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Magdalo vs. Comelec
Magdalo vs. Comelec
Magdalo vs. Comelec
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* EN BANC.
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analogously applicable
Amnesty; Amnesty commonly denotes a general pardon to rebels
for their treason or other high political offenses, or the forgiveness
which one sovereign grants to the subjects of another, who have
offended, by some breach, the law of nations.·This Court, in People
v. Patriarca, 341 SCRA 464 (2000), explained the concept of
amnesty, to wit: Amnesty commonly denotes a general pardon to
rebels for their treason or other high political offenses, or the
forgiveness which one sovereign grants to the subjects of another,
who have
653
SERENO, J.:
Before this Court is a Petition for Certiorari pursuant to
Rule 37, Section 1 of the Commission of Elections
(COMELEC) Rules of Procedure,1 in relation to Rules 64
and 65 of the Rules of Court, assailing the Resolutions
dated 26 October 2009 and 4 January 2010 issued by the
COMELEC in SPP Case No. 09-073 (PP).2
On 2 July 2009, Petitioner Magdalo Para sa Pagbabago
(MAGDALO) filed its Petition for Registration with the
COMELEC, seeking its registration and/or accreditation as
a regional political party based in the National Capital
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1 Section 1. Petition for Certiorari; and Time to File.·Unless
otherwise provided by law, or by any specific provisions in these Rules,
any decision, order or ruling of the Commission may be brought to the
Supreme Court on certiorari by the aggrieved party within thirty (30)
days from its promulgation.
2 Rollo, pp. 31-44.
3 Petition for Certiorari („Petition‰), Rollo, p. 5; Petition for
Registration, Rollo, pp. 45-51.
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Resolution read:
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4 Petition for Registration, p. 1; Rollo, p. 45.
5 Petition, Rollo, p. 5.
6 Id.
7 Id., at p. 6.
8 Id.
9 Id.
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personnel were held hostage. This and the fact that they were
in full battle gear at the time of the mutiny clearly show
their purpose in employing violence and using unlawful
means to achieve their goals in the process defying the laws
of organized societies. x x x
x x x x x x x x x
WHEREFORE, premises considered, this Petition is hereby
DENIED.
SO ORDERED.‰10 (Emphasis supplied.)
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10 Resolution dated 26 October 2009 („First Resolution‰), Rollo, pp. 33-36.
11 Petition, Rollo, p. 6.
12 Annex „H‰ of the Petition, Rollo, pp. 183-184.
13 Annexes „H-1‰ and „H-2‰ of the Petition, Rollo, pp. 185-187.
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14 Annex „I‰ of the Petition, Rollo, pp. 188-189.
15 Rollo, pp. 37-44.
16 Petition, Rollo, pp. 3-30.
17 Id., at pp. 23-27.
18 Rollo, p. 190.
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Capital Judicial Region, Makati City], Branch 148, has not yet
decided the case against them;
– and –
The Resolution violates the constitutional presumption of
innocence in favor of founders of the Magdalo and their basic right
of to [sic] due process of law.‰19
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19 Petition, Rollo, p. 9.
20 Comment dated 24 February 2010, Rollo, pp. 199-211.
21 Id.
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for the 10 May 2010 National and Local Elections, this case
nevertheless comes under the exceptions to the rules on
mootness, as explained in David v. Macapagal-Arroyo:24
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22 Reply to Comment dated 14 March 2010, Rollo, pp. 213-234.
23 Petition for Registration, Rollo, p. 49.
24 522 Phil. 705; 489 SCRA 160 (2006).
25 Id., at pp. 753-754; pp. 213-215.
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661
Commission shall after due notice and hearing, resolve the petition
within ten days from the date it is submitted for decision. No
religious sect shall be registered as a political party and no
political party which seeks to achieve its goal through
violence shall be entitled to accreditation.‰ (Emphasis
supplied.)
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26 G.R. No. 191771, 6 May 2010, 620 SCRA 393.
27 Id., at pp. 424-425.
28 Petition, Rollo, pp. 11-13.
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29 Rule 129, Sec. 2.
30 Section 12. Rules of Evidence.·In a contested case:
(1) The agency may admit and give probative value to evidence
commonly accepted by reasonably prudent men in the conduct of their
affairs.
(2) Documentary evidence may be received in the form of copies or
excerpts, if the original is not readily available. Upon request, the parties
shall be given opportunity to compare the copy with the original. If the
original is in the official custody of a public officer, a certified copy
thereof may be accepted.
(3) Every party shall have the right to cross-examine witnesses
presented against him and to submit rebuttal evidence.
(4) The agency may take notice of judicially cognizable facts and of
generally cognizable technical or scientific facts within its specialized
knowledge. The parties shall be notified and afforded an opportunity to
contest the facts so noticed.
31 521 Phil. 585; 487 SCRA 462 (2006).
32 Id., at p. 604; p. 484.
664
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33 See Pimentel v. Romulo, 466 Phil. 482; 421 SCRA 656 (2004);
Navales v. Abaya, 484 Phil. 367; 441 SCRA 393 (2004); Gonzales v.
Abaya, 530 Phil. 189; 498 SCRA 445 (2006).
34 Id.
35 Resolution dated 4 January 2010, p. 5; Rollo, p. 41.
665
and (c) not a single shot was fired during the incident.36
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36 Petition, Rollo, p. 19.
37 BlackÊs Law Dictionary, Sixth Ed., p. 1570.
38 Id.
39 Id., at p. 1536; Bahilidad v. People, G.R. No. 185195, 17 March
2010, 615 SCRA 597.
40 Supra note at p. 33.
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41 Id.
42 Petition, Rollo, pp. 19-20.
43 Id., at pp. 15-18.
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44 Id., at pp. 12-15.
45 Cipriano v. Commission on Elections, 479 Phil. 677; 436 SCRA 45
(2004).
46 G.R. No. 169042, 5 October 2011, 658 SCRA 580.
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48 Miro v. Dosono, G.R. No. 170697, 30 April 2010, 619 SCRA 653,
660.
669
„It is at once apparent that that [sic] the proceedings in and the
consequent findings of the Commission (Second Division) in the
subject resolution did not pre-empt the trial and decision of the
court hearing the cases of the Magdalo members. These are two
different processes. The proceedings in the Commission is [sic] a
petition for registration of Magdalo as a political party and the
Commission is empowered to ascertain facts and circumstances
relative to this case. It is not criminal in nature unlike the court
case of the Magdalo founders. Thus, the Second Division did not
violate the right of the Magdalo founders to be presumed innocent
until proven guilty when it promulgated the questioned resolution.
There is likewise no violation of due process. Accreditation as a
political party is not a right but only a privilege given to groups who
have qualified and met the requirements provided by law.‰49
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49 Resolution dated 4 January 2010, pp. 4-5; Rollo, pp. 40-41.
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50 395 Phil. 690; 341 SCRA 464 (2000), citing People v. Casido, 336
Phil. 344; 269 SCRA 360 (1997).
51 Id., at p. 699; p. 472.
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54 107 O.G. 95 (Jan., 2011).
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