Todayi

sSat
urday
,August24,
2019home

Cust
om Sear
ch

MaryGr
aceNat
ivi
dadS.Poe-
Llamanzar
esv
.COMELEC,
G.R.Nos.221697&221698-
700,
Mar
ch
8,
2016

♦ Deci
sion,
Per
ez[
J]

♦ Concur
ri
ngOpi
nion,
Ser
eno[
CJ]Vel
ascoJr
.[J]Leonen[
J]Jar
del
eza[
J]

♦ Separ
ateConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion,
Cagui
oa[
J]

♦ Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion,
Car
pio[
J]Br
ion[
J]Del
Cast
il
lo[
J]Per
las-
Ber
nabe[
J]

♦ Separ
ateDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion,
Leonar
do-
DeCast
ro[
J]

ENBANC

Mar
ch8,
2016

G.
R.No.221697

MARYGRACENATI
VIDADS.POE-
LLAMANZARES,
Pet
it
ioner
s,

v
s.

COMELECANDESTRELLAC.ELAMPARORespondent
s.

x-----------------------x
G.
R.No.221698-
700

MARYGRACENATI
VIDADS.POE-
LLAMANZARES,
Pet
it
ioner
s,

v
s.

COMELEC, FRANCI
SCOS.TATAD,
ANTONI
OP.CONTRERASANDAMADOD.VALDEZ
Respondents.

DECISION

PEREZ,
J.:

BeforetheCour taret woconsoli

datedpet i
ti
onsunderRul e64inrel
ati
ontoRule65oft heRul es
ofCourtwi thextremelyurgentappli
cationforanexpar teissuanceoftemporar
yrestraining
order/
statusquoant eorderand/orwritofpreli
minaryinjunct
ionassai
li
ngthefol
lowing: (1)1
December2015Resol uti
onoftheCommi ssiononEl ecti
ons(COMELEC)SecondDi v
ision; (
2)23
December2015Resol uti
onoftheCOMELECEnBanc, inSPANo.15- 001(DC);(
3)11December
2015Resol utionoftheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion;and(4)23December2015Resol utionoft he
COMELECEnBanc, inSPANo.15- 002( DC),SPANo.15- 007( DC)andSPANo.15- 139( DC)f or
havingbeeni ssuedwi thoutj
uri
sdict
ionorwi thgraveabuseofdi scr
eti
onamount i
ngt olackor
excessofj uri
sdicti
on.

TheFact
s

MaryGr aceNat i
vidadS.Poe- Ll
amanzar es(petit
ioner )wasfoundabandonedasanewbor n
i
nfantinthePar i
shChur chofJar o,Il
oil
obyacer tainEdgardoMi li
tar(Edgar do)on3Sept ember
1968.Parent alcareandcust odyov erpeti
ti
onerwaspassedonbyEdgar dot ohi
srelat
ives,
Emili
anoMi l
itar(Emi l
i
ano)andhi swife.Threeday saf t
er,
6Sept ember1968, Emil
ianoreported
andregisteredpet it
ionerasaf oundli
ngwi t
ht heOf ficeoftheCiv i
lRegistrarofIl
oil
oCity(OCR-
Il
oil
o).I
nherFoundl i
ngCer t
if
icateandCer t
ifi
cateofLi veBir
th,
thepet it
ionerwasgi venthe
name" Mar yGr aceNat iv
idadCont r
erasMi l
i
tar."1

Whenpetit
ionerwasfi
ve(5)year
sol
d,cel
ebr
it
yspousesRonaldAll
anKel
l
eyPoe(a.
k.a.
FenandoPoe,Jr.
)andJesusaSonor
aPoe(a.
k.a.SusanRoces)f
il
edapet
it
ionf
orheradopt
ion
witht heMuni ci
pal TrialCour t(MTC)ofSanJuanCi t
y.On13May1974, thet r
ialcourtgranted
theirpet i
ti
onandor deredt hatpet i
ti
oner '
snamebechangedf rom "MaryGr aceNat ivi
dad
Cont rerasMili
tar "to" Mar yGr aceNatividadSonor aPoe."Al thoughnecessar ynot ati
onswer e
madebyOCR- I
loiloonpet it
ioner '
sfoundlingcerti
fi
catereflectingthecour tdecreedadopt ion,
2
thepet i
ti
oner'
sadopt i
vemot herdiscoveredonl ysomet i
mei nthesecondhal fof2005t hatthe
l
awy erwhohandl edpet it
ioner '
sadoptionf ai
l
edt osecuref rom theOCR- Il
oiloanewCer tif
icat
e
ofLi veBirthi
ndi catingpet i
ti
oner '
snewnameandt henameofheradopt ivepar ents.3Wi t
hout
delay ,peti
ti
oner'smot herexecut edanaf fi
davitatt
estingtot helawy er
'somi ssionwhi chshe
submi tt
edtotheOCR- I
loi
lo.On4May2006, OCR- I
loi
loissuedanewCer ti
ficateofLi v
eBi r
thin
thenameofMar yGr aceNat ividadSonor aPoe. 4

Havi
ngreachedtheageofeight
een(18)yearsi
n1986,pet
iti
onerregist
eredasav oterwi
tht
he
l
ocalCOMELECOf fi
ceinSanJuanCi t
y.On13December1986, shereceivedherCOMELEC
Vot
er'
sIdenti
fi
cati
onCardforPreci
nctNo.196inGr
eenhil
l
s,SanJuan, Met r
oMani l
a.5

On4Apr i
l1988,
peti
ti
onerappl
i
edf orandwasi ssuedPhil
i
ppi
nePassportNo.F9272876bythe
Depart
mentofForei
gnAffai
rs(
DFA) .Subsequentl
y,on5Apri
l1993and19May1998, she
renewedherPhi
li
ppi
nepassportandrespecti
velysecur
edPhi
li
ppinePasspor
tNos.L881511
andDD156616.7

I
niti
all
y,thepetit
ionerenr
oll
edandpursuedadegreeinDevel
opmentStudiesattheUniversit
yof
thePhil
ippines8butsheoptedtoconti
nueherstudi
esabroadandlef
tfortheUnitedStatesof
Amer i
ca( U.S.
)in1988.Peti
ti
onergr
aduatedi
n1991f r
om BostonCol
legeinChest nut
sHi l
l
,
Massachuset tswheresheearnedherBachel
orofArt
sdegreeinPoli
ti
calStudi
es.9

On27Jul y1991,peti
ti
onermarri
edTeodoroMisaelDaniel
V.Ll
amanzares(Ll
amanzares)
,a
cit
izenofboththePhil
ippi
nesandtheU.S.
,atSanctuar
iodeSanJoseParishi
nSanJuanCi t
y.
10Desirousofbeingwithherhusbandwhowast henbasedintheU.
S.,
thecoupl
eflewbackto
theU.S.twodaysaftertheweddi
ngceremonyoron29Jul y1991.11

WhileintheU.
S.,
thepeti
ti
onergavebi
rt
htohereldestchi
ldBri
anDaniel
(Bri
an)on16Apr
il
1992.12Hertwodaughter
sHannaMacKenzie(Hanna)andJesusaAnika(Ani
ka)wer
eboth
borninthePhi
li
ppineson10July1998and5June2004, r
especti
vel
y.13

On18Oct
ober2001,
pet
it
ionerbecameanat
ural
i
zedAmer
icanci
ti
zen.14Sheobt
ainedU.
S.
Passpor
tNo.017037793on19December2001.15

On8Apr i
l2004,thepeti
tionercamebackt othePhil
ippi
nestoget
herwi
thHannat
osupporther
fat
her'
scandidacyforPresidentintheMay2004electi
ons.I
twasduri
ngthi
sti
methatshegave
bir
thtoheryoungestdaught erAnika.Sher
etur
nedtotheU.S.wit
hhert
wodaught
erson8July
2004.16

Aft
eraf ewmont hs,specif
ical
l
yon13December2004, peti
ti
onerrushedbackt othePhi l
i
ppi
nes
uponlearningofherf ather'
sdeteri
orat
ingmedicalcondit
ion.17Herfathersli
ppedi ntoacoma
andeventuallyexpir
ed.Thepet i
tionerstay
edinthecountryunti
l3Febr uar
y2005t ot akecar
eof
herfat
her'sfuneralarrangementsaswel last
oassi sti
nthesettl
ementofhi sestate.18

Accor di
ngtothepet i
ti
oner
,theunt imel ydemi seofherf at
herwasasev ereblowt oherenti
re
family.I
nherearnestdesir
et obewi t hhergr iev i
ngmot her,t
hepetit
ionerandherhusband
decidedtomov eandr esi
deper manent l
yi nthePhi li
ppinessometimei nthefirstquart
erof
2005.19Thecoupl ebeganpr eparingf ort hei
rr esettl
ementi ncl
udingnot i
fi
cati
onoft hei
r
chil
dren'sschoolst
hattheywi l
lbet ransf erri
ngt oPhi li
ppineschoolsforthenextsemest er;
20
coordinati
onwithpropert
ymov ersfort her elocationoft hei
rhouseholdgoods, f
urni
tureand
carsf r
om theU.S.t
ot hePhil
ippines;21andi nqui r
ywi t
hPhili
ppineauthorit
iesast otheproper
proceduretobef ol
lowedinbr i
ngingt heirpetdogi ntothecountry.
22Asear l
yas2004, the
peti
tioneralr
eadyquitherj
obi ntheU. S.23

Fi
nall
y,peti
ti
onercamehomet othePhi
li
ppi
neson24May200524andwi thoutdelay
,secur
eda
TaxIdenti
fi
cati
onNumberfrom t
heBureauofInt
ernalRev
enue.Herthr
ee(3)chil
dren
i
mmedi atel
yfol
lowed25whil
eherhusbandwasforcedtostayi
ntheU.S.t
ocompl etependi
ng
proj
ectsaswellastoarr
angethesal
eofthei
rfamilyhomether
e.26

Thepet i
ti
onerandherchi l
drenbriefl
ystayedathermother'
splaceuntilsheandherhusband
purchasedacondomi nium unitwithaparkingsl
otatOneWi l
sonPl aceCondomi ni
um i
nSan
JuanCi t
yinthesecondhal fof2005.27Thecor r
espondingCondomi ni
um Certi
fi
catesofTi
tl
e
coveri
ngt heunitandparkingslotwereissuedbytheRegist
erofDeedsofSanJuanCi tyt
o
peti
ti
onerandherhusbandon20Febr uar
y2006.28Meanwhile,herchil
drenofschoolage
beganat t
endingPhil
ippinepri
vateschools.

On14Febr
uar
y2006,
thepet
it
ionermadeaqui
ckt
ri
ptot
heU.
S.t
osuper
viset
hedi
sposal
of
someoft
hefamily
'sr
emai
ninghousehol
dbel
ongi
ngs.
29Shet
rav
ell
edbackt
othePhi
l
ippi
nes
on11March2006.
30

Inlat
eMar ch2006,peti
ti
oner'
shusbandof f
ici
all
yinf
ormedtheU. S.PostalServ
iceofthe
famil
y '
schangeandabandonmentoft hei
raddressintheU.S.31Thefami lyhomewas
eventuall
ysoldon27Apr i
l2006.
32Petiti
oner'
shusbandresignedfrom hisjobi
nt heU.S.i
nApri
l
2006,arri
vedinthecountr
yon4May2006andst art
edworkingforamaj orPhil
ippinecompany
i
nJul y2006.33

Inearly2006,peti
ti
onerandherhusbandacquir
eda509-squaremeterl
oti
nCorint
hianHill
s,
QuezonCi tywheretheybuil
tthei
rfamil
yhome34andt ot
hisday,i
swherethecoupleandtheir
chi
ldrenhav ebeenresi
ding.
35ATr ansf
erCert
if
icat
eofTit
lecover
ingsai
dpropert
ywasi ssued
i
nt hecouple'snamebyt heRegist
erofDeedsofQuezonCityon1June2006.

On7Jul y2006, petiti

onert ookherOat hofAl l
egiancet otheRepublicofthePhi l
i
ppi nes
pursuanttoRepubl icAct( R.A.)No.9225ort heCi ti
zenshipRetenti
onandRe- acqui sit
ionActof
2003.36Undert hesameAct , shefi
ledwiththeBur eauofI mmigrati
on(BI)aswor npet i
ti
ont o
reacqui
rePhi l
ippinecitizenshiptogetherwit
hpet iti
onsf order
ivat
ivecit
izenshiponbehal fofher
threeminorchi l
drenon10Jul y2006.37Ascanbegat heredfr
om its18Jul y2006Or der,theBI
actedfavorablyonpet i
tioner
'spetit
ionsanddecl aredthatsheisdeemedt ohav ereacqui redher
Phili
ppi
neci t
izenshipwhi l
eherchildrenareconsi deredasciti
zensofthePhi l
ippines.38
Consequent l
y,theBIi ssuedI denti
fi
cationCerti
fi
cat es(I
Cs)inpetit
ioner'
snameandi nthe
namesofhert hree(3)chi ldr
en.39

Again,pet
it
ionerr
egi
steredasav ot
erofBar
angaySantaLuci
a,SanJuanCit
yon31August
2006.40Shealsosecuredfr
om theDFAanewPhi l
i
ppinePassportbear
ingt
heNo.
XX4731999.41Thispassportwasrenewedon18March2014andshewasi ssuedPhi
l
ippi
ne
PassportNo.EC0588861byt heDFA.42

On6Oct ober2010, Presi

dentBenignoS.Aqui noI IIappointedpeti
ti
onerasChairper
sonofthe
Mov i
eandTelevisionRev i
ewandCl assificati
onBoar d( MTRCB).43Beforeassumingherpost,
peti
ti
onerexecutedan" Affidav
itofRenunci ati
onofAl legi
ancetotheUnitedStatesofAmerica
andRenunciati
onofAmer icanCiti
zenship"bef oreanot ar
ypublici
nPasigCi t
yon20Oct ober
2010,44insat
isfactionofthelegalrequisit
esst atedinSect ion5ofR.A.No.9225.45The
fol
lowingday,21Oct ober2010pet i
tionersubmi ttedt hesaidaffi
davi
ttotheBI46andt ookher
oathofoffi
ceasChai r
personoftheMTRCB. 47Fr om t henon,peti
ti
onerstoppedusingher
Amer i
canpassport.48
On12Jul y2011,thepeti
ti
onerexecut edbefor et
heVi ceConsuloftheU.S.Embassyi nManila
an" Oath/Affi
rmati
onofRenunci ati
onofNat ional
ityoftheUnitedStat
es."49Onthatday ,
she
accompl ishedaswornquest i
onnairebef or
et heU.S.ViceConsulwhereinshestat
edt hatshe
hadt akenheroathasMTRCBChai rpersonon21Oct ober2010withtheintent
,amongot hers,of
rel
inquishingherAmericancit
izenship.50Inthesamequest i
onnair
e,thepeti
ti
onerstatedthat
shehadr esi
dedoutsi
deoft heU. S.
,specifi
callyi
nthePhi l
i
ppines,f
rom 3September1968t o29
July1991andf r
om May2005t opresent.51

On9December2011,t
heU.S.ViceConsuli
ssuedtopeti
ti
onera"
Cer
ti
fi
cat
eofLossof
Nat
ional
i
tyoft
heUnit
edStates"ef
fect
ive21October2010.
52

On2Oct ober2012,
thepetit
ionerfi
l
edwiththeCOMELECherCerti
fi
cateofCandidacy(COC)for
Senatorf
orthe2013Electi
onswher ei
nsheanswer
ed"6yearsand6mont hs"t
ot hequesti
on
"Per
iodofresi
denceinthePhili
ppi
nesbefor
eMay13,2013."
53Petit
ionerobt
ainedthehighest
numberofv ot
esandwaspr oclai
medSenatoron16May2013.54

On19December2013,
pet
it
ionerobt
ainedPhi
l
ippi
neDi
plomat
icPasspor
tNo.DE0004530.55

On15Oct ober2015, pet

it
ionerfil
edherCOCf orthePresidencyfortheMay2016Elections.56
InherCOC, t
hepet i
ti
onerdeclaredthatsheisanatural
-borncit
izenandthatherr
esidenceinthe
Phil
ippi
nesupt othedaybef ore9May2016woul dbeten( 10)yearsandelev
en(11)mont hs
countedfr
om 24May2005. 57Thepet i
ti
onerat
tachedtoherCOCan" Aff
idavi
tAf
fir
mi ng
Renunciat
ionofU.S.A.Cit
izenship"subscri
bedandswor ntobeforeanotarypubl
ici
nQuez on
Cit
yon14Oct ober2015.58

Pet
iti
oner
'sf
il
ingofherCOCf
orPresi
denti
ntheupcomingelect
ionst
ri
ggeredthefil
i
ngof
sev
eralCOMELECcasesagai
nstherwhi
chwerethesubjectoft
heseconsoli
datedcases.

Or
igi
nofPet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.No.221697

Adayafterpet
it
ionerf
il
edherCOCforPresi
dent
,Est
rel
laEl
ampar
o(Elamparo)fi
l
edapeti
ti
onto
denyduecourseorcancel
saidCOCwhichwasdocketedasSPANo.15-001(DC)andr
aff
ledt
o
theCOMELECSecondDi vi
sion.59Sheisconv i
ncedt hattheCOMELEChasj urisdi
cti
onoverher
peti
ti
on.60Essenti
all
y,El
ampar o'
scontenti
onist hatpetit
ionercommi t
tedmat eri
al
misrepr
esentati
onwhenshest at
edinherCOCt hatsheisanat ural
-bor
nFili
pinociti
zenandthat
sheisar esi
dentofthePhil
i
ppinesforatleastten(10)y earsandeleven(11)mont hsuptothe
daybeforethe9May2016El ecti
ons.
61

Ont hei ssueofci t

izenship,Elampar oarguedthatpet i
ti
onercannotbeconsi deredasanat ural-
bornFi lipi
noonaccountoft hef actthatshewasaf oundling.
62El ampar oclaimedthat
i
nter nationallawdoesnotconf ernatural-bor
nstatusandFi li
pinociti
zenshiponf oundl
ings.63
Followi ngthisli
neofr easoning, petit
ionerisnotqualifi
edt oapplyforreacquisit
ionofFil
ipi
no
cit
izenshi punderR. A.No.9225f orshei snotanatural-
bor nFil
ipi
nocitizentobeginwith.64
Evenassumi ngarguendot hatpet i
ti
onerwasanat ural
-bornFili
pino,shei sdeemedt ohavel ost
thatst atuswhenshebecameanat ural
izedAmer i
canci t
izen.65Accor dingtoElamparo,natural-
bornci tizenshipmustbecont inuousf r
om birt
h.66

Ont hemat terofpet i

tioner'
sr esi
dency,Elampar opointedoutthatpetiti
onerwasboundbyt he
swor ndeclarationshemadei nher2012COCf orSenatorwher ei
nshei ndi
catedthatshehad
resi
dedi nthecount r
yf oronlysix(6)y earsandsi x(6)mont hsasofMay2013El ect
ions.
Elampar oli
kewi seinsistedthatassumi ngar guendothatpetiti
onerisqualif
iedtoregainher
natural-
bornst atusunderR. A.No.9225, shestil
lfel
lshortoftheten-yearresi
dencyrequirement
oftheConst itutionasherr esidencecoul donlybecount edattheear l
i
estf r
om July2006,when
sher eacquir
edPhi l
i
ppi neciti
zenshi
pundert hesaidAct .Al
soont heassumpt i
onthatpeti
tioner
i
squal if
iedtor eacquirelostPhi l
i
ppineCi ti
zenship,El
ampar oisofthebel i
efthatshefail
edt o
reestabli
shherdomi cileinthePhili
ppines.67

Pet
it
ionerseasonabl
yfi
l
edherAnswerwher
einshecount
eredt
hat
:

(
1)t heCOMELECdi dnothavej
urisdi
cti
onoverElamparo'
speti
ti
onasi twasact uall
yapet i
ti
on
forquowarrantowhichcoul
donlybefil
edi
fGr acePoewinsinthePresident
ialelecti
ons,and
t
hatt heDepart
mentofJusti
ce(DOJ)haspri
mar yjur
isdi
cti
ontorev
oket heBI'sJuly18, 2006
Order;

(2)thepetiti
onfai
ledtostat
eacauseofact
ionbecausei
tdi
dnotcontai
nall
egationswhich,
if
hypotheti
callyadmit
ted,
wouldmakefal
sethestat
ementinherCOCthatsheisanat ur
al-
bor
n
Fil
ipi
noci t
izennorwasthereanyal
l
egati
onthatt
herewasawill
ful
ordeli
ber
ateintentto
misrepresentonherpart;
(
3)shedi
dnotmakeanymat er
ial
misr
epr
esent
ati
oni
ntheCOCr
egar
dingherci
ti
zenshi
pand
r
esi
dencyqual
i
ficat
ionsf
or:

a.t
he1934Const
it
uti
onal
Conv
ent
iondel
i
ber
ati
onsshowt
hatf
oundl
i
ngswer
econsi
der
ed
ci
ti
zens;

b.f
oundl
ingsar
epr esumedunderi
nter
nat
ional
lawt
ohav
ebeenbor
nofci
ti
zensoft
hepl
ace
wheret
heyarefound;

c.sher
eacqui
redhernat
ural
-bor
nPhi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
pundert
hepr
ovi
sionsofR.
A.No.9225;

d.sheexecutedaswornr enunci
ati
onofherAmeri
canci
ti
zenshi
ppri
ortothef
il
ingofherCOC
forPr
esidentintheMay9, 2016Elect
ionsandt
hatt
hesameisinful
lfor
ceandeffectandhas
notbeenwithdrawnorrecanted;

e.t
hebur
denwasonEl
ampar
oinpr
ovi
ngt
hatshedi
dnotpossessnat
ural
-bor
nst
atus;

f.r
esidencei
samatt
erofev
idenceandt
hatsher
eest
abl
i
shedherdomi
cil
eint
hePhi
l
ippi
nesas
earl
yasMay24,2005;

g.shecouldreest
abl
i
shr
esi
denceev
enbef
oresher
eacqui
rednat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenshi
punder
R.A.No.9225;

h.st
atementregardi
ngt
heperi
odofr
esi
dencei
nher2012COCf orSenat
orwasanhonest
mist
ake,notbindi
ngandshoul
dgi
vewaytoevi
denceonhert
ruedateofreacqui
sit
ionof
domici
le;

i
.Elamparo'
speti
ti
onismerel
yanactiontousur
pthesover
eignri
ghtoft
heFil
ipi
nopeopl
eto
decideapur
elypol
it
ical
quest
ion,
thatis,
shoul
dsheserv
east hecount
ry'
snextl
eader
.68
Afterthepart
iessubmi
tt
edt
hei
rrespect
iveMemor
anda,
thepet
it
ionwasdeemedsubmi
tt
edf
or
resoluti
on.

On1December2015, t
heCOMELECSecondDi visionpr omul gatedaResoluti
onfindi
ngthat
pet
it
ioner'
sCOC, f
il
edfort
hepur
poseofr unni
ngf ort hePr esidentoftheRepubl
icofthe
Phi
li
ppinesinthe9May2016NationalandLocal Elections,containedmateri
alr
epresent
ati
ons
whi
char efal
se.Thefal
looft
heaf
or esai
dResolutionr eads:

WHEREFORE, i
nv i
ewofall t
heforegoi
ngconsiderati
ons,thei
nst
antPet
it
iontoDenyDue
CoursetoorCancel Cer
ti
ficateofCandidacyi
sher ebyGRANTED.Accor
dingly
,theCerti
fi
cat
eof
CandidacyforPresi
dentoftheRepublicofthePhili
ppinesint
heMay9,2016Nat i
onalandLocal
El
ectionsfi
l
edbyr espondentMar yGraceNativ
idadSonor aPoeLl
amanzaresishereby
CANCELLED. 69

Mot
ionforReconsi
derat
ionofthe1December2015Resoluti
onwasfil
edbypet
it
ionerwhicht
he
COMELECEnBancr esol
v edi
nits23December2015Resolut
ionbydenyi
ngt
hesame. 70

Or
igi
nofPet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.Nos.221698-
700

Thi
scasest
emmedf rom t
hree(3)separ
atepet
it
ionsfil
edbyFranciscoS.Tatad(Tatad)
,
Ant
oni
oP.Contrer
as(Contr
eras)andAmadoD.Val dez(Val
dez)againstpet
it
ionerbefor
ethe
COMELECwhichwereconsoli
datedandraf
fl
edtoitsFir
stDivi
sion.

Inhi
spet i
ti
ontodi
squal
if
ypet
it
ionerunderRule25oftheCOMELECRul esofProcedur
e,71
docket
edasSPANo.15- 002(
DC),Tatadall
egedthatpet
it
ionerl
ackst
her equi
sit
eresi
dency
andcit
izenshi
ptoqual
if
yherf
orthePresidency.
72

Tatadtheori
zedt hatsi
ncethePhilippi
nesadherestothepri
ncipleofjussangui ni
s,personsof
unknownpar entage,par
ti
cular
lyfoundli
ngs,cannotbeconsiderednatural-
bornFil
ipinocit
izens
sincebloodrel
at i
onshi
pisdeterminati
veofnatural-
bornst
atus.73Tatadi nvokedtheruleof
statut
oryconstructi
onthatwhatisnotincl
udedi sexcl
uded.Heav er
redt hatthefactthat
foundli
ngswer enotexpressl
yincludedinthecategori
esofciti
zensinthe1935Const i
tut
ionis
i
ndicat
iveoft
heframers'i
ntenttoexcludet
hem.
74Ther
efor
e,t
hebur
denl
i
esonpet
it
ionert
o
pr
ov et
hatsheisanatural
-borncit
izen.
75

Neit
hercanpetit
ionerseekrefugeunderinternati
onalconventi
onsort reati
estosupporther
cl
aimthatfoundli
ngshav eanational
ity
.76Accor dingtoTatad,i
nternati
onalconvent
ionsand
tr
eati
esarenotself-
executoryandthatlocallegi
slati
onsarenecessar yinordert
ogiveeffectt
o
tr
eatyobl
igati
onsassumedbyt hePhili
ppines.77Heal sost
ressedt hatther
eisnostandard
stat
epracti
cethatautomatical
lyconfersnatural
-bornstat
ust ofoundli
ngs.78

Simil
artoElamparo'
sargument,Tat
adclai
medthatpet
it
ionercannotav
ailoft
heopt
iont
o
reacqui
rePhil
ippi
necit
izenshi
punderR.
A.No.9225becauseitonl
yappli
estofor
mernat
ural
-
borncit
izensandpeti
ti
onerwasnotasshewasaf oundl
ing.
79

Referringtopet i
ti
oner'
sCOCf orSenator
,Tatadconcludedthatshedidnotcomplywi t
htheten
(10)y earresi
dencyrequirement .
80Tatadopinedthatpetit
ioneracqui
redherdomicil
einQuezon
Cityonl yfr
om thetimesher enouncedherAmer i
canciti
zenshipwhichwassometimei n2010or
2011.81Addi ti
onally
,Tatadquest i
onedpetiti
oner'
slackofintent
iontoabandonherU.S.
domi cileasevincedbythef actthatherhusbandstayedthereatandherfr
equenttr
ipstothe
U.S.82

Insuppor tofhispeti
ti
ontodenyduecour seorcancel theCOCofpetiti
oner
,docketedasSPA
No.15- 139( DC),
Valdezallegedthatherrepatr
iationunderR.
A.No.9225didnotbestowupon
hert hestatusofanatural
-bornciti
zen.83Headv ancedthevi
ewthatformernat
ural-
born
cit
izenswhoar erepat
ri
atedundert hesaidActr eacquir
esonlyt
hei
rPhili
ppi
neciti
zenshi
pand
wil
l notreverttothei
rori
ginalstat
usasnat ural
-bor nci
ti
zens.
84

Hef urt
herar guedt hatpetit
ioner'sownadmissi
oninherCOCf orSenat
orthatshehadonl ybeen
aresidentoft hePhi li
ppinesforatleastsi
x(6)yearsandsix(
6)monthspriortothe13May
2013El ecti
onsoper atesagainsther.Val
dezrej
ectedpeti
ti
oner'
scl
aimthatshecoul dhave
vali
dlyreestabli
shedherdomi cil
einthePhi
li
ppi
nespr i
ortoherr
eacqui
sit
ionofPhi l
i
ppine
cit
izenship.Ineffect,hispositionwasthatpet
it
ionerdidnotmeett
heten( 10)yearresi
dency
requir
ementf orPresident.

Unl
iket
heprev
iousCOMELECcasesfi
l
edagai
nstpeti
ti
oner,Cont
rer
as'pet
it
ion,
85docket
edas
SPANo.15-
007(DC),l
i
mit
edtheatt
acktot
heresi
dencyissue.Hecl
aimedthatpet
it
ioner
's2015
COCf orPresidentshoul dbecancel ledont hegroundt hatshedidnotpossesst heten-y
ear
peri
odofr esidencyrequiredf orsaidcandidacyandt hatshemadef alseentryi
nherCOCwhen
shest atedt hatsheisal egal r
esidentofthePhili
ppinesf orten(10)yearsandeleven(11)
mont hsby9May2016. 86Cont rerascontendedt hatthereckoningper i
odforcomputing
peti
tioner '
sresidencyint hePhili
ppinesshouldbef rom 18Jul y2006, t
hedatewhenherpet it
ion
toreacqui rePhili
ppinecitizenshi
pwasappr ovedbyt heBI .
87Heasser t
edthatpeti
ti
oner'
s
physical presenceinthecount r
ybef or
e18Jul y2006coul dnotbev al
idevidenceof
reacquisiti
onofherPhi lippinedomi cil
esinceshewast henl i
vi
ngher easanAmer icancit
izen
andassuch, shewasgov er
nedbyt hePhili
ppineimmi grationlaws.
88

I
nherdef
ense,
pet
it
ionerr
aisedt
hef
oll
owi
ngar
gument
s:

Fir
st,Tatad'
spetit
ionshouldbedi smissedout r
ightf
orfail
uret
ostateacauseofact i
on.His
peti
tiondidnotinvokegroundsproperf oradisquali
fi
cati
oncaseasenumer atedunderSecti
ons
12and68oft heOmni busElect
ionCode. 89Instead,Tat
adcompletel
yreli
edont heall
egedlack
ofresidencyandnatural-
bornstatusofpetit
ionerwhicharenotamongt herecogni
zedgrounds
forthedisqual
if
icati
onofacandi datetoanel ecti
veoffi
ce.
90

Second, t
hepeti
ti
onsfi
ledagainstherar
ebasical
l
ypeti
ti
onsforquowarr
antoastheyfocuson
establi
shi
ngherinel
igi
bil
i
tyforthePresi
dency.
91Apeti
ti
onforquowarr
antofal
lswit
hinthe
exclusi
vejur
isdi
cti
onofthePresident
ial
Elect
oral
Tri
bunal(
PET)andnottheCOMELEC. 92

Thir
d,theburdentopr
ovet
hatsheisnotanatur
al-
bor
nFil
ipi
noci
ti
zenisonther
espondent
s.93
Otherwisest
ated,
shehasapresumpti
oninherf
avort
hatsheisanat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenofthi
s
country
.

Fourth,cust
omaryinter
nati
onall
awdict
atesthatfoundlingsar
eent
itl
edtoanational
i
tyandare
presumedt obecit
izensofthecount
rywheretheyaref ound.
94Consequent
ly,
thepeti
ti
oneri
s
consideredasanatural
-bor
nciti
zenoft
hePhi l
i
ppines.95

Fif
th,sheclai
medt hatasanat ur
al-
bornci
tizen,shehasev eryr
ighttober epatri
atedunderR.A.
No.9225ort herightt
oreacquirehernat
ural-bornstatus.96Mor eover,t
heof f
ici
al act
softhe
Phil
ippineGovernmentenjoythepresumptionofr egular
ity,t
owit:theissuanceoft he18July
2006Or deroftheBIdeclari
ngherasnatural-
bornci t
izen,herappointmentasMTRCBChai rand
theissuanceofthedecreeofadoptionofSanJuanRTC. 97Shebel iev
edt hatallt
heseacts
r
einf
orcedherposi
ti
ont
hatshei
sanat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes.
98

Sixt
h,shemaintai
nedthatasear l
yasthef
irstquart
erof2005,shestar
tedreestabl
i
shingher
domicil
eofchoiceint
hePhi l
ippi
nesasdemonst rat
edbyherchil
dren'
sresett
lementand
schooli
nginthecount
ry,purchaseofacondomi ni
um uni
tinSanJuanCi t
yandt heconst
ruct
ion
ofthei
rfamil
yhomei nCorinthi
anHil
ls.
99

Seventh,sheinsistedthatshecouldlegal
lyreestabl
ishherdomicil
eofchoiceinthePhili
ppi
nes
evenbefor esher enouncedherAmer i
canci t
izenshi
paslongast hethreedet
erminantsfora
changeofdomi cil
earecompl i
edwith.100Sher easonedoutthattherewasnor equi
rementthat
renunci
ationoff orei
gnciti
zenshi
pisapr erequisi
tefort
heacquisit
ionofanewdomi ci
leof
choice.
101

Ei
ght
h,sherei
ter
atedt
hattheperi
odappear
ingi
nther
esi
dencypor
ti
onofherCOCf
orSenat
or
wasamistakemadeingoodfai
th.102

InaResol ution103promulgatedon11December2015, t
heCOMELECFi r
stDivi
sionruledthat
peti
tionerisnotanat ur
al-
bornciti
zen,thatshefail
edtocomplet et
heten(10)yearresidency
requirement, andt
hatshecommi t
tedmat eri
almisrepr
esentat
ioninherCOCwhenshedecl ared
thereinthatshehasbeenar esi
dentoft hePhil
i
ppinesforaperiodoften(10)yearsandelev en
(11)mont hsasoft hedayoft heelect
ionson9May2016.TheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion
concludedt hatsheisnotqualif
iedfortheelect
iveposit
ionofPresi
dentoftheRepubl i
coft he
Phil
ippines.Thedisposit
iveporti
onofsai dResolut
ionreads:

WHEREFORE,pr
emisesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED, asitherebyRESOLVES,t
o
GRANTthePeti
ti
onsandcanceltheCer
ti
fi
cateofCandidacyofMARYGRACENATI VIDAD
SONORAPOE-LLAMANZARESf ortheel
ecti
veposi
ti
onofPr esi
dentoftheRepubli
cofthe
Phi
li
ppi
nesi
nconnecti
onwiththe9May2016Sy nchronizedLocalandNat i
onalEl
ect
ions.

Peti
ti
onerfil
edamoti
onf orr
econsi
derat
ionseeki
ngar
ever
saloft
heCOMELECFi r
stDi
vi
sion'
s
Resolut
ion.On23December2015,theCOMELECEnBancissuedaResol
uti
ondenyi
ng
peti
ti
oner'
smotionf
orreconsi
derat
ion.

Al
armedbyt
headv
erser
uli
ngsoft
heCOMELEC,
pet
it
ioneri
nst
it
utedt
hepr
esentpet
it
ionsf
or
certi
orari
withurgentprayerfortheissuanceofanexpar tetempor ar
yrestraini
ngor der/stat
us
quoant eorderand/orwr i
tofpreli
minaryinj
uncti
on.On28December2015, temporar y
restr
aini
ngor der
swer eissuedbyt heCourtenjoi
ningtheCOMELECandi tsrepresent at
ivesfr
om
i
mpl ement i
ngtheassailedCOMELECResol uti
onsuntilf
urtherordersfr
om t heCour t.TheCour t
alsoorderedtheconsolidati
onoft hetwopetit
ionsfi
ledbypet i
ti
onerinitsResol ut
ionof12
January2016.Thereafter,or
alargument swereheldinthesecases.

TheCourtGRANTSt
hepet
it
ionofMar
yGr
aceNat
ivi
dadS.Poe-
Llamanzar
esandt
oANNULand
SETASIDEthe:

1.Resol
uti
ondat
ed1December2015render
edt hr
oughi
tsSecondDivi
sion,
inSPANo.15-001
(DC),
enti
tl
edEst
rel
l
aC.El
amparo,pet
it
ioner
,vs.MaryGr
aceNativ
idadSonoraPoe-
Llamanzar
es.

2.Resoluti
ondated11December2015, render
edthroughit
sFi r
stDivisi
on,int
heconsolidated
casesSPANo.15- 002( DC)ent
itl
edFranciscoS.Tatad,pet
it
ioner,vs.MaryGraceNati
vidad
SonoraPoe- Ll
amanzares,r
espondent;SPANo.15- 007(DC)entit
ledAntonioP.Cont
reras,
peti
ti
oner,vs.MaryGraceNativ
idadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzares,respondent;andSPANo.15- 139
(DC)entit
ledAmadoD.Val dez,pet
it
ioner,v.MaryGraceNati
v i
dadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzar es,
respondent.

3.Resol
uti
ondated23December2015oft
heCommi
ssi
onEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he1December
2015Resolut
ionoft
heSecondDiv
isi
on.

4.Resol
uti
ondated23December2015oft
heCommi
ssi
onEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he11December
2015Resolut
ionoft
heFi
rstDi
visi
on.

Theprocedur
eandtheconclusionsfrom whi
chthequest
ionedResolut
ionsemanatedar
e
tai
ntedwit
hgrav
eabuseofdi scret
ionamountingt
olackofjur
isdi
cti
on.Thepet
it
ioneri
sa
QUALIFI
EDCANDI DATEforPresidentint
he9May2016Nat i
onalEl
ecti
ons.

Theissuebef oretheCOMELECi swhet

herornottheCOCofpet it
ionershouldbedenieddue
courseorcancel l
ed"ontheexclusi
veground"t
hatshemadei nthecert i
fi
cat
eaf al
semateri
al
repr
esent at
ion.Theexcl
usiv
ityofthegroundshoul
dhedgei nt
hedi screti
onoftheCOMELEC
andr est
rainitf
rom goi
ngintotheissueofthequal
if
icat
ionsofthecandi dat
efortheposi
ti
on,i
f,
asinthi
scase,
suchissueisyetundeci
dedorundet
erminedbytheproperaut
hor
it
y.The
COMELECcannotit
self,i
nthesamecancell
ati
oncase,deci
dethequali
fi
cati
onorl
ackther
eofof
thecandi
dat
e.

Werely,
fir
stofal
l
,ont
heConst
it
uti
onofourRepubl
i
c,par
ti
cul
arl
yit
spr
ovi
sionsi
nAr
ti
cleI
X,C,
Sect
ion2:

Sect
ion2.TheCommi
ssi
ononEl
ect
ionsshal
lexer
ciset
hef
oll
owi
ngpower
sandf
unct
ions:

(1)Enfor
ceandadmi ni
steral
ll
awsandregul
ati
onsr
elat
ivet
otheconductofanel
ect
ion,
plebi
scit
e,i
nit
iat
ive,
ref
erendum,andr
ecal
l.

(2)Exerciseexcl
usiveori
ginaljuri
sdicti
onov erallcontest
srelatingtotheelecti
ons,retur
ns,and
qualif
icati
onsofallel
ecti
ver egional,pr
ovinci al
,andci t
yoffi
cials,andappel
latejur
isdicti
onover
allcontestsi
nvol
vingelect
ivemuni ci
palofficial
sdeci dedbytrialcourt
sofgener alj
urisdi
cti
on,
orinvolvi
ngelect
ivebarangayof fi
cialsdecidedbyt ri
alcourt
sofl i
mit
edjuri
sdicti
on.

Deci
sions,
final
orders,
orr
uli
ngsoft
heCommi ssi
ononelect
ioncont
estsi
nvol
vi
ngel
ect
ive
munici
palandbarangayof
fi
cesshal
lbef
inal
,execut
ory
,andnotappeal
abl
e.

(3)Deci
de,exceptthoseinvol
vingtheri
ghttovot
e,al
lquest
ionsaff
ect
ingel
ections,
incl
uding
deter
minati
onoft henumberandl ocati
onofpoll
i
ngplaces,
appoint
mentofelecti
onoffi
cial
s
andinspect
ors,andregist
rati
onofv ot
ers.

(4)Deputi
ze,
wi t
htheconcurr
enceoft hePresident
,lawenforcementagenci
esand
i
nstrumental
i
tiesoft
heGov ernment,i
ncludingtheArmedForcesoft hePhil
i
ppi
nes,fort
he
excl
usivepur
poseofensuringfree,
orderly
,honest,peacef
ul,
andcredibl
eelect
ions.

(5)Register,aftersuffi
cientpubl
icati
on,poli
ti
calpar
ties, or
ganizations,
orcoal it
ionswhich,
in
additi
ont oot herrequirements,mustpresentthei
rplatform orprogr am ofgov er
nment;and
accreditcit
izens' armsoft heCommi ssi
ononEl ecti
ons.Rel igi
ousdenomi nati
onsandsect s
shallnotber egistered.Thosewhi chseektoachievethei rgoal
st hroughv i
olenceorunlawful
means, orrefuset oupholdandadher etothi
sConst i
tution,orwhi charesuppor tedbyany
f
orei
gngov
ernmentshal
ll
ikewi
seber
efusedr
egi
str
ati
on.

Financialcont
ributi
onsfr
om f orei
gngovernment
sandt heiragenciestopol
iti
calpart
ies,
organizati
ons,coali
ti
ons,orcandidatesr
elat
edtoelecti
onsconst i
tutei
nter
ferenceinnati
onal
affair
s,and,whenaccepted, shall
beanadditi
onalgroundforthecancell
ati
onoft hei
r
regist
rati
onwitht heCommi ssion,i
naddit
iontootherpenalt
iesthatmaybepr escri
bedbylaw.

(6)Fil
e, uponaver
ifi
edcomplaint
,oronitsowninit
iat
ive,pet
it
ionsincourtf
orincl
usionor
exclusionofvot
ers;i
nvest
igat
eand, whereappr
opriat
e,prosecutecasesofvi
olati
onsofelect
ion
l
aws, includi
ngactsoromissi
onsconstit
uti
ngelect
ionfrauds,off
enses,andmalpracti
ces.

(
7)Recommendt otheCongresseff
ect
ivemeasur est
omi nimizeelect
ionspendi
ng,i
ncl
uding
l
i
mitat
ionofpl
aceswherepropagandamat er
ial
sshallbeposted,andtopreventandpenal
i
zeall
f
ormsofelect
ionfr
auds,of
fenses,
malpracti
ces,andnuisancecandidaci
es.

(8)Recommendt othePr esi

dentt
heremoval
ofanyoffi
ceroremploy
eeithasdeputi
zed,
orthe
i
mposi t
ionofanyotherdisci
pli
nar
yacti
on,
forvi
olat
ionordi
sregar
dof,ordi
sobedi
encetoit
s
dir
ecti
ve,or
der,ordeci
sion.

(9)SubmittothePresi
dentandtheCongr
essacompr
ehensi
ver
epor
tont
heconductofeach
elect
ion,
plebi
scit
e,i
nit
iat
ive,
ref
erendum,
orrecal
l
.

Notanyoneoft
heenumerat
edpowersappr
oximatet
heexact
it
udeoft
hepr
ovi
sionsofAr
ti
cle
VI
,Secti
on17ofthesamebasi
clawst
ati
ngthat:

TheSenat eandt heHouseofRepr esent at

ivesshal leachhav eanEl ectoral Tri
bunalwhichshall
bet hesolejudgeofal l
contestsrelatingtot heelection,returns,
andqual if
icationsofthei
r
respecti
veMember s.EachEl ect
oral Tri
bunal shallbecomposedofni neMember s,t
hreeof
whom shal l
beJust icesoftheSupr emeCour tt
obedesi gnatedbyt heChi efJust i
ce,andthe
remai ni
ngsixshallbeMember soft heSenat eortheHouseofRepr esent atives,asthecasemay
be,whoshal lbechosenont hebasisofpr oporti
onal representati
onf rom t hepol i
ti
calpar
ties
andt hepart
iesoror ganizat
ionsregisteredundert hepar ty-li
stsystem r epresentedtherei
n.The
seniorJusti
ceint heElector
al Tr
ibunal shallbeitsChai rman.
oroft
hel
astpar
agr
aphofAr
ti
cleVI
I,
Sect
ion4whi
chpr
ovi
dest
hat
:

TheSupr emeCour t,si

tt
ingenbanc,shal
lbethesol
ejudgeofal
lcont
estsr
elat
ingtothe
electi
on,ret
urns,andquali
fi
cat
ionsofthePresi
dentorVi
ce-
Presi
dent
,andmaypr omulgat
eit
s
rulesforthepurpose.

Thetri
bunalswhichhavejur
isdi
cti
onoverthequest
ionofthequal
ifi
cati
onsofthePr
esi
dent
,the
Vice-
Presi
dent,Senat
orsandtheMember softheHouseofRepresentat
iveswasmadecl
earby
theConsti
tuti
on.Therei
snosuchpr ov
isi
onforcandidat
esfort
hesepositions.

Cant
heCOMELECbesuchj
udge?

Theopini
onofJust
iceVi
centeV.Mendozai
nRomual
dez-Marcosv.Commissi
onon
El
ecti
ons,
104whichwasaffi
rmati
vel
ycit
edi
ntheEnBancdecisi
oninFer
minv.COMELEC105i
s
ourgui
de.Theci
tat
ioni
nFerminreads:

Apparentl
yreali
zi
ngt
helackofanaut
hor
izedproceedi
ngfordecl
ari
ngt
heinel
igi
bil
i
tyof
candidat
es,theCOMELECamendedit
srulesonFebruar
y15,1993soastoprovi
deinRul
e25§
1,thefol
lowing:

Groundsfordi
squal
if
icati
on.-Anycandi
datewhodoesnotpossessall
thequalif
icati
onsofa
candi
dateasprovi
dedforbyt heConst
it
uti
onorbyexist
ingl
aworwhocommi tsanyact
decl
aredbylawtobegr oundsfordi
squal
if
icat
ionmaybedisqual
i
fiedf
rom conti
nuingasa
candi
date.

Thelackofprovisi
onfordecl
ari
ngt heineli
gibi
li
tyofcandi dates,howev er,
cannotbesuppl iedby
amer erul
e.Suchanactisequival
entt othecreationofacauseofact i
onwhi chi sasubstanti
ve
matterwhichtheCOMELEC, i
ntheexer ciseofitsrule-makingpowerunderAr t.IX,A,§6oft he
Consti
tuti
on,cannotdoit
.Iti
snotewor t
hyt hattheConst it
uti
onwi thholdsfrom theCOMELEC
eventhepowert odeci
decasesinvolvi
ngt herighttov ote,whichessent i
all
yinvolvesaninquir
y
i
ntoqualif
icat
ionsbasedonage, r
esidenceandci tizenshipofv ot
ers.[Art
.IX,C,§2( 3)
]
Theassi mi lationinRule25oft heCOMELECr ulesofgr oundsforineligibi
lit
yintogroundsf or
disqualifi
cat i
oni scontraryt otheev identi ntentionoft helaw.Fornotonl yintheirgroundsbut
alsoint heirconsequencesar epr oceedi ngsf or" di
squalifi
cati
on"differentfrom thosef ora
declarationof" i
neli
gibi
l
ity.""Disqual i
ficati
on"pr oceedings,asalreadyst ated,arebasedon
groundsspeci fi
edin§12and§68oft heOmni busEl ecti
onCodeandi n§40oft heLocal
Gov ernmentCodeandar ef orthepur poseofbar ri
ngani ndivi
dual f
rom becomi ngacandi dat
e
orfrom cont inui
ngasacandi dat eforpubl icof fi
ce.Inawor d,
theirpur poseist oeli
mi nat
ea
candidat efrom t heraceei therf r
om t hest artordur ingitsprogress."Ineli
gibil
it
y,"ontheother
hand, refer
st othelackoft hequal i
ficationspr escr i
bedi ntheConst i
tutionort hestatutesfor
holdingpubl i
cof fi
ceandt hepur poseoft hepr oceedi ngsfordeclarationofi neli
gibi
li
tyisto
remov et hei ncumbentf rom of fice.

Consequently
,thatanindi
vidualpossessesthequal
if
icati
onsforapubli
coffi
cedoesnotimpl
y
thatheisnotdisquali
fi
edfrom becomingacandidat
eorcont i
nuingasacandidat
eforapubli
c
offi
ceandv i
cev er
sa.Wehav ethissortofdi
chotomyinourNat ural
i
zat
ionLaw.(C.
A.No.473)
Thatanalienhasthequalif
icati
onsprescri
bedin§2oft heLawdoesnotimplythathedoesnot
sufferf
rom anyof[the]di
squali
fi
cati
onsprov i
dedi
n§4.

Beforewegetder ai
l
edbyt hedisti
nctionast ogroundsandtheconsequencesoftherespect
ive
proceedi
ngs,theimportanceoftheopi nionisini
tsstat
ementthat"t
helackofprovi
sionfor
declar
ingtheinel
i
gibil
i
tyofcandidates, however,
cannotbesuppli
edbyamer erule"
.Justi
ce
Mendozal ect
uredinRomual dez-
Mar cost hat:

Thr
eereasonsmaybecit
edt oexpl
aint
heabsenceofanaut
hor
izedpr
oceedi
ngf
ordet
ermi
ning
bef
oreel
ecti
onthequal
i
ficat
ionsofacandi
dat
e.

Fi
rstist hef actt hatunlessacandi dat ewi nsandi sproclai
medel ected,t
hereisnonecessi tyfor
determi ninghi seligi
bili
tyfortheof fice.Incont r
ast,whet heranindiv
idualshouldbedisqual i
fi
ed
asacandi dateforact sconstituti
ngel ectionoffenses( e.
g.,vot
ebuy i
ng,overspending,
commi ssionofpr ohibit
edact s)isapr ejudici
alquestionwhi chshouldbedet erminedlesthe
winsbecauseoft hev eryactsforwhi chhi sdisquali
fi
cat i
onisbeingsought .Thatiswhyi ti
s
providedt hati fthegr oundsfordi squal if
icati
onar eestabli
shed,acandidatewi l
lnotbev otedfor;
i
fhehasbeenv otedf or,t
hev otesi nhi sfavorwi l
lnotbecount ed;andifforsomer easonhehas
beenv ot edf orandhehaswon, eitherhewi ll
notbepr ocl
aimedorhi sprocl
amat ionwillbeset
aside.

Secondi
sthef
actt
hatt
hedet
ermi
nat
ionofacandi
dat
es'
eli
gibi
l
ity
,e.
g.,
hisci
ti
zenshi
por
,asi
n
thi
scase, hisdomi cil
e,mayt akeal ongt i
met omake, extendingbeyondt hebegi nningoft he
term oftheoffice.Thisisampl ydemonst rat edi nthecompani oncase( G.R.No.120265,
AgapitoA.Aqui nov .COMELEC)wher et hedet erminat i
onofAqui no'
sr esidencewasst ill
pendingintheCOMELECev enaf t
ert heel ect i
onsofMay8, 1995.Thisi scontrarytothe
summar ycharacterproceedingsr el
at i
ngt ocer ti
fi
cat esofcandi dacy.Thati swhyt helawmakes
thereceiptofcer ti
fi
catesofcandi dacyami nisteri
al dutyoft heCOMELECandi tsoffi
cers.The
l
awi ssat i
sfi
edi fcandidat
esst ateint heircer tif
icatesofcandi dacythattheyar eeli
gibleforthe
positi
onwhi cht heyseektof i
ll,
leavingt hedet erminat i
onoft heirquali
ficati
onst obemadeaf t
er
theelecti
onandonl yintheev enttheyar eel ect ed.Onl yincasesi nvolvi
ngchar gesoff alse
representat
ionsmadei ncertif
icatesofcandi dacyist heCOMELECgi v
enj uri
sdicti
on.

Thirdisthepolicyunder l
yi
ngthepr ohi
biti
onagai nstpre-pr
oclamati
oncasesinelecti
onsfor
President,Vi
cePr esident,
Senatorsandmember softheHouseofRepr esentat
ives.(
R.A.No.
7166, §15)Thepur poseistopreservetheprerogativesoftheHouseofRepr esentat
ives
Electoral
Tr i
bunalandt heotherTri
bunalsas" solejudges"undertheConsti
tuti
onoft heelecti
on,
retur
nsandqual i
fi
cat i
onsofmember sofCongr essoft hePresi
dentandVicePresident,
ast he
casemaybe. 106

Tobesur
e,t
heauthorit
ati
venessoftheRomualdezpr
onouncement
sasrei
ter
atedi
nFermi
n,l
ed
tot
heamendmentthroughCOMELECResol ut
ionNo.9523,on25Sept
ember2012ofi
tsRul
e25.
Thi
s,t
he15Febr
uary1993v er
sionofRul
e25,whichstat
esthat
:

Groundsfordi
squal
if
icati
on.-
Anycandidat
ewhodoesnotpossessal l
thequali
fi
cat
ionsofa
candi
dateasprovi
dedforbyt heConst
it
uti
onorbyexist
ingl
aworwhocommi tsanyact
decl
aredbylawtobegr oundsfordi
squal
if
icat
ionmaybedisqual
i
fiedfr
om conti
nui
ngasa
candi
date.
107

wasi
nthe2012r
endi
ti
on,
drast
ical
l
ychangedt
o:

Grounds.-Anycandi
dat
ewho, i
nacti
onorprotesti
nwhichhei
sapar
ty,
isdecl
aredbyfi
nal
deci
sionofacompetentcourt
,gui
l
tyof,
orfoundbyt heCommi
ssi
ont
obesuf f
eri
ngfr
om any
di
squali
ficat
ionpr
ovi
dedbylawortheConsti
tuti
on.

APeti
ti
ontoDisquali
fyaCandi
datei
nvoki
nggroundsf
oraPet
it
iontoDenytoorCancel
a
Cer
ti
fi
cateofCandidacyorPet
it
iont
oDeclar
eaCandidat
easaNuisanceCandi
dat
e,ora
combi
nat
iont
her
eof
,shal
lbesummar
il
ydi
smi
ssed.

Clearl
y,t
heamendmentdonei n2012isanaccept anceofthereali
tyofabsenceofan
authori
zedpr oceedi
ngf ordetermini
ngbeforeelecti
onthequalif
icationsofcandi
date.Suchthat
,
aspresentlyrequir
ed,t
odi squali
fyacandidatetheremustbeadecl arat
ionbyafinalj
udgment
ofacompet entcourtt
hatthecandi dat
esoughtt obedisquali
fi
ed" i
sgui l
tyoforf
oundbyt he
Commi ssiont obesufferi
ngfrom anydisquali
fi
cationprov
idedbyl awort heConsti
tuti
on."

I
nsof arasthequali
fi
cat i
onofacandi dateisconcerned,Rul
e25andRul e23arefli
psidesofone
totheot her
.Bothdonotal low,arenotaut horizat
ions,ar
enotvestmentofjuri
sdi
ction, f
orthe
COMELECt odeter
mi net hequali
ficati
onofacandi dat
e.Thefact
sofqual i
fi
cati
onmust
beforehandbeestablishedinapr iorproceedingbef or
eanauthori
typroperl
yvestedwi th
j
urisdict
ion.Thepr
iordet er
mi nat
ionofqual if
icati
onmaybebyst atute,byexecut
iveor derorby
ajudgmentofacompet entcourtortribunal.

Ifacandi datecannotbedisquali
fiedwi t
houtapr i
orf i
ndingt hatheorshei ssuffer
ingfr
om a
disqualif
icati
on"provi
dedbyl awort heConst ituti
on,"neithercant hecer ti
fi
cateofcandidacybe
cancelledordeni edduecourseongr oundsoff al
serepr esentati
onsr egardinghisorher
qualif
ications,wi
thoutapri
oraut hori
tati
vef i
ndi ngthatheorshei snotqual i
fi
ed,suchprior
authoritybeingthenecessarymeasur ebywhi cht hefalsit
yoft her epresentat
ioncanbef ound.
Theonl yexcept i
onthatcanbeconcededar esel f
-evi
dentf actsofunquest i
onedor
unquest ionabl
ev er
acit
yandjudicialconfessions.Suchar e,anyway ,
basesequi val
enttoprior
decisi
onsagai nstwhichthefalsi
tyofr epresent at
ioncanbedet er
mi ned.

Theneedf orapredi cat

ef i
ndingorf i
nalpronouncementi naproceedi ngunderRul e23that
dealswi th, asi
nt hiscase,allegedfalserepresent ati
onsr egar
dingt hecandi date'sci
ti
zenshi
p
andr esidence, f
or cedtheCOMELECt oruleessent i
all
ythatsincef oundlings108ar enot
ment ionedi ntheenumer ati
onofci ti
zensundert he1935Const it
ution,109t heythencannotbe
cit
izens.Ast heCOMELECst atedinor alargument s,whenpet it
ioneradmi t
tedt hatsheisa
foundl i
ng, shesaidi tal
l.Thisbordersonbi gotry.Oddl y
,inanef fortattolerance,theCOMELEC,
aftersay i
ngt hatitcannotr ulethatherei
npet i
tionerpossessesbl oodr elat
ionshipwithaFili
pino
cit
izenwhen" i
tiscer t
ainthatsuchr elat
ionshipisi ndemonst r
able,"proceededt osaythat"
she
nowhast heburdent opresentev i
dencet oprov ehernat uralf
il
iati
onwi t
haFi l
i
pinoparent.
"

Thef
acti
sthatpet
it
ioner
'sbl
oodr
elat
ionshi
pwi
thaFi
l
ipi
noci
ti
zeni
sDEMONSTRABLE.
Att heout set,itmustbenot edt hatpresumpt i
onsr egardi
ngpat er
nityisneit
herunknownnor
unaccept edi nPhi l
i
ppi neLaw.TheFami l
yCodeoft hePhi l
ippineshasawhol echapteron
Pater ni
tyandFi l
iat
ion.110Thatsai d,thereismor ethansuf f
icientevider
1cet hatpetit
ionerhas
Fil
ipinopar entsandi st her
eforeanat ural-
bornFili
pino.Parentheticall
y,t
hebur denofpr oofwas
onpr ivater espondent stoshowt hatpet i
ti
onerisnotaFi l
ipinoci t
izen.Thepr iv
aterespondents
shoul dhav eshownt hatbothofpet i
ti
oner'sparentswereal i
ens.Heradmi ssionthatshei sa
foundl i
ngdi dnotshi fttheburdent oherbecausesuchst atusdi dnotexcludet hepossi bi
li
tyt
hat
herpar entswer eFil
ipinos,
especiallyasint hi
scasewher et her ei
sahi ghpr obabil
it
y,ifnot
certainty,thatherpar entsareFili
pinos.

Thef
actuali
ssueisnotwhotheparentsofpet
iti
onerar
e,ast
hei
rident
it
iesar
eunknown,
but
whet
hersuchparent
sareFil
i
pinos.UnderSect
ion4,Rul
e128:

Sect.4.Relevancy,col
lat
eralmatter
s-Ev idencemusthavesuchar elat
iontothefacti
nissueas
toinducebel i
efi
nitsexistenceorno-exi
stence.Evi
denceoncoll
ateralmat t
ersshal
lnotbe
all
owed, exceptwhenittendsi nanyreasonabledegreet
oestabl
ishthepr obabi
li
tyof
i
mpr obabili
tyofthefactinissue.

TheSol i
citorGener al offeredof f
ici
alst ati
sticsf rom t hePhi li
ppi neStat i
sticsAut hori
ty( PSA) 111
thatf r
om 1965t o1975, thet otalnumberoff or eignersbor nint hePhilippineswas15, 986whi l
e
thet otalnumberofFi li
pinosbor nint hecount rywas10, 558,278.Thest ati
st i
cal probabi l
itythat
anychi ldbor nint hePhi lippinesi nthatdecadei snat ural-
bornFi l
i
pinowas99. 83%.Forherpar t,
petiti
onerpr esent edcensusst atisti
csf orI l
oil
oPr ovi
ncef or1960and1970, alsofrom t hePSA.
In1960, ther ewer e962, 532Fi l
ipinosand4, 734f or ei
gner sint hepr ovince; 99.62%oft he
popul ati
onwer eFi l
ipi
nos.I n1970, thef igureswer e1, 162,669Fi li
pinosand5, 304f oreigner s,or
99.55%.Al sopresent edwer efiguresf ort hechi ldpr oducingages( 15-49).In1960, t
her ewer e
230,528f emal eFi li
pinosasagai nst730f emal ef oreignersor99. 68%.I nthesamey ear ,there
were210, 349Fi l
ipinomal esand886mal eal i
ens, or99. 58%.In1970, ther ewer e270, 299Fi l
i
pino
femal esv ersus1, 190f emal eal i
ens, or99. 56%.Thatsamey ear ,therewer e245, 740Fi l
ipino
mal esasagai nstonl y1, 165mal ealiensor99. 53%.COMELECdi dnotdi sput et hesef igures.
Notabl y,Commi ssionerAr thurLi m admi tted,dur ingt heor alar gument s, t
hatatt hetime
petiti
onerwasf oundi n1968, t
hemaj orityoft hepopul ati
oninI loil
owasFi l
ipino.112

Otherci
rcumstanti
alev
idenceofthenati
onali
tyofpet i
ti
oner'
spar ent
sar
ethef
actthatshewas
abandonedasani nf
antinaRomanCat holi
cChur chinIloi
l
oCi t
y.1âwphi
1Shealsohastypi
cal
Fil
ipi
nofeat
ures:hei
ght,f
latnasal
bri
dge,st
raightblackhair,
almondshapedeyesandanov al
face.
Ther eisadisput ablepr esumpt i
onthatt hingshav ehappenedaccor di
ngt otheordinarycourse
ofnat ureandt heor dinaryhabitsofli
fe.113Al l oftheforegoingev i
dence,thatapersonwi th
typicalFil
i
pinof eaturesi sabandonedi nCat holicChur chinamuni ci
pal
itywherethepopul ati
on
ofthePhi li
ppinesi sov erwhelminglyFi
lipinossucht hattherewoul dbemor ethana99%chance
thatachi l
dbor ni nthepr ov i
ncewouldbeaFi l
ipino,wouldindi cat
emor ethanampl eprobabili
ty
i
fnotst atist
icalcertainty,thatpeti
ti
oner'spar entsar eFil
ipi
nos.Thatprobabi l
i
tyandt he
evidenceonwhi chi ti
sbasedar eadmi ssibleunderRul e128, Secti
on4oft heRevisedRuleson
Evidence.

Toassumeot
herwi
seist
oacceptt
heabsur
d,i
fnott
hev
irt
ual
l
yimpossi
ble,
ast
henor
m.I
nthe
wor
dsoftheSol
i
cit
orGener
al:

Second.Itiscontrar
yt ocommonsensebecausef oreignersdonotcomet othePhili
ppinesso
theycangetpr egnantandleavet heirnewbornbabiesbehi nd.Wedonotfaceasi t
uati
onwher e
theprobabil
it
yissucht hateveryfoundlingwouldhav ea50%chanceofbei ngaFil
ipi
noanda
50%chanceofbei ngaf or
eigner.Weneedt ofr
ameourquest ionspr
operl
y.Whatarethe
chancesthatthepar entsofanyonebor ninthePhili
ppineswoul dbeforei
gners?Al
mostzer o.
Whatar ethechancest hatthepar entsofanyoneborni nthePhi l
i
ppi
neswouldbeFi l
i
pinos?
99.9%.

Accordingtot hePhili
ppineStatist
icsAuthor i
ty,f
rom 2010t o2014,onay earl
yaverage, t
here
were1,766,046chi l
drenbor ni
nt hePhi l
i
ppinest oFili
pinoparents,
asopposedt o1,301chi l
dren
i
nt hePhili
ppinesoff orei
gnpar ents.Thus,forthatsampl eperi
od,therat
ioofnon-Fili
pino
chil
drentonat uralbornFil
ipi
nochi ldr
enis1: 1357.Thismeanst hatthestati
sti
cal
pr obabil
it
y
thatanychildbor ninthePhili
ppineswoul dbeanat uralbor
nFi l
i
pinois99.93%.

From 1965t o1975,t

hetotal
numberoff oreignersborninthePhi l
ippi
nesis15,
986whil
ethe
totalnumberofFil
ipi
nosborninthePhil
ippinesis15,558,278.Forthisper
iod,t
herat
ioofnon-
Fil
ipi
nochi l
dreni
s1:661.Thi
smeanst hatthest at
ist
icalprobabi
lit
ythatanychil
dborni
nthe
Phili
ppinesonthatdecadewouldbeanat uralbornFili
pinois99.83%.

Wecani nvi
testati
sti
ciansandsoci alant
hropol
ogiststocrunchthenumbersforus,butIam
confi
dentthatthestati
sti
calprobabil
i
t yt
hatachil
dbor ninthePhil
ippi
neswouldbeanat ural
bornFil
ipi
nowi l
lnotbeaffectedbywhet herornottheparentsareknown.I
fatall
,theli
keli
hood
thatafoundli
ngwoul dhaveaFi l
ipi
nopar entmi
ghtev enbehigherthan99.
9%.Fil
ipi
nos
abandonthei
rchildr
enoutofpov er t
yorper haps,
shame.Wedonoti magineforei
gners
abandoni
ngtheirchil
drenhereint hePhi
li
ppi nesthi
nkingthoseinf
antswouldhavebetter
economicopportuni
tiesorbeli
evingthatthiscountryisatropi
calpar
adisesui
tablef
orr ai
sing
abandonedchil
dren.Icert
ainl
ydoubtwhet heraforeigncouplehaseverconsi
deredthei
rchi l
d
excessbaggagethatisbestleftbehind.

Todenyf ullFi
lipi
noci ti
zenshiptoal lf
oundlingsandr enderthem st at
elessjustbecauset her
e
maybeat heor et
icalchancet hatoneamongt hethousandsoft hesef oundli
ngsmi ghtbet he
chi
ldofnotj ustone, buttwo, for
eignersisdownr ightdiscr
iminatory,i
rrati
onal,
andunj ust.I
tjust
doesn'tmakeanysense.Gi venthest ati
sti
cal cer
taint
y-99.9%-t hatanychi l
dbor ninthe
Phil
ippineswoul dbeanat ur
al bornciti
zen,adeci si
ondeny i
ngf oundlingssuchstatusi s
eff
ectivelyadeni al ofthei
rbirthr
ight.Thereisnor easonwhyt hisHonor abl
eCour tshoulduse
animpr obabl ehy potheti
caltosacr i
fi
cet hefundament alpoli
ti
cal r
ightsofanent i
reclassof
humanbei ngs.YourHonor ,constituti
onalinterpr
etati
onandt heuseofcommonsensear enot
separatedi scipli
nes.

Asamat teroflaw, f
oundlingsar easacl ass,natural
-borncitizens.Whil
ethe1935
Consti
tuti
on'
senumer ati
oni ssilentastof oundl
ings,thereisnor estr
ict
ivel
anguagewhich
woulddefini
telyexcl
udef oundlingseither.Becauseofsi l
enceandambi guit
yintheenumerat
ion
wit
hrespectt ofoundli
ngs, t
herei saneedt oexaminet heintentoftheframers.I
nNitaf
anv.
Commi ssi
onerofI nter
nalRev enue,114t hi
sCour thel
dt hat:

Theascertai
nmentoft hati
ntenti
sbuti nkeepi ngwi t
ht hefundament al
pr i
ncipl
eof
const
ituti
onalconst
ructi
onthattheintentoft hef r
amer softheor ganiclawandoft hepeople
adopti
ngitshouldbegi v
eneffect.Thepr i
mar ytaskinconst i
tutionalconstructi
onistoascer
tai
n
andthereaft
erassurethereal
izat
ionoft hepur poseoft heframer sandoft hepeopleinthe
adopti
onoft heConstit
uti
on.Itmayalsobesaf elyassumedt hatthepeopl einrati
fyi
ngthe
Consti
tuti
onwer eguidedmainlybytheexpl anationofferedbyt hef r
amer s.
115

Aspointedoutbypetit
ioneraswell
astheSol
ici
torGener
al,
thedeli
ber
ati
onsoft
he1934
Const
ituti
onalConvent
ionshowthatthefr
amersint
endedfoundl
i
ngstobecover
edbythe
enumerati
on.Thefoll
owingexchangeisr
ecor
ded:

Sr.Raf
ols:
Foranamendment.Iproposet
hataft
ersubsecti
on2, thefoll
owi
ngi
sinser
ted:
"The
natur
alchi
ldr
enofaf
orei
gnfatherandaFil
ipi
nomot hernotrecognizedbyt
hefat
her.
xxxx

Pr
esi
dent
:

[
We]wouldl
iket
orequestacl
ari
fi
cati
onfr
om t
hepr
oponentoftheamendment
.Thegent
leman
r
efer
stonat
ural
chil
drenort
oanykindofi
ll
egi
ti
mat
echil
dren?

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Toallki
ndsofi
ll
egi
ti
matechi
ldr
en.I
talsoi
ncl
udesnat
ural
chi
l
drenofunknownpar
ent
age,
nat
uralori
ll
egi
ti
matechi
l
drenofunknownpar
ents.

Sr
.Mont
inol
a:

Forclari
fi
cati
on.Thegentlemansaid" ofunknownparents."Currentcodesconsiderthem
Fi
li
pino,thati
s,Iref
ertotheSpanishCodewher ei
nal
l chi
ldrenofunknownpar ent
agebornin
Spanishterr
it
oryareconsideredSpaniards,
becausethepr esumpt i
oni st
hatachildofunknown
parentageisthesonofaSpani ar
d.Thi smaybeappli
edi nt hePhili
ppinesinthatachil
dof
unknownpar entageborninthePhil
ippinesisdeemedt obeFi l
i
pino,andt her
eisnoneed. .
.

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Ther
eisaneed,
becausewear
erel
ati
ngt
hecondi
ti
onst
hatar
e[r
equi
red]t
obeFi
l
ipi
no.

Sr
.Mont
inol
a:

Butt
hati
sthei
nter
pret
ati
onoft
hel
aw,
ther
efor
e,t
her
eisno[
mor
e]needf
oramendment
.

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Theamendmentshoul
dreadt
hus:

"Natural
ori
ll
egit
imat
eofafor
eignf
atherandaFi
l
ipi
nomot
herr
ecogni
zedbyone,
ort
he
chil
drenofunknownpar
ent
age.
"

Sr
.Br
iones:
Theamendment[
shoul
d]meanchi
l
drenbor
nint
hePhi
l
ippi
nesofunknownpar
ent
age.

Sr
.Raf
ols:

ThesonofaFi
l
ipi
nat
oaFor
eigner
,al
thought
his[
per
son]doesnotr
ecogni
zet
hechi
l
d,i
snot
unknown.

Pr
esi
dent
:

Doest
hegent
lemanacceptt
heamendmentornot
?

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Idonotacceptt heamendmentbecausetheamendmentwoul dexcl

udethechil
drenofaFili
pina
withaforei
gnerwhodoesnotr ecogni
zet
hechild.Thei
rparentageisnotunknownandIt hi
nk
thoseofoverseasFil
ipinomot
herandfat
her[whom thelat
ter]doesnotrecogni
ze,shoul
dalso
beconsider
edasFi li
pinos.

Pr
esi
dent
:

Thequesti
oni
nor
deri
stheamendmentt
otheamendmentf
rom t
heGent
lemanf
rom Cebu,
Mr.
Bri
ones.

Sr
.Busi
on:

Mr.President,
don'
tyout
hinki
twoul
dbebet
tert
oleav
ethi
smat
teri
nthehandsoft
he
Legi
sl
at ure?

Sr
.Roxas:

Mr.Presi
dent,myhumbl eopini
onisthatthesecasesar efewandfarinbetween,t
hatthe
consti
tut
ionneed[not]r
efertothem.Byinternati
onallawthepri
nci
plethatchi
ldr
enorpeopl
e
borninacountryofunknownpar ent
sarecitizensinthisnat
ioni
srecognized,
anditi
snot
necessar
ytoincludeaprovisi
onont hesubjectexhaustiv
ely
.116

Thought
heRaf
olsamendmentwasnotcar
ri
edout
,itwasnotbecauset
her
ewasanyobj
ect
ion
tothenoti
onthatper
sonsof"unknownparent
age"arenotci
ti
zensbutonlybecauset
hei
r
numberwasnotenought omeritspeci
fi
cmenti
on.Suchwast heaccount
,117cit
edbypet
it
ioner
,
ofdelegat
eandconsti
tut
ionl
awaut horJoseAruegowhosai
d:

Duringt hedebat esont hisprovisi

on, Del
egateRaf olspresentedanamendmentt oi ncludeas
Fil
i
pi noci ti
zensthei l
l
egiti
mat echildrenwit
haf oreignfat
herofamot herwhowasaci ti
zenof
thePhi li
ppines,andal sofoundlings;butthi
samendmentwasdef eatedpr i
mar i
lybecauset he
Conv entionbel i
evedthatt hecases, bei
ngtoof ewt owarr
antt heinclusionofapr ovisioninthe
Const it
utiontoappl ytothem, shoul dbegovernedbyst at
utorylegislati
on.Mor eov er,itwas
beli
ev edt hattherulesofinternati
onal l
awwer eal readycleartotheef fectthatil
legitimate
chil
dr enfollowedt heciti
zenshipoft hemother, andt hatf
oundl i
ngsf oll
owedt henat i
onali
tyof
thepl acewher etheywer ef ound,therebymakingunnecessar ythei nclusi
oni ntheConst i
tuti
on
ofthepr oposedamendment .

Thisexplanat
ionwasl
i
kewi
set
heposi
ti
onoft
heSol
i
cit
orGener
aldur
ingt
he16Febr
uar
y2016
OralArguments:

Weal lknowt hattheRaf ol

spr oposalwasrejected.Butnotet
hatwhatwasdecl inedwasthe
proposal f
orat extualandexplici
trecogni
ti
onoff oundli
ngsasFili
pinos.Andso, t
hewayto
explai
nt heconst i
tuti
onalsi
lenceisbysayingt hatitwasthevi
ewofMont i
nolaandRoxaswhich
prevai
ledthattherei snomor eneedt oexpresslydeclar
efoundl
ingsasFi l
i
pinos.

Obviousl
y,itdoesn'
tmatterwhet herMonti
nola'
sorRoxas'vi
ewswer el egall
ycorrect.Framers
ofaconst i
tuti
oncanconstituti
onali
zerul
esbasedonassumpt ionsthatar eimperfectoreven
wrong.Theycanev enov er
turnexisti
ngrul
es.Thisi
sbasic.Whatmat t
ershereist hatMontinol
a
andRoxaswer eabl
etoconv incethei
rcoll
eaguesintheconventionthatthereisnomor eneed
toexpressl
ydeclarefoundl
ingsasFi l
ipi
nosbecausetheyarealreadyimpliedlysor ecogni
zed.

I
not herwords,t
heconst i
tut i
onalsi
lenceisfullyexpl
ainedintermsofl i
nguisti
ceffi
ciencyand
theav oi
danceofredundancy .Thepolicyisclear:i
tistorecognizefoundl i
ngs,asacl ass,as
Fil
i
pinosunderArt.IV,Section1(3)oft he1935Const itut
ion.Thisinclusi
v epoli
cyiscarri
edov er
i
ntot he1973and1987Const i
tut
ion.Iti
sappr opri
atetoinvokeaf amousschol arashewas
paraphrasedbyChiefJusticeFernando: t
heconst it
uti
onisnotsi l
entlysilent,
itissi
lentl
yv ocal
.
118
TheSol i
citorGener almakest hefurtherpointthattheframer s"wor kedtocreateaj ustand
humanesoci ety,"that"theywer ereasonablepat r
iotsandt hatitwoul dbeunfairtoimput eupon
them adi scri
mi natoryintentagainstfoundlings.
"Heexhor tsthat,givent
hegr aveimpl i
cati
ons
ofthear gumentt hatfoundlingsarenotnat ural-
bornFili
pinos, t
heCour tmustsear cht he
recordsoft he1935, 1973and1987Const i
tut
ions"foranexpr essi nt
enti
ontodenyf oundli
ngs
thestatusofFi li
pinos.Thebur denisont hosewhowi shtouset heconstitut
iontodi scri
minate
againstfoundlingst oshowt hattheconst it
uti
onr eall
yint
endedt otakethi
spat htot hedarkside
andinfli
ctt hi
sacr osst heboar dmar ginal
izati
on."

Wef indnosuchi ntentorl anguageper mi tt

ingdiscr iminati
onagai nstf oundli
ngs.Ont he
contrary, allthreeConst itutionsguar anteet hebasi cr i
ghttoequal protecti
onoft hel aws.All
exhortt heSt at
et or endersoci alj
usti
ce.Ofspeci al considerati
onar esev eralprovi
si onsinthe
presentchar t
er:Ar t
icleII,Sect ion11whi chpr ovidest hatthe"Stat evaluesthedi gnityofevery
humanper sonandguar ant eesf ull
respectf orhumanr ights,
"ArticleXIII
,Section1whi ch
mandat esCongr esst o"gi vehi ghestpriorit
yt otheenact mentofmeasur esthatprot ectand
enhancet her i
ghtofal l thepeopl etohumandi gnity,reducesoci al,economi c,andpol it
ical
i
nequal itiesxxx"andAr ti
cl eXV, Secti
on3whi chr equirestheSt atetodef endt he"rightof
chil
drent oassi stance, incl udingpropercar eandnut ri
ti
on, andspeci alprotecti
onf rom allf
orms
ofnegl ect ,abuse, cruelty ,exploitat
ion,andot hercondi ti
onspr ej
udi ci
al t
otheirdev elopment."
Certainly, thesepr ovisionscont r
adictani ntenttodi scriminateagai nstfoundli
ngsonaccountof
thei
runf ortunat estatus.

Domest iclawsonadopt i
onal sosupportthepr i
nci
plethatf oundlingsar eFilipinos.Theselaws
donotpr ov i
det hatadopti
onconf er
sci t
izenshipupont headopt ee.Rat her,theadopt eemustbe
aFil
ipinoi nthef i
rstpl
acetobeadopt ed.Themostbasi cofsuchl awsi sAr ticle15oft heCivi
l
Codewhi chprov i
desthat"[
l]awsrelat
ingt ofamil
yr i
ghts,duti
es, status,condi ti
ons,legal
capacityofper sonsarebindingonci t
izensoft hePhili
ppinesev ent houghl ivingabroad."
Adoptiondeal swi thst
atus,andaPhi l
ippineadoptioncour twil
l havej uri
sdictiononlyifthe
adopteei saFilipi
no.InEll
isandEl l
i
sv .Republic,
119achi ldleftbyanuni dent if
iedmot herwas
soughtt obeadopt edbyali
ens.ThisCour tsaid:

Inthisconnect i
on,itshouldbenot edthatthisisapr oceedi ngsinrem,whichnocour tmay
enter t
ainunlessi thasjurisdicti
on,notonlyov erthesubj ectmat teroft
hecaseandov ert
he
parties,butalsoov erther es, whichi
st heper sonalstatusofBabyRoseaswel lasthatof
petit
ioner sherein.OurCiv il
Code( Ar
t.15)adher estot hetheor ythatj
uri
sdi
cti
onov erthestat
us
ofanat uralpersonisdet ermi nedbythelatter'snati
onal i
ty.Pursuanttothi
stheory
, wehave
j
ur i
sdictionov erthestatusofBabyRose, shebei ngaci ti
zenoft hePhili
ppi
nes,butnotoverthe
statusoft hepet it
ioners,whoar efor
eigners.120( Underli
ningsuppl i
ed)
Recentl egisl
ati
onismor edir
ect
.R.A.No.8043ent it
led"AnActEst abli
shingtheRul estoGovern
theInter-CountryAdopti
onofFil
ipi
noChi ldr
enandForOt herPurposes"(
ot her
wi seknownast he
"I
nter-
Count r
yAdopt i
onActof1995"),R.A.No.8552,entitl
ed"AnActEst abli
shingtheRulesand
Poli
ciesont heAdoptionofFi
li
pinoChildrenandForOt herPurposes"(ot
her wiseknownast he
Domest i
cAdopt ionActof1998)andthisCour t
'sA.
M.No.02- 6-
02-SCort he"Rul eonAdopti
on,"
all
expr esslyreferto"Fi
l
ipi
nochil
dren"andi ncl
udefoundlingsasamongFi l
ipi
nochi l
drenwho
maybeadopt ed.

Ithasbeenar guedt hatthepr ocesst odet ermi nethatt hechi l

di saf oundlingleadingt ot he
i
ssuanceofaf oundl ingcer ti
ficat
eundert hesel awsandt hei ssuanceofsai dcer t
ifi
cat eareacts
toacquireorper fectPhi l
ippinecitizenshi pwhi chmaket hef oundl i
nganat ural
izedFilipinoat
best.Thisiserroneous.UnderAr ticleIV, Section2" Nat ural
-bornci tizensar ethosewhoar e
cit
izensofthePhi l
ippinesf rom birthwi thouthav i
ngt oper f
or m anyactt oacqui r
eorper fect
theirPhi
li
ppinecit i
zenship. "Inthef i
rstpl ace,"hav i
ngt oper form anact "meanst hatt heact
mustbeper sonallydonebyt hecitizen.Int hi
si nstance, t
hedet ermi nati
onoff oundlingst atusi
s
donenotbyt hechi l
dbutbyt heaut hor i
ti
es.121Secondl y
, t
heobj ectoft heprocessi st he
determinati
onoft hewher eaboutsoft hepar ent s,nottheci ti
zenshi poft hechi l
d.Last l
y ,t
he
processiscer t
ainlynotanal ogoust onat ural
izat i
onpr oceedingst oacqui r
ePhi li
ppine
cit
izenshi
p,ort heel ecti
onofsuchci tizenshipbyonebor nofanal ienfatherandaFi li
pino
mot herunderthe1935Const itut
ion, whichi sanactt oper fectit.

Inthi
sinstance,suchissuei smootbecauset her
eisnodi sputethatpeti
ti
onerisafoundling,as
evi
dencedbyaFoundl ingCer t
if
icat
ei ssuedinherfavor.122TheDecr eeofAdoptionissuedon
13May1974, whichappr ovedpetit
ioner'
sadopt i
onbyJesusaSonor aPoeandRonal dAl l
an
Kell
eyPoe, expr
esslyreferstoEmi l
ianoandhi swife,RosarioMili
tar
,asher"foundli
ngparents,"
henceeffecti
vel
yaf f
ir
mi ngpet i
ti
oner'
sst at
usasaf oundli
ng.123

Foundl ingsar eli

kewi seciti
zensunderi nt
ernat ional l
aw.Undert he1987Const it
ut i
on,an
i
nternat ional l
awcanbecomepar toft hespher eofdomest iclawei therbyt r
ansf ormat ionor
i
ncor por ati
on.Thet ransformationmet hodr equi rest hatani nter nati
onal lawbet ransformedi nto
adomest i
cl awthroughaconst it
ut i
onal mechani sm suchasl ocal l
egi slat ion.124Ont heother
hand, gener all
yaccept edpr i
nci
plesofi nt
ernational l
aw, byv irtueoft hei ncor por ati
oncl auseof
theConst it
ut i
on,f
orm par tofthel awsoft hel andev eni ftheydonotder ivef r
om t r
eaty
obli
gat ions.Gener al
lyaccept edpr i
nciplesofi nter nationallawi ncl udei nter national custom as
evi
denceofagener al pr
acticeaccept edasl aw, andgener al principlesofl awr ecognizedby
civ
ili
zednat ions.
125I nternati
onal customar yr ulesar eaccept edasbi ndi ngasar esultfrom t
he
combi nat i
onoft woel ements:theest abli
shed, wi despr ead, andconsi st entpr act iceont hepar t
ofStat es;andapsy chologicalelementknownast heopinionj urissiv enecessi tat es(opinionas
tolawornecessi ty).Implici
tinthel atterel
ementi sabel i
eft hatt hepr act iceinquest ionis
render edobl igat
orybyt heexistenceofar uleofl awr equi r
ingi t.
126" General princi
plesofl aw
recogni zedbyci vil
izednat ions"arepr i
nci
ples" establi
shedbyapr ocessofr easoni ng"orj udici
al
l
ogi c,basedonpr i
ncipleswhi char e"basi
ctol egal systemsgener al
ly,"
127suchas" gener al
pr i
nciplesofequi ty,i.
e.,thegener alpri
nci
plesoff ai
rnessandj usti
ce,"andthe" general pri
ncipl
e
agai nstdiscrimination"whi chisembodi edint he" Universal Declarati
onofHumanRi ght s,the
International CovenantonEconomi c,SocialandCul t
ural Rights, t
heInternational Conv entionon
theEl iminationofAl lFor msofRaci alDi
scri
mi nation,theConv entionAgai nstDi scri
mi nat i
onin
Educat ion,theConv ention(No.111)Concer ni
ngDi scri
mi nationi nRespectofEmpl oy mentand
Occupat i
on."128Thesear ethesamecor epr i
ncipleswhi chunder li
et hePhili
ppi neConst it
uti
on
i
t sel
f ,
asembodi edi ntheduepr ocessandequal protectioncl ausesoft heBi llofRights. 129

Univer
salDecl
arat
ionofHumanRi ghts("
UDHR")hasbeeni
nter
pret
edbythisCourtaspartof
thegener
all
yacceptedpr
inci
plesofinter
nat
ional
lawandbi
ndingontheState.
130Arti
cle15
ther
eofst
ates:

1.Ev
ery
onehast
her
ightt
oanat
ional
i
ty.

2.Nooneshal
lbear
bit
rar
il
ydepr
ivedofhi
snat
ional
i
tynordeni
edt
her
ightt
ochangehi
s
nat
ional
i
ty.

ThePhi
l
ippi
neshasal
sorat
ifi
edtheUNConventi
onontheRightsoft
heChi
l
d(UNCRC)
.Ar
ti
cle7
oft
heUNCRCimposesthefol
lowingobl
i
gat
ionsonourcountr
y:

Ar
ti
cl
e7

1.Thechil
dshal
lberegi
ster
edi
mmediat
elyaf
terbi
rt
handshallhav
etheri
ghtf
rom bi
rt
htoa
name,theri
ghtt
oacquir
eanati
onal
i
tyandasfaraspossi
ble,
theri
ghtt
oknowandbecaredfor
byhisorherpar
ent
s.

2.StatesPart
iesshal
lensurethei
mplementati
onoftheseri
ghtsinaccor
dancewit
hthei
r
nati
onal l
awandt hei
robli
gati
onsunderther
elevanti
nter
nat
ional
instr
umentsi
nthisf
iel
d,i
n
part
icularwheret
hechildwouldother
wisebestatel
ess.
I
n1986,t
hecount
ryalsorati
fiedthe1966I
nternat
ionalCov
enantonCivi
landPol
it
icalRi
ght
s
(
ICCPR)
.Art
icl
e24thereofprovidefort
her
ightofeverychi
ld"
toacqui
reanati
onal
ity:
"

Ar
ti
cl
e24

1.Everychi
ldshall
hav e,wi
thoutanydiscr
iminat
ionastorace,
colour,
sex,l
anguage,
rel
i
gion,
nati
onalorsoci
alor i
gin,
propert
yorbirt
h,theri
ght,t
osuchmeasur esofpr
otecti
onasar
e
requi
redbyhisstatusasami nor,onthepartofhisfami
l
y,soci
etyandtheState.

2.Ev
erychi
l
dshal
lber
egi
ster
edi
mmedi
atel
yaf
terbi
rt
handshal
lhav
eaname.

3.Ev
erychi
l
dhast
her
ightt
oacqui
reanat
ional
i
ty.

Thecommont hreadoft heUDHR, UNCRCandICCPRi stoobligatethePhil

i
ppi nest ogrant
nati
onali
tyfr
om birthandensur et
hatnochil
disstat
eless.Thisgrantofnationali
tymustbeat
theti
meofbi rt
h,andi tcannotbeaccompli
shedbytheapplicati
onofourpr esentnat ur
ali
zati
on
l
aws, Commonweal thActNo.473,asamended,andR.A.No.9139, bothofwhi chr equi
rethe
appl
icanttobeatl easteight
een(18)year
sold.

Theprinci
plesfoundi ntwoconvent
ions,whil
ey etunr
atifi
edbythePhil
ippi
nes,ar
egeneral
ly
acceptedprinci
plesofinter
nati
onall
aw.Thef i
rstisArt
icle14ofthe1930HagueConv enti
onon
Certai
nQuest i
onsRel at
ingtotheConfl
ictofNational
i
tyLawsunderwhi chafoundli
ngis
presumedtohav et he"nati
onal
it
yofthecountryofbirt
h,"towi
t:

Ar
ti
cl
e14

Achil
dwhosepar entsarebothunknownshall
havethenati
onal
i
tyoft
hecountr
yofbir
th.I
fthe
chi
ld'
sparent
ageisestabli
shed,i
tsnati
onal
i
tyshal
lbedeter
minedbyther
ulesappl
i
cablei
n
caseswheretheparentagei
sknown.

Af
oundl
i
ngi
s,unt
ilt
hecont
rar
yispr
oved,
presumedt
ohav
ebeenbor
nont
het
err
it
oryoft
he
St
atei
nwhi
chi
twasf
ound.(
Under
li
ningsuppl
i
ed)

Thesecondi sthepri
nci
plet
hatafoundl
i
ngispresumedbornofci
ti
zensoft
hecountr
ywhere
heisfound,contai
nedinArt
icl
e2ofthe1961UnitedNat
ionsConv
enti
onontheReduct
ionof
Stat
elessness:

Ar
ti
cl
e2

Afoundli
ngf
oundi ntheterr
it
oryofaCont
racti
ngStat
eshall
,i
ntheabsenceofpr
ooftot
he
contr
ary
,beconsideredtohavebeenbor
nwi t
hint
heterr
it
oryofpar
ent
spossessi
ngthe
nati
onal
it
yofthatState.

ThatthePhi l
ippinesisnotapar tytot he1930HagueConv enti
onnort ot he1961Conv entionon
theReduct ionofSt atelessnessdoesnotmeant hattheirpr i
nciplesar enotbi nding.Whi lethe
Phil
ippinesi snotapar tytot he1930HagueConv ention,itisasi gnator yt otheUni versal
Declarati
ononHumanRi ght s,Arti
cle15( 1)of whi ch131ef fectivelyaffirmsAr ti
cle14oft he1930
HagueConv enti
on.Ar ti
cle2oft he1961" UnitedNat i
onsConv ent i
onont heReduct ionof
Statel
essness"mer ely" gi
v esef f
ect "toAr t
icl
e15( 1)oft heUDHR. 132I nRazonv .Tagitis,133
thi
sCour tnotedt hatt hePhi l
ippineshadnotsi gnedorr atif
iedt he"Internat i
onal Conv entionfor
theProtect i
onofAl lPer sonsf r
om Enf orcedDi sappear ance. "Yet,wer ul edt hatthepr oscr i
pti
on
againstenf orceddi sappear ancesi nt hesai dconv enti
onwasnonet hel essbi ndingasa
"generall
yaccept edpr incipleofi nternat i
onal law. "Razonv .Tagi t
isislikewi senot ablef or
declari
ngt hebanasagener all
yaccept edpr incipleofi nternationallawal thought heconv enti
on
hadbeenr atifi
edbyonl ysixteenst atesandhadnotev encomei ntofor ceandwhi chneededt he
rati
fi
cationofami nimum oft went yst ates.Addi tionally,aspet it
ionerpoi ntsout,theCour twas
contentwi ththepr act i
ceofi nternational andr egional stateorgans, regi onal st
atepr act i
cein
Lati
nAmer ica,andSt atePr acti
cei ntheUni tedSt ates.

Anothercasewher ethenumberofr ati

fyingcount ri
eswasnotdet er minati
veisMi j
aresv.
Ranada, 134wher eonl yfourcountri
eshad" ei
therrati
fi
edoraccededt o"135the1966
"Conventionont heRecogni ti
onandEnf or cementofFor eignJudgment sinCi
vilandCommer cial
Mat t
ers"whent hecasewasdeci dedin2005.TheCour talsopointedoutt hatthatninemember
countri
esoft heEur opeanCommonMar kethadaccededt otheJudgment sConv enti
on.The
CourtalsocitedU. S.lawsandj uri
sprudenceonr ecogni
tionofforeignjudgment s.I
nall,
onlythe
practi
cesoffour teencount r
ieswer econsi der
edandy et,ther
ewaspr onouncementt hat
recognit
ionoffor eignjudgment swaswi despr eadpracti
ce.
Ourappr oachinRazonandMi j
aresef fect
ivelyt akesintoaccountt hef actthat"gener al
ly
acceptedpr i
nciplesofint
er nati
onal l
aw"ar ebasednotonl yoni nt
ernationalcustom, butalsoon
"generalpri
nciplesoflawr ecogni zedbyci vil
izednat ions,
"ast hephr asei sunderstoodi nArt
icl
e
38.1paragraph( c)oftheICJSt atute.Justice, fai
rness,equityandt hepol i
cyagai nst
discri
mination,whicharefundament alpri
nci plesunder l
yingtheBi l
lofRi ghtsandwhi chare
"basictolegalsy st
emsgener al
ly,"136suppor tthenot i
ont hattherightagainstenf orced
disappearancesandt herecogni t
ionoff oreignj udgment s,werecor rectl
yconsi deredas
"general
lyaccept edpri
nciplesofi nternati
onal l
aw"undert heincorporationclause.

Peti
tioner'
sev i
dence137showst hatatl eastsixtycountri
esinAsi a,Nor t
handSout hAmer ica,
andEur opehav epassedl egisl
ati
onr ecognizi
ngf oundlingsasitscitizen.Fort
y-t
wo( 42)ofthose
countri
esf ollowt hej ussangui ni
sregime.Oft hesi xt
y,onlythi
rt
y-three( 33)ar
epar t
iestothe
1961Conv ent i
ononSt at
elessness;t
went y-si
x( 26)arenotsignatoriestot heConventi
on.Al so,
theChiefJust i
ce, atthe2Febr uary2016Or alArgument spoint
edoutt hatin166outof189
countri
essur veyed( or87. 83%),f
oundlingsarer ecognizedascitizens.Theseci r
cumst ances,
i
ncludingt hepr act i
ceofj ussanguiniscount r
ies,showt hati
tisagener all
yacceptedpr i
nci
pl eof
i
nternational l
awt opr esumef oundl
ingsashav ingbeenbor nofnat i
onal softhecountryin
whicht hef oundlingisf ound.

Currentlegislati
onr evealstheadher enceoft hePhil
ippinestothisgener al
lyacceptedpri
ncipl
e
ofinter
national law.Inpar t
icular,
R. A.No.8552, R.
A.No.8042andt hi
sCour t'
sRuleson
Adopt i
on,expr esslyreferto"Fili
pinochi ldr
en."Inallofthem,foundlingsareamongt heFi
li
pino
chil
drenwhocoul dbeadopt ed.Likewi se,i
thasbeenpoi nt
edthatt heDFAi ssuespassportsto
foundli
ngs.Passpor tsarebyl aw, issuedonl ytociti
zens.Thisshowst hateventheexecuti
ve
department ,actingthrought heDFA, consi
dersfoundlingsasPhilippinecit
izens.

Adoptingt heselegalpri
nciplesfr
om the1930HagueConv entionandthe1961Conv enti
onon
Stat
elessnessi srati
onal andreasonableandconsi
stentwit
ht hej
ussanguinisregi
meinour
Constitut
ion.Thepr esumpt ionofnatur
al-
bornci
ti
zenshipoffoundl
ingsstemsf r
om the
pr
esumpt i
ont hatthei
rpar entsarenati
onal
softhePhili
ppi
nes.Ast heempiri
caldatapr
ovided
bythePSAshow, thatpresumpt i
onisatmor et
han99%andi sav ir
tualcert
aint
y.

Insum, al
loftheinternati
onall
awconv ent
ionsandinstrumentsonthemat t
erofnati
onali
tyof
foundl
ingswer edesignedtoaddr esst
heplightofadefenselesscl
asswhi chsuff
ersfrom a
misfor
tunenotoft heirownmaki ng.Wecannotber estr
ict
iveastotheirappli
cat
ionifwearea
countr
ywhi chcall
si t
selfci
vil
i
zedandamemberoft hecommuni tyofnati
ons.TheSolici
tor
Gener
al'
swar
ningi
nhi
sopeni
ngst
atementi
srel
evant
:

.
...t
hetotal
ef f
ectofthosedocument sistosignifytothisHonor abl
eCour tt
hatthosetreat
ies
andconventionswer edraft
edbecauset heworldcommuni tyisconcernedthatthesi
tuati
onof
foundl
i
ngsr endersthem legall
yinvisi
ble.I
twoul dbetragicall
yir
onicifthi
sHonor abl
eCourt
endedupusi ngtheinter
nationalinstr
ument swhichseekt oprot
ectandupl i
ftf
oundli
ngsat ool
todenythem polit
icalst
atusort oaccor dthem second-classcit
izenshi
p.138

TheCOMELECal soruled139thatpeti
ti
oner'srepatr
iat
ioninJuly2006undert heprov
isi
onsof
R.A.No.9225didnotr esul
tinthereacquisi
tionofnatural
-bor
nci t
izenshi
p.TheCOMELEC
reasonedthatsi
ncetheappl i
cantmustper form anact,whati
sr eacquir
edisnot"nat
ural
-bor
n"
cit
izenshi
pbutonlyplain"Phi
li
ppinecit
izenship.
"

TheCOMELEC'srul
earr
ogantl
ydisr
egar
dsconsi
stentj
uri
sprudenceont
hemat
terof
repat
ri
ati
onst
atut
esingener
alandofR.
A.No.9225inpart
icular
.

I
nthesemi
nal
caseofBengsonI
llv
.HRET,
140r
epat
ri
ati
onwasexpl
ainedasf
oll
ows:

Moreover,
r epatriat
ionresul
tsinther ecov
eryoft heori
ginalnat
ionali
ty.Thismeanst hata
nat
urali
zedFi li
pinowhol osthiscit
izenshi
pwillber est
oredtohi spri
orstatusasanat ural
i
zed
Fi
li
pinocit
izen.Ont heotherhand,ifhewasor i
ginallyanatural
-borncit
izenbefor
ehel osthis
Phi
li
ppineci t
izenship,hewillberestoredtohi
sf ormerstatusasanat ural-
bornFi
li
pino.

R.A.No.9225isar epatr
iat
ionst atut
eandhasbeendescr ibedassuchi nseveralcases.They
i
ncludeSobejana-Condonv .COMELEC141wher ewedescr ibeditasan"abbreviatedrepatr
iat
ion
processthatr
estoresone'sFili
pinociti
zenshi
pxxx. "Alsoi ncl
udedisParrenov .Commi ssion
onAudit,
142whi chcit
edTabasav .CourtofAppeals,143wher ewesai dthat"[
t]
her epatri
ati
on
oftheformerFil
ipi
nowi l
lall
owhi mtorecoverhisnatural
-bornciti
zenshi
p.Parrenov .
Commi ssiononAudit144iscat egori
calthat"
ifpeti
ti
onerreacqui r
eshisFil
ipi
noci ti
zenshi
p
(underR.A.No.9225),hewi l
l.
..recoverhisnatur
al-
borncitizenshi
p."

TheCOMELECconstruedthephrase"fr
om bir
th"i
nthedef
ini
ti
onofnat uralcit
izensasimpl
yi
ng
"t
hatnat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenshipmustbeginatbirt
handremainuninter
ruptedandcont i
nuousfr
om
bi
rth.
"R.
A.No.9225wasobv i
ouslypassedinli
newit
hCongress'soleprerogativ
etodeter
mine
howciti
zenshi
pmaybel ostorr
eacquired.Congr
esssawitfi
ttodecr
eethatnat
ural
-bor
n
ci
ti
zenshipmaybereacquir
edevenifithadbeenoncelost
.Iti
snotfort
heCOMELECt o
di
sagreewitht
heCongress'det
erminati
on.

Mor eimpor t
antly,
COMELEC' sposi t
ionthatnat ural
-bor
nstatusmustbecont i
nuouswasalready
rej
ectedi nBengsonI IIv
.HRET145wher ethephr ase" f
rom bi
rt
h"wascl arifi
edt omeanatthe
ti
meofbi rt
h:"Aper sonwhoatt het imeofhi sbi r
th,i
saciti
zenofapar t
icularcountr
y,i
sa
natural
-bornciti
zent her
eof .
"Neitheris"repatri
ation"anactto"acquir
eorper f
ect"one'
s
cit
izenship.InBengsonI IIv.HRET, thi
sCour tpointedoutthatthereareonl ytwotypesof
cit
izensundert he1987Const i
tution:nat
ur al
-bornciti
zenandnat ural
i
zed, andthatther
eisno
thi
rdcat egoryforrepatr
iatedcit
izens:

Iti
sappar entfrom theenumer ationofwhoar eciti
zensundert hepr esentConst i
tut i
ont hat
thereareonlyt woclassesofci t
izens: (1)thosewhoar enat ur al-
bor nand( 2)thosewhoar e
natural
izedinaccor dancewi thlaw.Aci ti
zenwhoi snotanat uralizedFili
pino,ie.,didnothav eto
undergot heprocessofnat urali
zationt oobtainPhili
ppi necitizenshi p,necessar il
yi sanat ural-
bornFil
ipino.Notewor thyistheabsencei nsaidenumer ati
onofasepar atecat egor yforper sons
who, af
terlosingPhi l
ippineciti
zenshi p,subsequent l
yr eacquir eit.Ther easont her eforiscl ear:
astosuchper sons,theywoul deitherbenat ural-
bornornat uralizeddependi ngont her easons
forthelossoft heirci
tizenshipandt hemodepr escribedbyt heappl i
cablelawf ort he
reacqui
sitionthereof.Asr espondentCr uzwasnotr equi r
edbyl awt ogot hroughnat uralization
proceedingsinor dertor eacquirehisci ti
zenship,heisper forceanat ur
al-bornFi l
ipino.Assuch,
hepossessedal lthenecessar yqual if
icati
onst obeel ectedasmemberoft heHouseof
Representativ
es.146

TheCOMELECcannotr everseaj udi

cialprecedent .Thatisr eservedt ot hi
sCour t.Andwhi lewe
mayal way srevisitadoct r
ine, anewruler eversingstandingdoct rinecannotber etroact i
vely
appli
ed.InMor al esv.Cour tofAppeal sandJej omarEr winS.Bi nay ,Jr.
,147wher ewedecr eed
reversedthecondonat iondoct ri
ne,wecaut ionedt hatit"shouldbepr ospectiveinappl icati
onfor
thereasont hatjudicialdecisionsapplyingori nterpr
eti
ngt hel awsoft heConst it
ution, unt
il
reversed,shall
for m partoft helegalsystem oft hePhilippines."ThisCour talsosai dt hat"whil
e
thefuturemayul ti
mat elyuncov eradoct r
ine'ser r
or,i
tshoul dbe, asagener alrul
e, recognized
asgoodl awpr iort oi
t sabandonment .Consequent l
y,t
hepeopl e'
sr eli
ancet hereuponshoul dbe
respected."
148

Lastl
y,i
twasrepeat
edl
ypoi
ntedoutdur
ingtheoralar
gumentsthatpeti
tionercommi t
teda
fal
sehoodwhensheputint
hespacesfor"bornt
o"inherappl
i
cationforrepatr
iati
onunderR.
A.
No.9225thenamesofheradopt
ivepar
ents,andthi
smisledt
heBIt opresumet hatshewasa
nat
ural
-bornFil
ipi
no.I
thasbeencontendedt
hatt
hedat
arequi
redwer
ethenamesofher
bi
ologi
calparentswhi
charepreci
sel
yunknown.

Thisposit
iondi sregardsonei mpor t
antf act-petiti
onerwasl egal lyadopt ed.Oneoft heef fects
ofadopti
oni s" t
osev eralll
egal ti
esbet weent hebi ological par entsandt headopt ee, except
whenthebi ologicalparentisthespouseoft headopt ee."149UnderR. A.No.8552, pet it
ioner
wasalsoent itl
edt oanamendedbi r
thcer ti
fi
cate"at testingt ot hef actthatt headopt eei sthe
chil
doftheadopt er(
s)"andwhi chcer tif
icate"shallnotbearanynot ati
ont hatitisanamended
i
ssue."
150Thatl awal sorequiresthat" [
a]llr
ecords, books, andpaper srelati
ngtot headopt i
on
casesinthef il
esoft hecour t,
theDepar tment[ ofSoci alWel fareandDev elopment ]
,oranyot her
agencyorinst i
tuti
onpar t
icipati
ngint headopt ionpr oceedi ngsshal l bekeptst r
ictl
y
confi
denti
al."151Thel awt hereforeallowspet it
ionert ost atet hatheradopt i
veparent swer eher
bir
thparentsast hatwaswhatwoul dbest atedinherbi rthcer tif
icateany way .Andgi v enthe
poli
cyofstrictconf i
denti
ali
t yofadopt i
onr ecords,pet iti
onerwasnotobl igatedtodi scloset hat
shewasanadopt ee.

Clearl
y,toavoidadirectrul
ingonthequali
fi
cat
ionsofpeti
ti
oner,whi
chi
tcannotmakeint he
samecasef orcancell
ati
onofCOC, i
tresor
tedtoopini
onat
ednesswhichis,moreov
er,
erroneous.Thewhol eprocessunder
takenbyCOMELECi swr appedi
ngraveabuseofdiscret
ion.

OnResi
dence

Thetai
ntedpr
ocesswasr epeatedindisposi
ngoftheissueofwhet
herornotpet
iti
oner
committ
edfal
semateri
al repr
esentati
onwhenshest atedi
nherCOCthatshehasbeforeand
unt
il9May2016beenar esidentofthePhili
ppi
nesforten(10)y
ear
sandeleven(11)months.

Pet
iti
oner
'scl
aimthatshewi
l
lhavebeenaresi
dentf
ort
en(
10)y
ear
sandel
even(
11)mont
hs
onthedaybefor
ethe2016el
ect
ions,
istr
ue.

TheConst itut
ionr equi
respresi denti
alcandidatest ohav
et en(10)y
ears'resi
denceinthe
Phili
ppinesbef orethedayoft heelecti
ons.Sincet hefor
thcomingelecti
onswi l
lbehel
don9
May2016, peti
tionermusthav ebeenar esi
dentoft hePhil
ippi
nespriorto9May2016f orten
(10)years.Inanswert other equest edinfor
mat ionof"Peri
odofResidencei nthePhi
li
ppinesup
tothedaybef or eMay09, 2016, "sheputi n"10y ears11mont hs"whichaccordingt
oher
pleadingsinthesecasescor r espondst oabegi nningdateof25May2005whensher eturned
f
orgoodf
rom t
heU.
S.

Whenpet i
ti
oneri mmi grat edtot heU. S.in1991,shel ostherorigi
naldomi cil
e,whichist he
Phil
ippines.Therear et hreer equisitestoacquireanewdomi cil
e:1.Residenceorbodi ly
presenceinanewl ocality;2.ani ntentiontoremaint here;and3.anint ent
iontoabandont heold
domi ci
le.
152Tosuccessf ull
yef fectachangeofdomi ci
le,onemustdemonst rateanact ual
remov aloranact ual changeofdomi cil
e;abonaf i
dei nt
ent i
onofabandoni ngthef ormerpl ace
ofresidenceandest ablishinganewoneanddef i
niteact swhichcorrespondwi t
ht hepur pose.
I
not herwor ds,theremustbasi callybeani musmanendi coupl
edwi t
hani musnonr evertendi.
Thepur poset oremai ni noratt hedomi ci
l
eofchoi cemustbef orani ndefi
nit
eper i
odoft i
me;
thechangeofr esidencemustbev oluntar
y;andther esi
denceatt hepl acechosenf orthenew
domi ci
lemustbeact ual.153

Pet i
tionerpr esent edv olumi nousev idenceshowi ngt hatsheandherf ami l
yabandonedt heirU.S.
domi cileandr elocatedt ot hePhi li
ppi nesf orgood.Theseev idencei ncludepet i
t i
oner'sf ormer
U.S.passpor tshowi ngherar r
ival on24May2005andherr eturnt othePhi li
ppi nesev eryt i
me
shet ravell
edabr oad;e-mai l correspondencesst arti
ngi nMar ch2005t oSept ember2006wi t
ha
frei
ghtcompanyt oar r
angef ort heshi pmentoft heirhousehol ditemswei ghi ngabout28, 000
poundst ot hePhi li
ppines;e- mai lwi tht hePhi l
ippineBur eauofAni mal Industryi nquiri
nghowt o
shipt hei rdogt ot hePhi li
ppines; school recor dsofherchi ldrenshowi ngenr ol l
menti nPhi li
ppine
school sstar tingJune2005andf orsucceedi ngy ears;taxi dent if
icati
oncar df orpet i
ti
oner
i
ssuedonJul y2005; ti
tlesforcondomi nium andpar ki
ngsl oti ssuedi nFebr uar y2006andt hei
r
correspondi ngt axdecl arationsi ssuedi nApr i
l2006; recei ptsdat ed23Febr uar y2005f rom t he
Salvat ionAr myi nt heU. S.acknowl edgi ngdonat ionofi temsf rom pet i
tioner'sf ami l
y;Mar ch
2006e- mai ltotheU. S.Post al Ser viceconf irmingr equestf orchangeofaddr ess; fi
nal statement
from t heFi rstAmer i
canTi tleI nsur anceCompanyshowi ngsal eoft heirU.S.homeon27Apr il
2006; 12Jul y2011f il
led-upquest ionnai resubmi tt
edt ot heU. S.Embassywher epet iti
oner
i
ndi cat edt hatshehadbeenaPhi l
ippiner esidentsi nceMay2005; affi
dav i
tfrom JesusaSonor a
Poe( attestingt ot her eturnofpet i
tioneron24May2005andt hatsheandherf amilyst ayed
wi t
haf fi
antunt i
l thecondomi nium waspur chased) ;andAf fidav i
tfrom pet i
tioner 'shusband
(conf irmingt hatt hespousesj ointlydeci dedt or elocatet ot hePhi l
ippinesin2005andt hathe
stay edbehi ndi nt heU. S.onl yt of i
nishsomewor kandt osel l t
hef amilyhome) .

Thefor
egoi
ngevi
dencewereundisput
edandt
hefact
swereevenl
istedbyt
heCOMELEC,
par
ti
cul
arl
yini
tsResol
uti
onintheTatad,
Cont
rer
asandVal
dezcases.

However
,theCOMELECref
usedtoconsi
derthatpet
it
ioner
'sdomici
lehadbeentimelychanged
asof24May2005.Att
heoralar
guments,COMELECCommi ssi
onerArt
hurLim concededthe
presenceoft hefi
rsttwor equisi
tes,namel y,physi
cal pr
esenceandani musmanendi ,but
mai ntainedt herewasnoani musnon- r
ev er
tendi.
154TheCOMELECdi sregardedt hei
mpor tofal
l
theev idencepr esentedbypet iti
oneront hebasisoft hepositionthattheear li
estdatet hat
petiti
onercoul dhavestar tedr
esidencei nthePhi l
ippi
neswasi nJuly2006whenherappl i
cati
on
underR. A.No.9225wasappr ovedbyt heBI.Inthisregard,COMELECr eli
edonCoqui ll
av .
COMELEC, 155Japzonv .COMELEC156andCabal l
erov .COMELEC.157Dur i
ngt heoral
argument s,theprivat
er espondent salsoaddedRey esv .COMELEC. 158Respondent scont end
thatthesecasesdecr eet hatt
hest ayofanal i
enformerFi l
ipinocannotbecount edunt ilhe/she
obtainsaper manentr esidentv i
saorr eacquiresPhili
ppinecitizenship,av i
sa-f
reeent r
yundera
balikbay anst ampbeingi nsuffi
cient.Sincepet i
ti
onerwasst i
l
l anAmer ican(wi t
houtanyr esi
dent
visa)unt ilherreacquisi
tionofcitizenshipunderR. A.No.9225, herstayfrom 24May2005t o7
July2006cannotbecount ed.

Butast hepeti
ti
onerpoi ntedout ,thef actsinthesef ourcasesar ev erydiff
erentfrom her
situation.InCoqui ll
av .COMELEC, 159t heonl yev i
dencepr esentedwasacommuni tyt ax
cer t
ifi
cat esecuredbyt hecandi dat eandhi sdecl arati
ont hathewoul dber unningint he
elections.Japzonv .COMELEC160di dnoti nvolveacandi datewhowant edt ocountr esi dence
priortohi sreacqui si
tionofPhi lippineci t
izenship.Wi t
ht heCour tdecr eei
ngt hatresidencei s
distinctf r
om cit
izenshi p,theissuet herewaswhet hert hecandi dat e'sactsaf t
erreacqui siti
on
suf f
icedt oestablishr esidence.I nCabal l
erov .COMELEC, 161t hecandi dateadmi tt
edt hathis
placeofwor kwasabr oadandt hatheonl yv i
sit
eddur inghi sfrequentv acations.I
nRey esv .
COMELEC, 162thecandi datewasf oundt obeanAmer icanci ti
zenwhohadnotev enr eacqui r
ed
Phi l
ippineciti
zenshi punderR. A.No.9225orhadr enouncedherU. S.citi
zenship.Shewas
disqual ifi
edontheci t
izenshipi ssue.Onr esidence, t
heonl ypr oofsheof feredwasasev en-
mont hst i
ntaspr ov i
ncialoffi
cer .TheCOMELEC, quotedwi thappr ov albythisCour t
,sai dthat
"suchf actal
onei snotsuf fi
cientt oprov eherone- yearr esidency .
"

Iti
sobv iousthatbecauseoft hespar seev i
denceonr esidencei nthef ourcasesci tedbyt he
respondent s,theCour thadnochoi cebutt ohol dthatresidencecoul dbecount edonl yf r
om
acqui sit
ionofaper manentr esidentv isaorf r
om reacqui sit
ionofPhi li
ppineci ti
zenshi p.In
cont rast,t
heev idenceofpet it
ioneri sov erwhelmingandt akent oget herleadst onoot her
concl usionthatshedeci dedt oper manent l
yabandonherU. S.residence( sel
lingt hehouse,
takingt hechil
dr enfrom U. S.school s,getti
ngquot esfrom t hef r
eightcompany ,not if
yingt heU.S.
PostOf fi
ceoft heabandonmentoft heiraddressint heU. S.,donatingexcessi t
emst ot he
Salvat i
onAr my ,herhusbandr esi gni ngfr om U.
S.empl oy mentr ightaf tersell
ingt heU. S.house)
andper manent l
yr el
ocat et othePhi lippinesandact uallyre-establi
shedherr esidenceher eon24
May2005( secur i
ngT. I.
N, enroll
ingherchi l
dreninPhi l
ippineschool s,buy i
ngpr oper tyher e,
const ructi
ngar esidenceher e,ret urningt othePhi l
ippinesaf teralltri
psabr oad, herhusband
gettingempl oyedher e) .I
ndeed, coupl edwi t
hherev ent ualapplicati
ont oreacqui r
ePhi l
ippine
cit
izenshi pandherf ami l
y'sactual cont i
nuousst ayint hePhi li
ppinesov erthey ear s,i
tiscl ear
thatwhenpet iti
onerr eturnedon24May2005i twasf orgood.
Inthisconnect ion,theCOMELECal sot ookitagainstpetit
ionerthatshehadent eredt he
Phil
ippinesv isa-fr
eeasabal ikbayan.Acl oserlookatR.A.No.6768asamended, ot herwise
knownast he" AnActI nsti
tut
ingaBal i
kbayanPr ogram,"showst hatt hereisnoov erri
dingintent
totreatbalikbay ansastempor aryvisit
orswhomustl eaveaf t
eroney ear.I
ncludedi nthelawi sa
formerFili
pi nowhohasbeennat urali
zedabr oadand" comesorr eturnstothePhilippines."163
Thel awinst i
tutesabal i
kbayanpr ogram "providi
ngtheoppor tuni
tyt oav ai
lofthenecessar y
trai
ningtoenabl ethebali
kbay antobecomeeconomi call
yself-r
eliantmember sofsoci et
yupon
thei
rr et
urnt ot hecountry"
164i nli
newi ththegov er
nment '
s" r
eintegrationprogram."165
Obv i
ously,bal i
kbayansarenotor dinarytransient
s.

Givent helaw'sexpresspolicytofaci
li
tatether et
urnofabal i
kbayanandhelphi mr ei
ntegrat
e
i
ntosoci ety,i
twouldbeanundul yharshconcl usi
ontosayi nabsolutet
ermst hatthebal i
kbayan
mustl eaveafteroney ear.Thatvi
sa-f
reeper iodisobvi
ouslygrantedhimtoallowhi mt ore-
establi
shhi sli
feandr eint
egrat
ehimsel fi
ntot hecommuni tybeforeheatt
endst othenecessar y
formal andlegalrequirementsofrepatri
ati
on.Andt hatisexactl
ywhatpetiti
onerdid-she
reestabli
shedl i
feherebyenr ol
li
ngherchi l
drenandbuy i
ngpr opertywhi
leawai t
ingther et
urnof
herhusbandandt henappl yi
ngforrepatri
ationshortl
ythereaft
er.

Nocasesi milartopetiti
oner'
s,wherethef ormerFil
i
pino'sevi
denceofchangei ndomi cileis
extensiveandov erwhelming,hasasyetbeendeci dedbyt heCourt
.Peti
tioner
'sevidenceof
residenceisunpr ecedented.Thereisnoj udici
alpr
ecedentthatcomesclosetot hefact sof
residenceofpet iti
oner.Thereisnoindicati
oninCoqui l
lav.COMELEC,166andt heot hercases
cit
edbyt her espondent sthattheCourtintendedtohav eit
srul
ingsther
eapplyt oasi tuati
on
wher ethefact sarediffer
ent.Surel
y,t
hei ssueofresidencehasbeendecidedpar t
icularlyonthe
facts-of
-thecasebasi s.

Toav oi
dthelogicalconclusionpoi
ntedoutbyt heevi
denceofresidenceofpet i
ti
oner,t
he
COMELECr uledt hatpeti
ti
oner'scl
aim ofresi
denceoften(10)yearsandeleven( 11)monthsby
9May2016i nher2015COCwasf alsebecausesheputsix(6)y earsandsix(6)mont hsas
"per
iodofresidencebeforeMay13, 2013"inher2012COCf orSenator.Thus,accordi
ngtothe
COMELEC, shest art
edbei ngaPhil
ippineresi
dentonl
yinNov ember2006.I ndoingso,the
COMELECaut omat i
cal
lyassumedast ruethestat
ementinthe2012COCandt he2015COCas
fal
se.

Asexpl
ainedbypeti
ti
oneri
nherveri
fi
edpleadi
ngs,
shemisunderst
oodthedat
erequir
edinthe
2013COCast heperi
odofresi
denceasofthedayshesubmit
tedthatCOCin2012.Shesai
d
t
hatshereckonedresidencyfrom Apri
l
-May2006whichwastheperi
odwhentheU.
S.house
wassoldandherhusbandr et
urnedtothePhi
l
ippi
nes.I
nthatr
egar
d,shewasadvi
sedbyher
l
awyersin2015thatresidencecouldbecount
edfrom 25May2005.

Peti
ti
oner'
sexpl
anationthatshemi sunderst
oodt hequeryin2012(peri
odofresi
dencebefore
13May2013)asi nquiri
ngaboutresidenceasoft hetimeshesubmi t
tedtheCOC,isbolst
ered
bythechangewhicht heCOMELECi t
selfi
ntroducedinthe2015COCwhi chi
snow" per
iodof
resi
denceint
hePhili
ppinesuptot hedaybef oreMay09, 2016."TheCOMELECwoul dnothave
revi
sedthequer
yifitdidnotacknowl edgethatthefi
rstver
sionwasv ague.

Thatpeti
ti
onercouldhavereckonedresi
dencefrom adateearl
ierthanthesaleofherU.S.
houseandthereturnofherhusbandisplausibl
egi
ventheevidencet hatshehadretur
nedayear
befor
e.Suchevidence,
torepeat,wouldi
ncludeherpasspor
tandt heschool r
ecordsofher
chi
ldr
en.

Itwasgr aveabuseofdi scr

eti
onf ort heCOMELECt otreatthe2012COCasabi ndingand
conclusiveadmissionagai nstpetit
ioner .I
tcouldbegi veninev i
denceagai nsther ,
yes,buti
twas
bynomeansconcl usive.Thereisprecedentaf t
eral lwhereacandi date'
smi stakeast operiod
ofresidencemadei naCOCwasov er comebyev idence.InRomual dez-Mar cosv .COMELEC, 167
thecandidat emistakenlyputseven( 7)mont hsasherper iodofr esidencewher etherequir
ed
peri
odwasami nimum ofoney ear.Wesai dthat" [i
]ti
st hefactofr esidence, notast atementin
acertifi
cateofcandi dacywhichoughtt obedeci siveindeter mi
ningwhet herornotani ndivi
dual
hassat i
sfiedtheconst i
tuti
onsresidencyqual i
fi
cat i
onr equirement."TheCOMELECoughtt o
havelookedatt heev idencepresent edandseei fpet i
ti
onerwast ell
ingt hetrut hthatshewasi n
thePhi l
i
ppi nesf
rom 24May2005.Hadt heCOMELECdonei tsduty,itwoul dhav eseenthatthe
2012COCandt he2015COCbot hcor rect
lystatedt heper t
inentper i
odofr esi dency .

TheCOMELEC, byi t
sownadmi ssion,di
sregardedtheev i
dencet hatpeti
ti
oneract ual
lyand
phy si
call
yreturnedher eon24May2005notbecausei twasf al
se, butonlybecauseCOMELEC
tookt hepositi
ont hatdomici
lecouldbeestablishedonlyfrom petit
ioner
'srepatr
iati
onunderR.A.
No.9225i nJul y2006.Howev er,
itdoesnott akeawayt hefactthatinreali
ty,pet
iti
onerhad
returnedfrom theU. S.andwasher et
ostayper manently,on24May2005.Whenshecl aimedto
hav ebeenar esidentforten(
10)y ear
sandel even(11)mont hs,shecoul ddosoi ngoodf ai
th.

Foranother
,itcoul
dnotbesaidt
hatpet
it
ionerwasattempti
ngt
ohideanyt
hing.Asal
ready
stat
ed,apeti
tionforquowar
rant
ohadbeenf i
ledagai
nstherwi
tht
heSETasear l
yasAugust
2015.Theeventfrom whi
chtheCOMELECpeggedt hecommencementofresi
dence,
pet
it
ioner
'sr
epat
riat
ioni
nJuly2006underR.
A.No.9225,
wasanest
abl
i
shedf
actt
orepeat
,for
pur
posesofhersenator
ial
candi
dacy.

Not abl
y,onthest atementofr esidenceofsix( 6)year
sandsi x( 6)monthsi
nthe2012COC,
pet i
ti
onerrecountedthatthiswasf ir
stbroughtupi nthemediaon2June2015byRep.Tobi as
Tiangcooft heUni t
edNat i
onal i
stAl l
i
ance.Petiti
onerappearstohav eansweredtheissue
i
mmedi atel
y,alsointhepr ess.Respondent shav enotdisput
edpet i
ti
oner'
sevidenceonthi
s
point.From thatti
met hereforewhenRep.Ti angcodiscussedi tint
hemedia,thestat
edperi
od
ofr esi
dencei nthe2012COCandt hecir
cumst ancesthatsurroundedthestatementwere
al
r eadymat t
er sofpubli
cr ecordandwer enothi dden.

Peti
tionerli
kewiseprovedthatthe2012COCwasal sobr oughtupi ntheSETpetiti
onforquo
warranto.HerVer i
fi
edAnswer,whichwasf i
ledon1Sept ember2015, admit
tedthatshemadea
mistakeint he2012COCwhensheputi nsi
x(6)y ear sandsix(6)mont hsasshe
misunder st
oodt hequesti
onandcouldhav etr
uthfullyindicat
edal ongerperi
od.Heranswerin
theSETcasewasamat t
erofpubli
crecord.Therefore,whenpet i
ti
oneraccompl ishedherCOC
forPresidenton15Oct ober2015,shecouldnotbesai dtohav ebeenat t
emptingtohideher
err
oneousst at
ementinher2012COCf orSenatorwhi chwasexpr esslymentionedinher
Veri
fiedAnswer .

Thefactsnow,ifnotst
retchedtodi
stort
ion,
donotshoworevenhintatanint
entiontohi
dethe
2012statementandhavei tcov
eredbythe2015repr
esent
ati
on.Peti
ti
oner,
mor eover
,hason
hersi
det hi
sCourt'
spronouncementthat:

Concededly,acandidate'sdisquali
ficationtor unf orpublicoff
icedoesnotnecessar i
ly
consti
tut
emat eri
almisrepresentati
onwhi chi sthesol egroundfordenyingduecour seto,and
forthecancell
ationof,aCOC.Fur t
her ,asalreadydi scussed,thecandidate'
smisrepresentati
on
i
nhi sCOCmustnotonl yr efertoamat eri
al fact(eli
gibil
i
tyandqualif
icati
onsforelectiv
eof f
ice)
,
butshouldevinceadel i
ber ateint
entt omi slead,mi si
nform orhideafactwhichwoul dot her
wise
renderacandidat ei
neli
gible.Itmustbemadewi thani ntenti
ontodeceivetheelectorateasto
one'squal
ifi
cationstorunf orpublicof fi
ce.168

Insum, t
heCOMELEC,withthesamepost ureofinf
alli
bil
ism,vir
tual
lyignoredagoodnumberof
evi
denceddat esal
lofwhichcanev i
nceanimusmanendi tothePhili
ppinesandanimusnon
revertedit
otheUnit
edStatesofAmer i
ca.Theveracit
yoft heeventsofcomi ngandstay
ing
homewasasmuchasdi smi ssedasi
nconsequenti
al,thefocushav i
ngbeenf i
xedatthe
petit
ioner'
s"swor
ndeclar
ationinherCOCf orSenator
"whi chtheCOMELECsai d"amountst
oa
decl arati
onandt hereforeanadmi ssi ont hatherr esidencei nt hePhi l
ippinesonl ycommence
somet imeinNov ember2006" ; sucht hat" basedont hisdecl aration, [
pet it
ioner]fai lst omeett he
residencyr equi rementf orPr esi dent .
"Thi sconcl usion, asal r
eadyshown, ignor est hest anding
j
ur i
spr udencet hatitist hef actofr esi dence, nott hest atementoft heper sont hatdet ermines
residencef orpur posesofcompl iancewi t
ht heconst i
tutional requirementofr esidencyf or
elect i
onasPr esi dent.Itignor est heeasi l
yresear chedmat tert hatcasesonquest ionsof
residencyhav ebeendeci dedf av or abl yf orthecandi dateont hebasi soff act sofr esidencef ar
l
essi nnumber ,weightandsubst ancet hant hatpr esent edbypet iti
oner .169I tignor es,aboveall
else, whatweconsi derasapr i
mar yr easonwhypet iti
onercannotbeboundbyherdecl arati
onin
herCOCf orSenat orwhi chdecl ar at i
onwasnotev enconsi der edbyt heSETasani ssueagai nst
herel igi
bil
ityf orSenat or .Whenpet itionermadet hedecl arationi nherCOCf orSenat orthatshe
hasbeenar esi dentf oraper i
odofsi x(6)y ear sandsi x( 6)mont hscount edupt ot he13May
2013El ecti
ons, shenat ur allyhadasr efer encet her esidencyr equi r
ement sf orelect i
onas
Senat orwhi chwassat isf i
edbyherdecl aredy ear sofr esi dence.I twasuncont est eddur i
ngthe
oral argument sbef oreust hatatt het imet hedecl ar
ationf orSenat orwasmade, pet i
ti
onerdid
nothav easy etanyi ntent iont ov ief ort hePr esidencyi n2016andt hatt hegener al publicwas
nev ermadeawar ebypet i
tioner , bywor doract ion, t
hatshewoul dr unf orPr esidenti n2016.
Presi denti
al candi dacyhasal engt h- of -
residencedi ff
erentf rom t hatofasenat or i
al candidacy.
Ther ear efact sofr esidenceot hert hant hatwhi chwasment i
onedi nt heCOCf orSenat or.Such
otherf actsofr esidencehav enev erbeenpr ovent obef al se,andt hese, tor epeati ncl ude:

[
Pet
it
ioner]r
etur
nedtothePhi
li
ppineson24May2005.(pet
iti
oner
's]husbandhowev
erst
ayedi
n
t
heUSAt ofi
nishpendi
ngproj
ectsandarr
anget
hesaleofthei
rfamilyhome.

Meanwhil
e[ pet
it
ioner
]andherchil
drenl
ivedwithhermot
herinSanJuanCit
y.[Pet
it
ioner]
enr
oll
edBrianinBeaconSchoolinTagui
gCi t
yin2005andHannainAssumptionCollegei
n
MakatiCi
tyin2005.Anikawasenroll
edinLearni
ngConnect
ioninSanJuani
n2007, whenshe
wasalr
eadyol denoughtogotoschool.

I
nt hesecondhalfof2005,[
peti
ti
oner]andherhusbandacqui
redUnit7FofOneWi l
sonPlace
Condominium i
nSanJuan.[ Pet
it
ioner
]andherfamilyl
i
vedinUnit7Funti
ltheconst
ruct
ionof
thei
rfamil
yhomei nCorint
hianHill
swascompleted.

Someti
meinthesecondhalfof2005,[
petit
ioner's]motherdi
scoveredt
hatherfor
merlawyer
whohandl
ed[pet
it
ioner'
s]adopti
onin1974f ail
edt osecur
efrom theOf
ficeoft
heCiv
ilRegist
rar
ofI
loi
l
oanewCer ti
fi
cateofLiveBir
thi
ndicating[peti
ti
oner'
s]newnameandst ati
ngt
hather
par
entsar
e"Ronal
dAl l
anK.Poe"and"JesusaL.Sonor a.
"
InFebruar
y2006,
[pet
it
ioner
]trav
ell
edbri
efl
ytotheUSinordertosupervi
sethedisposal
of
someoft hef
amil
y'sr
emaininghousehol
dbelongi
ngs.
1a\
^/phi1[Pet
it
ioner]r
etur
nedtothe
Phil
ippi
neson11March2006.

I
nlat
eMar ch2006,[
peti
ti
oner'
s]husbandi
nfor
medt
heUni
tedSt
atesPost
alSer
viceoft
he
f
amil
y'sabandonmentofthei
raddressint
heUS.

Thef
ami
l
yhomei
ntheUSwassol
eon27Apr
il2006.

I
nApril
2006,
[pet
it
ioner
's]husbandr
esi
gnedfr
om hi
sworkint
heUS.Heret
urnedtothe
Phi
l
ippi
neson4May2006andbeganwor ki
ngforaPhi
l
ippi
necompanyi
nJuly2006.

Inear
ly2006,
[pet
it
ioner
]andherhusbandacqui
redav
acantl
oti
nCor
int
hianHi
l
ls,
wher
ethey
event
uall
ybui
ltt
heirf
amilyhome.
170

I
nlightofal
lthese,itwasar
bit
rar
yfortheCOMELECt osati
sfyi
tsi
ntenti
ontol
etthecasef
all
undertheexcl
usivegroundoffal
serepresent
ati
on,
toconsi
dernootherdat
ethanthat
mentionedbypetit
ioneri
nherCOCforSenat or
.

Al
lputtogether
,inthematterofthecit
izenshi
pandresidenceofpet
it
ionerforhercandi
dacyas
Pr
esidentoftheRepubli
c,thequesti
onedResolut
ionsoft heCOMELECi nDivi
sionandEnBanc
ar
e,oneandal l
,deadl
ydiseasedwithgraveabuseofdiscreti
onfr
om roottofrui
ts.

WHEREFORE,
thepet
it
ioni
sGRANTED.TheResol
uti
ons,
towi
t:

1.dated1December2015r enderedthroughtheCOMELECSecondDivi
sion,
inSPANo.15-001
(DC),ent
it
ledEstrel
l
aC.Elamparo,peti
tioner
,vs.Mar
yGr
aceNati
vidadSonoraPoe-
Llamanzar
es,
respondent,
stat
ingthat
:

[
T]heCer
ti
fi
cat
eofCandi
dacyf
orPr
esi
dentoft
heRepubl
i
coft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesi
ntheMay9,
2016
Nat
ionalandLocal
Elect
ionsf
il
edbyr
espondentMar
yGr
aceNat
ivi
dadSonor
aPoe-
Llamanzar
es
i
sherebyGRANTED.

2.dated11December2015, r
enderedthroughtheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion,intheconsolidat ed
casesSPANo.15- 002( DC)enti
tl
edFranciscoS.Tatad,pet
it
ioner,vs.Mar yGraceNat i
vidad
SonoraPoe- Ll
amanzares,r
espondent;SPANo.15- 007(DC)entitl
edAnt onioP.Contreras,
peti
ti
oner,vs.MaryGraceNativi
dadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzares,respondent ;andSPANo.15- 139
(DC)entit
ledAmadoD.Val dez,pet
iti
oner,v.MaryGraceNati
v i
dadSonor aPoe-Llamanzar es,
respondent;st
ati
ngthat:

WHEREFORE,premi
sesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED, asitherebyRESOLVES,t
o
GRANTthepeti
ti
onsandcancelt
heCerti
fi
cateofCandidacyofMARYGRACENATI VIDAD
SONORAPOE-LLAMANZARESf ortheel
ecti
veposi
ti
onofPr esi
dentoftheRepubli
cofthe
Phi
li
ppi
nesi
nconnecti
onwiththe9May2016Sy nchronizedLocalandNat i
onalEl
ect
ions.

3.dat
ed23December2015oft
heCOMELECEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he1December2015
Resol
uti
onoft
heSecondDiv
isi
onst
ati
ngt
hat
:

WHEREFORE,premi
sesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED,
asither
ebyRESOLVES, t
o
DENYtheVer
ifi
edMoti
onforReconsider
ati
onofSENATORMARYGRACENATI VIDADSONORA
POE-
LLAMANZARES.TheResoluti
ondated11December2015oftheCommissionFi
rstDi
visi
on
i
sAFFIRMED.

4.dat
ed23December2015oft
heCOMELECEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he11December2015
Resol
uti
onoft
heFi
rstDiv
isi
on.

areherebyANNULEDandSETASIDE.Peti
ti
onerMARYGRACENATIVI
DADSONORAPOE-
LLAMANZARESi sDECLAREDQUALI
FIEDtobeacandi
dat
eforPr
esi
denti
ntheNat
ional
and
LocalElect
ionsof9May2016.

SOORDERED.

JOSEPORTUGALPEREZ
Associ
ateJust
ice

WECONCUR:

SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

MARI
ALOURDESP.
A.SERENO

Chi
efJust
ice

SeeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

ANTONI
OT.CARPI
O

Associ
ateJust
ice Pl
easeseeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

PRESBI
TEROJ.VELASCO,
JR.

Associ
ateJust
ice

Pl
easeseeSepar
ateDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

TERESI
TAJ.LEONARDO-
DECASTRO

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeDi
ssent
ingopi
nion

ARTUROD.BRI
ON

Associ
ateJust
ice

Ij
oinJ.Cagui
oa'
sOpi
nion

DI
OSDADOM.PERALTA

Associ
ateJust
ice LUCASP.BERSAMI
N

Associ
ateJust
ice

Pl
s.seeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

MARI
ANOC.DELCASTI
LLO

Associ
ateJust
ice JOSECATRALMENDOZA

Associ
ateJust
ice
(
Iconcurwi
tht
heDi
ssent
ingOpi
nionofJust
icePer
las-
Ber
nabe)

BI
ENVENI
DOL.REYES

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

ESTELAM.PERLAS-
BERNABE

Associ
ateJust
ice

SeeSepar
ateConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

MARVI
CM.
V.F.LEONEN

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

FRANCI
SH.JARDELEZA

Associ
ateJust
ice

SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

ALFREDOBENJAMI
NS.CAGUI
OA

Associ
ateJust
ice

CERTIFICATION

Pur
suanttoSecti
on13,Ar
ti
cleVI
IIoftheConsti
tut
ion,i
tisher
ebycerti
fi
edt
hattheconcl
usi
ons
i
ntheaboveDecisi
onhadbeenreachedinconsult
ati
onbeforethecasewasassignedt
othe
wri
teroft
heopini
onoftheCourt
.

MARI
ALOURDESP.
A.SERENO

Chi
efJust
ice

Foot
not
es

1Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.Nos.221698-
700,
pp.15-
16;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on
dated11December2015i
nSPANo.15-
002(
DC)
,SPANo.15-
007(
DC)andSPANo.15-
139
(DC),p.2.

2Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,i
d.at16-
17;

3COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at4.

4Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at22.

5Id.at17;
Comment(onthePet
it
ionforCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.No.221697)f
il
edbyr
espondent
COMELECdated11Januar
y2016,p.6.

6Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,i
d.;
id.at7.

7I
d.at18.

8Supr
anot
e6.

9I
d.

10COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at3.

11Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at17.

12I
d.at18.

13I
d.
14COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e10.

15I
d.

16Supr
anot
e1at17-
18.

17COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e10.

18I
d.

19I
d.

20Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at20.

21I
d.

22Supr
anot
e3.

23Supr
anot
e20.

24Supr
anot
e3.

25Supr
anot
e20.

26Supr
anot
e3.
27Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e4.

28I
d.

29I
d.at23;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e3.

30I
d.;
id.

31I
d.;
id.

32I
d.;
id.

33I
d.at23-
24;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at5.

34I
d.at24;
id.

35I
d.

36Supr
anot
e34.

37Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at25;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at
5.

38I
d.at25-
26;
id.
39I
d.at26;
id.

40I
d.;
id.

41I
d.;
id.

42I
d.at32;
id.at6.

43Supr
anot
e39.

44Peti
ti
onf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at26-
27;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1
at5.

45Sect
ion5,
R.A.No.9225st
ates:

SEC.5.Civil
andPoliti
calRight
sandLiabili
ti
es.-Thosewhor et
ainorre-
acquir
ePhil
ippi
ne
cit
izenshi
punderthisActshallenj
oyfull
civi
landpolit
ical
rightsandbesubjecttoallat
tendant
l
iabil
it
iesandresponsibi
l
iti
esunderexist
inglawsofthePhilippinesandthefol
lowi
ngconditi
ons:

xxxx

3.Thoseappointedtoanypubli
coffi
ceshall
subscri
beandsweart oanoathofall
egi
ancetothe
Republi
cofthePhili
ppinesandit
sdulyconst
itut
edauthori
ti
espri
ortothei
rassumpti
onofoffi
ce:
Provi
ded,Thattheyrenouncet
heiroat
hofall
egiancetothecount
rywheretheytookt
hatoath;

xxxx

46Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at27.
47I
d.at29.

48Supr
anot
e46;
supr
anot
e1at6.

49Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at30;
id.

50I
d.

51Supr
anot
e48.

52Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at31;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at
6.

53Comment
,supr
anot
e5at9.

54Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at31.

55I
d.at32;
Comment
,supr
anot
e53at10.

56I
d.;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at6.

57I
d.;
id.at7.

58I
d.;
id.
59Comment(
ont
hePet
it
ioni
nG.
R.No.221697)f
il
edbyr
espondentEl
ampar
o,dat
edJanuar
y6,
2016,
p.7.

60COMELECSecondDi
vi
si
onResol
uti
ondat
edDecember1,
2015i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)
,p.7.

61I
d.at7-
8.

62Supr
anot
e60.

63I
d.

64I
d.at8.

65I
d.

66Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinGR.No.221697,
p.7.

67Supr
anot
e64.

68Peti
ti
onf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e65at8;
COMELECSecondDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e
60at8-
11.

69COMELECSecondDi
vi
si
onResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e60at34.

70Comment
,supr
anot
e59at10.

71Sect
ion1ofRul
e25oft
heCOMELECRul
esofPr
ocedur
e,asamended,
stat
es:
Rul
e25-Di
squal
i
ficat
ionofCandi
dat
es

Secti
on1.Grounds.-Anycandidatewho, inanact
ionorprot
esti
nwhi chhei
sapar
ty,
is
decl
aredbyfi
naldecisionofacompet entcourt
,guil
tyof
,orf
oundbyt heCommi
ssi
ontobe
suff
eri
ngfr
om anydi squal
if
icat
ionprovidedbylawortheConsti
tut
ion.

APeti
ti
ontoDisquali
fyaCandidat
einv
okinggroundsforaPet
it
iontoDenytoorCancel
a
Cer
ti
fi
cateofCandidacyorPeti
ti
ontoDeclar
eaCandi dat
easaNuisanceCandi
dat
e,ora
combi
nati
onthereof,shal
lbesummari
lydismissed.

72Pet
it
iont
oDi
squal
i
fydat
ed19Oct
ober2015f
il
edbyTat
adi
nSPANo.15-
002(
DC)
,p.9.

73I
d.,
at9and14.

74I
d.at10.

75I
d.at12.

76I
d.at11.

77COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at8.

78I
d.

79Pet
it
iont
oDi
squal
i
fy,
supr
anot
e72at11.

80I
d.at21.
81I
d.

82I
d.

83Supr
anot
eIat8.

84I
d.

85Contr
eras'pet
it
ioni
sapeti
ti
onforcancel
l
ati
onofGr
acePoe'
sCOCunderSect
ion78oft
he
OmnibusElect
ionCodewhi
chstat
esthat:

Sec.78.Petit
iont odenyduecour setoorcancel acer t
if
icat
eofcandi
dacy.-Av eri
fiedpet i
ti
on
seeki
ngt odenyduecour seortocancelacerti
fi
cateofcandidacymaybef i
ledbyt heper son
excl
usivel
yont hegroundt hatanymateri
al r
epresentati
oncontai
nedt
hereinasr equiredunder
Secti
on74her eofisfalse.Thepeti
ti
onmaybef il
edatanyt i
menotlatert
hant wenty -
fiv
eday s
fr
om thet i
meoft hefil
i
ngoft hecerti
fi
cateofcandidacyandshallbedeci
ded, af
terduenot i
ce
andhear i
ng,notlaterthanf i
ft
eendaysbef or
etheel ect
ion.

86Pet
it
ionf
orCancel
lat
ionofGr
acePoe'
sCOCdat
ed17Oct
ober2015f
il
edbyCont
rer
asi
n
SPANo.15-
007(DC),
pp.2-4.

87I
d.at3;
Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
elat13.

88I
d.at3-
4.

89Sect
ions12and68oft
heOmni
busEl
ect
ionCodepr
ovi
de:

Sec.12.Di
squal
i
ficat
ions.-
Anyper
sonwhohasbeendecl
aredbycompet
entaut
hor
it
yinsaneor
i
ncompet ent,orhasbeensentencedbyfinalj
udgmentf orsubv
ersi
on,i
nsurr
ecti
on,r
ebell
i
onor
foranyoffenseforwhichhehasbeensent encedtoapenal t
yofmorethaneight
eenmont hsor
foracrimeinv ol
vi
ngmor al
turpi
tude,
shallbedisqual
if
iedtobeacandidateandtoholdany
offi
ce,unl
esshehasbeengi v
enplenarypardonorgrantedamnesty.

Thisdisquali
fi
cati
onst
obeacandi dateherei
nprov
idedshal
lbedeemedr emoveduponthe
declar
ationbycompetentaut
hori
tythatsaidi
nsani
tyori
ncompetencehadbeenremovedor
aft
ertheexpirati
onofaperi
odoffiveyearsfr
om hi
sservi
ceofsentence,
unlesswi
thi
nthe
sameper i
odheagainbecomesdisquali
fi
ed.

Sec.68.Di squal i
fications.-Anycandi datewho, i
nanact ionorpr otestinwhi chhei sapar tyis
declar edbyf i
nal decisionofacompet entcour tguiltyof , orf oundbyt heCommi ssionofhav i
ng
(a)giv enmoneyorot hermat er
ialconsi derationt oinfluence, i
nduceorcor ruptthev oter
sor
publicof fici
alsper formi ngelectoralfunct ions;(b)commi ttedact soft error
ism toenhancehi s
candidacy ;(c)spenti nhi selecti
oncampai gnanamounti nexcessoft hatall
owedbyt hisCode;
(d)sol icited, r
ecei vedormadeanycont ri
but i
onpr ohibit edunderSect ions89, 95,96, 97and104;
or(e)v iolatedanyofSect i
ons80, 83, 85, 86and261, par agraphsd, e,k,v,andcc, sub-
paragr aph6, shallbedi squalifi
edf r
om cont inuingasacandi date,orifhehasbeenel ected,fr
om
holdingt heof f
ice.Anyper sonwhoi saper manentr esi dentoforani mmi granttoaf oreign
count ryshal lnotbequal i
fi
edt orunf oranyel ecti
v eof fi
ceundert hisCode, unl
esssai dper son
haswai vedhi sst atusasper manentr esidentori mmi grantofaf oreigncount ryinaccor dance
witht her esi dencer equirementpr ovi
dedf ori ntheel ect ionl aws.

90COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at12.

91I
d.at10.

92I
d.

93I
d.at9.

94I
d.
95I
d.

96I
d.

97I
d.

98I
d.

99I
d.at9-
10.

100I
d.at10.

101I
d.

102I
d.

103The11December2015Resolut
ionoftheCOMELECFirstDiv
isi
onwasconcurredi
nby
Commissi
onersLoui
eTit
oF.GuiaandMa.RowenaAmel i
aV.Guanzon.Presi
ding
Commissi
onerChri
sti
anRober
tS.Li
mi ssuedaSepar
ateDissent
ingOpi
nion.

104318Phi
l
.329(
1995)
.

105595Phi
l
.449(
2008)
.

106Romual
dez-
Mar
cosv
.COMELEC,
supr
anot
e104at396-
397.

107I
d.at397-
398;
Fer
minv
.COMELEC,
supr
anot
e105at471-
472.
108InA. M.No.02-6-02-SC,Resoluti
onAppr ovi
ngThePr oposedRuleonAdopti
on(Domestic
andInter-
Country
),effecti
ve22August2002, "
foundl
ing"isdefi
nedas"adeser
tedorabandoned
i
nfantorchildwhosepar ents,guardi
anorr el
ati
vesareunknown; orachi
ldcommitt
edt oan
orphanageorcharit
abl eorsimil
arinsti
tut
ionwithunknownf act
sofbirt
handparentageand
regi
steredintheCivi
lRegisterasa" f
oundling.
"

109Ar
ti
cleI
V-Ci
ti
zenshi
p.

Sec.I
.Thef
oll
owi
ngar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes:

(1)Thosewhoar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
neI
slandsatt
het
imeoft
headopt
ionoft
his
Consti
tut
ion,

(2)Thoseborni
nthePhi
l
ippineI
slandsoff
orei
gnpar
ent
swho,beforet
headopt
ionoft
his
Consti
tut
ion,
hadbeenel
ectedtopubli
coff
icei
nthePhi
l
ippi
neI
slands.

(
3)Thosewhosef
ather
sar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes.

(4)Thosewhosemothersar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesand,
uponr
eachi
ngt
heageofmaj
ori
ty,
electPhi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
p.

(
5)Thosewhoar
enat
ural
i
zedi
naccor
dancewi
thl
aw.

Sect
ion2.Phi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
pmaybel
ostorr
eacqui
redi
nthemannerpr
ovi
dedbyl
aw.

110Ar
ti
cle163to182,Ti
tl
eVIofExecut
iveOr
derNo.209,
other
wiseknownasTheFami
l
yCode
oft
hePhil
ippi
nes,
whicht
ookeffecton4August1988.
111Stat
ist
icsfr
om thePSAori tspredecessoragenciesar
eadmissi
bleev
idence.SeeHerr
erav.
COMELEC, 376Phil
.443(I999)andBagabuy ov .COMELEC, 593Phi
l
.678(2008).I
nthelat
ter
case,
theCourteventookjudi
cialnoti
ceofthefigures.

112Tr
ansci
ptofSt
enogr
aphi
cNot
es,
9Febr
uar
y2016,
p.40.

113Sect
ion3(
y),
Rul
e131.

114236Phi
l
.307(
1987)
.

115I
d.at
314-
315.

116Engl
isht
ransl
ati
onoftheSpani
shori
ginal
present
edinthepeti
ti
oner
'spl
eadi
ngsbef
oret
he
COMELECandt hi
sCourt
.TheCOMELECandpr ivat
erespondent
shavenotdi
sput
edthe
accur
acyandcorr
ect
nessofthetr
ansl
ati
on.

117IJoseM.Ar
uego,
TheFr
ami
ngoft
hePhi
l
ippi
neConst
it
uti
on209(
1949)
.

118TSN,
16Febr
uar
y2016,
pp.20-
21.

119117Phi
l
.976(
1963)
.

120I
d.at978-
979.

121SeeSect i
on5oft heRANo.8552: "Locati
onofUnknownPar ent(
s).-I
tshallbethedutyof
theDepart
mentort hechil
d-car
ingagencywhi chhascustodyoft hechi
ldtoexertal
leffort
sto
l
ocatehis/herunknownbiologi
calpar
ent(s)
.Ifsucheffor
tsfail
,thechil
dshallberegist
eredasa
foundl
ingandsubsequentlybethesubjectoflegalpr
oceedingswher ehe/
sheshal l
bedecl ar
ed
abandoned."(Under
li
ningsuppl
ied)
122SeeExhi
bit"
l"i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)andSPANo.15-
00(
DC)
.

123SeeExhi
bit"
2"i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)andSPANo.15-
00(
DC)
.

124Razon,Jr
.v.Tagi
ti
s,621Phil
.536,600(
2009)ci
ti
ngPhar
maceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.
oft
hePhili
ppi
nesv.DuqueIII
,561Phil
.386,
398(2007)
.

125Ar
ti
cle38.
1,par
agr
aphs(
b)and(
c)oft
heSt
atut
eoft
heI
nter
nat
ional
Cour
tofJust
ice.

126Mi
j
aresv
.Ranada,
495Phi
l
.372,
395(
2005)
.

127Pharmaceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.DuqueI
II
,561Phi
l
.386,
400
(2007)
.

128I
nter
nat
ional
School
All
i
anceofEducat
orsv
.Qui
sumbi
ng,
388Phi
l
.661,
672-
673(
2000)
.

129CONSTI
TUTI
ON,
Art
.II
I,
Sec.1.

130Rep.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.Sandi
ganbay
an,
454Phi
l
.504,
545(
2003)
.

131"
Ever
yonehast
her
ightt
oanat
ional
i
ty.
"

132SeeInt
roduct
oryNot
etotheUni
tedNati
onsConventi
onontheReduct
ionofSt
atel
essness
i
ssuedbytheUnit
edNati
onsHighCommissi
oneronRefugees.

133Supr
anot
e124.
134Supr
anot
e126.

135I
d.at392;
Seef
oot
not
eNo.55ofsai
dcase.

136Phar
maceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.DuqueI
II
,supr
anot
e127.

137SeeExhi
bit
s38and39-
ser
ies.

138Openi
ngSt
atementoft
heSol
i
cit
orGener
al,
p.6.

139Fi
rstDi
vi
sionr
esol
uti
ondat
ed11December2015,
uphel
dint
otobyt
heCOMELECEnBanc.

140409Phi
l
.633,
649(
2001)
.

141692Phi
l
.407,
420(
2012)
.

142551Phi
l
.368,
381(
2007)
.

14353IPhi
l
.407,
417(
2006)
.

144Supr
anot
e142.

145Supr
anot
e140at646.

146I
d.at651.
147G.
R.No.217126-
27,
10Nov
ember2015.

148I
d.

149I
mpl
ement
ingRul
esandRegul
ati
onsofRepubl
i
cActNo.8552,
Art
.VI
,Sec.33.

150Republ
i
cActNo.8552(
1998)
,Sec.14.

151Republ
i
cActNo.8552(
1998)
,Sec.15.

152Fernandezv.HouseofRepr esentat
ivesElector
alTri
bunal
, 623Phil
.628,660(2009)ci
ti
ng
Japzonv.COMELEC, 596Phil.354,370-372(2009)furt
hercit
ingPapandayan,Jr.v.COMELEC,
430Phil
.754,768-770(2002)furt
herfurtherci
ti
ngRomual dezv .RTC,
Br.7,Tacl
obanCity,
G.R.
No.104960,14September1993, 226SCRA408, 415.

153Domi
nov
.COMELEC,
369Phi
l
.798,
819(
1999)
.

154TSN,
16Febr
uar
y2016,
p.120.

155434Phi
l
.861(
2002)
.

156596Phi
l
.354(
2009)
.

157G.
R.No.209835,
22Sept
ember2015.

158G.
R.No.207264,
25June2013,
699SCRA522.
159Supr
anot
e155.

160Supr
anot
e156.

161Supr
anot
e157.

162Supr
anot
e158.

163Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.2(
a).

164Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.I
.

165Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.6.

166Supr
anot
e155.

167Supr
anot
e104at326.(
Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)

168Ugdor
aci
on,
Jr.v
.COMELEC,
575Phi
l
.253,
265-
266(
2008)
.

169I nMit
rav.COMELEC,etal.
,[
636Phil.753(2010)
],I
twasruledthattheresi
dence
requir
ementcanbecompliedwitht
hroughani ncr
emental
processincludi
ngacquisi
ti
onof
businessi
nter
esti
ntheperti
nentpl
aceandl easeoff
eedmill
buildi
ngasr esi
dence.

170COMELECResol
uti
ondat
ed11December
2015i
nSPANo.15-
002(
DC)
,pp.4-
5.
TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

Consti
tut
ionStat
utesExecuti
veIssuancesJudici
alI
ssuancesOt
herI
ssuances
Jur
ispr
udenceI
nter
nati
onalLegal
Resour cesAUSLExcl
usive

Todayi
sSat
urday
,August24,
2019home

Cust
om Sear
ch

MaryGr
aceNat
ivi
dadS.Poe-
Llamanzar
esv
.COMELEC,
G.R.Nos.221697&221698-
700,
Mar
ch
8,
2016

♦ Deci
sion,
Per
ez[
J]

♦ Concur
ri
ngOpi
nion,
Ser
eno[
CJ]Vel
ascoJr
.[J]Leonen[
J]Jar
del
eza[
J]

♦ Separ
ateConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion,
Cagui
oa[
J]

♦ Di
ssent
ingOpi
nion,
Car
pio[
J]Br
ion[
J]Del
Cast
il
lo[
J]Per
las-
Ber
nabe[
J]

♦ Separ
ateDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion,
Leonar
do-
DeCast
ro[
J]

ENBANC

Mar
ch8,
2016

G.
R.No.221697
MARYGRACENATI
VIDADS.POE-
LLAMANZARES,
Pet
it
ioner
s,

v
s.

COMELECANDESTRELLAC.ELAMPARORespondent
s.

x-----------------------x

G.
R.No.221698-
700

MARYGRACENATI
VIDADS.POE-
LLAMANZARES,
Pet
it
ioner
s,

v
s.

COMELEC, FRANCI
SCOS.TATAD,
ANTONI
OP.CONTRERASANDAMADOD.VALDEZ
Respondents.

DECISION

PEREZ,
J.:

BeforetheCour taret woconsoli

datedpet i
ti
onsunderRul e64inrel
ati
ontoRule65oft heRul es
ofCourtwi thextremelyurgentappli
cationforanexpar teissuanceoftemporar
yrestraining
order/
statusquoant eorderand/orwritofpreli
minaryinjunct
ionassai
li
ngthefol
lowing: (1)1
December2015Resol uti
onoftheCommi ssiononEl ecti
ons(COMELEC)SecondDi v
ision; (
2)23
December2015Resol uti
onoftheCOMELECEnBanc, inSPANo.15- 001(DC);(
3)11December
2015Resol utionoftheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion;and(4)23December2015Resol utionoft he
COMELECEnBanc, inSPANo.15- 002( DC),SPANo.15- 007( DC)andSPANo.15- 139( DC)f or
havingbeeni ssuedwi thoutj
uri
sdict
ionorwi thgraveabuseofdi scr
eti
onamount i
ngt olackor
excessofj uri
sdicti
on.

TheFact
s

Mar
yGr
aceNat
ivi
dadS.Poe-
Llamanzar
es(
pet
it
ioner
)wasf
oundabandonedasanewbor
n
i
nfantinthePar i
shChur chofJar o,Il
oil
obyacer tainEdgardoMi li
tar(Edgar do)on3Sept ember
1968.Parentalcareandcust odyov erpeti
ti
onerwaspassedonbyEdgar dot ohi
srelat
ives,
Emili
anoMi l
itar(Emil
iano)andhi swife.Threeday safter,
6Sept ember1968, Emil
ianoreport
ed
andregist
eredpet i
ti
onerasaf oundli
ngwitht heOfficeoftheCiv i
lRegistrarofIl
oil
oCity(OCR-
Il
oil
o).I
nherFoundl i
ngCer t
if
icateandCer t
ifi
cateofLiv eBir
th,
thepet it
ionerwasgi venthe
name" MaryGr aceNat i
vidadCont r
erasMili
tar."1

Whenpet i
ti
onerwasf ive(5)y earsold,celebrityspousesRonal dAllanKel l
eyPoe( a.k.a.
FenandoPoe, Jr.)andJesusaSonor aPoe( a.k.a.SusanRoces)f i
l
edapet it
ionf orheradopt ion
witht heMuni cipal TrialCour t(MTC)ofSanJuanCi ty
.On13May1974, thet r
ial cour tgranted
theirpet i
ti
onandor deredt hatpet i
ti
oner '
snamebechangedf rom "MaryGr aceNat ividad
Cont rerasMilitar"to" Mar yGr aceNatividadSonor aPoe."Al thoughnecessar ynot ati
onswer e
madebyOCR- Il
oiloonpet it
ioner '
sfoundlingcer t
if
icat
ereflectingthecour tdecreedadopt ion,2
thepet i
ti
oner'
sadopt i
vemot herdiscoveredonl ysomet i
mei nthesecondhal fof2005t hatthe
l
awy erwhohandl edpet it
ioner '
sadoptionf ail
edt osecuref rom theOCR- Il
oiloanewCer tif
icate
ofLi veBirthindicatingpet i
ti
oner '
snewnameandt henameofheradopt ivepar ent s.3Wi t
hout
delay ,peti
ti
oner '
smot herexecut edanaf fi
dav itattest
ingtot helawy er
'somi ssionwhi chshe
submi tt
edtot heOCR- I
loi
lo.On4May2006, OCR- Il
oil
oissuedanewCer ti
ficateofLi veBi r
thin
thenameofMar yGr aceNat ividadSonor aPoe. 4

Havi
ngreachedtheageofeight
een(18)yearsi
n1986,pet
iti
onerregist
eredasav oterwi
tht
he
l
ocalCOMELECOf fi
ceinSanJuanCi t
y.On13December1986, shereceivedherCOMELEC
Vot
er'
sIdenti
fi
cati
onCardforPreci
nctNo.196inGr
eenhil
l
s,SanJuan, Met r
oMani l
a.5

On4Apr i
l1988,
peti
ti
onerappl
i
edf orandwasi ssuedPhil
i
ppi
nePassportNo.F9272876bythe
Depart
mentofForei
gnAffai
rs(
DFA) .Subsequentl
y,on5Apri
l1993and19May1998, she
renewedherPhi
li
ppi
nepassportandrespecti
velysecur
edPhi
li
ppinePasspor
tNos.L881511
andDD156616.7

I
niti
all
y,thepetit
ionerenr
oll
edandpursuedadegreeinDevel
opmentStudiesattheUniversit
yof
thePhil
ippines8butsheoptedtoconti
nueherstudi
esabroadandlef
tfortheUnitedStatesof
Amer i
ca( U.S.
)in1988.Peti
ti
onergr
aduatedi
n1991f r
om BostonCol
legeinChest nut
sHi l
l
,
Massachuset tswheresheearnedherBachel
orofArt
sdegreeinPoli
ti
calStudi
es.9

On27July1991,peti
ti
onermarri
edTeodoroMisaelDaniel
V.Ll
amanzar
es(Llamanzares)
,a
ci
ti
zenofboththePhil
ippi
nesandtheU.S.
,atSanctuar
iodeSanJosePari
shinSanJuanCi t
y.
10Desi
rousofbeingwithherhusbandwhowast henbasedint
heU.S.
,thecoupl
eflewbackto
t
heU.
S.t
woday
saf
tert
heweddi
ngcer
emonyoron29Jul
y1991.11

WhileintheU.
S.,
thepeti
ti
onergavebi
rt
htohereldestchi
ldBri
anDaniel
(Bri
an)on16Apr
il
1992.12Hertwodaughter
sHannaMacKenzie(Hanna)andJesusaAnika(Ani
ka)wer
eboth
borninthePhi
li
ppineson10July1998and5June2004, r
especti
vel
y.13

On18Oct ober2001,
pet
it
ionerbecameanat
ural
i
zedAmer
icanci
ti
zen.14Sheobt
ainedU.
S.
Passpor
tNo.017037793on19December2001.15

On8Apr i
l2004,thepeti
tionercamebackt othePhil
ippi
nestoget
herwi
thHannat
osupporther
fat
her'
scandidacyforPresidentintheMay2004electi
ons.I
twasduri
ngthi
sti
methatshegave
bir
thtoheryoungestdaught erAnika.Sher
etur
nedtotheU.S.wit
hhert
wodaught
erson8July
2004.16

Aft
eraf ewmont hs,specif
ical
l
yon13December2004, peti
ti
onerrushedbackt othePhi l
i
ppi
nes
uponlearningofherf ather'
sdeteri
orat
ingmedicalcondit
ion.17Herfathersli
ppedi ntoacoma
andeventuallyexpir
ed.Thepet i
tionerstay
edinthecountryunti
l3Febr uar
y2005t ot akecar
eof
herfat
her'sfuneralarrangementsaswel last
oassi sti
nthesettl
ementofhi sestate.18

Accor di
ngtothepet i
ti
oner
,theunt imel ydemi seofherf at
herwasasev ereblowt oherenti
re
family.I
nherearnestdesir
et obewi t hhergr iev i
ngmot her,t
hepetit
ionerandherhusband
decidedtomov eandr esi
deper manent l
yi nthePhi li
ppinessometimei nthefirstquart
erof
2005.19Thecoupl ebeganpr eparingf ort hei
rr esettl
ementi ncl
udingnot i
fi
cati
onoft hei
r
chil
dren'sschoolst
hattheywi l
lbet ransf erri
ngt oPhi li
ppineschoolsforthenextsemest er;
20
coordinati
onwithpropert
ymov ersfort her elocationoft hei
rhouseholdgoods, f
urni
tureand
carsf r
om theU.S.t
ot hePhil
ippines;21andi nqui r
ywi t
hPhili
ppineauthorit
iesast otheproper
proceduretobef ol
lowedinbr i
ngingt heirpetdogi ntothecountry.
22Asear l
yas2004, the
peti
tioneralr
eadyquitherj
obi ntheU. S.23

Fi
nall
y,peti
ti
onercamehomet othePhi
li
ppi
neson24May200524andwi thoutdelay
,secur
eda
TaxIdenti
fi
cati
onNumberfrom t
heBureauofInt
ernalRev
enue.Herthr
ee(3)chil
dren
i
mmedi atel
yfol
lowed25whil
eherhusbandwasforcedtostayi
ntheU.S.t
ocompl etependi
ng
proj
ectsaswellastoarr
angethesal
eofthei
rfamilyhomether
e.26
Thepet i
ti
onerandherchi l
drenbriefl
ystayedathermother'
splaceuntilsheandherhusband
purchasedacondomi nium unitwithaparkingsl
otatOneWi l
sonPl aceCondomi ni
um i
nSan
JuanCi t
yinthesecondhal fof2005.27Thecor r
espondingCondomi ni
um Certi
fi
catesofTi
tl
e
coveri
ngt heunitandparkingslotwereissuedbytheRegist
erofDeedsofSanJuanCi tyt
o
peti
ti
onerandherhusbandon20Febr uar
y2006.28Meanwhile,herchil
drenofschoolage
beganat t
endingPhil
ippinepri
vateschools.

On14February2006,
thepet
iti
onermadeaqui
cktr
ipt
otheU.
S.t
osupervi
sethedi
sposal
of
someofthefamil
y'sr
emaini
nghousehol
dbel
ongi
ngs.
29Shet
rav
ell
edbacktothePhi
li
ppi
nes
on11March2006.30

Inlat
eMar ch2006,peti
ti
oner'
shusbandof f
ici
all
yinf
ormedtheU. S.PostalServ
iceofthe
famil
y '
schangeandabandonmentoft hei
raddressintheU.S.31Thefami lyhomewas
eventuall
ysoldon27Apr i
l2006.
32Petiti
oner'
shusbandresignedfrom hisjobi
nt heU.S.i
nApri
l
2006,arri
vedinthecountr
yon4May2006andst art
edworkingforamaj orPhil
ippinecompany
i
nJul y2006.33

Inearly2006,peti
ti
onerandherhusbandacquir
eda509-squaremeterl
oti
nCorint
hianHill
s,
QuezonCi tywheretheybuil
tthei
rfamil
yhome34andt ot
hisday,i
swherethecoupleandtheir
chi
ldrenhav ebeenresi
ding.
35ATr ansf
erCert
if
icat
eofTit
lecover
ingsai
dpropert
ywasi ssued
i
nt hecouple'snamebyt heRegist
erofDeedsofQuezonCityon1June2006.

On7Jul y2006, petiti

onert ookherOat hofAl l
egiancet otheRepublicofthePhi l
i
ppi nes
pursuanttoRepubl icAct( R.A.)No.9225ort heCi ti
zenshipRetenti
onandRe- acqui sit
ionActof
2003.36Undert hesameAct , shefi
ledwiththeBur eauofI mmigrati
on(BI)aswor npet i
ti
ont o
reacqui
rePhi l
ippinecitizenshiptogetherwit
hpet iti
onsf order
ivat
ivecit
izenshiponbehal fofher
threeminorchi l
drenon10Jul y2006.37Ascanbegat heredfr
om its18Jul y2006Or der,theBI
actedfavorablyonpet i
tioner
'spetit
ionsanddecl aredthatsheisdeemedt ohav ereacqui redher
Phili
ppi
neci t
izenshipwhi l
eherchildrenareconsi deredasciti
zensofthePhi l
ippines.38
Consequent l
y,theBIi ssuedI denti
fi
cationCerti
fi
cat es(I
Cs)inpetit
ioner'
snameandi nthe
namesofhert hree(3)chi ldr
en.39

Again,pet
it
ionerr
egi
steredasav ot
erofBar
angaySantaLuci
a,SanJuanCit
yon31August
2006.40Shealsosecuredfr
om theDFAanewPhi l
i
ppinePassportbear
ingt
heNo.
XX4731999.41Thispassportwasrenewedon18March2014andshewasi ssuedPhi
l
ippi
ne
PassportNo.EC0588861byt heDFA.42
On6Oct ober2010, Presi
dentBenignoS.Aqui noI IIappointedpeti
ti
onerasChairper
sonofthe
Mov i
eandTelevisionRev i
ewandCl assificati
onBoar d( MTRCB).43Beforeassumingherpost,
peti
ti
onerexecutedan" Affidav
itofRenunci ati
onofAl legi
ancetotheUnitedStatesofAmerica
andRenunciati
onofAmer icanCiti
zenship"bef oreanot ar
ypublici
nPasigCi t
yon20Oct ober
2010,44insat
isfactionofthelegalrequisit
esst atedinSect ion5ofR.A.No.9225.45The
fol
lowingday,21Oct ober2010pet i
tionersubmi ttedt hesaidaffi
davi
ttotheBI46andt ookher
oathofoffi
ceasChai r
personoftheMTRCB. 47Fr om t henon,peti
ti
onerstoppedusingher
Amer i
canpassport.48

On12Jul y2011,thepeti
ti
onerexecut edbefor et
heVi ceConsuloftheU.S.Embassyi nManila
an" Oath/Affi
rmati
onofRenunci ati
onofNat ional
ityoftheUnitedStat
es."49Onthatday ,
she
accompl ishedaswornquest i
onnairebef or
et heU.S.ViceConsulwhereinshestat
edt hatshe
hadt akenheroathasMTRCBChai rpersonon21Oct ober2010withtheintent
,amongot hers,of
rel
inquishingherAmericancit
izenship.50Inthesamequest i
onnair
e,thepeti
ti
onerstatedthat
shehadr esi
dedoutsi
deoft heU. S.
,specifi
callyi
nthePhi l
i
ppines,f
rom 3September1968t o29
July1991andf r
om May2005t opresent.51

On9December2011,t
heU.S.ViceConsuli
ssuedtopeti
ti
onera"
Cer
ti
fi
cat
eofLossof
Nat
ional
i
tyoft
heUnit
edStates"ef
fect
ive21October2010.
52

On2Oct ober2012,
thepetit
ionerfi
l
edwiththeCOMELECherCerti
fi
cateofCandidacy(COC)for
Senatorf
orthe2013Electi
onswher ei
nsheanswer
ed"6yearsand6mont hs"t
ot hequesti
on
"Per
iodofresi
denceinthePhili
ppi
nesbefor
eMay13,2013."
53Petit
ionerobt
ainedthehighest
numberofv ot
esandwaspr oclai
medSenatoron16May2013.54

On19December2013,
pet
it
ionerobt
ainedPhi
l
ippi
neDi
plomat
icPasspor
tNo.DE0004530.55

On15Oct ober2015, pet

it
ionerfil
edherCOCf orthePresidencyfortheMay2016Elections.56
InherCOC, t
hepet i
ti
onerdeclaredthatsheisanatural
-borncit
izenandthatherr
esidenceinthe
Phil
ippi
nesupt othedaybef ore9May2016woul dbeten( 10)yearsandelev
en(11)mont hs
countedfr
om 24May2005. 57Thepet i
ti
onerat
tachedtoherCOCan" Aff
idavi
tAf
fir
mi ng
Renunciat
ionofU.S.A.Cit
izenship"subscri
bedandswor ntobeforeanotarypubl
ici
nQuez on
Cit
yon14Oct ober2015.58
Pet
iti
oner
'sf
il
ingofherCOCf
orPresi
denti
ntheupcomingelect
ionst
ri
ggeredthefil
i
ngof
sev
eralCOMELECcasesagai
nstherwhi
chwerethesubjectoft
heseconsoli
datedcases.

Or
igi
nofPet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.No.221697

Adayaf terpet
it
ionerfi
ledherCOCf orPresident,Estrel
laElamparo( Elamparo)f i
l
edapetit
ionto
denyduecour seorcancelsai dCOCwhi chwasdocket edasSPANo.15- 001(DC)andr af
fl
edto
theCOMELECSecondDi vi
sion.59Shei sconv incedt hattheCOMELEChasj urisdi
cti
onoverher
peti
ti
on.60Essential
ly
,Elampar o'scontentionist hatpetit
ionercommi t
tedmat eri
al
misrepr
esentati
onwhenshest atedinherCOCt hatsheisanat ural
-bor nFi
li
pinociti
zenandthat
sheisar esi
dentofthePhili
ppi nesforatleastt en(10)y earsandelev en(11)mont hsuptothe
daybeforethe9May2016El ections.61

Ont hei ssueofci t

izenship,Elampar oarguedthatpet i
ti
onercannotbeconsi deredasanat ural-
bornFi lipi
noonaccountoft hef actthatshewasaf oundling.
62El ampar oclaimedthat
i
nter nationallawdoesnotconf ernatural-bor
nstatusandFi li
pinociti
zenshiponf oundl
ings.63
Followi ngthisli
neofr easoning, petit
ionerisnotqualifi
edt oapplyforreacquisit
ionofFil
ipi
no
cit
izenshi punderR. A.No.9225f orshei snotanatural-
bor nFil
ipi
nocitizentobeginwith.64
Evenassumi ngarguendot hatpet i
ti
onerwasanat ural
-bornFili
pino,shei sdeemedt ohavel ost
thatst atuswhenshebecameanat ural
izedAmer i
canci t
izen.65Accor dingtoElamparo,natural-
bornci tizenshipmustbecont inuousf r
om birt
h.66

Ont hemat terofpet i

tioner'
sr esi
dency,Elampar opointedoutthatpetiti
onerwasboundbyt he
swor ndeclarationshemadei nher2012COCf orSenatorwher ei
nshei ndi
catedthatshehad
resi
dedi nthecount r
yf oronlysix(6)y earsandsi x(6)mont hsasofMay2013El ect
ions.
Elampar oli
kewi seinsistedthatassumi ngar guendothatpetiti
onerisqualif
iedtoregainher
natural-
bornst atusunderR. A.No.9225, shestil
lfel
lshortoftheten-yearresi
dencyrequirement
oftheConst itutionasherr esidencecoul donlybecount edattheear l
i
estf r
om July2006,when
sher eacquir
edPhi l
i
ppi neciti
zenshi
pundert hesaidAct .Al
soont heassumpt i
onthatpeti
tioner
i
squal if
iedtor eacquirelostPhi l
i
ppineCi ti
zenship,El
ampar oisofthebel i
efthatshefail
edt o
reestabli
shherdomi cileinthePhili
ppines.67

Pet
it
ionerseasonabl
yfi
l
edherAnswerwher
einshecount
eredt
hat
:

(
1)t
heCOMELECdi
dnothav
ejur
isdi
cti
onov
erEl
ampar
o'spet
it
ionasi
twasact
ual
l
yapet
it
ion
forquowar
rantowhi
chcoul
donlybefi
l
edifGracePoewinsinthePresi
dent
ialel
ect
ions,and
t
hattheDepart
mentofJust
ice(
DOJ)haspri
maryjur
isdi
cti
ontorev
oketheBI'sJul
y18, 2006
Order;

(2)thepetiti
onfai
ledtostat
eacauseofact
ionbecausei
tdi
dnotcontai
nall
egationswhich,
if
hypotheti
callyadmit
ted,
wouldmakefal
sethestat
ementinherCOCthatsheisanat ur
al-
bor
n
Fil
ipi
noci t
izennorwasthereanyal
l
egati
onthatt
herewasawill
ful
ordeli
ber
ateintentto
misrepresentonherpart;

(
3)shedi
dnotmakeanymat er
ial
misr
epr
esent
ati
oni
ntheCOCr
egar
dingherci
ti
zenshi
pand
r
esi
dencyqual
i
ficat
ionsf
or:

a.t
he1934Const
it
uti
onal
Conv
ent
iondel
i
ber
ati
onsshowt
hatf
oundl
i
ngswer
econsi
der
ed
ci
ti
zens;

b.f
oundl
ingsar
epr esumedunderi
nter
nat
ional
lawt
ohav
ebeenbor
nofci
ti
zensoft
hepl
ace
wheret
heyarefound;

c.sher
eacqui
redhernat
ural
-bor
nPhi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
pundert
hepr
ovi
sionsofR.
A.No.9225;

d.sheexecutedaswornr enunci
ati
onofherAmeri
canci
ti
zenshi
ppri
ortothef
il
ingofherCOC
forPr
esidentintheMay9, 2016Elect
ionsandt
hatt
hesameisinful
lfor
ceandeffectandhas
notbeenwithdrawnorrecanted;

e.t
hebur
denwasonEl
ampar
oinpr
ovi
ngt
hatshedi
dnotpossessnat
ural
-bor
nst
atus;

f.r
esidencei
samatt
erofev
idenceandt
hatsher
eest
abl
i
shedherdomi
cil
eint
hePhi
l
ippi
nesas
earl
yasMay24,2005;

g.shecouldreest
abl
i
shr
esi
denceev
enbef
oresher
eacqui
rednat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenshi
punder
R.A.No.9225;
h.st
atementregardi
ngt
heperi
odofr
esi
dencei
nher2012COCf orSenat
orwasanhonest
mist
ake,notbindi
ngandshoul
dgi
vewaytoevi
denceonhert
ruedateofreacqui
sit
ionof
domici
le;

i
.Elamparo'
speti
ti
onismerel
yanactiontousur
pthesover
eignri
ghtoft
heFil
ipi
nopeopl
eto
decideapur
elypol
it
ical
quest
ion,
thatis,
shoul
dsheserv
east hecount
ry'
snextl
eader
.68

Afterthepart
iessubmi
tt
edt
hei
rrespect
iveMemor
anda,
thepet
it
ionwasdeemedsubmi
tt
edf
or
resoluti
on.

On1December2015, t
heCOMELECSecondDi visionpr omul gatedaResoluti
onfindi
ngthat
pet
it
ioner'
sCOC, f
il
edfort
hepur
poseofr unni
ngf ort hePr esidentoftheRepubl
icofthe
Phi
li
ppinesinthe9May2016NationalandLocal Elections,containedmateri
alr
epresent
ati
ons
whi
char efal
se.Thefal
looft
heaf
or esai
dResolutionr eads:

WHEREFORE, i
nv i
ewofall t
heforegoi
ngconsiderati
ons,thei
nst
antPet
it
iontoDenyDue
CoursetoorCancel Cer
ti
ficateofCandidacyi
sher ebyGRANTED.Accor
dingly
,theCerti
fi
cat
eof
CandidacyforPresi
dentoftheRepublicofthePhili
ppinesint
heMay9,2016Nat i
onalandLocal
El
ectionsfi
l
edbyr espondentMar yGraceNativ
idadSonor aPoeLl
amanzaresishereby
CANCELLED. 69

Mot
ionforReconsi
derat
ionofthe1December2015Resoluti
onwasfil
edbypet
it
ionerwhicht
he
COMELECEnBancr esol
v edi
nits23December2015Resolut
ionbydenyi
ngt
hesame. 70

Or
igi
nofPet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.Nos.221698-
700

Thi
scasest
emmedf rom t
hree(3)separ
atepet
it
ionsfil
edbyFranciscoS.Tatad(Tatad)
,
Ant
oni
oP.Contrer
as(Contr
eras)andAmadoD.Val dez(Val
dez)againstpet
it
ionerbefor
ethe
COMELECwhichwereconsoli
datedandraf
fl
edtoitsFir
stDivi
sion.

I
nhi
spet
it
iont
odi
squal
i
fypet
it
ionerunderRul
e25oft
heCOMELECRul
esofPr
ocedur
e,71
docket
edasSPANo.15- 002(
DC)
,Tat
adallegedthatpet
it
ionerl
ackst
her
equi
sit
eresi
dency
andcit
izenshi
ptoqual
i
fyherf
ort
hePresi
dency.72

Tatadt heorizedt hatsi

ncet hePhilippinesadher estothepr i
ncipleofjussangui ni
s,personsof
unknownpar entage,parti
cul ar
lyfoundl i
ngs, cannotbeconsider ednatural-
bornFil
ipinociti
zens
sincebl oodr elati
onshi
pi sdet erminat i
veofnat ural-
bornstatus.73Tatadi nvokedther ul
eof
statutoryconst ructi
onthatwhati snoti ncludedi sexcl
uded.Heav er
redt hatthefactthat
foundlingswer enotexpr esslyincludedi nthecat egori
esofci t
izensinthe1935Const it
uti
onis
i
ndi cati
v eoft heframers'intenttoexcl udet hem. 74Theref
ore, t
hebur denl i
esonpet it
ionerto
prov ethatshei sanatural-borncitizen.75

Neit
hercanpetit
ionerseekrefugeunderinternati
onalconventi
onsort reati
estosupporther
cl
aimthatfoundli
ngshav eanational
ity
.76Accor dingtoTatad,i
nternati
onalconvent
ionsand
tr
eati
esarenotself-
executoryandthatlocallegi
slati
onsarenecessar yinordert
ogiveeffectt
o
tr
eatyobl
igati
onsassumedbyt hePhili
ppines.77Heal sost
ressedt hatther
eisnostandard
stat
epracti
cethatautomatical
lyconfersnatural
-bornstat
ust ofoundli
ngs.78

Simil
artoElamparo'
sargument,Tat
adclai
medthatpet
it
ionercannotav
ailoft
heopt
iont
o
reacqui
rePhil
ippi
necit
izenshi
punderR.
A.No.9225becauseitonl
yappli
estofor
mernat
ural
-
borncit
izensandpeti
ti
onerwasnotasshewasaf oundl
ing.
79

Referringtopet i
ti
oner'
sCOCf orSenator
,Tatadconcludedthatshedidnotcomplywi t
htheten
(10)y earresi
dencyrequirement .
80Tatadopinedthatpetit
ioneracqui
redherdomicil
einQuezon
Cityonl yfr
om thetimesher enouncedherAmer i
canciti
zenshipwhichwassometimei n2010or
2011.81Addi ti
onally
,Tatadquest i
onedpetiti
oner'
slackofintent
iontoabandonherU.S.
domi cileasevincedbythef actthatherhusbandstayedthereatandherfr
equenttr
ipstothe
U.S.82

Insuppor tofhispeti
ti
ontodenyduecour seorcancel theCOCofpetiti
oner
,docketedasSPA
No.15- 139( DC),
Valdezallegedthatherrepatr
iationunderR.
A.No.9225didnotbestowupon
hert hestatusofanatural
-bornciti
zen.83Headv ancedthevi
ewthatformernat
ural-
born
cit
izenswhoar erepat
ri
atedundert hesaidActr eacquir
esonlyt
hei
rPhili
ppi
neciti
zenshi
pand
wil
l notreverttothei
rori
ginalstat
usasnat ural
-bor nci
ti
zens.
84

Hef
urt
herar
guedt
hatpet
it
ioner
'sownadmi
ssi
oni
nherCOCf
orSenat
ort
hatshehadonl
ybeen
aresidentoft hePhili
ppinesf
oratleastsi
x(6)yearsandsix(
6)monthspriortothe13May
2013El ecti
onsoper atesagai
nsther.Val
dezrej
ectedpeti
ti
oner'
scl
aimthatshecoul dhave
vali
dlyreestabli
shedherdomi cil
einthePhi
li
ppi
nespr i
ortoherr
eacqui
sit
ionofPhi l
i
ppine
cit
izenship.Ineffect,
hisposi
tionwasthatpet
it
ionerdidnotmeett
heten( 10)yearresi
dency
requir
ementf orPresi
dent.

Unlikethepr eviousCOMELECcasesf il
edagainstpet i
ti
oner ,
Cont r
eras'petit
ion,
85docket edas
SPANo.15- 007( DC) ,
li
mi t edtheat t
ackt otheresidencyissue.Hecl aimedt hatpet i
ti
oner'
s2015
COCf orPresi dentshoul dbecancel ledont hegroundt hatshedi dnotpossesst heten-year
peri
odofr esi dencyrequiredf orsai dcandidacyandt hatshemadef alseentryinherCOCwhen
shest atedt hatshei sal egal residentofthePhili
ppinesf orten(10)y earsandel even(11)
mont hsby9May2016. 86Cont rerascontendedt hatthereckoningper i
odforcomput i
ng
peti
t i
oner '
sresi dencyint hePhi l
ippinesshouldbef r
om 18Jul y2006, t
hedat ewhenherpet i
ti
on
toreacqui rePhi li
ppinecitizenshipwasappr ovedbyt heBI .
87Heasser t
edthatpetiti
oner's
physical presencei nthecount rybef or
e18Jul y2006coul dnotbev alidevidenceof
reacquisiti
onofherPhi l
ippi nedomi cil
esinceshewast henl i
vingher easanAmer icanciti
zen
andassuch, shewasgov ernedbyt hePhi l
i
ppineimmi grationlaws.88

I
nherdef
ense,
pet
it
ionerr
aisedt
hef
oll
owi
ngar
gument
s:

Fir
st,Tatad'
spetit
ionshouldbedi smissedout r
ightf
orfail
uret
ostateacauseofact i
on.His
peti
tiondidnotinvokegroundsproperf oradisquali
fi
cati
oncaseasenumer atedunderSecti
ons
12and68oft heOmni busElect
ionCode. 89Instead,Tat
adcompletel
yreli
edont heall
egedlack
ofresidencyandnatural-
bornstatusofpetit
ionerwhicharenotamongt herecogni
zedgrounds
forthedisqual
if
icati
onofacandi datetoanel ecti
veoffi
ce.
90

Second, t
hepeti
ti
onsfi
ledagainstherar
ebasical
l
ypeti
ti
onsforquowarr
antoastheyfocuson
establi
shi
ngherinel
igi
bil
i
tyforthePresi
dency.
91Apeti
ti
onforquowarr
antofal
lswit
hinthe
exclusi
vejur
isdi
cti
onofthePresident
ial
Elect
oral
Tri
bunal(
PET)andnottheCOMELEC. 92

Thir
d,theburdentopr
ovet
hatsheisnotanatur
al-
bor
nFil
ipi
noci
ti
zenisonther
espondent
s.93
Otherwisest
ated,
shehasapresumpti
oninherf
avort
hatsheisanat
ural
-bor
nci
ti
zenofthi
s
country
.

Four
th,
cust
omar
yint
ernat
ional
lawdi
ctat
est
hatf
oundl
i
ngsar
eent
it
ledt
oanat
ional
i
tyandar
e
presumedtobeci
ti
zensofthecount
rywher
etheyarefound.
94Consequent
ly,
thepet
it
ioneri
s
consider
edasanat
ural
-bor
nciti
zenoft
hePhil
i
ppines.
95

Fif
th,sheclai
medt hatasanat ur
al-
borncit
izen,shehasev eryri
ghttober epatri
atedunderR.A.
No.9225ort herighttor
eacquirehernat
ural-bornstatus.96Mor eover,t
heof f
ici
al act
softhe
Phil
ippineGovernmentenjoythepresumptionofr egular
ity,towit
:theissuanceoft he18July
2006Or deroftheBIdeclari
ngherasnatural-
bornci ti
zen,herappointmentasMTRCBChai rand
theissuanceofthedecreeofadoptionofSanJuanRTC. 97Shebel iev
edt hatallt
heseacts
rei
nforcedherpositi
onthatsheisanatural
-bornci t
izenoft hePhil
ippi
nes.98

Sixt
h,shemaintai
nedthatasear l
yasthef
irstquart
erof2005,shestar
tedreestabl
i
shingher
domicil
eofchoiceint
hePhi l
ippi
nesasdemonst rat
edbyherchil
dren'
sresett
lementand
schooli
nginthecount
ry,purchaseofacondomi ni
um uni
tinSanJuanCi t
yandt heconst
ruct
ion
ofthei
rfamil
yhomei nCorinthi
anHil
ls.
99

Seventh,sheinsistedthatshecouldlegal
lyreestabl
ishherdomicil
eofchoiceinthePhili
ppi
nes
evenbefor esher enouncedherAmer i
canci t
izenshi
paslongast hethreedet
erminantsfora
changeofdomi cil
earecompl i
edwith.100Sher easonedoutthattherewasnor equi
rementthat
renunci
ationoff orei
gnciti
zenshi
pisapr erequisi
tefort
heacquisit
ionofanewdomi ci
leof
choice.
101

Ei
ght
h,sherei
ter
atedt
hattheperi
odappear
ingi
nther
esi
dencypor
ti
onofherCOCf
orSenat
or
wasamistakemadeingoodfai
th.102

InaResol ution103promulgatedon11December2015, t
heCOMELECFi r
stDivi
sionruledthat
peti
tionerisnotanat ur
al-
bornciti
zen,thatshefail
edtocomplet et
heten(10)yearresidency
requirement, andt
hatshecommi t
tedmat eri
almisrepr
esentat
ioninherCOCwhenshedecl ared
thereinthatshehasbeenar esi
dentoft hePhil
i
ppinesforaperiodoften(10)yearsandelev en
(11)mont hsasoft hedayoft heelect
ionson9May2016.TheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion
concludedt hatsheisnotqualif
iedfortheelect
iveposit
ionofPresi
dentoftheRepubl i
coft he
Phil
ippines.Thedisposit
iveporti
onofsai dResolut
ionreads:

WHEREFORE,pr
emisesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED,asitherebyRESOLVES,t
o
GRANTthePeti
ti
onsandcanceltheCer
ti
fi
cateofCandi
dacyofMARYGRACENATI VIDAD
SONORAPOE-LLAMANZARESf ortheel
ecti
veposi
ti
onofPresi
dentoftheRepubli
cofthe
Phi
l
ippi
nesi
nconnect
ionwi
tht
he9May2016Sy
nchr
oni
zedLocal
andNat
ional
Elect
ions.

Peti
ti
onerfil
edamoti
onf orr
econsi
derat
ionseeki
ngar
ever
saloft
heCOMELECFi r
stDi
vi
sion'
s
Resolut
ion.On23December2015,theCOMELECEnBancissuedaResol
uti
ondenyi
ng
peti
ti
oner'
smotionf
orreconsi
derat
ion.

Alarmedbyt headverser uli

ngsoft heCOMELEC, pet
iti
onerinst
itut
edt hepr esentpet iti
onsfor
certi
orari
withurgentpray erfortheissuanceofanexpar tetempor ar
yr estr
ai ni
ngor der/stat
us
quoant eorderand/orwr i
tofpr eli
minaryinj
uncti
on.On28December2015, tempor ar y
restr
aini
ngor der
swer eissuedbyt heCourtenjoi
ningtheCOMELECandi t
sr epresent at
ivesfr
om
i
mpl ement i
ngtheassailedCOMELECResol uti
onsuntilf
urtherordersfrom theCour t.TheCour t
alsoorderedtheconsolidationoft hetwopetit
ionsfi
ledbypet i
ti
onerini t
sResol ut
ionof12
January2016.Thereafter,oralargument swereheldinthesecases.

TheCourtGRANTSt
hepet
it
ionofMar
yGr
aceNat
ivi
dadS.Poe-
Llamanzar
esandt
oANNULand
SETASIDEthe:

1.Resol
uti
ondat
ed1December2015render
edt hr
oughi
tsSecondDivi
sion,
inSPANo.15-001
(DC),
enti
tl
edEst
rel
l
aC.El
amparo,pet
it
ioner
,vs.MaryGr
aceNativ
idadSonoraPoe-
Llamanzar
es.

2.Resoluti
ondated11December2015, render
edthroughit
sFi r
stDivisi
on,int
heconsolidated
casesSPANo.15- 002( DC)ent
itl
edFranciscoS.Tatad,pet
it
ioner,vs.MaryGraceNati
vidad
SonoraPoe- Ll
amanzares,r
espondent;SPANo.15- 007(DC)entit
ledAntonioP.Cont
reras,
peti
ti
oner,vs.MaryGraceNativ
idadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzares,respondent;andSPANo.15- 139
(DC)entit
ledAmadoD.Val dez,pet
it
ioner,v.MaryGraceNati
v i
dadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzar es,
respondent.

3.Resol
uti
ondated23December2015oft
heCommi
ssi
onEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he1December
2015Resolut
ionoft
heSecondDiv
isi
on.

4.Resol
uti
ondated23December2015oft
heCommi
ssi
onEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he11December
2015Resolut
ionoft
heFi
rstDi
visi
on.
Theprocedur
eandtheconclusionsfrom whi
chthequest
ionedResolut
ionsemanatedar
e
tai
ntedwit
hgrav
eabuseofdi scret
ionamountingt
olackofjur
isdi
cti
on.Thepet
it
ioneri
sa
QUALIFI
EDCANDI DATEforPresidentint
he9May2016Nat i
onalEl
ecti
ons.

Theissuebef oretheCOMELECi swhet

herornottheCOCofpet it
ionershouldbedeni eddue
courseorcancel l
ed"ont heexclusi
veground"t
hatshemadei nthecer ti
fi
cateaf al
semat eri
al
repr
esent at
ion.Theexclusivi
tyofthegroundshouldhedgei nt
hedi screti
onoft heCOMELEC
andr est
rainitf
rom goingintotheissueofthequali
ficati
onsofthecandi dat
ef ortheposit i
on,i
f,
asint hi
scase, suchissueisyetundecidedorundeterminedbythepr operauthority.The
COMELECcannoti t
self,i
nthesamecancel l
ati
oncase, deci
dethequal if
icat
ionorl ackthereofof
thecandidate.

Werely,
fir
stofal
l
,ont
heConst
it
uti
onofourRepubl
i
c,par
ti
cul
arl
yit
spr
ovi
sionsi
nAr
ti
cleI
X,C,
Sect
ion2:

Sect
ion2.TheCommi
ssi
ononEl
ect
ionsshal
lexer
ciset
hef
oll
owi
ngpower
sandf
unct
ions:

(1)Enfor
ceandadmi ni
steral
ll
awsandregul
ati
onsr
elat
ivet
otheconductofanel
ect
ion,
plebi
scit
e,i
nit
iat
ive,
ref
erendum,andr
ecal
l.

(2)Exerciseexcl
usiveori
ginaljuri
sdicti
onov erallcontest
srelatingtotheelecti
ons,retur
ns,and
qualif
icati
onsofallel
ecti
ver egional,pr
ovinci al
,andci t
yoffi
cials,andappel
latejur
isdicti
onover
allcontestsi
nvol
vingelect
ivemuni ci
palofficial
sdeci dedbytrialcourt
sofgener alj
urisdi
cti
on,
orinvolvi
ngelect
ivebarangayof fi
cialsdecidedbyt ri
alcourt
sofl i
mit
edjuri
sdicti
on.

Deci
sions,
final
orders,
orr
uli
ngsoft
heCommi ssi
ononelect
ioncont
estsi
nvol
vi
ngel
ect
ive
munici
palandbarangayof
fi
cesshal
lbef
inal
,execut
ory
,andnotappeal
abl
e.

(3)Deci
de,exceptthoseinvol
vingtheri
ghttovot
e,al
lquest
ionsaff
ect
ingel
ections,
incl
uding
deter
minati
onoft henumberandl ocati
onofpoll
i
ngplaces,
appoint
mentofelecti
onoffi
cial
s
andinspect
ors,andregist
rati
onofv ot
ers.

(
4)Deput
ize,
wit
htheconcur
renceoft
hePr
esi
dent
,lawenf
orcementagenci
esand
i
nstr
umental
i
tiesoft
heGovernment,i
ncl
udingt
heArmedForcesofthePhil
i
ppi
nes,fort
he
excl
usi
vepur
poseofensur
ingfree,
order
ly,
honest
,peacef
ul,
andcredi
bleel
ect
ions.

(5)Register,aftersuffi
cientpubli
cati
on,poli
ti
calparti
es, or
ganizations,
orcoal it
ionswhich,
in
additi
ont oot herrequirements,mustpresentthei
rplatform orprogr am ofgov er
nment;and
accreditcit
izens' armsoft heCommi ssi
ononEl ecti
ons.Rel igi
ousdenomi nati
onsandsect s
shallnotber egistered.Thosewhi chseektoachievethei rgoal
st hroughv i
olenceorunlawful
means, orrefuset oupholdandadher etothi
sConst it
ution,orwhi charesuppor tedbyany
forei
gngov ernmentshal lli
kewiseberefusedregist
rati
on.

Financialcont
ributi
onsfr
om f orei
gngovernment
sandt heiragenciestopol
iti
calpart
ies,
organizati
ons,coali
ti
ons,orcandidatesr
elat
edtoelecti
onsconst i
tutei
nter
ferenceinnati
onal
affair
s,and,whenaccepted, shall
beanadditi
onalgroundforthecancell
ati
onoft hei
r
regist
rati
onwitht heCommi ssion,i
naddit
iontootherpenalt
iesthatmaybepr escri
bedbylaw.

(6)Fil
e, uponaver
ifi
edcomplaint
,oronitsowninit
iat
ive,pet
it
ionsincourtf
orincl
usionor
exclusionofvot
ers;i
nvest
igat
eand, whereappr
opriat
e,prosecutecasesofvi
olati
onsofelect
ion
l
aws, includi
ngactsoromissi
onsconstit
uti
ngelect
ionfrauds,off
enses,andmalpracti
ces.

(
7)Recommendt otheCongresseff
ect
ivemeasur est
omi nimizeelect
ionspendi
ng,i
ncl
uding
l
i
mitat
ionofpl
aceswherepropagandamat er
ial
sshallbeposted,andtopreventandpenal
i
zeall
f
ormsofelect
ionfr
auds,of
fenses,
malpracti
ces,andnuisancecandidaci
es.

(8)Recommendt othePr esi

dentt
heremoval
ofanyoffi
ceroremploy
eeithasdeputi
zed,
orthe
i
mposi t
ionofanyotherdisci
pli
nar
yacti
on,
forvi
olat
ionordi
sregar
dof,ordi
sobedi
encetoit
s
dir
ecti
ve,or
der,ordeci
sion.

(9)SubmittothePresi
dentandtheCongr
essacompr
ehensi
ver
epor
tont
heconductofeach
elect
ion,
plebi
scit
e,i
nit
iat
ive,
ref
erendum,
orrecal
l
.

Notanyoneoft
heenumerat
edpowersappr
oximatet
heexact
it
udeoft
hepr
ovi
sionsofAr
ti
cle
VI
,Secti
on17ofthesamebasi
clawst
ati
ngthat:
TheSenat eandt heHouseofRepr esent at
ivesshal leachhav eanEl ectoral Tri
bunalwhichshall
bet hesolejudgeofal l
contestsrelatingtot heelection,returns,
andqual if
icationsofthei
r
respecti
veMember s.EachEl ect
oral Tri
bunal shallbecomposedofni neMember s,t
hreeof
whom shal l
beJust icesoftheSupr emeCour tt
obedesi gnatedbyt heChi efJust i
ce,andthe
remai ni
ngsixshallbeMember soft heSenat eortheHouseofRepr esent atives,asthecasemay
be,whoshal lbechosenont hebasisofpr oporti
onal representati
onf rom t hepol i
ti
calpar
ties
andt hepart
iesoror ganizat
ionsregisteredundert hepar ty-li
stsystem r epresentedtherei
n.The
seniorJusti
ceint heElector
al Tr
ibunal shallbeitsChai rman.

oroft
hel
astpar
agr
aphofAr
ti
cleVI
I,
Sect
ion4whi
chpr
ovi
dest
hat
:

TheSupr emeCour t,si

tt
ingenbanc,shal
lbethesol
ejudgeofal
lcont
estsr
elat
ingtothe
electi
on,ret
urns,andquali
fi
cat
ionsofthePresi
dentorVi
ce-
Presi
dent
,andmaypr omulgat
eit
s
rulesforthepurpose.

Thetri
bunalswhichhavejur
isdi
cti
onoverthequest
ionofthequal
ifi
cati
onsofthePr
esi
dent
,the
Vice-
Presi
dent,Senat
orsandtheMember softheHouseofRepresentat
iveswasmadecl
earby
theConsti
tuti
on.Therei
snosuchpr ov
isi
onforcandidat
esfort
hesepositions.

Cant
heCOMELECbesuchj
udge?

Theopini
onofJust
iceVi
centeV.Mendozai
nRomual
dez-Marcosv.Commissi
onon
El
ecti
ons,
104whichwasaffi
rmati
vel
ycit
edi
ntheEnBancdecisi
oninFer
minv.COMELEC105i
s
ourgui
de.Theci
tat
ioni
nFerminreads:

Apparentl
yreali
zi
ngt
helackofanaut
hor
izedproceedi
ngfordecl
ari
ngt
heinel
igi
bil
i
tyof
candidat
es,theCOMELECamendedit
srulesonFebruar
y15,1993soastoprovi
deinRul
e25§
1,thefol
lowing:

Groundsfordi
squal
if
icati
on.-Anycandi
datewhodoesnotpossessall
thequalif
icati
onsofa
candi
dateasprovi
dedforbyt heConst
it
uti
onorbyexist
ingl
aworwhocommi tsanyact
decl
aredbylawtobegr oundsfordi
squal
if
icat
ionmaybedisqual
i
fiedf
rom conti
nuingasa
candi
date.
Thelackofprovisi
onfordecl
ari
ngt heineli
gibi
li
tyofcandi dates,howev er,
cannotbesuppl iedby
amer erul
e.Suchanactisequival
entt othecreationofacauseofact i
onwhi chi sasubstanti
ve
matterwhichtheCOMELEC, i
ntheexer ciseofitsrule-makingpowerunderAr t.IX,A,§6oft he
Consti
tuti
on,cannotdoit
.Iti
snotewor t
hyt hattheConst it
uti
onwi thholdsfrom theCOMELEC
eventhepowert odeci
decasesinvolvi
ngt herighttov ote,whichessent i
all
yinvolvesaninquir
y
i
ntoqualif
icat
ionsbasedonage, r
esidenceandci tizenshipofv ot
ers.[Art
.IX,C,§2( 3)
]

Theassi mi lationinRule25oft heCOMELECr ulesofgr oundsforineligibi

lit
yintogroundsf or
disqualifi
cat i
oni scontraryt otheev identi ntentionoft helaw.Fornotonl yintheirgroundsbut
alsoint heirconsequencesar epr oceedi ngsf or" di
squalifi
cati
on"differentfrom thosef ora
declarationof" i
neli
gibi
l
ity.""Disqual i
ficati
on"pr oceedings,asalreadyst ated,arebasedon
groundsspeci fi
edin§12and§68oft heOmni busEl ecti
onCodeandi n§40oft heLocal
Gov ernmentCodeandar ef orthepur poseofbar ri
ngani ndivi
dual f
rom becomi ngacandi dat
e
orfrom cont inui
ngasacandi dat eforpubl icof fi
ce.Inawor d,
theirpur poseist oeli
mi nat
ea
candidat efrom t heraceei therf r
om t hest artordur ingitsprogress."Ineli
gibil
it
y,"ontheother
hand, refer
st othelackoft hequal i
ficationspr escr i
bedi ntheConst i
tutionort hestatutesfor
holdingpubl i
cof fi
ceandt hepur poseoft hepr oceedi ngsfordeclarationofi neli
gibi
li
tyisto
remov et hei ncumbentf rom of fice.

Consequently
,thatanindi
vidualpossessesthequal
if
icati
onsforapubli
coffi
cedoesnotimpl
y
thatheisnotdisquali
fi
edfrom becomingacandidat
eorcont i
nuingasacandidat
eforapubli
c
offi
ceandv i
cev er
sa.Wehav ethissortofdi
chotomyinourNat ural
i
zat
ionLaw.(C.
A.No.473)
Thatanalienhasthequalif
icati
onsprescri
bedin§2oft heLawdoesnotimplythathedoesnot
sufferf
rom anyof[the]di
squali
fi
cati
onsprov i
dedi
n§4.

Beforewegetder ai
l
edbyt hedisti
nctionast ogroundsandtheconsequencesoftherespect
ive
proceedi
ngs,theimportanceoftheopi nionisini
tsstat
ementthat"t
helackofprovi
sionfor
declar
ingtheinel
i
gibil
i
tyofcandidates, however,
cannotbesuppli
edbyamer erule"
.Justi
ce
Mendozal ect
uredinRomual dez-
Mar cost hat:

Thr
eereasonsmaybecit
edt oexpl
aint
heabsenceofanaut
hor
izedpr
oceedi
ngf
ordet
ermi
ning
bef
oreel
ecti
onthequal
i
ficat
ionsofacandi
dat
e.

Fi
rstist
hefactt
hatunlessacandi
dat
ewinsandispr
ocl
aimedel
ected,t
hereisnonecessi
tyfor
deter
mini
nghiseli
gibi
l
ityf
ortheof
fi
ce.I
ncont
rast
,whet
herani
ndiv
idualshouldbedi
squal
ifi
ed
asacandi dateforactsconsti
tut i
ngel ectionoffenses( e.
g.,
v ot
ebuy i
ng,overspending,
commi ssi
onofpr ohi
bit
edacts)i sapr ejudici
alquestionwhi chshouldbedet erminedlesthe
winsbecauseoft heveryact
sf orwhi chhi sdisquali
fi
cat i
onisbeingsought .Thatiswhyi ti
s
providedthatifthegroundsfordi squalif
icati
onar eestabli
shed,acandidatewi l
lnotbev otedf
or;
i
fhehasbeenv otedfor,t
hevotesi nhisfavorwi l
lnotbecount ed;andifforsomer easonhehas
beenv otedforandhehaswon, eitherhewi ll
notbepr ocl
aimedorhi sprocl
amat ionwillbeset
aside.

Secondi sthefactt hatthedetermi nati

onofacandi dat es'el
igibi
li
ty,
e.g.,hiscit
izenshipor, asi
n
thi
scase, hisdomi cil
e,mayt akeal ongt i
met omake, extendingbeyondt hebegi nningoft he
term oftheoffice.Thisisampl ydemonst rat edi nthecompani oncase( G.R.No.120265,
AgapitoA.Aqui nov .COMELEC)wher et hedet erminat i
onofAqui no'
sr esidencewasst ill
pendingintheCOMELECev enaf t
ert heel ect i
onsofMay8, 1995.Thisi scontrarytothe
summar ycharacterproceedingsr elati
ngt ocer ti
fi
cat esofcandi dacy.Thati swhyt helawmakes
thereceiptofcer ti
fi
catesofcandi dacyami nisteri
al dut yoftheCOMELECandi tsoffi
cers.The
l
awi ssat i
sfi
edi fcandidatesstatei ntheircer tif
icatesofcandi dacythattheyar eeli
gibleforthe
positi
onwhi cht heyseektof i
ll,
leav i
ngt hedet erminat i
onoft heirquali
ficati
onst obemadeaf t
er
theelecti
onandonl yintheev enttheyar eel ect ed.Onl yincasesi nvolvi
ngchar gesoff alse
representat
ionsmadei ncertif
icatesofcandi dacyist heCOMELECgi v
enj uri
sdicti
on.

Thirdisthepolicyunder l
yi
ngthepr ohi
biti
onagai nstpre-pr
oclamati
oncasesinelecti
onsfor
President,Vi
cePr esident,
Senatorsandmember softheHouseofRepr esentat
ives.(
R.A.No.
7166, §15)Thepur poseistopreservetheprerogativesoftheHouseofRepr esentat
ives
Electoral
Tr i
bunalandt heotherTri
bunalsas" solejudges"undertheConsti
tuti
onoft heelecti
on,
retur
nsandqual i
fi
cat i
onsofmember sofCongr essoft hePresi
dentandVicePresident,
ast he
casemaybe. 106

Tobesur
e,t
heauthorit
ati
venessoftheRomualdezpr
onouncement
sasrei
ter
atedi
nFermi
n,l
ed
tot
heamendmentthroughCOMELECResol ut
ionNo.9523,on25Sept
ember2012ofi
tsRul
e25.
Thi
s,t
he15Febr
uary1993v er
sionofRul
e25,whichstat
esthat
:

Groundsfordi
squal
if
icati
on.-
Anycandidat
ewhodoesnotpossessal l
thequali
fi
cat
ionsofa
candi
dateasprovi
dedforbyt heConst
it
uti
onorbyexist
ingl
aworwhocommi tsanyact
decl
aredbylawtobegr oundsfordi
squal
if
icat
ionmaybedisqual
i
fiedfr
om conti
nui
ngasa
candi
date.
107

wasi
nthe2012r
endi
ti
on,
drast
ical
l
ychangedt
o:
Grounds.-Anycandi
dat
ewho, i
nacti
onorprotesti
nwhichhei
sapar
ty,
isdecl
aredbyfi
nal
deci
sionofacompetentcourt
,gui
l
tyof,
orfoundbyt heCommi
ssi
ont
obesuf f
eri
ngfr
om any
di
squali
ficat
ionpr
ovi
dedbylawortheConsti
tuti
on.

APeti
ti
ontoDisquali
fyaCandidat
einv
okinggroundsforaPet
it
iontoDenytoorCancel
a
Cer
ti
fi
cateofCandidacyorPeti
ti
ontoDeclar
eaCandi dat
easaNuisanceCandi
dat
e,ora
combi
nati
onthereof,shal
lbesummari
lydismissed.

Clearl
y,t
heamendmentdonei n2012isanaccept anceofthereali
tyofabsenceofan
authori
zedpr oceedi
ngf ordetermini
ngbeforeelecti
onthequalif
icationsofcandi
date.Suchthat
,
aspresentlyrequir
ed,t
odi squali
fyacandidatetheremustbeadecl arat
ionbyafinalj
udgment
ofacompet entcourtt
hatthecandi dat
esoughtt obedisquali
fi
ed" i
sgui l
tyoforf
oundbyt he
Commi ssiont obesufferi
ngfrom anydisquali
fi
cationprov
idedbyl awort heConsti
tuti
on."

I
nsof arasthequali
fi
cat i
onofacandi dateisconcerned,Rul
e25andRul e23arefli
psidesofone
totheot her
.Bothdonotal low,arenotaut horizat
ions,ar
enotvestmentofjuri
sdi
ction, f
orthe
COMELECt odeter
mi net hequali
ficati
onofacandi dat
e.Thefact
sofqual i
fi
cati
onmust
beforehandbeestablishedinapr iorproceedingbef or
eanauthori
typroperl
yvestedwi th
j
urisdict
ion.Thepr
iordet er
mi nat
ionofqual if
icati
onmaybebyst atute,byexecut
iveor derorby
ajudgmentofacompet entcourtortribunal.

Ifacandi datecannotbedisquali
fiedwi t
houtapr i
orf i
ndingt hatheorshei ssuffer
ingfr
om a
disqualif
icati
on"provi
dedbyl awort heConst ituti
on,"neithercant hecer ti
fi
cateofcandidacybe
cancelledordeni edduecourseongr oundsoff al
serepr esentati
onsr egardinghisorher
qualif
ications,wi
thoutapri
oraut hori
tati
vef i
ndi ngthatheorshei snotqual i
fi
ed,suchprior
authoritybeingthenecessarymeasur ebywhi cht hefalsit
yoft her epresentat
ioncanbef ound.
Theonl yexcept i
onthatcanbeconcededar esel f
-evi
dentf actsofunquest i
onedor
unquest ionabl
ev er
acit
yandjudicialconfessions.Suchar e,anyway ,
basesequi val
enttoprior
decisi
onsagai nstwhichthefalsi
tyofr epresent at
ioncanbedet er
mi ned.

Theneedf orapredicat
ef i
ndingorfi
nalpronouncementinaproceedingunderRul e23that
deal
swi th,asi
nthiscase,all
egedfalserepr
esentat
ionsregar
dingthecandi dat
e'sci
ti
zenshi
p
andresidence,f
orcedtheCOMELECt oruleessenti
all
ythatsi
ncefoundlings108arenot
mentionedintheenumer ati
onofcit
izensunderthe1935Const i
tuti
on,109theythencannotbe
ci
ti
zens.Ast heCOMELECst atedi
nor al
arguments,whenpetit
ioneradmi t
tedthatsheisa
foundli
ng,shesaiditall
.Thisbordersonbigotry.Oddly
,inaneffortattol
erance,theCOMELEC,
aftersayi
ngthatitcannotrulet
hather ei
npeti
tionerpossessesbloodr el
ati
onshipwithaFili
pino
cit
izenwhen" i
tiscertai
nthatsuchr el
ati
onshipisindemonstrabl
e,"proceededtosayt hat"
she
nowhast heburdent opresentevidencetoprov ehernatur
alfi
li
ati
onwi thaFili
pinoparent.
"

Thef
acti
sthatpet
it
ioner
'sbl
oodr
elat
ionshi
pwi
thaFi
l
ipi
noci
ti
zeni
sDEMONSTRABLE.

Att heout set,itmustbenot edt hatpresumpt i

onsr egardi
ngpat er
nityisneit
herunknownnor
unaccept edi nPhi l
i
ppi neLaw.TheFami l
yCodeoft hePhi l
ippineshasawhol echapteron
Pater ni
tyandFi l
iat
ion.110Thatsai d,thereismor ethansuf f
icientevider
1cet hatpetit
ionerhas
Fil
ipinopar entsandi st her
eforeanat ural-
bornFili
pino.Parentheticall
y,t
hebur denofpr oofwas
onpr ivater espondent stoshowt hatpet i
ti
onerisnotaFi l
ipinoci t
izen.Thepr iv
aterespondents
shoul dhav eshownt hatbothofpet i
ti
oner'sparentswereal i
ens.Heradmi ssionthatshei sa
foundl i
ngdi dnotshi fttheburdent oherbecausesuchst atusdi dnotexcludet hepossi bi
li
tyt
hat
herpar entswer eFil
ipinos,
especiallyasint hi
scasewher et her ei
sahi ghpr obabil
it
y,ifnot
certainty,thatherpar entsareFili
pinos.

Thef
actuali
ssueisnotwhotheparentsofpet
iti
onerar
e,ast
hei
rident
it
iesar
eunknown,
but
whet
hersuchparent
sareFil
i
pinos.UnderSect
ion4,Rul
e128:

Sect.4.Relevancy,col
lat
eralmatter
s-Ev idencemusthavesuchar elat
iontothefacti
nissueas
toinducebel i
efi
nitsexistenceorno-exi
stence.Evi
denceoncoll
ateralmat t
ersshal
lnotbe
all
owed, exceptwhenittendsi nanyreasonabledegreet
oestabl
ishthepr obabi
li
tyof
i
mpr obabili
tyofthefactinissue.

TheSol i
citorGener alofferedoffi
cialst ati
sticsfrom t hePhi li
ppi
neSt at i
sti
csAut hori
ty( PSA) 111
thatf r
om 1965t o1975, thetot
al numberoff oreignersbor ni
nthePhi lippineswas15, 986whi l
e
thet otalnumberofFi li
pinosbor nint hecount r
ywas10, 558,278.Thest at
isticalprobabi l
itythat
anychi ldbor ninthePhi lippi
nesint hatdecadei snat ural-
bornFili
pinowas99. 83%.Forherpar t,
petiti
onerpr esentedcensusst atisti
csf orIl
oi l
oPr ovi
ncef or1960and1970, alsofrom t hePSA.
In1960, ther ewere962, 532Fi l
ipinosand4, 734f or ei
gner sinthepr ovince; 99.62%oft he
popul ati
onwer eFili
pinos.In1970, thef igureswer e1, 162,669Fil
ipinosand5, 304f oreigner s,or
99.55%.Al sopresentedwer efi
gur esf orthechi ldpr oducingages( 15-49).In1960, t
her ewer e
230,528f emal eFilipi
nosasagai nst730f emal ef oreignersor99. 68%.I nthesamey ear ,there
were210, 349Fi l
i
pinomal esand886mal eal i
ens, or99. 58%.In1970, therewer e270, 299Fi l
i
pino
femal esv ersus1, 190f emaleal i
ens, or99.56%.Thatsamey ear,therewer e245, 740Fi l
ipino
mal esasagai nstonly1, 165mal ealiensor99. 53%.COMELECdi dnotdi sput ethesef igures.
Notabl
y,Commissi
onerAr
thurLim admitt
ed,
duri
ngtheoral
argument
s,t
hatattheti
me
pet
iti
onerwasf
oundin1968,themaj or
it
yofthepopul
ati
oninI
loi
l
owasFili
pino.
112

Otherci
rcumstanti
alev
idenceofthenati
onali
tyofpet i
ti
oner'
spar ent
sar
ethef
actthatshewas
abandonedasani nf
antinaRomanCat holi
cChur chinIloi
l
oCi t
y.1âwphi
1Shealsohastypi
cal
Fil
ipi
nofeat
ures:hei
ght,f
latnasal
bri
dge,st
raightblackhair,
almondshapedeyesandanov al
face.

Ther eisadisput ablepr esumpt i

onthatt hingshav ehappenedaccor di
ngt otheordinarycourse
ofnat ureandt heor dinaryhabitsofli
fe.113Al l oftheforegoingev i
dence,thatapersonwi th
typicalFil
i
pinof eaturesi sabandonedi nCat holicChur chinamuni ci
pal
itywherethepopul ati
on
ofthePhi li
ppinesi sov erwhelminglyFi
lipinossucht hattherewoul dbemor ethana99%chance
thatachi l
dbor ni nthepr ov i
ncewouldbeaFi l
ipino,wouldindi cat
emor ethanampl eprobabili
ty
i
fnotst atist
icalcertainty,thatpeti
ti
oner'spar entsar eFil
ipi
nos.Thatprobabi l
i
tyandt he
evidenceonwhi chi ti
sbasedar eadmi ssibleunderRul e128, Secti
on4oft heRevisedRuleson
Evidence.

Toassumeot
herwi
seist
oacceptt
heabsur
d,i
fnott
hev
irt
ual
l
yimpossi
ble,
ast
henor
m.I
nthe
wor
dsoftheSol
i
cit
orGener
al:

Second.Itiscontrar
yt ocommonsensebecausef oreignersdonotcomet othePhili
ppinesso
theycangetpr egnantandleavet heirnewbornbabiesbehi nd.Wedonotfaceasi t
uati
onwher e
theprobabil
it
yissucht hateveryfoundlingwouldhav ea50%chanceofbei ngaFil
ipi
noanda
50%chanceofbei ngaf or
eigner.Weneedt ofr
ameourquest ionspr
operl
y.Whatarethe
chancesthatthepar entsofanyonebor ninthePhili
ppineswoul dbeforei
gners?Al
mostzer o.
Whatar ethechancest hatthepar entsofanyoneborni nthePhi l
i
ppi
neswouldbeFi l
i
pinos?
99.9%.

Accordingtot hePhili
ppineStatist
icsAuthor i
ty,f
rom 2010t o2014,onay earl
yaverage, t
here
were1,766,046chi l
drenbor ni
nt hePhi l
i
ppinest oFili
pinoparents,
asopposedt o1,301chi l
dren
i
nt hePhili
ppinesoff orei
gnpar ents.Thus,forthatsampl eperi
od,therat
ioofnon-Fili
pino
chil
drentonat uralbornFil
ipi
nochi ldr
enis1: 1357.Thismeanst hatthestati
sti
cal
pr obabil
it
y
thatanychildbor ninthePhili
ppineswoul dbeanat uralbor
nFi l
i
pinois99.93%.

Fr
om 1965t
o1975,
thet
otal
numberoff
orei
gner
sbor
nint
hePhi
l
ippi
nesi
s15,
986whi
l
ethe
tot
al numberofFil
ipi
nosborninthePhil
ippinesis15,558,278.Forthi
speriod,
therat
ioofnon-
Fil
i
pinochi l
dreni
s1:661.Thi
smeanst hatthestatist
icalprobabi
lit
ythatanychi
ldborni
nthe
Phil
ippinesonthatdecadewouldbeanat uralbornFili
pinois99.83%.

Wecani nv i
testat ist
iciansandsoci al ant
hr opologistst ocruncht henumber sforus,butIam
confi
dentt hatthest at i
sti
calprobabi lityt
hatachi l
dbor ni
nt hePhi li
ppi neswoul dbeanat ural
bornFil
ipinowi l
l notbeaf fectedbywhet herornott hepar ent sar eknown.I fatall
,theli
keli
hood
thatafoundl i
ngwoul dhav eaFi li
pi nopar entmi ghtev enbehi ghert han99. 9%.Fil
ipi
nos
abandont heirchildrenoutofpov er tyorper haps,shame.Wedonoti magi neforei
gners
abandoningt heirchildrenherei nt hePhi l
ippi nesthinki ngthosei nfantswoul dhavebet t
er
economi coppor tunitiesorbelievingt hatt hiscount ryisat ropical paradisesuitableforrai
sing
abandonedchi ldren.Icer tai
nlydoubtwhet herafor eigncoupl ehasev erconsideredtheirchil
d
excessbaggaget hatisbestlef tbehi nd.

Todenyf ullFi
lipi
noci ti
zenshiptoal lf
oundlingsandr enderthem st at
elessjustbecauset her
e
maybeat heor et
icalchancet hatoneamongt hethousandsoft hesef oundli
ngsmi ghtbet he
chi
ldofnotj ustone, buttwo, for
eignersisdownr ightdiscr
iminatory,i
rrati
onal,
andunj ust.I
tjust
doesn'tmakeanysense.Gi venthest ati
sti
cal cer
taint
y-99.9%-t hatanychi l
dbor ninthe
Phil
ippineswoul dbeanat ur
al bornciti
zen,adeci si
ondeny i
ngf oundlingssuchstatusi s
eff
ectivelyadeni al ofthei
rbirthr
ight.Thereisnor easonwhyt hisHonor abl
eCour tshoulduse
animpr obabl ehy potheti
caltosacr i
fi
cet hefundament alpoli
ti
cal r
ightsofanent i
reclassof
humanbei ngs.YourHonor ,constituti
onalinterpr
etati
onandt heuseofcommonsensear enot
separatedi scipli
nes.

Asamat teroflaw, f
oundlingsar easacl ass,natural
-borncitizens.Whil
ethe1935
Consti
tuti
on'
senumer ati
oni ssilentastof oundl
ings,thereisnor estr
ict
ivel
anguagewhich
woulddefini
telyexcl
udef oundlingseither.Becauseofsi l
enceandambi guit
yintheenumerat
ion
wit
hrespectt ofoundli
ngs, t
herei saneedt oexaminet heintentoftheframers.I
nNitaf
anv.
Commi ssi
onerofI nter
nalRev enue,114t hi
sCour thel
dt hat:

Theascertai
nmentoft hati
ntenti
sbuti nkeepi ngwi t
ht hefundament al
pr i
ncipl
eof
const
ituti
onalconst
ructi
onthattheintentoft hef r
amer softheor ganiclawandoft hepeople
adopti
ngitshouldbegi v
eneffect.Thepr i
mar ytaskinconst i
tutionalconstructi
onistoascer
tai
n
andthereaft
erassurethereal
izat
ionoft hepur poseoft heframer sandoft hepeopleinthe
adopti
onoft heConstit
uti
on.Itmayalsobesaf elyassumedt hatthepeopl einrati
fyi
ngthe
Consti
tuti
onwer eguidedmainlybytheexpl anationofferedbyt hef r
amer s.
115
Aspointedoutbypetit
ioneraswell
astheSol
ici
torGener
al,
thedeli
ber
ati
onsoft
he1934
Const
ituti
onalConvent
ionshowthatthefr
amersint
endedfoundl
i
ngstobecover
edbythe
enumerati
on.Thefoll
owingexchangeisr
ecor
ded:

Sr.Raf
ols:
Foranamendment.Iproposet
hataft
ersubsecti
on2, thefoll
owi
ngi
sinser
ted:
"The
natur
alchi
ldr
enofaf
orei
gnfatherandaFil
ipi
nomot hernotrecognizedbyt
hefat
her.

xxxx

Pr
esi
dent
:

[
We]wouldl
iket
orequestacl
ari
fi
cati
onfr
om t
hepr
oponentoftheamendment
.Thegent
leman
r
efer
stonat
ural
chil
drenort
oanykindofi
ll
egi
ti
mat
echil
dren?

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Toallki
ndsofi
ll
egi
ti
matechi
ldr
en.I
talsoi
ncl
udesnat
ural
chi
l
drenofunknownpar
ent
age,
nat
uralori
ll
egi
ti
matechi
l
drenofunknownpar
ents.

Sr
.Mont
inol
a:

Forclari
fi
cati
on.Thegentlemansaid" ofunknownparents."Currentcodesconsiderthem
Fi
li
pino,thati
s,Iref
ertotheSpanishCodewher ei
nal
l chi
ldrenofunknownpar ent
agebornin
Spanishterr
it
oryareconsideredSpaniards,
becausethepr esumpt i
oni st
hatachildofunknown
parentageisthesonofaSpani ar
d.Thi smaybeappli
edi nt hePhili
ppinesinthatachil
dof
unknownpar entageborninthePhil
ippinesisdeemedt obeFi l
i
pino,andt her
eisnoneed. .
.

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Ther
eisaneed,
becausewear
erel
ati
ngt
hecondi
ti
onst
hatar
e[r
equi
red]t
obeFi
l
ipi
no.

Sr
.Mont
inol
a:

Butt
hati
sthei
nter
pret
ati
onoft
hel
aw,
ther
efor
e,t
her
eisno[
mor
e]needf
oramendment
.
Sr
.Raf
ols:

Theamendmentshoul
dreadt
hus:

"Natural
ori
ll
egit
imat
eofafor
eignf
atherandaFi
l
ipi
nomot
herr
ecogni
zedbyone,
ort
he
chil
drenofunknownpar
ent
age.
"

Sr
.Br
iones:

Theamendment[
shoul
d]meanchi
l
drenbor
nint
hePhi
l
ippi
nesofunknownpar
ent
age.

Sr
.Raf
ols:

ThesonofaFi
l
ipi
nat
oaFor
eigner
,al
thought
his[
per
son]doesnotr
ecogni
zet
hechi
l
d,i
snot
unknown.

Pr
esi
dent
:

Doest
hegent
lemanacceptt
heamendmentornot
?

Sr
.Raf
ols:

Idonotacceptt heamendmentbecausetheamendmentwoul dexcl

udethechil
drenofaFili
pina
withaforei
gnerwhodoesnotr ecogni
zet
hechild.Thei
rparentageisnotunknownandIt hi
nk
thoseofoverseasFil
ipinomot
herandfat
her[whom thelat
ter]doesnotrecogni
ze,shoul
dalso
beconsider
edasFi li
pinos.

Pr
esi
dent
:

Thequesti
oni
nor
deri
stheamendmentt
otheamendmentf
rom t
heGent
lemanf
rom Cebu,
Mr.
Bri
ones.

Sr
.Busi
on:

Mr.President,
don'
tyout
hinki
twoul
dbebet
tert
oleav
ethi
smat
teri
nthehandsoft
he
Legi
sl
at ure?
Sr
.Roxas:

Mr.Presi
dent,myhumbl eopini
onisthatthesecasesar efewandfarinbetween,t
hatthe
consti
tut
ionneed[not]r
efertothem.Byinternati
onallawthepri
nci
plethatchi
ldr
enorpeopl
e
borninacountryofunknownpar ent
sarecitizensinthisnat
ioni
srecognized,
anditi
snot
necessar
ytoincludeaprovisi
onont hesubjectexhaustiv
ely
.116

Thought heRafolsamendmentwasnotcar r
iedout,i
twasnotbecausether
ewasanyobjecti
on
tothenot i
onthatper
sonsof"unknownparentage"ar
enotci
tizensbutonl
ybecauset
hei
r
numberwasnotenought omeritspeci
fi
cment i
on.Suchwastheaccount,
117cit
edbypeti
ti
oner
,
ofdelegateandconsti
tut
ionl
awaut horJoseAruegowhosaid:

Duringt hedebat esont hisprovisi

on, Del
egateRaf olspresentedanamendmentt oi ncludeas
Fil
i
pi noci ti
zensthei l
l
egiti
mat echildrenwit
haf oreignfat
herofamot herwhowasaci ti
zenof
thePhi li
ppines,andal sofoundlings;butthi
samendmentwasdef eatedpr i
mar i
lybecauset he
Conv entionbel i
evedthatt hecases, bei
ngtoof ewt owarr
antt heinclusionofapr ovisioninthe
Const it
utiontoappl ytothem, shoul dbegovernedbyst at
utorylegislati
on.Mor eov er,itwas
beli
ev edt hattherulesofinternati
onal l
awwer eal readycleartotheef fectthatil
legitimate
chil
dr enfollowedt heciti
zenshipoft hemother, andt hatf
oundl i
ngsf oll
owedt henat i
onali
tyof
thepl acewher etheywer ef ound,therebymakingunnecessar ythei nclusi
oni ntheConst i
tuti
on
ofthepr oposedamendment .

Thisexplanat
ionwasl
i
kewi
set
heposi
ti
onoft
heSol
i
cit
orGener
aldur
ingt
he16Febr
uar
y2016
OralArguments:

Weal lknowt hattheRaf ol

spr oposalwasrejected.Butnotet
hatwhatwasdecl inedwasthe
proposal f
orat extualandexplici
trecogni
ti
onoff oundli
ngsasFili
pinos.Andso, t
hewayto
explai
nt heconst i
tuti
onalsi
lenceisbysayingt hatitwasthevi
ewofMont i
nolaandRoxaswhich
prevai
ledthattherei snomor eneedt oexpresslydeclar
efoundl
ingsasFi l
i
pinos.

Obviousl
y,itdoesn'
tmatterwhet herMonti
nola'
sorRoxas'vi
ewswer el egall
ycorrect.Framers
ofaconst i
tuti
oncanconstituti
onali
zerul
esbasedonassumpt ionsthatar eimperfectoreven
wrong.Theycanev enov er
turnexisti
ngrul
es.Thisi
sbasic.Whatmat t
ershereist hatMontinol
a
andRoxaswer eabl
etoconv incethei
rcoll
eaguesintheconventionthatthereisnomor eneed
toexpressl
ydeclarefoundl
ingsasFi l
ipi
nosbecausetheyarealreadyimpliedlysor ecogni
zed.
I
not herwords,t
heconst i
tut i
onalsi
lenceisfullyexpl
ainedintermsofl i
nguisti
ceffi
ciencyand
theav oi
danceofredundancy .Thepolicyisclear:i
tistorecognizefoundl i
ngs,asacl ass,as
Fil
i
pinosunderArt.IV,Section1(3)oft he1935Const itut
ion.Thisinclusi
v epoli
cyiscarri
edov er
i
ntot he1973and1987Const i
tut
ion.Iti
sappr opri
atetoinvokeaf amousschol arashewas
paraphrasedbyChiefJusticeFernando: t
heconst it
uti
onisnotsi l
entlysilent,
itissi
lentl
yv ocal
.
118

TheSol i
citorGener almakest hefurtherpointthattheframer s"wor kedtocreateaj ustand
humanesoci ety,"that"theywer ereasonablepat r
iotsandt hatitwoul dbeunfairtoimput eupon
them adi scri
mi natoryintentagainstfoundlings.
"Heexhor tsthat,givent
hegr aveimpl i
cati
ons
ofthear gumentt hatfoundlingsarenotnat ural-
bornFili
pinos, t
heCour tmustsear cht he
recordsoft he1935, 1973and1987Const i
tut
ions"foranexpr essi nt
enti
ontodenyf oundli
ngs
thestatusofFi li
pinos.Thebur denisont hosewhowi shtouset heconstitut
iontodi scri
minate
againstfoundlingst oshowt hattheconst it
uti
onr eall
yint
endedt otakethi
spat htot hedarkside
andinfli
ctt hi
sacr osst heboar dmar ginal
izati
on."

Wef indnosuchi ntentorl anguageper mi tt

ingdiscr iminati
onagai nstf oundli
ngs.Ont he
contrary, allthreeConst itutionsguar anteet hebasi cr i
ghttoequal protecti
onoft hel aws.All
exhortt heSt at
et or endersoci alj
usti
ce.Ofspeci al considerati
onar esev eralprovi
si onsinthe
presentchar t
er:Ar t
icleII,Sect ion11whi chpr ovidest hatthe"Stat evaluesthedi gnityofevery
humanper sonandguar ant eesf ull
respectf orhumanr ights,
"ArticleXIII
,Section1whi ch
mandat esCongr esst o"gi vehi ghestpriorit
yt otheenact mentofmeasur esthatprot ectand
enhancet her i
ghtofal l thepeopl etohumandi gnity,reducesoci al,economi c,andpol it
ical
i
nequal itiesxxx"andAr ti
cl eXV, Secti
on3whi chr equirestheSt atetodef endt he"rightof
chil
drent oassi stance, incl udingpropercar eandnut ri
ti
on, andspeci alprotecti
onf rom allf
orms
ofnegl ect ,abuse, cruelty ,exploitat
ion,andot hercondi ti
onspr ej
udi ci
al t
otheirdev elopment."
Certainly, thesepr ovisionscont r
adictani ntenttodi scriminateagai nstfoundli
ngsonaccountof
thei
runf ortunat estatus.

Domest iclawsonadopt i
onal sosupportthepr i
nci
plethatf oundlingsar eFilipinos.Theselaws
donotpr ov i
det hatadopti
onconf er
sci t
izenshipupont headopt ee.Rat her,theadopt eemustbe
aFil
ipinoi nthef i
rstpl
acetobeadopt ed.Themostbasi cofsuchl awsi sAr ticle15oft heCivi
l
Codewhi chprov i
desthat"[
l]awsrelat
ingt ofamil
yr i
ghts,duti
es, status,condi ti
ons,legal
capacityofper sonsarebindingonci t
izensoft hePhili
ppinesev ent houghl ivingabroad."
Adoptiondeal swi thst
atus,andaPhi l
ippineadoptioncour twil
l havej uri
sdictiononlyifthe
adopteei saFilipi
no.InEll
isandEl l
i
sv .Republic,
119achi ldleftbyanuni dent if
iedmot herwas
soughtt obeadopt edbyali
ens.ThisCour tsaid:
Inthisconnect i
on,itshouldbenot edthatthisisapr oceedi ngsinrem,whichnocour tmay
enter t
ainunlessi thasjurisdicti
on,notonlyov erthesubj ectmat teroft
hecaseandov ert
he
parties,butalsoov erther es, whichi
st heper sonalstatusofBabyRoseaswel lasthatof
petit
ioner sherein.OurCiv il
Code( Ar
t.15)adher estot hetheor ythatj
uri
sdi
cti
onov erthestat
us
ofanat uralpersonisdet ermi nedbythelatter'snati
onal i
ty.Pursuanttothi
stheory
, wehave
j
ur i
sdictionov erthestatusofBabyRose, shebei ngaci ti
zenoft hePhili
ppi
nes,butnotoverthe
statusoft hepet it
ioners,whoar efor
eigners.120( Underli
ningsuppl i
ed)

Recentl egisl
ati
onismor edir
ect
.R.A.No.8043ent it
led"AnActEst abli
shingtheRul estoGovern
theInter-CountryAdopti
onofFil
ipi
noChi ldr
enandForOt herPurposes"(
ot her
wi seknownast he
"I
nter-
Count r
yAdopt i
onActof1995"),R.A.No.8552,entitl
ed"AnActEst abli
shingtheRulesand
Poli
ciesont heAdoptionofFi
li
pinoChildrenandForOt herPurposes"(ot
her wiseknownast he
Domest i
cAdopt ionActof1998)andthisCour t
'sA.
M.No.02- 6-
02-SCort he"Rul eonAdopti
on,"
all
expr esslyreferto"Fi
l
ipi
nochil
dren"andi ncl
udefoundlingsasamongFi l
ipi
nochi l
drenwho
maybeadopt ed.

Ithasbeenar guedt hatthepr ocesst odet ermi nethatt hechi l

di saf oundlingleadingt ot he
i
ssuanceofaf oundl ingcer ti
ficat
eundert hesel awsandt hei ssuanceofsai dcer t
ifi
cat eareacts
toacquireorper fectPhi l
ippinecitizenshi pwhi chmaket hef oundl i
nganat ural
izedFilipinoat
best.Thisiserroneous.UnderAr ticleIV, Section2" Nat ural
-bornci tizensar ethosewhoar e
cit
izensofthePhi l
ippinesf rom birthwi thouthav i
ngt oper f
or m anyactt oacqui r
eorper fect
theirPhi
li
ppinecit i
zenship. "Inthef i
rstpl ace,"hav i
ngt oper form anact "meanst hatt heact
mustbeper sonallydonebyt hecitizen.Int hi
si nstance, t
hedet ermi nati
onoff oundlingst atusi
s
donenotbyt hechi l
dbutbyt heaut hor i
ti
es.121Secondl y
, t
heobj ectoft heprocessi st he
determinati
onoft hewher eaboutsoft hepar ent s,nottheci ti
zenshi poft hechi l
d.Last l
y ,t
he
processiscer t
ainlynotanal ogoust onat ural
izat i
onpr oceedingst oacqui r
ePhi li
ppine
cit
izenshi
p,ort heel ecti
onofsuchci tizenshipbyonebor nofanal ienfatherandaFi li
pino
mot herunderthe1935Const itut
ion, whichi sanactt oper fectit.

Inthi
sinstance,suchissuei smootbecauset her
eisnodi sputethatpeti
ti
onerisafoundling,as
evi
dencedbyaFoundl ingCer t
if
icat
ei ssuedinherfavor.122TheDecr eeofAdoptionissuedon
13May1974, whichappr ovedpetit
ioner'
sadopt i
onbyJesusaSonor aPoeandRonal dAl l
an
Kell
eyPoe, expr
esslyreferstoEmi l
ianoandhi swife,RosarioMili
tar
,asher"foundli
ngparents,"
henceeffecti
vel
yaf f
ir
mi ngpet i
ti
oner'
sst at
usasaf oundli
ng.123

Foundli
ngsareli
kewisecit
izensunderint
ernat
ional
law.Undert
he1987Consti
tut i
on,
an
i
nternat
ionall
awcanbecomepar tofthespher
eofdomest i
clawei
therbytr
ansformati
onor
i
ncorporati
on.Thet
ransformati
onmet hodrequir
esthatani
nter
nat
ionall
awbetr ansf
ormedi
nto
adomest i
cl awt hr oughaconst itut i
onal mechani sm suchasl ocal l
egi slation.124Ont heot her
hand, gener allyaccept edpr i
ncipl esofi nternat ional law, byv irtueoft hei ncorpor ationcl auseof
theConst i
tut i
on, form par toft hel awsoft hel andev eni ftheydonotder iv
ef rom t reaty
obl i
gations.Gener allyaccept edpr i
nciplesofi nt er nat i
onal lawi ncludei nternat i
onal custom as
ev i
denceofagener alpracticeaccept edasl aw, andgener al principlesofl awr ecogni zedby
civili
zednat ions.125I nternational customar yrulesar eaccept edasbi ndi ngasar esul tfrom t he
combi nati
onoft woel ement s: theest abl i
shed, wi despr ead, andconsi st entpr acticeont hepar t
ofSt ates;andapsy chological elementknownast heopi nionj urissiv enecessi t
at es( opinionas
tol awornecessi t y).Implici
ti nthel atterel ementi sabel ieft hatt hepr act i
cei nquest ioni s
render edobl igatorybyt heexi stenceofar ul eofl awr equi r
ingi t.126" Gener al principlesofl aw
recogni zedbyci vil
izednat i
ons"ar epr incipl es" est abl i
shedbyapr ocessofr easoni ng"orj udicial
l
ogi c,basedonpr i
ncipleswhi char e"basi ct ol egal sy stemsgener al
ly,"127suchas" gener al
pr i
nciplesofequi ty,i.
e.,thegener alprincipl esoff airnessandj ust i
ce,"andt he" gener al pri
nciple
agai nstdiscr i
minat i
on"whi chi sembodi edi nt he" Uni versal Decl arationofHumanRi ghts,the
International Cov enantonEconomi c,Soci al andCul tural Right s,theI nt ernational Conv entionon
theEl iminationofAl l
For msofRaci alDi scrimi nat ion, theConv entionAgai nstDi scr i
mi nat i
oni n
Educat i
on,theConv ent i
on( No.111)Concer ni
ngDi scr i
mi nat i
oni nRespectofEmpl oy mentand
Occupat i
on."128Thesear et hesamecor epr i
nci pleswhi chunder li
et hePhi l
ippineConst it
ution
i
t self,
asembodi edi nt heduepr ocessandequal pr otectioncl ausesoft heBi llofRi ght s.129

Univer
salDecl
arat
ionofHumanRi ghts("
UDHR")hasbeeni
nter
pret
edbythisCourtaspartof
thegener
all
yacceptedpr
inci
plesofinter
nat
ional
lawandbi
ndingontheState.
130Arti
cle15
ther
eofst
ates:

1.Ev
ery
onehast
her
ightt
oanat
ional
i
ty.

2.Nooneshal
lbear
bit
rar
il
ydepr
ivedofhi
snat
ional
i
tynordeni
edt
her
ightt
ochangehi
s
nat
ional
i
ty.

ThePhi
l
ippi
neshasal
sorat
ifi
edtheUNConventi
onontheRightsoft
heChi
l
d(UNCRC)
.Ar
ti
cle7
oft
heUNCRCimposesthefol
lowingobl
i
gat
ionsonourcountr
y:

Ar
ti
cl
e7

1.Thechi
l
dshal
lber
egi
ster
edi
mmedi
atel
yaf
terbi
rt
handshal
lhav
ether
ightf
rom bi
rt
htoa
name,t
heri
ghtt
oacqui
reanat
ional
i
tyandasf
araspossi
ble,
ther
ightt
oknowandbecar
edf
or
byhi
sorherpar
ent
s.

2.StatesPart
iesshal
lensurethei
mplementati
onoftheseri
ghtsinaccor
dancewit
hthei
r
nati
onal l
awandt hei
robli
gati
onsunderther
elevanti
nter
nat
ional
instr
umentsi
nthisf
iel
d,i
n
part
icularwheret
hechildwouldother
wisebestatel
ess.

I
n1986,t
hecount
ryalsorati
fiedthe1966I
nternat
ionalCov
enantonCivi
landPol
it
icalRi
ght
s
(
ICCPR)
.Art
icl
e24thereofprovidefort
her
ightofeverychi
ld"
toacqui
reanati
onal
ity:
"

Ar
ti
cl
e24

1.Everychi
ldshall
hav e,wi
thoutanydiscr
iminat
ionastorace,
colour,
sex,l
anguage,
rel
i
gion,
nati
onalorsoci
alor i
gin,
propert
yorbirt
h,theri
ght,t
osuchmeasur esofpr
otecti
onasar
e
requi
redbyhisstatusasami nor,onthepartofhisfami
l
y,soci
etyandtheState.

2.Ev
erychi
l
dshal
lber
egi
ster
edi
mmedi
atel
yaf
terbi
rt
handshal
lhav
eaname.

3.Ev
erychi
l
dhast
her
ightt
oacqui
reanat
ional
i
ty.

Thecommont hreadoft heUDHR, UNCRCandICCPRi stoobligatethePhil

i
ppi nest ogrant
nati
onali
tyfr
om birthandensur et
hatnochil
disstat
eless.Thisgrantofnationali
tymustbeat
theti
meofbi rt
h,andi tcannotbeaccompli
shedbytheapplicati
onofourpr esentnat ur
ali
zati
on
l
aws, Commonweal thActNo.473,asamended,andR.A.No.9139, bothofwhi chr equi
rethe
appl
icanttobeatl easteight
een(18)year
sold.

Theprinci
plesfoundi ntwoconvent
ions,whil
ey etunr
atifi
edbythePhil
ippi
nes,ar
egeneral
ly
acceptedprinci
plesofinter
nati
onall
aw.Thef i
rstisArt
icle14ofthe1930HagueConv enti
onon
Certai
nQuest i
onsRel at
ingtotheConfl
ictofNational
i
tyLawsunderwhi chafoundli
ngis
presumedtohav et he"nati
onal
it
yofthecountryofbirt
h,"towi
t:
Ar
ti
cl
e14

Achil
dwhosepar entsarebothunknownshall
havethenati
onal
i
tyoft
hecountr
yofbir
th.I
fthe
chi
ld'
sparent
ageisestabli
shed,i
tsnati
onal
i
tyshal
lbedeter
minedbyther
ulesappl
i
cablei
n
caseswheretheparentagei
sknown.

Afoundl
i
ngis,
unti
lthecontr
aryi
sproved,
presumedt
ohav
ebeenbor
nont
het
err
it
oryoft
he
St
ateinwhi
chitwasfound.(
Underl
i
ningsuppli
ed)

Thesecondi sthepri
nci
plet
hatafoundl
i
ngispresumedbornofci
ti
zensoft
hecountr
ywhere
heisfound,contai
nedinArt
icl
e2ofthe1961UnitedNat
ionsConv
enti
onontheReduct
ionof
Stat
elessness:

Ar
ti
cl
e2

Afoundli
ngf
oundi ntheterr
it
oryofaCont
racti
ngStat
eshall
,i
ntheabsenceofpr
ooftot
he
contr
ary
,beconsideredtohavebeenbor
nwi t
hint
heterr
it
oryofpar
ent
spossessi
ngthe
nati
onal
it
yofthatState.

ThatthePhi l
ippinesisnotapar tytot he1930HagueConv enti
onnort ot he1961Conv entionon
theReduct ionofSt atelessnessdoesnotmeant hattheirpr i
nciplesar enotbi nding.Whi lethe
Phil
ippinesi snotapar tytot he1930HagueConv ention,itisasi gnator yt otheUni versal
Declarati
ononHumanRi ght s,Arti
cle15( 1)of whi ch131ef fectivelyaffirmsAr ti
cle14oft he1930
HagueConv enti
on.Ar ti
cle2oft he1961" UnitedNat i
onsConv ent i
onont heReduct ionof
Statel
essness"mer ely" gi
v esef f
ect "toAr t
icl
e15( 1)oft heUDHR. 132I nRazonv .Tagitis,133
thi
sCour tnotedt hatt hePhi l
ippineshadnotsi gnedorr atif
iedt he"Internat i
onal Conv entionfor
theProtect i
onofAl lPer sonsf r
om Enf orcedDi sappear ance. "Yet,wer ul edt hatthepr oscr i
pti
on
againstenf orceddi sappear ancesi nt hesai dconv enti
onwasnonet hel essbi ndingasa
"generall
yaccept edpr incipleofi nternat i
onal law. "Razonv .Tagi t
isislikewi senot ablef or
declari
ngt hebanasagener all
yaccept edpr incipleofi nternationallawal thought heconv enti
on
hadbeenr atifi
edbyonl ysixteenst atesandhadnotev encomei ntofor ceandwhi chneededt he
rati
fi
cationofami nimum oft went yst ates.Addi tionally,aspet it
ionerpoi ntsout,theCour twas
contentwi ththepr act i
ceofi nternational andr egional stateorgans, regi onal st
atepr act i
cein
Lati
nAmer ica,andSt atePr acti
cei ntheUni tedSt ates.
Anothercasewher ethenumberofr ati
fyingcount ri
eswasnotdet er minati
veisMi j
aresv.
Ranada, 134wher eonl yfourcountri
eshad" ei
therrati
fi
edoraccededt o"135the1966
"Conventionont heRecogni ti
onandEnf or cementofFor eignJudgment sinCi
vilandCommer cial
Mat t
ers"whent hecasewasdeci dedin2005.TheCour talsopointedoutt hatthatninemember
countri
esoft heEur opeanCommonMar kethadaccededt otheJudgment sConv enti
on.The
CourtalsocitedU. S.lawsandj uri
sprudenceonr ecogni
tionofforeignjudgment s.I
nall,
onlythe
practi
cesoffour teencount r
ieswer econsi der
edandy et,ther
ewaspr onouncementt hat
recognit
ionoffor eignjudgment swaswi despr eadpracti
ce.

Ourappr oachinRazonandMi j
aresef fect
ivelyt akesintoaccountt hef actthat"gener al
ly
acceptedpr i
nciplesofint
er nati
onal l
aw"ar ebasednotonl yoni nt
ernationalcustom, butalsoon
"generalpri
nciplesoflawr ecogni zedbyci vil
izednat ions,
"ast hephr asei sunderstoodi nArt
icl
e
38.1paragraph( c)oftheICJSt atute.Justice, fai
rness,equityandt hepol i
cyagai nst
discri
mination,whicharefundament alpri
nci plesunder l
yingtheBi l
lofRi ghtsandwhi chare
"basictolegalsy st
emsgener al
ly,"136suppor tthenot i
ont hattherightagainstenf orced
disappearancesandt herecogni t
ionoff oreignj udgment s,werecor rectl
yconsi deredas
"general
lyaccept edpri
nciplesofi nternati
onal l
aw"undert heincorporationclause.

Peti
tioner'
sev i
dence137showst hatatl eastsixtycountri
esinAsi a,Nor t
handSout hAmer ica,
andEur opehav epassedl egisl
ati
onr ecognizi
ngf oundlingsasitscitizen.Fort
y-t
wo( 42)ofthose
countri
esf ollowt hej ussangui ni
sregime.Oft hesi xt
y,onlythi
rt
y-three( 33)ar
epar t
iestothe
1961Conv ent i
ononSt at
elessness;t
went y-si
x( 26)arenotsignatoriestot heConventi
on.Al so,
theChiefJust i
ce, atthe2Febr uary2016Or alArgument spoint
edoutt hatin166outof189
countri
essur veyed( or87. 83%),f
oundlingsarer ecognizedascitizens.Theseci r
cumst ances,
i
ncludingt hepr act i
ceofj ussanguiniscount r
ies,showt hati
tisagener all
yacceptedpr i
nci
pl eof
i
nternational l
awt opr esumef oundl
ingsashav ingbeenbor nofnat i
onal softhecountryin
whicht hef oundlingisf ound.

Currentlegislati
onr evealstheadher enceoft hePhil
ippinestothisgener al
lyacceptedpri
ncipl
e
ofinter
national law.Inpar t
icular,
R. A.No.8552, R.
A.No.8042andt hi
sCour t'
sRuleson
Adopt i
on,expr esslyreferto"Fili
pinochi ldr
en."Inallofthem,foundlingsareamongt heFi
li
pino
chil
drenwhocoul dbeadopt ed.Likewi se,i
thasbeenpoi nt
edthatt heDFAi ssuespassportsto
foundli
ngs.Passpor tsarebyl aw, issuedonl ytociti
zens.Thisshowst hateventheexecuti
ve
department ,actingthrought heDFA, consi
dersfoundlingsasPhilippinecit
izens.

Adopt
ingt heselegalpri
nci
plesfr
om the1930HagueConv entionandthe1961Conventi
onon
St
atel
essnessi srati
onalandreasonableandconsi
stentwit
ht hej
ussanguini
sregi
meinour
Const
itut
ion.Thepr esumpti
onofnat ur
al-
bornci
ti
zenshipoffoundl
ingsst
emsf r
om the
pr
esumpti
onthatt
hei
rparent
sar
enati
onal
softhePhi
l
ippi
nes.Astheempiri
caldat
apr
ovi
ded
bythePSAshow,t
hatpr
esumpti
oni
satmorethan99%andisav i
rt
ualcer
tai
nty
.

Insum, al
loftheinternati
onall
awconv ent
ionsandinstrumentsonthemat t
erofnati
onali
tyof
foundl
ingswer edesignedtoaddr esstheplightofadefenselesscl
asswhi chsuff
ersfrom a
misfort
unenotoft heirownmaki ng.Wecannotber estr
ict
iveastotheirappli
cat
ionifwearea
countr
ywhi chcall
si t
selfci
vil
i
zedandamemberoft hecommuni tyofnati
ons.TheSolici
tor
General'
swarninginhi sopeni
ngst atementisrelev
ant:

.
...t
hetotal
ef f
ectofthosedocument sistosignifytothisHonor abl
eCour tt
hatthosetreat
ies
andconventionswer edraft
edbecauset heworldcommuni tyisconcernedthatthesi
tuati
onof
foundl
i
ngsr endersthem legall
yinvisi
ble.I
twoul dbetragicall
yir
onicifthi
sHonor abl
eCourt
endedupusi ngtheinter
nationalinstr
ument swhichseekt oprot
ectandupl i
ftf
oundli
ngsat ool
todenythem polit
icalst
atusort oaccor dthem second-classcit
izenshi
p.138

TheCOMELECal soruled139thatpeti
ti
oner'srepatr
iat
ioninJuly2006undert heprov
isi
onsof
R.A.No.9225didnotr esul
tinthereacquisi
tionofnatural
-bor
nci t
izenshi
p.TheCOMELEC
reasonedthatsi
ncetheappl i
cantmustper form anact,whati
sr eacquir
edisnot"nat
ural
-bor
n"
cit
izenshi
pbutonlyplain"Phi
li
ppinecit
izenship.
"

TheCOMELEC'srul
earr
ogantl
ydisr
egar
dsconsi
stentj
uri
sprudenceont
hemat
terof
repat
ri
ati
onst
atut
esingener
alandofR.
A.No.9225inpart
icular
.

I
nthesemi
nal
caseofBengsonI
llv
.HRET,
140r
epat
ri
ati
onwasexpl
ainedasf
oll
ows:

Moreover,
r epatriat
ionresul
tsinther ecov
eryoft heori
ginalnat
ionali
ty.Thismeanst hata
nat
urali
zedFi li
pinowhol osthiscit
izenshi
pwillber est
oredtohi spri
orstatusasanat ural
i
zed
Fi
li
pinocit
izen.Ont heotherhand,ifhewasor i
ginallyanatural
-borncit
izenbefor
ehel osthis
Phi
li
ppineci t
izenship,hewillberestoredtohi
sf ormerstatusasanat ural-
bornFi
li
pino.

R.
A.No.9225isar epat
ri
ati
onstatut
eandhasbeendescri
bedassuchinsev eralcases.They
i
ncl
udeSobejana-Condonv.COMELEC141wher ewedescr
ibeditasan"abbreviatedrepatr
iat
ion
pr
ocessthatr
estoresone'
sFil
ipi
nociti
zenshi
pxxx."Al
soincl
udedisParrenov .Commi ssi
on
onAudi
t,
142whi chcit
edTabasav.CourtofAppeal
s,
143wherewesaidt hat"[
t]
her epatr
iat
ion
oftheformerFil
ipi
nowil
lal
lowhimt orecoverhisnatur
al-
bornciti
zenshi
p.Parr
enov.
Commi ssiononAudit
144iscategori
calthat"
ifpeti
ti
onerreacquir
eshisFi
li
pinoci
ti
zenshi
p
(underR.A.No.9225)
,hewil
l..
.recoverhisnatur
al-
bornci
tizenshi
p."

TheCOMELECconst ruedt hephr ase"from bir

th"inthedef
ini
ti
onofnat uralcit
izensasi mpl
yi
ng
"t
hatnat ural
-bor
nci
tizenshi pmustbegi natbirt
handr emainuninter
ruptedandcont inuousfr
om
bi
rth."R.A.No.9225wasobv i
ouslypassedi nli
newithCongress'soleprerogativ
et odeter
mine
howci ti
zenshipmaybel ostorr eacquired.Congresssawitfi
ttodecr eethatnatural-
born
ci
tizenshipmayber eacqui redev enifithadbeenoncel ost
.Iti
snotf ortheCOMELECt o
di
sagr eewi t
htheCongr ess' determinati
on.

Mor eimpor t
antly,
COMELEC' sposi t
ionthatnat ural
-bor
nstatusmustbecont i
nuouswasalready
rej
ectedi nBengsonI IIv
.HRET145wher ethephr ase" f
rom bi
rt
h"wascl arifi
edt omeanatthe
ti
meofbi rt
h:"Aper sonwhoatt het imeofhi sbi r
th,i
saciti
zenofapar t
icularcountr
y,i
sa
natural
-bornciti
zent her
eof .
"Neitheris"repatri
ation"anactto"acquir
eorper f
ect"one'
s
cit
izenship.InBengsonI IIv.HRET, thi
sCour tpointedoutthatthereareonl ytwotypesof
cit
izensundert he1987Const i
tution:nat
ur al
-bornciti
zenandnat ural
i
zed, andthatther
eisno
thi
rdcat egoryforrepatr
iatedcit
izens:

Iti
sappar entfrom theenumer ationofwhoar eciti
zensundert hepr esentConst i
tut i
ont hat
thereareonlyt woclassesofci t
izens: (1)thosewhoar enat ur al-
bor nand( 2)thosewhoar e
natural
izedinaccor dancewi thlaw.Aci ti
zenwhoi snotanat uralizedFili
pino,ie.,didnothav eto
undergot heprocessofnat urali
zationt oobtainPhili
ppi necitizenshi p,necessar il
yi sanat ural-
bornFil
ipino.Notewor thyistheabsencei nsaidenumer ati
onofasepar atecat egor yforper sons
who, af
terlosingPhi l
ippineciti
zenshi p,subsequent l
yr eacquir eit.Ther easont her eforiscl ear:
astosuchper sons,theywoul deitherbenat ural-
bornornat uralizeddependi ngont her easons
forthelossoft heirci
tizenshipandt hemodepr escribedbyt heappl i
cablelawf ort he
reacqui
sitionthereof.Asr espondentCr uzwasnotr equi r
edbyl awt ogot hroughnat uralization
proceedingsinor dertor eacquirehisci ti
zenship,heisper forceanat ur
al-bornFi l
ipino.Assuch,
hepossessedal lthenecessar yqual if
icati
onst obeel ectedasmemberoft heHouseof
Representativ
es.146

TheCOMELECcannotr everseaj udi

cialprecedent.Thati
sr eservedtot hi
sCour
t.Andwhi lewe
mayal waysrevisitadoctrine, anewruler ev
ersingstandi
ngdoct rinecannotber et
roacti
vely
appli
ed.InMor alesv.Cour tofAppeal sandJej omarEr wi
nS.Bi nay ,
Jr .
,147wherewedecr eed
rever
sedt hecondonat i
ondoct ri
ne,wecaut i
onedt hati
t"shouldbepr ospecti
vei
napplicati
onfor
thereasonthatjudicial
deci sionsapplyi
ngori nter
preti
ngthel awsoft heConsti
tut
ion,unt
il
rever
sed,shallform partoft helegalsystem ofthePhili
ppines."ThisCour tal
sosaidthat"whil
e
thefuturemayulti
matel
yuncov
eradoct
ri
ne'serr
or,i
tshoul
dbe,asagener
alr
ule,
recogni
zed
asgoodl awpriort
oit
sabandonment
.Consequentl
y,t
hepeopl
e'
srel
iancet
her
euponshouldbe
respected.
"148

Last l
y,itwasr epeatedlypoi
ntedoutduringtheor alar
gument sthatpeti
tionercommi t
teda
falsehoodwhensheputi nt
hespacesf or"bornto"inherappli
cationforrepatr
iati
onunderR.
A.
No.9225t henamesofheradopt i
veparents,andt hi
smisledtheBIt opresumet hatshewasa
nat ur
al-bornFili
pino.Ithasbeencontendedt hatthedatarequir
edwer ethenamesofher
biologicalparentswhi charepreci
sel
yunknown.

Thisposit
iondi sregardsonei mpor t
antf act-petiti
onerwasl egal lyadopt ed.Oneoft heef fects
ofadopti
oni s" t
osev eralll
egal ti
esbet weent hebi ological par entsandt headopt ee, except
whenthebi ologicalparentisthespouseoft headopt ee."149UnderR. A.No.8552, pet it
ioner
wasalsoent itl
edt oanamendedbi r
thcer ti
fi
cate"at testingt ot hef actthatt headopt eei sthe
chil
doftheadopt er(
s)"andwhi chcer tif
icate"shallnotbearanynot ati
ont hatitisanamended
i
ssue."
150Thatl awal sorequiresthat" [
a]llr
ecords, books, andpaper srelati
ngtot headopt i
on
casesinthef il
esoft hecour t,
theDepar tment[ ofSoci alWel fareandDev elopment ]
,oranyot her
agencyorinst i
tuti
onpar t
icipati
ngint headopt ionpr oceedi ngsshal l bekeptst r
ictl
y
confi
denti
al."151Thel awt hereforeallowspet it
ionert ost atet hatheradopt i
veparent swer eher
bir
thparentsast hatwaswhatwoul dbest atedinherbi rthcer tif
icateany way .Andgi v enthe
poli
cyofstrictconf i
denti
ali
t yofadopt i
onr ecords,pet iti
onerwasnotobl igatedtodi scloset hat
shewasanadopt ee.

Clearl
y,toavoidadirectrul
ingonthequali
fi
cat
ionsofpeti
ti
oner,whi
chi
tcannotmakeint he
samecasef orcancell
ati
onofCOC, i
tresor
tedtoopini
onat
ednesswhichis,moreov
er,
erroneous.Thewhol eprocessunder
takenbyCOMELECi swr appedi
ngraveabuseofdiscret
ion.

OnResi
dence

Thetai
ntedpr
ocesswasr epeatedindisposi
ngoftheissueofwhet
herornotpet
iti
oner
committ
edfal
semateri
al repr
esentati
onwhenshest atedi
nherCOCthatshehasbeforeand
unt
il9May2016beenar esidentofthePhili
ppi
nesforten(10)y
ear
sandeleven(11)months.

Pet
iti
oner
'scl
aimthatshewi
l
lhavebeenaresi
dentf
ort
en(
10)y
ear
sandel
even(
11)mont
hs
onthedaybefor
ethe2016el
ect
ions,
istr
ue.
TheConst itut
ionr equi
respresi denti
alcandidatest ohav
et en(10)y
ears'resi
denceinthe
Phili
ppinesbef orethedayoft heelecti
ons.Sincet hefor
thcomingelecti
onswi l
lbehel
don9
May2016, peti
tionermusthav ebeenar esi
dentoft hePhil
ippi
nespriorto9May2016f orten
(10)years.Inanswert other equest edinfor
mat ionof"Peri
odofResidencei nthePhi
li
ppinesup
tothedaybef or eMay09, 2016, "sheputi n"10y ears11mont hs"whichaccordingt
oher
pleadingsinthesecasescor r espondst oabegi nningdateof25May2005whensher eturned
forgoodf r
om t heU. S.

Whenpet i
ti
oneri mmi grat edtot heU. S.in1991,shel ostherorigi
naldomi cil
e,whichist he
Phil
ippines.Therear et hreer equisitestoacquireanewdomi cil
e:1.Residenceorbodi ly
presenceinanewl ocality;2.ani ntentiontoremaint here;and3.anint ent
iontoabandont heold
domi ci
le.
152Tosuccessf ull
yef fectachangeofdomi ci
le,onemustdemonst rateanact ual
remov aloranact ual changeofdomi cil
e;abonaf i
dei nt
ent i
onofabandoni ngthef ormerpl ace
ofresidenceandest ablishinganewoneanddef i
niteact swhichcorrespondwi t
ht hepur pose.
I
not herwor ds,theremustbasi callybeani musmanendi coupl
edwi t
hani musnonr evertendi.
Thepur poset oremai ni noratt hedomi ci
l
eofchoi cemustbef orani ndefi
nit
eper i
odoft i
me;
thechangeofr esidencemustbev oluntar
y;andther esi
denceatt hepl acechosenf orthenew
domi ci
lemustbeact ual.153

Pet i
tionerpr esent edv olumi nousev idenceshowi ngt hatsheandherf ami l
yabandonedt heirU.S.
domi cileandr elocatedt ot hePhi li
ppi nesf orgood.Theseev idencei ncludepet i
t i
oner'sf ormer
U.S.passpor tshowi ngherar r
ival on24May2005andherr eturnt othePhi li
ppi nesev eryt i
me
shet ravell
edabr oad;e-mai l correspondencesst arti
ngi nMar ch2005t oSept ember2006wi t
ha
frei
ghtcompanyt oar r
angef ort heshi pmentoft heirhousehol ditemswei ghi ngabout28, 000
poundst ot hePhi li
ppines;e- mai lwi tht hePhi l
ippineBur eauofAni mal Industryi nquiri
nghowt o
shipt hei rdogt ot hePhi li
ppines; school recor dsofherchi ldrenshowi ngenr ol l
menti nPhi li
ppine
school sstar tingJune2005andf orsucceedi ngy ears;taxi dent if
icati
oncar df orpet i
ti
oner
i
ssuedonJul y2005; ti
tlesforcondomi nium andpar ki
ngsl oti ssuedi nFebr uar y2006andt hei
r
correspondi ngt axdecl arationsi ssuedi nApr i
l2006; recei ptsdat ed23Febr uar y2005f rom t he
Salvat ionAr myi nt heU. S.acknowl edgi ngdonat ionofi temsf rom pet i
tioner'sf ami l
y;Mar ch
2006e- mai ltotheU. S.Post al Ser viceconf irmingr equestf orchangeofaddr ess; fi
nal statement
from t heFi rstAmer i
canTi tleI nsur anceCompanyshowi ngsal eoft heirU.S.homeon27Apr il
2006; 12Jul y2011f il
led-upquest ionnai resubmi tt
edt ot heU. S.Embassywher epet iti
oner
i
ndi cat edt hatshehadbeenaPhi l
ippiner esidentsi nceMay2005; affi
dav i
tfrom JesusaSonor a
Poe( attestingt ot her eturnofpet i
tioneron24May2005andt hatsheandherf amilyst ayed
wi t
haf fi
antunt i
l thecondomi nium waspur chased) ;andAf fidav i
tfrom pet i
tioner 'shusband
(conf irmingt hatt hespousesj ointlydeci dedt or elocatet ot hePhi l
ippinesin2005andt hathe
stay edbehi ndi nt heU. S.onl yt of i
nishsomewor kandt osel l t
hef amilyhome) .
Thefor
egoi
ngevi
dencewereundisput
edandt
hefact
swereevenl
istedbyt
heCOMELEC,
par
ti
cul
arl
yini
tsResol
uti
onintheTatad,
Cont
rer
asandVal
dezcases.

Howev er,theCOMELECr ef usedt oconsi dert hatpeti

tioner'sdomi cil
ehadbeent imel
ychanged
asof24May2005.Att heor alargument s,COMELECCommi ssionerAr thurLim concededt he
presenceoft hefi
rsttwor equisites,namel y, physi
cal presenceandani musmanendi ,but
mai ntainedt herewasnoani musnon- r
ev ertendi.
154TheCOMELECdi sregardedt hei
mpor tofall
theev idencepr esentedbypet it
ioneront hebasi soft heposi t
iont hattheear li
estdatet hat
petiti
onercoul dhavestar tedr esidencei nt hePhi l
ippi
neswasi nJuly2006whenherappl i
cat i
on
underR. A.No.9225wasappr ovedbyt heBI .Inthisregar d,COMELECr eli
edonCoqui ll
av .
COMELEC, 155Japzonv .COMELEC156andCabal l
erov .COMELEC.157Dur i
ngt heoral
argument s,theprivat
er espondent salsoaddedRey esv .COMELEC. 158Respondent scont end
thatthesecasesdecr eet hatt hest ayofanal i
enformerFi l
i
pinocannotbecount edunt ilhe/she
obtainsaper manentr esidentv isaorr eacqui resPhili
ppi neciti
zenshi p,av i
sa-f
reeent r
yundera
balikbay anst ampbeingi nsuf f
icient.Sincepet i
ti
onerwasst il
lanAmer ican(wi t
houtanyr esident
visa)unt ilherreacquisi
tionofci tizenshipunderR. A.No.9225, herst ayfrom 24May2005t o7
July2006cannotbecount ed.

Butast hepeti
ti
onerpoi ntedout ,thef actsinthesef ourcasesar ev erydiff
erentfrom her
situation.InCoqui ll
av .COMELEC, 159t heonl yev i
dencepr esentedwasacommuni tyt ax
cer t
ifi
cat esecuredbyt hecandi dat eandhi sdecl arati
ont hathewoul dber unningint he
elections.Japzonv .COMELEC160di dnoti nvolveacandi datewhowant edt ocountr esi dence
priortohi sreacqui si
tionofPhi lippineci t
izenship.Wi t
ht heCour tdecr eei
ngt hatresidencei s
distinctf r
om cit
izenshi p,theissuet herewaswhet hert hecandi dat e'sactsaf t
erreacqui siti
on
suf f
icedt oestablishr esidence.I nCabal l
erov .COMELEC, 161t hecandi dateadmi tt
edt hathis
placeofwor kwasabr oadandt hatheonl yv i
sit
eddur inghi sfrequentv acations.I
nRey esv .
COMELEC, 162thecandi datewasf oundt obeanAmer icanci ti
zenwhohadnotev enr eacqui r
ed
Phi l
ippineciti
zenshi punderR. A.No.9225orhadr enouncedherU. S.citi
zenship.Shewas
disqual ifi
edontheci t
izenshipi ssue.Onr esidence, t
heonl ypr oofsheof feredwasasev en-
mont hst i
ntaspr ov i
ncialoffi
cer .TheCOMELEC, quotedwi thappr ov albythisCour t
,sai dthat
"suchf actal
onei snotsuf fi
cientt oprov eherone- yearr esidency .
"

Iti
sobv iousthatbecauseoft hespar seev i
denceonr esi
denceinthef ourcasescitedbyt he
respondents,theCourthadnochoi cebutt oholdthatresi
dencecouldbecount edonlyfrom
acquisit
ionofaper manentresi dentvisaorfrom r
eacquisit
ionofPhili
ppineciti
zenship.In
contrast,t
heev i
denceofpet i
tionerisov er
whelmingandt akentogetherleadstonoot her
conclusionthatshedecidedtoper manentlyabandonherU. S.r
esidence( sel
l
ingthehouse,
taki
ngt hechil
drenfrom U.S.school s,gett
ingquotesfrom thef
reightcompany ,notif
yingtheU.
S.
PostOf fi
ceoftheabandonmentoft hei
raddr essintheU.S.,donatingexcessi t
emst othe
Salvati
onAr my,herhusbandr esi gningf rom U.S.employmentr ightaf t
ersell
ingt heU.S.house)
andper manentlyrelocatet othePhi li
ppinesandact uall
yre-establi
shedherr esidenceher eon24
May2005( securi
ngT. I.
N, enrol
lingherchi ldreninPhil
ippi
neschool s,buyi
ngpr opert
yher e,
constructi
ngar esidenceher e,ret urningtot hePhili
ppi
nesaf teralltri
psabroad, herhusband
getti
ngempl oyedher e).I
ndeed, coupl edwi thhereventualapplicat
iont oreacquirePhili
ppine
cit
izenshipandherf ami l
y'sactual continuousst ayi
nthePhi li
ppinesov ertheyear s,
itisclear
thatwhenpet it
ionerreturnedon24May2005i twasforgood.

Inthisconnect ion,theCOMELECal sot ookitagainstpetit

ionerthatshehadent eredt he
Phil
ippinesv isa-fr
eeasabal ikbayan.Acl oserlookatR.A.No.6768asamended, ot herwise
knownast he" AnActI nsti
tut
ingaBal i
kbayanPr ogram,"showst hatt hereisnoov erri
dingintent
totreatbalikbay ansastempor aryvisit
orswhomustl eaveaf t
eroney ear.I
ncludedi nthelawi sa
formerFili
pi nowhohasbeennat urali
zedabr oadand" comesorr eturnstothePhilippines."163
Thel awinst i
tutesabal i
kbayanpr ogram "providi
ngtheoppor tuni
tyt oav ai
lofthenecessar y
trai
ningtoenabl ethebali
kbay antobecomeeconomi call
yself-r
eliantmember sofsoci et
yupon
thei
rr et
urnt ot hecountry"
164i nli
newi ththegov er
nment '
s" r
eintegrationprogram."165
Obv i
ously,bal i
kbayansarenotor dinarytransient
s.

Givent helaw'sexpresspolicytofaci
li
tatether et
urnofabal i
kbayanandhelphi mr ei
ntegrat
e
i
ntosoci ety,i
twouldbeanundul yharshconcl usi
ontosayi nabsolutet
ermst hatthebal i
kbayan
mustl eaveafteroney ear.Thatvi
sa-f
reeper iodisobvi
ouslygrantedhimtoallowhi mt ore-
establi
shhi sli
feandr eint
egrat
ehimsel fi
ntot hecommuni tybeforeheatt
endst othenecessar y
formal andlegalrequirementsofrepatri
ati
on.Andt hatisexactl
ywhatpetiti
onerdid-she
reestabli
shedl i
feherebyenr ol
li
ngherchi l
drenandbuy i
ngpr opertywhi
leawai t
ingther et
urnof
herhusbandandt henappl yi
ngforrepatri
ationshortl
ythereaft
er.

Nocasesi milartopetiti
oner'
s,wherethef ormerFil
i
pino'sevi
denceofchangei ndomi cileis
extensiveandov erwhelming,hasasyetbeendeci dedbyt heCourt
.Peti
tioner
'sevidenceof
residenceisunpr ecedented.Thereisnoj udici
alpr
ecedentthatcomesclosetot hefact sof
residenceofpet iti
oner.Thereisnoindicati
oninCoqui l
lav.COMELEC,166andt heot hercases
cit
edbyt her espondent sthattheCourtintendedtohav eit
srul
ingsther
eapplyt oasi tuati
on
wher ethefact sarediffer
ent.Surel
y,t
hei ssueofresidencehasbeendecidedpar t
icularlyonthe
facts-of
-thecasebasi s.

Toav
oidthel
ogicalconcl
usionpoi
ntedoutbyt heevi
denceofresidenceofpeti
ti
oner,t
he
COMELECrul
edt hatpet
it
ioner
'scl
aim ofr
esidenceoften(10)yearsandeleven(11)mont
hsby
9May2016inher2015COCwasf alsebecausesheputsix(6)y earsandsix(6)monthsas
"
periodofr
esi
dencebefor
eMay13,2013"inher2012COCforSenat
or.Thus,accor
dingtot
he
COMELEC,shestar
tedbei
ngaPhil
i
ppineresi
dentonl
yinNovember2006.Indoingso,t
he
COMELECautomatical
l
yassumedastruethestat
ementi
nthe2012COCandt he2015COCas
fal
se.

Asexplainedbypetit
ionerinherv er
if
iedpleadings,shemisunderst
oodthedat
er equi
redint
he
2013COCast heperiodofr esidenceasoft hedayshesubmi t
tedthatCOCin2012.Shesaid
thatshereckonedresidencyf rom April
-May2006whi chwastheperiodwhentheU.S.house
wassol dandherhusbandr eturnedtothePhi l
i
ppines.Inthatr
egard,shewasadvisedbyher
l
awy ersin2015thatresidencecoul dbecount edf r
om 25May2005.

Peti
ti
oner'
sexpl
anationthatshemi sunderst
oodt hequeryin2012(peri
odofresi
dencebefore
13May2013)asi nquiri
ngaboutresidenceasoft hetimeshesubmi t
tedtheCOC,isbolst
ered
bythechangewhicht heCOMELECi t
selfi
ntroducedinthe2015COCwhi chi
snow" per
iodof
resi
denceint
hePhili
ppinesuptot hedaybef oreMay09, 2016."TheCOMELECwoul dnothave
revi
sedthequer
yifitdidnotacknowl edgethatthefi
rstver
sionwasv ague.

Thatpeti
ti
onercouldhavereckonedresi
dencefrom adateearl
ierthanthesaleofherU.S.
houseandthereturnofherhusbandisplausibl
egi
ventheevidencet hatshehadretur
nedayear
befor
e.Suchevidence,
torepeat,wouldi
ncludeherpasspor
tandt heschool r
ecordsofher
chi
ldr
en.

Itwasgr aveabuseofdi scr

eti
onf ort heCOMELECt otreatthe2012COCasabi ndingand
conclusiveadmissionagai nstpetit
ioner .I
tcouldbegi veninev i
denceagai nsther ,
yes,buti
twas
bynomeansconcl usive.Thereisprecedentaf t
eral lwhereacandi date'
smi stakeast operiod
ofresidencemadei naCOCwasov er comebyev idence.InRomual dez-Mar cosv .COMELEC, 167
thecandidat emistakenlyputseven( 7)mont hsasherper iodofr esidencewher etherequir
ed
peri
odwasami nimum ofoney ear.Wesai dthat" [i
]ti
st hefactofr esidence, notast atementin
acertifi
cateofcandi dacywhichoughtt obedeci siveindeter mi
ningwhet herornotani ndivi
dual
hassat i
sfiedtheconst i
tuti
onsresidencyqual i
fi
cat i
onr equirement."TheCOMELECoughtt o
havelookedatt heev idencepresent edandseei fpet i
ti
onerwast ell
ingt hetrut hthatshewasi n
thePhi l
i
ppi nesf
rom 24May2005.Hadt heCOMELECdonei tsduty,itwoul dhav eseenthatthe
2012COCandt he2015COCbot hcor rect
lystatedt heper t
inentper i
odofr esi dency .

TheCOMELEC,byit
sownadmi ssi
on,di
sregar
dedtheev i
dencethatpeti
ti
oneract ual
lyand
physi
cal
l
yret
urnedhereon24May2005notbecausei twasf al
se,butonlybecauseCOMELEC
tookt
heposi
ti
onthatdomici
l
ecouldbeestabl
ishedonlyfr
om petit
ioner
'srepatr
iati
onunderR.
A.
No.9225inJul
y2006.Howev er
,itdoesnottakeawaythefactt
hati
nreal
it
y,pet
it
ionerhad
ret
urnedf
rom theU.S.andwasher et
ostaypermanentl
y,on24May2005.Whenshecl ai
medt o
havebeenaresidentf
orten(
10)y ear
sandeleven(11)months,
shecoul
ddosoi ngoodf ai
th.

Foranother
,itcoul
dnotbesai dthatpet
it
ionerwasattempti
ngt
ohideanyt
hing.Asal
ready
stat
ed,apeti
tionforquowar r
antohadbeenf i
ledagai
nstherwi
tht
heSETasear l
yasAugust
2015.Theeventfrom whichtheCOMELECpeggedt hecommencementofresi
dence,
peti
ti
oner'
srepatri
ati
oninJuly2006underR.A.No.9225,wasanestabl
i
shedfacttor
epeat,
for
purposesofhersenator
ialcandi
dacy.

Not abl
y,onthest atementofr esidenceofsix( 6)year
sandsi x( 6)monthsi
nthe2012COC,
pet i
ti
onerrecountedthatthiswasf ir
stbroughtupi nthemediaon2June2015byRep.Tobi as
Tiangcooft heUni t
edNat i
onal i
stAl l
i
ance.Petiti
onerappearstohav eansweredtheissue
i
mmedi atel
y,alsointhepr ess.Respondent shav enotdisput
edpet i
ti
oner'
sevidenceonthi
s
point.From thatti
met hereforewhenRep.Ti angcodiscussedi tint
hemedia,thestat
edperi
od
ofr esi
dencei nthe2012COCandt hecir
cumst ancesthatsurroundedthestatementwere
al
r eadymat t
er sofpubli
cr ecordandwer enothi dden.

Peti
tionerli
kewiseprovedthatthe2012COCwasal sobr oughtupi ntheSETpetiti
onforquo
warranto.HerVer i
fi
edAnswer,whichwasf i
ledon1Sept ember2015, admit
tedthatshemadea
mistakeint he2012COCwhensheputi nsi
x(6)y ear sandsix(6)mont hsasshe
misunder st
oodt hequesti
onandcouldhav etr
uthfullyindicat
edal ongerperi
od.Heranswerin
theSETcasewasamat t
erofpubli
crecord.Therefore,whenpet i
ti
oneraccompl ishedherCOC
forPresidenton15Oct ober2015,shecouldnotbesai dtohav ebeenat t
emptingtohideher
err
oneousst at
ementinher2012COCf orSenatorwhi chwasexpr esslymentionedinher
Veri
fiedAnswer .

Thefactsnow,ifnotst
retchedtodi
stort
ion,
donotshoworevenhintatanint
entiontohi
dethe
2012statementandhavei tcov
eredbythe2015repr
esent
ati
on.Peti
ti
oner,
mor eover
,hason
hersi
det hi
sCourt'
spronouncementthat:

Concededly,acandidate'sdisquali
fi
cationtorunf orpublicoff
icedoesnotnecessar i
ly
consti
tut
emat er
ial
mi srepresentati
onwhi chisthesol egroundfordenyingduecour seto,and
forthecancell
ati
onof ,aCOC.Fur t
her,asalreadydiscussed,thecandidate'
smisrepresentati
on
i
nhi sCOCmustnotonl yr efertoamat eri
alfact(eli
gibil
i
tyandqualif
icati
onsforelectiv
eof f
ice)
,
butshouldevinceadel i
ber ateint
enttomi sl
ead,mi si
nform orhideafactwhichwoul dot her
wise
renderacandidateineli
gible.Itmustbemadewi thani ntenti
ontodeceivetheelectorateasto
one'
squal
i
ficat
ionst
orunf
orpubl
i
cof
fi
ce.
168

Insum, theCOMELEC, wi tht hesamepost ur eofi nfall

ibilism, v ir
tuallyignor edagoodnumberof
evidenceddat esal lofwhi chcanev inceani musmanendi tot hePhi li
ppinesandani musnon
rever tedi t
ot heUni tedSt at esofAmer ica.Thev eracityoft heev entsofcomi ngandst ayi
ng
homewasasmuchasdi smi ssedasi nconsequent i
al,thef ocushav ingbeenf i
xedatt he
petitioner '
s" swor ndecl ar at i
oni nherCOCf orSenat or"whi cht heCOMELECsai d" amount stoa
decl arat i
onandt heref oreanadmi ssi ont hatherr esidencei nt hePhi l
ippinesonl ycommence
somet i
mei nNov ember2006" ;sucht hat" basedont hisdecl aration, [
pet it
ioner]fai lst omeett he
residencyr equi rementf orPr esi dent .
"Thi sconcl usion, asal r
eadyshown, ignor est hest anding
j
ur i
spr udencet hatiti st hef actofr esi dence, nott hest atementoft heper sont hatdet ermines
residencef orpur posesofcompl iancewi t
ht heconst i
tutional requirementofr esidencyf or
elect i
onasPr esi dent .Itignor est heeasi l
yr esear chedmat tert hatcasesonquest ionsof
residencyhav ebeendeci dedf av or abl yf ort hecandi dateont hebasi soff act sofr esidencef ar
l
essi nnumber ,weightandsubst ancet hant hatpr esent edbypet iti
oner .169I tignor es,aboveall
else, whatweconsi derasapr i
mar yr easonwhypet iti
onercannotbeboundbyherdecl arati
onin
herCOCf orSenat orwhi chdecl ar at i
onwasnotev enconsi der edbyt heSETasani ssueagai nst
herel igibil
ityf orSenat or .Whenpet itionermadet hedecl arationi nherCOCf orSenat orthatshe
hasbeenar esi dentf oraper iodofsi x( 6)y ear sandsi x( 6)mont hscount edupt ot he13May
2013El ecti
ons, shenat ur allyhadasr ef erencet her esidencyr equi r
ement sf orelect i
onas
Senat orwhi chwassat isf i
edbyherdecl aredy ear sofr esi dence.I twasuncont est eddur i
ngthe
oral ar gument sbef or eust hatatt het imet hedecl ar
ationf orSenat orwasmade, pet i
ti
onerdid
nothav easy etanyi ntent iont ov ief ort hePr esidencyi n2016andt hatt hegener al publicwas
nev ermadeawar ebypet i
tioner , bywor doract ion, t
hatshewoul dr unf orPr esidenti n2016.
Presi dent i
al candi dacyhasal engt h- of -
residencedi ff
erentf rom t hatofasenat or i
al candidacy.
Ther ear efact sofr esi denceot hert hant hatwhi chwasment i
onedi nt heCOCf orSenat or.Such
otherf actsofr esidencehav enev erbeenpr ov ent obef al se,andt hese, tor epeati ncl ude:

[
Pet
it
ioner]r
etur
nedtothePhi
li
ppineson24May2005.(pet
iti
oner
's]husbandhowev
erst
ayedi
n
t
heUSAt ofi
nishpendi
ngproj
ectsandarr
anget
hesaleofthei
rfamilyhome.

Meanwhil
e[ pet
it
ioner
]andherchil
drenl
ivedwithhermot
herinSanJuanCit
y.[Pet
it
ioner]
enr
oll
edBrianinBeaconSchoolinTagui
gCi t
yin2005andHannainAssumptionCollegei
n
MakatiCi
tyin2005.Anikawasenroll
edinLearni
ngConnect
ioninSanJuani
n2007, whenshe
wasalr
eadyol denoughtogotoschool.

I
nthesecondhalfof2005,
[pet
it
ioner
]andherhusbandacqui
redUnit7FofOneWi l
sonPlace
Condomi
nium i
nSanJuan.[Peti
ti
oner]andherf
amilyl
i
vedinUnit7Funti
ltheconst
ruct
ionof
t
hei
rfami
l
yhomei
nCor
int
hianHi
l
lswascompl
eted.

Someti
meinthesecondhalfof2005,[
petit
ioner's]motherdi
scoveredt
hatherfor
merlawyer
whohandl
ed[pet
it
ioner'
s]adopti
onin1974f ail
edt osecur
efrom theOf
ficeoft
heCiv
ilRegist
rar
ofI
loi
l
oanewCer ti
fi
cateofLiveBir
thi
ndicating[peti
ti
oner'
s]newnameandst ati
ngt
hather
par
entsar
e"Ronal
dAl l
anK.Poe"and"JesusaL.Sonor a.
"

InFebruar
y2006,
[pet
it
ioner
]trav
ell
edbri
efl
ytotheUSinordertosupervi
sethedisposal
of
someoft hef
amil
y'sr
emaininghousehol
dbelongi
ngs.
1a\
^/phi1[Pet
it
ioner]r
etur
nedtothe
Phil
ippi
neson11March2006.

I
nlat
eMar ch2006,[
peti
ti
oner'
s]husbandi
nfor
medt
heUni
tedSt
atesPost
alSer
viceoft
he
f
amil
y'sabandonmentofthei
raddressint
heUS.

Thef
ami
l
yhomei
ntheUSwassol
eon27Apr
il2006.

I
nApril
2006,
[pet
it
ioner
's]husbandr
esi
gnedfr
om hi
sworkint
heUS.Heret
urnedtothe
Phi
l
ippi
neson4May2006andbeganwor ki
ngforaPhi
l
ippi
necompanyi
nJuly2006.

Inear
ly2006,
[pet
it
ioner
]andherhusbandacqui
redav
acantl
oti
nCor
int
hianHi
l
ls,
wher
ethey
event
uall
ybui
ltt
heirf
amilyhome.
170

I
nlightofal
lthese,itwasar
bit
rar
yfortheCOMELECt osati
sfyi
tsi
ntenti
ontol
etthecasef
all
undertheexcl
usivegroundoffal
serepresent
ati
on,
toconsi
dernootherdat
ethanthat
mentionedbypetit
ioneri
nherCOCforSenat or
.

Al
lputtogether
,inthematterofthecit
izenshi
pandresidenceofpet
it
ionerforhercandi
dacyas
Pr
esidentoftheRepubli
c,thequesti
onedResolut
ionsoft heCOMELECi nDivi
sionandEnBanc
ar
e,oneandal l
,deadl
ydiseasedwithgraveabuseofdiscreti
onfr
om roottofrui
ts.

WHEREFORE,
thepet
it
ioni
sGRANTED.TheResol
uti
ons,
towi
t:
1.dated1December2015r enderedthroughtheCOMELECSecondDivi
sion,
inSPANo.15-001
(DC),ent
it
ledEstrel
l
aC.Elamparo,peti
tioner
,vs.Mar
yGr
aceNati
vidadSonoraPoe-
Llamanzar
es,
respondent,
stat
ingthat
:

[
T]heCerti
fi
cat
eofCandidacyforPr
esidentoftheRepubl
icoft
hePhil
ippi
nesint
heMay9, 2016
Nati
onalandLocal
Elect
ionsfi
l
edbyr espondentMaryGraceNati
vi
dadSonoraPoe-
Llamanzares
i
sherebyGRANTED.

2.dated11December2015, r
enderedthroughtheCOMELECFi rstDivi
sion,intheconsolidat ed
casesSPANo.15- 002( DC)enti
tl
edFranciscoS.Tatad,pet
it
ioner,vs.Mar yGraceNat i
vidad
SonoraPoe- Ll
amanzares,r
espondent;SPANo.15- 007(DC)entitl
edAnt onioP.Contreras,
peti
ti
oner,vs.MaryGraceNativi
dadSonor aPoe-Ll
amanzares,respondent ;andSPANo.15- 139
(DC)entit
ledAmadoD.Val dez,pet
iti
oner,v.MaryGraceNati
v i
dadSonor aPoe-Llamanzar es,
respondent;st
ati
ngthat:

WHEREFORE,premi
sesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED, asitherebyRESOLVES,t
o
GRANTthepeti
ti
onsandcancelt
heCerti
fi
cateofCandidacyofMARYGRACENATI VIDAD
SONORAPOE-LLAMANZARESf ortheel
ecti
veposi
ti
onofPr esi
dentoftheRepubli
cofthe
Phi
li
ppi
nesi
nconnecti
onwiththe9May2016Sy nchronizedLocalandNat i
onalEl
ect
ions.

3.dat
ed23December2015oft
heCOMELECEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he1December2015
Resol
uti
onoft
heSecondDiv
isi
onst
ati
ngt
hat
:

WHEREFORE,premi
sesconsi
dered,t
heCommi ssi
onRESOLVED,
asither
ebyRESOLVES, t
o
DENYtheVer
ifi
edMoti
onforReconsider
ati
onofSENATORMARYGRACENATI VIDADSONORA
POE-
LLAMANZARES.TheResoluti
ondated11December2015oftheCommissionFi
rstDi
visi
on
i
sAFFIRMED.

4.dat
ed23December2015oft
heCOMELECEnBanc,
uphol
dingt
he11December2015
Resol
uti
onoft
heFi
rstDiv
isi
on.

ar
eher
ebyANNULEDandSETASI
DE.Pet
it
ionerMARYGRACENATI
VIDADSONORAPOE-
LLAMANZARESi sDECLAREDQUALI
FIEDt
obeacandi
dat
eforPr
esi
denti
ntheNat
ional
and
Local
Elect
ionsof9May2016.

SOORDERED.

JOSEPORTUGALPEREZ

Associ
ateJust
ice

WECONCUR:

SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

MARI
ALOURDESP.
A.SERENO

Chi
efJust
ice

SeeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

ANTONI
OT.CARPI
O

Associ
ateJust
ice Pl
easeseeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

PRESBI
TEROJ.VELASCO,
JR.

Associ
ateJust
ice

Pl
easeseeSepar
ateDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

TERESI
TAJ.LEONARDO-
DECASTRO

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeDi
ssent
ingopi
nion

ARTUROD.BRI
ON

Associ
ateJust
ice

Ij
oinJ.Cagui
oa'
sOpi
nion

DI
OSDADOM.PERALTA
Associ
ateJust
ice LUCASP.BERSAMI
N

Associ
ateJust
ice

Pl
s.seeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

MARI
ANOC.DELCASTI
LLO

Associ
ateJust
ice JOSECATRALMENDOZA

Associ
ateJust
ice

(
Iconcurwi
tht
heDi
ssent
ingOpi
nionofJust
icePer
las-
Ber
nabe)

BI
ENVENI
DOL.REYES

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeDi
ssent
ingOpi
nion

ESTELAM.PERLAS-
BERNABE

Associ
ateJust
ice

SeeSepar
ateConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

MARVI
CM.
V.F.LEONEN

Associ
ateJust
ice SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

FRANCI
SH.JARDELEZA

Associ
ateJust
ice

SeeConcur
ri
ngOpi
nion

ALFREDOBENJAMI
NS.CAGUI
OA

Associ
ateJust
ice

CERTIFICATION

Pur
suanttoSecti
on13,Ar
ti
cleVI
IIoftheConsti
tut
ion,i
tisher
ebycerti
fi
edt
hattheconcl
usi
ons
i
ntheaboveDecisi
onhadbeenreachedinconsult
ati
onbeforethecasewasassignedt
othe
wri
teroft
heopini
onoftheCourt
.

MARI
ALOURDESP.
A.SERENO
Chi
efJust
ice

Foot
not
es

1Petiti
onforCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.Nos.221698-700,
pp.15-
16;COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on
dated11December2015inSPANo.15- 002(DC),SPANo.15-
007(
DC)andSPANo.15-139
(DC),p.2.

2Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,i
d.at16-
17;

3COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at4.

4Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at22.

5Id.at17;
Comment(onthePet
it
ionforCer
ti
orar
iinG.
R.No.221697)f
il
edbyr
espondent
COMELECdated11Januar
y2016,p.6.

6Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,i
d.;
id.at7.

7I
d.at18.

8Supr
anot
e6.

9I
d.

10COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at3.
11Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at17.

12I
d.at18.

13I
d.

14COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e10.

15I
d.

16Supr
anot
e1at17-
18.

17COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e10.

18I
d.

19I
d.

20Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at20.

21I
d.

22Supr
anot
e3.

23Supr
anot
e20.
24Supr
anot
e3.

25Supr
anot
e20.

26Supr
anot
e3.

27Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e4.

28I
d.

29I
d.at23;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e3.

30I
d.;
id.

31I
d.;
id.

32I
d.;
id.

33I
d.at23-
24;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at5.

34I
d.at24;
id.

35I
d.

36Supr
anot
e34.
37Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at25;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at
5.

38I
d.at25-
26;
id.

39I
d.at26;
id.

40I
d.;
id.

41I
d.;
id.

42I
d.at32;
id.at6.

43Supr
anot
e39.

44Peti
ti
onf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at26-
27;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1
at5.

45Sect
ion5,
R.A.No.9225st
ates:

SEC.5.Civil
andPoliti
calRight
sandLiabili
ti
es.-Thosewhor et
ainorre-
acquir
ePhil
ippi
ne
cit
izenshi
punderthisActshallenj
oyfull
civi
landpolit
ical
rightsandbesubjecttoallat
tendant
l
iabil
it
iesandresponsibi
l
iti
esunderexist
inglawsofthePhilippinesandthefol
lowi
ngconditi
ons:

xxxx

3.Thoseappoi
ntedt
oanypubl
i
cof
fi
ceshal
lsubscr
ibeandsweart
oanoat
hofal
l
egi
ancet
othe
Republi
cofthePhi
li
ppinesandit
sdulyconst
it
utedaut
hori
ti
espri
ort
othei
rassumpti
onofoff
ice:
Provi
ded,Thatt
heyrenouncet
heiroat
hofall
egiancet
othecount
rywher
etheytookt
hatoat
h;

xxxx

46Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at27.

47I
d.at29.

48Supr
anot
e46;
supr
anot
e1at6.

49Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at30;
id.

50I
d.

51Supr
anot
e48.

52Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at31;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at
6.

53Comment
,supr
anot
e5at9.

54Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e1at31.

55I
d.at32;
Comment
,supr
anot
e53at10.

56I
d.;
COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at6.
57I
d.;
id.at7.

58I
d.;
id.

59Comment(
ont
hePet
it
ioni
nG.
R.No.221697)f
il
edbyr
espondentEl
ampar
o,dat
edJanuar
y6,
2016,
p.7.

60COMELECSecondDi
vi
si
onResol
uti
ondat
edDecember1,
2015i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)
,p.7.

61I
d.at7-
8.

62Supr
anot
e60.

63I
d.

64I
d.at8.

65I
d.

66Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
iinGR.No.221697,
p.7.

67Supr
anot
e64.

68Peti
ti
onf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
e65at8;
COMELECSecondDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e
60at8-
11.
69COMELECSecondDi
vi
si
onResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e60at34.

70Comment
,supr
anot
e59at10.

71Sect
ion1ofRul
e25oft
heCOMELECRul
esofPr
ocedur
e,asamended,
stat
es:

Rul
e25-Di
squal
i
ficat
ionofCandi
dat
es

Secti
on1.Grounds.-Anycandidatewho, inanact
ionorprot
esti
nwhi chhei
sapar
ty,
is
decl
aredbyfi
naldecisionofacompet entcourt
,guil
tyof
,orf
oundbyt heCommi
ssi
ontobe
suff
eri
ngfr
om anydi squal
if
icat
ionprovidedbylawortheConsti
tut
ion.

APeti
ti
ontoDisquali
fyaCandidat
einv
okinggroundsforaPet
it
iontoDenytoorCancel
a
Cer
ti
fi
cateofCandidacyorPeti
ti
ontoDeclar
eaCandi dat
easaNuisanceCandi
dat
e,ora
combi
nati
onthereof,shal
lbesummari
lydismissed.

72Pet
it
iont
oDi
squal
i
fydat
ed19Oct
ober2015f
il
edbyTat
adi
nSPANo.15-
002(
DC)
,p.9.

73I
d.,
at9and14.

74I
d.at10.

75I
d.at12.

76I
d.at11.

77COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at8.
78I
d.

79Pet
it
iont
oDi
squal
i
fy,
supr
anot
e72at11.

80I
d.at21.

81I
d.

82I
d.

83Supr
anot
eIat8.

84I
d.

85Contr
eras'pet
it
ioni
sapeti
ti
onforcancel
l
ati
onofGr
acePoe'
sCOCunderSect
ion78oft
he
OmnibusElect
ionCodewhi
chstat
esthat:

Sec.78.Petit
iont odenyduecour setoorcancel acer t
if
icat
eofcandi
dacy.-Av eri
fiedpet i
ti
on
seeki
ngt odenyduecour seortocancelacerti
fi
cateofcandidacymaybef i
ledbyt heper son
excl
usivel
yont hegroundt hatanymateri
al r
epresentati
oncontai
nedt
hereinasr equiredunder
Secti
on74her eofisfalse.Thepeti
ti
onmaybef il
edatanyt i
menotlatert
hant wenty -
fiv
eday s
fr
om thet i
meoft hefil
i
ngoft hecerti
fi
cateofcandidacyandshallbedeci
ded, af
terduenot i
ce
andhear i
ng,notlaterthanf i
ft
eendaysbef or
etheel ect
ion.

86Pet
it
ionf
orCancel
lat
ionofGr
acePoe'
sCOCdat
ed17Oct
ober2015f
il
edbyCont
rer
asi
n
SPANo.15-
007(DC),
pp.2-4.

87I
d.at3;
Pet
it
ionf
orCer
ti
orar
i,supr
anot
elat13.
88I
d.at3-
4.

89Sect
ions12and68oft
heOmni
busEl
ect
ionCodepr
ovi
de:

Sec.12.Disquali
ficat
ions.-
Anyper sonwhohasbeendecl aredbycompetentaut
hori
tyinsaneor
i
ncompet ent,orhasbeensent encedbyf i
nalj
udgmentf orsubversi
on,i
nsurr
ecti
on,r
ebell
ionor
foranyoffenseforwhi chhehasbeensent encedtoapenal tyofmorethaneight
eenmont hsor
foracrimeinv ol
vi
ngmor al
turpi
tude,shal
lbedisqual
if
iedt obeacandidateandtoholdany
offi
ce,unl
esshehasbeengi v
enplenarypardonorgrantedamnest y.

Thisdisquali
fi
cati
onst
obeacandi dateherei
nprov
idedshal
lbedeemedr emoveduponthe
declar
ationbycompetentaut
hori
tythatsaidi
nsani
tyori
ncompetencehadbeenremovedor
aft
ertheexpirati
onofaperi
odoffiveyearsfr
om hi
sservi
ceofsentence,
unlesswi
thi
nthe
sameper i
odheagainbecomesdisquali
fi
ed.

Sec.68.Di squal i
fications.-Anycandi datewho, i
nanact ionorpr otestinwhi chhei sapar tyis
declar edbyf i
nal decisionofacompet entcour tguiltyof , orf oundbyt heCommi ssionofhav i
ng
(a)giv enmoneyorot hermat er
ialconsi derationt oinfluence, i
nduceorcor ruptthev oter
sor
publicof fici
alsper formi ngelectoralfunct ions;(b)commi ttedact soft error
ism toenhancehi s
candidacy ;(c)spenti nhi selecti
oncampai gnanamounti nexcessoft hatall
owedbyt hisCode;
(d)sol icited, r
ecei vedormadeanycont ri
but i
onpr ohibit edunderSect ions89, 95,96, 97and104;
or(e)v iolatedanyofSect i
ons80, 83, 85, 86and261, par agraphsd, e,k,v,andcc, sub-
paragr aph6, shallbedi squalifi
edf r
om cont inuingasacandi date,orifhehasbeenel ected,fr
om
holdingt heof f
ice.Anyper sonwhoi saper manentr esi dentoforani mmi granttoaf oreign
count ryshal lnotbequal i
fi
edt orunf oranyel ecti
v eof fi
ceundert hisCode, unl
esssai dper son
haswai vedhi sst atusasper manentr esidentori mmi grantofaf oreigncount ryinaccor dance
witht her esi dencer equirementpr ovi
dedf ori ntheel ect ionl aws.

90COMELECFi
rstDi
vi
sionResol
uti
on,
supr
anot
e1at12.

91I
d.at10.

92I
d.
93I
d.at9.

94I
d.

95I
d.

96I
d.

97I
d.

98I
d.

99I
d.at9-
10.

100I
d.at10.

101I
d.

102I
d.

103The11December2015Resolut
ionoftheCOMELECFirstDiv
isi
onwasconcurredi
nby
Commissi
onersLoui
eTit
oF.GuiaandMa.RowenaAmel i
aV.Guanzon.Presi
ding
Commissi
onerChri
sti
anRober
tS.Li
mi ssuedaSepar
ateDissent
ingOpi
nion.

104318Phi
l
.329(
1995)
.
105595Phi
l
.449(
2008)
.

106Romual
dez-
Mar
cosv
.COMELEC,
supr
anot
e104at396-
397.

107I
d.at397-
398;
Fer
minv
.COMELEC,
supr
anot
e105at471-
472.

108InA. M.No.02-6-02-SC,Resoluti
onAppr ovi
ngThePr oposedRuleonAdopti
on(Domestic
andInter-
Country
),effecti
ve22August2002, "
foundl
ing"isdefi
nedas"adeser
tedorabandoned
i
nfantorchildwhosepar ents,guardi
anorr el
ati
vesareunknown; orachi
ldcommitt
edt oan
orphanageorcharit
abl eorsimil
arinsti
tut
ionwithunknownf act
sofbirt
handparentageand
regi
steredintheCivi
lRegisterasa" f
oundling.
"

109Ar
ti
cleI
V-Ci
ti
zenshi
p.

Sec.I
.Thef
oll
owi
ngar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes:

(1)Thosewhoar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
neI
slandsatt
het
imeoft
headopt
ionoft
his
Consti
tut
ion,

(2)Thoseborni
nthePhi
l
ippineI
slandsoff
orei
gnpar
ent
swho,beforet
headopt
ionoft
his
Consti
tut
ion,
hadbeenel
ectedtopubli
coff
icei
nthePhi
l
ippi
neI
slands.

(
3)Thosewhosef
ather
sar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes.

(4)Thosewhosemothersar
eci
ti
zensoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesand,
uponr
eachi
ngt
heageofmaj
ori
ty,
electPhi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
p.

(
5)Thosewhoar
enat
ural
i
zedi
naccor
dancewi
thl
aw.
Sect
ion2.Phi
l
ippi
neci
ti
zenshi
pmaybel
ostorr
eacqui
redi
nthemannerpr
ovi
dedbyl
aw.

110Ar
ti
cle163to182,Ti
tl
eVIofExecut
iveOr
derNo.209,
other
wiseknownasTheFami
l
yCode
oft
hePhil
ippi
nes,
whicht
ookeffecton4August1988.

111Stat
ist
icsfr
om thePSAori tspredecessoragenciesar
eadmissi
bleev
idence.SeeHerr
erav.
COMELEC, 376Phil
.443(I999)andBagabuy ov .COMELEC, 593Phi
l
.678(2008).I
nthelat
ter
case,
theCourteventookjudi
cialnoti
ceofthefigures.

112Tr
ansci
ptofSt
enogr
aphi
cNot
es,
9Febr
uar
y2016,
p.40.

113Sect
ion3(
y),
Rul
e131.

114236Phi
l
.307(
1987)
.

115I
d.at
314-
315.

116Engl
isht
ransl
ati
onoftheSpani
shori
ginal
present
edinthepeti
ti
oner
'spl
eadi
ngsbef
oret
he
COMELECandt hi
sCourt
.TheCOMELECandpr ivat
erespondent
shavenotdi
sput
edthe
accur
acyandcorr
ect
nessofthetr
ansl
ati
on.

117IJoseM.Ar
uego,
TheFr
ami
ngoft
hePhi
l
ippi
neConst
it
uti
on209(
1949)
.

118TSN,
16Febr
uar
y2016,
pp.20-
21.

119117Phi
l
.976(
1963)
.

120I
d.at978-
979.
121SeeSect i
on5oft heRANo.8552: "Locati
onofUnknownPar ent(
s).-I
tshallbethedutyof
theDepart
mentort hechil
d-car
ingagencywhi chhascustodyoft hechi
ldtoexertal
leffort
sto
l
ocatehis/herunknownbiologi
calpar
ent(s)
.Ifsucheffor
tsfail
,thechil
dshallberegist
eredasa
foundl
ingandsubsequentlybethesubjectoflegalpr
oceedingswher ehe/
sheshal l
bedecl ar
ed
abandoned."(Under
li
ningsuppl
ied)

122SeeExhi
bit"
l"i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)andSPANo.15-
00(
DC)
.

123SeeExhi
bit"
2"i
nSPANo.15-
001(
DC)andSPANo.15-
00(
DC)
.

124Razon,Jr
.v.Tagi
ti
s,621Phil
.536,600(
2009)ci
ti
ngPhar
maceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.
oft
hePhili
ppi
nesv.DuqueIII
,561Phil
.386,
398(2007)
.

125Ar
ti
cle38.
1,par
agr
aphs(
b)and(
c)oft
heSt
atut
eoft
heI
nter
nat
ional
Cour
tofJust
ice.

126Mi
j
aresv
.Ranada,
495Phi
l
.372,
395(
2005)
.

127Pharmaceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.DuqueI
II
,561Phi
l
.386,
400
(2007)
.

128I
nter
nat
ional
School
All
i
anceofEducat
orsv
.Qui
sumbi
ng,
388Phi
l
.661,
672-
673(
2000)
.

129CONSTI
TUTI
ON,
Art
.II
I,
Sec.1.

130Rep.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.Sandi
ganbay
an,
454Phi
l
.504,
545(
2003)
.

131"
Ever
yonehast
her
ightt
oanat
ional
i
ty.
"
132SeeInt
roduct
oryNot
etotheUni
tedNati
onsConventi
onontheReduct
ionofSt
atel
essness
i
ssuedbytheUnit
edNati
onsHighCommissi
oneronRefugees.

133Supr
anot
e124.

134Supr
anot
e126.

135I
d.at392;
Seef
oot
not
eNo.55ofsai
dcase.

136Phar
maceut
ical
andHeal
thCar
eAssoc.oft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesv
.DuqueI
II
,supr
anot
e127.

137SeeExhi
bit
s38and39-
ser
ies.

138Openi
ngSt
atementoft
heSol
i
cit
orGener
al,
p.6.

139Fi
rstDi
vi
sionr
esol
uti
ondat
ed11December2015,
uphel
dint
otobyt
heCOMELECEnBanc.

140409Phi
l
.633,
649(
2001)
.

141692Phi
l
.407,
420(
2012)
.

142551Phi
l
.368,
381(
2007)
.

14353IPhi
l
.407,
417(
2006)
.
144Supr
anot
e142.

145Supr
anot
e140at646.

146I
d.at651.

147G.
R.No.217126-
27,
10Nov
ember2015.

148I
d.

149I
mpl
ement
ingRul
esandRegul
ati
onsofRepubl
i
cActNo.8552,
Art
.VI
,Sec.33.

150Republ
i
cActNo.8552(
1998)
,Sec.14.

151Republ
i
cActNo.8552(
1998)
,Sec.15.

152Fernandezv.HouseofRepr esentat
ivesElector
alTri
bunal
, 623Phil
.628,660(2009)ci
ti
ng
Japzonv.COMELEC, 596Phil.354,370-372(2009)furt
hercit
ingPapandayan,Jr.v.COMELEC,
430Phil
.754,768-770(2002)furt
herfurtherci
ti
ngRomual dezv .RTC,
Br.7,Tacl
obanCity,
G.R.
No.104960,14September1993, 226SCRA408, 415.

153Domi
nov
.COMELEC,
369Phi
l
.798,
819(
1999)
.

154TSN,
16Febr
uar
y2016,
p.120.

155434Phi
l
.861(
2002)
.
156596Phi
l
.354(
2009)
.

157G.
R.No.209835,
22Sept
ember2015.

158G.
R.No.207264,
25June2013,
699SCRA522.

159Supr
anot
e155.

160Supr
anot
e156.

161Supr
anot
e157.

162Supr
anot
e158.

163Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.2(
a).

164Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.I
.

165Republ
i
cActNo.6768(
1989)
,asamended,
Sec.6.

166Supr
anot
e155.

167Supr
anot
e104at326.(
Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)

168Ugdor
aci
on,
Jr.v
.COMELEC,
575Phi
l
.253,
265-
266(
2008)
.
169I nMit
rav.COMELEC,etal.
,[
636Phil.753(2010)
],I
twasruledthattheresi
dence
requir
ementcanbecompliedwitht
hroughani ncr
emental
processincludi
ngacquisi
ti
onof
businessi
nter
esti
ntheperti
nentpl
aceandl easeoff
eedmill
buildi
ngasr esi
dence.

170COMELECResol
uti
ondat
ed11December
2015i
nSPANo.15-
002(
DC)
,pp.4-
5.

TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

Consti
tut
ionStat
utesExecuti
veIssuancesJudici
alI
ssuancesOt
herI
ssuances
Jur
ispr
udenceI
nter
nati
onalLegal
Resour cesAUSLExcl
usive

Todayi
sSat
urday
,August24,
2019home

Cust
om Sear
ch

Republ
i
coft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes

SUPREMECOURT

Mani
l
a

ENBANC

G.
R.No.179271 Apr
il21,
2009
BARANGAYASSOCI
ATI
ONFORNATI
ONALADVANCEMENTANDTRANSPARENCY(
BANAT)
,
Pet
it
ioner
,

v
s.

COMMI
SSI
ONONELECTI
ONS(
sit
ti
ngast
heNat
ional
Boar
dofCanv
asser
s),
Respondent
.

ARTSBUSI
NESSANDSCI
ENCEPROFESSI
ONALS,
Int
erv
enor
.

AANGATTAYO,
Int
erv
enor
.

COALITI
ONOFASSOCI ATI
ONSOFSENI
ORCI
TIZENSI
NTHEPHI
LIPPI
NES,
INC.(
SENI
OR
CI
TIZENS),
Int
erv
enor
.

x-----------------------
x

G.
R.No.179295 Apr
il21,
2009

BAYANMUNA,
ADVOCACYFORTEACHEREMPOWERMENTTHROUGHACTION,COOPERATI
ON
ANDHARMONYTOWARDSEDUCATI
ONALREFORMS,
INC.
,andABONO,
Pet
iti
oner
s,

v
s.

COMMI
SSI
ONONELECTI
ONS,
Respondent
.

DECISION

CARPI
O,J.
:

TheCase

Peti
tioneri
nG.R.No.179271—BarangayAssociat
ionforNati
onalAdvancementand
Transparency(
BANAT)—i napet
it
ionforcer
tior
ariandmandamus, 1assai
lst
heResolut
ion2
promulgatedon3August2007bytheCommi ssi
ononEl ect
ions(COMELEC)inNBCNo.07- 041
(PL)
.TheCOMELEC’ sresol
ut i
oni
nNBCNo.07- 041(PL)appr ovedther
ecommendat i
onofAtt
y.
Ali
odenD.Dalai
g,Headoft heNati
onalBoar
dofCanv assers(NBC)LegalGroup,t
odenythe
peti
ti
onofBANATf orbeingmoot.BANATf i
ledbefor
et heCOMELECEnBanc, act
ingasNBC,a
Peti
ti
ontoProcl
aimtheFull NumberofPart
y-Li
stRepresentati
vesProv
idedbytheConst
it
uti
on.

Thefoll
owingareint
erv
enorsi
nG.R.No.179271:Art
sBusi
nessandScienceProf
essionals
(ABS),
AangatTay o(
AT),andCoal
i
tionofAssoci
ati
onsofSeni
orCi
ti
zensinthePhil
ippines,I
nc.
(Seni
orCit
izens)
.

Peti
tionersi nG.R.No.179295—Bay anMuna, Abono, andAdv ocacyforTeacherEmpower ment
ThroughAct ion,
Cooper ati
onandHar monyTowar dsEducat ionalReforms( ATeacher )—ina
peti
tionforcer ti
orar
iwithmandamusandpr ohibi
tion,
3assai lsNBCResol ut
ionNo.07- 604
promul gatedon9Jul y2007.NBCNo.07- 60madeapar t
ialproclamationofpar ti
es,
organizationsandcoalitionsthatobt
ainedatleastt woper centoft hetotalv
otescastundert he
Party-Li
stSy stem.TheCOMELECannouncedt hat
, uponcompl eti
onoft hecanv assoftheparty
-
l
istresults,itwoulddeterminethetotalnumberofseat sofeachwi nni
ngpar ty
,organizati
on,
or
coali
tioninaccor dancewi thVeter
ansFeder at
ionPar t
yv .COMELEC5( Veter
ans) .

Est
rel
l
aDLSantos,i
nhercapaci
tyasPresi
dentandFir
stNomineeoftheVet
eransFr
eedom
Par
ty,
fil
edamoti
ontoint
ervenei
nbothG.R.Nos.179271and179295.

TheFact
s

The14May2007el
ect
ionsincl
udedtheelecti
onsforthepart
y-l
istr
epr
esentat
ives.The
COMELECcount
ed15,
950,900votescastfor93part
iesunderthePart
y-Li
stSystem.6

On27June2002, BANATf i
ledaPet i
ti
ontoPr ocl
aimt heFullNumberofPar t
y-List
Representat
ivesProvi
dedbyt heConst i
tuti
on,docketedasNBCNo.07- 041(
PL)bef or
etheNBC.
BANATf i
l
editspeti
ti
onbecause" [
t]
heChai r
manandt heMember softhe[COMELEC]hav e
recent
lybeenquotedinthenat i
onal papersthatt
he[ COMELEC]i sdutyboundt oandshall
i
mpl ementtheVeteransrul
ing,thatis,wouldapplythePangani banfor
mul ai
nallocati
ngpart
y-
l
istseats.
"7Therewerenoi nter
v enorsinBANAT’spet it
ionbeforetheNBC.BANATf il
eda
memor andum on19Jul y2007.
On9July2007,t heCOMELEC, si
tt
ingast heNBC, pr omulgatedNBCResol uti
onNo.07- 60.NBC
Resol
uti
onNo.07- 60pr oclai
medthirt
een( 13)parti
esaswi nnersinthepar t
y-l
istel
ect
ions,
namely
:BuhayHay aanYumabong( BUHAY) ,BayanMuna, Cit
izens’Batt
leAgai nstCor
ruption
(CI
BAC),Gabri
ela’sWomenPar ty(Gabri
ela),Associati
onofPhi li
ppineElectr
icCooperatives
(APEC)
,ATeacher ,Akbay an!Ci
ti
zen’sActionParty( AKBAYAN) ,Alagad,LuzonFar mersPar t
y
(BUTI
L),Cooper
at i
ve-NatcoNetwor kPart
y( COOP- NATCCO) ,AnakPawis, All
i
anceofRur al
Concer
ns( ARC)
, andAbono.Wequot eNBCResol utionNo.07- 60initsentir
etybelow:

WHEREAS, theCommi ssi

ononEl ecti
onssit
ti
ngenbancasNat ionalBoardofCanvassers,thr
u
i
tsSub- Commi t
teeforParty-
List
,asof03July2007,hadof f
ici
allycanvassed,
inopenandpubl ic
proceedings,atot
aloffif
teenmill
iontwohundredeightythr
eet housandsixhundr
edfift
y -
nine
(15,
283,659)votesunderthePar t
y-Li
stSyst
em ofRepresentat
ion,inconnecti
onwiththe
NationalandLocalElecti
onsconductedlast14May2007;

WHEREAS, thestudyconduct
edbyt heLegalandTabul
ati
onGroupsoftheNati
onalBoardof
Canvasser
sr ev
ealsthatt
heproject
ed/maximum tot
alpar
ty-
li
stvot
escannotgoanyhigherthan
si
xteenmil
li
onsev enhundredtwentythreet
housandonehundredt
wenty-
one(16,
723,121)
vot
esgiventhefoll
owingstat
ist
icaldata:

Pr
oject
ed/
Maxi
mum Par
ty-
ListVot
esf
orMay2007El
ect
ions

i
. Tot
alpar
ty-
li
stv
otesal
readycanv
assed/
tabul
ated 15,
283,
659

i
i. Total
par
ty-
li
stv
otesr
emai
ninguncanv
assed/unt
abul
ated(
i.
e.canv
assdef
err
ed)
1,
337,
032

i
ii
. Max i
mum par
ty-
li
stv
otes(basedon100%out
come)f
rom areasnotyetsubmittedf
or
canv
ass(Bogo,
Cebu;Bai
sCity
;Pantar,
Lanaodel
Nor
te;
andPagalungan,Maguindanao)
102,
430

Maxi
mum Tot
alPar
ty-
ListVot
es 16,
723,
121

WHEREAS,
Sect
ion11ofRepubl
i
cActNo.7941(
Par
ty-
ListSy
stem Act
)pr
ovi
desi
npar
t:

Thepart
ies,
organi
zat
ions,andcoali
ti
onsrecei
vi
ngatleastt
wopercent(
2%)ofthet
otalvot
es
castf
orthepart
y-l
i
stsystem shal
lbeent
it
ledtooneseateach:
provi
ded,t
hatt
hosegarneri
ng
moret hantwopercent(
2%)ofthev ot
esshallbeenti
tl
edtoaddit
ionalseatsi
nproport
iont
o
thei
rtotalnumberofvot
es:prov
ided,f
inal
ly
,thateachpar
ty,or
ganizat
ion,orcoal
i
tionshal
lbe
enti
tl
edt onotmorethanthr
ee(3)seats.

WHEREAS, fort
he2007El ecti
ons,basedontheaboveproj
ectedt
otal
ofpart
y-l
i
stv otes,
the
presumpti
vetwopercent(2%)t hr
esholdcanbepeggedatthr
eehundredt
hir
tyfourthousand
fourhundr
edsixt
y-t
wo( 334,462)votes;

WHEREAS, t
heSupr emeCour t,i
nCiti
zen’
sBatt
leAgainstCor
rupt
ion(
CIBAC)versusCOMELEC,
rei
terat
editsrulinginVeter
ansFederati
onPart
yv er
susCOMELECadopt i
ngaf or
mulaforthe
additi
onalseatsofeachpar t
y,organi
zati
onorcoali
ti
onrecev
ingmorethantherequi
redtwo
percent(2%)v otes,
stati
ngthatthesameshallbedeter
minedonl
yaft
erallpar
ty-l
i
stball
otshav
e
beencompl etelycanvassed;

WHEREAS,t
hepar
ti
es,or
gani
zat
ions,
andcoali
ti
onst
hathavet
husfargar
neredatl
eastt
hree
hundr
edt
hir
tyf
ourt
housandf
ourhundredsi
xty
-two(
334,
462)vot
esareasfoll
ows:

RANK PARTY/
ORGANI
ZATI
ON/

COALI
TION VOTES

RECEI
VED

1 BUHAY1,
163,
218

2 BAYANMUNA972,
730

3 CI
BAC760,
260

4 GABRI
ELA 610,
451

5 APEC 538,
971

6 ATEACHER 476,
036

7 AKBAYAN 470,
872

8 ALAGAD 423,
076

9 BUTI
L 405,
052

10 COOP-
NATCO390,
029
11 BATAS386,
361

12 ANAKPAWI
S 376,
036

13 ARC 338,
194

14 ABONO 337,
046

WHEREAS, exceptforBagongAl yansangTagapagt aguy odngAdhi kaingSambay anan(BATAS) ,

againstwhichanURGENTPETI TIONFORCANCELLATI ON/ REMOVALOFREGI STRATIONAND
DISQUALIFICATIONOFPARTY- LISTNOMI NEE( WithPray erfortheIssuanceofRest r
aining
Order)hasbeenf i
ledbeforetheCommi ssi
on, docketedasSPCNo.07- 250,al
ltheparties,
organizat
ionsandcoalit
ionsincludedintheafor ementionedlistaretheref
oreentit
ledtoatleast
oneseatundert heparty-
li
stsystem ofrepresentati
onint hemeant ime.

NOW, THEREFORE, byv i

rt
ueoft hepower
sv est
edinitbytheConstit
uti
on,theOmni busElect
ion
Code,Execut
iveOrderNo.144, Republ
icActNos.6646,7166,7941,andotherelecti
onlaws,t
he
Commi ssi
ononElect i
ons,si
tti
ngenbancast heNati
onal Boar
dofCanv assers,her
eby
RESOLVESt oPARTI ALLYPROCLAI M,subj
ecttocert
aincondit
ionssetfort
hbel ow,the
fol
l
owingparti
es,organizat
ionsandcoali
ti
onsparti
cipat
ingundertheParty-
ListSystem:

1 BuhayHay
aanYumabong BUHAY

2 Bay
anMuna BAYANMUNA

3 Ci
ti
zensBat
tl
eAgai
nstCor
rupt
ion CI
BAC

4 Gabr
iel
aWomen’
sPar
ty GABRI
ELA

5 Associ
ati
onofPhi
l
ippi
neEl
ect
ri
cCooper
ati
ves APEC

6 Adv
ocacyforTeacherEmpower
mentThr
oughAct
ion,
Cooper
ati
onandHar
mony
Towar
dsEducat
ional
Reforms,I
nc. ATEACHER

7 Akbay
an!Ci
ti
zen’
sAct
ionPar
ty AKBAYAN

8 Al
agadALAGAD

9 LuzonFar
mer
sPar
tyBUTI
L

10 Cooper
ati
ve-
Nat
coNet
wor
kPar
ty COOP-
NATCCO

11 AnakPawi
s ANAKPAWI
S

12 Al
l
ianceofRur
alConcer
ns ARC
13 AbonoABONO

Thisi
swi t
houtprej
udicet othepr
ocl
amationofot
herpar
ti
es,or
gani
zat
ions,
orcoali
ti
onswhich
maylateronbeestablishedtohaveobt
ainedatl
eastt
wopercent(
2%)ofthetot
alactual
vot
es
castunderthePart
y-Li
stSy stem.

Thet ot
alnumberofseatsofeachwinni
ngparty
,or
gani
zati
onorcoal
i
tionshall
bedetermined
pursuanttoVet
eransFederat
ionPar
tyversusCOMELECformul
auponcompl et
ionofthe
canvassofthepart
y-l
i
stresul
ts.

Thepr ocl
amati
onofBagongAl yansangTagapagt
aguyodngAdhikai
ngSambayanan(BATAS)i
s
herebydefer
redunt
ilf
inal
r esol
uti
onofSPCNo.07- 250,
inor
dernottor
endert
heproceedi
ngs
therei
nmootandacademi c.

Final
l
y ,
all
pr ocl
amationofthenomineesofconcer
nedpar
ties,
organi
zati
onsandcoali
ti
onswi
th
pendingdisputesshall
li
kewisebeheldi
nabeyanceunt
ilf
inalr
esolut
ionoft
heirr
espect
ive
cases.

LettheCler
koftheCommi ssi
onimplementt
hisResoluti
on,f
urni
shi
ngacopyt
her
eoft
othe
SpeakeroftheHouseofRepresent
ati
vesoft
hePhili
ppines.

SOORDERED.
8(Emphasi
sint
heor
igi
nal
)

PursuanttoNBCResolut
ionNo.07-60,t
heCOMELEC, acti
ngasNBC,pr
omulgatedNBC
Resolut
ionNo.07-72,
whichdecl
aredtheaddi
ti
onalseatsall
ocat
edt
otheappropr
iat
epar
ti
es.
Wequot efrom t
heCOMELEC’sint
erpret
ati
onoftheVeteransfor
mul
aasfoundinNBC
Resolut
ionNo.07-72:

WHEREAS, onJuly9,2007,theCommi ssiononElecti

onssi t
ti
ngenbancast heNationalBoard
ofCanvasser
sproclai
medt hir
teen( 13)quali
fi
edpar t
ies,
organizat
ion[
s]andcoali
ti
onsbasedon
thepr
esumptivetwopercent(2%)t hresholdof334,
462v otesfrom thepr
ojectedmaximum total
numberofparty-
li
stvot
esof16, 723,121,andwer ethusgivenone(1)guaranteedpart
y-l
i
stseat
each;
WHEREAS, perRepor toft heTabul at
ionGroupandSuper vi
soryCommi t
teeoftheNational
Boar dofCanv assers,thepr ojectedmaximum t otal
party
-l
istvotes,asofJuly11,2007,based
ont hev ot
esact uall
ycanv assed, vot
escanv assedbutnotincludedinReportNo.29, v
otes
receivedbutuncanv assed, andmaxi mum v otesexpectedforPant ar,
Lanaodel Nor
te,is
16,261,369;andt hatthepr ojectedmaximum t otalvot
esforthethirt
een(13)quali
fi
edpar t
ies,
organizati
onsandcoal it
ion[s]areasfoll
ows:

Par
ty-
List Pr
oject
edt
otal
numberofv
otes

1 BUHAY1,
178,
747

2 BAYANMUNA977,
476

3 CI
BAC755,
964

4 GABRI
ELA 621,
718

5 APEC 622,
489

6 ATEACHER 492,
369

7 AKBAYAN 462,
674

8 ALAGAD 423,
190

9 BUTI
L 409,
298

10 COOP-
NATCO412,
920

11 ANAKPAWI
S 370,
165

12 ARC 375,
846

13 ABONO 340,
151

WHEREAS, basedont heaboveReport,BuhayHayaanYumabong(Buhay )obt

ainedthehighest
numberofv ot
esamongt hethir
teen(13)quali
fi
edparti
es,or
gani
zationsandcoali
ti
ons,making
i
tthe" f
ir
stpar
ty"i
naccordancewi t
hVet er
ansFederat
ionPart
yversusCOMELEC, rei
ter
atedin
Cit
izen’
sBattl
eAgainstCorr
upti
on( CI
BAC)v er
susCOMELEC;

WHEREAS, quali
fiedpart
ies,or
ganizat
ionsandcoali
ti
onspart
ici
pati
ngundert
heparty
-l
ist
syst
em ofrepresentat
ionthathaveobtainedoneguarant
eed(1)seatmaybeent
itl
edtoan
addi
ti
onalseatorseatsbasedont hef ormulapr
escri
bedbytheSupremeCourti
nVeterans;
WHEREAS,i
ndet
ermini
ngtheaddi
ti
onal
seat
sfort
he"
fi
rstpar
ty"
,thecor
rectf
ormul
aas
expr
essedi
nVet
erans,
is:

Numberofv
otesoff
ir
stpar
ty

Tot
alv
otesf
orpar
ty-
li
stsy
stem = Pr
opor
ti
onofv
otesoff
ir
st

par
tyr
elat
ivet
otot
alv
otesf
or

par
ty-
li
stsy
stem

wher
einthepropor
ti
onofv
otesr
ecei
vedbyt
hef
ir
stpar
ty(
wit
houtr
oundi
ngof
f)shal
lent
it
lei
t
t
oadditi
onalseat
s:

Pr
opor
ti
onofv
otesr
ecei
ved

byt
hef
ir
stpar
ty Addi
ti
onal
seat
s

Equal
tooratl
east6% Two(
2)addi
ti
onal
seat
s

Equal
toorgr
eat
ert
han4%butl
esst
han6%One(
1)addi
ti
onal
seat

Lesst
han4% Noaddi
ti
onal
seat

WHEREAS,
appl
yi
ngt
heabov
efor
mul
a,Buhayobt
ainedt
hef
oll
owi
ngper
cent
age:

1,
178,
747

16,
261,
369 = 0.
07248or7.
2%

whi
chent
it
lesi
ttot
wo(
2)addi
ti
onal
seat
s.

WHEREAS, i
ndetermi
ningt
headdit
ionalseat
sfort
heotherquali
fi
edpar
ties,or
gani
zat
ionsand
coal
i
tions,
thecorr
ectf
ormulaasexpressedi
nVeter
ansandr ei
ter
atedi
nCI BACis,
asfoll
ows:

Addi
ti
onal
seat
sfor

aconcer
nedpar
ty = No.ofv
otesof

concer
nedpar
ty
No.ofv
otesof

f
ir
stpar
ty x No.ofaddi
ti
onal

seat
sal
l
ocat
ed

t
ofi
rstpar
ty

WHEREAS,
appl
yi
ngt
heabov
efor
mul
a,t
her
esul
tsar
easf
oll
ows:

Par
tyLi
st Per
cent
age Addi
ti
onal
Seat

BAYANMUNA1.
65 1

CI
BAC1.
28 1

GABRI
ELA 1.
05 1

APEC 1.
05 1

ATEACHER 0.
83 0

AKBAYAN 0.
78 0

ALAGAD 0.
71 0

BUTI
L 0.
69 0

COOP-
NATCO0.
69 0

ANAKPAWI
S 0.
62 0

ARC 0.
63 0

ABONO 0.
57 0

NOW THEREFORE, byv i

rtueoft
hepower svestedi
nitbytheConst i
tut
ion,Omni busElection
Code,Executi
veOr derNo.144,Republi
cActNos.6646, 7166,7941andot herelect
ionsl aws,
theCommi ssi
ononEl ecti
onsenbancsitti
ngastheNationalBoardofCanv assers,hereby
RESOLVED, asitherebyRESOLVES, t
opr ocl
aimthefol
lowingparti
es,organizat
ionsorcoal i
ti
ons
asenti
tl
edt oaddit
ional seat
s,t
owit:

Par
tyLi
st Addi
ti
onal
Seat
s

BUHAY2

BAYANMUNA1
CI
BAC1

GABRI
ELA 1

APEC 1

Thisiswit
houtpr
ejudi
cet otheprocl
amationofotherparti
es,organizati
onsorcoali
ti
onswhich
mayl at
eronbeestabli
shedtohav eobtai
nedatleasttwopercent( 2%)oft hetot
alvot
escast
underthepar
ty-
li
stsystem t
oent i
tl
ethem toone(1)guaranteedseat ,ortotheappr
opri
ate
percent
ageofvotestoentit
lethem t
oone( 1)addi
tional
seat.

Final
l
y ,
all
pr ocl
amationofthenomineesofconcer
nedpar
ties,
organi
zati
onsandcoali
ti
onswi
th
pendingdisputesshall
li
kewisebeheldi
nabeyanceunt
ilf
inalr
esolut
ionoft
heirr
espect
ive
cases.

LettheNati
onal
BoardofCanv
asser
sSecret
ari
ati
mplementt
hisResolut
ion,
fur
nishi
ngacopy
hereoft
otheSpeakeroft
heHouseofRepr
esent
ati
vesoft
hePhil
ippi
nes.

SOORDERED.
9

Act
ingonBANAT’
speti
ti
on,
theNBCpr
omul
gat
edNBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
88on3August2007,
whi
chreadsasf
oll
ows:

Thispert
ainstot
hePeti
ti
ontoPr
oclai
mtheFull
NumberofPart
y-Li
stRepresent
ati
vesPr
ovi
ded
bytheConstit
uti
onfi
l
edbytheBar
angayAssoci
ati
onf
orNati
onalAdvancementand
Transpar
ency(BANAT).

Acti
ngont heforegoingPet
it
ionoftheBar angayAssociati
onforNati
onalAdvancementand
Transparency( BANAT)party
-li
st,
Att
y .Al
iodenD.Dalaig,Head,Nat
ionalBoar
dofCanv asser
s
LegalGroupsubmi t
tedhiscomment s/observat
ionsandrecommendat i
onthereon[
NBC07- 041
(PL)]
,whichr eads:

COMMENTS/OBSERVATI
ONS:
Peti
ti
onerBarangayAssoci
ati
onforNati
onalAdvancementandTransparency(
BANAT),i
nits
Peti
ti
ontoProclai
mt heFul
lNumberofParty
-ListRepr
esent
ati
vesProvidedbytheConst
it
uti
on
pray
edforthefoll
owingrel
i
efs,t
owit:

1.Thatt
heful
lnumber--t
went
ypercent(20%)-
-ofParty
-Li
str
epr
esent
ati
vesasmandat
edby
Secti
on5,Ar
ti
cleVIoft
heConsti
tut
ionshall
beprocl
aimed.

2.Par
agraph(b),Sect i
on11ofRA7941whi chprescr
ibesthe2%t hresholdvot
es,shoul
dbe
harmoni
zedwithSect i
on5, Arti
cleVIoftheConsti
tut
ionandwi t
hSect i
on12oft hesameRA
7941inthati
tshoul dbeappl icableonlyt
othefi
rstpart
y-l
i
strepresentati
veseatstobeall
ott
ed
onthebasisoftheirinit
ial
/fi
rstranking.

3.The3-
seatl
i
mitpr
escr
ibedbyRA7941shal
lbeappl
i
ed;
and

4.Initi
ally,all
party-l
istgroupsshal lbegi vent henumberofseat scor respondingtoev er
y2%of
thev otest heyreceivedandt headditional seatsshallbeallocat edi naccor dancewi t
hSect i
on
12ofRA7941, thatis,inproporti
ont ot heper centageofv otesobt ainedbyeachpar ty-l
istgroup
i
nr elati
ont othetotal nati
onwidev otescasti ntheparty-
li
stel ection, aft
erdeductingt he
correspondi ngv otesoft hosewhi chwer eal l
ott
edseat sundert he2%t hresholdrule.Infine,the
formula/ procedurepr escribedinthe" ALLOCATI ONOFPARTY- LISTSEATS, ANNEX" A"of
COMELECRESOLUTI ON2847dat ed25June1996, shall
beusedf or[the]purposeof
determi ninghowmanyseat sshallbepr oclai
med, whichpar ty-l
istgr oupsar eenti
tledt o
represent ati
veseat sandhowmanyoft heirnomi neesshal lseat[si c].

5.Int
healt
ernati
ve,t
odeclar
easunconsti
tut
ionalSect
ion11ofRepubli
cActNo.7941andt
hat
thepr
ocedureinall
ocat
ingseat
sforpar
ty-
li
strepr
esentat
ivepr
escr
ibedbySect
ion12ofRA
7941shal
lbefoll
owed.

RECOM M ENDATION:

Thepet
it
ionofBANATi
snowmootandacademi
c.

TheCommi
ssi
onEnBanci
nNBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
60pr
omul
gat
edJul
y9,
2007r
e"I
nthe
Matt
eroftheCanv assofVotesandPar tialProclamationofthePar t
ies,Organizati
onsand
Coal
it
ionsParti
cipat
ingUndertheParty-
Li stSystem DuringtheMay14, 2007Nat ionalandLocal
El
ect
ions"resol
vedamongot hersthatthet otalnumberofseat sofeachwi nningparty
,
or
ganizat
ionorcoalit
ionshal
lbedetermi nedpur suanttotheVeteransFeder ationPart
yv er
sus
COMELECf ormulauponcompl et
ionoft hecanv assoft heparty
-l
istresult
s."1awphi1

WHEREFORE,premisesconsi
dered,theNat i
onal
BoardofCanvasser
sRESOLVED,asither
eby
RESOLVES,t
oapproveandadoptt her ecommendat
ionofAtt
y.Ali
odenD.Dal
aig,
Head,NBC
Legal
Group,t
oDENYt heherei
npet i
tionofBANATforbeingmootandacademic.

Lett
heSuper
visor
yCommi
tt
eei
mpl
ementt
hisr
esol
uti
on.

SOORDERED.
10

BANATfil
edapeti
ti
onforcer
ti
orar
iandmandamusassail
i
ngtherul
i
nginNBCResol
uti
onNo.
07-
88.BANATdidnotf
il
eamot i
onforreconsi
der
ati
onofNBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
88.

On9Jul y2007,BayanMuna, Abono,andATeacheraskedt heCOMELEC,acti

ngasNBC, t
o
reconsi
deri
tsdecisiontousetheVet er
ansformulaasstat
edinit
sNBCResoluti
onNo.07-60
becausetheVeteransformul
aisv i
olati
veoftheConstit
uti
onandofRepubl
icActNo.7941(R.
A.
No.7941).Onthesameday ,
theCOMELECdeni edreconsi
der
ati
onduri
ngtheproceedi
ngsof
theNBC.11

Asidefrom thethir
teenparty-
li
storganizati
onsproclai
medon9Jul y2007,t
heCOMELEC
procl
aimedt hreeotherpart
y-l
istorgani
zat i
onsasqualif
iedparti
esenti
tl
edtooneguar anteed
seatunderthePar ty-
ListSy
stem: Agri
cultural
SectorAll
ianceofthePhil
ippi
nes,
Inc.(AGAP) ,
12
AnakMi ndanao( AMIN) ,
13andAnWar ay.14Perthecertif
icat
ion15byCOMELEC, thefoll
owing
party
-l
istorganizat
ionshavebeenpr oclaimedasof19May2008:

Par
ty-
List No.ofSeat
(s)

1.
1 Buhay3

1.
2 Bay
anMuna 2
1.
3 CI
BAC2

1.
4 Gabr
iel
a 2

1.
5 APEC 2

1.
6 ATeacher 1

1.
7 Akbay
an 1

1.
8 Al
agad1

1.
9 But
il 1

1.
10 Coop-
Nat
co[
sic] 1

1.
11 AnakPawi
s 1

1.
12 ARC 1

1.
13 Abono1

1.
14 AGAP 1

1.
15 AMI
N 1

Theprocl
amationofBagongAl yansangTagapagt aguy
odngAdhikaingSambayanan(BATAS),
agai
nstwhichanUr gentPeti
ti
onf orCancel
lat
ion/Removal
ofRegist
r at
ionandDi
squali
fi
cati
on
ofPart
y-l
i
stNomi nee(withPrayerfort
heIssuanceofRestr
aini
ngOrder)hasbeenfi
ledbefore
theCOMELEC,wasdef er
redpendingfinalr
esolut
ionofSPCNo.07-250.

I
ssues

BANATbr
oughtt
hef
oll
owi
ngi
ssuesbef
oret
hisCour
t:

1.I
sthet
wentyper
cental
l
ocati
onf
orpart
y-l
i
strepresent
ati
vespr
ovi
dedi
nSect
ion5(
2),
Art
icl
e
VIoft
heConst
it
uti
onmandator
yori
sitmerelyaceil
ing?

2.I
sthet
hree-
seatl
i
mitpr
ovi
dedi
nSect
ion11(
b)ofRA7941const
it
uti
onal
?

3.I
sthet
woper
centt
hreshol
dand"
qual
i
fier
"vot
espr
escr
ibedbyt
hesameSect
ion11(
b)ofRA
7941const
it
uti
onal
?

4.Howshal
lthepar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
vesbeal
l
ocat
ed?
16

BayanMuna,
ATeacher
,andAbono,
ont
heot
herhand,
rai
sedt
hef
oll
owi
ngi
ssuesi
nthei
r
pet
iti
on:

I
.RespondentCommi ssi
ononElect
ions,
acti
ngasNat i
onalBoardofCanvasser
s,committed
grav
eabuseofdi screti
onamounti
ngtolackorexcessofjur
isdi
cti
onwhenitpromulgat
edNBC
Resoluti
onNo.07-60t oimpl
ementtheFi
rst
-Par
tyRuleintheall
ocati
onofseatstoqual
if
ied
part
y-li
stor
gani
zationsassaidr
ule:

A.Vi
olat
est
heconst
it
uti
onal
pri
nci
pleofpr
opor
ti
onal
repr
esent
ati
on.

B.Vi
olat
est
hepr
ovi
sionsofRA7941par
ti
cul
arl
y:

1.The2-
4-6For
mulausedbytheFi
rstPart
yRul
einall
ocat
ingaddi
ti
onal
seat
sfort
he"
Fir
st
Part
y"vi
olat
est
hepri
nci
pleofpr
oporti
onalr
epr
esent
ati
onunderRA7941.

2.Theuseoftwofor
mul asi
ntheall
ocati
onofaddit
ionalseat
s,onef
ort
he"
Fir
stPar
ty"and
anotherf
ort
hequali
fyi
ngparti
es,
viol
atesSect
ion11(b)ofRA7941.

3.Thepropor
ti
onal
rel
ati
onshi
psundert
heFi
rstPar
tyRul
ear
edi
ff
erentf
rom t
hoser
equi
red
underRA7941;

C.Viol
atesthe"
FourI
nvi
olabl
eParamet
ers"oft
hePhil
ippinepar
ty-
li
stsy
stem aspr
ovi
dedf
or
underthesamecaseofVeter
ansFeder
ati
onParty
,etal.v
.COMELEC.

II
.Pr
esumingt
hatt
heCommi ssi
ononElect
ionsdi
dnotcommitgr
aveabuseofdi
scret
ion
amounti
ngtol
ackorexcessofj
uri
sdi
cti
onwheniti
mplement
edtheFi
rst
-Par
tyRul
einthe
al
locationofseatst
oqualif
iedparty-l
i
stor
ganizat
ions,
thesamebei ngmer el
yinconsonance
withther ul
ingi
nVeter
ansFeder at
ionsPart
y,etal
.v.COMELEC, theinstantPeti
tionisa
j
ustici
ablecaseastheissuesinvol
v edher
einareconst
itut
ionali
nnature,invol
vingthecorr
ect
i
nterpretati
onandimpl
ement ati
onofRA7941, andareoftranscendentalimportancetoour
nati
on.17

Consider
ingtheal
l
egati
onsinthepet
it
ionsandt
hecommentsofthepar
ti
esi
nthesecases,
we
def
inedthefoll
owi
ngissuesi
nouradvisor
yfort
heor
alar
gumentsseton22Apr
il2008:

1.I
sthetwent
yper
cental
locat
ionforpart
y-l
i
str
epr
esent
ati
vesi
nSect
ion5(
2),
Art
icl
eVIoft
he
Const
it
uti
onmandator
yormerelyaceil
ing?

2.I
sthet
hree-
seatl
i
miti
nSect
ion11(
b)ofRA7941const
it
uti
onal
?

3.I
sthetwopercentt
hreshol
dpr
escr
ibedi
nSect
ion11(
b)ofRA7941t
oqual
i
fyf
oroneseat
const
it
uti
onal
?

4.Howshal
lthepar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
veseat
sbeal
l
ocat
ed?

5.DoestheConsti
tut
ionpr
ohibi
tthemajorpoli
ti
cal
part
iesfr
om part
ici
pati
nginthepar
ty-
li
st
el
ecti
ons?Ifnot
,canthemajorpoli
ti
cal
parti
esbebarr
edfrom par
ti
cipat
ingint
heparty
-l
ist
el
ecti
ons?18

TheRul
i
ngoft
heCour
t

Thepeti
ti
onshav epart
ialmeri
t.Wemai
ntai
nthataPhi
li
ppine-
styl
epart
y-l
istel
ecti
onhasat
l
eastfouri
nvi
olableparameter
sascl
ear
lystat
edinVet
erans.Foreasyr
eference,
thesear
e:

Fir
st,t
het wentypercentall
ocati
on—t hecombi
nednumberofal
lpar
ty-
li
stcongressmenshal
l
notexceedt wentypercentofthetot
almembershi
poft
heHouseofRepresentat
ives,i
ncl
udi
ng
thoseelectedunderthepartyli
st;
Second,thetwopercentt
hreshol
d—onl yt
hosepar
ti
esgarneri
ngaminimum oft
wopercentof
thetotalval
i
dv ot
escastf
orthepart
y-l
i
stsyst
em ar
e"qual
i
f i
ed"tohav
easeatintheHouseof
Representat
ives;

Thir
d, thet
hree-
seatl
i
mit—eachqual
i
fiedpart
y,r
egardl
essofthenumberofvotesi
tact
uall
y
obtained,i
senti
tl
edtoamaxi
mum ofthreeseat
s;thati
s,one"
qual
ify
ing"andt
woadditi
onal
seats;

Four
th,pr
opor
ti
onalr
epr
esent
ation—theaddit
ional
seat
swhichaqual
i
fiedpar
tyi
sent
it
ledt
o
shal
lbecomputed"
inpr
oport
iontothei
rtot
alnumberofvot
es.
"19

Howev er,
becausetheformulainVeteranshasflawsini
tsmat
hematical
int
erpret
ati
onoft
he
ter
m" propor
ti
onalrepr
esentati
on,
"thisCourti
scompel l
edtor
evi
sitt
heformulafort
he
all
ocati
onofadditi
onalseat
st opar
ty-l
istor
ganizati
ons.

NumberofPar
ty-
ListRepr
esent
ati
ves:

TheFor
mul
aMandat
edbyt
heConst
it
uti
on

Sect
ion5,
Art
icl
eVIoft
heConst
it
uti
onpr
ovi
des:

Secti
on5.(1)TheHouseofRepr esent ati
vesshallbecomposedofnotmor et
hant wohundred
andfif
tymembers,unlessotherwi
sef ixedbylaw, whoshallbeel
ect
edf r
om legisl
ati
vedist
ri
cts
apport
ionedamongthepr ovi
nces,citi
es,andt heMet r
opoli
tanMani
laareainaccordancewith
thenumberofthei
rrespectiv
einhabitants,andont hebasisofauni
form andprogressi
verati
o,
andthosewho,asprov i
dedbylaw, shallbeelectedthroughapar
ty-
li
stsystem ofregi
ster
ed
nati
onal,r
egi
onal
,andsect or
alpart
iesoror ganizati
ons.

(2)Thepar t
y-li
strepresentati
vesshal
lconsti
tutetwent ypercentum oft hetotalnumberof
represent at
ivesincl
udingt hoseundertheparty
-li
st.Forthreeconsecut i
vetermsaf terthe
rati
ficati
onoft hi
sConst i
tuti
on,one-
halfoft
heseat sal l
ocatedtopar t
y-l
istr
epr esentati
vesshal
l
befilled,aspr ovi
dedbyl aw, bysel
ect
ionorelecti
onf rom thelabor,peasant,urbanpoor ,
i
ndigenouscul tural
communi ti
es,women,youth,andsuchot hersectorsasmaybepr ovi
dedby
l
aw,
exceptt
her
eli
gioussect
or.

Thef
ir
stpar
agr
aphofSect
ion11ofR.
A.No.7941r
eads:

Secti
on11.NumberofPar t
y-Li
stRepr
esentat
ives.—Theparty
-l
istr
epr
esent
ati
vesshal
l
consti
tutetwentypercent
um (20%)ofthetot
al numberoft
hemembersoftheHouseof
Representat
ivesincl
udi
ngthoseunderthepart
y -
li
st.

xxx

Secti
on5(1)
,Arti
cleVIoft heConst i
tuti
onstatesthatthe"HouseofRepr esentat
ivesshallbe
composedofnotmor ethant wohundr edandf i
ft
ymember s,unl
essot herwisefi
xedbyl aw."The
HouseofRepresentati
vesshal lbecomposedofdi st
ri
ctrepresentati
vesandpar ty-l
i
st
repr
esent
ati
ves.TheConst i
tuti
onall
owst helegisl
aturetomodi f
yt henumberoft hemember s
oftheHouseofRepr esentati
ves.1avvphi
1.zw+

Secti
on5(2),Art
icl
eVIoftheConst i
tuti
on,
ont heotherhand,st
atestherat
ioofpart
y-l
i
st
repr
esentat
ivestothetot
alnumberofr epr
esent at
ives.Wecomputethenumberofseats
avai
labl
etopar t
y-l
i
strepr
esentat
ivesfrom thenumberoflegisl
ati
vedist
ri
cts.Onthi
spoint
,we
donotdev i
atefr
om thefi
rstf
ormul ainVeterans,t
hus:

Numberofseat
s

av
ail
abl
etol
egi
slat
ivedi
str
ict
s

.
80

x.
20=Numberofseat
sav
ail
abl
eto

par
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
ves

Thisfor
mulaal l
owsforthecorr
espondingincr
easeinthenumberofseat savai
labl
eforpart
y-
l
istrepr
esentati
veswheneveralegi
slat
ivedist
ri
ctiscr
eatedbylaw.Sincethe14thCongressof
thePhil
ippi
neshas220di st
ri
ctrepr
esentati
ves,t
hereare55seatsavail
abletopart
y-l
i
st
repr
esentat
ives.
220

.
80 x.
20=55

Afterprescr
ibingtherat
ioofthenumberofparty
-l
istr
epresent
ati
vest
othetot
alnumberof
representat
ives,t
heConstit
uti
onleftt
hemannerofallocat
ingt
heseatsav
ail
abl
etopart
y-l
i
st
representat
ivestothewisdom ofthel
egi
slat
ure.

Al
l
ocat
ionofSeat
sforPar
ty-
ListRepr
esent
ati
ves:

TheSt
atut
oryLi
mit
sPr
esent
edbyt
heTwoPer
centThr
eshol
d

andt
heThr
ee-
SeatCap

Allparti
esagr eeont heformul atodeterminethemaxi mum numberofseat sreservedunderthe
Party-
ListSystem, aswel lasont heformulatodet erminetheguaranteedseatstopar t
y -
li
st
candidatesgar neri
ngatl easttwo-per
centofthet otalpart
y-l
i
stv ot
es.Howev er,t
herear e
numer ousinterpret
ationsoft heprovi
sionsofR. A.No.7941ont heal
locati
onof" addit
ional
seats"underthePar ty-Li
stSy stem.Veteransproducedt heFir
stPartyRule,
20andJust i
ce
VicenteV.Mendoza’ sdissentinVeteranspresentedGer many ’
sNiemey erf
ormul a21asan
al
ternative.

TheConstit
utionleftt
oCongr essthedetermi
nati
onofthemannerofal
l
ocatingtheseat
sfor
par
ty-
li
strepresentati
ves.CongressenactedR.
A.No.7941,
paragr
aphs(a)and(b)ofSecti
on11
andSecti
on12ofwhi chprovide:

Sect
ion11.NumberofPar
ty-
ListRepr
esent
ati
ves.—xxx

I
ndetermi
ningt
heal
l
ocat
ionofseat
sfort
hesecondv
ote,
22t
hef
oll
owi
ngpr
ocedur
eshal
lbe
obser
ved:

(a)Thepar
ti
es,or
gani
zat
ions,andcoal
iti
onsshal
lberankedfrom thehi
ghestt
othel
owest
basedonthenumberofvotestheygar
neredduri
ngtheelect
ions.

(
b)Thepar
ti
es,
organi
zat
ions,
andcoal
i
tionsr
ecei
vi
ngatl
eastt
woper
cent(
2%)oft
het
otal
votescastf
ortheparty-
li
stsystem shallbeentit
ledtooneseateach: Pr
ovided,Thatthose
garner
ingmorethantwoper cent(2%)oft hevotesshal lbeent
it
ledtoaddi
tionalseatsin
proport
iont
otheirt
otalnumberofv otes: Pr
ovided,final
l
y ,
Thateachpart
y,organizat
ion,or
coali
ti
onshall
beentit
ledtonotmor ethanthree( 3)seats.

Secti
on12.Pr ocedur
einAllocati
ngSeatsforPart
y-ListRepresentati
ves.—TheCOMELECshal l
tal
lyall
thev ot
esfortheparti
es,organi
zati
ons,
orcoal i
ti
onsonanat ionwidebasis,r
ankthem
accordi
ngt othenumberofv otesrecei
vedandall
ocat epart
y -
li
strepresentat
ives
proport
ionatel
yaccordi
ngtot hepercent
ageofvotesobt ai
nedbyeachpar ty,organi
zat
ion,
or
coali
ti
onasagai nstt
hetotalnati
onwidevotescastforthepar t
y-l
i
stsy stem.(Emphasissuppl
ied)

I
nG.R.No.179271,BANATpresent
stwoi
nter
pret
ati
onst
hrought
hreef
ormul
ast
oal
l
ocat
e
par
ty-
li
str
epresent
ati
veseat
s.

Thefirsti
nter
pretat
ionall
egedl
yharmonizest
heprov
isi
onsofSecti
on11(
b)onthe2%
requi
rementwi t
hSection12ofR.A.No.7941.BANATdescr
ibedthi
spr
ocedur
easfol
lows:

(a)Theparty-l
istrepresentati
vesshallconstit
utetwentypercent(20%)ofthet ot
alMembersof
theHouseofRepr esentati
v esincl
udingthosef r
om theparty-
li
stgroupsaspr escr
ibedby
Secti
on5, Arti
cleVIoft heConst it
uti
on,Section11(1stpar .
)ofRA7941andComel ec
Resolut
ionNo.2847dat ed25June1996.Si ncethereare220Di st
rictRepr
esentati
vesint
he
14thCongr ess,thereshallbe55Par ty-
ListRepresentat
ives.Al
lseatsshallhavetobe
procl
aimed.

(
b)All
party
-l
istgroupsshal
li
nit
ial
l
ybeallot
tedone( 1)seatforever
ytwopercent
um (
2%)of
t
hetotal
party-
li
stvotest
heyobtai
ned;
provi
ded,thatnopar t
y-l
istgr
oupsshal
lhav
emorethan
t
hree(
3)seats(Secti
on11,RA7941).

(c)Ther emai ni
ngseatsshall,aft
erdeducti
ngtheseatsobtai
nedbythepar t
y-l
istgroupsunder
theimmedi atelyprecedingparagraphandafterdeduct
ingfr
om thei
rtotal
thev otes
correspondingt ot
hoseseat s,theremaini
ngseatsshallbeal
lot
tedproport
ionatelytoallt
he
party-
li
stgroupswhi chhav enotsecuredthemaxi mum thr
ee(3)seatsunderthe2%t hr
eshol
d
rul
e, i
naccor dancewi t
hSection12ofRA7941. 23
For
ty-
four(
44)par
ty-
li
stseat
swi
l
lbeawar
dedunderBANAT’
sfi
rsti
nter
pret
ati
on.

Thesecondinterpr
etat
ionpresent
edbyBANATassumest hatthe2%v ot
er equi
rementis
decl
aredunconstit
uti
onal
,andapport
ionstheseatsf
orpar
ty-
li
strepr
esentati
vesbyfoll
owing
Sect
ion12ofR. A.No.7941.BANATst at
esthatt
heCOMELEC:

(
a)shal
ltal
l
yal
lthev
otesf
ort
hepar
ti
es,
organi
zat
ions,
orcoal
i
tionsonanat
ionwi
debasi
s;

(
b)r
ankt
hem accor
dingt
othenumberofv
otesr
ecei
ved;
and,

(c)al
l
ocatepar
ty-
li
strepresentat
ivespr
opor
ti
onatel
yaccor
dingt
ot hepercent
ageofvot
es
obtai
nedbyeachparty,organi
zati
onorcoal
i
tionasagai
nstthet
otalnat
ionwidevot
escastf
or
thepart
y-l
i
stsyst
em.24

BANATusedt woformulast oobtai

nthesameresul
ts:onei
sbasedont hepropor
ti
onal
percentageofthevotesreceivedbyeachpar
tyasagai
nstthetot
alnationwidepart
y-l
i
stvotes,
andt heotheri
s"bymakingt hev ot
esofapart
y-l
i
stwit
hamedi anpercentageofvotesasthe
di
visorincomputingtheallocati
onofseat
s."
25Thir
ty-
four(
34)part
y-l
istseatswil
lbeawarded
underBANAT’ ssecondinterpret
ati
on.

InG.R.No.179295, BayanMuna, Abono, andATeachercr iti

cizebot ht heCOMELEC’ sor i
ginal 2-
4-6formul aandt heVet eransf ormul aforsy st
emat i
call
ypr ev entingallthepar t
y-l
istseat sfrom
beingfil
ledup.Theycl aimt hatbot hf ormul asdonotf actori nt hetotalnumberofseat salloted
fortheent i
rePar t
y -
ListSystem.Bay anMuna, Abono, andATeacherr ejectthethree-seatcap,
butacceptt he2%t hreshold.Af terdet ermi ningthequal i
fi
edpar t
ies,asecondper centagei s
generatedbydi vidingthev ot esofaqual i
fiedpar tybythet otal votesofal lqual
ifi
edpar ti
esonl y.
Thenumberofseat sall
ocat edt oaqual if
iedpar tyiscomput edbymul ti
plyi
ngthet ot
al party-l
ist
seatsav ail
ablewi ththesecondper cent age.Ther ewi l
lbeaf i
r stroundofseatal l
ocat i
on, l
imi t
ed
tousingt hewhol ei nt
egersast heequi valentoft henumberofseat sallocatedtot heconcer ned
party-
li
st.Afterallthequal i
fiedpar tiesar egi ventheirseats, asecondr oundofseatal locationi s
conducted.Thef racti
ons,orr emai nder s,from thewhol einteger sarer ankedf r
om hi ghestt o
l
owestandt her emai ni
ngseat sont hebasi softhisrankingar eallocatedunt i
lalltheseat sar e
fi
ll
edup. 26
Weexami
newhatR.
A.No.7941pr
escr
ibest
oal
l
ocat
eseat
sforpar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
ves.

Sect
ion11(
a)ofR.A.No.7941prescr
ibest
her
ankingoft
hepar
ti
cipat
ingpart
iesfrom t
he
hi
ghesttot
helowestbasedonthenumberofvot
estheygar
ner
edduringtheelect
ions.

Table1.Rankingofthepart
ici
pati
ngparti
esf
rom t
hehi
ghestt
othel
owestbasedont
henumber
ofvotesgarneredduri
ngtheelect
ions.
27

Rank Par
ty Vot
esGar
ner
ed Rank Par
ty Vot
esGar
ner
ed

1 BUHAY1,
169,
234 48 KALAHI 88,
868

2 BAYANMUNA979,
039 49 APOI 79,
386

3 CI
BAC755,
686 50 BP 78,
541

4 GABRI
ELA 621,
171 51 AHONBAYAN 78,
424

5 APEC 619,
657 52 BI
GKI
S77,
327

6 ATEACHER 490,
379 53 PMAP 75,
200

7 AKBAYAN 466,
112 54 AKAPI
N 74,
686

8 ALAGAD 423,
149 55 PBA 71,
544

9 COOP-
NATCCO 409,
883 56 GRECON 62,
220

10 BUTI
L 409,
160 57 BTM 60,
993

11 BATAS385,
810 58 ASMI
LE 58,
717

12 ARC 374,
288 59 NELFFI
57,
872

13 ANAKPAWI
S 370,
261 60 AKSA 57,
012

14 ABONO 339,
990 61 BAGO 55,
846

15 AMI
N 338,
185 62 BANDI
LA 54,
751

16 AGAP 328,
724 63 AHON 54,
522

17 ANWARAY 321,
503 64 ASAHANMO 51,
722

18 YACAP310,
889 65 AGBI
AG! 50,
837
19 FPJPM300,
923 66 SPI 50,
478

20 UNI
-MAD 245,
382 67 BAHANDI 46,
612

21 ABS 235,
086 68 ADD 45,
624

22 KAKUSA 228,
999 69 AMANG 43,
062

23 KABATAAN 228,
637 70 ABAYPARAK 42,
282

24 ABA-
AKO 218,
818 71 BABAEKA 36,
512

25 ALI
F 217,
822 72 SB 34,
835

26 SENI
ORCI
TIZENS 213,
058 73 ASAP 34,
098

27 AT 197,
872 74 PEP 33,
938

28 VFP 196,
266 75 ABAI
LONGGO33,
903

29 ANAD 188,
521 76 VENDORS 33,
691

30 BANAT177,
028 77 ADD-
TRI
BAL 32,
896

31 ANGKASANGGA 170,
531 78 ALMANA 32,
255

32 BANTAY 169,
801 79 AANGATKAPI
LIPI
NO29,
130

33 ABAKADA 166,
747 80 AAPS 26,
271

34 1-
UTAK 164,
980 81 HAPI 25,
781

35 TUCP 162,
647 82 AAWAS 22,
946

36 COCOFED 155,
920 83 SM 20,
744

37 AGHAM 146,
032 84 AG 16,
916

38 ANAK 141,
817 85 AGI
NGPI
NOY16,
729

39 ABANSE!PI
NAY 130,
356 86 APO 16,
421

40 PM 119,
054 87 BI
YAYANGBUKI
D 16,
241

41 AVE 110,
769 88 ATS 14,
161

42 SUARA110,
732 89 UMDJ9,
445

43 ASSALAM 110,
440 90 BUKLODFI
LIPI
NA 8,
915

44 DI
WA 107,
021 91 LYPAD8,
471
45 ANC 99,
63692 AA-
KASOSYO 8,
406

46 SANLAKAS 97,
37593 KASAPI 6,
221

47 ABC 90,
058

TOTAL15,
950,
900

Thef ir
stcl
auseofSect ion11(b)ofR. A.No.7941st atesthat"part
ies,organi
zat i
ons, and
coali
t i
onsr
eceivingatleasttwoper cent(2%)oft het otalvot
escastf orthepar ty-
li
stsy st
em
shallbeenti
tledtooneseateach. "Thisclauseguar ant eesaseatt othet wo-percenters.I
nTabl
e
2bel ow,weuset hefi
rst20par t
y-l
istcandidatesf orill
ustrat
ionpurposes.Theper centageof
votesgarneredbyeachpar tyisarri
v edatbydividingt henumberofv otesgar neredbyeach
partyby15,950,900,t
het ot
alnumberofv otescastf oral l
party-
li
stcandidates.

Tabl
e2.Thefi
rst20par
ty-
li
stcandi
dat
esandt
hei
rrespect
iveper
cent
ageofv
otesgar
ner
edov
er
thet
otal
vot
esf ort
hepar
ty-
li
st.
28

Rank Par
ty VotesGar
ner
ed Vot
esGar
ner
edov
erTot
alVot
esf
orPar
ty-
List
,in%
Guar
ant
eedSeat

1 BUHAY1,
169,
234 7.
33% 1

2 BAYANMUNA979,
039 6.
14% 1

3 CI
BAC755,
686 4.
74% 1

4 GABRI
ELA 621,
171 3.
89% 1

5 APEC 619,
657 3.
88% 1

6 ATEACHER 490,
379 3.
07% 1

7 AKBAYAN 466,
112 2.
92% 1

8 ALAGAD 423,
149 2.
65% 1

9 COOP-
NATCCO 409,
883 2.
57% 1

10 BUTI
L 409,
160 2.
57% 1

11 BATAS29 385,
810 2.
42% 1

12 ARC 374,
288 2.
35% 1

13 ANAKPAWI
S 370,
261 2.
32% 1
14 ABONO 339,
990 2.
13% 1

15 AMI
N 338,
185 2.
12% 1

16 AGAP 328,
724 2.
06% 1

17 ANWARAY 321,
503 2.
02% 1

Tot
al 17

18 YACAP310,
889 1.
95% 0

19 FPJPM300,
923 1.
89% 0

20 UNI
-MAD 245,
382 1.
54% 0

From Table2abov e,weseet hatonly17par t

y-l
istcandidat
esrecei
vedatleast2%f rom thetot
al
numberofv ot
escastf orparty-
li
stcandi dates.The17qual if
iedpar
ty-l
i
stcandidates,ort
het wo-
percent
ers,ar
et hepart
y-l
istcandidatest hatare"enti
tledtooneseateach,
"ort heguaranteed
seat.I
nthisfi
rstroundofseatal l
ocation, wedistri
buted17guaranteedseats.

Thesecondcl auseofSection11(b)ofR.A.No.7941pr ovi

dest hat"thosegar neringmor ethan
twoper cent(2%)ofthev otesshallbeenti
tl
edt oaddit
ional seatsinproportiont othei
rtotal
numberofv otes.
"Thisiswher epeti
ti
oners’andinter
venor s’probl
em wi ththef ormulain
Veteranslies.Veter
ansinterpret
stheclause"inproportiont ot
heirtotalnumberofv otes"tobe
i
npr oporti
ont othevotesoft hefi
rstpart
y.Thisint
erpretationiscontrarytot heexpress
l
anguageofR. A.No.7941.

Wer ulethat ,
incomput i
ngt heal locati
onofaddi t
ionalseat
s,theconti
nuedoperati
onoft hetwo
percentthresholdforthedi stributi
onoft headdi t
ionalseat
sasf oundinthesecondclauseof
Section11( b)ofR.A.No.7941i sunconst i
tuti
onal.ThisCourtfi
ndsthatthetwopercent
thr
esholdmakesi tmat hemat icallyimpossibletoachiev et
hemaxi mum numberofav ail
able
partyli
stseat swhenthenumberofav ai
lablepartyli
stseatsexceeds50.Thecontinued
operati
onoft hetwoper centt hresholdinthedi st
ribut
ionoftheaddit
ionalseat
sfrustr
atesthe
att
ainmentoft hepermissi v
ecei li
ngt hat20%oft hemember softheHouseofRepr esentati
ves
shallconsistofparty-
li
str epresent at
ives.

Toil
lustr
ate:Ther ear
e55av ail
ableparty-
li
stseat
s.Supposet hereare50mi l
li
onv otescastfor
the100par t
icipantsi
nthepar t
ylistel
ecti
ons.Apar t
ythathast woper centofthev otescast,or
onemi l
li
onv otes,get
saguar anteedseat.Letusfurt
herassumet hatthefir
st50par tiesal
lget
onemi l
li
onv otes.Onl
y50par ti
esgetaseatdespi tetheavail
abil
it
yof55seat s.Becauseoft he
operat
ionoft hetwopercentthreshold,t
hissit
uat
ionwi l
lrepeatit
selfevenifwei ncreasethe
avail
ableparty-
li
stseat
st o60seat
sandev enifwei ncr
easethevotescastt
o100mi ll
ion.Thus,
evenifthemaxi mum numberofpartiesgettwopercentoft
hev ot
esforeverypart
y,i
tisalways
i
mpossi bleforthenumberofoccupiedparty
-li
stseatst
oexceed50seat saslongasthet wo
percentthresholdi
spresent.

Wet hereforestr
ikedownt hetwopercentthresholdonlyinr
elat
iontothedistri
butionofthe
additi
onal seat
sasfoundi nthesecondclauseofSect i
on11(b)ofR.A.No.7941.Thet wo
percentthresholdpr
esent sanunwar rant
edobst aclet
ot hef
ulli
mplement ati
onofSect i
on5(2)
,
Arti
cleVIoft heConsti
tutionandpr event
stheat tai
nmentof"thebroadestpossible
representati
onofparty
, sectoralorgr
oupinterestsintheHouseofRepr esentat
ives."
30

I
ndetermi
ningtheall
ocationofseat
sforpar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
vesunderSect
ion11ofR.
A.No.
7941,
thef
ollowingprocedureshal
lbeobser
ved:

1.Thepar
ties,
organi
zat
ions,andcoali
ti
onsshal
l berankedf
rom thehi
ghestt
othel
owest
basedonthenumberofv ot
est heygar
nereddur
ingtheelect
ions.

2.Thepart
ies,
organizati
ons,andcoal
it
ionsrecei
vi
ngatl
easttwopercent(
2%)oft
het
otal
vot
es
castf
ortheparty
-l
istsystem shal
lbeenti
tl
edtooneguar
anteedseateach.

3.Thosegarner
ingsuff
ici
entnumberofv
otes,
accordingt
otheranki
nginpar
agraph1,shal
lbe
enti
tl
edtoaddit
ional
seatsinpropor
ti
ont
otheirt
otalnumberofvot
esunti
lal
ltheaddi
ti
onal
seatsar
eall
ocated.

4.Eachpar
ty,
organi
zat
ion,
orcoal
i
tionshal
lbeent
it
ledt
onotmor
ethant
hree(
3)seat
s.

Incomput ingtheaddit
ionalseats, t
heguaranteedseat sshallnolongerbei ncludedbecause
theyhav ealr
eadybeenal l
ocated, atoneseateach, toeverytwo-percenter.Thus,ther
emai ni
ng
avail
ableseatsforall
ocati
onas" addit
ionalseats"arethemaxi mum seat sreservedunderthe
PartyListSystem l
esstheguar anteedseats.Fractionalseatsaredisregardedintheabsenceof
aprovisioninR.A.No.7941al l
owi ngforaroundi ngoffoffracti
onal seat
s.

I
ndecl
ari
ngt
het
woper
centt
hreshol
dunconst
it
uti
onal
,wedonotl
i
mitoural
l
ocat
ionof
additi
onal seat sinTable3bel owt othet wo- per center s.Theper centageofv otesgar neredby
eachpar ty -
li
stcandidateisarriv
edatbydi vidingt henumberofv otesgar neredbyeachpar t
yby
15,950,900, thetotalnumberofv otescastf orpar ty-li
stcandi dates.Ther earetwost epsinthe
secondr oundofseatal locati
on.Fi r
st,theper centagei smul ti
pli
edbyt her emaini
ngav ai
lable
seats,38, whi chisthediff
erencebet weent he55max i
mum seat sreser vedundert hePar ty-
List
System andt he17guar anteedseat soft het wo- percent ers.Thewhol eintegerofthepr oductof
thepercent ageandoft heremai ningav ail
abl eseat scor respondst oapar ty’
ssharei nthe
remainingav ail
ableseats.Second, weassi gnonepar ty-li
stseatt oeachoft hepartiesnex tin
rankunt i
l al
lav ai
lableseatsarecompl etelydi stri
but ed.Wedi str
ibutedal loftheremai ning38
seatsint hesecondr oundofseatal l
ocat i
on.Fi nally,weappl ythet hree-seatcapt odet ermine
thenumberofseat seachqual if
iedpar ty-l
istcandi datei sentitl
ed.Thus:

Tabl
e3.Di
str
ibut
ionofAv
ail
abl
ePar
ty-
ListSeat
s

Rank Par
ty Vot
esGar
ner
ed Vot
esGar
ner
edov
er

Tot
alVot
esf
orPar
tyLi
st,
in%

(
A) Guar
ant
eedSeat

(
Fir
stRound)

(
B) Addi
ti
onal

Seat
s

(
SecondRound)

(
C) (
B)pl
us(
C),
inwhol
eint
eger
s

(
D) Appl
yi
ngt
het
hreeseatcap

(
E)

1 BUHAY1,
169,
234 7.
33% 1 2.
79 3 N.
A.

2 BAYANMUNA979,
039 6.
14% 1 2.
33 3 N.
A.

3 CI
BAC755,
686 4.
74% 1 1.
80 2 N.
A.

4 GABRI
ELA 621,
171 3.
89% 1 1.
48 2 N.
A.

5 APEC 619,
657 3.
88% 1 1.
48 2 N.
A.

6 ATeacher 490,
379 3.
07% 1 1.
17 2 N.
A.
7 AKBAYAN 466,
112 2.
92% 1 1.
11 2 N.
A.

8 ALAGAD 423,
149 2.
65% 1 1.
01 2 N.
A.

931 COOP-
NATCCO 409,
883 2.
57% 1 1 2 N.
A.

10 BUTI
L 409,
160 2.
57% 1 1 2 N.
A.

11 BATAS385,
810 2.
42% 1 1 2 N.
A.

12 ARC 374,
288 2.
35% 1 1 2 N.
A.

13 ANAKPAWI
S 370,
261 2.
32% 1 1 2 N.
A.

14 ABONO 339,
990 2.
13% 1 1 2 N.
A.

15 AMI
N 338,
185 2.
12% 1 1 2 N.
A.

16 AGAP 328,
724 2.
06% 1 1 2 N.
A.

17 ANWARAY 321,
503 2.
02% 1 1 2 N.
A.

18 YACAP310,
889 1.
95% 0 1 1 N.
A.

19 FPJPM300,
923 1.
89% 0 1 1 N.
A.

20 UNI
-MAD 245,
382 1.
54% 0 1 1 N.
A.

21 ABS 235,
086 1.
47% 0 1 1 N.
A.

22 KAKUSA 228,
999 1.
44% 0 1 1 N.
A.

23 KABATAAN 228,
637 1.
43% 0 1 1 N.
A.

24 ABA-
AKO 218,
818 1.
37% 0 1 1 N.
A.

25 ALI
F 217,
822 1.
37% 0 1 1 N.
A.

26 SENI
ORCI
TIZENS 213,
058 1.
34% 0 1 1 N.
A.

27 AT 197,
872 1.
24% 0 1 1 N.
A.

28 VFP 196,
266 1.
23% 0 1 1 N.
A.

29 ANAD 188,
521 1.
18% 0 1 1 N.
A.

30 BANAT177,
028 1.
11% 0 1 1 N.
A.

31 ANGKASANGGA 170,
531 1.
07% 0 1 1 N.
A.

32 BANTAY 169,
801 1.
06% 0 1 1 N.
A.
33 ABAKADA 166,
747 1.
05% 0 1 1 N.
A.

34 1-
UTAK 164,
980 1.
03% 0 1 1 N.
A.

35 TUCP 162,
647 1.
02% 0 1 1 N.
A.

36 COCOFED 155,
920 0.
98% 0 1 1 N.
A.

Tot
al

17

55

Applyi
ngtheprocedureofseatal
locationasill
ustrat
edinTable3abov e,t
hereare55party
-l
ist
repr
esentat
ivesfr
om the36winningpar ty
-l
istorgani
zati
ons.All55avail
abl
epar t
y-l
i
stseat
sare
fi
ll
ed.Theadditi
onalseat
sall
ocatedt otheparti
eswi t
hsuffi
cientnumberofvotesforonewhole
seat,
innocaset oexceedatotal
oft hreeseatsforeachparty,areshownincolumn( D)
.

Par
ti
ci
pat
ionofMaj
orPol
i
tical
Par
ti
esi
nPar
ty-
ListEl
ect
ions

TheConstit
uti
onal
Commi ssionadoptedamult
i-
partysy
stem t
hatal
lowedall
pol
i
tical
par
ti
esto
part
ici
patei
nthepart
y-l
i
stelecti
ons.Thedel
i
berat
ionsoftheConst
it
uti
onalCommissi
oncl
ear
ly
bearthi
sout,t
hus:

MR.MONSOD.Madam Pr esi
dent,
Ijustwanttosaythatwesuggest edorpr oposedthepartyli
st
syst
em becausewewant edtoopenupt hepol
iti
calsystem toaplur
ali
sti
csoci etyt
hrougha
multi
part
ysystem.xxxWear ef
oropeningupt hesystem, andwewouldlikever ymuchforthe
sect
orstobet her
e.Thati
swhyoneoft heway stodot hatistoputaceil
i
ngont henumberof
repr
esentat
ivesfr
om anysi
nglepart
ythatcansitwithi
nt he50all
ocatedundert hepart
yli
st
syst
em.xxx.

xxx

MR.MONSOD.Madam Presi
dent,
thecandi
dacyforthe198seatsi
snotlimi
tedt
opoli
ti
cal
par
ti
es.Myquest
ioni
sthi
s:Arewegoingtocl
assif
yf orexampl
eChri
sti
anDemocrat
sand
Soci
alDemocr
atsaspoli
tical
part
ies?Cantheyr
unundert
hepar
tyl
i
stconceptormustt
heybe
undert
hedi
str
ictl
egi
slat
ionsideofitonl
y?

MR.VI LLACORTA.I nrepl

ytothatquer
y,It
hinkthesepart
iest
hatt
heCommi ssionermentioned
canfi
el dcandidat
esfortheSenateaswellasfortheHouseofRepr
esentat
ives.Li
kewise,
they
canalsof i
eldsector
alcandi
datesfort
he20per centor30per
cent
,whichev
erisadopted,ofthe
seat
st hatwear eall
ocati
ngunderthepart
ylistsyst
em.

MR.MONSOD.I not
herwords,t
heChri
sti
anDemocr
atscanf
iel
ddi
str
ictcandi
dat
esandcan
al
sopar
ti
cipat
einthepar
tyli
stsyst
em?

MR.VILLACORTA.Whynot
?Whent
heycomet
othepar
tyl
i
stsy
stem,
theywi
l
lbef
iel
dingonl
y
sect
oralcandi
dat
es.

MR.MONSOD.MayIbecl
ari
fi
edont
hat
?CanUNI
DOpar
ti
cipat
eint
hepar
tyl
i
stsy
stem?

MR.VILLACORTA.Yes,whynot
?Foraslongastheyfi
eldcandi
dat
eswhocomef
rom t
he
di
ff
erentmargi
nal
izedsect
orst
hatweshalldesi
gnat
einthi
sConsti
tut
ion.

MR.MONSOD.SupposeSenat
orTañadawant
stor
ununderBAYANgr
oupandsay
sthathe
r
epresent
sthef
armer
s,woul
dhequali
fy?

MR.VI
LLACORTA.No,
Senat
orTañadawoul
dnotqual
i
fy.

MR.MONSOD.ButUNI
DOcanfiel
dcandi
datesundert
hepartyl
istsyst
em andsayJuandel
a
Cr
uzisaf
armer.Whowoul
dpassonwhetherheisafarmerornot?

MR.TADEO.KayCommi ssionerMonsod,gustokolamangl
inawini
to.Pol
i
tical
part
ies,
parti
cul
arl
yminor
it
ypolit
icalpart
ies,
arenotprohi
bitedt
opart
ici
pat
einthepartyl
i
stelect
ioni
f
theycanprov
ethattheyarealsoorgani
zedalongsector
all
i
nes.
MR.MONSOD.Whatt heCommi ssionerissayingist
hatallpol
iti
calparti
escanpar ti
cipat
e
becausei
tispreci
selythecont
entionofpolit
icalpar
ti
esthattheyrepresentthebroadbaseof
ci
ti
zensandthatallsector
sarerepresentedi
nt hem.WouldtheCommi ssioneragree?

MR.TADEO.Angpunt olamangnami n,pagpinayaganmoangUNI DOnaisangpoli

ti
calpart
y,i
t
willdominat
et hepart
yli
statmawawal angsaysaydinyungsect
or.Lal
amuninmismong
poli
tical
parti
esangpar t
ylistsy
stem.Gustokolamangbigyanngdiinang"
reser
ve.
"Hindiit
o
reserveseatsamar gi
nali
zedsector
s.Kungti
tingnannati
nit
ong198seats,r
eser
veddinitosa
poli
tical
parti
es.

MR.MONSOD.Hindiporeser
vediyonkasianybodycanrunthere.Butmyquestionto
Commissi
onerVi
l
lacor
taandprobablyal
sotoCommi ssi
onerTadeoisthatunderthi
ssy
stem,
woul
dUNIDObebannedf r
om runni
ngunderthepartyli
stsyst
em?

MR.VI
LLACORTA.No,asIsai
d,UNIDOmayfiel
dsectoral
candi
dat
es.Ont
hatcondi
ti
onal
one,
UNI
DOmaybeallowedtoregi
sterf
orthepar
tyl
istsy
stem.

MR.MONSOD.MayIi
nqui
ref
rom Commi
ssi
onerTadeoi
fheshar
est
hatanswer
?

MR.TADEO.Thesame.

MR.VI
LLACORTA.PuwedepoangUNI
DO,
per
osasect
oral
li
nes.

xxxx

MR.OPLE.xxxI nmyopi nion,thi

swillal
socreatethesti
mul usf orpoliti
calpart
iesandmass
organizat
ionst oseekcommongr ound.Forexampl e,
wehav ethePDP- Labanandt heUNI DO.I
seenor easonwhyt heyshoul dnotbeabl etomakecommongoal swithmassor ganizationsso
thattheveryleadershipoft heseparti
escanbet ransf
ormedt hrought hepartici
pati
onofmass
organizat
ions.Andi fthi
si strueoftheadmi ni
str
ati
onpar t
ies,thiswi l
lbet r
ueofot hersli
ket he
Parti
dongBay anwhi chisnowbei ngformed.Thereisnoquest iont hattheywi l
lbeattractiv
et o
manymassor gani
zations.Int heopposit
ionpart
iestowhichwebel ong,therewill
beast imulus
forust ocontactmassor ganizati
onssot hatwit
htheirpar
ticipation,t
hepol i
ciesofsuchpar ti
es
canber adical
lytr
ansf or
medbecauset hisamendmentwillcreatecondi ti
onst hatwill
challenge
botht hemassor ganizati
onsandt hepoliti
calpar
ti
estocomet ogether.Andt hepar t
yl i
st
system iscer t
ainl
yav ail
able,althoughitisopentoallt
hepar t
ies.Itisunder st
oodt hatthe
parti
eswi llenteri
nt herolloft heCOMELECt henamesofr epresentati
v esofmass
organizationsaffi
li
atedwi t
ht hem.Sot hatwemay ,i
ntime,dev elopthi
sexcel lentsystem t
hat
theyhav ei nEuropewher elabororganizati
onsandcooperati
ves, forexampl e,dist
ri
but e
themsel veseitherintheSoci al Democrati
cPar t
yandtheChr i
stianDemocr ati
cPar t
yinGer many,
andt heirverypresencet herehasat r
ansformingeff
ectupont hephi l
osophi esandt he
l
eader shipofthosepar t
ies.

Itisal soaf actwel l knownt oal lthati ntheUni tedSt ates,theAFL- CIOal way sv otewi ththe
Democr aticPar ty.Butt hebusi nessmen, mostoft hem, alwaysv otewi ththeRepubl i
canPar ty
,
meani ngt hatt herei snor easonatal lwhypol it
ical part
iesandmassor ganizationsshoul dnot
combi ne, reenforce, infl
uenceandi nteractwitheachot hersot hatthev eryobj ectivesthatwe
seti nt hisConst i
tutionf orsect oral representationar eachi evedinawi der,mor elasting,and
mor ei nst it
utionalizedway .Theref ore,Isuppor tthis[ Monsod- Vil
lacorta]amendment .I
tinstal
ls
sect oral represent ationasaconst it
utional gi
ft,butatt hesamet i
me, itchallengest hesect orto
riset ot hemaj estyofbei ngel ectedr epr esentativ
esl ateront hroughapar tyl i
stsy stem;and
ev enbey ondt hat, tobecomeact ual politi
calpar t
iescapabl eofcont esti
ngpol i
ticalpoweri nthe
wi derconst it
utional arenaf ormaj orpol iti
calpar t
ies.

xxx32(
Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed)

R.
A.No.7941provi
dedt
hedetai
l
sfortheconcept
sputf
orwar
dbyt
heConst
it
uti
onal
Commissi
on.Sect
ion3ofR.
A.No.7941reads:

Defini
tionofTer
ms.(a)Thepar ty
-listsystem i
samechani sm ofproport
ionalrepresentati
onin
theelecti
onofrepr
esentativ
estot heHouseofRepr esentati
vesfrom nati
onal,regionaland
sectoralpar
ti
esororganizati
onsorcoal it
ionsthereofr
egisteredwiththeCommi ssionon
Electi
ons(COMELEC) .Componentpar t
iesororganizat
ionsofacoal it
ionmaypar t
icipat
e
i
ndependent l
yprov
idedthecoalit
ionofwhi chtheyform partdoesnotpar t
ici
pateint heparty
-l
ist
system.

(
b)Apar
tymeansei
therapol
i
tical
par
tyorasect
oral
par
tyoracoal
i
tionofpar
ti
es.
(c)Apoli
ti
calpar
tyrefer
stoanorganizedgroupofcit
izensadvocat
inganideologyorpl
atf
orm,
pri
nci
plesandpoli
ciesfort
hegeneralconductofgovernmentandwhich,asthemost
i
mmedi atemeansofsecuringt
heiradopti
on,regul
arl
ynominatesandsupportscert
ainofi
ts
l
eadersandmember sascandi
dat
esf orpubli
coffi
ce.

I
tisanati
onalpart
ywheni t
sconsti
tuencyisspr
eadovert
hegeogr aphi
calter
ri
toryofatleasta
major
it
yoftheregi
ons.Iti
saregionalpar
tywhenit
sconsti
tuencyisspreadoverthe
geogr
aphi
calter
ri
toryofatl
eastamaj or
it
yoftheci
ti
esandpr ovi
ncescompr i
singtheregion.

(d)Asect
oralpart
yref er
stoanorgani
zedgroupofcit
izensbelongi
ngtoanyofthesector
s
enumerat
edinSect i
on5her eofwhosepr
inci
paladv
ocacyper t
ainstot
hespeciali
nter
estsand
concer
nsoftheirsector,

(e)Asectoral
organi
zati
onref
erst
oagr oupofciti
zensoracoal
i
tionofgroupsofci
ti
zenswho
sharesi
mi l
arphysi
calat
tri
but
esorchar
acter
ist
ics,employ
ment,i
nter
estsorconcer
ns.

(f
)Acoali
tionr
efer
stoanaggr
upat
ionofdul
yregist
erednat
ional
,regi
onal
,sect
oral
par
ti
esor
organi
zat
ionsf
orpoli
ti
cal
and/
orel
ecti
onpurposes.

Congress,i
nenact
ingR.A.No.7941,putt
het
hree-
seatcapt
opr
eventanypar
tyf
rom
dominati
ngthepart
y-l
i
stelect
ions.

Neit
hert heConst ituti
onnorR. A.No.7941pr ohibitsmaj orpolit
ical parti
esf rom par tici
pat ingin
theparty-l
istsy stem.Ont hecont rary,t
hef ramer soft heConst i
tutioncl earlyintendedt hemaj or
poli
ti
cal parti
est opar t
icipatei nparty-l
i
stel ect i
onst hrought heirsect oralwings.I nf act,the
member soft heConst itutional Commi ssionv oteddown, 19-22,anyper manentsect oral seats,
andint heal t
ernat ivether eser vati
onoft hepar ty -
li
stsy stem tot hesect oralgr oups.33I n
defi
ninga" party"thatpar ticipatesinpar t
y -
listel ecti
onsasei ther"apol iti
cal partyorasect oral
part
y,"R.A.No.7941al socl earlyint
endedt hatmaj orpol iti
calpar t
ieswi llparti
cipat eint hepar ty
-
l
istelecti
ons.Excl udingt hemaj orpolit
ical partiesinpar ty-
li
stelectionsi smani f
est l
yagai nstthe
Const i
tuti
on, t
hei nt entoft heConst i
tut
ional Commi ssion, andR. A.No.7941.Thi sCour tcannot
engagei nsoci o-pol i
ti
cal engi neeri
ngandj udicial l
ylegi slatetheexcl usi
onofmaj orpol i
tical
part
iesf r
om t hepar ty-
li
stel ectionsinpat entv iolationoft heConst ituti
onandt hel aw.
Readt ogether ,R.A.No.7941andt hedel iber ati
onsoft heConst i
tut
ionalCommi ssi onstatethat
majorpol it
ical part
iesareal l
owedt oest ablish, orf
orm coali
tionswith,sectoral organizations
forelectoralorpol i
ticalpurposes.Ther eshoul dnotbeapr oblem if
,forexampl e, theLiberal
Partypar t
icipatesint heparty-l
istelectiont hr oughtheKabat aangLiberalngPi li
pi nas(KALI PI)
,
i
tssect oraly outhwi ng.Theot hermaj orpol iticalpart
iescant husorganize,oraf f i
li
atewi t
h,thei
r
chosensect ororsect ors.Tof urtheril
lustrat e,theNacional
istaPartycanest abl ishaf isherf
olk
wingt opar ti
cipateint hepar t
y-l
istelection, andt hi
sfisher
folkwingcanf i
elditsf isherfolk
nomi nees.Kabal i
katngMal ayangPi l
ipino( KAMPI )candot hesamef ortheur banpoor .

Thequal
i
ficat
ionsofpar
ty-
li
stnomi
neesar
epr
escr
ibedi
nSect
ion9ofR.
A.No.7941:

Qualifi
cati
onsofPar ty-
ListNomi nees.—Noper sonshallbenominatedaspar t
y-l
ist
represent
ativ
eunlesshei sanat ur
albor ncit
izenofthePhil
ippi
nes,aregisteredvoter,aresi
dent
ofthePhi l
i
ppinesforaper iodofnotl essthanone( 1)yeari
mmedi atel
ypr ecedingthedayoft he
electi
ons,abl
et oreadandwr i
te,bonaf i
dememberoft hepartyororgani
zat ionwhichheseeks
torepresentforatleastninet
y( 90)day sprecedingthedayoftheelect
ion, andisatleasttwenty
-fi
ve(25)yearsofageont hedayoft heel ecti
on.

I
ncaseofanomineeoftheyouthsector
,hemustatleastbetwent
y-f
ive(25)butnotmor
ethan
t
hir
ty(
30)year
sofageont hedayoftheelect
ion.Anyyout
hsector
alrepr
esentati
vewhoatt
ains
t
heageofthi
rt
y(30)dur
inghister
m shallbeall
owedtoconti
nueunti
ltheexpir
ati
onofhi
sterm.

UnderSecti
on9ofR. A.No.7941, i
tisnotnecessar
yt hatt hepart
y -
li
storganizati
on’
snominee
"wal
lowinpoverty,
desti
tuti
onandi nfi
rmit
y"34asther eisnof i
nancialst
atusr equi
redint
helaw.
I
tisenoughthatthenomi neeoft hesectoralpar
ty/
or ganizati
on/coali
ti
onbel ongstothe
marginal
i
zedandunder r
epr esentedsectors,
35thatis,ifthenomi neerepresentsthefi
sher
fol
k,
heorshemustbeaf i
sherfolk,orifthenomineerepresent stheseniorcit
izens,heorshemust
beaseniorcit
izen.

Neithert heConstit
uti
onnorR.A.No.7941mandat est hef il
li
ng-upoftheenti
re20%al l
ocati
onof
party-l
istrepr
esentati
vesfoundintheConst i
tuti
on.TheConst ituti
on,i
nparagraph1, Secti
on5
ofAr ti
cleVI,l
eftthedetermi
nationofthenumberoft hemember softheHouseof
Represent ati
vestoCongress:"
TheHouseofRepr esent ativesshallbecomposedofnotmor e
thant wohundr edandf i
ft
ymember s,unlessotherwi sef i
xedbyl aw,xxx."The20%al l
ocati
onof
party-l
istrepr
esentati
vesismerelyaceili
ng;party-
listrepr esentati
vescannotbemor et han20%
ofthemember softheHouseofRepr esentat
ives.Howev er,wecannotallowthecont inued
existenceofapr ovisi
oninthelawwhi chwill
sy st
emat icallypreventt
heconstitut
ionall
y
all
ocated20%par ty-
li
strepresent
ati
vesf r
om beingfil
led.Thethree-seatcap,asalimitat
ionto
thenumberofseat sthataqual i
fi
edpar t
y-l
istor
ganizati
onmayoccupy ,
remainsav al
id
stat
utorydevicethatpreventsanypartyfr
om domi nati
ngt hepar
t y
-l
istelect
ions.Seatsforpar
ty-
l
istrepresent
ati
vesshal l
thusbeallocatedinaccordancewi tht
hepr ocedureusedi nTable3
above.

Howev er
,byav ot
eof8- 7,
theCour tdecidedtocont inuet herul
inginVeteransdisallowi
ngmaj or
poli
ti
calpar
ti
esf r
om parti
cipat
inginthepar ty-
li
stelect i
ons,dir
ectl
yorindirectl
y.Thosewho
votedtoconti
nuedisal
lowingmaj orpoli
ticalpart
iesf rom thepart
y-l
istelecti
onsjoinedChief
Justi
ceReynatoS.Punoi nhisseparateopi ni
on.Ont heformulatoallocateparty-
li
stseats,t
he
Courti
sunanimousi nconcurri
ngwi ththisponencia.

WHEREFORE, wePARTI ALLYGRANTt hepetiti

on.WeSETASI DEt heResoluti
onoft he
COMELECdat ed3August2007i nNBCNo.07- 041(PL)aswel l astheResolutiondated9Jul y
2007i nNBCNo.07- 60.Wedeclareunconst
ituti
onalt
het woper centthr
esholdi nthedistr
ibuti
on
ofadditi
onalpart
y-l
i
stseats.Theall
ocati
onofadditi
onal seat
sundert hePar t
y -
ListSystem shal
l
beinaccordancewi t
htheprocedureusedinTable3oft hisDecision.Majorpoliti
calparti
esare
di
sallowedfr
om par t
ici
pati
nginparty
-l
istel
ecti
ons.ThisDecisionisimmedi atelyexecutory.No
pronouncementast ocosts.

SOORDERED.

ANTONI
OT.CARPI
O

Associ
ateJust
ice

WECONCUR:

REYNATOS.PUNO

Chi
efJust
ice

LEONARDOA.QUI
SUMBI
NG

Associ
ateJust
ice CONSUELOYNARES-
SANTI
AGO
Associ
ateJust
ice

MA.ALI
CIAAUSTRI
A-MARTI
NEZ

Associ
ateJust
ice RENATOC.CORONA

Associ
ateJust
ice

CONCHI
TACARPI
OMORALES

Associ
ateJust
ice DANTEO.TI
NGA

Associ
ateJust
ice

MI
NITAV.CHI
CO-
NAZARI
O

Associ
ateJust
ice PRESBI
TEROJ.VELASCO,
JR.

Associ
ateJust
ice

ANTONI
OEDUARDOB.NACHURA

Associ
ateJust
ice ARTUROD.BRI
ON

Associ
ateJust
ice

TERESI
TAJ.LEONARDO-
DECASTRO

Associ
ateJust
ice DI
OSDADOM.PERALTA

Associ
ateJust
ice

LUCASP.BERSAMI
N

Associ
ateJust
ice

CERTIFICATION

Pursuantt
oSecti
on13,Arti
cleVI
IIoftheConsti
tut
ion,Icer
ti
fyt
hatt
heconcl
usionsi
ntheabov
e
Decisi
onhadbeenreachedinconsul
tati
onbeforethecasewasassi
gnedtothewrit
eroft
he
opi
nionoftheCourt
.

REYNATOS.PUNO

Chi
efJust
ice
Foot
not
es

1UnderRul
e65oft
he1997Rul
esofCi
vi
lPr
ocedur
e.

2Roll
o(G.R.No.179271),pp.86-
87.Si
gnedbyChai
rmanBenjaminS.Abal
os,Sr
.,
Commissioner
sResur r
eccionZ.Bor
ra,
Flor
ent
inoA.Tuason,
Jr.
,RomeoA.Brawner,
ReneV.
Sar
miento,andNicodemoT.Fer r
er.

3UnderRul
e65oft
he1997Rul
esofCi
vi
lPr
ocedur
e.

4Roll
o(G.R.No.179295),pp.103-
108.Si
gnedbyChairmanBenjami
nS.Abal
os,
Sr.
,
Commissioner
sResur r
eccionZ.Borr
a,Fl
orent
inoA.Tuason,
Jr.
,RomeoA.Br
awner
,ReneV.
Sar
miento,andNicodemoT.Fer r
er.

5396Phi
l
.419(
2000)
.

6Roll
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,pp.969-
986;
rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179295)
,pp.798-
815.Par
ty-
ListCanv
ass
Repor
tNo.32,
asof31August2007,6:
00p.m.

7Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,p.70.

8Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,pp.88-
92.

9I
d.at150-
153.

10I
d.at86-
87.
11Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179295)
,p.112.

12Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,pp.158-
159.NBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
74,
24Jul
y2007.

13I
d.at160-
161.NBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
87,
3August2007.

14NBCResol
uti
onNo.07-
97,
4Sept
ember2007.

15Rol
lo(
G.R.No.179295),
pp.816-
817.Thi
sCOMELECcer t
if
icat
ionshoul
dhavei
ncl
udedAn
Waray
,whi
chwaspr ocl
aimedon4September2007underNBCResoluti
onNo.07-
97.

16Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,p.14.

17Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179295)
,pp.21-
22.

18Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,p.553;
rol
l
o(G.R.No.179295)
,p.341.

19Supr
anot
e5at424.

20I
d.at446-
451.Wequot
ebel
owt
hedi
scussi
oni
nVet
eransexpl
aini
ngt
heFi
rstPar
tyRul
e:

For
mul
aforDet
ermi
ning

Addi
ti
onal
Seat
sfort
heFi
rstPar
ty

Now,howdowedet
erminet
henumberofseatst
hef
ir
stpartyisent
it
ledto?Theonl
ybasi
s
gi
venbythel
awi
sthatapar
tyr
ecei
vi
ngatleastt
wopercentofthet
otalv
otesshal
lbeent
it
led
tooneseat
.Proport
ional
l
y ,
ift
hefi
rstpart
yweretoreceiv
etwicethenumberofvotesofthe
secondpar
ty,
itshouldbeenti
tl
edtotwicethel
att
er’
snumberofseat sandsoon.Theformula,
ther
efor
e,f
orcomput i
ngthenumberofseatstowhichthefi
rstpart
yisent
it
ledi
sasf ol
l
ows:

Numberofv
otes

off
ir
stpar
ty

Tot
alv
otesf
or

par
ty-
li
stsy
stem = Pr
opor
ti
onofv
otesoff
ir
stpar
tyr
elat
ivet
o

t
otal
vot
esf
orpar
ty-
li
stsy
stem

Iftheproport
ionofv otesrecei
v edbythefir
stpar tywithoutr oundingitoffisequaltoatl eastsix
percentofthet otalvali
dv ot
escastf oral
l t
hepar tyli
stgr oups, t
hent hefir
stpartyshallbe
entit
ledtotwoaddi tionalseatsorat otal
oft hreeseatsov er
all.I
fthepr oport
ionofv ot
es
withoutaroundi ngof fisequaltoorgreaterthanf ourpercent ,butlessthansi xper
cent,thent he
fir
stpartyshallhaveoneaddi t
ionaloratotal oftwoseat s.Andi fthepropor t
ionislessthanf our
percent,t
hent hef i
rstpartyshallnotbeentit
ledt oanyaddi t
ionalseat.

Weadoptedthi
ssixper
centbenchmar k,becausethefir
stpart
yisnotalwaysentit
ledtothe
maxi
mum numberofadditi
onalseats.Li
kewise,itwoul
dpreventtheall
otmentofmor ethanthe
t
otal
numberofavail
abl
eseats,suchasi nanextremecasewher ein18ormor eparti
esti
efor
t
hehighestr
ankandarethusenti
tl
edt othr
eeseat seach.I
nsuchscenario,
thenumberofseat s
t
owhichallt
heparti
esareent
it
ledmayexceedt hemaximum numberofpar ty
-li
stseats
r
eser
v edi
ntheHouseofRepresentati
ves.

xxx

Notet hatt heabov eformul awi l

lbeappl icableonlyi ndetermi ningt henumberofaddi tional
seatst hef i
rstpar tyisentitl
edt o.Itcannotbeusedt odet er
mi net henumberofaddi ti
onal seat
s
oftheot herqual i
fiedparties.Asexpl ainedear l
ier,theuseoft hesamef ormul aforal lwould
contrav enet hepr oporti
onal representationparamet er.Forexampl e, asecondpar tyobt ai
nssix
percentoft het ot
al numberofv otescast .Accor dingtot heabov efor mula,thesaidpar tywould
beent itl
edt ot woaddi ti
onal seatsorat otalofthreeseat sov erall.Howev er,i
fthef i
rstpar t
y
receivedasi gnifi
cantlyhigheramountofv ot
es—say ,twentyper cent—t ogr antitthesame
numberofseat sast hesecondpar t
ywoul dv i
olatet hestatutorymandat eofpr oportional
represent ati
on, si
nceapar t
yget ti
ngonl ysixper centoft hev oteswi l
lhaveanequal numberof
represent ati
v esast heoneobt aini
ngt went ypercent .Thepr opersol uti
on,therefore,istogr ant
thefi
rstpar
tyatot
alofthr
eeseats;andt
hepar
tyr
ecei
vi
ngsi
xper
cent
,addi
ti
onal
seat
sin
proport
iont
othoseofthefi
rstpar
ty.

For
mul
aforAddi
ti
onal

Seat
sofOt
herQual
i
fiedPar
ti
es

StepThreeThenextst
epi stosol
veforthenumberofaddit
ional
seat
sthatt
heotherqual
if
ied
part
iesareenti
tl
edt
o,basedonpr opor
ti
onalrepr
esent
ati
on.Thefor
mulaisencompassedby
thefol
lowingcompl
exfracti
on:

Addi
ti
onal
seat
s

f
orconcer
nedpar
ty = No.ofv
otesof

concer
nedpar
ty

Tot
alNo.ofv
otes

ofpar
ty-
li
stsy
stem

No.ofv
otes

off
ir
stpar
ty

Tot
alNo.ofv
otes

ofpar
ty-
li
stsy
stem x No.ofaddi
ti
onal

seat
sal
l
ocat
ed

t
othef
ir
stpar
ty

I
nsi
mpl
i
fiedf
orm,
iti
swr
it
tenasf
oll
ows:

Addi
ti
onal
seat
s

f
orconcer
nedpar
ty = No.ofv
otesof

concer
nedpar
ty

No.ofv
otes
off
ir
stpar
ty x No.ofaddi
ti
onal

seat
sal
l
ocat
edt
o

t
hef
ir
stpar
ty

xxx

Inci
dental
l
y ,
ift
hefi
rstpart
yisnotenti
tledtoanyaddi
ti
onalseat
,thentherat
ioofthenumberof
votesfort
heotherpart
ytothatfort
hef ir
stoneismul
tipl
i
edbyzer o.Theendresul
twoul
dbe
zeroaddit
ional
seatforeachoftheotherquali
fi
edpar
ti
esaswel l
.

Theabov eformul
adoesnotgi v
eanexactmat hematicalrepresent at
ionoft henumberof
additi
onal seat
stobeawar dedsi nce,inor dertobeent itl
edtooneaddi tional seat
,anexact
whol enumberi snecessary.Inf act,mostoft heactualmat hemat icalpr opor t
ionsarenotwhol e
number sandar enotr oundedof ffort hereasonsexpl ainedear l
ier.Tor epeat , r
oundingoffmay
resulti
nt heawardingofanumberofseat sinexcessoft hatpr ovidedbyt hel aw.Further
more,
obtaini
ngabsol ut
epr oporti
onal representationisrestri
ctedbyt het hree- seat-per-
partyl
imitt
oa
maxi mum oft woaddi t
ionalslots.Ani ncreasei nthemaxi mum numberofaddi ti
onal
representati
vesapar tymaybeent i
tl
edt owoul dr
esultinamor eaccur atepr oporti
onal
representati
on.Butthel awitselfhassett hel imit
:onlytwoaddi t
ional seat s.Hence,weneedt o
workwi thinsuchextantparamet er.

21I
d.at475-
481.

22Thesecondvot
ecastbyaregi
ster
edv
oteri
sfort
hepar
ty-
li
stcandi
dat
esaspr
ovi
dedi
n
Sect
ion10ofR.
A.No.7941.

23Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179271)
,p.47.

24I
d.at48.

25I
d.at1076.
26Rol
l
o(G.
R.No.179295)
,pp.66-
81.

27Roll
o(G.
R.No.179271),pp.969-
974;
rol
lo(
G.R.No.179295)
,pp.798-
803.Par
ty-
List
Canv
assReportNo.32,asof31August2007,
6:00p.
m.

28I
d.

29Pr
ocl
amat
iondef
err
edbyCOMELEC.

30Sect
ion2,
R.A.No.7941.

31Theproductoftheper
cent
ageandt
her
emai
ningav
ail
abl
eseat
sofal
lpar
ti
esr
ankedni
ne
andbel
owislessthanone.

32I
IRecor
d,Const
it
uti
onal
Commi
ssi
on256-
257(
25Jul
y1986)
,568(
1August1986)
.

33Id.at584(1August1986)
.Di
ssent
ingopi
nionofJust
iceJoseC.Vi
tugi
nAngBagongBay
ani
-OFW LaborPar
tyv.COMELEC,412Phil
.308,
350(2001).

34AngBagongBay
ani
-OFW LaborPar
tyv
.COMELEC,
412Phi
l
.308,
336(
2001)
.

35Sect
ion2,
R.A.No.7941.

TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

CONCURRI
NGANDDI
SSENTI
NGOPI
NION
PUNO,
C.J.
:

Histor
yhasbor newitnesstothestruggleofthefacel
essmassest ofindtheirvoice,ev
enas
theyarer
elegatedtothesideli
nesasgenui nefuncti
onalr
epresentationsy st
emi cal
lyevades
them.Iti
sbyr easonoft hi
sunderly
ingpremisethattheparty-
li
stsyst em wasespousedand
embeddedi ntheConst i
tut
ion,anditi
swi t
hinthi
scontextthatIregistermydi ssenttotheentr
y
ofmajorpolit
icalpar
tiestotheparty-
li
stsyst
em.

TheCour ttodayeffectivel
yr eversedtherulinginAngBagongBay ani
v .Comelec1wi t
hregardto
thecomput ationofseatal lotmentsandt hepar t
ici
pationofmajorpolit
icalpar
ti
esinthepar t
y-
l
istsystem.Iv oteforthef ormul apropoundedbyt hemaj or
it
yasitbenef i
tstheparty
-l
istsyst
em
butIregretthatmyi nterpretati
onofAr ti
cleVI,Section5oftheConstituti
onwithrespecttothe
part
ici
pationoft hemaj orpol i
ticalpar
ti
esint heelecti
onofpart
y -
li
strepresent
ati
vesisnotin
dir
ectcongr uencewi t
ht heirs,hencethisdissent.

Torev
isi
tthecruxoft
hecont
rov
ersy
,theper
ti
nentpor
ti
onofAr
ti
cleVI
,Sect
ion5oft
he
Const
it
uti
onreads:

Secti
on5.(1)TheHouseofRepr esent ati
vesshallbecomposedofnotmor et
hant wohundred
andfif
tymembers,unlessotherwi
sef ixedbylaw, whoshallbeel
ect
edf r
om legisl
ati
vedist
ri
cts
apport
ionedamongthepr ovi
nces,citi
es,andt heMet r
opoli
tanMani
laareainaccordancewith
thenumberofthei
rrespectiv
einhabitants,andont hebasisofauni
form andprogressi
verati
o,
andthosewho,asprov i
dedbylaw, shallbeelectedthroughapar
ty-
li
stsystem ofregi
ster
ed
nati
onal,r
egi
onal
,andsect or
alpart
iesoror ganizati
ons.

(2)Thepar t
y-li
strepr esentati
vesshal
lconsti
tutetwentypercentum oft hetotalnumberof
represent at
ivesincludingt hoseunderthepartyl
ist
.Forthreeconsecut i
vetermsaf terthe
rati
ficati
onoft hi
sConst i
tuti
on,one-
halfoft
heseat sall
ocatedtopar t
y-l
istr
epr esentati
vesshal
l
befilled,aspr ovi
dedbyl aw, bysel
ect
ionorelecti
onfrom thelabor,peasant,urbanpoor ,
i
ndigenouscul turalcommuni ti
es,women,youth,andsuchot hersectorsasmaybepr ovi
dedby
l
aw, exceptt her eli
gioussect or.
2

I
twi
l
lberememberedthatt
hepeti
ti
onersinAngBagongBayani
soughtthedisqual
if
icat
ionof
t
hemaj
orpol
it
ical
part
iesonthegroundthatt
hepart
y-l
i
stsy
stem wasintendedtobenefi
tthe
mar ginal
izedandunder represented, andnotthemai nstream poli
ticalpart
ies,thenon-
mar ginal
izedorov errepresented.Risi ngtotheoccasion, t
heCour trul
edt hrought henAssociate,
l
at erChiefJusticePangani ban,thatwhi l
eanydulyregisteredpoli
ticalparty,organizati
onor
groupmaypar tici
pate, t
her oleoftheComel ecistoensur ethatonl yt
hosewhoar emar ginal
i
zed
andunder r
epresentedbecomemember sofCongressthr oughthe" Fi
li
pino-sty
le"par t
y-li
st
electi
ons.Char acter
izingthepar ty-
listsy st
em asasoci aljust
icevehicle,t
heCour tbattedfor
theempower mentoft hemasses, thus—

Itisir
oni c,therefore,thatthemarginalizedandunder representedi nourmi dstar ethemaj ori
ty
whowal l
owi npov erty,desti
tut
ionandi nfi
rmity.I
twasf orthem thatt hepar ty-
listsystem was
enact ed—t ogi vethem notonlygenui nehope, butgenui nepower ;togi vethem t heoppor tuni
ty
tobeel ectedandt or epresentthespeci fi
cconcer nsoft heirconst i
tuencies; andsi mplytogi v
e
them adi r
ectv oiceinCongr essandi nt hel ar
geraffairsoftheSt ate.Ini t
snobl estsense, the
par t
y-li
stsy stem trul
yempower sthemassesandusher sanewhopef orgenui nechange.Ver i
ly
,
i
ti nvi
test hosemar ginali
zedandunder representedint hepast—t hef arm hands, t
hef i
sherfolk,
theur banpoor ,event hoseintheunder groundmov ement—t ocomeoutandpar ti
cipate,
as
i
ndeedmanyoft hem cameoutandpar ti
cipatedduringt helastelections.TheSt atecannotnow
disappoi ntandf rustratethem bydisabl i
nganddesecr atingthissoci aljusti
cev ehicle.

Today ,l
esst hanadecadeaf ter,ther eisanat temptt oundot hedemocr ati
cv i
ctor yachievedby
themar ginali
zedi nthepol iti
cal arenai nAngBagongBay ani.Inper mi tt
ingthemaj orpoliti
cal
parti
est opar t
icipatei nthepar t
y -
li
stsy stem, Mr .Justi
ceCar pior eli
esont hedel iberati
onsof
theConst it
utional Commi ssion.Al legedly, t
hesai ddeliberati
onsi ndicat ethatthepar t
y-l
ist
system isopent oall pol
itical parti
es, aslongast heyfieldcandi dateswhocomef rom the
dif
ferentmar ginal i
zedsect ors.3But tressinghisv iew,Mr .JusticeCar pi
onot est hatthemaj or
poli
ticalpart
iesal sof all
wi thint het erm" poli
ti
cal parti
es"int heDef initi
onofTer msi nRepublic
Act7941, other wiseknownast hePar ty-
ListSy stem Act.4Likewi se, heholdsthatt he
qualifi
cati
onsofapar ty-
listnomi neeaspr escribedi nSection9oft hesai dlawdonotspeci fy
anyf i
nancialstat usoreducat ional requirement ,hence, i
tisnotnecessar yforthepar t
y-l
ist
nomi neeto" wallowi npov ert
y ,destituti
onandi nfirmit
y."
5I ti
st henconcl udedt hatmaj or
poli
ticalpart
iesmaynowpar ticipatei nthepar ty-l
istsystem.

Withallduer espect,Icannotjoi
nt hissubmi ssi
on.West andonsol i
dgr oundswhenwei nter
pret
theConst i
tuti
ont ogiveutmostdef erencet othedemocraticsy mpathi
es, i
dealsandaspirati
ons
ofthepeopl e.Mor ethanthedeliberationsintheConsti
tutionalCommi ssion,thesear
e
expressedint hetextoftheConst itut
ionwhi chthepeopler at
if
ied.I
ndeed, i
tistheint
entofthe
soverei
gnpeopl et hatmattersininterpret
ingtheConsti
tution.InCivi
lLibert
iesUnionv.
Executiv
eSecr etary,weheld:
Whilei
tisper missibl
ei nt
hi sjurisdictiontoconsultthedebatesandpr oceedi
ngsoft he
consti
tuti
onalconv ent
ioni nor dert oar r
iveatthereasonandpur poseoft heresulti
ng
Consti
tuti
on, r
esorttheretomaybehadonl ywhenotherguidesf ailassaidproceedingsare
powerlesstov arythetermsoft heConst i
tuti
onwhent hemeani ngi sclear.Debatesinthe
consti
tuti
onalconv ent
ion" areofv alueasshowi ngthev i
ewsoft hei ndivi
dualmember s,andas
i
ndicati
ngt hereasonf ortheirv otes, buttheygiveusnol i
ghtast ot hev i
ewsoft helarge
majori
tywhodi dnottalk,muchl essoft hemassorourf ellowcitizenswhosev otesatthepoll
s
gavethatinstr
umentt hef orceoff undament all
aw.Wet hinkitsafert oconstruetheconstit
uti
on
fr
om whatappear suponi tsface. 6

Ev erybodyagr eest hatt hebestwayt oi nter pr ett heConst itutioni st ohar moni zet hewhol e
i
nst rument , i
tsev erysect i
onandcl ause.7Weshoul dst ri
v et omakeev erywor doft he
fundament allawoper ativ eandav oidr ender ingsomewor dsi dleandnugat or
y.8The
har moni zationofAr ticl eVI ,Sect ion5wi t
hr elat edconst i
tut ional prov i
sionswi llbet t
err eveal the
i
nt entoft hepeopl easr egar dst hepar ty -
listsy stem.Thus, underSect ion7oft heTr ansitory
Pr ovisi
ons, 9t hePr esi dentwasper mi ttedt of ill byappoi ntmentt heseat sr eservedf orsect oral
represent ationundert hepar ty-l
istsy stem f rom al i
stofnomi neessubmi ttedbyt her espect i
v e
sect ors.Thi swast her esul tofhi storical pr ecedent st hatsawhowt heel ect edMember soft he
i
nt erim Bat asangPambansaandt her egul arBat asangPambansat riedt ot orpedosect oral
represent ationanddel ayt heseat i
ngofsect or al repr esent at i
v esont hegr oundt hatt heycoul d
notr isetot hesamel ev el l
edst at usofdi gni tyast hoseel ect edbyt hepeopl e.
101av vphi1To
av oidthisbi asagai nstsect or al r
epr esent at ives, thePr esi dentwasgi venal l t
hel eewayt o"br eak
newgr oundandpr eci sel yplantt heseedsf orsect or al repr esent ationsot hatt hesect or
al
represent ativeswi l
ltaker oot sandbepar tandpar cel exact lyoft hepr ocessofdr aftingthel aw
whi chwi llstipul ateandpr ov idef ort heconceptofsect oral repr esent ation. "11Si mi l
ar l
y,l
imi t
ing
thepar t
y-l
istsy stem t ot hemar ginal i
zedandexcl udi ngt hemaj orpol it
ical par ti
esf rom
par t
icipati
ngi nt heel ect ionoft heirr epr esent at iv esi sal i
gnedwi tht heconst i
tutional mandat eto
"reducesoci al,economi c,andpol i
tical inequal ities, andr emov ecul tural i
nequal i
tiesbyequi t
ably
diffusingweal thandpol iti
cal powerf ort hecommongood" ;
12t her ightoft hepeopl eandt hei r
organi zati
onst oef fect iveandr easonabl epar ticipat i
onatal llev elsofsoci al ,
pol i
tical,and
economi cdeci sion- maki ng;13t her ightofwoment ooppor t uni t
iest hatwi l
l enhancet heir
wel fareandenabl et hem t or ealizet hei rf ull pot ent ial intheser vi
ceoft henat ion;14t her ightof
l
abort opar ticipat ei npol icyanddeci sion- maki ngpr ocessesaf fectingt heirr i
ght sandbenef its
i
nkeepi ngwi thi tsr oleasapr i
mar ysoci al economi cf orce; 15t her i
ghtoft eacher sto
prof essional adv ancement ;
16t her ight sofi ndi genouscul tur al communi tiest othe
consi derationoft heircul tures, traditionsandi nst i
tut ionsi nt hef ormul ationofnat i
onal plans
andpol i
cies,17andt hei ndispensabl er oleoft hepr i
v at esect ori nt henat i
onal economy .
18

Thereisnogai
nsayingt
hefactthatt
heparty-l
i
stpar
ti
esarenomat chtoourt
radit
ional
poli
ti
cal
part
iesint
hepoli
ti
calar
ena.Thisisborneoutint
heparty-
li
stel
ecti
onshel
din2001wher e
majorpoli
ti
cal
part
ieswereini
ti
all
yall
owedt ocampaignandbev ot
edfor
.Theresult
s
confir
medt hefearexpr essedbysomecommi ssi onersint heConst ituti
onal Commi ssion19t hat
majorpoli
ti
cal part
ieswoul dfi
gurei nthedispropor t
ionatedi st
ributionofv otes:ofthe162
part
ieswhichpar ti
cipated,thesev enmaj orpolit
icalpar t
ies20madei ttothet op50.These
sevenparti
esgar neredanaccumul ated9.54%oft hetotal numberofv otescount ed,yi
el dingan
averageof1.36%each, whi l
ether emaining155par t
ies( i
ncludingt hosewhosequal ifi
cat i
ons
werecontested)onlyobt ained90. 45%oranav erageof0. 58%each.Oft hesesev en,t
hr ee
part
ies21or42. 8%oft het otalnumberoft hemaj orpar t
iesgarner edmor ethan2%oft het ot
al
numberofv oteseach, af eatthatwoul dhav eentitl
edt hem t oseatt heirmember saspar t
y -
li
st
repr
esentat
ives.Incont rast,onlyabout4%oft het otalnumberoft her emai ni
ngpar ti
es, oronl y
8outofthe155par tiesgar ner
edmor ethan2%. 22

Insum, theev il
sthatfacedourmar ginal
izedandunder representedpeopl eatt hetimeoft he
frami ngoft he1987Const i
tuti
onst il
lhauntthem t oday.Itisthrought hepar ty-li
stsystem that
theConst i
tutionsoughtt oaddresst hissystemicdi lemma.I nratify
ingt heConst i
tuti
on,our
peopl er ecogni zedhowt heinterestsofourpoorandpower lesssect oralgroupscanbe
frustratedbyt het r
adit
ionalpoli
ticalparti
eswhohav ethemachi neryandchi canerytodomi nate
ourpol iticalinstit
uti
ons.Ifweal l
owmaj orpolit
ical part
iestopar ti
cipateint hepar ty-
li
stsystem
electoral process, wewi l
lsurel
ysuf f
ocatethev oiceoft hemar ginali
zed, fr
ust ratethei
r
sov ereigntyandbet raythedemocr ati
cspiri
toft heConst it
ution.Thatopi nionwi llserveast he
grav eyardoft heparty-l
i
stsy st
em.

I
NVI EW WHEREOF,
Idi
ssentont
her
uli
ngal
l
owi
ngt
heent
ryofmaj
orpol
i
tical
par
ti
esi
ntot
he
par
ty-l
i
stsy
stem.

REYNATOS.PUNO

Chi
efJust
ice

Foot
not
es

1G.
R.No.147589,
June26,
2001,
359SCRA698.

2I
d.
3I
IRecor
d,Const
it
uti
onal
Commi
ssi
on,
25Jul
y1986,
pp.256-
257.

4Sect
ion3.

5Mai
nopi
nion,
p.33.

6G.
R.No.
83896,
Febr
uar
y22,
1991,
194SCRA317,
337.

7Lambor
nv.Bel
l
,20L.
R.A.241,
18Col
o.346,
32.

8I
d.

9Ar
ti
cleXVI
II
.

10VRecor
d,Const
it
uti
onal
Commi
ssi
on,
1Oct
ober1986,
p.332.

11I
d.at330.

12Ar
ti
cleXI
II
,Sect
ion1.

13Ar
ti
cleXI
II
,Sec.16.

14Ar
ti
cleXI
II
,Sec.3,
inr
elat
iont
osect
ion14.

15Ar
ti
cleXI
II
,Sec.3,
inr
elat
iont
oAr
ti
cleI
I,
Sec.18.
16Ar
ti
cleXI
V,Sec.5.

17Ar
ti
cleXI
V,Sec.17.

18Ar
ti
cleI
I,
Sec.20.

19I
d.,
at562.

20AsnotedinBagongBay ani:
Nati
onali
stPeople’
sCoali
ti
on,
LakasNUCD-UMDP,Labanng
Demokr
atikongPi
li
pino,
Aksy onDemokrati
ko,Parti
dongMasangPil
i
pino,
Part
ido
Demokr
atikongPi
li
pinoLakasngBay anandLiberalPar
ty.

21Nat
ional
i
stPeopl
e’
sCoal
i
tion,
LakasNUCD-
UMDPandLabanngDemokr
ati
kongPi
l
ipi
no.

22Par
tyLi
stCanv
assRepor
tNo.26,
Commi
ssi
ononEl
ect
ions.

TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

SEPARATEOPI
NION

NACHURA,
J.:

Iconcurwi
tht
hewel
l
-wr
it
tenponenci
aofJust
iceAnt
oni
oT.Car
pio.

Howev
er,
Iwi
sht
oaddaf
ewwor
dst
osuppor
tthepr
oposi
ti
ont
hatt
hei
nfl
exi
ble2%t
hreshol
d
voterequi r
edf orenti
tl
ementbyapar ty-l
istgroupt oaseatint heHouseofRepr esentati
vesin
RepublicAct( R.A.)No.79411isunconst it
utional
.Thismi ni
mum v ot
erequirement─f i
xedat2%
ofthetot alnumberofv otescastforthepar tyli
stsystem ─pr esentsanunwar rantedobstacl
e
tothefull i
mplement ati
onofSection5( 2),Arti
cleVI,ofthePhi l
i
ppineConst i
tuti
on.Assuch, i
t
eff
ectivelydefeatsthedeclaredconstit
utionalpoli
cy,aswel lasthelegi
slati
v eobject
ive
expressedi ntheenablinglaw,toall
owt hepeopl e’sbroadestrepresent
ationinCongr ess,
2the
rai
sond’ etrefortheadoptionoftheparty-li
stsystem.

Ar
ti
cl
eVI
,Sect
ion5oft
he1987Const
it
uti
onper
ti
nent
lypr
ovi
des:

Secti
on5.(1)TheHouseofRepr esent ati
vesshallbecomposedofnotmor et
hant wohundred
andfif
tymembers,unlessotherwi
sef ixedbylaw, whoshallbeel
ect
edf r
om legisl
ati
vedist
ri
cts
apport
ionedamongthepr ovi
nces,citi
es,andt heMet r
opoli
tanMani
laareainaccordancewith
thenumberofthei
rrespectiv
einhabitants,andont hebasisofauni
form andprogressi
verati
o,
andthosewho,asprov i
dedbylaw, shallbeelectedthroughapar
ty-
li
stsystem ofregi
ster
ed
nati
onal,r
egi
onal
,andsect or
alpart
iesoror ganizati
ons.

(2)Thepar t
y-li
strepr esentati
vesshal
lconsti
tutetwent ypercentum oft hetotalnumberof
represent at
ivesincludingt hoseundertheparty
-li
st.Forthreeconsecut i
vetermsaf terthe
rati
ficati
onoft hi
sConst i
tuti
on,one-
halfoft
heseat sal l
ocatedtopar t
y-l
istr
epr esentati
vesshal
l
befilled,aspr ovi
dedbyl aw, bysel
ect
ionorelecti
onf rom thelabor,peasant,urbanpoor ,
i
ndigenouscul turalcommuni ti
es,women,youth,andsuchot hersectorsasmaybepr ovi
dedby
l
aw, exceptt her eli
gioussect or.

(3)Eachlegisl
ati
v edi
stri
ctshal
lcompri
se,asfaraspracti
cabl
e,cont
iguous,compactand
adjacentter
rit
ory.Eachcit
ywithapopulat
ionofatleasthundr
edfif
tythousand,oreach
province,
shallhaveatleastonerepr
esent
ati
ve.

(
4)Withi
nt hr
eeyear
sfoll
owingt
her et
urnofever
ycensus,theCongr
essshall
makea
r
eapport
ionmentofl
egisl
ati
vedi
str
ictsbasedonthestandardspr
ovi
dedi
nt hi
ssect
ion.
3

Thispar ty
-l
istprov
isi
oni ntheConstitut
ionintendst
oopent hesyst
em4ofr epr
esentati
onby
al
lowi ngdiffer
entsectors,par
ti
es,organizat
ionsandcoali
ti
onstowinalegisl
ati
veseat.It
di
v ersif
iesthemember shi
pinthelegisl
atureand"gi
vesgenuinepowertothepeople."
5As
aforesaid,theConsti
tutiondesi
resthepeopl e’
swidestr
epresent
ati
oninCongress.
Todet erminethet otal
numberofseatst
hatwill
beall
ocat
edtoparty
-l
istgr
oupsbasedonthe
foregoingconstit
ut i
onalpr
ovi
sion,
thi
sCourt
,inVet
eransFeder
ati
onPartyv.Commissi
onon
Electi
ons,6declared:

Clearl
y,theConsti
tut
ionmakesthenumberofdi st
ri
ctr
epresentati
vest
hedet er
minantin
arri
vi
ngatt henumberofseatsal
locat
edforparty-
li
stl
awmaker s,whoshall
compr i
se"twent
y
percentum ofthetot
alnumberofrepr
esentat
ives,i
ncl
udingthoseundertheparty
-l
ist
."Wethus
tr
anslatethisl
egalpr
ovisi
oni
ntoamat hemati
cal f
ormula,asfol
lows:

No.ofdi
str
ictr
epr
esent
ati
ves

.
80 x.
20=No.ofpar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
ves

Thisf or
mulati
onmeansthatanyi
ncreasei
nthenumberofdi
str
ictr
epresent
ati
ves,
asmaybe
providedbylaw,wi
l
lnecessari
l
yresul
tinacorr
espondi
ngi
ncr
easeinthenumberofpar
ty-
li
st
seats.

Onthebasi softhisformula,thenumberofpar ty-l

i
stseat
si snotstat
ic;i
tcoul
daddupt oa
substanti
alfigur
edependi ngont headdi
tionalnumberoflegisl
ati
vedistr
ict
swhichCongress
maycr eate.Thus,fori
nstance,theponenciastatesthat"
sincethe14thCongressofthe
Phil
ippi
neshas220di str
ictrepr
esentati
ves,ther
ear e55seatsavail
abletopar
ty-
li
st
repr
esentatives,
"basedont hefollowi
ngcomput at
ion:

220

.
80 x.
20=55

Topr ovi
dethemechani csf ortheimplement at
ionofthepar t
y-l
istsystem, Congressenacted
R.A.No.7941, Sect
ion117ofwhi chsets,amongot hers,theinviol
ableparamet erthatapart
y,
sectoral
organizati
onorcoal i
ti
on, mustobt ai
natleasttwoper cent(2%)oft hetotalvot
escast
forthepart
y-l
istsystem inordertoclaim oneseatintheHouseofRepr esentat
ives.Thi
sis
refer
redtoast hethresholdvote,ort
hemi nimum voterequir
ement .

Her
eli
est
hecr
uxofi
tsunconst
it
uti
onal
i
ty.
Giventhi
sfixed2%threshol
dvot
e,t
hemaximum numberofseatsint
heHouseof
Represent
ativeswhi
chmaybeoccupiedbypar
ty-
li
str
epresent
ati
vescannev
erexceedf
if
ty(
50)
,
because:

100%

(
Tot
alnumberofv
otescastf
orpar
ty-
li
stsy
stem)

2%

=50

Inotherwor
ds,t
herewil
lneverbeasi
tuat
ionwherethenumberofpar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ati
veswi
l
l
exceed50,r
egar
dlessofthenumberofdi
str
ictr
epresent
ati
ves.

Iseeascenari
oi nt
hefuturewhen, becauseoftheinexor
ablegrowthint
hecount r
y’spopulati
on,
Congressshoul
dseef i
ttoincreasethelegi
slat
ivedist
ri
ctseatsto400.I
fthathappens,there
wouldbeacor r
espondi
ngadj ustmentinpart
y -
li
str
epresent
ationthatwi
l
ltransl
ateto100par ty-
l
istseats,
appl
yingthefor
mul ainVeteransFederat
ionParty,
viz:

400

.
80 x.
20=100

Yet,byv i
rt
ueoftherigi
d2%thr
esholdr
equi
rement,
thenumberofseatst
hatthepol
it
ical
part
ies,
organizati
onsorcoali
ti
onsr
egi
ster
edunderthepar
ty-
li
stsy
stem coul
deveraspi
ref
orwould
st
illbelimit
edtoonly50.

Thisisnotanunlikelyscenari
o.Today,ali
tt
leoverei
ght(8)yearsafterthi
sCourt’
sdeci si
onin
VeteransFederati
onPar t
y,weseet hati
nthe14thCongress,55seat sareall
ocatedtopar t
y-l
i
st
represent
ati
ves,usingtheVeteransformul
a.Butthatfi
gure(of55)cannev erbereali
zed,
becausethe2%t hresholdvoterequir
ementmakesi tmathematical
lyimpossibl
et ohavemor e
than50seats.Afterall
,thetotalnumberofvotescastf
orthepar t
y-l
istsyst
em cannev erexceed
100%.

This,t
omymi nd,st
igmat
izesthe2%mini
mum vot
er equi
rementi
nR.
A.7941.Alegalpr
ovi
sion
thatposesaninsur
mountabl
ebarri
ert
othef
ull
implementati
onandr
eal
izat
ionofthe
consti
tuti
onal
prov
isi
ononthepart
y-l
istsystem shoul
dbedeclaredvoi
d.AsChi
efJusti
ce
ReynatoS.Punosaysinhi
sConcur
ringandDi ssenti
ngOpini
on,"(W)
eshouldst
riv
etomake
ever
ywor dofthef
undamental
lawoper at
iveandav oi
drender
ingsomewordidleand
nugatory
."8

LestIbemi sunderst
ood,Idonotadv ocatedoingawaycompletel
ywithat hr
esholdvot
e
requirement.Theneedf orsuchami nimum v oter
equir
ementwasexplainedincaref
uland
elaboratedetailbyChiefJusti
cePunoi nhisseparat
econcur
ri
ngopinioninVeteransFeder
ati
on
Party.Iful
lyagreewithhimt hataminimum v oter
equir
ementisneeded—

1.toavoi
dasi
tuat
ionwher
ethecandi
dat
ewi
l
ljustuset
hepar
ty-
li
stsy
stem asaf
all
back
posit
ion;

2.t
odiscour
agenui
sancecandidat
esorpar
ti
es,
whoar
enotr
eadyandwhosechancesar
ever
y
l
ow,fr
om part
ici
pat
ingi
ntheelecti
ons;

3.t
oav
oidt
her
eser
veseatsy
stem byopeni
ngupt
hesy
stem;

4.toencour
aget
hemar
ginal
i
zedsect
orst
oor
gani
ze,
wor
khar
d,andear
nthei
rseat
swi
thi
nthe
system;

5.toenablesect
oralrepresent
ati
vestor i
setothesamemajest
yast
hatoftheelected
repr
esentati
vesi
nt helegisl
ati
vebody,rat
herthanowingt
osomedegreet
heirseatsinthe
l
egisl
ati
vebodyeithertoanout ri
ghtconsti
tut
ional
gif
tort
oanappoi
ntmentbythePr esi
dentof
thePhil
i
ppines;

6.ifnothreshol
di si
mposed,t
hiswi
llactual
l
ypr oli
fer
atepoliti
cal
partygroupsandthosewho
havenotreallybeengivenbyt
hepeoplesuffi
cientbasisforthem t
orepresentt
heirconst
it
uent
s
and,int
urn, t
heywi l
lbeabl
etogett
ot heParl
iamentt hroughthebackdoorunderthenameof
thepart
y -
li
stsystem;and

7.t
oensur
ethatonl
ythosewi
thamor
eorl
esssubst
ant
ial
fol
l
owi
ngcanber
epr
esent
ed.
9
Howev er
,witht heburgeoningoft hepopul at
ion,t
hest eadyincreaseinthepar t
y-l
i
stseat
all
otmentasi tkeepspacewi t
hthecr eati
onofaddi ti
onal l
egislati
vedist
ri
cts,andthe
for
eseeablegr owt hofpar
ty-l
istgroups,thefixed2%v oter equirementisnolongerv i
able.It
doesnotadequat elyr
espondt otheinevitabl
echangest hatcomewi thtime;anditis,infact,
i
nconsist
entwi t
ht heConstit
uti
on, becauseitpreventsthef undamental l
awfrom ev erbeing
ful
lyoperat
ive.

Itiscor r
ectt osay ,andIcompl etel
yagr eewi thVet er
ansFeder ationPar t
y ,t
hatSection5( 2),
Articl
eVIoft heConst i
tut
ion,isnotmandat ory,t
hatitmer elypr ovidesacei li
ngf ort
henumber
ofpar ty-l
istseatsi nCongress.Butwhent heenabl ingl aw, R.A.7941, enactedbyCongr essf or
thepr ecisepur poseofi mplement i
ngt heconst itut
ional prov i
sion, contai
nsacondi t
ionthat
placest heconst ituti
onalceili
ngcompl etelybey ondr each, totall
yi mpossi bl
eofr eal
izat
ion, t
hen
wemustst r
ikedownt heoffendingcondi ti
onasanaf f
rontt ot hef undament allaw.Thisisnot
simpl yani nquiryintothewi sdom oft helegi sl
ativemeasur e; r
at heritinvolv
est hedutyoft his
Cour ttoensur ethatconstit
utionalpr ovi
sionsr emai nef fectiv
eatal lti
mes.Nor uleofstatutory
const ructioncansav eapar ti
cularlegisl
ativeenact mentt hatrender saconst i
tuti
onalprovision
i
noper at i
veandi nef f
ectual.

I
nli
ghtoft
hefor
egoingdisquisi
tion,
whatthendoweuseast henormf oramini
mum v ot
e
r
equi
rementt
oentit
leapoli
ticalpart
y,sect
oral
organi
zat
ionorcoal
i
tion,toapar
ty-
li
stseati
n
t
heHouseofRepresent
ati
ves?

Isubmi tt
hat,
unti
lCongressshallhaveeffectedanaccept ableamendmentt othemi nimum
voterequir
ementinR.A.7941,weabi debyt hesensiblestandardof"proport
ional
represent
ati
on"andadoptagr aduall
yregressiv
et hr
esholdv oterequi
rement ,
inversely
proporti
onalt
otheincreasei
nt henumberofpar t
y-l
istseats.Thus,atpresent,consider
ingt
hat
thereare55seatsall
ocatedforpart
y-li
stgroups,theformul ashouldbe:

100%

(
Tot
alnumberofv
otescastf
orpar
ty-
li
st)

55par
ty-
li
stseat
s

=1.
818%
Themi nimum voterequi
rementwil
lgradual
lyl
essenasthenumberofpart
y-l
istseat
sincr
eases.
Accordingly,
ift
hescenariowepresentedabov
eshouldevercometopass,andthereare100
seatsallocat
edforparty
-l
istgr
oups,t
henthethreshol
dvot
eshoul
dbe1%, basedont he
fol
lowingcomput at
ion:

100%

(
Tot
alnumberofv
otescastf
orpar
ty-
li
st)

100par
ty-
li
stseat
s

=1%

Thisisthemor elogicalandequitabl
efor
mula.I
twouldjudici
ouslyrespondtothei
nevit
abl
e
changesinthecomposi ti
onoftheHouseofRepresentat
ives;i
twoul dopenopport
unit
iesfort
he
broadestpeople’
sr epresent
ati
oni nt
heHouseofRepresentati
ves;andmor eimpor
tantl
y,i
t
wouldnotv i
olatetheConst i
tut
ion.

Ti
mechangesandl
awschangewi
thi
t.
10Andt
heConst
it
uti
on-
--

mustgrowwiththesocietyi
tseekstore-str
uctur
eandmar chapacewi t
htheprogressofthe
race,dr
awi
ngfrom thevici
ssi
tudesofhistor
ythedynamism andv i
tal
i
tythatwil
lkeepit
,farf
rom
beingapet
ri
fi
edr ul
e,apulsi
ng,li
vi
nglawat t
unedtotheheartbeatofthenati
on.
11

Thus,wit
hr especttothefi
xedthr
eshol
dvoteof2%inSect
ion11ofR. A.No.7941,
Ijoi
nthe
Courtindeclari
ngitunconst
it
uti
onal
,si
nceall
enact
mentsinconsi
stentwit
htheConsti
tut
ion
shouldbeinv al
i
dated.
12

ANTONI
OEDUARDOB.NACHURA

Associ
ateJust
ice

Foot
not
es
1Enti
tl
ed"ANACTPROVI
DINGFORTHEELECTI
ONOFPARTY-
LISTREPRESENTATIVES
THROUGHTHEPARTY-LI
STSYSTEM,
ANDAPPROPRI
ATINGFUNDSTHEREFOR,"approv
edon
March3,1995.

2Sect
ion2,
R.A.7941,
prov
ides:

"TheSt at
eshal lpromot epr opor tionalrepr esent ati
oni nt heel ectionofr epr esent at
ivest ot he
HouseofRepr esentati
v est hroughapar ty-li
stsy stem ofr egisterednat ional ,
regional and
sectoralpart
iesoror gani zationsorcoal it
ionst hereof ,
whi chwi l
lenabl et heFilipinocitizens
belongingtothemar ginalizedandunder repr esentedsect ors,organi zati
onsandpar ties, and
whol ackwell-defi
nedpol it
ical const i
tuenci esbutcoul dcont ri
but et othef ormul ati
onand
enactmentofappr opri
at elegi slati
ont hatwi llbenefitthenat i
onasawhol e, t
obecomemember s
oftheHouseofRepr esent atives.Towar dst hisend, theSt ateshal ldevelopandguar ant eeaf ul
l,
freeandopenpar tysyst em inor dertoat taint hebr oadestpossi bl erepresent ationofpar ty,
sectoralorgroupi nt
erest sint heHouseofRepr esentat i
ves, byenhanci ngt heirchancest o
compet eforandwi nseat si nt hel egi
slature, andshal lprovidet hesi mpl estschemepossi ble.
"
(Emphasi ssupplied.)

3Emphasi
ssuppl
i
ed.

4AngBagongBay
ani
-OFW LaborPar
tyv
.Commi
ssi
ononEl
ect
ions,
G.R.No.147589,
June26,
2001,
359SCRA698,
716.

5I
d.at717.

6G.
R.No.136781,
Oct
ober6,
2000;
342SCRA244.

7I
nful
l
,thepr
ovi
sionr
eads:

"Sect
ion11.NumberofPart
y-ListRepr
esentati
ves.Thepar
ty-
li
str
epr
esent
ativ
esshall
consti
tut
etwent
ypercentum (20%)ofthetotalnumberofthemembersoftheHouseof
Repr
esent
ati
vesi
ncl
udi
ngt
hoseundert
hepar
ty-
li
st.

"Forpurposesoft heMay1998elect
ions,thefi
rstfi
ve(
5)majorpoli
ti
calpar
ti
esont
hebasi
sof
partyrepresent
ationint
heHouseofRepr esent
ativ
esatthest
artoftheTent
hCongr
essoft
he
Phil
ippinesshallnotbeent
it
ledt
opar t
ici
pateinthepar
ty-l
i
stsyst
em.

"I
ndeter
mini
ngt
heal
l
ocat
ionofseat
sfort
hesecondv
ote,
thef
oll
owi
ngpr
ocedur
eshal
lbe
obser
ved:

"(
a)Thepart
ies,
organi
zat
ions,
andcoalit
ionsshal
lberankedfrom t
hehi
ghestt
othel
owest
basedonthenumberofvotestheygar
neredduri
ngtheelect
ions.

"(
b)Theparti
es,organizati
ons,andcoal i
tionsreceivi
ngatleasttwopercent(2%)oft hetotal
votescastf
ortheparty-l
istsystem shallbeentit
ledtooneseateach: Provi
ded, Thatthose
garner
ingmorethant woper cent(2%)oft hevotesshal l
beent i
tl
edtoadditi
onal seat
sin
proport
iont
otheirtot
al numberofv otes: Provi
ded, fi
nal
ly,Thateachpart
y,organizat
ion,or
coali
ti
onshall
beent i
tl
edt onotmor ethant hr
ee( 3)seats.
"

8Ci
ti
ngLambor
nv.Bel
l
,20L.
R.A.241,
18Col
o.346,
32.

9I
d.at290.

10Chav
ezv
.Nat
ional
Housi
ngAut
hor
it
y,G.
R.No.164527,
August15,
2007,
530SCRA235,
314-
315.

11I
sagani
A.Cr
uz,
"AQui
ntessent
ial
Const
it
uti
on,
"SanBedaLawJour
nal
,Apr
il1972.

12Sabi
ov.Gor
don,
G.R.No.174340,
Oct
ober17,
2006,
504SCRA704,
730-
731.
TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

Consti
tut
ionStat
utesExecuti
veIssuancesJudici
alI
ssuancesOt
herI
ssuances
Jur
ispr
udenceI
nter
nati
onalLegal
Resour cesAUSLExcl
usive