Statutory Construction / Page 1 of 5

ATTY. ALEX ANDREW P. ICAO STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION

COURSE OUTLINE

I Topic 1: Introduction to StatCon Theory

A Intro:
B Statutory construction is a judicial prerogative
C Stare decisis; court interpretation forms part of law of land; court ability to
overrule previous construction; non-retroactivity of effect
D Statutory construction aims to ascertain ‘legislative intent’; legislative
intent, purpose, meaning
E 2 requirements of exercise of statutory construction: ambiguity & an actual
case & controversy
F Schools of thought in statutory interpretation: Intrinsic vs extrinsic aids;
statute itself vs legislative history
G Presumptions on legislative intent
II Topic 1 (Continued): Statutes & The Legislative Process
A Terminologies:
B Different kinds of ‘legislation’ in the Philippines
C Parts Of Statutes
1 Title
2 Enacting Clause
3 Preamble
4 Purview or body
(a) Separability Clause
(b) Repealing Clause:
(c) Transitory provision:
(d) Effectivity clause:
D Assailing constitutional validity of laws
E Legislative Process of statutory enactment
1 Congress Statistics
2 Philippine Legislative Process
(a) Constitutional Provisions on Legislative Process (passage of law)
(b) Actual Legislative Process (Congressional Rules)
(i) Summary of gatekeepers
(ii) The bill is prepared
(iii) First Reading:
(iv) Committee consideration & action:
(v) Second Reading
(vi) Third Reading
(vii) Senate concurrence
(viii) Presidential inaction, approval or vetoe
(c) Textualist conclusions on the legislative process:
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III Topic 1 (Continued): In Depth Study of Schools of Thought

A Schools of Thought
1 Caveat: Reconciling American terms into the Philippine Context
2 The Textualist Theory
3 Purposivist Theory
(a) Classical Purposivism
(b) Legal Process Purposivism
5 Classical Intentionalism
B Additional Arguments Against Textualism:
IV Topic 2: Intrinsic aids to statutory construction
A Literal Interpretation
B Statutes must be capable of construction or interpretation, otherwise it is
inoperative
C So, what are the approaches of statutory construction with reference to
intrinsic aids
D The statutory text must be examined, but not without losing sight of the
entire statutory context
1 resort to dictionaries, literal meaning
2 Context or whole text; Construed as a whole
3 Generally
(a) Punctuation marks
(b) Disjunctive and conjunctive words
(c) Capitalization of letters
(d) Scrivener’s error
(e) Surplusage and superfluity disregarded
(f) Redundant words may be rejected
(g) Obscure or missing words or false description may not preclude
construction
(h) Number and gender
4 Interpretation of words and phrases
(a) Statutory definition overrides any other meaning
(b) Words construed in their ordinary sense
(c) General words construed generally
(d) Generic term includes things that arise thereafter
(e) Words with commercial or trade meaning; technical or legal
meaning
(f) How identical terms in the same statute are construed
(g) Meaning of word may be qualified by purpose of statute
(h) Meaning of term dictated by context
5 Interpretation of words and phrases — Associated Words
(a) Noscitur a sociis
(b) Ejusdem generis (same kind or species)
(c) Expressio unius est exclusio alterius
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(d) Negative-Opposite doctrine

(e) Doctrine of causus omisus
(f) Doctrine of Last Antecedent
(g) Reddendo singula singulis
6 Proviso, exceptions, saving clauses
(a) Proviso
(b) Exceptions
(c) Saving Clause
VIII Topic 3: Statute in relation to other laws
A Construed in relation to Constitution and other statutes
1 Construction in relation to constitution
2 Construction in relation to other statutes
(a) Introduction
(b) Statutes in pari materia
(c) Specific vs general statutes
(d) Amended statutes
(e) Repeal
(f) Codification
(g) Re-enacted statutes
(h) Reference statutes
(i) Supplemental statutes
IX Topic 4: Presumptions on legislative intent
B Generally Applicable Constructions: constitutionality, non-absurdity (non-
cruelty), prevailing of truth and justice, implications
1 Constitutionality
2 Non-absurdity (non-cruelty), prevailing of truth and justice etc
3 Implications
C Strict or Liberal Construction
D Mandatory and Directory Statutes
E Prospective and Retroactive Statutes
F Contemporary Construction; Judicial Deference to Administrative
Interpretation of the Law
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REQUIRED READING:

Articles:
John F. Manning, Textualism and Legislative Intent (2005).
& others

Topic 1: Statutory Construction theory & nature of statutes

Road map or theory of statutory construction
Required reading; Ch 2 Agpalo
Statutes: nature & creation
Required reading: Ch 1 Agpalo

Topic 2: Intrinsic aids to statutory construction

Agpalo Chapter III.A (In General) portions — ‘title, preamble, context or
whole text, punctuation marks, capitalization of letters, head notes or epigraphs,
lingual text, dictionaries’
Agpalo ChIVA (Literal Interpretation)
Agpalo ChIVB (Departure from Literal Interpretation) portions — ‘what is
within the spirit is within the law, supplying legislative omission, correcting
clerical errors, surplusage and superfluity disregarded, redundant words may be
rejected, obscure or missing word description may not preclude construction,
number and gender of words’
Agpalo Chapter V (Interpretation of Words and Phrases)
Agpalo Chapter VIA. (Statute Construed as a Whole)

Topic 3: Statute in relation to other laws

Agpalo ChIII.B (Legislative History) portions — ‘prior laws from which
statutes are based, change in phraseology by amendments, amendment by deletion,
exceptions’
Agpalo ChVIB (Statute construed in relation to constitution and other
statutes)

Topic 4: Presumptions on legislative intent

Agpalo ChIII.C (Contemporary Construction) portions — ‘consequences of
various constructions, presumptions’
Agpalo ChIVB (Departure from Literal Interpretation) portions —
‘construction to avoid absurdity, construction to avoid injustice, construction to
avoid danger to public interest, construction in favour of right and justice,
exemption from rigid application of law, law does not require the impossible
Agpalo ChIVC (Implications)
Agpalo ChVII (Strict or Liberal Construction)
Agpalo ChVIII (Mandatory and Directory Statutes)
Agpalo ChIX (Prospective and Retroactive Statutes)
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Agpalo ChX (Amendment, Revision, Codification, and Repeal)

Topic 5: Contemporaneous construction; legislative history & progressive

interpretation
Agpalo ChIII.C (Contemporaneous Construction)
Agpalo ChIII.B (‘Legislative History) portions — ‘congressional debates
views deliberations, explanatory note, president’s message, commission reports,
adopted statutes, principles of common law, conditions at time of enactment,
history of the times’.