POLITICAL LAW REVIEW

JUDGE GENER M. GITO, LL.M., D.C.L.

MODULE 5

IX. LAW ON PUBLIC OFFICERS

A. General Principles
i. Public office
1. Elements
2. Creation
3. Characteristics
ii. Public Officer
1. Distinguished from public officer as understood in criminal
law
2. Distinguished from an employee
3. Public official
B. Modes of Acquiring Title to Public Office
i. By appointment
1. Classification
a. Permanent or temporary
a.i. Province of Cam Sur, July 14, 1995
a.ii. De Leon, vs. CA, January 22, 2001
b. Regular or ad-interim
a.i. Matibag vs. Benepayo, supra
2. Steps in appointing process
a. For regular appointments
b. Appointment which do not require confirmation
c. Appointment to career service
c.i.Tomali vs. CSC, December 1, 1994
c.ii.-Velicaria-Garafil vs. OP, June 16, 2015
3. Discretion of appointing authority
a. Aquino vs. CSC, 208 SCRA 240
b. Bermudez vs. ES, August 4, 1999
c. UP vs. CSC, April 3, 2001
4. Appointment to civil service
a. Scope of civil service (Sec. 2(1), Art. IX-B)
a.i. LRTA vs. Venus, March 24, 2006
a.ii. Office of the Ombudsman, vs. CSC, July 30,
2007
b. Classes of civil service
b.i. Career service
b.ii. Non-career service
c. Requisites for appointment (Sec. 2(2), Art. IX-B)
c.i. Competitive examination
Page 1 of 8
 c.ii. Exemptions
d. Other personnel actions
d.i. Promotion
d.ii. Appointment thru certification
d.iii.Transfer
d.iv. Reinstatement
d.v. Detail
d.vi. Reassignment
d.vii. Reemployment
ii. By election
C. Eligibility and Qualification Requirements
i. Understood in two different sense
ii. Authority to prescribe qualification/disqualification
1. Flores vs. Drilon, June 22, 1993
D. Disabilities and Inhibitions of Public Officers
E. Powers and Duties of Public Officers
i. Authority of public officers
ii. Ministerial and discretionary
iii. Duties of public officers
iv. Prohibitions
1. Partisan political activity (Sec. 2(4), Art. IX-B)
a. Exception (Santos vs. Yatco, 106 Phil. 745)
2. Additional or double compensation (Sec. 8, Art. IX-B)
3. Prohibition against loans (Sec. 16, Art. XI)
4. Detail or reassignment
5. Nepotism
a. Laurel vs. CSC, 203 SCRA 195
b. CSC vs. Dacoycoy, April 29, 1999
F. Rights of Public Officers
i. Right to office
ii. Right to salary
1. Gloria vs. CA, April 21, 1999
iii. Right to preference in promotion
iv. Right to vacation and sick leave
v. Right to retirement pay
G. Liabilities of Public Officers
i. General rule on liability
ii. Statutory liability
iii. Liability on contracts
iv. Liability on torts
v. Liability of ministerial officers
H. Immunity of Public Officers
I. De facto Officers
i. Concept
ii. Elements
iii. Legal effects of acts
iv. Entitlement to salary
J. Termination of Official Relation
i. Expiration of term or tenure
Page 2 of 8
 1. Principle of hold-over
ii. Retirement
iii. Resignation
iv. Recall
v. Removal
1. Constitutional guarantee of security of tenure (Sec.2(3), Art.
IX-B)
2. Jurisdiction in disciplinary cases
3. Preventive suspension
a. Gloria vs. CA, April, 21, 1999
vi. Abandonment
vii. Acceptance of an Incompatible Office
i. Abolition of Office
1. Canonizado vs. Aguirre, January 25, 2000
x. Reorganization
1. Buklod ng Kawani ng EEIB vs. ES, July 10, 2001
xi. Prescription of the right to office
xii. Impeachment
xiii. Death
xiv. Failure to assume
xv. Conviction of a crime
xvi. Filing of certificate of candidacy
K. Accountability of public officers
i. Impeachment
1. Impeachable officers (Sec. 2, Art. XI)
2. Grounds for impeachment (Sec. 2, Art. XI)
3. Procedure for impeachment (Sec. 3, Art. XI)
4. Judgement (Sec. 3(7), Art. XI)
5. Cases
a. Francisco vs. House of Representatives, 415 SCRA 44
b. Gutierrez vs. House of Representatives, 643 SCRA
198
c. Republic vs. Sereno, G.R. No. 237428, May 11, 2018
ii. Ombudsman
1. Composition (Sec. 5, Art. XI)
2. Qualification and appointment (Secs. 8, 9, Art. XI)
3. Term (Sec. 11, Art. XI)
4. Powers and functions (Secs. 12 and 13, Art. XI)
5. Deputy Ombudsmen and Personnel (Sec. 6, Art. XI)
a. Office of Ombudsman vs. CSC, 451 SCRA 570
b. Gonzales vs. OP, 679 SCRA 614
6. Judicial review in administrative proceedings
7. Judicial review in criminal proceedings
iii. Sandiganbayan
iv. Ill-gotten wealth (Sec. 15, Art. XI)

X. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

Page 3 of 8
A. General Principles
i. Definition
ii. Sources of administrative law
iii. Concept of administration
B. Administrative agency
i. Definition
ii. Creation
iii. Kinds
C. Power of Administrative Agencies
i. Quasi-legislative power or rule-making power
1. Nature
a. Ople vs. Torres, 293 SCRA 141
2. Kinds of administrative rules
a. Supplementary or detailed legislation
b. Interpretative
c. contingent
3. Requisites for validity
a. Authority of law
b. Within the scope and purview of the law
b.i. Land Bank vs. CA, 249 SCRA 149
b.ii. Echegaray vs. Secretary of Justice, October
12, 1998
c. Reasonable
d. Publication
d.i. Tanada vs. Tuvera, 146 SCRA 446
d.ii. PASE vs. Torres, 212 SCRA 298
4. Administrative rules with penal sanction
a. People vs. Maceren, 79 SCRA 450
5. Necessity for notice and hearing
a. Rule
a.i.Corona vs. United Harbor Pilots, December
12, 1997
b. Exception
b.i. CIR vs. CA, 261 SCRA 236
b.ii. Phil.Consumers Foundation vs. Secretary,
153 SCRA 622
b.iii.Maceda vs. ERB, 192 SCRA 363
b.iv. Freedom from Debt Coalition vs. ERC
ii. Quasi-judicial or adjudicatory power
1. Nature
2. Administrative due process
3. Administrative determinations where notice is not required
4. Right against self-incrimination
5. Power to punish contempt
a. Dumarpa vs. Dimaporo, 177 SCRA 478
6. Administrative decisions not part of legal system
a. Phil. Bank of Com. vs. CIR, January 28, 1999
7. Administrative appeal and review
8. Doctrine of res judicata
Page 4 of 8
 a. Exception (Board of Com, CID vs. De la Rosa, 197
SCRA 853
D. Judicial Recourse and Review
i. Doctrine of Exhaustion of administrative remedies
1. The doctrine
2. Coverage
a. Ass. of Phil Coconut desiccators vs. PHilCoA,
February, 10, 1998
b. Smart Communications vs. NTC, August 12, 2003
3. Effect of failure to exhaust
4. Exception to the doctrine
ii. Doctrine of primary administrative jurisdiction
1. Concept
2. Cases:
a. Tabao vs. Judge Lilagan, September 4, 2001
iii. Doctrine of finality of administrative action.
1. SSS-Emplys. Assn. vs Bathan-Velasco, August 27, 1999
iv. Judicial review of administrative decisions
1. Rule
2. Jurisdiction
3. Questions that may be raised
4. Guidelines for the exercise of the power

XI. ELECTION LAW

A. Suffrage
i. Who may vote? (Sec. 1, Art. III)
1. Makalintal vs. COMELEC, July 3, 2003
B. Qualification and Disqualification of voters
i. Qualification (Sec. 117, Omnibus Election Code [OEC])
ii. Disqualification (Sec. 118, OEC)
C. Registration of Voters (Chapter XII, OEC)
i. Necessity of registration (Sec. 115, OEC)
ii. System of continuing registration (Sec. 8, RA 8189)
1. Akbayan Youth vs. Comelec, March 26, 2001
iii. Challenge of right to register (Sec. 18, RA 8189)
D. Inclusion and Exclusion proceedings
i. Jurisdiction (Sec. 33, RA 8189)
ii. Petition for inclusion (Sec. 34, RA 8189)
iii. Petition for exclusion (Sec. 35, RA 8189)
i. Political Parties
i. Political party (Sec. 60, OEC)
ii. Party-list system (RA 7941)
1. Concept of party-list system
2. Manifestation to participate (Sec. 4, RA 7941)
3. Registration (Sec. 5, RA 7941)
4. Refusal/grounds for cancellation (Sec. 6, RA 7941)
5. Nomination of party-list representatives (Sec. 8, RA 7941)
a. Lokin vs. COMELEC, 621 SCRA 385
Page 5 of 8
 6. Qualifications of party-list nominees (Sec. 9, RA 7941)
a. Atong Paglaum, Inc., vs. COMELEC, 694 SCRA 477
7. Number of party-list representatives (Sec. 11, RA 7941)
a. Banat vs. COMELEC, 592 SCRA 294
8. Procedure in allocating seats (Secs. 12 & 13, RA 7941)
a. Banat vs. COMELEC, 592 SCRA 294
9. Effect of change of affiliation (Sec. 15, RA 7941)
10.Vacancy (Sec. 16, RA 7941)
ii. Candidacy
i. Qualifications
ii. Disqualifications
1. Under the OEC
2. Under the LCG
ii. Filing of certificate of candidacy
1. Effect of filing
2. Substitution of candidates (Sec. 77, OEC)
a. Talaga v. COMELEC, October 9, 2012
b. Federico vs. COMELEC, January 22, 2013
c. Aratea vs. COMELEC, October 9, 2012
3. Ministerial duty of COMELEC to receive COC
a. Luna vs. COMELEC, April 24, 2007
4. Nuisance candidate (RA 6646)
5. Petition to deny due course or cancel certificate of candidacy
(Sec. 78, OEC)
a. Jalosjos v. Commission on Elections, G.R. No.
193237, October 9, 2012
6. Effect of disqualification (Sec. 6, RA 6645)
a. Ortega vs. Comelec, 211 SCRA 481
b. Jalosjos v. Commission on Elections, G.R. No.
193237, October 9, 2012
iii. Campaign
i. Pre-mature campaign
1. Penera vs. COMELEC - G. R. No. 181613, November 25,
2009
2. Lanot vs. COMELEC, November 16, 2006
ii. Election contribution (Secs, 13 & 14, RA 7166; Secs. 95-97, OEC)
iv. Board of election inspector/canvassers
i. Composition
ii. Powers
v. Remedies and Jurisdiction
i. Petition not to give due course to or cancel a certificate of
candidacy
ii. Petition for disqualification
iii. Petition to declare failure of elections
i. Pre-proclamation controversy
ii. Election protest
iii. Quo warranto
vi. Prosecution of election offenses (Sec. 261, OEC)
i. Jurisdiction
Page 6 of 8
 1. People vs. Judge Basilia, 179 SCRA 87
2. Arroyo vs. DOJ, September 18, 2012

XII. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

A. Concept
i. Definition
ii. Classifications
B. Municipal corporation
i. Elements
ii. Nature and functions
iii. Requisites for creation, conversion, division, merger or dissolution
1. Authority to create
2. Requisites for creation
a. Sec. 10, Art. X [Plebiscite requirement (Sec. 10, RA
7160)]
a.i. Tan vs. COMELEC, 142 SCRA 727
a.ii. Umali vs. COMELEC, April 22, 2014
b. Sec. 7, RA 7160 (verifiable indicators)
3. Division and merger (Sec. 8, RA 7160)
4. Abolition (Sec. 9, RA 7160)
C. Principles of Local Autonomy
i. Concept of local autonomy
1. Basco vs. Pagcor, 197 SCRA 52
2. Magtajas vs. Pryce Properties, 234 SCRA 255
3. Dadole vs. CA, December 3, 2002
4. Liga ng mga Barangay vs. Judge Paredes, September 29,
2004
D. Powers of Local government
i. Police power (Sec. 16, RA 7160)
1. Requisites of a valid ordinance
ii. Power of taxation (Sec. 5, Art. X; Sec. 18, RA 7160)
1. Limitations (Sec. 130, RA 7160; Sec. 187, id.)
a. Drilon vs. Lim, August 4 1994
iii. Power of eminent domain (Sec. 19, RA 7160)
1. Requisites
a. Municipality of Paranaque vs. V.M. Realty, 292
SCRA 676
iv. Closure and opening of roads (Sec. 21, RA 7160)
v. Legislative power
1. Requisite for valid ordinance
2. Local initiative and referendum
vi. Corporate powers
1. To sue or be sued
2. To acquire, or convey properties
3. To enter into contracts
a. Requisites for valid municipal contract
b. Ultra vires act
vii. Liability of LGU
Page 7 of 8
viii. Settlement of boundary dispute
ix. Succession of elective officials (Secs. 44-46, RA 7160
x. Discipline of local officials
1. Elective
a. Grounds
b. Jurisdiction
c. Preventive suspension
d. Penalty
e. Administrative appeal
f. Doctrine of condonation
f.i. Malinao vs. Reyes, 255 SCRA 616
2. Appointive
xi. Recall
xii. Term (Sec. 8, Art. X)
1. Abundo v. COMELEC, January 8, 2013

Page 8 of 8