Project Jurisprudence

Best Supreme Court Quotable

Lines

Inspired by my conversation with my law professor, Atty. Gil P. Viloria, Jr., one of my heroes, I
decided to compile my favorite lines and quotes from some pieces of jurisprudence promulgated
by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The following are my personal picks and, should the
reader have any suggestion, he may leave a comment below.

[1] Antonio v. Reyes

Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. This sad truth has unsettled many a
love transformed into matrimony. Any sort of deception between spouses, no matter the gravity,
is always disquieting. Deceit to the depth and breadth unveiled in the following pages, dark and
irrational as in the modern noir tale, dims any trace of certitude on the guilty spouse’s capability
to fulfill the marital obligations even more. (J. Tinga; G.R. No. 155800; March 10, 2006)

[2] Palaganas v. People

For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he
truly feels; And not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows - And did it
my way!

The song evokes the bitterest passions. This is not the first time the song "My Way" has
triggered violent behavior resulting in people coming to blows. In the case at bar, the few lines
of the song depicted what came to pass when the victims and the aggressors tried to outdo
each other in their rendition of the song. (J. Chico-Nazario; G.R. No. 165483; September 12,
2006)

[3] Oposa v. Factoran

While the right to a balanced and healthful ecology is to be found under the Declaration of
Principles and State Policies and not under the Bill of Rights, it does not follow that it is less
important than any of the civil and political rights enumerated in the latter. Such a right belongs
to a different category of rights altogether for it concerns nothing less than self-preservation and
self-perpetuation — aptly and fittingly stressed by the petitioners — the advancement of which
may even be said to predate all governments and constitutions. As a matter of fact, these basic
rights need not even be written in the Constitution for they are assumed to exist from the
inception of humankind. If they are now explicitly mentioned in the fundamental charter, it is
because of the well-founded fear of its framers that unless the rights to a balanced and healthful
ecology and to health are mandated as state policies by the Constitution itself, thereby
highlighting their continuing importance and imposing upon the state a solemn obligation to
preserve the first and protect and advance the second, the day would not be too far when all
else would be lost not only for the present generation, but also for those to come — generations
which stand to inherit nothing but parched earth incapable of sustaining life. (J. Davide, Jr; G.R.
No. 101083; July 30, 1993)

[4] People v. Salinas

In rape cases, there are no half measures or even quarter measures nor is their gravity
graduated by the inches of entry. Partial penile penetration is as serious as full penetration; the
rape is deemed consummated in either case. In a manner of speaking, bombardment of the
drawbridge is invasion enough even if the troops do not succeed in entering the castle. (J. Cruz;
G.R. No. 107204; May 6, 1994)

[5] Chua-Qua v. Clave

With the finding that there is no substantial evidence of the imputed immoral acts, it follows that
the alleged violation of the Code of Ethics governing school teachers would have no basis.
Private respondent utterly failed to show that petitioner took advantage of her position to court
her student. If the two eventually fell in love, despite the disparity in their ages and academic
levels, this only lends substance to the truism that the heart has reasons of its own which
reason does not know. But, definitely, yielding to this gentle and universal emotion is not to be
so casually equated with immorality. The deviation of the circumstances of their marriage from
the usual societal pattern cannot be considered as a defiance of contemporary social mores. (J.
Regalado; G.R. No. 49549; August 30, 1990)

[6] Calalang v. Williams

Social justice is neither communism, nor despotism, nor atomism, nor anarchy, but the
humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that
justice in its rational and objectively secular conception may at least be approximated. (J.
Laurel; G.R. No. 47800; December 2, 1940)

[7] DECS v. San Diego

There can be no question that a substantial distinction exists between medical students and
other students who are not subjected to the NMAT and the three-flunk rule. The medical
profession directly affects the very lives of the people, unlike other careers which, for this
reason, do not require more vigilant regulation. The accountant, for example, while belonging to
an equally respectable profession, does not hold the same delicate responsibility as that of the
physician and so need not be similarly treated.

There would be unequal protection if some applicants who have passed the tests are admitted
and others who have also qualified are denied entrance. In other words, what the equal
protection requires is equality among equals.

The Court feels that it is not enough to simply invoke the right to quality education as a
guarantee of the Constitution: one must show that he is entitled to it because of his preparation
and promise. The private respondent has failed the NMAT five times. While his persistence is
noteworthy, to say the least, it is certainly misplaced, like a hopeless love. (J. Cruz; G.R. No.
89572; December 21, 1989)

[8] Santiago v. COA

Retirement laws should be interpreted liberally in favor of the retiree because their intention is to
provide for his sustenance, and hopefully even comfort, when he no longer has the stamina to
continue earning his livelihood. After devoting the best years of his life to the public service, he
deserves the appreciation of a grateful government as best concretely expressed in a generous
retirement gratuity commensurate with the value and length of his services. That generosity is
the least he should expect now that his work is done and his youth is gone. Even as he feels the
weariness in his bones and glimpses the approach of the lengthening shadows, he should be
able to luxuriate in the thought that he did his task well, and was rewarded for it. (J. Cruz; G.R.
No. 92284; July 12, 1991)

[9] Chi Ming Tsoi v. CA

It appears that there is absence of empathy between petitioner and private respondent. That is
— a shared feeling which between husband and wife must be experienced not only by having
spontaneous sexual intimacy but a deep sense of spiritual communion. Marital union is a two-
way process. An expressive interest in each other's feelings at a time it is needed by the other
can go a long way in deepening the marital relationship. Marriage is definitely not for children
but for two consenting adults who view the relationship with love amor gignit amorem, respect,
sacrifice and a continuing commitment to compromise, conscious of its value as a sublime
social institution. (J. Torres, Jr; G.R. No. 119190; January 16, 1997)

[10] People v. Takbobo

The nuptial vows which solemnly intone the matrimonial promise of love "(f)or better or for
worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part," are sometimes
easier said than done, for many a marital union figuratively ends on the reefs of matrimonial
shoals. In the case now before us for appellate review, the marriage literally ended under
circumstances which the criminal law, disdainful of romanticism, bluntly calls the felony of
parricide. (J. Regalado; G.R. No. 102984; June 30, 1993)

[11] Concerned Employee v. Mayor

Had respondent desisted from continuing her affair with Leao after learning he was married, this
would have exhibited not only prudence on her part, but also a willingness to respect a legal
institution safeguarded by our laws and the Constitution. Yet her persistence in maintaining
sexual relations with Leao after that revelation instead manifests a willful subversion of the legal
order, a disposition we are unwilling to condone, even if avowed in the name of love. The Court,
like all well-meaning persons, has no desire to dash romantic fancies, yet in the exercise of its
duty, is all too willing when necessary to raise the wall that tears Pyramus and Thisbe asunder.
(J. Tinga; A.M. No. P-02-1564; November 23, 2004)

[12] Lejano v. People

In our criminal justice system, what is important is, not whether the court entertains doubts
about the innocence of the accused since an open mind is willing to explore all possibilities, but
whether it entertains a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt. For, it would be a serious
mistake to send an innocent man to jail where such kind of doubt hangs on to ones inner being,
like a piece of meat lodged immovable between teeth.

Will the Court send the accused to spend the rest of their lives in prison on the testimony of an
NBI asset who proposed to her handlers that she take the role of the witness to the Vizconde
massacre that she could not produce? (J. Abad; G.R. No. 176389; December 14, 2010)

[13] In Re: Cunanan

The judicial department of government is responsible for the plane upon which the
administration of justice is maintained. Its responsibility in this respect is exclusive. By
committing a portion of the powers of sovereignty to the judicial department of our state
government, under 42a scheme which it was supposed rendered it immune from
embarrassment or interference by any other department of government, the courts cannot
escape responsibility fir the manner in which the powers of sovereignty thus committed to the
judicial department are exercised.

The relation at the bar to the courts is a peculiar and intimate relationship. The bar is an attache
of the courts. The quality of justice dispense by the courts depends in no small degree upon the
integrity of its bar. An unfaithful bar may easily bring scandal and reproach to the administration
of justice and bring the courts themselves into disrepute. (J. Diokno; In Re: Cunanan; March 18,
1954)

[14] Tañada v. Tuvera

The days of the secret laws and the unpublished decrees are over. This is once again an open
society, with all the acts of the government subject to public scrutiny and available always to
public cognizance. This has to be so if our country is to remain democratic, with sovereignty
residing in the people and all government authority emanating from them. (J. Cruz; G.R. No. L-
63915; December 29, 1986)

[15] LCP v. COMELEC

The Supreme Court is not final because it is infallible; it is infallible because it is final. And
because its decisions are final, even if faulty, there must be every energy expended to ensure
that the faulty decisions are few and far between. The integrity of the judiciary rests not only
upon the fact that it is able to administer justice, but also upon the perception and confidence of
the community that the people who run the system have done justice. (J. Bersamin quoting J.
Robert Jackson; G.R. No. 176951; June 28, 2011)

[16] Joaquin v. Javellana

Hence, a judge's official conduct and his behavior in the performance of judicial duties should
be free from the appearance of impropriety and must be beyond reproach. One who occupies
an exalted position in the administration of justice must pay a high price for the honor bestowed
upon him, for his private as well as his official conduct must at all times be free from the
appearance of impropriety.Because appearance is as important as reality in the performance of
judicial functions, like Caesar's wife, a judge must not only be pure but also beyond suspicion. A
judge has the duty to not only render a just and impartial decision, but also render it in such a
manner as to be free from any suspicion as to its fairness and impartiality, and also as to the
judge's integrity.

It is obvious, therefore, that while judges should possess proficiency in law in order that they
can competently construe and enforce the law, it is more important that they should act and
behave in such a manner that the parties before them should have confidence in their
impartiality. (J. Vitug; A.M. No. RTJ-00-1601; November 13, 2001)
[17] Cebu Royal Plant v. Deputy Minister of Labor

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our concern for the lowly worker who, often at the mercy of
his employers, must look up to the law for his protection. Fittingly, that law regards him with
tenderness and even favor and always with faith and hope in his capacity to help in shaping the
nation's future. It is error to take him for granted. He deserves our abiding respect. How society
treats him will determine whether the knife in his hands shall be a caring tool for beauty and
progress or an angry weapon of defiance and revenge. The choice is obvious, of course. If we
cherish him as we should, we must resolve to lighten "the weight of centuries" of exploitation
and disdain that bends his back but does not bow his head. (J. Cruz; G.R. No. L-58639; August
12, 1987)

[18] The Shell Company v. National Labor Union

It is argued that the laborer can rest during the day after having worked the whole night. But can
the repose by day produce to the human body the same complete recuperative effects which
only the natural rest at night can give him? It is also said that due to our warm climate, some
prefer to work at night, thus avoiding the heat of the day. But this is true only in words but not in
actual practice. We believe that since time immemorial the universal rule is that a man works at
night due to some driving necessity rather than for reasons of convenience. (J. Briones; GR No.
L-1309; July 26, 1948)

[19] People v. Olesco

In rape, the ‘sweetheart’ defense must be proven by compelling evidence: first, that the accused
and the victim were lovers; and, second, that she consented to the alleged sexual relations. The
second is as important as the first, because this Court has held often enough that love is not a
license for lust. (J. Del Castillo; G.R. No. 174861; April 11, 2011)