Education:

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 Petitioner asserts that those PDs are no longer applicable after the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.