AGUS1IN v LDU 88 SCkA 19S

(Iernando %

IAC1S A pres|dent|a| Letter of Instruct|on No 229 was |ssued on December 2 1974 by then res|dent
Ierd|nand Marcos requ|r|ng a|| owners users and dr|vers of motor veh|c|es to have at a|| t|mes |n
the|r motor veh|c|es at |east one un|t of ear|y warn|ng dev|ce 1h|s |s done pr|mar||y to m|n|m|ze traff|c
acc|dents due to the presence of d|sab|ed sta||ed or parked motor veh|c|es a|ong streets or h|ghways
w|thout any ear|y warn|ng dev|ce to s|gna| approach|ng motor|sts of the|r presence Such prob|ems on
traff|c have been recogn|zed by |nternat|ona| bod|es concerned w|th traff|c safety part|cu|ar|y the
1968 V|enna Convent|on on koad S|gna|s and the Un|ted Nat|ons Crgan|zat|on 1he sa|d V|enna
Convent|on wh|ch was rat|f|ed by the h|||pp|ne Government under D No 207 recommended the
enactment of |oca| |eg|s|at|on for the |nsta||at|on of road safety s|gns and dev|ces 1hus th|s Letter of
Instruct|on No 229 1he Comm|ss|oner of the Land 1ransportat|on Comm|ss|on was d|rected to
prepare and to |ssue to reg|stered owners of motor veh|c|es such dev|ce charg|ng them a fee for each
Cn november 13 1976 lL was amended by LCl no 479 whereln under Lhe laLLer lnsLrucLlon Lhe Land
1ransporLaLlon Commlssloner shall requlre every moLor vehlcle owner Lo buy one palr of a reflecLorlzed
early warnlng devlce from any and such ls a prereglsLraLlon requlremenL 1he Land 1ransporLaLlon
Commlssloner shall also promulgaLe such rule and regulaLlons as are approprlaLe Lo effecLlvely
lmplemenL Lhls order 8espondenL Ldu lssued an lmplemenLlng rules and regulaLlons on uecember 10
1976 buL such were noL enforced as resldenL Marcos on !anuary 23 1977 ordered a slxmonLh perlod
of suspenslon lnsofar as Lhe lnsLallaLlon of early warnlng devlce as a prereglsLraLlon requlremenL for
moLor vehlcle was concerned AnoLher LeLLer of lnsLrucLlon was lssued LhereafLer llfLlng such
suspenslon and dlrecLed Lhe lmmedlaLe lmplemenLaLlon of LeLLer of lnsLrucLlon no 229 as amended Cn
AugusL 29 1978 respondenL Ldu lssued Memorandum Clrcular no 32 requlrlng Lhe use of Larly
Warnlng uevlces (LWu) on moLor vehlcle provlded LhaL Lhe devlce may come from whaLever source
and LhaL lL shall have subsLanLlally complled wlLh Lhe LWu speclflcaLlons conLalned ln SecLlon 2 of sald
admlnlsLraLlve order lssulng a palr of serlally numbered sLlckers free of charge shall be aLLached Lo each
LWu Lo lnsure LhaL every moLor vehlcle excepL moLorcycles ls equlpped wlLh Lhe devlce

1he sa|d Letter of Instruct|on was cha||enged by here|n pet|t|oner Mr Agust|n as unconst|tut|ona| for
be|ng oppress|ve arb|trary unreasonab|e and conf|scatory and for be|ng v|o|at|ve of the
const|tut|ona| guarantee of due process and |nsofar as the ru|es and regu|at|ons for |ts
|mp|ementat|on are concerned for transgress|ng the fundamenta| pr|nc|p|e of non de|egat|on of
|eg|s|at|ve power ne p|eaded that both the Letters of Instruct|ons and Memorandum C|rcu|ar be
dec|ared vo|d and unconst|tut|ona| and for a restra|n|ng order

ISSUL WheLher or noL Lhe LeLLer of lnsLrucLlon and Lhe Memorandum Clrcular be held unconsLlLuLlonal

nLLD no lL's noL unconsLlLuLlonal 1he sald vlenna ConvenLlon was raLlfled by Lhe hlllpplne
CovernmenL under u 207 under Lhe uocLrlne of lncorporaLlon embodled ln Lhe ueclaraLlon of
rlnclples found ln Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon Lhe hlllpplnes adopLs Lhe generally accepLed prlnclples of
lnLernaLlonal law as parL of Lhe law of Lhe land 1hls prlnclple possesses relevance 1he hlllpplnes
should noL dlsclalm a commlLmenL Lo whlch lL has glven lLs word As Lo Lhe lssue of nondelegaLlon of
leglslaLlve power whaL ls delegaLed ls auLhorlLy nonleglslaLlve ln characLer LhaL ls Lo promulgaLe
supplemenLal rules and regulaLlons ln pursuance of Lhe guldellnes lssued by Lhe leglslaLure Pence Lhls
peLlLlon ls dlsmlssed 1he resLralnlng order ls llfLed 1hls declslon ls lmmedlaLely execuLory no cosLs

(ArLlcle ll SecLlon 2 of Lhe 1987 ConsLlLuLlon)