PROF.RANDOLFS.

DAVI
Dv.GLORI
AMACAPAGAL-
ARROYO,GRNO.171396,2006-
05-
03

Fact
s:

Theseseven( 7)consol idat

edpeti
ti
onsforcert
ior
ariandpr ohibit
ionall
egethatinissuing
President
ial
Pr oclamationNo.1017( PP1017)andGener alOr derNo.5( G.O.No.5) ,Presi
dent
Glori
aMacapagal -Arr
oyocommi t
tedgraveabuseofdi scr
etion.Pet i
ti
onerscontend..
.that
respondentoffi
cialsoftheGovernment,inthei
rprof
essedef fortstodefendandpr eserve
democr at
ici
nstit
utions,areact
uall
ytrampli
ngupont hever yfreedom guaranteedandpr otect
ed
bytheConst i
tuti
on.Hence,suchi ssuancesarevoidforbeingunconst it
uti
onal.

OnFebruary24,2006,ast
henati
oncel
ebrat
edt
he20thAnniver
sar
yoft heEdsaPeopl
ePower
I
,Pr
esidentArr
oyoissuedPP1017decl
ari
ngastat
eofnat
ionalemergency

OnFebruary24,2006,ast
henati
oncel
ebrat
edt
he20thAnniver
sar
yoft heEdsaPeopl
ePower
I
,Pr
esidentArr
oyoissuedPP1017decl
ari
ngastat
eofnat
ionalemergency,t
hus:

NOW,THEREFORE,I ,Gl ori

aMacapagal -Arroyo,Pr esi
dentoftheRepubl icofthePhi l
i
ppi nes
andCommander -in-
Chi efoftheAr medFor cesoft hePhili
ppines,byvi r
tueoft hepower svest ed
uponmebySect ion18,Ar ti
cle7ofthePhi li
ppineConst it
utionwhi ch. .
.statesthat:"The
President...wheneveri tbecomesnecessar y,...maycal lout(the)ar medf orcest opr eventor
suppress...rebell
ion... ,"andinmyc apacityast hei
rCommander -in-Chief,doher eby
commandt heAr medFor cesofthePhil
ippines,tomai nt
ainlawand. ..orderthroughoutt he
Phili
ppines,preventorsuppr essallf
ormsofl awl essviol
enceaswel lasanyactofi nsurrection
orrebelli
onandt oenf or ceobediencetoal lt
hel awsandt oalldecr ees,or dersandr egulati
ons
promulgatedbymeper sonall
yoruponmydi recti
on;andas. .
.providedi nSect ion17,Ar ti
cle12
oftheConst it
uti
ondoher ebydeclareaSt ateofNat i
onalEmer gency.

Sheci
tedt
hef
oll
owi
ngf
act
sasbases

Sheci
tedt
hef
oll
owi
ngf
act
sasbases:

WHEREAS,overt
hesepastmont
hs,el
ement
sint
hepol
i
ti
cal
opposi
ti
onhaveconspi
redwi
th
authori
tar
iansoft heext remeLef tr epr
esentedbyt heNDF- CPP- NPAandt heextremeRi ght
,
represent
edbymi l
it
aryadvent ur
ists-thehist
oricalenemi esofthe...democr ati
cPhi l
i
ppineSt at
e
-whoar enowi nat acticalall
ianceandengagedi naconcer tedandsyst ematicconspir
acy,over
abr oadfr
ont ,tobringdownt hedul yconsti
tut
edGover nmentelectedi nMay2004. .
.overthese
pastmont hs,element si nthepoliti
calopposit
ionhaveconspi redwithaut hori
tari
ansofthe
extremeLef trepresentedbyt heNDF- CPP- NPAandt heextremeRi ght,repr
esentedbymi li
tary
adventuri
sts-t hehi st
oricalenemi esofthe.
..democr aticPhil
ippineSt ate-whoar enowi na
tacti
calal
li
anceandengagedi naconcer t
edandsyst emat i
cconspi r
acy,overabr oadfront
,to
bringdownt hedul yconst it
utedGover nmentel ectedinMay2004

Ont
hesameday,t
hePr
esi
denti
ssuedG.O.No.5i
mpl
ement
ingPP1017

Ont
hesameday,t
hePr
esi
denti
ssuedG.O.No.5i
mpl
ement
ingPP1017,t
hus

WHEREAS,overt hesepastmont hs,elementsinthepoli

ti
cal
opposit
ionhaveconspir
edwith
authori
tari
ansoft
heextremeLef t
,representedbyt heNDF-CPP-NPAandt heextr
emeRi ght,
representedbymil
it
aryadventuri
sts-thehistor
icalenemi
esofthe.
..democrati
cPhil
i
ppineState
-andwhoar enowinat act
icalal
li
anceandengagedi naconcert
edandsyst emat
icconspi
racy,
overabr oadfr
ont
,tobringdownt hedul y-
consti
tut
edGovernmentelect
edinMay2004

NOW,THEREFORE,IGLORI AMACAPAGAL- ARROYO,byvi r

tueofthepowersvestedinme
undert
heConst
it
utionasPresi
dentoft
heRepubli
cofthePhil
ippines,andCommander -
in-
Chi
ef
oft
heRepubl
icofthePhil
i
ppines,andpur
suantt
oProclamat
ionNo.1017dat edFebruary

24,2006,doher
ebycal
lupontheArmedForcesofthePhi
li
ppi
nes(AFP)andthePhili
ppi
ne
Nati
onalPol
ice(
PNP),t
opreventandsuppr
essactsoft
err
ori
sm andl
awlessvi
olenceint
he
count
ry;

OnMar ch3,2006,exact
lyoneweekaftert
hedeclarati
onofast
ateofnat
ionalemergencyand
af
teral
lthesepet
it
ionshadbeenfi
led,t
hePr esi
dentli
ft
edPP1017.SheissuedProclamati
on
No.1021

OnMar ch3,2006,exact
lyoneweekaftert
hedeclarati
onofast
ateofnat
ionalemergencyand
af
teral
lthesepet
it
ionshadbeenfi
led,t
hePr esi
dentli
ft
edPP1017.SheissuedProclamati
on
No.1021whichreads:
WHEREAS,t heAFPandPNPhaveef
fect
ivel
ypr
event
ed,suppr
essedandquel
l
edt
heact
s
l
awl
essvi
olenceandrebel
l
ion;

NOW,THEREFORE,I ,GLORIAMACAPAGAL-ARROYO,Presi
dentoft
heRepubl
icoft
he
Phi
li
ppines,byvir
tueoft
hepowersvest
edinmebyl
aw,her
ebydecl
arethatt
hest
ateof
nat
ionalemergencyhasceasedt
o..
.exi
st.

Inthei
rpresentati
onofthef act
ualbasesofPP1017andG. O.No.5,respondentsstat
edthat
theproximatecausebehi ndtheexecuti
veissuanceswast heconspir
acyamongsomemi li
tary
off
icer
s,lef
ti
stinsurgent
soft heNewPeopl e'sArmy( NPA) ,andsomemember softhepoli
ti
cal.
..
opposit
ioninapl ottounseatorassassi
natePr esidentArr
oyo.[
4]Theyconsideredtheaimt o
oustorassassinatethePr esi
dentandtake-overther ei
gnsofgovernmentasacl earand
presentdanger.

Soli
ci
torGener alarguedthattheintentoftheConsti
tut
ionistogivefulldi
scr
etionar
ypowerst o
t
hePr esi
dentindet ermini
ngthenecessi t
yofcalli
ngoutt hear
medf orces.Heemphasi zedthat
noneofthepet it
ionershasshownt hatPP1017waswi thoutfact
ual.
..bases.Whi l
eheexplained
t
hatitisnotrespondents'tasktostatethefact
sbehindt hequest
ionedPr ocl
amat i
on,however,
t
heyar epresentingthesame,nar ratedhereunder,f
ort
heel uci
dati
onoft heissues.

Fort
heirpar
t,pet
it
ioner
sci
tedt
heevent
sthatf
oll
owedaf
tert
hei
ssuanceofPP1017andG.
O.
No.5.

Respondent
sfurt
hercl
aimedthatt
hebombi
ngoftel
ecommunicat
iontowersandcellsi
tesi
n
BulacanandBataanwasalsoconsi
der
edasaddi
ti
onalf
act
ualbasisf
ortheissuanceofPP
1017andG. O.No.5.Soistherai
dofanar
myoutposti
nBenguetresul
ti
nginthedeathofthr
ee

(3)soldier
s.Andalsot
hedi
rect
iveoft
heCommunistPar
tyoft
hePhi
li
ppi
nesorderingi
tsf
ront
organizati
onstoj
oin5,
000Metr
oMani l
aradi
cal
sand25,
000morefr
om t
heprovincesi
nmass
protests.

Bymidni
ghtofFebruar
y23,2006,t
hePresi
dentconvenedhersecur
it
yadvisersandsever
al
cabi
netmemberstoassesst
hegravi
tyoft
hefermenti
ngpeaceandor dersi
tuat
ion.She
dir
ect
edboththeAFPandthePNPtoaccountf
oral
lt
hei
rmenandensur
ethatt
hechai
nof
command..
.remai
nssol
idandundi
vi
ded.

Immediat
ely,t
heOf f
iceofthePr
esidentannouncedt hecancell
ati
onofallprogramsand
act
ivi
ti
esrelat
edtothe20thanni
versarycelebrat
ionofEdsaPeopl ePowerI ;andrevokedt
he
per
mitstoholdral
li
esissuedear
li
erbyt helocalgovernments.Just
iceSecretar
y

Raul Gonzal
esstat
edt hatpol
it
icalral
li
es,whichtothePresi
dent'
smi ndwer eorgani
zedfor
purposesofdest
abil
izati
on,arecanc el
led.Presi
denti
alChi
efofStaffMichaelDefensor
announcedthat"
warr ant
lessarrest
sandt ake-overoff
aci
li
ti
es,i
ncludingmedia,can..
.al
ready
beimplemented.
"

Undet
erredbyt heannouncementst
hatr
all
i
esandpubli
cassemblieswoul
dnotbeallowed,
gr
oupsofpr ot
ester
s(member sofKi
l
usangMayoUno[KMU]andNat i
onalFeder
ati
onofLabor
Uni
ons-Kil
usangMayoUno[ NAFLU-KMU])
,marchedf
rom var
iouspart
sofMetro

Mani l
awi tht
heintentionofconvergingattheEDSAshr i
ne.Thosewhower ealr
eadyneart he
EDSAsi tewereviolentl
ydispersedbyhugecl uster
sofanti-
ri
otpolice.Thewel l
-t
rained
poli
cemenusedt runcheons,bigf i
berglassshiel
ds,watercannons,andt eargast ostopand
break...upthemar chinggroups,andscat t
erthemassedpar ti
cipants.Thesamepol i
ceacti
on
wasusedagai nsttheprotester
smar chingfor
wardt oCubao,QuezonCi t
yandtot hecornerof
SantolanSt r
eetandEDSA.Thatsameeveni ng,hundredsofriotpolicemenbrokeupanEDSA
celebrati
on..
.ral
lyheldalongAyal aAv enueandPaseodeRoxasSt reeti
nMakat iCit
y.

Accor
dingtopet
it
ionerKi
l
usangMay
oUno,t
hepol
i
ceci
tedPP1017ast
hegr
oundf
ort
he
di
spersaloft
hei
rassembl
ies.

poli
cearrest
ed(wi
thoutwar
rant)peti
ti
onerRandolfS.Davi
d,apr
ofessoratt
heUni
ver
sit
yoft
he
Phil
ippi
nesandnewspapercolumnist.Al
soarr
estedwashiscompanion,Ronal
dLl
amas,
presi
dentofpar
ty-
li
st

Akbayan.
Ataround12:
20intheearl
ymorningofFebr
uary25,2006,oper
ati
vesoft
heCri
minal
I
nvesti
gati
onandDetect
ionGroup(CIDG)oft
hePNP,ont hebasisofPP1017andG.O.No.5,
r
aidedtheDail
yTri
buneoffi
cesi
nMani l
a.

Al
so,onFebr
uary25,2006,t
hepol
ic
ear rest
edCongr
essmanCrispi
nBeltr
an,repr
esent
ingt
he
Anakpawi
sPart
yandChairmanofKi
lusangMayoUno( KMU),whil
eleavi
nghisfar
mhousein
Bul
acan.

Whenmember sofpeti
ti
onerKMUwenttoCampCr amet
ovisi
tBel
tr
an,t
heywer
etoldthey
couldnotbeadmitt
edbecauseofPP1017andG.O.No.5.Twomemberswerearr
estedand
detai
ned,whi
letherestweredi
sper
sedbythepol
i
ce.

OnMarch3,2006,Presi
dentArr
oyoi
ssuedPP1021decl
ari
ngt
hatt
hest
ateofnat
ional
emer
gencyhasceasedtoexist
.

I
ntheinter
im,t
heseseven( 7)petit
ionschal
l
engingt
heconstit
uti
onal
it
yofPP1017andG.O.No.
5werefil
edwit
hthi
sCour tagainsttheabove-namedrespondent
s.Three(
3)oft
hesepet
it
ions
i
mpleadedPresi
dentArr
oyoasr espondent

I
ssues:

Whet
hert
hei
ssuanceofPP1021r
ender
sthepet
it
ionsmootandacademi
c.

Whet
herPP1017andG.
O.No.5ar
eunconst
it
uti
onal
.

a.Faci
alChal
l
enge.
..b.Const
it
uti
onalBasi
s..
.c.AsAppl
i
edChal
l
enge

Rul
i
ng:

I
-MootandAcademi
cPr
inci
ple
TheCour tholdsthatPresidentArroyo'sissuanceofPP1021di dnotr endert hepresent
petit
ionsmootandacademi c.Dur i
ngtheei ght(8)dayst hatPP1017wasoper ati
ve,thepolice
of
ficers,accordingtopetiti
oners,commi tt
edill
egalact sinimpl
ement i
ngit.Ar ePP1017. ..and
G.O.No.5const i
tut
ionalorvali
d?Dot heyjusti
fythes eall
egedil
l
egalacts?Thesear et hevital
i
ssuest hatmustber esolvedinthepr esentpetit
ions.Itmustbestressedt hat"an
unconst i
tut
ionalactisnotal aw,itconfersnor i
ghts,itimposesnodut i
es,.
..itaff
ordsno
protecti
on;itisi
nl egalcontemplati
on,inoperati
ve."

The"mootandacademi c"pri
ncipleisnotamagi calf
or mulathatcanautomat i
call
ydissuadethe
court
sinresol
vingacase.Cour t
swi l
l decidecases,ot herwisemootandacademi c,if
:fi
rst,t
here
i
sagr aveviol
ati
onoftheConst i
tut
ion;[31]..
.second,t heexceptionalcharact
erofthesituati
on
andtheparamountpubl i
cinterestisinvolved;[32]thi
rd,whenconst it
uti
onalissuerai
sedr equir
es
for
mulati
onofcontrol
l
ingpr i
nciplestogui dethebench,t hebar,andt he.
..publi
c;[
33]andf ourt
h,
thecaseiscapableofrepeti
tionyetevadi ngr eview.

Allt
hefor
egoi
ngexceptionsar
epr
esenther
eandj
ust
if
ythi
sCour
t'
sassumpt
ionofj
uri
sdi
cti
on
overthei
nst
antpet
it
ions.

I
.Revi
ewofFact
ualBases

Peti
ti
onersmaint
ainthatPP1017hasnofact
ual
basi
s.Hence,i
twasnot"
necessar
y"f
or
Presi
dentArr
oyotoissuesuchProcl
amat
ion.

Petit
ionersfail
edt oshowt hatPr esidentArroyo'sexer ci
seoft hecal l
ing-outpower ,byissui
ng
PP1017,i st otall
yber eftoffactualbasis.Ar eadingoft heSol i
citorGener al'
sConsol i
dated
CommentandMemor andum showsadet ail
ednar rationoftheevent sl eadingtot hei
ssuance...
ofPP1017,wi thsuppor ti
ngr eportsformingpar tofther ecords.Ment ionedar etheescapeoft he
Magdal oGroup,t heiraudaci oust hreatoftheMagdal oD- Day,t hedef ecti
onsi nthemil
itary
,
parti
cular
lyint hePhilippineMar i
nes,andt her eprovingstatement sfrom the...communi st
l
eader s.Therewasal sot heMi nutesoft heInt el
li
genceRepor tandSecur it
yGr oupofthe
Phil
ippineAr myshowi ngt hegr owingal l
i
ancebet weent heNPAandt hemi l
it
ary.Peti
ti
oners
presentednot hingtor efutesuchevent s.Thus,absentanycont raryallegat
ions,theCour t
..
.is
convincedthatt hePr esidentwasj usti
fi
edini ssui
ngPP1017cal li
ngf ormil
itaryaid.
I
ndeed,j
udgingt
heseri
ousnessoftheincident
s,Presi
dentArr
oyowasnotexpect
edt osimpl
y
f
oldherar
msanddonot hi
ngtopr eventorsuppresswhatshebel
ievedwasl
awlessviol
ence,
i
nvasi
onorrebel
l
ion.However,t
heexer ci
seofsuchpowerordutymustnotst
if
le.
..l
i
berty.

I
I.Const
it
uti
onal
i
tyofPP1017andG.
O.No.5

Inthefinalanalysis,t
hevariousappr oachest oemer gencyoft heabovepol i
ti
caltheori
sts-f
rom
Lock's"theoryofpr er
ogat
ive,"t oWat k i
ns' doctr
ineof"consti
tut
ionaldictator
ship"and,eventual
ly,
toMcI l
wain's"pri
ncipl
eofconst i
tut
ional i
sm"- --ult
imatelyai
mt osolve...oner ealprobl
em i
n
emer gencygover nance,i
.e.,thatofal lott
ingincreasi
ngar easofdiscretionarypowert otheChief
Executive,whileinsuri
ngthatsuchpower swillbeexer ci
sedwithasenseofpol i
ti
cal
responsibil
i
tyandunderef fectiveli
mi tati
onsand. .
.checks.

Freshfrom thefettersofar epressiveregime,the1986Const ituti

onalCommi ssion,indraft
ing
the1987Const i
tuti
on,endeavor edt ocreateagover nmentint heconceptofJust i
ceJackson's
"bal
ancedpowerst r
ucture."[
102]Execut i
ve,legi
slative,andjudi ci
alpowersar edispersedtothe
Presi
dent ,t
heCongr ess,andt heSupr emeCour t,respecti
vely.Eachi ssupremewi thi
nitsown
sphere.Butnonehast hemonopol yofpoweri nt i
mesofemer gency.Eachbr anchi sgivena
rol
eto...serveasl i
mitati
onorcheckupont heot her.Thissystem doesnotweakent he
Presi
dent ,i
tjustli
mitshispower ,usingt helanguageofMcI lwai n.I
notherwor ds,intimesof
emergency,ourConst it
utionreasonabl ydemandst hatwer eposeacer t
ain.
..amountoff ai
thin
thebasicintegri
tyandwi sdom oft heChi efExecut i
vebut ,atthesamet i
me,itobl i
geshi mto
operatewi t
hincarefull
ypr escri
bedpr oceduralli
mi t
ati
ons.

a."
Faci
alChal
l
enge"

Peti
ti
oner
scont
endthatPP1017isvoidonitsf
acebecauseofits"overbreadt
h."Theycl
aim
t
hatit
senfor
cementencr
oachedonbothunprot
ect
edandpr ot
ectedr i
ghtsunderSecti
on4,
Art
icl
eII
Ioft
heConsti
tut
ionandsenta"chi
l
li
ngeff
ect
"tothecit
izens.

Firstandfor
emost,theover
breadt
hdoctri
nei
sananalyt
icalt
ooldevel
opedf
ort
esti
ng"ont
heir
faces"stat
utesi
nfreespeechcases,al
soknownundert
heAmer icanLawasFi
rstAmendment
cases.

Apl
ainr
eadi
ngofPP1017showst
hati
tisnotpr
imar
il
ydi
rect
edt
ospeechorevenspeech-
relatedconduct
.Iti
sactuall
yacallupontheAFPtopreventorsuppressallf
ormsoflawl
ess
violence.I
nUnitedStatesv.Saler
no,[
104].
..t
heUSSupremeCour theldthat"wehavenot
recognizedan"overbreadt
h'doctr
ineout
sidethel
i
mit
edcontextoftheFir
stAmendment "
(f
reedom ofspeech).

Moreover ,t
heover breadthdoctrineisnotint
endedfortest
ingt hevali
dit
yofalawthat"r
efl
ect
s
l
egit
imat estat
einterestinmai ntaini
ngcomprehensivecontroloverharmful
,const
it
uti
onal
ly
unprotectedconduct."Undoubt edly,l
awlessviol
ence,i
nsurrectionandrebel
li
onare..
.
considered"harmful"and" constit
uti
onal
lyunprot
ectedconduct ."

Thus,cl
aimsoffaci
aloverbr
eadthareenter
tainedincasesi nvol
vingstatut
eswhich,byt
heir
t
erms,seektoregulateonl
y"spokenwords"andagai n,that"overbreadt
hclaims,i
fent
ert
ained
atal
l,havebeencurtail
edwheninvokedagainst.
..or
dinarycriminallawsthatar
esoughtt
obe
appl
iedtoprot
ectedconduct.
"

Second,faci
ali
nval
i
dat
ionofl
awsisconsi
deredas"mani
festl
yst
rongmedi
ci
ne,
"tobeused
"spar
ingl
yandonlyasalastr
esor
t,
"andis"gener
all
ydi
sfavor
ed;
"

Ther
easonf
ort
hisi
sobvi
ous.

Embeddedinthetr
adi
ti
onalr
ulesgoverningconsti
tuti
onaladjudi
cati
onisthepr i
nci
plethata
per
sontowhom alawmaybeappl iedwi l
lnotbeheardt ochall
engealawont hegroundthati
t
mayconcei
vablybeappl
iedunconsti
tut
ional
lytoothers,i
.e.
,inothersi
tuat
ions..
.notbeforet
he
Court
.

Inotherwords,afacialchal
lengeusingtheoverbreadthdoctri
newil
lrequi
retheCour tto
examinePP1017andpi npointi
tsfl
awsanddefect s,notonthebasisofit
sactualoperati
onto
peti
ti
oners,butontheassumpt i
onorpredi
cti
onthati t
sveryexist
encemaycause. .
.othersnot
beforetheCourtt
or efrai
nfrom const
it
uti
onal
lyprotectedspeechorexpressi
on.

Andthir
d,af aci
alchal
lengeonthegroundofover
breadt
hist
hemostdif
fi
cul
tchal
lengeto
mountsuccessfull
y,si
ncethechal
lengermustest
abli
sht
hatt
herecanbenoinst
ancewhenthe
assai
l
edl awmaybeval i
d.Her
e,petit
i
onersdi
dnoteven..
.at
temptt
oshowwhetherthi
s
si
tuat
ionexists.
Peti
ti
onersli
kewi
seseekaf
aci
alr
evi
ewofPP1017ont
hegr
oundofvagueness.Thi
s,t
oo,i
s
unwarrant
ed.

Fi
rstPr
ovi
si
on:Cal
l
ing-
outPower

Rel
atedtothe"overbr
eadth"doct
ri
nei
sthe"voi
dforv
aguenessdoctri
ne"whi
chhol
dsthat"
a
l
awisfaci
all
yinval
idifmenofcommoni nt
ell
i
gencemustnecessar
il
yguessati
tsmeani
ngand
di
ff
erastoitsappl
icat
ion.

Forone,iti
salsoananalyt
icaltoolfortesti
ng" onthei
rfaces"st
atut
esinfr
eespeechcases.
Andlikeoverbr
eadt
h,iti
ssaidt hatalit
igantmaychal l
engeast atut
eonit
sfaceonlyi
fiti
s
vaguein.
..al
lit
spossibl
eappl i
cati
ons.Agai n,peti
ti
onersdidnotevenatt
empttoshowthatPP
1017isvagueinalli
tsappl
ication.Theyal sofail
edtoestabli
shthatmenofcommonintel
li
gence
cannotunderst
andthemeani ngandappl i
cati
onofPP1017.

b.Const
it
uti
onal
Basi
sofPP1017

Theoper
ati
vepor
ti
onofPP1017maybedi
vi
dedi
ntot
hreei
mpor
tantpr
ovi
si
ons,t
hus:

Fi
rstpr
ovi
si
on:

"byvi
rt
ueofthepowervesteduponmebySect i
on18,Arti
lceVII...doherebycommandt he
ArmedForcesofthePhi
li
ppines,t
omai nt
ainl
awandor derthroughoutthePhili
ppi
nes,pr
event
orsuppr
essallf
ormsofl
awl essvi
olenceaswellanyactofinsurr
ectionor
...r
ebell
i
on"

Secondpr
ovi
si
on:

"andt
oenfor
ceobedi
encet
oal
lthelawsandt
oal
ldecr
ees,or
der
sandr
egul
ati
onspr
omul
gat
ed
bymepersonal
l
yoruponmydi
recti
on;"
Thi
rdpr
ovi
si
on:

"aspr
ovidedinSecti
on17,Ar t
icl
eXIIoft
heConst it
uti
ondoherebydecl ar
eaSt at
eofNat i
onal
Emergency.
".
..sstatedearl
ier
,consi
deri
ngthecircumstancest
henpr evai
li
ng,Presi
dentArroyo
f
ounditnecessar
yt oissuePP1017.Owi ngtoherOf f
ice'
svast
..
.int
elli
gencenetwork,sheisin
t
hebestposit
iontodet er
minetheact
ualcondit
ionofthecountr
y.

Undert hecalli
ng-outpower ,thePresi
dentmaysummont hearmedf orcestoaidhimi n
suppressinglawlessviolence,invasi
onandr ebel
li
on.Thi sinvolvesordi
narypoliceacti
on.But
everyactt hatgoesbeyondt hePresi
dent'
scalli
ng-outpoweri sconsideredil
legalor.
..ult
ravi
res.
Forthisreason,aPr esidentmustbecar efuli
ntheexer ciseofhi spowers.Hecannoti nvokea
great
erpowerwhenhewi shest oactunderalesserpower .Thereli
esthewi sdom ofour
Constit
uti
on,t hegreaterthepower ,t
hegreaterarethe...li
mitat
ions.

Presi
dentAr
royo'
sdecl
arat
ionofa"st
ateofr
ebel
lion"wasmer
elyanactdecl
ari
ngastatusor
condi
ti
onofpubli
cmomentorint
eres
t,adecl
arat
ionall
owedunderSect
ion4cit
edabove.

Indecl ar
ingast at eofnati
onalemergency,PresidentAr
royodi
dnotonl yrel
yonSect i
on18,
Ar t
icleVI IoftheConst it
uti
on,aprovisi
oncall
ingont heAFPtopreventorsuppresslawless
violence,...invasionorrebell
i
on.Sheal sorel
iedonSect i
on17,Art
icleXII
,aprovisi
onont he
Stat e'sextraordinarypowertotakeov erpr
ivatel
y-ownedpubl
icut
il
ityandbusinessaff
ectedwit
h
publ icint
er est.

Someofthepeti
ti
onersvehement
lymaintainthatPP1017i
sact
uall
yadeclar
ati
onofMart
ial
Law.I
tisnoso.Whatdef i
nest
hecharacterofPP1017areit
swordi
ngs.I
tispl
aint
her
einthat
whatt
hePresi
dentinvokedwashercall
ing-outpower
.

Justi
ceMendozaalsostatedthatPP1017i snotadeclarat
ionofMart
ialLaw.Iti
snomor ethan
acallbyt
hePresidentt
ot hearmedforcestopreventorsuppressl
awlessviol
ence.Assuch,it
cannotbeusedtojust
if
yactsthatonl
yunderaval iddecl
arati
onofMar t
ialLawcan..
.bedone.
It
suseforanyotherpurposeisaperversi
onofitsnatur
eandscope,andanyactdonecont r
ary
toit
scommandisul t
ravir
es.
Justi
ceMendozaf ur
therstat
edthatspeci
fi
cal
ly,(a)ar
restsandsei
zur
eswit
houtj
udi
ci
al
warrants;(b)banonpublicassembli
es;(c)t
ake-overofnewsmediaandagenci
esandpress
censorship;and(d)i
ssuanceofPr esi
denti
alDecrees,arepowerswhi
chcanbeexer
cisedby
the

Presi
dentasCommander
-i
n-Chiefonl
ywher
ether
eisaval
i
ddecl
arat
ionofMar
ti
alLawor
suspensi
onoft
hewri
tofhabeascorpus.

Basedontheabovedisquisit
ion,i
tiscleart
hatPP1017i snotadecl
arat
ionofMart
ialLaw.Iti
s
merel
yanexerci
seofPr esidentArroyo'
scall
ing-
outpowerfort
hearmedf or
cest
oassistherin
pr
eventi
ngorsuppr
essinglawl essviol
ence.

SecondPr
ovi
si
on:"
TakeCar
e"Power

Thesecondprovi
si
onpert
ainst
othepoweroft
hePr
esi
dentt
oensur
ethatt
hel
awsbef
ait
hful
l
y
execut
ed.Thi
sisbasedonSecti
on17,Ar
ti
cleVI
I

SEC.17.ThePresi
dentshal
lhavecontr
olofal
ltheexecut
ivedepar
tment
s,bur
eaus,andof
fi
ces.
Heshal
lensur
ethatthelawsbefai
thf
ull
yexecut
ed.

Intheexerci
seofsuchfuncti
on,thePresident,i
f.
..needed,mayempl oythepower sat
tachedto
hisoff
iceastheCommander -i
n-Chiefofallt
hear medforcesofthecountr
y,[
117]incl
udingthe
Phili
ppineNati
onalPol
i
ce[118]undertheDepar tmentofInter
iorandLocalGovernment.[119]

Peti
ti
oner
s..
.arguethatPP1017i
sunconst
it
uti
onalasi
tar
rogat
eduponPr
esi
dentAr
royot
he
powertoenactlawsanddecr
eesi
nviol
ati
onofSecti
on

1,Art
icl
eVIoftheConsti
tut
ion,whichvest
sthepowertoenactlawsi
nCongr
ess.Theyassai
l
thecl
ause" t
oenf
orceobediencetoallt
helawsandt oal
ldecr
ees,or
der
sandregul
ati
ons
promulgat
edbymeper sonall
yoruponmydi rect
ion.

Ar
eadi
ngofPP1017oper
ati
vecl
auseshowst
hati
twasl
i
fted[
120]f
rom For
merPr
esi
dent
Mar
cos'
Procl
amat
ionNo.1081

ThePresi
dentisgrant
edanOrdi
nanc
ePowerunderChapt
er2,BookI
IIofExecut
iveOr
derNo.
292(
Admi ni
str
ati
veCodeof1987)
.

PresidentArroyo'sordinancepowerisli
mitedtothefor
egoingissuances.Shecannotissue
decreessi mil
artothosei ssuedbyFormerPr esi
dentMarcosunderPP1081.Pr esi
denti
al
Decreesar elawswhi char eofthesamecat egoryandbindingf
orceasst at
utesbecause.
..t
hey
werei ssuedbyt hePr esi
dentintheexer
ciseofhislegi
sl
ativepowerduringtheperi
odofMar t
ial
Lawundert he1973Const it
uti
on.

Thi
sCourtrul
est hatt
heassai
ledPP1017isunconst
it
uti
onali
nsof
arasitgrant
sPresi
dent
Arr
oyot
heaut horit
ytopr
omulgate"
decr
ees.
"Legisl
ati
vepowerispecul
i
arlywit
hint
heprovi
nce
oft
heLegisl
ature.

CanPr
esi
dentAr
royoenf
orceobedi
encet
oal
ldecr
eesandl
awst
hrought
hemi
l
it
ary?

PresidentArroyohasnoaut hori
tytoenactdecrees.Itfol
l
owsthatt hesedecreesarevoi dand,
t
heref or
e,cannotbeenf orced.Wi t
hrespectto"laws,"shecannotcal lt
hemi l
it
arytoenforc
eor
i
mpl ementcer t
ainlaws,suchascust omslaws,l aws..
.governi
ngf ami l
yandpr oper
tyrel
ati
ons,
l
awsonobl igat
ionsandcont ract
sandt heli
ke.Shecanonl yorderthemi l
it
ary,underPP1017,
t
oenf orcelawsper ti
nentt
oi tsdutytosuppresslawlessviol
ence.

Thi
rdPr
ovi
si
on:Powert
oTakeOver

Theperti
nentprovisionofPP1017st ates:
..
.xxxandt oenf
orceobedi
encet
oallt
hel awsand
toal
ldecrees,orders,andregulat
ionspromulgat
edbymeper sonal
l
yoruponmydirecti
on;and
asprovi
dedinSect ion17,Arti
cl
eXI IoftheConsti
tut
i
ondoherebydecl
areast
ateofnational
..
.
emergency.

Thei mpor
toft
hispr
ovi
si
onisthatPresi
dentAr
royo,dur
ingthestat
eofnati
onalemergency
underPP1017,cancal
lthemil
it
arynotonlyt
oenforceobedience"
toal
lthelawsandtoall
decreesxxx"butal
sotoactpursuantt
otheprovi
si
onofSect i
on17,Ar
ti
cleXIIwhi
ch..
.reads:
Sec.17.Inti
mesofnationalemergency,whenthepubli
cinter
estsorequi
res,t
heSt at
emay,
duri
ngt heemergencyandunderr easonabl
eter
msprescri
bedbyi t
,temporar
il
ytakeoveror
di
recttheoperat
ionofanyprivat
ely-
ownedpubli
cuti
li
tyor.
..busi
nessaff
ectedwithpubli
c
i
nterest
.

Duringtheexi
stenceofthest
ateofnati
onalemergency,PP1017pur port
stograntthe
President
,wit
houtanyauthor
it
yordelegat
ionfr
om Congr ess,totakeoverordir
ectthe
operati
onofanypr i
vat
ely-
ownedpubli
cuti
li
tyorbusinessaffect
edwi t
hpubli
c..
.int
erest
.

Peti
ti
oners,par
ti
cul
arl
ythemembersoft
heHouseofRepr
esent
ati
ves,cl
aimthatPresident
Arr
oyo'si
nclusi
onofSecti
on17,Ar
ti
cl
eXIIi
nPP1017isanencroachmentonthelegislat
ure'
s
emergencypowers.

Adist
incti
onmustbedr awnbetweent hePresi
dent'
saut horitytodecl
are"ast
ateofnati
onal
emergency"andt oexerci
seemergencypowers.Tot hefirst,aseluci
dat
edbytheCour t
,Secti
on
18,Art
icleVIIgrant
sthePresi
dentsuchpower,henc e,no...legi
ti
mateconst
it
uti
onalobj
ecti
on
canber aised.Butt
othesecond,manifol
dconsti
tut
ionalissuesar i
se.

Sect
ion23,Ar
ti
cl
eVIoft
heConst
it
uti
onr
eads:

SEC.23.(1)TheCongress,byavot
eoftwo-
thi
rdsofbothHousesinjoi
ntsessi
onassembl
ed,
vot
ingsepar
atel
y,shal
lhavethesol
epowert
odeclaretheexi
stenceofastat
eofwar.

(2)Intimesofwarorot hernati
onalemer gency,t
heCongr essmay,byl aw,authori
zethe
President,f
oral i
mitedper i
odandsubj ecttosuchrest
ri
cti
onsasi tmaypr escr
ibe,t
oexerci
se
power snecessaryandpr opert
ocarryoutadecl arednati
onal..
.pol
icy.Unlesssooner
withdrawnbyr esoluti
onoft heCongress,suchpower sshallceaseuponthenextadj our
nment
thereof.

I
tmaybepoi ntedoutthatthesecondpar agraphoft heaboveprovisi
onr ef
ersnotonlytowar
butal
soto"othernati
onalemer gency.
"Iftheintent
ionoftheFramer sofourConstit
uti
onwast o
wit
hhol
dfrom thePresi
denttheaut hor
it
ytodecl area" st
ateofnati
onal.
..emergency"pursuant
t
oSection18,Arti
cl
eVI I(cal
l
ing-outpower )andgrantitt
oCongr ess(l
ikethedeclarat
ionofthe
existenceofast ateofwar)
,thent heFramer scouldhaveprovi
dedso.Clearl
y,theydidnot
i
ntendt hatCongressshoul
dfirstauthori
zethePr esi
dentbef
ore..
.hecandeclarea" st
ateof
nationalemer gency.
"Thelogicalconclusi
ont henisthatPr
esi
dentArroyocoul
dvalidlydecl
are
theexi stenceofastateofnati
onalemer gencyeveni ntheabsenceofaCongr essi
onal
enact ment .

Buttheexerci
seofemer
gencypowers,suchasthetaki
ngoverofpri
vat
elyownedpublicuti
l
it
y
orbusi
nessaffect
edwi
thpubl
ici
nter
est,i
sadiff
erentmatt
er.Thi
srequi
resadelegat
ionfr
om
Congress.

Secti
on17,Arti
cl
eXIImustbeunderstoodasanaspectoftheemer gencypower sclause.The
t
akingoverofpri
vat
ebusi
nessaffect
edwi t
hpubl
i
cinter
estisjustanotherfacetoft
he
emergencypowersgener
all
yreposeduponCongress.Thus,whenSect i
on17st at
est hatt
he

"t
heStat
emay,dur i
ngtheemergencyandunderreasonabl
eter
msprescr
ibedbyi
t,tempor
ari
ly
t
akeoverordi
recttheoper
ati
onofanypr i
vat
elyownedpubli
cut
il
it
yorbusi
nessaf
fectedwi
th
publ
i
cint
erest
,"i
trefer
stoCongress,nott
hePresi
dent.

Peti
ti
onerCacho-Oli
vares,etal
.contendsthatt
het
erm"emergency"underSect
ion17,Ar
ti
cl
e
XIIr
efer
sto"tsunami,
""typhoon,
""hurri
cane"and"
simi
l
aroccurr
ences.
"

E..
.mer gency,asagener ict
erm,connot est
heexi stenceofcondi t
ionssuddenl
yint
ensif
yingthe
degreeofexi sti
ngdangert oli
feorwell-
beingbeyondt hatwhi chisacceptedasnormal.Impli
cit
i
nthi sdefinit
ionsar etheelementsofintensi
ty,var i
ety,andper cepti
on.[
127]Emergenci
es,as
perceivedbyl egi
slatureorexecuti
veintheUni tedSat essi nce1933,havebeenoccasi onedby
awi derangeofsi t
uat i
ons,cl
assif
iabl
eundert hree( 3)principalheads:a)economic,[
128]b)
nat
ur al.
..disaster,
[129]andc)nationalsecurit
y.[130]

Foll
owingourinterpret
ationofSecti
on17,Ar t
icleXII
,invokedbyPr esi
dentArr
oyoi
ni ssuingPP
1017,thi
sCour trulesthatsuchProcl
amat i
ondoesnotaut hor
izeherduri
ngtheemergencyt o
t
empor ar
il
ytakeoverordi r
ecttheoper
ationofanypr i
vatelyownedpubl i
cuti
l
it
yor.
..business
aff
ectedwit
hpubl icint
erestwit
houtauthori
tyf
r om Congress.

I
nshort,t
hePresi
denthasnoabsolut
eauthor
it
ytoexer
ciseal
lthepowersoft
heStat
eunder
Sect
ion17,Ar
ti
cleVIIi
ntheabsenceofanemergencypowersactpassedbyCongr
ess.
c."
A..
.c."
ASAPPLI
EDCHALLEN.
..c."
ASAPPLI
EDCHALLENGE"

PP1017i smerelyaninvocati
onoft hePr esi
dent'scall
i
ng-out.
..power.I
tsgeneralpurposeisto
commandt heAFPt osuppressallformsofl awlessviol
ence,invasi
onorrebell
i
on.Ithad
accompl i
shedtheenddesiredwhi chpr omptedPr esi
dentArroyotoissuePP1021.Butt herei
s
nothinginPP1017al l
owingthepol ice,expresslyorimpli
edl
y,..
.toconducti
ll
egalarrest
,s ear
ch
orviolat
etheciti
zens'
constit
uti
onal ri
ghts.

Now,mayt hisCourtadjudgeal aworor dinanceunconst i

tutionalont hegr
oundt hati
ts
i
mpl ement orcommi tt
edi l
legalacts?Theansweri sno.Thecr it
erionbywhichthevalidi
tyofthe
statuteoror di
nanceist obemeasur edistheessent i
albasisf ortheexerci
seofpower ,
..
.andnot
amer eincidentalr
esultarisi
ngfrom it
sexerti
on.[138]Thisisl ogical
.Justi
maginet heabsurdity
ofsituat
ionswhenl awsmaybedecl ar
edunconstitut
ionaljustbecauset heoff
icersimplementing
them haveact edarbi
tr
ar i
l
y.Ifthis.
..wereso,judgingfrom thebl underscommi t
tedbypol i
cemen
i
nt hecasespasseduponbyt heCour t
,majori
tyofthepr ovisionsoftheRevisedPenalCode
woul dhavebeendecl aredunconst it
uti
onalalongt i
meago.

onerequi
rementf
ort
heser
ulest
obeval
i
dist
hatt
heymustber
easonabl
e,notar
bit
rar
yor
capr
ici
ous.

G.O.No.5mandat estheAFPandt
hePNPt oi
mmediat
elycar
ryoutt
he"necessaryand
appropri
ateact
ionsandmeasur
est
osuppr
essandpr
eventact
softer
ror
ism andlawl
ess
vi
olence."

Unlikethet er
m"lawl
essviol
ence"whichisunar
guabl
yextanti
nourstat
utesandthe
Constit
ution,andwhichi
sinvari
abl
yassociat
edwit
h"invasi
on,i
nsur
rect
ionorrebel
l
ion,
"the
phrase" actsoft
err
ori
sm"issti
l
lanamor phousandvagueconcept
.Congresshasyettoenact
a..
.lawdef ini
ngandpuni
shingactsofter
rori
sm.

Theabsenceofalawdefi
ning"
act
soft
err
ori
sm"mayr
esul
tinabuseandoppr
essi
onont
he
par
tofthepol
iceormi
li
tar
y.

Si
gni
fi
cant
ly,t
her
eisnot
hingi
nG.
O.No.5aut
hor
izi
ngt
hemi
l
it
aryorpol
i
cet
ocommi
tact
s
beyondwhatar
enecessaryandappropr
iat
etosuppr
essandpr eventl
awlessviol
ence,t
he
l
imit
ati
onoft
hei
raut
horit
yinpursui
ngtheOrder
.Otherwi
se,suchactsare..
.consi
deredil
l
egal
.

Ther i
ngingtrut
hher eisthatpeti
ti
onerDavid,etal.wer
earrestedwhi
letheywereexer
cisi
ng
thei
rrighttopeacefulassembly.Theywer enotcommi t
ti
nganycr i
me,neit
herwasther
ea
showingofacl earandpr esentdangerthatwarrantedt
heli
mitati
onoft
hat..
.ri
ght
.Ascanbe
gleanedf r
om cir
cumstances,thechargesofincit
ingtosedi
ti
onandviolat
ionofBP880wer e
mer eafter
thought.

Ont hebasisoft
heabovepr i
nciples,t
heCour tli
kewiseconsi dersthedi spersalandar restofthe
member sofKMUetal .(G.R.No.171483)unwar r
anted.Appar ently,theirdispersalwasdone
merelyonthebasisofMal acañang' sdi
rect
ivecancelingallpermi t
s...previ
ouslyi ssuedbyl ocal
governmentunit
s.Thisisar bit
rary.Thewhol esal
ecancellationofal lpermitstor all
yisabl atant
di
sregardoftheprinci
plethat"freedom ofassembl yisnott obel i
mi t
ed,muchl essdeni ed,
exceptonashowi ngofac l
earandpr esent
...dangerofasubst anti
veevi lthattheSt at
ehasa
ri
ghttoprevent
."

Moreover,underBP880,theauthori
tytoregulat
eassembli
esandr alli
esislodgedwi t
ht helocal
governmentunit
s.Theyhavethepowert oissuepermit
sandt orevokesuchper mitsafterdue
noti
ceandhear i
ngonthedeterminat
ionofthepresenceofclearandpr esent.
..danger.Here,
peti
ti
oner
swer enotevennoti
fi
edandhear dont herevocat
ionoftheirpermit
s.

TheCour thaspassedupont heconst i

tuti
onali
tyoftheseissuances.I
tsrati
ocinati
onhasbeen
exhaustivelypresent
ed.Atthi
spoi nt
,suffi
ceittoreit
eratethatPP1017i slimit
edtot hecall
i
ng
outbyt hePr esi
dentofthemilit
arytopreventorsuppr esslawlessvi
olence,.
..i
nvasionor
rebell
i
on.Wheni nimplementingitsprovi
sions,pursuanttoG.O.No.5,t hemi l
it
aryandt he
poli
cecommi tt
edactswhichvi ol
atetheciti
zens'ri
ghtsundertheConst i
tut
ion,thi
sCour thasto
declar
esuchact sunconsti
tut
ionalandi l
l
egal.

WHEREFORE,t hePeti
tionsarepart
lygranted.TheCour tr
ulest
hatPP1017i s
CONSTI
TUTIONALi nsofarasitcons
tit
utesacal lbyPresi
dentGlori
aMacapagal-
Arr
oyoont
he
AFPt
opreventorsuppresslawlessvi
olence.Howev er
,theprovi
sionsof

PP1017commandingtheAFPtoenforcelawsnotrel
atedt
olawlessvi
olence,aswell
as
decreespr
omul
gat
edbythePresi
dent,aredecl
aredUNCONSTI TUTIONAL.I naddi
ti
on,t
he
provi
sioni
nPP1017decl
ari
ngnat
ionalemergencyunderSecti
on17,Arti
cleVIIoft
he
Consti
tut
ionisCONSTITUTIONAL,butsuchdecl
arat
i
ondoesnotaut
hori
zethePresidentt
o
t
akeoverpr i
vat
ely-
ownedpubl
icut
il
i
tyorbusi
nessaff
ect
edwit
hpubli
cint
erestwi
thoutpri
or
l
egisl
ati
on.

G.O.No.5i sCONSTI TUTIONALsinceitpr

ovi
desast andar
dbywhi cht heAFPandt hePNP
shoul
dimplementPP1017,i .
e.whateveri
s"necessar
yandappr opr
iateactionsandmeasures
tosuppressandpreventact
sofl
awlessviol
ence."Consi
deri
ngthat"acts..
.ofter
ror
ism"have
notyetbeendefi
nedandmadepuni shablebytheLegisl
atur
e,suchportionofG.O.No.5is
decl
aredUNCONSTI TUTIONAL.

Thewar r antl
essarrestofRandol fS.DavidandRonal dLlamas;t hedispersalandwarrantl
ess
arrestoft heKMUandNAFLU- KMUmember sduri
ngtheirr
alli
es,intheabsenceofpr oofthat
thesepet iti
oner
swer ecommi tti
ngac tsconstit
uti
nglawlessviol
ence,i nvasionorrebel
l
ionand...
violat
ingBP880;t hei mpositi
onofst andardsonmedi aoranyf orm ofpriorrest
rai
ntonthepress,
aswel last hewarrantl
esssear choftheTr ibuneoffi
cesandwhi msicalseizureofi
tsar
ticl
esfor
publ i
cationandot hermat er
ials,aredeclared

UNCONSTI
TUTI
ONAL.