut i
ve
himself,andt hecour tsseekonl yt ointerpret,
applyori mpl ementi t(t
he l aw).A j udicial
revi
ew oft hePr esident '
sdeci siononacase
ofanempl oyeedeci dedbyt heCi vilService
BoardofAppeal sshoul dbev i
ewedi nt his
l
ightand t he bringing oft he case t ot he
Courts shoul d be gov erned by t he same
pri
nciplesasgov ernt hejucuci alreviewofal l
administrati
ve act s of al l admi nistr
at i
ve
10
offi
cers.
Republ
i
cvs.Pr
esi
dingJudge,CFIofLanaodelNor
te,Br
.I,11 i
I sanot
hercasei
npoi
nt.
Here,"the Executive Office"'oft he Depar t
mentofEducat ion and Cultureissued
Memor andum Or derNo.93undert heaut hori
tyofthenSecr etaryofEducat i
onJuan
Manuel.Asi nt hi
scase,acompl aintforinjunct
ionwasf il
edwi t
ht heCour tofFir
st
Inst
anceofLanaodelNor tebecause,al l
egedly,t
heenf orcementoft hecir
cularwould
i
mpai rsomecont r
actsal readyent ered i
nto bypubl i
cschoolt eacher
s.I twast he
content
ionofpet iti
onert hereint
hat" theCour tofFir
stI nstancei snotempower edto
amend,r ev
erseandmodi fywhati sot her
wiset heclearandexpl ici
tprovi
sionoft he
memor andum circularissuedbyt heExecut iveOffi
cewhi chhast heforceandef f
ectof
l
aw."Inresolvi
ngt heissue, Weheld:

..
.Wedef i
nit
elystat
ethatrespondentCour tlawful
lyacqui
redjur
isdi
ction
i
nCi vi
lCaseNo.I I-
240(8)becauset hepl ai
nti
fftherei
naskedthelower
courtforrel
ief,inthef or
m ofi njunct
ion,in defenseofal egalright
(f
reedom t
oent eri
ntocontr
acts).....

Hencet her
eisacl earinfr
ingementofprivaterespondent'
sconst it
uti
onal
ri
ghtt
oent erintoagreementsnotcontrar
yt olaw,whichmi ghtruntherisk
ofbeingv i
olatedbyt het hr
eatenedimplement at
ionofExecut iveOf f
ice
Memor andum Ci r
cularNo.93,dat edFebruar y5,1968,whi chpr ohi
bits,
wit
hcer tai
nexcept i
ons,cashiersanddisbursingofficer
sf rom honoring
speci
alpower s ofat t
orney execut
ed by t he payee empl oyees.The
respondentCour ti
snotonlyrightbutdut yboundt otakecogni zanceof
cases oft his nat
ure wherei
n a const itut
ionaland statutoryr i
ghti s
all
egedlyinfr
ingedbyt headmi nistr
ati
veact ionofagover nmentof f
ice.
Courtsoff i
rstInst
ancehaveor iginalj
urisdicti
onoverallcivilacti
onsin
whichthesubj ectoftheli
ti
gati
oni snotcapabl eofpecuni
ar yestimati
on
(Sec.44,Republi
cAct296,asamended) .12(Emphasissuppli
ed. )

nSanMi
I guelCor
porati
onvs.Avelno,13 Wer
i ul
edthatajudgeoftheCourtofFir
st
I
nstancehastheauthori
tytodeci
deonthev ali
dit
yofacit
ytaxordi
nanceevenaft
eri
ts
val
idi
tyhadbeencontestedbefor
etheSecretar
yofJusti
ceandanopiniont
hereonhad
beenrender
ed.

I
nvi
ew oft
he f
oregoi
ng,We f
ind no cogentr
eason why
 80

Resol
uti
on No.105,i ssued by t
he respondentPr
ofessi
onal
Regul
ati
onCommi ssi
on,shouldbeexempt edf r
om t
hegeneral
j
uri
sdi
cti
onoftheRegionalTri
alCourt
.
RespondentPRC,ontheotherhand,
cont
endst
hatunderSect
ion9,paragr
aph3ofB.P.
Bl
g.129,itistheCourtofAppealswhi
chhasjur
isdi
cti
onoverthecase.Thesai
dlaw
provi
des:

SEC.9.Jur
isdi
cti
on.—TheI
nter
medi
ateAppel
l
ateCour
tshal
lexer
cise:

xxxxxxxxx

(3)Excl usi
veappel l
atej uri
sdicti
onov erallfinaljudgment s,deci si
ons,
resol
utions,or ders,orawar dsofRegi onalTri
alCour tsandquasi -
judicial
agencies,instrument al
i
ties,boar dsorcommi ssions,exceptt hosef al
ling
withi
nt heappel l
atejur
isdicti
onoft heSupr emeCour tinaccor dancewi th
theConst it
uti
on, theprovisionsoft hisAct,andofsubpar agraph( 1)oft he
thi
rdpar agraphandsubpar agraph( 4)ofthef ourt
hpar agraphofSect ion
17oft heJudi ciaryActof1948.

Thecont
ent
ioni
sdev
oidofmer
it
.

Inor dert oinvoket heexcl usiv eappel lat ejuri

sdi ctionoft heCour t
ofAppeal saspr ovidedf orinSect ion9,par agraph3ofB. P.Bl g.
129,t herehast obeaf i
nalor derorr uli
ngwhi chr esul
tedf r
om
proceedi ngswher eint headmi nistrativebodyi nv olvedexer cised
i
ts quasi -
judicialf unct i
ons.I n Bl ack's Law Di cti
onary,quasi -
j
udici alisdef i
nedasat erm appl iedt ot heact i
on,di scr
etion,et c.,
ofpubl i
cadmi nistrativeoffi
cer sorbodi esrequi redt oinvest i
gat e
facts, orascer taintheexi stenceoff act s,holdhear i
ngs,anddr aw
concl usionsf rom t hem,asabasi sf ort heirof f
ici alacti
on,andt o
exerci sediscret i
onofaj udicialnat ure.Toexpoundt her
eon, quasi
-j
udici aladjudi cation woul d mean a det ermi nat i
on ofr ight s,
pri
vilegesanddut i
esr esult
ingi nadeci sionoror derwhi chappl i
es
14
to a speci fic situation . Thi s does notcov err ules and
regulat i
onsofgener alapplicabi l
ityi ssuedbyt headmi nistrative
bodyt oimpl ementi tspurelyadmi nist r
at iv
epol iciesandf unctions
l
ikeResol utionNo.105whi chwasadopt edbyt her espondent
PRC as a measur et o pr eservet he i ntegr it
y of l icensur e
exami nati
ons.
Theabov er
ulewasadheredt oinFi l
ipinasEngi neeri
ngandMachi neShopvs.Fer rer.15
Inthiscase,theissuepresentedwaswhet herornott heCour tofFi r
stI nstancehad
j
urisdict
ionoveracaseinvolvi
nganor deroft heCommi ssiononEl ect
ionsawar dinga
contracttoapr i
vatepar
tywhi chor iginatedf rom ani nv i
tati
ontobi d.Thesai di ssue
cameaboutbecauseundert hel awst heni nforce,fi
nalawar ds,j
udgment s,decisionsor
ordersoft heCommi ssi
ononEl ectionsf allwithi
nt heexcl usi
vej ur
isdicti
onoft he
SupremeCour tbywayofcer tiorari
.Hence,i thasbeenconsi stentl
yheldt hat"itist he
SupremeCour t
,nottheCour tofFi rstInstance,whi chhasexcl usi
vej uri
sdictiont o
 81

r
eview oncer
ti
orar
ifi
naldeci
sions,or
ders,orrul
ingsoftheCommi ssi
ononEl
ect
ions
16
r
elati
vetot
heconductofel
ect
ionsandt heenf
orcementofelect
ionl
aws."

Ast
owhet
herornott
heCour
tofFi
rstI
nst
ancehadj
uri
sdi
cti
oni
nsai
dcase,
Wesai
d:

We ar e howev er,f arfrom conv i

nced t hatan or deroft he COMELEC
awar di
ngacont ractt oapr i
vatepar ty,asar esultofi tschoiceamong
variouspr oposal
ssubmi tt
edinr esponset oitsinv i
tat
iont obidcomes
withint hepur vi
ew ofa" fi
nalor der
"whi ch i
sexcl usivelyand dir
ectl
y
appealablet othiscour toncer tiorari
.Whati scont emplatedbyt heter
m
"fi
nalor ders,rulings and deci sions,oft he COMELEC r eviewabl
e by
certior
aribyt heSupr emeCour taspr ov i
dedbyl awar ethoser ender
edin
actionsorpr oceedingsbef oret heCOMELECandt akencogni zanceofby
thesai dbodyi nt heexer ci
seofi t
sadj udicator
yorquasi -
judi
cialpower
s.
(Emphasi ssupplied.)

xxxxxxxxx

Weagr eewi t
hpet it
ioner
'scontent
ionthatt heorderoftheCommi ssion
grant
ing t he awar dt o a bidderis notan or derrendered inal egal
contr
ov ersybef oreitwher ei
nt hepart
iesf i
ledthei
rrespecti
vepl eadings
andpr esent edevidenceafterwhichthequest i
onedorderwasi ssued;and
thatt
hi sor deroft hecommi ssionwasi ssuedpursuanttoitsauthorit
yt o
enteri nt
o cont r
actsi nr el
ation t
o el ect
i poses.I
on pur n shor t
,t he
COMELEC r esoluti
onawar di
ngt hecontr
actinfavorofAcmewasnot
i
ssuedpur suanttoitsquasi
-j
udici
alf
uncti
onsbutmer elyasani ncidentof
i
tsinherentadmi nist
rati
vefuncti
onsovertheconductofel ecti
ons,and
hence,t
hesai dresoluti
onmaynotbedeemedasa" finalorderreviewable
bycerti
oraribyt heSupr emeCour t
.Beingnon-j
udicialinchar acter
,no
contemptordermaybeimposedbyt heCOMELECf r
om sai
dor der ,
andno
di
rectandexcl usiv
eappealbycerti
oraritothi
sTri
bunalli
ef rom such
order.Anyquest i
onari
singfr
om saidor dermaybewel ltakeni nan
17
ordi
naryci
vi
l acti
onbef
orethet
ri
alcourts.(
Emphasi
ssuppl
ied.
)

Oneothercaset hatshouldbementionedinthi
sregardisSaludvs.Cent
ralBankofthe
Phil
i
ppines.18 Her
e,peti
tionerCent
ralBank,li
kerespondentinthi
scase,arguedthat
underSection9,par agraph3 ofB. P.Blg.129,ordersoft heMonetaryBoard are
appeal
ableonlytotheIntermedi
ateAppell
ateCour
t.Thus:

TheCent r
alBankandi t
sLiqui
datoral
sopostulat e,fort
hev er
yf i
rstti
me,
thattheMonetaryBoar disamongt he"quasi-judici
al.
..boards"whose
j
udgment sarewit
hintheexcl
usiv
eappell
atejurisdicti
onoftheIAC; hence,
i
ti sonl
ysaidCour t
,"totheexcl
usionoftheRegi onalTri
alCourts,"that
mayr ev
iewtheMonet ar
yBoard'
sresol
utons.19
i

Anentt
hepost
ureoft
heCent
ral
Bank,
Wemadet
hef
oll
owi
ngpr
onouncement
:

The content
ion i
s utt
erl
ydevoi
d ofmer i
t.The IAC has no appell
ate
j
urisdi
cti
on overresol
uti
on ororder
soft he Monet
aryBoard.No l aw
prescr
ibesanymodeofappealfr
om theMonetar
yBoardtotheIAC.20

I
nv i
ew oftheforegoi
ng,Wehol dthattheRegionalTri
alCour
t
hasjur
isdi
cti
ontoentert
ainCivi
lCaseNo.86- 37950andenjoi
n
ther
espondentPRCf r
om enf
orci
ngitsresol
uti
on.
 82

Al
thoughWehavefinall
ysett
ledt
heissueofjurisdict
ion,Wefind
i
timperat
ivet
odecideonceandf oral
lthevalidit
yofResol ut
ion
No.105soast oprovidethemuchawai t
edr eli
eft othosewho
ar
eandwi l
lbeaf
fectedbyit.

Ofcour se,We real

ize thatt he questi
oned r esol
uti
on was
adoptedf oracommendabl epur posewhichi s"topreservethe
i
ntegrit
yandpur i
tyofthelicensureexaminations."However,it
s
good ai m cannotbe a cl oak to conceali t
s constit
uti
onal
i
nfirmit
ies.On itsf ace,itcan be r eadily seen thati tis
unreasonablei
nthatanexami neecannotev enattendanyreview
class,briefi
ng,conf erenceort helike,orreceiveanyhand- out,
reviewmat er i
al,oranyt ipfr
om anyschool,collegeoruniver
sity,
orany r evi
ew cent erort he l
ike orany r eviewer
,lecturer,
i
nst ruct
or,of f
icialorempl oyeeofanyoft heaf orementi
onedor
21
simi l
ari
nstituti
ons....

The unreasonableness is mor e obvi

ous int hatone who is
caughtcommi tt
ing the prohibi
ted acts even wi t
houtany il
l
mot i
ves will be bar r
ed f rom t aki
ng f uture examinat
ions
conducted by t he r espondent PRC. Fur thermor
e, it is
i
nconceivabl
e how t he Commi ssion can manage t o havea
watchfuleyeoneachandev eryexamineedur ingthethreedays
beforetheexaminationper i
od.
I
ti sanaxiom i nadmi nist
rati
vel aw thatadmi nistr
ati
veaut hor i
ti
esshoul
d notact
arbi
tr
ari
l
yandcapr i
ciouslyi
nt heissuanceofr ul
esandr egul
at i
ons.Tobevali
d,such
rul
esandregulat
ionsmustber easonableandf air
lyadaptedtot heendinvi
ew.Ifshown
tobearnor easonabler el
ati
ont ot hepurposesf orwhicht heyar eaut
hori
zedt obe
22
i
ssued,t
hentheymustbehel dtobei nvali
d.

ResolutionNo.105i snotonl yunr easonabl eandar bitrary,

italso
i
nfri
ngesont heexami nees'r i
ghtt ol ibertyguarant eedbyt he
Constitution.RespondentPRChasnoaut hori
tytodi ctateont he
revi
eweesast ohow t heyshoul dpr epar ethemsel v esfort he
l
icensur eexami nations.Theycannotber est
rai
nedf rom taking
allthel awf ulst epsneededt oassur et hef ul
fil
lmentoft hei
r
ambi t
iont obecomepubl icaccount ants.Theyhav eev eryrightto
make use of t heirf acul t
ies in at taining success i nt hei
r
endeav ors.Theyshoul dbeal l
owedt oenj oythei rfreedom t o
acquire usef ulknowl edge t hatwi l
lpr omot et heirper sonal
growth. Asdefi
nedinadeci
sionoft
heUnit
edStat
esSupremeCourt
:

Thet
erm"
li
ber
ty"meansmor
ethanmer
efr
eedom f
rom
 83

physi
calrestrai
ntort heboundsofapr ison.I
tmeans
fr
eedom togowher eonemaychooseandt oacti n
suchamannernoti nconsist
entwitht heequalri
ghtsof
other
s,ashi sjudgmentmaydi ct
atef ort hepr
omot i
on
ofhishappiness,topursuesuchcalli
ngsandv ocati
ons
asmaybemostsui tabl
etodev el
ophi scapaci
ti
es,and
23
givet
othem t hei
rhighestenj
oyment .

Anot herev i
dentobj ecti
on to Resol ut i
on No.105 i st hatit
violates the academi cf reedom oft he schools concer ned.
RespondentPRCcannoti nterf
erewi t
ht heconductofr eviewt hat
review school s and centers bel i
eve woul d bestenabl et hei
r
enrol l
eest omeett hestandardsr equiredbef orebecomi ngaf ul
l-
fl
edged publ i
caccount ant.Unl esst hemeansormet hodsof
i
nst ruction areclearlyfound to bei neffi
cient,impr actical,or
ri
ddl edwi thcorrupti
on,review schoolsandcent ersmaynotbe
stoppedf r
om helpingoutt hei
rst udents.Att hi
sj uncture,wecal l
attent i
on to Ourpr onouncementi n Gar cia vs.The Facul t
y
24
Admi ssionCommi tt
ee,LoyolaSchoolofTheol ogy, r egar ding
academi cfreedom towit:

..
.Itwoul dfoll
owt henthattheschoolorcol legeitself
i
spossessedofsuchar i
ght.Itdecidesf oritsel
fi t
s
aimsandobj ecti
v esandhowbestt oat t
aint hem.Itis
fr
ee f rom out side coer ci
on or i nter
ference sav e
possiblywhent heov er
ri
dingpubl i
cwel farecallsfor
some r estrai
nt.I thas a wi de sphere ofaut onomy
certai
nlyext ending tot he choi
ce ofst udent s.This
constit
utionalprov isi
oni snott o beconst ruedi na
niggardlymannerori nagrudgingfashion.

Needl esst osay ,theenforcementofResol uti

onNo.105i snota
guar ant eet hatt heall
egedl eakagesi nt heli
censureexami nati
ons
willbeer adicatedoratl eastmi nimi zed.Makingt heexami nees
sufferby depr ivi
ng them ofl egit
imat e means ofr evi
ew or
prepar at i
onont hoselastt hreepr eciousday s-whent heyshould
ber efreshingt hemselveswi t
hal lthatt heyhav elearnedi nthe
review cl asses and pr epar i
ng t hei
rment aland psy chol
ogical
make- upf ort heexami nationdayi tself-
wouldbel i
keupr ooti
ng
thet reet ogetr i
dofar ot t
enbr anch.Whati sneededt obedone
byt her espondenti stofindoutt hesour ceofsuchl eakagesand
stopi tr ightt here.Ifcor ruptof fi
cialsorper sonnelshoul dbe
termi nat ed from t hei
rl oss,t henso bei t
.Fixersorswi ndl
ers
 84

should be flushed out.Stri

ctgui deli
nes to be obser ved by
examinersshouldbesetupandi fviolat
ionsarecommi tt
ed,then
l
icensesshoul dbesuspendedorrev oked.Thesear eallwit
hinthe
powers of t he respondent commi ssion as prov i
ded f or i
n
Presi
dentialDecreeNo.223.Butbyal lmeanst her i
ghtand
fr
eedom oft heexami neestoav ai
lofal ll
egi
timat emeanst o
preparefortheexami nat
ionsshouldnotbecur t
ailed.

Intheli
ghtoftheabove,WeherebyREVERSEandSETASI DE,t
he
decisi
onoft heCourtofAppealsinCA-G.R.SPNo.10591and
anotherjudgmentisherebyrendereddecl
ari
ngResolutionNo.
105 nulland v oi
d and ofno f or
ce and eff
ectf orbeing
unconsti
tuti
onal
.This deci
sion i
si mmediat
elyexecutory.No
costs.
SOORDERED.

Nar
vasaandCr
uz,
JJ.
,concur
.

Gr
iño-
Aqui
no,
J.,
tooknopar
t.

Foot
not
es

1Page82,
Rol
l
o.

2Deci
si
onoft
heCour
tofAppeal
s,p.34,
Rol
l
o.

3Page32,
Rol
l
o.

4138SCRA632.

5SCRA757.

6112SCRA604.

7Sec.19ofBPBl
g.129pr
ovi
des:

Sec.19.Jur
isdict
ioninci
vilcases.Regi
onalTr
ialCour
tsshal
lexer
cise
excl
usi
veori
ginalj
uri
sdi
cti
on.

(1)I
nallcivi
lact
ionsi
nwhi
cht
hesubj
ectoft
hel
i
tigat
ioni
sincapabl
eof
pecuni
aryesti
mati
on.

xxxxxxxxx

(
6)In allcases notwithint he exclusi
vej ur
isdicti
on ofany cour
t,
t
ri
bunal
,
personorbodyexerci
singjudi
cialorquasijudici
alf
unct
ions.

8Sect
ion1,
Presi
dent
ial
Decr
eeNo.223.
 85

9103SCRA587.

10103SCRA594.

1169SCRA235.

1269SCRA238,
239.

1389SCRA69.

14Gonzal
es,Admi
nist
rat
iveLaw,
LawonPubl
i
cOf
fi
cer
sandEl
ect
ionLaw,
1966ed.
,p.63.

15135SCRA25.

16135SCRA31.

17135SCRA31-
32.

18143SCRA590.

19143SCRA600.

20143SCRA600.

21Page82,
Rol
l
o.

22Gonzal
es,
Admi
nist
rat
iveLaw,
LawonPubl
i
cand

El
ect
ionLaw,
1966,
page52.

23Munn.v
s.I
ll
i
noi
s94U.
S.143.

2468SCRA277.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

SECONDDI
VISI
ON

G.
R.No.L-
45551 Febr
uar
y16,
1982

JOSES.ANGELESandGI LBERTOG.MERCADO, i
nhiscapaci
tyasDeanof
Insti
tut
eofTechnology,FEU,petiti
oners,v
s.HON.RAFAELS.SI SON,as
Judgeoft heCourtofFi rstInstanceofManila,EDGARDO PICAR and
WI LFREDO PATAWARAN, r epresented by his fat
her WENCESLAO
PATAWARAN, respondents.

J.
FERNANDEZ, :

Thi
sisapeti
ti
onforcer
ti
orar
itorev
iew t
hedeci
sionoftheCour
tofFi
rstInst
anceof
Manil
a,Br
anchXXVII
,datedDecember29,1976i nCiv
ilCaseNo.101222entit
led,
 86

"Edgar
do Pi car and Wi l
fr
edo Patawaran,r epresented by hi
sf ather
,Wenceslao
Patawaran,Plai
nti
ffs,ver
susJoseS.Angel es,DeanGi l
bert
oG.Mer cadoinhi
scapacit
y
asDeanoft heInsti
tuteofTechnol
ogy,Defendants,"t
hedisposi
ti
vepartofwhi
chreads:

WHEREFORE,t hepeti
ti
onpr ayedforbytheplai
nti
ff
si sherebyGRANTED,
and t he def
endant
s ar e hereby per
petuall
y enjoi
ned f r
om f ur
ther
proceedi
ngwiththeadminist
rati
veinv
est
igati
onagainsttheplai
nti
ff
s.

Soor ed.1
der

Ther ecor dsdiscloset hatsomet i

mei nNov ember1975t hepet i
tioner,JoseAngel es,
i
nitiatedanadmi nistr
ativecasebef or etheOf ficeoft heDean,Gi lbert
oG.Mer cado,of
theI nstituteofTechnol ogy,FarEast ernUni versit
y,byf i
li
ngacompl aint2 againstthe
pri
v ater espondent sEdgar doPi carandWi l
fredoPat awar anforal l
egedbr eachoft he
university'srul
esandr egulati
ons.Int hesaidcompl aint,i
tisall
egedt hatonOct ober20,
1975, JoseAngel es, aprofessorint heInstit
ut eofTechnol ogyofFarEast ernUni v
ersit
y
(FEU) ,wasassaul ted byEdgar do Picarand Wi lfr
edo Pat awaran,bot h student sin
mechani calengineer i
ngi nthesai dinstit
uteatt heOakBar r
elRest aurantlocatedatP.
GomezSt reet
,Qui apo,Mani l
aon t heoccasi on oft hebi r
thdaypar t
yofPr of
essor
AlfonsoBer nabe,theSecr etaryoftheI nsti
tuteofTechnol ogyofFEU.

Thesamei nci
dentbecameal sothesubj ectofacriminalcompl ai
ntforassaul tagainst
aper soni naut hori
tyinst
it
utedbyt hepet i
ti
onerJoseAngel esintheOf f
iceoft heCi ty
Fi
scalofMani l
a againstthe privat erespondents Picarand Pat awaran.Lat er,the
compl aintwasammendedt oassaul tand/orphysi
calinjuries.Thecasewasdi smi ssed
asagai nstpr ivaterespondentWi l
fredoPat awaranbutani nformat
ionforslightphy sical
i
njurieswasf i
ledagainstpri
vaterespondentEdgar doPi cari ntheCit
yCour tofMani a.3
l
Howev er,dur i
ngt hependencyoft hiscase,onJul y8,1977,t hecri
minalcasef orsl i
ght
physicali njuri
esagai nstEdgardoPi carwasdi smissedont hebasisofanaf fidavitof
desistance4 submi t
tedbypet i
ti
onerJoseAngel esbef oret heCit
yCour tofMani l
a,
BranchVI I
I,stati
ngamongot hers,t hatthesubjectincidentwasonl y"ar esul tofa
misunder standingandnobodyi stobebl amed."

Act i
ngont headmi ni
st r
ativecompl ai
ntf iledbef orehi sOf f i
cebyt hepet iti
onerJose
Angel es,t heDeanoft heI nsti
tute,petiti
onerGi lbertoMer cado,i mmedi atelycreateda
commi tteeheadedbyhi mt oinv est
igatet hecompl aint.Thepr ivater espondent sPicar
andPat awar anquest i
onedt heaut horit
yoft heDeanandhi scommi t
teet oconductt he
admi nistrativ
einv esti
gat i
onbecauset heactcompl ainedof— t heal l
egedassaul tof
ProfessorAngel es att he Oak Bar relRest aur ant— i s notwi thin his authori
tyt o
i
nv estigate.Theycont endt hatt heDean' saut hor i
tyt oi nvestigateundert heCodeof
ConductofFEU( asamended)f rom wher eheder ivesthatpower ,isl i
mitedt oactsdone
orcommi tt
ed wi thi
nt he pr emi ses oft he compound oft he Uni versit
y.The Dean
proceededt oconductt hechal lengedadmi nist r
ativei nvestigation.Thust hepr i
vate
respondent s,Pi
carandPat awaran, t
hel atterbei ngt henami nor,wasr epresentedbyhi s
father,Wencesl aoPat awar an,f
iledonFebr uary13, 1976i ntheCour tofFirstInst
anceof
Mani laacompl aint5 withpet itionfori ssuanceofawr itofpr elimi naryinjuncti
ont o
restraint hepetitionersf rom pr oceedingwi tht headmi nist
rativei nvestigationagainst
thepr ivaterespondent s.

Forthwith,therespondentjudgeissuedont hesameday ,Febr

uar
y13,1976,anOrder6
tempor ari
lyrestr
aini
ngt hepetit
ionersfr
om furtherproceedi
ngwitht
headmi ni
str
ati
ve
i
nv est
igationagainstthepri
vaterespondents,andsett
ingthemoti
onfort
heissuanceof
thewr i
tofpr el
iminaryinj
uncti
onf orhear
ing.

OnMarch10,1976,t
hepetit
ioner
sfi
l
edt
hei
ranswert
othecompl
aintandanopposi
ti
on
7
t
othepeti
ti
onforinj
unct
ion.
 87

Overtheoppositi
onofthepet
it
ioner
s,t
her espondentJudgei
ssuedanOr der8 onJune
7,1976gr anti
ngthewritofprel
imi
nar
yi njuncti
onandenjoi
ningthepetit
ionersfr
om
proceedi
ngwi ththeadmini
str
ati
veinvesti
gationofpriv
aterespondent
sunt i
lfurt
her
ordersfr
om theCourt
.

OnJul y13,1976,t hepet

it
ionersmov edf
orar econsiderat
ionoftheor deroft he
respondentjudge and tolif
tt he or
dergrant
ing pl
aint
iff
s'peti
ti
on forpreli
minary
9
i
njuncti
on. Thepr i
vat
erespondent
sopposedthesaidmot i
onforreconsi
derat
ionon
10
August10,1976.

OnOctober11,1976,t
her espondentJudgei
ssuedanor
derdeny
ingt
hepet
it
ioner
s'
11
mot
ionforr
econsi
derat
ion.

Consequent
ly,t hepeti
ti
onersf i
led on Nov ember17,1976,amot i
on f
orsummar y
j
udgmentstating,amongot hers,that"sincet hei
ssuebefor
ethisCourti
soneofl aw
andnotoffact ,andtheref
ore,thereexistsnogenuinecontrov
ersyastoanymat er
ial
fact
,summaryj udgmentwilll
ietoeffect
uat ethepr
omptdisposi
ti
onofthi "12
scase.

Fi
ndi
ngnoobject
iont
otherendit
ionofasummar
yjudgment
,thepr
ivat
erespondent
s
13
fi
l
edtot
hatef
fectamani
fest
ati
on onDecember8,1976.

OnDecember29,1976,t her espondentjudgerenderedthedecisi

onunderrevi
ew,
per
petual
l
yenjoiningthepeti
ti
onersfrom fur
therproceedi
ngwit
ht headmini
str
ati
ve
i
nvest
igat
ionagainstt
hepr
ivat
erespondents.

From t
hisdeci
sion,t
hepet
it
ioner
sint
erposedanappealt
othi
sCour
t,assi
gni
ngt
he
fol
lowi
ngaserr
ors:

THE RESPONDENT JUDGE ERRED IN FI

NDING THAT FAR EASTERN
UNIVERSI
TY("
FEU",FORBREVI
TY),THROUGHPETITIONERGILBERTOG.
MERCADOWHOI STHEDEAN OFTHEI NSTI
TUTEOFTECHNOLOGY,I S
NOT AUTHORIZED TO I
NVESTIGATE AND DISCI
PLINE THE PRI
VATE
RESPONDENTS,WHOARESTUDENTSOFSAI DUNI VERSI
TY,FORTHEIR
CONDUCTOUTSIDEOFSCHOOLHOURSANDNOTWI THINTHESCHOOL
PREMISESWHICHDIRECTLYAFFECTSTHEGOODORDERANDWELFARE
OFTHESCHOOL.

I
I

THE RESPONDENT JUDGE ERRED I N FI

NDING THAT THE SERVI
CE
MANUAL FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS APPLIES TO,AND OVERRI
DES THE
RULES AND REGULATI
ONS OF FEU A PRIVATE SCHOOL,UPON THE
GROUNDTHATTHEREI SNODI FFERENCEBETWEENAPRI VATESCHOOL
ANDAPUBLICSCHOOL.

I
II

THERESPONDENTJUDGEERREDI NFINDI
NGTHATTHECONDUCTOF
THE PRIVATE RESPONDENTS I
N MAULING PETITI
ONER JOSE S.
ANGELES,AFACULTYMEMBEROFFEU,OUTSIDETHEPREMISESOFTHE
SCHOOL IS NOT PRESCRI
BED BY THE RULES AND REGULATI
ONS
CONTAINEDINTHESERVICEMANUALFORPUBLICSCHOOLS.

I
V
 88

THE RESPONDENT JUDGE ERRED IN FI

NDING THAT FEU,THROUGH
PETITI
ONER GILBERTO G.MERCADO,I S LEGALLY INHI
BITED FROM
I
NVESTIGATING PRIVATERESPONDENTS FOR CONDUCT PRESCRI BED
BY ITS RULES AND REGULATI
ONS BECAUSE OF THE PENDENCY OF
CRIMINALCHARGESAGAI NSTSAIDRESPONDENTS.14

Themai nlegalissuepresent
edinthispet it
ioni
swhet heraschoolthr
oughi t
sduly
authori
zedrepresent
ati
vehasthejur
isdicti
ont oi
nvest
igat
eitsst
udentorstudent
sfor
anal l
egedmi sconductcommitt
edout sidetheschoolpr emi
sesandbey ondschool
hours.

Thepeti
ti
onerscont endthatthemauli
ngincident
,subjectmat
terofthiscase,was
soughtt
obei nvesti
gatedunderandpur
suanttothefol
lowingr
ulesandregul
ati
onsof
15
theManualofRegist
rati
onforPri
vat
eSchool
s.

1)Par
( agr
aphl
45,
Sect
ionI
X:

Everypr i
vateschooli srequir
edt omai ntai
ngoodschooldi sci
pline.No
cruel orphy si
call
yharmfulpunishmentshal l
bei mposednorshal lcor poral
punishmentbecount enanced.Theschoolr ul
esgov er
ningdi sci
plineand
the cor responding sancti
ons t hereformustbe cl early specif
ied and
definedi nwr i
ti
ngandmadeknownt othestudentsand/ortheirpar entsor
guar dians.Schoolsshallhavetheaut hor
it
yandpr erogati
vet opromul gate
suchr ul
esandr egul
ationsast heymaydeem necessar yf r
om t i
met ot i
me
effectiveasoft hepromulgati
onunl essot herwisespeci
fied.

No penal
tyshallbeimposed upon anystudent,exceptforcauseas
defi
nedinthi
sManualand/orintheschool'
sr ul
esandr egul
ati
onsduly
promul
gatedandonl
yaft
erdueinvest
igat
ionshall
havebeenconducted.

2)Par
( agr
aphl
46,
Sect
ionI
X:

Thethreecat
egori
esofdiscipli
naryadmini
str
ati
v esanct
ionswhichmay
beimposeduponer ri
ngst udents,commensuratewitht henatur
eand
grav
ityoft
hevi
olat
ionofschoolrulesandr
egulat
ionscommi t
ted,
are:

a.Droppi
ng— aschoolmaydr opfrom it
sroll
sdur i
ngtheschoolyearor
term a studentwho is consi
dered undesir
able.The studentwho is
droppedshouldbei
ssuedimmedi at
elyhi
st r
ansfercr
edenti
als.

b.Suspensi on — aschoolmaysuspendaner r
ingst udentduri
ngthe
schooly earort er
mf oramaxi mum peri
odnotexceedi ng20% ofthe
prescr
ibedschoolday s.Suspensi
onwhichwilli
nvolv
et helossofthe
enti
rey earorter
m shallnotbeeff
ect
iveunl
essapprovedbyt heDir
ect
or
ofPriv
at eSchool
s.

c. Expul si
on — t he penal ty of expulsion is an ext r
eme f or
m of
admi ni
strativesanct i
onwhi chdebar st hestudentf rom allpubl i
cand
privat
eschool s.Tobev ali
dandef f
ectivethepenaltyofexpul si
onr equir
es
theappr oval oftheSecr etaryofEducat i
on.Expulsi
oni susual l
yconsidered
properpuni shmentf orgr oss misconductordi shonest yand/ orsuch
offensesashazi ng,car ryi
ngdeadl yweapons,i mmor al
ity
,drunkenness,
vandalism, hool i
ganism, assaulti
ngat eacheroranyot herschoolauthori
ty,
orhi sagentorst udent,instigat
ing,l
eadingorpar ticipati
ngi nconcer t
ed
activi
ti
esl eadi ng to a st oppageofcl asses,prevent i
ng ort hreateni
ng
studentsorf acultymember sorschoolaut hor
it
iesf rom dischargingtheir
 89

duti
es,orfrom attendi
ngclassesorenteri
ngtheschoolpremi
ses,f
orgi
ng
ortampering(with)schoolrecordsort
ransferf
orms,orsecur
ingorusi
ng
suchforgedtransfercr
edential
s.

I
naccordancewitht
heabove-
quot
edprovi
sion,theAdvi
sor
yCounci
lofFEUapproved
16
onDecember2,1971,t
heCodeofConduct f oral
lst
udent
stoobser
ve.Theper
ti
nent
ar
ti
clespr
ovide:

Ar
ti
cle1—Gener
alBehavi
or

Secti
on2.St udentsshallnotuselanguageorcommi tact
swhichare
disr
espect
ful
,vulgar,ori
ndecent
,orwhichi nanymannermaycauseor
tendtocausemol est
ati
onorinjur
ytoot hermember
soft heuni
ver
sit
y
communi t
y.

xxxxxxxxx

Ar
ti
cleV— Penal
ti
es

Secti
on1.Violati
onofanyoft hepr ovi
sionsoft
hisCodeofConductshall
bepunished,aft
erdueinvesti
gati
onbyr epri
mand,dr
oppi
ng,suspensi
onor
expulsi
oninaccordancewiththeManualofRegulati
onforPri
vateSchool
s
taki
ngintoaccountthefol
lowingfactor
s:

a)pr
evi
ousr
ecor
doft
hest
udent
;

b)i
nher
entgr
avi
tyoft
heof
fensecommi
tt
ed;

c)posi
ti
onoft
heaggr
iev
edper
son

d)est
abl
i
shedpr
ecedent
s;and

e)otherrelat
ed cir
cumstances,such asthe per
ti
nentand appl
i
cabl
e
mit
igat
ing and aggr
avat
ing ci
rcumstancesfound i
ntheRevi
sed Penal
Code.

Secti
on2.Incasesnotcov eredbythi
sCode,thecategor
iesofdisci
pli
nary
administ
rat
ive sanct
ions contai
ned i
nt he ManualofRegul ati
ons for
Pri
vateSchoolsshall
applyuponthegroundprovi
dedinsaidManual.

xxxxxxxxx

Ar
ti
cleVI—Enf
orcement

Sect
ion1.TheDeansandPr
inci
pal
sshal
lenf
orcet
hepr
ovi
sionoft
his
CodeofConduct
.

Thereshal lbecr eat

ed in each I nst
it
uteand Schoola commit
teeon
Discipl
ine,MannersandMor als,composedoft wofacult
ymembersand
onest udent
,allappoi
ntedbyt heDeanorPr inci
pal
,asthecasemaybe,t
o
i
nv esti
gatecasesofviolat
ionsoft hisCodeofConductref
err
edt
oitbyt
he
correspondi
ngDeanorPr i
ncipal.

Sect
ion4.Incasesi
nvol
vi
ngast udentandafacult
ymember,theDeanor
the Pri
nci
palconcer
ned shal
lconductt he heari
ng.Wheret he case
i
nvolvesastudentandanadmi nist
rat
iveper
sonnel,thePr
esidentmay
 90

appoi
nta Commi t
teetoinvest
igat
ethesamewhi ch shal
lsubmi
tit
s
fi
ndi
ngsandrecommendat
ionstothePr
esi
dentf
ordeci
sion.

Thus,thepet i
ti
onerMercadocontendsthatinhiscapaci
tyasDeanoft heInsti
tuteof
Technology,heischargedunderSecti
ons1and4ofAr ti
cleVIoft heCodeofConduct
ofFEUwi ththedutyofconducti
ngahear i
ngincasesinvolvingast udentandaf acul
ty
memberi nf ur
ther
anceoft heuniversi
ty'
slegal
lyrecognized r
ightt o di
scipl
ineits
st
udents.

Ont heotherhand, thepriv

at erespondentssubmi tt
hatt oappl
yt heabov
e-quot
edrules
totheinstantcasewoul dbe" caprici
ous,malici
ous,palpabl
yunreasonabl
e,ar
bit
rar
yora
clearabuseofdi screton"17 andt
i hat" anyinvesti
gationbyt heschooloft hesaid
i
ncidentwi l
lbeviolati
veoft heprivat
er espondents'
righttopri
vacyandpeaceofmi nd.
"
18

Ther espondentjudgeopi
nedthatt
heinstantcasefal
lsunderthegener
alr ul
ethatthe
poweroft heschoolendsatt heborderofi tscampus.19 Hisbasisi sSecti
on9,
paragraph145oft heManualofRegul
ati
onsf orPri
vat
eSchoolstheopeningparagraph
ofwhi chstates:
"Ever
ypri
vat
eschooli
srequiredtomaint
aingoodschooldisci
pli
ne.
"He
explai
nst hus:

Whatot herint
erpretationcoul dbepl acedont hephr ase" school di
sci pl
ine"
exceptt hatitisanor m ofact i
ont hatmustbeobser v edwi t
hinaschool .If
ther ulesandr egulationspr ovi
dedbyschoolaut hor i
tiesshal lbedeemed
toext endout si
deofschoolpr emi sesandact ivit
ies,thet erm" school
discipline"woul dbeami snomer .Wemustconsi dert hefactt hatFEUas
ani nst i
tutioncanexer ciseonl ysuchpower sexpr essl yconf erred,sot hat
anyaut hor i
tynotsogi venshal lbedeemedt obewi thheld.Int heabsence
ofanexpr essprovisionont hismat ter,t
hisCour tcoul dnotseeanyr eason
whypar agraph155oft heSer vi
ceManualr el
at i
vet opubl i
cschool sshoul d
notbeappl i
edbywayofanal ogyconsi deri
ngt hatt herei sact ual lyno
diff
er encebet weenapr ivateandapubl icschool .Theobj ect i
v efort he
promul gationofrulesandr egulati
onswi threspectt obot hi nstituti
onsar e
oneandt hesame.Sect i
on155, amongot her
s, states:

Schoolaut hor
itiesarenot ,underor di
naryci rcumst ances,
warrantedinappl yi
ngschoolpuni shmentofpupi l
sf oracts
commi ttedoutsideoft hejurisdict
ionoft heschoolbui ldi
ng
andgr ounds..
.Asar ul
e...theaut hori
tyandr esponsibi l
it
yof
theschoolstopatt hebor deroft heschoolgr ounds, andany
acti
ont akenforact scommi tt
edwi thoutt heseboundar i
es
shouldingener albelefttot hePol i
ceaut horit
ies,t
hecour t
s
ofjusti
ceandthef ami l
yconcer ned.

Ofcour se,therearecertai
nexcept ionsascorrect
lypointedoutbyt he
defendants,whicharealsopr ovidedinthesameSect i
on155,butt hen,
consideri
ng thatdefendantsmov ed fora summaryjudgmentwi t
hout
presenti
nganyev idencetoprovet hatthecaseoftheplainti
ff
sfallunder
anyoft heaforequotedexceptions,theCourthasnoot heral
ternativ
e
excepttoapplythegeneralr
ule.20

I
mpli
citin Par
agraph 155 ofthe Ser
vice Manual
,Four
th Rev
isi
on quot
ed byt
he
r
espondentj
udgeandreproducedasfol
l
ows:

A pupilwho has commi

tt
ed an i
mmoralactout
side oft
he school
j
uri
sdict
ionwouldbeasourceofdangert
ootherpupi
lsintheschool
 91

building,andsuchpupi lmi ghtwit

hr easonbeexcl udedfrom theschool .
Ther ear ecert
ainbor der
linecases,howev er,whichar ehardtodecide, and
forwhi chnodef i
niterul
escanbel ai
ddown.Shoul dpupil
sinaconcer ted
effortat t
emptt or unat eacheroutoft ownort r
ytomakel ifeoutsideof
schoolunbear ableforhim,suchact ionmi ghtwel lbetakenashav inga
directandv it
alef f
ectont heschoolandt her ef
or eascomingunderschool
discipli
ne.Pupi l
sengagedi nschoolmat t ersel sewherethanont heschool
grounds,such as schoolat hlet
ic affairs and t ri
ps,parades,l i
ter ar
y
cont ests,et
c.,areconsideredunderthejur isdicti
onoft heschool.

i
st he recogni
ti
on ofthe school
'sauthori
tyand powerto expela pupi
lwho has
commi t
tedanimmor alactoutsi
deoftheschoolpremisessi
ncethel
atterwoul
dbea
"sour
ceofdangertootherpupil
sintheschoolbui
l
ding.
"

I
ft hepowertoexpelort opunishani mmoralactcommi t
ted
outsi
detheschoolpremisesisrecogni
zedinthi
sprovi
sion,why
i
st hepowert oinvesti
gatetheactofast udentinmaul i
nga
facul
tymemberout sidetheschoolpremisesnotbeaccor ded
thesamerecogni
tion?

Itisthuserrorforr
espondentj udgetostatethatthereisnothing
i
nt he authori
ti
es rel
ied upon byt he defendants,petit
ioners
herein,whichcompel sanyschoolaut horitytoadmi nist
rati
vely
discipl
inestudentsforincidentscommi tt
edout sidetheschool
compoundonanoccasi onwhi chi
snotschool -sponsoredor
connect edwithanyactiv
ityoftheschool
.

Acol l
egeoranyschoolforthatmat
ter,hasadualresponsi
bil
it
y
toitsstudents.Oneistoprovi
deopportuni
ti
esforlear
ningand
the otherist o helpthem grow and dev el
op i
nto mature,
responsibl
e,effect
iveand wort
hycit
izensoft hecommuni ty.
Disci
pli
ne is one of the means to carry outthe second
responsibi
li
ty.

Thus,t here can be no doubtt hatthe est abl

ishmentofan
educationalinsti
t uti
onr equir
esr ulesandr egulati
onsnecessar y
forthemai ntenanceofanor derl
yeducat i
onalpr ogram andt he
creati
onofaneducat ionalenv i
ronmentconduci vet olear
ning.
Such r ules and r egulations are equal l
y necessar yf or the
protecti
onoft hest udents,faculty,andpr operty
.Thepowerof
schoolof f
ici
alst oi nvesti
gate,an adj unctofi ts powert o
suspendorexpel , i
sanecessar ycoroll
arytotheenf or
cementof
suchr ulesandr egulati
onsandt hemai ntenanceofasaf eand
orderl
yeducat ionalenv ir
onmentconduci v
et olearning.

Ther
espondentj
udgecor
rect
lyst
atedt
hatt
hegener
alr
ulei
s
 92

thattheauthorit
yoft heschoolisco-ext
ensivewit
hi tsterr
it
orial
j
urisdict
ion,oritsschoolgrounds,sot hatanyactiont akenfor
actscommi t
tedout si
detheschoolpr emisesshoul
d,i ngeneral,
bel efttothepol i
ceaut hor
it
ies,thecour t
sofjustice,andt he
21
familyconcerned.

However,thisrul
eisnotr i
gidoronewithoutexcept
ions.Iti
st he
bett
erv i
ew thatthereareinstanceswhent heschoolmi ghtbe
call
edupont oexerciseit
spowerov eri
tsstudentorstudentsfor
actscommi ttedoutsidetheschoolandbey ondschoolhour sin
thefol
lowing:

a)In cases ofviol

ati
ons ofschoolpol
ici
es orr
egulat
ions
occur
ri
ngi nconnect
ionwit
haschoolsponsoredacti
vi
tyof f
-
22
campus;or

b)Incaseswherethemisconductoft
hestudentinvolv
eshis
stat
usasastudentoraf
fectsthegoodnameorr eputati
onof
theschool
.

Commonsensedi ctat
est hattheschoolr et
ainsi t
spowert o
compeli tsstudentsinorof f
-campust o anor m ofconduct
compatiblewiththeirstandingasmember soft heacademi c
communi ty.Hence,whenasi nt hecaseatbar ,theconduct
complained ofdirectl
y affect
st he suit
abi
li
ty oft he al
leged
vi
olat
orsasst udents,t
hereisnor easonwhytheschoolcannot
i
mposet hesamedi sci
pli
naryactionaswhent heactt ookplace
i
nsidethecampus.

Therei s a showing from the r

ecords ofthi
s case t hatt
he
proximatecauseoft heal l
egedmaulinginci
dent,subjectoft
he
admi ni
str
ati
vei nv
estigati
oni nquesti
on,isattri
butablet ot
he
professor
-st
udentr el
ati
onshipofthepart
iesconcerned.
Theswor
nst ement23 oft
at hepet
it
ionerJoseAngel
essubmitt
edtothepet
it
ionerDean
Gil
ber
toMer
cado,
asHeadoft heI
nvesti
gati
ngCommi t
teest
at i
es,nt
eral
i
a:

4.Thatsomet i
meaf tert
heendoft hisfi
rstsemesterment
ionedearl
ier
,
EduardoPicarunderthei
nfl
uenceofl
iquoraccost
edmealongthecorr
idor
oftheInsti
tut
ebuildi
ngandaskedforanexplanat
ionwhyMr.Garci
agav e
hi
m af ai
li
nggradeinShop302.Itol
dhim IhadnoIdea.

5.Thatfr
om t
histi
meon,saidPicarst
oppedbei
ngcordi
altomeand
someti
meswouldl
ookdagger
satmewheneverwemeetonthecampus.

6.Thatal
sosometi
melastJuly1975,Wil
fredoPat
awaranaccost
edme
al
ongthecor
ri
dor
softheTechnol
ogybuil
dingandaskedmetoenrollhi
m
 93

i
nmycl ass.ButIt
oldhi
mthatIhadal
readyenoughst
udent
sforone
sect
ion.

7.Thatfr
om t
hist
imeon,thi
sPatawaranav
oidedmeandt ogetherwith
Picart
heywould show t
hei
rcontemptofme,byf aci
alexpressi
ons,
wheneverwemetont hecor
ri
dor
soft heTechnol
ogybuil
dingorint he
campus.

These statements clear

ly est abli
sh t he necessit
y f or an
Administ
rati
veinvesti
gati
on of t he al l
eged mauling inci
dent
becauseitcannotbedeni edt hatthesamei sav i
olati
onoft he
normsofdecencyandgoodt astewhi chisantit
het
icaltooneof
theschool'sdut
iesv i
s-a-
vist hef amily
,t hatofdevelopi
ngt he
24
moralcharact
eroftheyouth.
Mor eover
,fr
om t hefactsofrecord,theall
egedmauli
ngofpet i
ti
onerJoseAngel esat
theOakBar relRestauranti
nQui apo,Manil
acanber egar
dedasacont inuat
ionorthe
cli
maxoft heallegeddispl
ayofanimositi
esbypri
vat
erespondentsPicarandPatawaran
towardsAngel eswhi chbeganatt hecorri
dorsoftheFEU I nst
it
uteofTechnol ogy
buil
ding.

Precisely,theadmi ni
strati
veinvesti
gati
oni nquest
ionisproperi
nor derthattheduly
author i
zedschoolof fi
cialscandet erminewhethertheconti
nuedpr esenceofpr iv
ate
respondent s,Pi
carandPat awaran,asstudent
sofFEUand/ orpet
it
ioner ,JoseAngeles,
asf acultymember ,withintheuniversi
typremi
sesisdetr
imentalt
ot hemai nt
enanceof
amor alcli
mateconduci vetolearni
ng.

Furthermore,thetruetestofaschool '
srighttoinvesti
gate,orotherwise,suspendor
expelast udentforami sconductcommi t
tedoutsidetheschoolpr emisesandbey ond
schoolhour sisnotthetimeorplaceoftheof f
ense,butitseffectupont hemoraleand
eff
iciencyoft heschoolandwhet herit
,infact,i
sadv ersetot heschool '
sgoodorder
welfareandt headvancementofitsst
udents.

Likewi
set hepoweroft heschoolov eri
tsstudent
sdoesnot
ceaseabsol utel
ywhentheyleavet
heschoolpremises,andt
hat
conductout si
de ofschoolhours maysubjecta studentto
schooldiscipli
neifi
tdir
ectl
yaff
ectsthegoodorderandwelf
are
oft he schoolorhas a di r
ectand immediat
e eff
ecton the
disci
pli
neorgener alwel
far
eoftheschool.

Thepr ivater espondent'

sav ermentt hatt hedi smissaloft he
cri
minalcaseagai nstpri
vat erespondentPi carupont hefi
li
ngof
theaffidav i
tofdesi st
anceofpet i
ti
onerJoseAngel eshast he
25
eff
ectofr ender i
ngt hi
sinstantpet i
ti
onmootandacademi c i s
unmer i
torious.Thependencyort hedi smissaloft hecr i
minal
acti
on does notabat et he admi nistrat
ive proceeding which
26
i
nvolvest hesamecauseofact i
on. Theadmi nist
rati
veaction
befor
et heschoolaut hori
tiescanpr oceedi ndependentl
yoft he
cri
minalact ionbecausetheset woact i
onsar ebasedondi ff
erent
 94

considerati
ons.I
ntheformer,thepri
vat
erespondent'
ssuit
abil
it
y
orpr opri
etyasast udentwhichistheparamountconcernand
i
nt er
estoft heschoolisinv
olved,whil
einthelatt
er,whatisat
stakeishisbeingaci t
izenwhoi ssubj
ecttothepenalstatut
es
andist heprimar
yconcernoftheState.

Hence,there bei
ng no wit
hdr awaloft he complai
ntfi
led by
pet
it
ionerJose Angeles beforet he peti
ti
onerDean Gilber
to
Mercado,t
headmi ni
str
ati
vei
nv esti
gat
ionshouldpr
oceed.

Therefore,asapt l
yst at
ed byt hepetit
ioners 27 t
o aff
irm the
decisi
onoft herespondentJudgewoul dgivenot hi
nglessthana
l
icenset ostudentsofaschool ,publ
icorpriv
ate,t oassaultand
mault hei
rt eachers or professor
s wi t
hout f ear of being
subjectedto disci
pli
nebyt heschoolasl ongast heassault
takesplaceoff-
campusorbey ondschoolhours.

WHEREFORE, thedecisionoftheCourtofFi
rstInst
anceofMani
la
soughtto be r ev
iewed is her
eby setaside and the wr
itof
prel
i
minar
yi njunct
ionissuedbyt herespondentjudgei
shereby
di
ssolv
ed,withoutpronouncementastocosts.
SOORDERED.

Teehankee(
Chai
rman)
,Makasi
ar,
Guer
rer
o,Mel
enci
o-Her
rer
aandPl
ana,
JJ.
,concur
.

Foot
not
es

1Annex"
L",
Pet
it
ion,
p.7;
Rol
l
o,p.110.

2Annex"A",Complai
ntwithPet
it
ionf
orPr
eli
minar
yInj
unct
ion,Or
igi
nal
Recor
dinCFI,
Mani
la,p.6.

3Pet
it
ion,
p.5;
Rol
l
o,p.12.

4Annex"
A",
Memor
andum f
orRespondent
s,Rol
l
o,p.
203.

5Annex"
A",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.34.

6Annex"
B",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.40.

7Annexes"
C"and"
D",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,pp.41and49,
respect
ivel
y.

8Annex"
F",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.60.

9Annex"
G",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.61.

10Annex"
H",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,71.
 95

11Annex"
I"Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.
72

12Annex"
J",
par
.7,
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.73.

13Annex"
K",
Pet
it
ion;
Rol
l
o,p.103.

14Pet
it
ion,
pp.8-
9;Rol
l
o,pp.15-
16.

15 ManualofRegulat
ions f
orPr
ivat
e School
s 1970,Sev
ent
h Edi
ti
on
Annot
ated,
pp.109-
111.

16Peti
ti
on,
pp.12-
13;
Rol
l
o,pp.19-
20;
AnnexJ-
6,Pet
it
ion,
pp.50-
55;
Rol
l
o,
p.96.

17Memor
andum f
orPr
ivat
eRespondent
s,p.6,
Rol
l
o,p.196.

18I
bid.

19CFIDeci
sion,
p.5;
Annex"
L",
Pet
it
ionRol
l
o,p.108.

20I
d.,
pp.5-
7;Rol
l
o,pp.108-
110.

21Par
agr
aph155,
Ser
viceManual
4thRev
isi
on

22I
bid.

23Annex"
A",
Compl
aint
,Or
igi
nal
Recor
d,p.6.

24Thisevenr
ecei
vestheaidandsuppor
toft
heGov
ernment
,seeSect
ion
4,Ar
t.I
I,
1973Consti
tut
ion.

25Memor
andum f
orPr
ivat
eRespondent
s,p.11;
Rol
l
o,p.201.

26 cf
.,Gonzal
es vs.Almodov
ar53 SCRA 124,131 and Fest
ejov
s.
Cr
isol
ogo,et
.al
.,17SCRA868.

27Pet
it
ion,
p.3;
Rol
l
o,p.10.

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

FI
RSTDI
VISI
ON

G.
R.No.85839 Oct
ober19,
1989

EMMANUEL S.LI CUP,NOEL F.TABASA,and JOEL MARC CAI RO,

peti
tioner
s,vs.THEUNI VERSI
TYOFSANCARLOS( USC),FR.RODERI
CK
SALAZAR,JR. ,SVD,i
nhiscapaci
tyasPresi
dentofUSC,FR.EDUARDOR.
ROCHA,SVD,i nhiscapaci
tyasChair
manofDi sci
pli
nar
yBoar dofUSC,
respondents.

Democr
it
oC.Bar
cenasf
orpet
it
ioner
s.
 96

Jul
i
usZ.Ner
iforr
espondent
s.

J.
GANCAYCO, :

InApril
,1988t heUni v
ersi
tyofSanCar los(USC)announcedan
i
ncreasei ntuit
ionandot herschoolf eesbyni neper cent( 9%)
eff
ectiv
et he firstsemesteroft he schooly ear1988- 1989.
AccordingtotheUSC,t heincr
easewasnecessar ytoenablet he
schooltocompl ywithR.A.No.6640.Undert hesai dl
aw,school s
wererequiredtogiveamandat orysalaryincreaseofP11. 00per
day tot eachers and non-
academic per sonnelearning bel ow
P100.00daily
.

Studentl eader sEmmanuelS.Li cup,NoelF.TabasaandJoel

Mar cCai rower ei nt hef orefrontofthest udent spr otesti
ngt he
tuit
ion f ee hi ke. They made a r esearch i n t he Finance
Depar t
mentoft heUSC andal l
egedlyfoundoutt hatt heUSC
couldi ncr ease t he salaries oft eacher s withoutnecessar ily
i
ncr easingt het ui t
ionfees.TheSupr emeSt udentGov ernmentof
theUni ver sityl edbysai dt hreemader epresentationswi tht he
USCof ficialst or econsidert heirstandbutt heyr efusedt or oll
backt het uitionf ees.Thus,t heyledamasspr otestofst udent s.
Demonst rat ions wer e hel d. The pr otesters blockaded t he
entranceandexi tgat esf orst udentsint heuni versity.Poster s
and wal l st atement s expr essi
ng st udent demands wer e
displayed.

Byr easont hereof ,Fr.Gr egorio Favi

a,SVD,v i
cepr esidentf or
academi c affairs,issued a memor andum t o al lDeans and
Chairmenoft hedi f
ferentcol legesoft heUSCi nstructingt hem
nottoal l
ow thest udentl eader stocampai gnagai nstt het ui
tion
feeincreaseinsi dethecl assr ooms.Ont heot herhand,Pr esident
Fr.RoderickSal azar,Jr.,SVDoft heUSCi nit
iatedt heappr opri
ate
administrat
iveact ionsagai nstsev er
alst udentsi ncludingLi cup,
Tabasa,and Cai rof or al l
eged v i
olation of t he rul es and
regul
ationsoft heuni versit
yandt heBureauofPubl icSchool s.
A FormalInquir
yCommi t
tee was creat
ed byPr es.Salazarcomposed off ormer
Associat
eJust
iceMar i
anoZosaoft heCourtofAppeals,DeanExpedit
oBugarinofthe
Coll
egeofLaw,Dr .Aur
eli
oTiro,f
or merDECSr egi
onaldirect
or,andEngineerRoger
Baj
ariasoft
heCollegeofEngi
neeri
ng-al
lmembersoft hefacul
tyoftheUni
versi
ty.

Ther espondents-st
udent
squest i
onedt heimpartial
it
yoft hesaidCommi t
teeandi t
s
authori
tytochar gethem forvi
olati
onoft heuniversi
tyhandbookwhichwasal l
egedl
y
i
ssuedwi thoutconsult
ati
onwitht hestudentgov
er nment.Never
thel
ess,
theysubmitt
ed
themselvestot hei nv
esti
gati
onaf terwhich,onNov ember15,1988,t heCommi tt
ee
 97

submit
tedareporttotheDi sci
pli
nar
yBoar
d,thr
oughit
schai
rman,Fr.Eduar
doR.Rocha,
SVD,findi
ng Licup,Tabasa and Cairo guil
ty oft
he of
fense as charged i
nthe
admini
str
ati
vecompl ai
nt.1

OnNov ember16, 1988,

Fr.Rochawrotesai
dt hreethattheBoard
unanimouslyvoted toimpose on them t he penalty ofnon-
readmissi
onint heUSC effecti
vethesecondsemest erofthe
2
academicyear1988-89andthatsuchdeci
sionisfinal
.

OnNov ember21,1988,t heyf il

edanappealand/ orpetit
ionf or
revi
ew wit
ht heOf fi
ceoft heDepar t
mentofEducat i
on,Cul ture
andSports(DECS) ,RegionVI I,CebuCit
y,pur
suantt oBureauof
3
Priv
ateSchoolsMemor andum No.4,Ser i
esof1970. Ont he
sameday ,t heRegionalDi r
ectorwrotethem thatsai d Office
(DECS)hadnoaut hori
tyov erthecaseandsuggestedinsteadt hat
4
theyfi
l
ear equestforreconsiderati
onwit
htheUSCPr esident.

I
nthemeanwhi
lesaidst
udentswereprevent
edfr
om enter
ingany
oft
hecampusesoftheUniversi
tybyarmedsecuri
tyguar
dsdue
tot
hesai
ddeci
sion.

Believ i
ngt hatt hefil
ingofaMot i
onf orr econsi der ati
onwi tht he
USCPr esidentwoul dser venousef ulpur poseashehadal ready
pre-judgedt hecase,Li cup,TabasaandCai rof i
ledt hi spet i
tion
forcer tiorar iwithinjunctional l
egingt hati rrepar abl ei njuryhav e
beeni nfli
ct edont hem asst udent s;thatwhatt heyhel dwasa
peacef uldemonst r
at i
on;t hatwhi lest andi ngatt heTal amban
campuspet i
ti
onersandsomest udentl eader swer edr aggedby
j
anit orsandsecur ityguar dscausi ngi njuriest opet it
ioner s;t hat
theirpost erswer er emov ed;t hatt heywer enotsuf feringf rom
academi c def i
ciencies;t hatt he i nvestigat ion conduct ed f or
all
egedv i
ol ati
onoft hedi sciplinaryr egulationswasdonewi t
hout
fai
rness orf airplayand t herebyv iolated t he i deal s ofdue
process;t hatt hepenal tyt hatwasi mposedont hem washar sh
andbr ut alandnotcommensur atewi tht heof f enseal legedl y
commi t
ted;t hatt he USC had v iolated t hei rpr oper tyr i
ght s
withoutduepr ocessofl aw.Theyal sodi sput edt hest atementof
Fr. Rocha t hat t he deci sion was unani mous when t he
coor dinat oroft hest udentdi scipl
inarycommi tt
eeMr .Or lando
Tabasa and t he st udent r epresentat i
ve comi ng f rom t he
Supr emeSt udentGov ernmentwer enotal lowedt opar ticipatei n
the del iber ati
on as member s oft he Di sci plinar yBoar d;t hat
petitioner sexhaust edal ladmi nistr
at i
ver emedi esandat tempt ed
toregi sterandenr ollwitht heUSCf ort hesecondsemest erbut
 98

theywer ebar redont hegr oundt hattheirexpulsi onwasf inal

;
and t hatt he penalty ofnon- r
eadmi ssion ist ant amountt o
expulsionbecauseatsai dpoi ntandt i
me,noot herschoolor
universitywoul d enrollthe petiti
oners.Whi l
et he pet it
ioners
admi tt hatt heywer e barri
cading and bl ockading t he school
premisesdur ingtheirprotestactiontheyst atethatt herewasno
actualv i
olencet hatoccur red.Fi nal
ly
,pet i
ti
onersi nv oketheir
ri
ghttocont i
nuetheircourseandt oduepr ocess.

Int heircommenton t he pet iti

on,t he r espondent s admi tted
hav i
ngi ncreasedt het uitionf eesby9%butasser t edt hatt het ext
andgui del i
nesont het uitionf eei ncreasesal lowedschool st o
i
ncr easet hesameupt o15%wi thoutconsul t
ationwi thst udent s
andpar ents.Suchi ncr easewasnecessar y,ot her wi set heUSC
coul d not hav ei ncr eased t he sal aries of i ts empl oy ees.
Respondent s av ert hatt he st udentdemonst r at i
ons wer ef ar
from peacef ulbutwas an i l
legalst ri
ke wher et he st udent s
util
izedbar ricadesandbl ockadest opr ev entagr eatmaj or ityof
the non- striking st udent sf rom at tending t hei rcl asses;t hat
phy sical f or ce, t hr eat,i nt i
mi dat i
on, and dest ruct i
on wer e
empl oy edt odi sruptt hecl assesandpr eventt henon- st riking
student sf r
om ent eringt hecampuses;t hatf arf rom deny i
ngt he
ri
ght soft hest udent st of r
eedom ofspeechandassembl y ,t hey
wer eal lowedt heuseoft hest adi um andaudi ov isualr oomsf or
theirmeet i
ngsbutt heypr efer redt omassatt heent rancesand
exitsoft heUSCt opr eventnon- strikingst udent sf r
om at tendi ng
theirclasses;t hatspeecheswer enotal lowedi ncl assr oomsas
i
twoul ddi stur bongoi ngcl assesandwoul dbev i
ol ati
veoft he
academi cf r
eedom l i
kewi seenj oy edbyot herst udent s;thatt he
placing ofpost er si ndi scr imi nat ely on uni ver sity wal ls was
prohibitedast hesameshoul dhav ethest ampofappr ovaloft he
StudentAf fai r
sOf fice;t heydenyt hatt heUni versi t
ysecur it
y
guar dsempl oy edphy sicalf orceonst udentdemonst r
ator s;and
theyal leget hatsomest udent smayhav ebeeni njur edwhent hey
threwt hemsel v esont hegr oundt opr eventt heschoolbusf rom
enter i
ngt heUni versitycampus.Respondent sal soav erthatt he
admi nist rati
v echar gesagai nstt hest udent swer ei niti
atedt o
deter mi net het ruthandt oaf for dt hepet iti
onerst heoppor t uni t
y
togi v et heirsi de;t hataf ull-dresst r
ialwasconduct edwher e
petiti
oner swer er epr esent edbycounsel ;thatt hemember sof
the For mal I nqui ry Commi ttee wer e chosen f or t heir
unquest ionabl ecompet enceandi mpar tiali
ty;thatt heUni v er sit
y
 99

handbookwasgi
ventothestudent suponenr oll
mentandt hey
weremadetounder
standthattheyaresubjectt otherul
esand
regul
ati
onst
her
einprovi
ded;andt hat
,final
ly
,t heinvest
igat
ion
wasconduct
edi
nafairandimparti
almanner.
Ast ot heDiscipli
naryBoardt heypointedoutthatther
ei sastudentrepresentat
iveinthe
personoft hePr esi
dentoft heGr aduateSchoolOrganizat
ion;t
hattheSupr emeSt udent
Gov ernmentr efusedt osendt heirrepresent
ati
vetotheboar dast heyallegedl
ydidnot
wantt opar ti
cipate"i
naf arce";andt hatMr.Orl
andoTabasa, Coordinat
oroft heStudent
Discipline,wasnoti nvit
edt ositintheBoar daspet i
ti
onerTabasawhowasoneoft he
respondent sishi sson.

Respondent sav ert hatt he penal t

yofnon- r
eadmi ssion int he
secondsemest eroft heschooly ear1988-89wasj ust i
fiedandi n
accordance wi tht he rules and r egulat
ions oft he Uni versit
y
handbook;t hattheywer emostl enientindet erminingt hepenal t
y
thatshouldbei mposedundert heci rcumstances;t hatt heactof
peti
ti
oner sofbar ri
cadingandbl ockingtheuni v
er sityent rances
and exits shoul d hav e mer i
ted t he out ri
ght expul si
on of
peti
ti
oner s butt he Boar d decided on a l ess sev er
e penal ty.
Respondent sdenyt hatthesubst antialandconst i
tut ional ri
ghtsof
thepetit
ionershav ebeenv i
olat
ed.Besi des,respondent spoi ntout
thatpeti
tionersCairoandLi cuphadacademi cdef icienciesf orthe
schoolyear1988- 89asfol
lows:

CAI
RO,
JOELMARCB.

1STSEM 1988-
89FI
NALGRADE

ELECTRONI
CSSERVI
CING11

LABORATORY1C

MACHI
NEFOUNDATI
ON1C

REWI
NDI
NG&REPAI
RWI
RE&

WI
RELESSCOMMUNI
CATI
ON

SYSTEM 5.
0

I
NDUSTRI
ALELECTRONI
CS1C

THERMODYNAMI
CSI
IDR

HYDRAULI
CMACHI
NERI
ESI
E

ELECTRONI
CSSERVI
CINGI
IIC

EELABORATORYI
IIC
 100

REWI
NDI
NG&REPAI
RLABORATORY

CI
RCUI
TSLABORATORY

I
NDUSTRI
ALELECTRONI
CS

LABORATORYDR

LI
CUP,
EMMANUELS.

1STSEMESTER1988-
89FI
NALGRADE

PHI
LIPPI
NELI
TERATUREDR

COMPUTERSCI
ENCEDR

RI
ZALCOURSEDR

HI
STORYOFMODERNPHI
LOSOPHYI
E

I
NTRODUCTI LOSOPHYDR"5
ONTOPHI

Theystatethatsaid academic defi

cienci
es ar
e suffi
cienti
n
themsel
vest
oj ust
if
ythenon-r
eadmi ssi
onofpetit
ioner
s.

Aftercarefulev al
uationofthepetition,theCour tfindst hesame
to be dev oi
d ofany mer it
.Ther e can be no quest ion t
hat
petit
ioners wer e among t he l eader s of t he st udent
demonst rati
onsar i
singfrom thei ncreaseoft ui
tionf eeoft he
USC af orestated.Int he course ther eof,theybl ockaded and
barri
caded t he ent rances and exi ts of t he Uni versi
ty and
prevented the st udentsf r
om at tendi ng their classes.The
demonst rati
onswer efarfrom peacef ul.Itwas,therefore,withi
n
ther i
ghtoft heUSC t oinit
iat
et heappr opriat
eadmi nist
rativ
e
i
nv esti
gationoft hepet i
ti
onersf orv i
olati
onoft her ulesand
regulati
onsofUSC.

The investigati
on was conducted by a commi ttee wherei
n
peti
ti
onerswer epresentanddulyr epresent
edbycounseland
wherei
nt hey were ableto adduce theirevidence.Af t
erthe
i
nvesti
gat i
on,thecommi tt
eesubmi t
tedt otheDiscipl
inar
yBoard
i
tsreportrecommendi ngthenon-
readmi ssi
onofthepet i
ti
oner
sin
theUniversity
.Thisrecommendationwasunani mouslyindor
sed
bytheDi sci
plinar
yBoardandwasi mpl ementedbyt heUniver
sit
y
author
it
ies.
 101

The Cour tf i
nds no cogentbasi sf ort he pr otestat
ions of
peti
ti
onerst hatt heywer edeprivedduepr ocessofl awandt hat
theinvesti
gationconduct edwasf arfr
om i mpar ti
alandf air.On
thecont r
ary,whatappear si nther ecordi st hatt hechar ges
agai
nst pet i
tioners wer e adequat ely est ablished i n an
appropri
ateinv esti
gat i
on.Theimput ati
onofbi asandpar tial
ityis
notsuppor t
edbyt her ecord.Thesanct ionthatwasi mposedon
thepetit
ionersf ort hei
rinfr
actionappeart obet hemostl enient
undertheUni versityhandbook.I nsteadofexpul siont hepenal ty
i
mposedwasnon- readmission.

Whil
ei tistruethatthestudent
sareentit
ledt ot herightto
pur
suet hei
reducati
on,t
heUSCasaneducat i
onalinsti
tuti
onis
al
soentitl
edtopursueit
sacademicfr
eedom andint heprocess
hastheconcomitantri
ghttoseet oi
tthatt
hisf r
eedom i snot
j
eopardi
zed.

True,aninsti
tutionofl earni
nghasacont ractualobli
gati
ont o
affor
ditsst
udent saf ai
ropportunit
ytocompl etethecoursethey
seekt opursue.Howev er,whenast udentcommi tsaser i
ous
breachofdisciplineorf ai
lstomai ntainther equiredacademic
standar
d,hef orfeit
shiscont r
actualright;andt hecourtshould
6
notrevi
ewthedi screti
onofuni v
ersit
yaut hori
ties.

WHEREFORE,
thepet
it
ioni
sDI
SMI
SSEDf
orl
ackofmer
it
.Nocost
s.

SOORDERED.

Nar
vasa,
Cruz,
Gri
ño-
Aqui
noandMedi
aldea,
JJ.
,concur
.

Foot
not
es

1AnnexCt
oPet
it
ion.

2AnnexesF,
G,andHt
oPet
it
ion.

3AnnexIt
oPet
it
ion.

4AnnexJt
oPet
it
ion.

5Page7,
Commentofr
espondent
s.

6Magtibayv s.Garci
a,120SCRA370( 1983)
;SeealsoAt
eneodeMani
l
a
Uni
ver
sityvs.CourtofAppeal
s,145SCRA100( 1986)
.
 102

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

FI
RSTDI
VISI
ON

G.
R.No.127930 December15,
2000

MIRI
AM COLLEGEFOUNDATION,INC.,peti
ti
oner
,v s.HON.COURT OF
APPEALS, JASPER BRI
ONES, JEROME GOMEZ, RELLY CARPI O,
ELI
ZABETHVALDEZCO,JOSEMARIRAMOS,CAMI LLEPORTUGAL,JOEL
TANandGERALDGARYRENACIDO,respondent
s.

J.
KAPUNAN, :

"Obscene,
"" v
ulgar
,""indecent,
"" gr
oss,"" sexuall
y expl i
cit
,"
1
"i
njur
ioustoyoungreaders,
"anddevoidofallmor alval
ues.
"Thi s
was now some member s ofthe Mir
iam Col l
ege communi t
y
all
egedlydescri
bedthecontentsoftheSeptember -Oct
ober1994
i
ssue( Vol
.41,No.14)ofMi r
iam Col
l
ege'sschoolpaper(Chi-
Rho) ,
and magazine (Ang Magasing Pampaniti
kan ng Chi-Rho).The
ar
ti
clesi
ntheChi
-Rhoi
ncl
uded:

...astor
y,clearl
yfict
ion,
entit
led' Kaskas'wri
tt
enbyoneGeraldGar
ryRenaci
do..
.Kaskas,wr i
tteninTagalog,t
r eatsoft heexperi
enceofagroupofyoung,male,
combopl ayerswho,oneev eni ng,afterthei
rperfor
mancewenttoseeabol d
show i
napl acecal l
ed"Fli
rt
ation".Thi swast hewaytheauthordescri
bedthe
group'
sexposur eduri
ngthatstageshow:

"Sige,saFli
rt
ationtayo.Happyhournahalos...he!he!he!sambitng
kanilangbokal
istangkaninapadimai t
agoangpagkahayoksakarneng
babaenakany angpi nananabi
kannuongmakal
awapa,susognamanang
tropa.

"...Pumasokangunangmananay aw.Si' RedRav en'ay onsaemcee.

Nakasuotl
amangngbi ki
ningpul
anamaypal amut i
ngdi lawsagi l
id-gi
l
idat
sabandangut ong.Nagsimulasiyasakany angpag- gil
ingnangt umugt og
naangunangt onong" Goodbye"ngAirSupply.Dahan- dahanangkany ang
mgamal alanti
katmapang- aki
tnagal aw sauna.Mi stul
ang sawana
nil
i
li
ngki
s ang hangin,par u-
parong padapo-dapo sa mga bul aklak na
l
amesa,di-upangumamoyokumuhangnekt ar,ngunitpar aipaglant
aran
angsari
li
ngbulaklakatangangkinnit
ongmal ansangnekt ar.

"
Kaskasmobabe,
sige...kaskas.
"

Napahali
ngangt i
nginngbaleri
nanghuwadkayMi ke.Mistul
angnat i
puhan,
dahi
lsahar apni y
a'ynagtagal.Nag-
akmangmag- aalisngpangi taasna
kapi
rasongtel
a.HindinakahingasiMike,nani
gassakany angkinauupuan,
nani
gas patiang nasa gitna ng kanyang hita.Ang mga mat a ni
ya'y
namagnetsakay amanangngay o'
yhalosisangpul gadalamangmul asa
kanyang nagl
alawaynabunganga.Naput ol
-putolang kany ang hini
nga
nangkandunganni' RedRaven'angkanyangkananghi t
a.Lalonaghingal
o
si
yanangkabay uhinit
ongdahandahan...Pabi li
sngpabi li
s.'
 103

Theauthorfur
therdescr
ibedMi
ke'
sresponsest
othedancerasf
oll
ows
(quot
edinpart
):

...Nagsi mulang l
umaban na ng sabayan siMi
ke sa dancer
.Hindi
nagpatal
oangi bongwalangpakpak,i
nipi
tnghustoanghitaniMi keat
pi
nag-udyukanangkany
angdibdibsamukhanito.

"
Kaskasmopa,
kaskasmopa!
"

Palpakanathal
agpakannatawananangt umambadsakany angbi gl
ang
hal
ikansi y
anit
o sal abiati
niwang bi
gla,upang kany
ang munii
nang
naudlotniy
angpagt
iki
m ngkarnalnanekt
ar.Hindini
yamaantokungsiya
aynanaloonatalosanangyar
ingsagupaanngl i
bog.Angalam l
angniya
aynanlatanasi
ya.
"

Aftert
heshow thegroupwenthomei nacarwiththebokali
stadri
vi
ng.A
pedest
ri
anhappenedt
ocrossthest
reetandt
hedr
iverdel
i
ber
atel
yhithi
m wit
h
thesewor
ds:

"Par
etingnannat
inkungimmortali
tongbaboynai
to.He!He!He!He!
Sabadngsabognil
angdr
ayber
/bokal
i
sta.
"

Thestor
yends( wit
hthei
rcaraboutt
ohi
tat
ruck)i
nthesewor
ds:
..."
Par
e
...t
rak!
!!Put...!
!!
!

AngMagasi
ngPampaniti
kan,Oct
ober,1994i
ssue,wasi
ntur
n,gi
vent
he
cov
ert
it
leof"
Libogati
bapangtul
a."

I
nhisf or
ewor dwhichJeromeGomezent i
tled" For
eplay"
,Jeromewr ote:"Alam ko,
nakakagulatang ami ng pamagat .
"Jerome t hen proceeded to wr i
te about
previ
ousr eacti
onsofreaderstowomen- writerswrit
ingaboutmat t
erser oticand
togayl i
teratur
e.Hej ust
if
iedtheMagazi ne'ser ot
icthemeont hegr oundt hat
manyoft hepoemspassedont otheedi torswereabout" sekswalidadati ba't
i
bangkar anasannito.
"Nakakagulatangt
apangngmgamanunul at...t ungkolsa
maselangusapi ngi
to...atsaisanginst
itusy onpangkatuladngMi r i
am! "

Mr
.Gomezquot
edf
rom apoem ent
it
led"
Linggo"wr
it
tenbyhi
msel
f:

maymgapal
angganangnakat
iwangwang-

mgaput
angbi
yaknasagi
tna,

'
dinapuwedengpagl
abhan,

'
dinamaaar
ingpagbabar
an...
"

Gomezst at
edthatthepoemsi nthemagazi nearenot"gar
apal"and" samga
tul
angitonaminmai pagt
atanggolangkat apangan(opagka-sensasyonal
)ng
pamagatna" Li
bogatibapangTul a."Hef i
nished"
Forepl
ay"wit
ht hesewords:
"Dahi
lpar
asaanpaangl i
bogkunghi ndii
l
alabas?"

Thecov erti
tl
ei nquest
ionappearstohavebeentakenfr
om apoem wr it
tenby
Rell
yCar pi
ooft hesametitl
e.Thepoem deal
tonawomanandamanwhomet
eachother,gazedateachot her
,wentupcloseand"Naghali
kan,Shockproof
."
Thepoem cont ainedabackgrounddr
awingofawomanwi t
hhertwomammar y
andnipplesexposedandwi thamanbehindembracingherwit
hthewomani na
 104

poseofpassi
on-
fi
ll
edmi
en.

Anot herpoem entitl

ed'Vir
ginWrit
esEr ot
ic'wasaboutamanhav ingf antasiesi
n
hissleep.Thelastv ersesaid:"
AtzenithIpullitoutandfi
ndmy selfalonei nthi
s
fantasy."Opposit
et hepagewher ethispoem appear edwasadr awingofaman
asleepanddr eami ngofanakedwoman( apparentl
yofhi
sdreams)l yi
ngi nbed
onherbut t
ockswi thherheadup( asinahospi t
albedwit
honeendr olledup).
Thewoman' srightnipplecanbeseencl early
.Hert hi
ghswerestretchedupwi t
h
herkneesaki mboont hebed.

Int henextpage( page29)onef indsapoem ent itled"NaisipkoLang"byBel l

e
Campanar i
o.I twasaboutay oungst udentwhohasal ove-selecti
onpr oblem:"...
Kungsi nongpi pili
in:angt eacherkongpr aning, oangboy f
ri
endkongbadi ng.
"The
wor d"praning"ast hecour tunderstandsi t
,referstoapar anoi dperson; whil
ethe
wor d"bading"r ef erst oaswar dor" bakl
a"or" badidang".Thi spoem al sohadan
i
llustr
ati
onbehi ndi t:ofay ounggi rlwit
hl argeeyesandsl opinghai rcascading
downhercur vesandhol di
ngapeel edbananawhoset opt heill
ustratorshaded
upwi thdownwar d-slanti
ngst rokes.Inthepoem,t hegirlwant edt oeatbanana
toppedbypeanutbut t
er.Inlinewi t
hJer ome' s"Foreplay"andbyt hewayi twas
drawnt hatbananawi thpeanutbut tertopwasmeantmor eli
kelyt hannot,to
ev okeaspiritedl ymundane, mentalreacti
onf rom ay oungaudi ence.

Anot
herpoem ent
it
led"
Mal
asangTat
lo"byanunknownaut
horwentl
i
ket
his:

'
Napi
ctur
emonaba

no'
ngmagkat
abi
tay
ongdal
awa

sapant
atl
uhangsof
a-

i
kaw,
thel
egi
ti
mat
easawa

atako,
bir
omo,
angker
ida?

t
apos,
tumabi
siy
a,shi
t!

kumpl
etona:

i
kaw,
akoatsi
ya

kul
angnal
ang,
kamer
a."

Apoem " SaGil

idngIt
im"byGer aldRenacidointheChi-Rhobroadsheetspokeof
afox(lobo)year
ningf
or"karnengsari
wa, karnengbata,kar
nengmaykal ambutan
...isangbahidngdugongdal aga,maamo' tmalasa,i
pahidsamgal abingsaki
m
2
saromansa'andendedwi t
h'hinognaparahi mukinbungangbibiy
akin.
"

Fol
lowingthepubli
cati
onoft hepaperandt hemagazine,themember softheedit
ori
al
3
board,andRell
yCarpio, horofLi
aut bog,
allstudentsofMir
iam Col
lege,
recei
vedalett
er
si
gnedbyDr .Alel
iSevi
ll
a,Chairoft
heMi r
iam CollegeDi
scipl
ineCommi t
tee.TheLett
er
dated4Nov ember1994stated:

Thisistoinf
ormyout hatthel
ett
ersofcomplainfi
l
edagai
nstyoubymember sof
theMi ri
am Communi t
yandaconcer nedAt eneogradef
ivestudenthavebeen
for
war dedtotheDiscipl
i
neCommi tt
eeforinquir
yandinv
esti
gation.Pl
easef
ind
enclosedcomplai
nts.
 105

Asexpressedi nthei
rcomplai
ntsy ouhaveviol
atedr
egul
ati
onsi
nthest
udent
handbookspecifi
call
ySecti
on2l ettersBandR,pages30and32,Secti
on4
(Majorof
fenses)lett
erj
,page36l etter
sm,n,andp,page37andno.2(
minor
off
enses)l
ettera,
page37.

Youarerequi
redtosubmitawrit
tenstat
ementi
nanswertothecharge/
sonor
bef
oretheini
ti
aldat
eofhear
ingtobeheldonNovember15,
1994,Tuesday,
1:00
4
i
ntheafter
noonattheDSAConferenceRoom.

Noneoft hestudentssubmit
tedt hei
rrespecti
veanswers.Theyi
nsteadrequest
edDr.
Sevi
ll
at otransf
ert hecasetot heRegionalOf fi
ceoftheDepart
mentofEducat i
on,
Cult
ureandSpor t
s( DECS)whichunderRul eXIIofDECSOrderNo.94,Seri
esof1992,
5
supposedl
yhadjurisdi
cti
onoverthecase.

I
naLetterdat
ed21Nov
ember1994,Dr
.Sev
il
laagai
nrequi
redt
hest
udent
stof
il
ethei
r
wri
tt
enanswers.
6
I
nr esponse,At t
y.RicardoValmont e,l
awy erforthest udents,submit
tedal etter t
ot he
Discipli
ne Commi t
tee r ei
ter
ating his cli
ents'positi
on t hatsaid Commi ttee had no
j
urisdicti
onov erthem.Accor dingt o Atty.Valmont e,theCommi tteewas" tr
yingt o
i
mposedi sci
pli
neonhi sclientsonaccountoft heirhav i
ngwr it
tenart
icl
esandpoemsi n
theircapacit
yascampusj ournalist
s."Hence,hear guedt hat" whatappli
esi sRepubl i
c
ActNo.7079TheCampusJour nali
sm Actandi tsimpl ementingrul
esandr egulations.
"
Heal soquestionedthepar ti
ali
tyoft hemember sofsai dCommi t
teewhoal l
egedly" had
alr
eadyar ti
cul
atedtheirpositi
on"agai nsthiscli
ents.

TheDi sci
pli
neCommi tt
eepr
oceededwithi t
sinvesti
gat
ion expart
e.Thereaf
ter
,the
Disci
pli
ne Boar
d,af t
era revi
ew oft he Disci
pli
ne Commi t
tee'
sr epor
t,imposed
di
scipl
inar
ysanct
ionsupont
hestudent
s,thus:

1.JasperBr
iones Expul
sion.Brionesi
stheEdi
tor
-i
n-Chi
efofChi
-Rhoanda
4thyearstudent;
2.DaphneCowper suspensi
onupt
o(summer
)Mar
ch,
1995;
3.I
mel
daHi
l
ari
o suspensi
onf
ort
wo(
2)weekst
oexpi
reonFebr
uar
y2,
1995;
4.Debor
ahLi
gon suspensionuptoMay,1995.Mi
ssLi
gonisa4t hy
ear
studentandcoul
dgr
aduat
eassummacum l
aude;
5.El
i
zabet
hVal
dezco suspensi
onupt
o(summer
)Mar
ch,
1995;
6.Cami
l
lePor
tugal gr
aduati
onpr i
vi
legeswi
thhel
d,i
ncl
udi
ngdi
ploma.Shei
s
anOctober
ian;
7.Joel
Tan suspensi
onf
ort
wo(
2)weekst
oexpi
reonFebr
uar
y2,
1995;
8.Ger
aldGar
yRenaci
do Expell
edandgiv
entransf
ercredenti
als.Heisa2ndy
ear
student
.Hewrot
ethefict
ionst
ory"Kaskas"
;
9.Rel
l
yCar
pio Dismissedandgiv
entransfercredent
ial
s.Hei
sin3r
d
yearandwrotet
hepoem "
Libog"
;
10.Jer
omeGomez Dismissedandgi v
ent ransf
ercredenti
als.Heisin3r d
year.Hewr ot
etheforeword"For
eplay"t
ot hequest
ioned
AnthologyofPoems;and
11.JoseMar
iRamos Expel
l
ed and gi
ven t
ransf
erpaper
s.Hei
sa2nd y
ear
 106

7
st
udentandar
tedi
torofChi
-Rho.

Theabov estudentsthusfil
edapet i
ti
onforprohibiti
onandcer
ti
orar
iwi
thpreli
minar
y
i
njuncti
on/r
estrai
ningorderbefor
etheRegionalTrialCour
tofQuezonCi
tyquesti
oni
ng
thejur
isdi
cti
onoftheDiscipl
ineBoar
dofMi r
iam Collegeov
ert
hem.

On17Januar y1995,t
heRegionalTri
alCourt
,BranchCII
I,pr
esi
dedbyJudgeJai
meN.
Salazar
,Jr.
,issuedanorderdenyingtheplai
nti
ff
s'pray
erforaTemporar
yRestr
aini
ng
Order.I
thel
d:

Therei snot hingi nt heDECSOr derNo.94,S.1992dat edAugust19,1992t hat

excludesschoolAdmi nistratorsfrom exer ci
singj uri
sdicti
onov ercasesoft he
naturei nvol
v edint heinst antpetit
ion.R.A.7079al sodoesnotst ateany thi
ngon
themat terofjurisdicti
on.TheDECSundoubt edlycannotdet erminetheext entof
thenat ur eofj uri
sdictionofschool sov erdiscipli
narycases.Mor eover,ast his
Cour treadst hatDECSOr derNo.94, S.of1992, i
tmer elyprescr
ibesf orpurposes
ofint ernaladmi nistrat
ionwhi chDECSof ficerorbodyshal lhearcasesar i
si ng
from RA.7079i fandwhenbr oughtt oi tforr esol
ution.Thesai dor dernev er
8
ment ionedt hatithasexcl usivejurisdict
ionov ercasesf all
i
ngunderR. A.707.

The student
st hereaf
ter f
il
ed a "
Suppl
ementalPeti
ti
on and Mot
ion f
or
Reconsi
derat
ion.
"TheColl
egefol
l
owedwit
hitsAnswer
.

Subsequentl
y,t
heRTCi ssuedanOr
derdat
ed10Febr
uar
y1995gr
ant
ingt
hewr
it
ofprel
iminar
yinj
unct
ion.

ACCORDINGLY,soasnott orendertheissuesr ai
sedmootandacademi c,leta
wri
tofpr eli
minaryi njuncti
on issue enjoi
ning the def
endant
s,includi
ng the
off
icer
sandmember soft heDi sci
pli
naryCommi tt
ee,t
heDisci
pli
naryBoard,or
anysimil
arbodyandt heiragents,andtheofficersandmembersoft heSecurit
y
Depart
ment,Divi
sion,orSecur it
yAgencysecur i
ngt hepr
emisesandcampusof
Miri
am Coll
egeFoundat ion,I
nc.from:

1.Enforci
ngand/orimplementi
ngt heexpulsionordi smissalr
esol
utions
ororderscomplainedofagainsthereinplaint
iffs(a)JasperBri
ones;(b)
Geral
dGar yRenacido;(
c)Rell
yCar pio;(d)JeromeGomez;and( e)Jose
MariRamos,butot her
wiseallowi
ng t hedef endantstoi mposelesser
sanct
ionsonaforementi
onedplaint
iff
s;and

2.Di sal
lowing,r efusing,bar ri
ng orin anywaypr eventing t
he herein
plai
ntif
fs(allelevenoft hem)f r
om taki
ngt estsorexamsandent eri
ngt he
Mi r
iam campusf orsuchpur poseasext endedt oal lst udentsofMi r
iam
CollegeFoundat ion,Inc.;nei
thershouldtheirr especti
v ecour seorsubject
teachersorpr ofessorswi thholdthei
rgrades, incl
udingf inalgrades,i
fand
when t hey meett he requirements similarl
y pr escri
bed f oral lother
students,t
hiscur rent2ndSemest erof1994- 95.

Thesanct ionsimposedont heot herpl ai

nti
ff
s,namely,DeborahLigon,Imelda
Hilar
io,
ElizabethValdezco,Camill
ePor tugalandDaphneCowper ,shal
lremainin
forceandshal lnotbecov er
edbyt hisInjuncti
on:Prov
ided,t
hatCami l
l
ePor tugal
now agr aduate,shallhavetherighttor ecei
veherdiploma,butdefendantsare
notherebypr event
edf r
om refusi
nghert heprivi
legeofwalki
ngont hegraduati
on
stagesoast opreventanyli
kelypubli
ctumul t
s.

The pl
aint
if
fs ar
erequi
red t
o postan i
njunct
ion bond i
nthe sum ofFour
 107

ThousandPesos(
P4,
000.
00)each.
9
SOORDERED.

Bothpart
iesmovedforareconsi
der
ati
onoftheabov
eor
der
.InanOr
derdat
ed22
Febr
uary1995,
theRTCdi
smissedt
hepeti
ti
on,
thus:

4.Onthematterrai
sedbybothparti
esthatiti
stheDECSwhichhasjur
isdi
ction,
i
nasmuchasbot hpart
iesdonotwantthiscour
ttoassumejuri
sdi
cti
onherethen
thi
scourtwi
l
lnotbemor epopishthanthePopeandi nfactisgl
adthatitwill
haveonemorecaseoutofitsdocket
.

ACCORDINGLY,t
heinst
antcasei
sher
ebyDI
SMI
SSEDwi
thoutpr
ejudi
cet
othe
par
ti
esgoingt
oanot
herfor
um.

Al
lor
der
sher
etof
orei
ssuedher
ear
eher
ebyr
ecal
l
edandsetasi
de.
10
SOORDERED.

Thest udents,excl
udi
ngDebor ahLigon,ImeldaHi lar
ioandDaphneCowper ,sought
rel
iefint hi
s Courtthrough a pet
it
ion f
orcer t
iorariand pr
ohibi
ti
on ofpr
elimi
nary
11
i
njuncti
on/restr
aini
ng order quest
ioni
ng the Ordersoft he RTC dat
ed 10 and 24
February1995.

On15Mar ch1995,t
heCourtr
esol
vedtoref
ert
hecaset ot
heCourtofAppeal
s(CA)f
or
12
di
sposi
ti
on. On19May1995,t
heCAissuedaresol
uti
onst
ati
ng:

Therespondentsareher
ebyrequir
edtofi
lecommentont heinstantpeti
ti
onand
toshowcausewhynowr itofprel
imi
nar
yinjunct
ionshoul
dbei ssued,wi
thint
en
(10)daysfr
om noti
cehereof,
andthepeti
ti
onersmayf i
l
erepl
yther et
owithi
nfi
ve
(5)daysfr
om recei
ptoff
ormer'scomment.

I
nor dernott orenderineffect
ualthei
nst
antpetit
ion,l
etaTemporar
yRestrai
ning
Orderbe i ssued enjoini
ng the publ
icrespondentsfrom enf
orci
ng l
ett
ersof
di
smi ssal
/suspensiondat edJanuary19,
1995.
13
SOORDERED.

InitsDeci si
on dated 26 Sept
ember1996,r espondentcour
tgr
anted t
hestudents'
peti
tion.TheCA decl ared t
heRTC Or derdated 22 Febr
uar
y1995,aswellast he
students'
suspensionanddismissal
,voi
d.

Hence,
thi
spet
it
ionbyMi
ri
am Col
l
ege.

Wel
i
mitourdeci
si
ont
other
esol
uti
onoft
hef
oll
owi
ngi
ssues:

(
1)Theal
l
egedmootchar
act
eroft
hecase.

(
2)Thejuri
sdi
cti
onoft
het
ri
alcour
ttoent
ert
aint
hepet
it
ionf
orcer
ti
orar
ifi
l
edby
t
hestudent
s.

(
3)Thepowerofpet
it
ionert
osuspendordi
smi
ssr
espondentst
udent
s.

(
4)Thej
uri
sdi
cti
onofpet
it
ionerov
ert
hecompl
aint
sagai
nstt
hest
udent
s.

Wedonott
ackl
etheal
l
egedobsceni
tyoft
hepubl
i
cat
ion,t
hepr
opr
iet
yoft
hepenal
ty
 108

i
mposedorthemannerofthei
mposit
iont
her
eof
.Theseissues,t
houghtouchedupon
byt
hepar
ti
esint
heproceedi
ngsbel
ow,wer
enotf
ull
yvent
il
atedther
ein.

Pet
it
ionerasser
tst
heCour
tofAppeal
sfoundt
hecasemoott
hus:

Whilethispet
iti
onmaybeconsi der
edmootandacademicsincemorethanone
yearhav epassed si
nceMay19,1995 when thiscourtissued atemporar
y
rest
rai
ning orderenjoi
ning r
espondent
sfr
om enforci
ng the di
smissaland
14
suspensiononpeti
ti
oners...

Sincecourtsdonotadjudi
catemootcases,peti
ti
onerarguesthatt
heCAshoul
dnot
haveproceededwi
ththeadjudi
cat
ionoft
hemer i
tsofthecase.

Wef
indt
hatt
hecasei
snotmoot
.

I
tmaybenot edt hatwhatt
hecourtissuedin19May1995wasatempor
aryrestrai
ning
or
der,notapreli
mi nar
yinj
unct
ion.Therecordsdonotshowt
hatt
heCAev erissueda
pr
eli
minaryi
njuncti
on.

Prel
iminaryi
njunctionisanor dergrantedatanyst ageofanact i
onorpr oceedi
ngpr i
or
tothejudgmentorf inalorder,requi
ri
ngapar t
yoracour t
, agencyorapersont operf
orm
15
tor ef
rainfr
om per for
mi ng apar ti
cularactoract s. Asan ext r
aordinaryremedy,
i
njuncti
oniscalculatedtopr eserveormai ntainthest atusquooft hi
ngsandi sgeneral
ly
avail
edoft opr eventact ualort hr
eat enedact s,unt i
lt hemer it
soft hecasecanbe
16
heard. Apr
eliminaryinjuncti
onper sistsuntili
tisdi ssol vedorunti
lthet er
minati
onof
theactionwi
thoutt hecour ti
ssuingaf inali
njuncti
on.

Thebasi cpur poseofr estrainingorder,ont heot herhand, i

st opreser vet hestat
usquo
17
untilt
hehear i
ngoft heappl icati
onforpr eli
mi nar yinjunction. Undert hef ormer5,Rul e
58oft heRul esofCour t,asamendedby5, BatasPambansaBl g.224, aj udge(orjusti
ce)
mayi ssueat empor aryrestraini
ngor derwi t
hal i
mi t
edl i
feoft wentyday sfrom dateof
18
i
ssue. I
fbef oret heexpi rationoft he20- dayper iodt heappl icationf orpr el
iminary
i
njunct ion isdenied,t he tempor aryor derwoul dt herebybe deemed aut omaticall
y
vacated.I fnoact i
oni stakenbyt hejudgeont heappl i
cat i
onf orpr eli
mi naryinj
unction
withint hesai d20day s,thet emporar yrestrainingor derwoul daut omat i
cal
lyexpireon
the20t hdaybyt hesheerf orceofl aw,noj udicialdecl arati
ont ot hatef f
ectbei ng
19
necessar y.I nthei nstantcase,nosuchpr elimi naryinjunctionwasi ssued;hence,t he
TROear l
i
eri ssuedaut omat icall
yexpiredundert heaf oresaidpr ovisionoft heRulesof
20
Cour t
.

Thislimi t
ationast othedur ati
onoft het emporaryrestraining or
derwast herule
21
prevai
lingwhent heCAi ssueditsTROdat ed19May1995. Bythattimer espondents
Eli
zabet hVal dezcoandJoelTanhadal readyservedtheirrespectivesuspensions.The
TROwasappl i
cableonl
yt orespondentsJasperBr i
ones,Jer omeGomez,Rel l
yCar pi
o,
Jose Mar iRamos and Ger ald Gary Renacido allofwhom wer e dismissed,and
respondentCami l
lePortugalwhosegr aduati
on pri
vil
egeswer ewithheld.TheTRO,
howev er,l
osti tseff
ecti
vi
tyupont helapseoft hetwentyday s.Itcanhar dl
ybesai dthat
i
nt hatshor tspanoft i
me,t hesestudentshadal r
eadygr aduat edastor enderthecase
moot .

Eit
hertheCAwasoft henoti
onthati
tsTROwasef fecti
vethr
oughoutthependencyof
thecaseorthatwhatisissuedwasaprel
iminaryi
njunct
ion.I
neit
hercase,i
twaser r
or
ont hepartoftheCA t oassumet hatit
sor dersupposedl
yenjoini
ngMi r
iam fr
om
enforci
ngt
hedismissalandsuspensi
onwascompl i
edwi t
h.Acasebecomesmootand
 109

academi cwhent her

eisnomor eactualcont
rov
ersybet weentheparti
esornousef ul
22
purposecanbeser v
edinpassi ngupont hemeri
ts. Todet erminethemootcharacter
ofaquest i
onbeforeit
,theappel l
atecourtmayr eceiv
epr oofortakenot i
ceoffacts
23
appearingoutsi
detherecord. I ntheabsenceofsuchpr oofornoti
ceoffacts,t
heCourt
ofAppeal sshoul
dnothav eassumedt hati
tsTROwasenf or
ced,andthatthecasewas
renderedmootbyt hemerel apseoft i
me.

Indeed,pr ivater espondent sintheirCommenther ein24 denythatthecasehasbecome

mootsi nceMi ri
am r efusedt hem readmi ssioninv iolati
onoft heTRO.Thi sf actis
unwitti
ngl yconcededbyMi ri
am it
selfwhen, tocountert hisal
legat
ionbyt hestudents,
it
saysthatpr iv
at er espondentsnev ersoughtr eadmissionaf t
ertherest
rainingorderwas
25
i
ssued. I
nt r
ut h,Mi r
iam reli
edonl egaltechnical
it
iest osubv er
ttheclearintentofsai
d
order,whi chst ates:

I
nor dernott orenderineffect
ualthei
nst
antpetit
ion,l
etaTemporar
yRestrai
ning
Orderbe i ssued enjoini
ng the publ
icrespondentsfrom enf
orci
ng l
ett
ersof
di
smi ssal
/suspensiondat edJanuary19,
1995.

Peti
ti
onersay sthattheaboveorderis"absurd"sincetheorder"
incor
rectl
ydirects
publ
icrespondent,
theHon.Jai
meSalazar,
presidi
ngjudgeoft
heRegional
TrialCourtof
26
QuezonCitynottodismi
ssorsuspendthestudent
s."

Wedonotagree.Paduav es27 l
s.Robl aysdownther
ulesi
nconst
rui
ngj
udgment
s.We
f
indt
heser
ulestobeappl
i
cabletocour tor
der
saswel
l:

Thesuf fi
ciencyandef f
icacyofaj udgmentmustbet estedbyi t
ssubst ance
rat
herthani tsf orm.Inconst rui
ngaj udgment ,i
tslegalef fectsincludingsuch
eff
ectst hatnecessar i
lyf oll
ow becauseofl egalimplications,rathert hanthe
l
anguageused,gov er
n.Al so,i
tsmeani ng,operati
on,andconsequencesmustbe
ascer
tainedl ikeanyot herwr i
tt
eni nstr
ument .Thus,aj udgmentr estsont he
i
ntentoft hecour tasgat heredfrom everypartthereof
,includingthesi tuati
onto
whichitappliesandat tendantcircumstances.(Emphasissuppl i
ed.
)

Testedbysuchst andar
ds,wef i
ndt hatt heorderwasi ndeedint
endedf orprivat
e
respondents(intheappellat
ecour t
)Mi ri
am College,etal.
,andnotpublicrespondent
Judge.Indi smissi
ngt hecase,thetri
aljudger ecall
edandsetasideallor der
si thad
previ
ouslyissued,i
ncludi
ngthewr i
tofpr eli
minaryinj
unct
ion.I
ndoingso, t
het r
ialcourt
all
owedt hedismissalandsuspensionoft hestudentstoremaini
nforce.Thus, i
twould
i
ndeedbeabsur dtoconstruetheorderasbei ngdir
ectedtotheRTC.Obviously,
theTRO
wasi nt
endedf orMiri
am Coll
ege.

True,respondent-studentsshoul dhaveaskedforaclari
fi
cati
onoft heaboveorder
.They
didnot .Nevert
hel ess,ifMiriam Coll
egef oundtheorder"absurd,"theni
tshouldhave
soughtacl ar
ifi
cationitsel
fsot heCour tofAppeal
scouldhav eclearedupanyconfusi
on.
Itchosenott o.Instead,ittookadv ant
ageoft hesupposedv aguenessoftheorderand
usedthesamet oj usti
fyit
sr efusalt
oreadmi tt
hestudents.

AsMi r
iam neverr eadmit
tedt hestudents,theCA'srulingthatthecaseismoothasno
basis.Howt hencanMi ri
am ar gueingoodf ai
ththatthecasehadbecomemootwheni t
knewal lal
ongt hatthefactsonwhi chthepur por
tedmootchar act
erofthecasewere
baseddi dnotexi st?Obviously,Miri
am isclutchi
ngt ot heCA'swr ongf
ulassumpt
ion
thattheTROi tissuedwasenf orcedtojusti
fythereversaloftheCA'sdeci
sion.

Accor
dingl
y,wehol
dthatt
hecasei
snotmoot
,Mi
ri
am'
spr
etensi
onst
othecont
rar
y
notwi
thst
andi
ng.
 110

I
I

"Touphol dandpr otectthef r

eedom oft hepr essevenatt hecampusl ev
elandt o
promot et he dev elopment and gr owt h of campus jour nal i
sm as a means of
strengtheninget hicalv al
ues,encour agingcr i
ti
calandcreativet hinki
ng,anddev elopi
ng
28
mor alchar acterandper sonaldisciplineoft heFi l
ipi
noyout h," Congr essenact edin
1991Republ i
cActNo.7079.Ent i
tled" AN ACTPROVI DINGFORTHEDEVELOPMENT
29
ANDPROMOTI ONOFCAMPUSJOURNALI SM ANDFOROTHERPURPOSES, " thelaw
d30 andpubl 31
containspr ovisionsf ortheselectionoft heeditori
alboar icati
onadv i
ser,
32
thef undingoft heschoolpubl icati
on, andt hegr antofexempt iontodonat ionsused
actually
,di r
ectlyandexcl usi
vel
yf ort hepr omotionofcampusj ournal
ism from donor '
s
33
orgifttax.

Noteworthyareprov
isionsclear
lyintendedtoprovi
deaut
onomyt otheeditori
alboard
anditsmember s.Thus,t hesecondpar agr
aphofSecti
on4st at
est hat"(o)ncethe
publi
cat
ionisestabl
ished,it
seditor
ialboardshal
lfr
eel
ydeter
mineit
sedi t
orialpol
ici
es
and-managethepublicat
ion'
sfunds."

Sect
ion7,
inpar
ti
cul
ar,
prov
ides:

Amemberoft hepubl
icati
onst
affmustmai ntai
nhi sorherstatusasstudenti
n
ordertoretai
nmember shi
pinthepublicationstaff.A studentshallnotbe
expel
ledorsuspendedsolel
yonthebasi
sofar t
icl
esheorshehaswr i
tten,
oron
thebasi
softheperfor
manceofhisorherdutiesinthestudentpubli
cat
ion.

Secti
on9oft helaw mandatestheDECSt o" pr
omulgatetherulesandregul
ati
ons
34
necessaryfortheeff
ect
iveimplementat
ionofthi
sAct." Pursuanttosaidaut
hori
ty,
then DECS Secret
aryArmand Fabel
la,i
ssued DECS OrderNo.94,Seriesof1992,
provi
dingunderRul
eXIIt
hat:

GENERALPROVI
SIONS

SECTION1.TheDepar t
mentofEducation,Cul
tur
eandSpor t
s(DECS)shal
lhel
pensure
andfacil
it
atet
hepr opercarryi
ngoutoft heImplement
ingRulesandRegulat
ionsof
Republi
cActNo.7079.Itshal
lal
soactoncasesonappeal br
oughtbef
orei
t.

TheDECSr egionalof
ficeshallhavetheori
ginalj
urisdict
ionovercasesasar esul
tofthe
deci
sions,acti
onsandpol ici
esoft heeditori
alboar dofaschoolwi thi
ni t
sareaof
administ
rat
iveresponsibi
l
ity.Itshal
lconductinvestigat
ionsandhearingsont hethese
caseswit
hinfi
ft
een( 15)day
saf
tert
hecompl
eti
onoft
her
esol
uti
onofeachcase.
(Emphasi
ssuppl
ied.
)

Thel
att
ert
wopr
ovi
sionsofl
awappeart
obedeci
siv
eoft
hepr
esentcase.

Itmay be recal
led thataf t
ert he Mir
iam Discipl
i
nar y Boar
di mposed di
sci
pli
nary
sancti
onsuponthestudents,thelat
terf
il
edapet i
ti
onf orcert
ior
ari
andprohi
bit
ioni
nt he
Regional
Tri
alCourtr
aising,asgroundsther
efor
, t
hat:

DEFENDANT'
S DI
SCI
PLI
NARY COMMITTEE AND DI
SCI
PLI
NARY BOARD OF
35
DEFENDANTSCHOOLHAVENOJURI
SDICTI
ONOVERTHECASE.

I
I

DEFENDANT SCHOOL'
S DI
SCI
PLI
NARY COMMI
TTEEAND THEDI
SCI
PLI
NARY
 111

BOARDDONOTHAVETHEQUALI FI
CATIONOFANI MPARTIALANDNEUTRAL
ARBI
TER AND,THEREFORE THEIR TAKING COGNIZANCE OF THE CASE
AGAI
NST PLAI
NTI
FFS WILL DENY THE LATTER OF THEI
R RIGHT TO DUE
36
PROCESS.

Anentthef ir
stgr ound,thest udent st heor izedthatunderRul eXI IoftheRul esand
Regul
ati
onsf ort heImplement ationofR. A.No.7079, theDECSRegi onalOffice,andnot
theschool,hadj uri
sdict
ionov erthem.Thesecondgr ound,ont heotherhand,al l
eged
l
ackofimpar ti
alityoftheMi r
iam Di sciplinaryBoar d,whichwoul dtherebydepr ivet hem
ofduepr ocess.Thi scont ention,i ftrue,woul dconst i
tutegr av eabuseofdi scretion
amountingtolackorexcessofj urisdictionont hepar toft het r
ialcourt.Thesewer et he
samegr oundsi nvokedbyt hest udent si nt heirrefusaltoanswert hechar gesagai nst
them.Thei ssueswer et husl imitedt ot hequest ionofj ur isdiction-aquest i
onpur ely
l
egalinnatureandwel lwit
hi nthecompet enceandt hejurisdi ctionofthet r
ialcour t,not
theDECSRegi onalOf f
ice.Thisi sanexcept iontot hedoct rineofpr imaryjur
isdiction.As
37
theCourtheldinPhi l
.GlobalCommuni cations, I
nc.vs.Rel ova.

Absentsuch clarit
yast ot hescopeand cov erageofi t
sf ranchise,al egal
questi
on ar i
ses which is mor e appr
opr i
atef ort he j udici
aryt han foran
administ
rati
veagencyt oresolv
e.Thedoct r
ineofpr imaryj uri
sdicti
oncal l
sf or
appl
icati
on when t herei s such compet ence t o act on t he par t of an
administ
rati
vebody.Pet i
ti
onerassumest hatsuchi sthecase.Thati st obegthe
questi
on.Thereismer it
,theref
ore,t
otheappr oacht akenbypr i
vaterespondent s
toseekjudici
alremedyast owhetherornott helegislativ
ef ranchisecouldbeso
i
nterpr
etedast oenabletheNat i
onalTelecommuni cationsCommi ssiont oacton
themat t
er.Ajur
isdi
ctionalquesti
onthusarisesandcal lsforananswer .

Howev er,whenMi ri
am Col legei ni t
smot ionf orreconsi
derati
oncont endedt hatthe
DECSRegi onalOffice,nott heRTC,hadj uri
sdicti
on,thetri
alcourt,refusi
ngto" bemor e
popisht hant hePope, "dismi ssedt hecase.I ndeed,thetri
alcourtcoul dhardlycont ai
n
i
tsgl eeov erthefactt hat"itwi llhav eonemor ecaseoutofi t
sdocket .
"Wer emi ndthe
tri
alcour tthatacour thavingj ur i
sdicti
onofacasehasnotonl yther i
ghtandt hepower
oraut hor it
y,butalsot hedut y,toexer cisethatjuri
sdict
ionandt or enderadeci si
onina
38
casepr oper l
ysubmi ttedt oit. Accor dingl
y,thetri
alcourtshouldnothav edi smissed
thepet it
ionwi thoutset t
li
ngt hei ssuespr esentedbeforeit
.

I
II

Beforeweaddr essthequestionofwhi chbetweent heDECSRegi onalOfficeandMiri

am
Collegehasjurisdi
cti
onoverthecompl aint
sagainstt hest
udents,wef i
rstdelvei
ntothe
powerofei thertoi mpose di sci
pli
narysanctions upon the students.Indeed,the
resolut
ionoft heissueofj urisdi
cti
onwoul dber educedtoanacademi cexerci
seif
neit
hert heDECSRegi onal
OfficenorMi r
iam Col
legehadt hepowert oimposesanctions
upont hestudents.

Recal
l,forpurposesofthi
sdiscussi
on,t
hatSecti
on7oft heCampusJournal
ism Act
prohi
bit
st heexpulsi
onorsuspensi
onofastudentsol
elyonthebasi
sofar
ticl
esheor
shehaswr it
ten.

A.

Sect
ion 5 (2)
,Ar t
icl
e XIV ofthe Const
itut
ion guarant
ees al
l
i
nsti
tut
ions of hi gher lear
ning academic f reedom. This
i
nsti
tut
ionalacademicfreedom incl
udestherightoftheschool
 112

orcolleget odecideforitself
,itsaimsandobj ect
ives,andhow
besttoat tainthem freef rom outsi
decoerci
onori nterf
erence
savepossi blywhentheov err
idingpubl
icwelf
arecal l
sf orsome
39
restr
aint. The essent ialf reedoms subsumed i nt he ter
m
"academicf reedom"encompassest hefr
eedom todet erminefor
i
tselfonacademi cgr
ounds:

(
1)Whomayt
each,

(
2)Whatmaybet
aught
,

(
3)Howi
tshal
lbet
aught
,and
40
(
4)Whomaybeadmi
tt
edt
ost
udy
.

Ther i
ghtoft heschoolt o di
scipl
ineitsstudentsisatonce
apparenti
nt hethir
df r
eedom,i .
e.,"how i
tshallbet aught
."A
schoolcer
tai
nlycannotfunct
ioninanat mosphereofanarchy
.

Thus,therecanbenodoubtt hattheestabli
shmentofan
educati
onal instit
ution requires rul
es and r egulati
ons
necessaryfort hemai ntenanceofanor derl
yeducat ional
progr
am andt hecr eati
onofaneducat i
onalenv ironment
conducivetol earni
ng.Such r ul
es and regul
ations are
equall
ynecessar yfortheprotecti
onofthestudents,facult
y,
41
andproperty
.

Moreov er
,theschoolhasani nterestinteachi
ngt hestudent
di
scipli
ne,anecessary,i
fnoti ndi
spensable,val
ueinanyf i
eldof
l
earning.Byinsti
ll
ingdiscipli
ne,t heschoolteachesdisci
pline.
Accordingl
y,theri
ghtt o discipl
inet hestudentli
kewisefinds
basi
si nthefr
eedom "whattot each."

I
ncident
all
y,theschoolnotonlyhast
her i
ghtbutthedutyto
dev
elop disci
pli
ne i
nits st
udent
s.The Const
it
uti
on no l
ess
i
mposessuchdut y.

Alleducationali nsti
tuti
onsshal li
nculcatepat ri
otism and
nati
onalism,f osterloveofhumani ty,r espectf orhuman
ri
ghts,appr eciationoft her ol
eofnat ionalher oesi nthe
hi
storicaldev elopmentoft hecountry,teacht her i
ghtsand
duti
esofci ti
zenshi p,str
engthenethi
calandspi r
it
ualv al
ues,
developmor alcharacterandpersonaldiscipli
ne,encourage
cri
ti
cal and cr eat
ive thinki
ng,br oaden sci entif
ic and
 113

technologi
cal knowl
edge, and pr
omot
e v
ocat
ional
42
effi
ciency.

InAngelesvs.Si
son,wealsosai dthatdi scipl
inewasameans
fortheschoolt
ocarryoutitsresponsibil
itytohelpit
sstudents
"gr
owanddev el
opintomatur e,
responsibl
e, eff
ecti
veandworthy
43
cit
izensoft
hecommunity.
"

Finally,nowherei nt he abov ef or
mulation i
st he r i
ghtt o
discipli
nemor eevidentthanin"whomaybeadmi t
tedt ostudy.
"
Ifaschoolhast hef r
eedom todeterminewhom t oadmi t,l
ogic
dictatesthati
talsohast her i
ghttodeterminewhom t oexclude
orexpel ,aswellasuponwhom t oi
mposel essersancti
onssuch
assuspensi onandt hewithhol
dingofgraduati
onprivi
leges.
44
Thus,inAteneodeMani l
avs.Capul
ong, t
heCour
tuphel
dt he
expul
sionofstudent
sfoundgui
lt
yofhazi
ngbypeti
ti
onert
herein,
holdi
ngthat:

Noonecanbesomy opicastodoubtt hattheimmedi ate

rei
nst atementofr espondentstudents who hav e been
i
nv estigat
edandf oundguilt
ybyt heDi scipl
inar
yBoar dt o
hav ev iol
atedpetiti
oneruniver
sit
y'sdiscipli
naryrul
esand
standar ds willcert
ainl
y undermine t
he aut hori
ty oft he
admi nistr
ationoftheschool.Thi
swewoul dbemostl oathe
todo.

More impor t
ant
ly,it will seri
ously i
mpair peti
ti
oner
univ
ersi
ty'
sacademicfr
eedom whi chhasbeenenshri
nedin
45
the1935,1973andthepresent1987Consti
tut
ion.

Traci
ng the dev
elopmentof academi
cfr
eedom,t
he Cour
t
conti
nued:

Since Gar cia vs.Loyol a SchoolofTheol ogy,we have

consist
ent l
yuphel dthesal utaryproposit
iont hatadmi ssion
toani nstitut
ionofhi gherl earningisdiscretionaryupona
school,thesamebei ngapr ivil
egeont hepar toft hestudent
ratherthanar i
ght .Whi l
eundert heEducat i
onActof1982,
studentshav ear ight"tof r
eelychooset hei
rf ieldofstudy,
subjectt oexist i
ngcur riculaandt ocont i
nuet hei
rcour se
therei
nupt ogr aduat i
on,"suchr ighti
ssubj ect,asal lri
ghts
are,totheest ablishedacademi canddi scipl
inar ystandards
l
aiddownbyt heacademi cinsti
tuti
on.
 114

"Forpri
vateschoolshav ether
ighttoest abl
ishreasonable
rul
es and regulati
ons forthe admission,disci
pli
ne and
promotionofstudent s.Thi
sright...ext endsaswel lto
parent
s...aspar entsunderasocialandmor al(
ifnotlegal
)
obli
gati
on,i ndi
vidual
ly and coll
ectivel
y,to assist and
cooperatewitht
heschool s.
"

Suchr ul
esar e"inci
denttot hev eryobjectofi ncor
por at
ion
andi ndi
spensabl etothesuccessf ulmanagementoft he
college.Ther ulesmayi ncludet hosegov er
ning student
discipli
ne."Goingast epf urther,theest abli
shmentoft he
rules gov erni
ng universit
y-studentr elati
ons,par ti
cularl
y
thoseper t
aini
ngt ostudentdi scipl
ine,mayber egardedas
vit
al ,notmer elytothesmoot handef fici
entoper ati
onof
thei nsti
tut
ion,buttoit
sv erysur v
ival.
Withi
nmemor yoft hecur r
entgenerat
ioni stheer upt i
onofmi l
i
tancyinthe
academic groves as col
lecti
vel
y,the students demanded and pl ucked for
themselv
esfrom thepanoplyofacademicfreedom theirownright
sencapsuli
zed
undertherubri
cof" ri
ghtt
oeducat i
on"f
orgetti
ngthat ,InHohfel
dianterms,t
hey
havetheconcomi tantdut
y,andt hati
s,theirdutytol earnunderther ul
eslaid
downbyt heschool.

...Itmustbebor neinmindthatuni
versit
iesareest
abli
shed,notmerel
yto
dev
elopthei
ntell
ectandskil
l
soft hestudentr
y,buttoincul
catelof
tyval
ues,
i
dealsandat
ti
tudes;may,t
hedevel
opment ,orfl
ower
ingifyouwill
,ofthet
otal
man.

I
nessence,educat ionmustul t
imatelyber el
igi
ous-noti nt hesenset hatthe
founders orchart
ermember s oft he i
nstit
uti
on are sectar
ian orpr ofess a
rel
igi
ousideology
.Rat her,arel
igi
ouseducat ion,asther enownedphi l
osopher
Alfr
ed Nor t
h Whitehead sai
d,i s'an educat i
on which inculcates duty and
rever
ence.'I
tappearsthattheparti
cularbrandofr el
i
giouseducat ionoffer
edby
theAteneodeMani laUniv
ersi
tyhasbeenl ostontherespondentst udents.

Cer
tai
nly,theydonotdeservet
oclaim suchavenerabl
einsti
tut
ionast heAteneo
deManil
aUni versi
tyasthei
rownami nutelonger
,fortheymayf oreseeabl
ycast
amalevolentinf
luenceonthestudent
scur r
entl
yenrol
led,aswel lasthosewho
comeafterthem.1avvphi
1

Quit
eappl i
cablet othiscasei sourpr onouncementinYapChi nFahv.Cour tof
Appealsthat:"Themai ntenanceofamor all
yconduciv
eandor derl
yeducat i
onal
envi
ronmentwi llbeser iouslyi
mper i
ll
ed, i
f,undertheci
rcumstancesoft hi
scase,
GraceChrist
iani sforcedt oadmi tpeti
tioner'
schil
drenandtoreint
egratethem to
thestudentbody ."Thus, thedeci
sionofpet i
ti
oneruni
versi
tyt
oexpelt hem isbut
46
congruentwiththegr avityofthei
rmi sdeeds.

B.

Secti
on4( 1)
,Arti
cl
eXIVoft
heConst
it
uti
onr
ecogni
zest
heSt
ate'
spowert
oregul
ate
educati
onali
nst
it
uti
on:
 115

TheSt aterecognizest
hecompl ementaryr
olesofpubl
icandpri
vateinst
it
uti
ons
i
nt he educati
onalsy stem and shallexerci
se r
easonabl
e super
visi
on and
regulat
ionofalleducat
ionali
nst
itut
ions.

Asmaybegl eanedfrom t
heabovepr ovi
sion,suchpowert oregul
ateissubj
ecttothe
requi
rementofreasonabl
eness.Moreover,
theConstit
utionall
owsmer el her
yt egul
ati
on
andsupervi
sionofeducati
onali
nst
it
utions,notthedepr
ivati
onofthei
rright
s.

C.

Insev eralcases,t hisCour thasuphel dt her i

ghtoft hest udent s
tof reespeechi nschoolpr emi ses.I nthel andmar kcaseof
47
Mal abanan vs.Rament o, st udent s oft he Gr egorio Ar aneta
Univ ersi
tyFoundat ion,believingt hatt hemer geroft heI nst i
tute
ofAni malSci encewi ththeI nsti
tut eofAgr i
cultur ewoul dr esultin
thei ncreaseint heirtui
tion,hel dademonst rationt opr otestt he
proposedmer ger.Ther allyhowev erwashel datapl aceot her
thant hatspeci fiedi ntheschoolper mitandcont inuedl onger
than t he ti
me al lowed.The pr otest,mor eov er ,distur bed t he
classesandcausedt hest oppageoft hewor kofnon- academi c
personnel .Forthei l
legalassembl y, t
heuni versitysuspendedt he
student sf orone y ear.I n af f
irmi ng the st udent s'r ight st o
peaceabl eassembl yand f reespeech,t heCour tt hrough Mr .
ChiefJust i
ceEnr i
queFer nando,echoedt her uli
ngoft heUS
48
Supr emeCour nTi
ti nkerv.DesMoi nesSchoolDi stri
ct .

Pet it
ionersi nv oket hei rrightst opeaceabl eassembl yand
freespeech.Theyar eent i
tledt odoso.Theyenj oyl i
ket he
restoft heci t
izenst hef reedom t oexpr esst heirv iewsand
communi catet heirt hought stot hosedi sposedt ol i
steni n
gat heri
ngssuchaswashel dint hiscase.Theydonot ,to
bor row from t heopi ni onofJust i
ceFor tasinTi nkerv .Des
Moi nes Communi ty School Di stri
ct, ' shed t hei
r
const it
ut i
onalr i
ght st of reedom ofspeechorexpr essionat
theschool housegat e.'Whi l
e,t her efor
e,t heaut hor i
tyof
educat ionalinst i
tutionsov ertheconductofst udent smust
ber ecognized,i tcannotgosof arast obev iolat i
veof
const it
ut i
onalsaf eguar ds.Onamor especificlev elt hereis
per suasivef or cet ot hisFor t
asopi nion."Thepr inci paluse
to whi cht heschool sar ededi cat ed ist o accommodat e
student sdur ingpr escr ibedhour sf ort hepur poseofcer tai
n
types ofact iv i
ti
es.Among t hose act i
vit
ies is per sonal
i
nt ercommuni cationamongt hest udent s.Thi sisnotonl y
i
nev i
table par toft he educat ionalpr ocess.A st udent '
s
ri
ght s,t herefor e,do notembr ace mer el
yt he classr oom
 116

hour s.Whenhei sinthecaf et eri

a,oront hepl ayingf i
eld,or
ont hecampusdur i
ngtheaut horizedhour s,hemayexpr ess
hisopi nions,evenoncont rov ersi
alsubj ect sl i
ket heconf li
ct
i
n Vi etnam, i f he does so wi thout ' mat erial
ly and
subst antial
ly interf
eri
ng wi t
h t he r equi rement s of
appr opriatedisci
pli
nei ntheoper ationoft heschool 'and
withoutcol li
dingwithther ight sofot her s....Butconduct
byt hest udent,inclassoroutofi t,whi chf oranyr eason-
whet heri tstemsf rom time,pl ace,ort ypeofbehav i
or-
mat eriall
y disrupts classwor k or i nvolv es subst anti
al
disorderori nvasi
onoft her ightsofot hersi s,ofcour se,not
i
mmuni zedbyt heconst it
ut i
onalguar ant eeoff reedom of
49
speech.

TheMal abananrul
ingwasf oll
owedinVil
larvs.Technologi
cal
50
I
nsti
tute of the Phi
li
ppines, Ar r
eza vs.Gr egor
io Ar
aneta
51 52
Uni
versi
tyFoundati
on, andNonvs.DamesI I
.

Ther i
ghtoft hest udent st of reespeechi nschoolpr emises,
howev er,isnotabsol ute.Ther ighttofreespeechmustal way s
beappl iedi nl ightoft hespeci alcharacteri
sticsoft heschool
53
environment . Thus, whi leweuphel dtherightoft hest udentst o
fr
eeexpr essioni nt hesecases,wedi dnotr uleoutdi scipli
nary
actionbyt heschoolf or" conductbyt hest udent,i
ncl assorout
ofit,whi chf oranyr eason-whet heritstemsf r
om time, place,or
type ofbehav ior-whi ch mat er
iall
y disrupts classwor k or
i
nv olves subst antialdi sorder or i nvasi
on of t he r i
ghts of
54
others." Thus,i nMalabanan,weheld:

6.Obj ectioni smadebypr iv

ater espondent stot het enoroft hespeechesbyt he
studentl eader s.Thatt herewoul dbeav i
gorouspr esent ati
onofv i
ewopposedt o
thepr oposedmer geroft heI nstit
ut eofAni malSci encewi t
ht heI nsti
tuteof
Agriculturewast obeexpect ed.Ther ewasnoconceal mentoft hefactthatt hey
wer eagai nstsuchamov easi tconf rontedt hem wi thaser iouspr oblem ( i
"sang
mal aking sul i
ranin.")Theybel i
eved t hatsuch a mer gerwoul dr esul
ti nt he
i
ncr easei nt uiti
onf ees,anaddi ti
onalheadachef ortheirpar ents( i
"sananaman
sakitsaul ongat ingmgamagul ang. "
)Ifi nthecour seofsuchdemonst ration,
withanent husiasti
caudi encegoadi ngt hem on,ut t
erancesext r
emel ycri
ticalat
ti
mes,ev env i
tri
oli
c,wer el etloose,t hatisqui t
eunder st andable.Studentl eader s
arehar dlyt het i
mid, di
fferentt y
pes.Theyar eli
kel ytobeasser t
iveanddogmat i
c.
Theywoul dbei neffecti
vei fduringar all
ytheyspeaki ntheguar dedandj udicious
l
anguageoft heacademe.Atanyr ate,ev enasy mpat heticaudi encei snot
disposed t o accordf ullcr edencet ot heirfieryexhor t
ati
ons.Theyt akei nto
accountt he exci t
ementof t he occasi on,t he pr opensi ty of speaker st o
exagger ate,theexuber anceofy out h.Theymaygi vet hespeaker sthebenef i
tof
theirappl ause,butwi tht heact ivi
tyt akingpl acei nt heschoolpr emisesand
duringt heday ti
me, nocl earandpr esentdangerofpubl icdisorderi sdiscernible.
 117

Thi
siswithoutpr
ejudi
cetothetaki
ngofdisci pli
nar
yacti
onf
orconduct,whi
ch,t
o
bor
row from Tinker,"mat
eri
all
y disr
upts cl asswor
k orinvol
ves subst
anti
al
55
di
sorderori
nvasi
onoftheri
ghtsofothers.
"

Itisint helightoft hi
sst andardthatwer eadSect i
on7oft heCampusJour nali
sm Act .
Provisi
onsofl awshoul dbeconst ruedinharmonywi t
ht hoseoft heConstitut
ion;act s
ofthel egislat
ur eshouldbeconst rued,whereverpossible,i
namannert hatwoul dav oid
56
theirconf l
icti
ngwi ththef undament all
aw. A st
atuteshoul dnotbegi venabr oad
57
construct i
oni fitsvali
dit
ycanbesav edbyanar r
owerone. Thus,Secti
on7shoul dbe
readinamannerasnott oinf
ri
ngeupont heschool'
srighttodi sci
pli
neitsstudents.At
thesamet i
me, however,weshoul dnotconstruesaidprov i
sionast oundulyrestri
ctt he
ri
ghtoft hestudent stofreespeech.Consistentwithjuri
sprudence, wereadSection7of
theCampusJour nali
sm Acttomeant hatt
heschoolcannotsuspendorexpelast
udent
solelyont hebasisofthear t
icl
esheorshehaswr it
ten,exceptwhensucharticl
e
mat eri
all
ydisr
uptcl
asswor korinvol
vesubst
anti
aldisor
derorinvasi
onoftheri
ghtsof
others.

I
V.

From thef oregoing,t

heanswert othequest i
onofwhohasj urisdict
ionov erthecases
fi
ledagai nstrespondentstudentsbecomessel f -evident
.Thepoweroft heschoolt o
i
nv est
igateisanadj unctofitspowert osuspendorexpel .Iti
sanecessar ycor oll
ar yto
theenf orcementofr ulesandr egul
ati
onsandt hemai nt
enanceofasaf eandor derl
y
58
educationalenvironmentconducivetolearni
ng. Thatpower ,
li
ket hepowert osuspend
orexpel ,i
sani nherentpartoftheacademi cfreedom ofi nstit
ut i
onsofhi gherl earning
guaranteedbyt heConst i
tuti
on.Wet heref
orerulet hatMiriam Col l
egehast heaut horit
y
tohearanddeci dethecasesfil
edagainstrespondentst udents.1âwphi 1.
nêt

WHEREFORE,t hedecisi
onoftheCour
tofAppeal
sisREVERSED and SET ASI
DE.
Peti
ti
onerMir
iam Col
legeisor
der
edtoREADMI
Tpri
vat
erespondentJoelTanwhose
suspensi
onhaslongl
apsed.

SOORDERED.

Foot
not
es
1
Rol
l
o,p.66.
2
CARol
l
o,pp.41-
44.
3
JasperBriones,Edit
or-
in-Chief
;JeromeGomez,AssociateEditor
, DeborahLi
gon,
Busi
ness Manager ;Imelda Hilar
io,News Edi
torEli
zabet h Valdezco,Lay-Out
Edi
tor;JoseMar iRamos,Ar tEdit
or;Cami
l
lePortugal
,Asst.Ar tEditor
;JoelTan,
PhotoEditor;Geral
dGar yRenaci do,amemberoft helit
erarystaff;andDaphne
Cowper,Asst.Lit
eraryEditor
.
4
CARol
l
o,p.59.
5
I
d.,
at60.
6
I
d.,
at62.
7
Rol
l
o,pp.19-
20.
 118

8
CARol
l
o,p.29.
9
I
d.,
at48-
49.
10
Rol
l
o,p.89-
90.
11
Docket
edher
einasG.
R.No.119027.
12
CARol
l
o,p.76.
13
I
d.,
at78.
14
Rol
l
o,p.24.
15
angcov
Gol s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,283SCRA493(
1997)
.
16
Cagay
andeOroCi
tyLandl
essResi
dent
sAsso.
,Inc.v
s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,254
SCRA220(1996)
.
17
AssetPr
ivat
izat
i ustv
onTr s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,214SCRA400(
1992)
.
18
bungcov
Car s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,181SCRA313(
1990)
.
19
Boar
dofTr
anspor
tat
ionv
s.Cast
ro,
125SCRA411(
1983)
.
20
Johannesbur
gPackagi
ngCor
por
atonv
i s.Cour
tofAppeal
s,216SCRA 439
(
1992).
21
Under§5,Rule58ofthepresentRulesofCourt,aTROissuedbytheCourtof
Appealsoramembert her
eofshallbeeffect
ivef
orsixt
y(60)daysf
rom not
iceto
thepart
yorpersonsoughtt
obeenj oi
ned.
22
Phi
li
ppineNat
ionalBankv
s.Cour
tofAppeal
sandRomeoBar
il
ea,291SCRA
271(1998).
23
4C.
J.S.Appeal
andEr
ror§40.
24
Rol
l
o,p.125.I
nthei
rRej
oinder
,pr
ivat
erespondent
sat
tacheda"
Joi
ntAf
fi
dav
it"
st
ati
ng:

xxx

4.Thatt heclai
m oft hepet i
ti
oner,thatwehav enotempl oyedt heTRO
i
ssuedbyt heCourtofAppeal sinfi
li
ngf orrei
nstatementorgai ni
ngentry
i
ntot hecampuspr emises,i
scompl etelyfal
seandmi sleading.Thetruth
ofthemat terbeingthatmember sofourgr ouphadi ni
tiall
ytri
edt ogain
admittanceint
ot heschoolpremisesbutwer ebarredfr
om doi ngsobyt he
guardswhocl ai
medi twasf orsecuri
tyreasons,asmandat edont si
hem [ c]
bythepet i
ti
oners.

xxx

6.Exceptf ort he t
wo [ref
err
ing t
o Jose MariRamos and El
izabet
h
Valdezco],wehav estoppedschooli
ngandwear ewai
ti
ngforthecaseto
ber esol
vedt oconti
nueourstudiesandfi
nisht
hecour
seswest ar
ted.We
needonlyay earort
wot odoit.
 119

xxx

8.Wer espectfull
ypetiti
ont hecour ttoadmi tthisaf f
idavitasproofagai
nst
thepetit
ioners’[si
c]falsemani f
est at
ion.Wehopet hatt hefactswehav e
provi
dedwi l
lhelpcleart hecloudofconf usioni ntenti
onal l
yraisedbythe
peti
ti
onerst hrought heirallegati
ons.Weal sohopet hattheybehel din
contemptoft heirattemptt ointenti
onall
ymi sleadt hehonor ablecourt
.
Andweal sopr aythatthecour tgr antthespeedyr esoluti
onoft hecasein
ourfavor,therebyfaci
lit
atingin[sic]ourlong-awai t
edv indicati
on.

OnOct ober21,1998,theCourtr
esolvedt
or equi
ret hepet i
ti
onertofil
ea
Sur-
Rejoi
nderwi t
hinten(10)day
sf r
om noti
ce,directingthepetiti
onerto
addressinpart
icul
artheabovestat
ementsofpr i
vater espondentsinthei
r
"Joi
ntAffi
davi
t."Peti
ti
oner,
however
,neverfi
l
edt her equir
edSur -
Rejoi
nder
andwer esol
vet odi
spensewitht
hesame.
25
I
d.,
at157.
26
Repl
y,p.2.
27
66SCRA485(
1975)
.
28
Sect
ion2,
Republ
i
cActNo.7079.
29
Al
soknownast
he"
CampusJour
nal
i
sm Actof1991.
"(Sect
i I
on1,d.
)
30
Sec.4.St
udentPubl
icat
ion.
--Astudentpubli
cat
ionispubl
ishedbyt
hestudent
bodyt hr
oughanedi t
ori
alboardandpubl icat
ionstaffcomposedofstudents
select
edbyfai
randcompet i
ti
veexaminati
ons.

Once t
he publ
i
cati
on is est
abl
ished,i
ts edi
tor
ialboard shal
lfr
eel
y
det
ermi
nei
tsedit
ori
alpol
ici
esandmanagethepubli
cat
ion’
sfunds.
31
Sec.6Publ icati
onAdviser
.-Thepublicat
ionadvi
sershal
lbeselect
edbyt he
schooladministrat
ionfr
om alistofr
ecommendeessubmi tt
edbythepubli
cat
ion
staf
f.Thefunct i
onoftheadvi
sershallbeli
mitedt
ooneoftechni
calgui
dance.
32
Sec.5.FundingofSt udentPubli
cat
ion.
-Fundingforthestudentpubli
cat
ion
mayi ncl
ude the savi
ngs oft he r
espect
ive school
’
s appr
opriat
ions,st
udent
subscr
ipt
ions,
donations,andot
hersourcesoffunds.
33
Sec.10.TheTaxExempt ion.-Pur
suanttoparagr
aph4, Secti
on4,Ar
ti
cleXIVof
the Constit
uti
on,allgrants,endowment s,donations,orcontri
buti
ons used
actual
ly,dir
ectl
yandexcl usivel
yforthepr omoti
onofcampusj ournal
ism as
provi
dedf ori
nthisActshallbeexemptfrom donor
’sorgiftt
ax.
34
Sec.9.
35
I
d.,
at95.
36
I
d.,
at96-
97.
37
100SCRA254(
1980)
.
38
20Am Jur2d,
Cour
ts§93.
 120

39
Tangonanv
s.Pan,
137SCRA245,
256-
257(
1985)
.
40
Isabel
o,Jr.v
s.Per petualHelpCollegeofRizal
,Inc.227SCRA591, 595( 1993),
AteneodeMani laUni versi
tyvs.Capulong,222SCRA643,660( 1993),Gar av
ci s.
theFacultyAdmi ssi
onCommi t
tee,
Loy ol
aSchoolofTehology,68SCRA277, 285
(1975).Theabov eformul at
ionwasmadebyJust iceFeli
xFr ankf
urterinhi s
concurri
ngopinionisSweezyv .NewHampshi re,
354U. S.234,263.
41
Angel
esvs.Si
son,
112SCRA26,
37(
1982)
.
42
Sect
ion3(
2),
Art
icl
eXI
VConst
it
uti
on.
43
Supr
a,at37.
44
222SCRA643(
1993)
.
45
I
d.,
at659-
660.
46
I
d.,
at663-
665.
47
129SCRA359(
1984)
.
48
393U.
S.503(
1968)
.
49
I
d.,
at367-
368.
50
135SCRA706(
1985)
.
51
137SCRA94(
1985)
.
52
185SCRA523(
1990)
.
53
yv
Heal s.James,408US169,33LEd2d266,92SCt2338,ci
ti nkerv
ngTi s.
DesMoi supr
nes, a.
54
abananv
Mal s.Ramento,supra,at368.SeealsoArezav
r s.Gregori
oAranet
a
Uni
ver
sit
yFoundat
i supr
on, a,at97- andNonv
98, s.DamesII
,supr
a,at535.
55
I
d.,
at369;
Under
scor
ingsuppl
i
ed.
56
Her
rasTeehankeev
s.Rovi
ra,
75Phi
l
.634,
at643(
1945)
.
57
Ber dtv
nhar .Pol
ygr
aphi
cCo.
,350US198,
202,
100Led199,
76Ct273(
1955)
.
58
esv
Angel s.Si
son,
112SCRA26,
37(
1982)
.
 121

Republ
i
cofthePhi
l
ippi
nes
SUPREMECOURT
Manil
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.L-
68288 Jul
y11,
1986

DIOSDADO GUZMAN,ULYSSES URBI ZTONDO,and ARI EL RAMACULA,

peti
ti
oner
s,vs.NATIONALUNIVERSITYandDOMI NGOL.JHOCSONi nhis
capaci
tyasPresi
dentofNat
ionalUni
versi
ty,
respondent
s.

Ef
renH.Mer
cadoandHaydeeYor
acf
orpet
it
ioner
s.

SamsonS.Al
cant
araf
orr
espondent
s.

J.
NARVASA, :

Petit
ioners Diosdado Guzman,Ul y
sses Ur biztondo and Ar iel
Ramacul a,students ofr espondentNat i
onalUni versit
y,hav e
comet othisCour ttoseekr eli
effrom whatt heydescr i
beas
thei
rschool '
s"continuedandper sistentrefusalt oallowt hem to
enrol.
"Int heirpet i
ti
on "forextraordinaryl egaland equi t
able
remedieswi t
hpr ayerforpreli
minarymandat oryinjunction"dated
August7, 1984,theyallege:

1)t hatrespondentUni
v er
sit
y'sav owedreasonforit
s
refusaltore-enr
ollt
hem intheirrespect
ivecour
sesis
"the lat
ter'
s part
ici
pat
ion in peacefulmass acti
ons
wi t
hinthepremisesoftheUniversity
.

2)t hatthis" attitudeoft he( Univer

sit
y)issi mpl
ya
continuati
onofi tscav ali
erifnothostil
eattit
udetothe
student's exer cise oft hei
rbasi c consti
tut
ionaland
humanr i
ght sal readyr ecordedinRocki eC.SanJuan
vs.Nat i
onalUni ver si
ty,S.C.G.R.No.65443( 1983)and
itsuttercont emptf orthepr inci
pleofduepr ocessof
lawt othepr ejudi ceofpet it
ioners;
"and

3)t hat"i
n effectpet i
ti
oner s are subject
ed tot he
extremepenaltyofexpulsionwi thoutcauseorifthere
beany ,withoutbei ng i
nfor
med ofsuch causeand
withoutbeing af f
orded the oppor tuni
tyt o defend
themseles.Ber
v i
na v.Phi l
ippi
ne Mar i
time I
nsti
tute
(117SCRA581[ 1983].
)
 122

I
nt hecommentf il
ed on Sept
ember24,1986 forrespondent
Univer
sit
yandi t
sPresidentpur
suanttot
hisCour
t'
srequir
ement
1
ther
efor ,r
espondentsmaketheclai
m:

1)that"pet
it
ioner
s'fai
luretoenr
ollf
orthefi
rstsemesterofthe
schoolyear1984-
1985i sduetothei
rownfaultandnotbecause
ofthei
rall
egedexerci
seofthei
rconst
it
uti
onal
andhumanr ight
s;"

2)thatpet
it
ionerUrbi
ztondo,soughtt
or e-
enrollonl
yonJul
y5,
1986"whentheenrol
lmentperi
odwasalreadyclosed;
"

3)t hatasr egar dspet i

ti
onerGuzman,hi s" academi cshowi ng"
was" poor ","duet ohisact ivi
ti
esi nl eadi ngboy cott
sofcl asses" ;
thatwhenhi sf atherwasnot if
iedoft hi sdev elopmentsomet ime
inAugust ,1982,t hel att
erhaddemandedt hathi sson" refor m or
elsewewi l
lr ecallhi mt ot hepr ovince" ;thatGuzmanwasoneof
thepet itioner sinG. R.No.65443ent i
tled" Rocki eSanJuan,etal .
vs.Nat ionalUni versit
y,etal .,
"att he hear i
ng ofwhi ch on
Nov ember23,1983t hisCour thadadmoni shed" thest udent s
invol ved ( to) t ake adv antage and make t he most of t he
oppor tuni ty given t ot hem t o st udy ;
"t hatGuzman " howev er
cont inuedt ol eadoract i
velypar tici
pat ei nact ivi
ti
eswi thint he
univ ersitypr emi ses,conduct edwi thoutpr iorper mitf r
om school
aut hor i
ties,t hatdi sturbed ordi srupt ed cl asses t herein;"t hat
mor eov er,Guzman " isf acing cr i
mi nalchar ges f ormal ici
ous
mi schi efbef oret heMet ropol
itan Tr ialCour tofMani l
a( Crim.
CaseNo.066446)i nconnect i
onwi ththedest ruct i
onofpr oper ti
es
ofr espondentUni versit
yonSept ember12,1983" ,and" isal so
oneoft hedef endant sinCi vi
lCaseNo.8320483oft heRegi onal
TrialCour tofMani l
aent it
led'Nat ionalUni versity,Inc.vs.Rocki e
SanJuanetal .
'fordamagesar isingf rom dest ructionofuni versit
y
proper ti
es

4)thatasr egardspeti
tionerRamacul a,l
ikeGuzman" hecontinued
tol ead oract i
vel
y partici
pate,cont r
arytot he spiri
toft he
Resoluti
ondat edNov ember23,1983oft hi
s...Cour t(i
nG.R.No.
65443 in whi ch he was al so one oft he petiti
oners)and t o
uni
v ersi
tyr ul
esandr egulat
ions,withinuniversit
ypr emisesbut
wit
houtper mi tfr
om universi
tyoffi
cialsinact
iviti
esthatdisturbed
ordisruptedclasses;
"and

5)thatpet
iti
onershave"f
ail
uresi
nthei
rrecor
ds,
(and)ar
enotof
goodscholasti
cstandi
ng."
 123

Respondent
scl
oset
hei
rcommentwi
tht
hef
oll
owi
ngasser
ti
ons,
towit
:

1)Byt heiractuati
ons,pet it
ioner
s mustbe deemed t o have
forf
eitedt heirpri
vil
ege,ifany,toseekenr oll
menti nrespondent
university
.Ther ightsofr espondentuniversi
ty,asani nsti
tuti
on
ofhi gherl earni
ng,mustal sober espected.Itisal sobey ond
compr ehensi on whypet iti
oners,who cont i
nuall
ydespi seand
vil
if
yr espondentuni ver
sityanditsoff
ici
alsandf acult
ymember s,
shouldper si
stinseekingenr ol
lmentinani nstit
uti
ont hatthey
hate.

2) Under t he ci
rcumstances,and without r
egardt olegal
technical
it
ies,i
tisnottothebestinter
estofallconcer
nedthat
petit
ioner
sbeal l
owedtoenr ol
li
nrespondentuni
versi
ty.

3)Inanyev ent
,pet
iti
oners'enr
oll
mentbei
ngonthesemestral
basi
s,r
espondentscannotbecompell
edtoenr
ollt
hem af
tert
he
endofthesemester
.
OnOct
ober2,
1984t
hisCour
tissuedar
esol
uti
onr
eadi
ngasf
oll
ows:

.
..Actingont heCommentsubmi ttedbyr espondent, t
heCour tResolvedt o
NOTEt hesameandt or equireaREPLYt osuchComment .TheCour t
furt
her Resol ved t oI SSUE a MANDATORY I NJUNCTI ON,enj oining
respondentt oal l
owtheenr olmentofpet it
ioner
sfort hecomi ngsemest er
withoutpr ejudicet oanydi sciplinaryproceedingt owhi chanyoral lof
them maybesubj ectedwi t
ht hei rri
ghtt olawfuldef enser ecognizedand
respected.Asr egardspet i
ti
onerDi osdadoGuzman, eveni fitbeaf actthat
thereisapendi ngcri
mi nalchar geagai nsthimf ormal iciousmi schief,the
Courtnonet hel essisoft heopini onthat,asabov e-noted, wi t
houtpr ejudice
tothecont inuat ionofanydi scipl i
naryproceedingagai nsthi m,t hathebe
all
owedt or esumehi sst udiesi nt hemeanwhi l
e.Asshowni nAnnex2of
the petit
ion i tself
,Mr .Juan P.Guzman,f at
herofsai d petiti
oner ,is
extendingf ullcooperati
onwi t
hpet it
ionerstoassur ethatwhat everprotest
orgr i
evancepet i
ti
onerGuzmanmayhav ewoul dbev entilatedinal awf ul
andpeacef ul manner .

Pet
it
ioner
s'REPLYi
nteral
i
a—
1)deniedt hatUrbiztondoat t
emptedt oenr ol
lonl yonJul y5,1984
(whenenr oll
mentwasal r
eadyclosed) ,
itbeingal l
egedt hat"whil
e
hedi dtryt oenrollthatday ,healsoat tempt edt odososev eral
ti
mesbef oret hatdat e,al
lt onoav ai
l,becauser espondents...
persi
stentlyr efused t o allow him t o do so" r espondents'
ostensibl
er eason bei ng thatUrbiztondo ( had)par ti
cipated i
n
massact ions. .
.withintheschoolpr emi ses,
"althought herewere
noexi sti
ngdi scipl
inarychar geagainstpet i
tionerUr bi
ztondo"at
 124

t
het
ime;

2)assert
edt hat"nei
thert
hetextnorthecont
extoft her
esoluti
on
2
j
ust
if
iestheconcl usi
onthat"peti
ti
oner
s'ri
ghttoexercisetheir
const
itut
ionalfreedoms"hadt her
ebybeenr est
ri
ctedorl i
mited;
and

3)alleged t
hat"thehol ding ofactiv
iti
es(massact i
on)i nthe
schoolpremiseswi t
houtt hepermissi
onoft heschool. .
.canbe
expl
ainedbyt hefactthattherespondentspersi
stentl
yrefusedto
i
ssuesuchper mitrepeatedlysoughtbythestudents."
OnNovember23,1984,t
hisCour
tpr
omul
gat
edanot
herr
esol
uti
on,t
hist
imer
eadi
ngas
fol
l
ows:

.
..TheCour t,afterconsi deri
ngt hepleadingsfi
ledanddeliberat
ingont he
i
ssuesr ai
sedi nt hepetiti
onf orextr
aordinaryl
egalandequitableremedies
with prayer f or preliminary mandat oryi nj
uncti
on as wel l as the
respondents'commenton t he peti
ti
on and t he r
epl
yofcounself or
peti
ti
onerst ot he respondent s'comment ,Resolved t
o( a)give DUE
COURSE t ot he pet i
ti
on;( b)consi dert he r
espondents'commentas
ANSWERt ot hepet it
ion;and( c)requir
et heparti
estofi
letheirrespect
ive
MEMORANDAwi t hi
ntwent y(20)daysf r
om noti
ce...
..

Immedi atel
yappar entf rom ar eadi ngofr espondent s'comment
andmemor andum i st hef actt hatt heyhadnev erconduct ed
proceedi ngsofanysor ttodet ermi newhet herornotpet it
ioner s-
student shadi ndeedl edorpar t
icipated" inact i
viti
eswi thint he
univ er si
typremi ses,conduct edwi thoutpr iorper mi tfrom school
aut hor it
ies,thatdi sturbed ordi srupted cl asses t herein"3 or
per pet rated act s of " vandalism,coer cion and i nti
midat ion,
slander ,noisebar rageandot heract sshowi ngdi sdainf orand
4
def i
anceofUni versit
yaut horit
y." Par ent het i
cally,thependency
ofaci vi
lcasef ordamagesandacr imi nalcasef ormal i
cious
mi schi efagai nstpet it
ionerGuzman,cannot ,wi thoutmor e,
furni shsuf fi
cientwar rantf orhisexpul sionordebar mentf rom r e
-enr ollment.Al soappar enti st heomi ssi onofr espondent st o
citet hisCour tt o anydul ypubl ishedr ul eoft heirsbywhi ch
student s maybe expel led orr ef used r e- enroll
mentf orpoor
schol asticstanding.

Undert heEducationActof1982,5 t
hepet i
ti
oners,asst udents,
havet heri
ghtamongot hers"t
ofreel
ychooset hei
rfiel
dofst udy
subjecttoexisti
ngcurr
icul
aandt ocontinuethei
rcourset herei
n
up to graduati
on,exceptin caseofacademi cdef i
ciency,or
6
vi
olati
onofdi sci
pli
nar
yr egul
ati
ons.
" Pet i
ti
onerswer ebei ng
 125

deni edt hisr i

ght,orbei ngdi sci
pli
ned,wi t
houtduepr ocess,in
violationoft headmoni ti
oni nt heManualofRegul ati
onsf or
7
Privat eSchool s t hat"(n)openal t
yshallbei mposeduponany
studentexceptf orcauseasdef i
nedin...(the)Manualand/ orin
theschoolr ulesandr egulati
onsasdul ypr omulgatedandonl y
8
afterduei nvestigati
onshal lhavebeenconduct ed." ThisCour t
i
st her ef
or e constrai
ned,as i n Beri
na v.Phi l
ippi
ne Mar iti
me
9
Institute, todecl areil
legalthisactofrespondent sofi mposi ng
sanct ionsonst udentswithoutduei nv
estigation.

Educat i
onalinsti
tutionsofcour sehav ethepowert o"
adoptand
enforcesuchr ulesasmaybedeemedexpedi entfor. ..(i
ts)
gov ernment,...( t
his bei ng)"incidentt ot he very objectof
i
ncor porati
on,andi ndispensabl etot hesuccessf
ulmanagement
10
ofthecol l
ege." Ther ul
esmayi ncludethosegov erni
ngst udent
discipli
ne.I
ndeed, themai ntenanceof" goodschooldiscipli
ne"is
a dut yspecifi
callyenj oined on "ev er
ypr i
vateschool "byt he
11
ManualofRegul ations f orPr i
vate Schools; and i nt his
connect i
on,theManual f
ur t
herprovidesthat-

..
.The schoolr ules gov erning discipl
ine and the
corr
esponding sanct i
ons t herefor mustbe cl earl
y
speci
fi
edanddef inedi nwr it
ingandmadeknownt o
the students and/ or t heir par ents or guardi
ans.
School
sshal lhav et heaut hor i
tyandpr er
ogati
vet o
promulgatesuchr ulesandr egulati
onsast heymay
deem necessaryfrom t imet ot i
meef fect
iveasoft he
dateoftheirpr
omul gationunl essot herwi
sespecifi
ed.
12

But,torepeat,thei mposi ti
onofdi sci
pli
narysanct i
onsr equires
observanceofpr oceduralduepr ocess.Andi tbear sst ressing
thatduepr ocessi ndi sci
plinarycasesi nvolvingst udentsdoes
notentailproceedingsandhear i
ngssi mil
art ot hosepr escri
bed
for actions and pr oceedi ngs i n courts of j usti
ce. The
proceedingsinst udentdi scipli
necasesmaybesummar y;and
cross-
exami nati
on i s not ,'contraryto pet iti
oner s'v i
ew,an
essenti
alpar tt hereof.Ther e are withalmi nimum st andar ds
whichmustbemett osat isfythedemandsofpr ocedur aldue
process;andt hesear e,that( 1)thestudentsmustbei nformed
i
nwr i
ti
ngoft henat ureandcauseofanyaccusat ionagai nst
them;(2)theyshaghav et her i
ghttoanswert hechar gesagai nst
them,withtheassi stanceofcounsel ,i
fdesired;( 3)t heyshal lbe
 126

i
nformedoft heev i
denceagai nstthem;(4)t
heyshallhav ethe
ri
ghtt o adduce evidence int hei
rown behalf;and (5)t he
evi
dence must be dul y considered by the i
nv est
igati
ng
commi t
teeorof fi
cialdesignatedbyt heschoolauthori
tiesto
hearanddecidethecase.

WHEREFORE,t hepet i
ti
onisgr ant
edandt her espondentsare
directed t
o al l
ow t he peti
ti
onerst or e-enr
ollorot her
wise
cont i
nuewitht hei
rrespecti
vecourses,withoutprejudi
cet oany
discipli
nar
ypr oceedingstowhi chanyoral loft hem maybe
subjectedinaccordancewi t
hthestandardshereinsetforth.
SOORDERED.

Teehankee,CJ.
,AbadSantos,Fer
ia,Yap,Fer
nan,Mel
enci
o-Her
rer
a,Al
ampay,Gut
ier
rez,
Jr.
,CruzandParas,
JJ.
,concur.

Foot
not
es

1Resol
uti
on,
Aug.14,
1986.

2I
nG.
R.No.65443dat
edNov
.23, supr
1983, a

3Par
.3(
c),
Comment
;p.11,
rol
l
o.

4Par
.1,
Memor
andum ofRespondent
s;p.75,
rol
l
o.

5B.
P.Bl
g.232,
eff
.Sept
.12,
1982;
seeVi
l
larv
.Technol
ogi
cal

I
nsti
tute,et
c.,135 SCRA 706,710,ci
ti
ng Ar
ti
cle 26 oft
he Uni
ver
sal
Decl
arati
onofHumanRi ght
s.

6Sec.9(
2);
Seeal
so,
par
.107,
Manual
ofRegul
ati
onsf
orPr
ivat
eSchool
s.

7Pr
omul
gat
edont
heaut
hor
it
yoft
hePr
ivat
eSchool
Law,
Act2706.

8Par
.145,
emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed.

9117SCRA581.

10Prat
tvs.WheatonCol
lege,
40Ill186,
cit
edi
n"TheLawonSchool
sand
St
udents,
"Di
zon,A.,
Revi
sedEd.,
p.29.

11Supr
a;f
oot
not
e7;
SeeAr
t.
XV,
Sec.8(
4),
1973Const
it
uti
on.