Guingona VS Carague

Facts:

This is a case that tackles the importance of education in the sustainability of the society.
Further elaborate that the failure of education is a detrimental failure in the society.

The petitioner herein contends the appropriation of the budget that is set to be distributed
between the funds for education and for the debt service. Based on the decided appropriation,
27 Billions of the funds will be allocated for the Department of Education meanwhile the 86
Billions will be for Debt services. The budget appropriation was tailored from the
Presidential Decrees that were promulgated during the Marcos Regime. Petitioner asserts that
those PDs are no longer applicable after the one-man legislature was ousted and the new
government is framed in a new Constitution. Further alleging that the manner of
appropriation on those decrees are repugnant to the mandates of the present constitution.

The Article XIV Section 5 paragraph 5 mandates that the highest budget appropriations shall
be allocated to Education. Moreover, the 1987 Constitution provides that the manner of
appropriation of funds and budgets shall originate in the senate. Since the manner of
appropriations in PDs that were enacted during Marcos time is quite contrary, the petitioner
asserts that it is void and unenforceable for tarnishing the mandates of the present
Constitution.

Issue:
Whether or Not the contentions of the petitioner about the budget allocated for
Education is meritorious.

Ruling:
The Supreme Court ruled in a negative standpoint. While it is true that under Section
5(5), Article XIV of the Constitution Congress is mandated to "assign the highest budgetary
priority to education" in order to "insure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share
of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job
satisfaction and fulfillment," it does not thereby follow that the hands of Congress are so
hamstrung as to deprive it the power to respond to the imperatives of the national interest and
for the attainment of other state policies or objectives. The plenary power of the Congress to
legislate laws that would affect the sustainability of the economy and the society is
undefined. The budget appropriations for Debt Services cannot be compromise so that that
the amount needed should be automatically set aside in order to enable the Republic of the
Philippines to pay the principal, interest, taxes and other normal banking charges on the
loans, credits or indebtedness incurred as guaranteed by it when they shall become due
without the need to enact a separate law appropriating funds therefor as the need arises. The
purpose of these laws is to enable the government to make prompt payment and/or advances
for all loans to protect and maintain the credit standing of the country.