Tecson v. COMELEC_digest by Aida V for Consti 1 class

TECSON V. COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

VITUG; March 3, 2004

FACTS

- On December 31, 2003, FPJ filed his certificate of candidacy for the position of President of the Philippines under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).

- In his certificate of candidacy, FPJ represented himself to be a natural-born citizen.

- His real name was stated to be “Fernando, Jr.” or “Ronald Allan” Poe, born in Manila on August 20, 1939.

- On January 9, 2004, Victorino X. Fornier filed a petition before the COMELEC to disqualify FPJ and to deny due course or to cancel his certificate of candidacy on the ground that FPJ made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy by claiming to be a natural-born Filipino citizen.

- According to Fornier, FPJ’s parents were foreigners – his mother Bessie Kelley Poe was an American and his father Allan F. Poe was a Spanish national being a son of Lorenzo Pou, a Spanish subject.

- Even if Allan F. Poe was a Filipino citizen, he could not have transmitted his Filipino citizenship to FPJ because FPJ was illegitimate.

- Allan F. Poe contracted a prior marriage to a certain Paulita Gomez before marrying Bessie Kelley according to an “uncertified” copy of a supposed certification of the marriage in July 5, 1936.

- Even if no such prior marriage existed, Allan F. Poe married Bessey Kelley only a year after the birth of FPJ.  The marriage certificate of their marriage reflected the date of their marriage to be on September 16, 1940 where Allan was 25, unmarried and Filipino, and Bessie was 22, unmarried and American.

- FPJ’s earliest established ascendant was his grandfather Lorenzo Pou.

- No birth certificate for Lorenzo but his death certificate issued upon his death in September 11, 1954 at age 84 identified him as a Filipino residing in San Carlos, Pangasinan.

- Lorenzo married Marta Reyes and their son Allan was born on May 17, 1915.  The birth certificate of Allan showed that his father was an Español father and to a mestiza Español mother. 

Procedure

- In the January 19, 2004 hearing before the COMELEC, Fornier presented the following pieces of evidence:

- Copy of the certificate of birth of FPJ

- Certified photocopy of an affidavit by Paulita Gomez-Poe attesting that she had filed a bigamy case against Allan F. Poe because of his relationship with Kelley (in Spanish)

English translation of (b)

- Certified copy of the certificate of birth of Allan F. Poe

- Certification from the director of the Records Management and Archives Office stating that a Lorenzo Poe/Pou resided in the Philippines before 1907

- Certification from OIC of the Archives Division of the National Archives stating that there was no available information regarding the birth of Allan F. Poe

- FPJ presented the following pieces of evidence among others:

- Certification that there was no available information regarding the birth of Allan F. Poe in the registry of births for San Carlos, Pangasinan

- Certification by the OIC of the Archives Division of the National Archives that there was no available information about the marriage of Allan F. Poe and Paulita Gomez

- Certificate of birth of Ronald Allan F. Poe

- Original Certificate of Title if the Registry Deeds of Pangasinan in the name of Lorenzo Pou,

- Copies of tax declarations under the name of Lorenzo Pou

- Copy of certificate of death of Lorenzo Pou

- Copy of marriage contract of Fernando Pou and Bessie Kelley

- Certification issued by the City Civil Registrar of San Carlos, Pangasinan stating that the records of the birth of the said office from 1900 to May 1946 were destroyed during World War II

- January 23, 2004 – COMELEC dismissed the Fornier petition for lack of merit and Fornier filed a motion for reconsideration on January 26, 2004.  The motion was denied by the COMELEC en banc on February 6, 2004.

- February 10, 2004 – Fornier filed a petition before the Supreme Court, praying for TRO, a writ of preliminary injunction or any other resolution that would stay the finality and/or execution of the COMELEC resolutions.

- The two other petitions (Tecson and Desidero v. COMELEC and Velez v. Poe) challenge the jurisdiction of the COMELEC and assert that only the Supreme Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction to resolve the basic issue on the case.

ISSUES

1. Does the Court have jurisdiction over the three cases filed?

2. Can FPJ be disqualified as a presidential candidate on the ground that he materially misrepresented in his certificate of candidacy that he was a natural-born Filipino?

HELD

1.  Ratio   Jurisdiction issue

- The COMELEC’s decision on disqualified cases involving a presidential candidate could be elevated to and could be taken cognizance by the Supreme Court.

- The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court would not include cases directly brought before it questioning the qualifications of a candidate for the presidency or vice-presidency before the elections are held.

Reasoning

- Does the Court have jurisdiction over the three cases filed?

- Fornier petition - Yes

- In seeking the disqualification of FPJ before the COMELEC, Fornier relied on the following:

- “A verified petition seeking to deny due course or to cancel a certificate of candidacy may be filed by any person exclusively on the ground that any material representation contained therein as required under Section 74 is false…” (Omnibus Election Code, Sec. 78)

- “…the Commission shall have exclusive charge of the enforcement and administration of all laws relative to the conduct of elections for the purpose of enduring free, orderly and honest elections…” (Sec. 52, same)

- “any interested party” authorized to file a verified petition to deny or cancel the certificate of candidacy of any nuisance candidate (Art. 69, same)

- Decisions of the COMELEC on disqualification cases may be reviewed by the Supreme Court under the Revised Rules of Civil Procedure (Rule 65).  Aside from that, according to Art. 9, Sec. 7 of the Constitution,  “any decision, order or ruling of each Commission may be brought to the Supreme Court on certiorari by the aggrieved party within thirty days from receipt thereof.”

- Judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court which includes the duty of the courts to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable and to determine whether or not there has been grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch of instrumentality of the government. (Art. 8, Sec. 1, Constitution).

- Tecson petition and Velez petition - No

- The Tecson and Velez petitions make use of Art. 7, Sec 4(7) of the Constitution in assailing the COMELEC’s jurisdiction when it took cognizance of the Fornier petition because the “Supreme Court sitting en banc shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of the President or Vice President and may promulgate its rules for the purpose.”

-  A “contest” refers to a post-election scenario.  Election contests are either election protests or a quo warranto which would have the objective of dislodging the winner from office.  The Rules of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal state:

- “Tribunal shall be the sole judge of all contests…relating to qualifications of the President or Vice-President of the Philippines.” (Rule 12)

- “An election contest is initiated by the filing of an election contest or a petition for quo-warranto against the President or Vice-President.” (Rule 13)

- “Only the registered candidate for President or Vice-President who received the second or third highest number of votes may contest the election of the President or the Vice-President…by filing a verified petition…within 30 days after the proclamation of the winner.” (Rule 14)

- The rules speak of the jurisdiction of the tribunal over contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of the President and the Vice President and not candidates for President or Vice-President.

2.  Ratio   FPJ’s citizenship issue (Voting 6 concur, 7 dissent, 1 abstention and 1 separate opinion)

- The distinctions between legitimacy and illegitimacy should only remain in the sphere of civil law and should not unduly impinge on the domain of political law.

- The 1935 Constitution confers citizenship to all persons whose fathers are Filipino regardless of whether such children are legitimate of illegitimate.

Reasoning

- Can FPJ be disqualified as a presidential candidate on the ground that he materially misrepresented in his certificate of candidacy that he was a natural-born Filipino?

- Concept of citizenship

- Aristotle described a citizen as a man who shared in the administration of justice and in the holding of an office and the state would be composed of such individuals in order to achieve a self-sufficient existence.

- Citizenship deals with rights and entitlements on the one hand and with concomitant obligations on the other.

- Citizenship underwent changes in the 18^th to 20^th centuries.

- In the 18^th century, the concept was civil citizenship which established the rights necessary for necessary for individual freedom (eg. Rights to property, personal liberty and justice)

- In the 19^th century, it expanded to include political citizenship which encompassed the right to participate in the exercise of political power.

- In the 20^th century, there was the development of social citizenship which laid emphasis on the right of the citizen to economic well-being and social security.

- Internationalization of citizenship is an ongoing development.

- Citizenship in the Philippines from the Spanish times to the present

- During the Spanish period, no such term as “Philippine citizens,” only “Spanish subjects.”  In church records, natives were identified as “indios.” 

- Spanish laws on citizenship included:

- Order de la Regencia of 1841

- Royal Decree of 23 August 1868 (defined the political status of children born in the Philippines)

- Ley Extranjera de Ultramar of 1870

- The 1876 Spanish Constitution was not extended to the Philippines because the colony was to be governed by special laws.

- According to the Civil Code of Spain, the following were Spanish citizens:

- Persons born in Spanish territory

- Children of a Spanish father or mother even if they were born outside Spain

- Foreigners who have obtained naturalization papers

- Those who, without such papers, may have become domiciled inhabitants of any town of the Monarchy

- Article 10 of the Treaty of Paris stated that the civil and political status of the native inhabitants would be determined by the US Congress.  Spanish subjects and natives who choose to remain in the territory may preserve their allegiance to the Crown of Spain by making a declaration of their decision within a year from the date of the ratification of the treaty.  If no such declaration is made, their allegiance shall be held renounced and they would have adopted the nationality of the territory in which they reside.

- Upon ratification of the treaty, the native inhabitants of the Philippines became Spanish subjects.

- They did not become American citizens but were issued passports describing them to be citizens of the Philippines entitled to protection of the US.

- Philippine Organic Act of 1902 – first appearance of the term “citizens of the Philippine islands.”  A citizen of the Philippine islands under this Act was:

- An inhabitant of the Philippines and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899.

- An inhabitant meant:

- A native born inhabitant

- An inhabitant who was a native of Spain

- An inhabitant who obtained Spanish papers on or before April 11, 1899.

- Controversy as to the citizenship of a child born between April 11, 1899 and July 1, 1902 as there was no citizenship law in the Philippines.  The common law principle jus soli (principle of territoriality) was said to govern those born in the Philippines during this time.

- Philippine Autonomy Act (Jones Law) – A native born inhabitant of the Philippines was deemed to be a citizen of the Philippines as of April 11, 1899 if:

- A Spanish subject on April 11, 1899

- Residing in the Philippines on the said date

- Since that date, not a citizen of another country

- 1935 Constitution – provided that jus sanguinis (blood relationship) be the basis for citizenship, as stated in Sec. 1, Art. 3:

- Those who are citizens of the Philippine Islands at the time of the adoption of the Constitution

- Those born in the Philippine Islands of foreign parents who, before the adoption of this Constitution, had been elected to public office in the Philippine Islands

- Those whose fathers are citizens of the Philippines

- Those whose mothers are citizens of the Philippines and upon reaching the age of majority, elect Philippine citizenship

- Those who are naturalized in accordance with law

- 1973 Constitution – Corrected Sec. 1, Art. 3 (4) of the 1935 Constitution, which, when taken together with the existing civil law provisions would provide that women would automatically lose their Filipino citizenship and acquire that of their foreign husbands.  This was deemed discriminatory in that it incapacitated the Filipino woman from transmitting her citizenship to her legitimate children and required illegitimate children of Filipino mothers to still elect Filipino citizenship upon reaching the age of majority.  The provisions of Sec. 1, Art. 3 of the 1973 Constitution state that the following are citizens of the Philippines:

- Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution

- Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines

- Those who elect Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution

- Those who are naturalized in accordance with law

- Add Sec. 2 of the same article which provided that a female citizen of the Philippines who marries an alien retainers her Philippine citizenship unless by her act or omission she is deemed to have renounced her citizenship under the law.

- 1987 Constitution – aimed to correct the irregular situation generated by the questionable proviso in the 1935 Constitution which outlines in Article 4, Sec. 1 that the following are Filipino citizens:

- Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution

- Those whose fathers and mothers are citizens of the Philippines

- Those born before January 17, 1973 of Filipino mothers who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority

- Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

- The Constitution requires that the President of the Philippines should be, among the many requirements, a natural-born citizen of the Philippines (Art. 7, Sec. 2).

- Natural born citizen – citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship

- Citizenship of FPJ in relation to grandfather Lorenzo Pou’s citizenship and father Allan F. Poe’s citizenship

- Allan F. Poe was a Filipino citizen because his father Lorenzo was also Filipino.

- Conclusions with some degree of certainty to be drawn from the documents presented:

- The parents of FPJ were Allen Poe and Bessie Kelley.

- FPJ was born to them on August 20, 1939.

- Allan F. Poe and Bessie Kelley were married to each other on September 16, 1940.

- The father of Allan F. Poe was Lorenzo Pou.

- At the time of his death on September 11, 1954, Lorenzo Poe was 84 years old.

- The public documents submitted are deemed trustworthy.

- The three documents (birth certificate of FPJ, marriage certificate of Bessie and Allan and the death certificate of Lorenzo) were certified true copies of the originals.

- The Rules of Court (130, Section 3) state that when the subject of the inquiry is the content of the document, no evidence shall be admissible except the original document itself.  One of the exceptions however is when the original is a public record in the custody of a public office is recorded in a public office.

- As public documents, the three documents are prima facie proof of their contents as stated in the Rules of Court (130, Section 44) that the entries in official records made by a public officer in the performance of his duty are prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.  This is grounded on:’ of official duty in the preparation of the statement made. The penalty affixed to a breach of that duty. Routine and disinterested origin of most such statements.  Publicity of the record which makes more likely the prior exposure of such errors as might have occurred

- It is safe to assume that Lorenzo Pou’s place of residence at the time of death was the same as his residence before death in the absence of evidence that would attest otherwise.  In that case, Lorenzo Pou would have benefited from the “en masse Filipinization” that the Philippine Bill effected in 1902.  This citizenship would then extend to his son Allan F. Poe, FPJ’s father.

- Lorenzo born sometime in 1870 during the Spanish colonization period.

- Fornier argues that Lorenzo was not in the Philippines during the crucial period of 1898 to 1902 but there is no existing record to attest to that claim.

- Fornier failed to show that Lorenzo was out of the country during that same time period.

- Lorenzo’s residence at the time of death was in San Carlos, Pangasinan.

- For proof of filiation or paternity, the mandatory rules of civil law would not apply in this case.  The duly notarized declaration by Ruby Kelley Mangahas, FPJ’s maternal aunt and sister of his mother Bessie, proving the acts of Allan F. Poe, recognizing his own paternal relationship with FPJ (living with Bessie and the children in one house as one family) would be accepted.

- Fornier argues that the mandatory rules under civil rule should apply because FPJ was an illegitimate son.

- Acknowledgement needed to establish paternity (eg. Acknowledgement in the birth certificate by signing name)

- In the FPJ case, there was no signature of Allan F. Poe in the birth certificate of FPJ.

- 1950 Civil Code – acknowledgement of illegitimate children of three types which had to be done during the lifetime of the presumed parent:

- Voluntary (expressly made in record birth, will or a statement before the court in authentic writing)

- Legal (in favor of full blood brothers and sisters of an illegitimate child who was recognized as natural)

- Compulsory (demanded generally in cases when the child had in his favor any evidence to prove filiation)

- The Family Code has liberalized the rules as stated in Articles 172, 173 and 175 and the rules have retroactive effect (Article 255).  These provisions are there to govern the private and personal affairs of the family.  There is little indication that this should also govern his political rights.

- This should be taken in the context of civil law, being that branch of law which is concerned with the organization of the family and regulation of property.    The relevance of citizenship is exemplified in Art. 15 of the Civil Code.

- The proof of filiation for purposes of determining citizenship status should be deemed independent from those prescribed for civil code purposes.  The ordinary rules should govern.

- DNA testing to prove paternity could also be resorted to.

- There is no jurisprudence to prove that an illegitimate child cannot inherit his father’s citizenship.

- Fornier argues that even if Allan F. Poe were Filipino, Allan’s citizenship would not have been transmitted to FPJ because FPJ was illegitimate.

- FPJ was alleged to be illegitimate because of the bigamous marriage between his parents Allan and Bessie for the reason that Allan allegedly had a prior existing marriage to a certain Paulita Gomez.  The Court held that the veracity of this marriage between Paulita and Allan is doubtful.

- Fornier also contended that even if Allan and Bessie’s marriage was not bigamous, FPJ was still illegitimate because his parents were married after he was born.  Fornier based his arguments on the cases of Morano v. Vivo, Chiongbian v. de Leon and Serra v. Republic.

- In the cases cited above, it is important to note the lis mota in each case.  If the pronouncement of jus sangunis was in the lis mota, it would constitute doctrine courtesy of stare decisis.  If not, it is mere obiter dictum.

- In all of the mentioned cases, there was no jus sanguinis in the lis mota of the cases.  If there was jus sangunis mentioned, it was mere obiter dictum. 

- The pronouncement that an illegitimate child cannot inherit the father’s citizenship has no textual basis in the Constitution and violates the equal protection clause.

- For jurisprudence that regarded an illegitimate child to inherit the mother’s citizenship, it was there to ensure a Filipino nationality for the child with the assumption that the mother would gain custody.

- The 1935 Constitution applies to FPJ since he was born during that time period and it states that Filipino citizens include those whose fathers are citizens of the Philippines.

Decision

1. The evidence does not establish conclusively FPJ’s citizenship but the evidence preponderates in his favor to hold that he could not be guilty of misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy.  Fornier v. COMELEC DISMISSED for failure to show grave abuse of discretion on the part of the COMELEC for dismissing the original petition.

2. Tecson v. COMELEC and Velez v, Poe DISMISSED for want of jurisdiction.

SEPARATE OPINION

PUNO

Jurisdiction

- SC is unanimous on the issue of jurisdiction

- Tecson and Valdez petitions – petitioners cannot invoke Art VII S4 of the Constitution because the word “contest” means that the Court can only be invoked after the election and proclamation of a President or Vice President. There can be no “contest” before a winner is proclaimed.

- Fornier petition – as a review under R64 in relation to R65 of the RoC, Court has jurisdiction.

- COMELEC did not commit grave abuse of discretion when it ruled that petitioner failed to prove by substantial evidence that FPJ deliberately misrepresented that he is a natural-born Filipino citizan in his CoC

- Certiorari power of the SC to review COMELEC decisions is a limited power

- Can only reverse or change the COMELEC decision on the ground that COMELEC committed grave abuse of discretion (despotic, arbitrary or capricious)

- The ruling of the COMELEC denying the petition to disqualify respondent Poe is based on substantial evidence, hence is not despotic, whimsical or capricious

- Romualdez-Marcos v COMELEC – misrepresentation must not only be material but also deliberate and willful

- Petitioner has burden to prove evidence to show that (1) respondent made misrepresentation in his CoC, (2) that misrepresentation is material to the position to which he is candidate and (3) that material misrepresentation was made deliberately and willfully

- Analysis of petitioner’s evidence

- Certificate of birth – only proved the date of birth of FPJ, not that he is not a natural-born citizen

- Sworn statements of Paulita Gomez charging Allan Poe with bigamy and marriage license of between Allan Poe and Paulita Gomez, presented thru Dir. Manapat – pulled out because they were fabricated

- Respondent submitted affidavits that show that the files submitted by the petitioner are fabricated by Manapat’s instructions

- Petitioner claims that the affidavits must not be considered because of technical grounds

- SC ruled that the COMELEC is a quasi-judicial body and are not bound by the technical rules of evidence.

- Birth certificate of Allan Poe – also fabricated; does not prove anything besides birth

- Certification of Dir. Manapat that the National Archives has no record that Lorenzo Pou entered or resided in the Philippines before 1907 – manufactured

- Certification of Estrella Domingo, OIC Archives Div that the Register of Births that there is no information on the National Archives on the birth of Allan Poe to the spouse Lorenzo Pou and Marta Reyes – lack of information is not proof

- Poe from the time of his involuntary birth has always conducted himself as Filipino

- “For failure of the petitioner to discharge the burden of proof, Poe is entitled to an outright dismissal of the Fornier petition.” Poe does not need to present contrary evidence for the burden of proof is not shifted to him.

- Assuming that COMELEC gravely abused its jurisdiction and the issue of whether respondent Poe is a natural-born citizen Filipino should now be resolved, the Fornier petition need not be remanded to the COMELEC for further reception of evidence

- Remand to the COMELEC to give the petitioner a second opportunity to prove his case is a palpable error

- “In light of these erudite opinions of our amici curae, it is daylight clear that petitioner Fornier is not only wring with his facts but also wrong with his law.

- Remand means a new round of litigation in the COMELEC when its proceedings have long been closed and terminated; to give another chance to prove facts which he failed to prove before

- Favors of remand cannot be extended to the litigant because of political neutrality

- Remand will change the nature of a Sec 78 proceeding by judicial legislation, hence, unconstitutional

- Principal issue: whether respondent deliberately made a material misrepresentation in his CoC when he wrote that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen

- Remanding the case to COMELEC will change the character of a S78 proceeding (WON FOJ is a natural-born Filipino citizen will be the main issue and not just an issue incidental to the issue of material misrepresentation)

- SC cannot engage in judicial legislation as it is something only legislature can change by another law

- Remand will violate respondent Poe’s right to due process, hence, unconstitutional

- If case were remanded to the COMELEC, the body is no longer an impartial tribunal is there are three of the seven members of the commission that have given firm view that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino citizen

- Remand will delay the resolution of the issue of whether respondent Poe is qualified. Delay will also prejudice his candidacy and will favor his political opponents.

- “The right to run for public office includes the right to equal chance to compete. The right to run is empty if the chance to win is diminished of denied a candidate.

- To avoid delay, the court should itself decide the issue and declare respondent Poe as a natural-born citizen on the basis of the evidence adduced before the COMELEC

 - Whether respondent Poe is illegitimate is irrelevant in determining his status as natural-born citizen --- that is the law.

- The law does not make any distinction in applying jus sanguinis to illegitimate children.

- Morano v Vivo – WON the stepson was to file the natural cerebral house.

- Chiongbian v de Leon – a legitimate son whose father became Filipino because of election to a public office before the 1935 constitution

- Serra v Republic – an illegitimate son of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother

- Paa v Chan – Quintin claims that his father is Filipino because his grandmother is a Filipina. The court ruled that since there is no proof that his grandmother is Filipino then his father is not Filipino thereby not making him Filipino as well. The court’s ruling should have stopped here but the SC followed with an obiter dictum that even if Quintin’s father were Filipino, he would not be Filipino because he was illegitimate.

- The statements on the illegitimate child were unnecessary and were just obiter dicta  and not ratio decidendi, therefore do not constitute stare decisis.

- Obiter dicta do not establish doctrine even if repeated endlessly.

- Reasons why court should create new doctrine:

- There is no textual foundation

- It violates the equal protection clause

- People v Cayat – established the doctrine on constitutionally allowable distinctions.  Such distinction must be germane to the purpose of the law.

- Tan Chong v Secretary of Labor – “The duty of this Court is to forsake and abandon any doctrine or rule found to be in violation of the law in force.”

- Ubi les non distinguit ne nos distinguere debemus, especially if the distinction has no textual

- Merlin Magallona – transmissive essence of citizenship

- To establish that respondent Poe is a natural-born citizen, all that is needed is proof of his filiation to his father Allan Poe, a Filipino citizen --- that is the critical fact.

- Filipino citizenship of Allan Poe, respondent’s father is well established.

- To disqualify respondent Poe because he is illegitimate will violate our treaty obligation.

Dispositive   Whether respondent Fernando Poe, Jr. is qualified to run for President involves a constitutional issue but its political tone is no less dominant.  The Court is split down the middle on the citizenship of respondent Poe, an issue of first impression made more difficult by the interplay of national and international law.  Given the indecisiveness of the votes of the members of this Court, the better policy approach is to let the people decide who will be the next President.  For on political questions, this Court may err but the sovereign people will not. To be sure, the Constitution did not grant to the unelected members of this Court the right to elect in behalf of the people.

IN VIEW WHEREOF, the petitions in G.R. Nos. 161434, 161634 and 161824 are DISMISSED.

DAVIDE

FACTS

- January 9, 2004 – Fornier filed petition to disqualify FPJ and to cancel his certificate of candidacy for the May 10 elections because of he is not a natural-born Filipino citizen

- January 23, 2004 – COMELEC dismissed the case declaring that its jurisdiction is limited to all matters relating to election, returns and qualifications of all elective regional, provincial and city officials, but not those of national officials like the president.

- but it has jurisdiction to pass upon the issue of citizenship of national officials under sec 78 of OECon petitions to deny due course or cancel certificates of candidacy on the ground of false material representation.

- Findings:

- Fornier evidence is not substantial

- FPJ did not commit any falsehood in material representation when he stated that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen

- Tecson and Desiderio, Jr prayed special civil action of certiorari under R65 RoC to challenge jurisdiction of COMELEC over the issue of FPJ’s citizenship. They claim that only the Sc has jurisdiction (ArtVII S4, consti)

- January 29, 2004 - Velez filed petition with the ff issues:

- Whether COMELEC has jurisdiction over the petitions to deny due course or cancel certificated of candidacy of Presidential candidates

- Whether SC has jurisdiction over the petitions of Tecson, Velez and Fornier

- Whether FPJ is a Filipino citizen, and if so, if he’s a natural-born Filipino citizen

Jurisdiction

- Tecson and Velez petitions

- The provision in the constitution only refers to past-election remedies, they should have resorted to pre-election remedies in the OEC which are implemented by the COMELEC Rules of Procedure

- Pre-election remedies are not within the jurisdiction of the SC

- Under the OEC, COMELEC has original jurisdiction to determine whether a candidate for an elective office ineligible for the office for which he filed his certificate of candidacy because of any of the recognized grounds for disqualification.

- Fornier petition

- SC has jurisdiction over the case under (Art IX-A S7 Consti )

- SC can take cognizance of issue of WON COMELEC committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction in the challenged resolution by virtue of (ArtVIII S1 Consti)

WON FPJ is a natural-born Filipino Citizen

Facts:

1.  FPJ was born on 20 August 1939 in Manila, Philippines.

2.  FPJ was born to Allan Poe and Bessie Kelley.

3.  Bessie Kelley and Allan Poe were married on 16 September 1940.

4.  Allan Poe was a Filipino because his father, Lorenzo Poe, albeit a Spanish subject, was not shown to have declared his allegiance to Spain by virtue of the Treaty of Paris and the Philippine Bill of 1902.

Ratio   For the purposes of citizenship, an illegitimate child whose father is Filipino and whose mother is an alien, proof of paternity or filiation is enough for the child to follow the citizenship of the father

COMELEC did not commit any grave abuse of discretion in holding that FPJ is a Filipino citizen pursuant to Art IV S1 per 3 consti. The provision did not make any distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children of Filipino fathers.

Petitions are dismissed.

SANDOVAL-GUTIERREZ

May court exercise judicial power to disqualify a candidate before the election?

- Court may not. It will wreck the constitutional right of the people to choose their candidates.

Romualdez-Marcos v COMELEC

- Mr. Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, a retired member of this Court, in his Separate Opinion said, “In my view, the issue in this case is whether the Commission on Elections has the power to disqualify candidates on the ground that they lack eligibility for the office to which they seek to be elected.  I think that it has none and that the qualifications of candidates may be questioned only in the event they are elected, by filing a petition for quo warranto or an election protest in the appropriate forum.”

- Ruling of COMELEC is the same as Mandoza opinion.

- Disqualifying respondent Poe will be viewed as directed against the “masses,” a situation not allowed by the Constitution. The SC may become like the Iranian Guardian Council.This Court, as the last guardian of democracy, has the duty to protect the right of our nation to a genuine, free and fair election. 

Whether the COMELEC committed grave abuse of discretion in dismissinG Fornier’s petition for disqualification against respondent

- Salcedo v COMELEC – the only instance when a petition raising the qualifications of a registered candidate is before election (S78 OEC)

- To justify the cancellation of CoC, false representation mentioned must pertain to material matter

- There must be deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform, or hide fact which would render a candidate ineligible

- Fornier petition brought under R65 RoCP – where COMELEC acted with grave abuse of discretion in Jan 23 and Feb 6 resolutions holding that “considering the evidence presented by the petitioner is not substantial, we declare that the respondent did not commit any material misrepresentation when he stated in his CoC that he is a natural born Filipino citizen”

Allegations in the COMELEC petition:

1.        Respondent Poe committed false material representation by stating in his Certificate of Candidacy that he is a natural born Filipino citizen; and

2.        He knowingly made such false representation.

- FPJ is not a citizen because both his parents are aliens.

- Director Manapat of the National Archives falsified the marriage contract of FPJ’s parents and his father’s birth certificate.

- Ei incumbit probation qui decit, non que negat. – he who asserts, not he who denies, must prove; S1 R131 RroE; Borlongan v Madrideo – burden of proof is on the party asserting the affirmative of an issue

- Fornier failed to prove allegations; writ of certiorari can only be granted if it can be proven that COMELEC committed a grave abuse of discretion;

   -Grave abuse of discretion – capricious and whimsical exercise of judgment so patent and gross that it amounted to an evasion of positive duty or to a virtual refusal to perform the duty enjoined or to act at all in contemplation of law

- We cannot discern from the records any indication that the COMELEC gravely abused its discretion in dismissing Fornier’s petition.  Indeed, his availment of the extraordinary writ of certiorari is grossly misplaced.

Whether the respondent committed a material and false representation when he declared in his CoC that he is a natural-bron Filipino citizen

- COMELEC held that the FPJ did not commit any material misrepresentation in his CoC because his father is a Filipino by virtue of jus sanguinis and under the 1935 constitution.

- Valles v COMELEC – Philippine law on citizenship adheres to jus sanguinis

- FPJ is Filipino citizen, having been born to a Filipino father

- Petitioners claim that Allan Fernando Poe is a citizen of Spain because his

- Marriage Contract with Paulita Gomez shows that his parents are citizens of Spain.

- The marriage certificate was shown to have been falsified.

- Fornier did not dispute that Allan Fernando Poe is the father of FPJ

- Allan’s father, Lorenzo Pou is a Spanish subject and an inhabitant of the Philippines on April 11, 1899 when Spain ceded the Philippines (Treaty of Paris, Phil Bill 1902 and Jones Law)

- In re Bosque – expiration of the term of 18 months without making an express declaration of intention to retain their Spanish nationality resulted in the loss of the latter and thereby becoming subjects of the new sovereign in the same manner as the natives of these islands

- Palanca v Republic –

- “A person, who was an inhabitant of the Philippine Islands and a naturalized subject of Spain on the 11^th day of April 1899, is a Filipino citizen, by virtue of the provisions of Sec. 4 of the Act of Congress on 1 July 1902 and of Sec. 2 of the Act of Congress of 29 August 1916.  Under the Constitution, he is also a citizen of the Philippines because he was such at the time of the adoption of the Constitution.”

- Constitution did not specify in referring to those whose fathers are Filipino citizens as to whether this only applies to legitimate children or not.

- Ubi lex non distinguit  nec nos distinguere debemus, especially if the distinction has no textual foundation in the Constitution, serves no state interest, and even imposes an injustice on an innocent child. (Fr Bernas)

- To introduce a distinction between legitimacy or illegitimacy in the status of the child vis-à-vis the derivation of his citizenship from the father defeats the transmissive essence of citizenship in blood relationship. (Dean Merlin Magalona)

In fine, I reiterate that the COMELEC did not gravely abuse its discretion in rendering its assailed Resolutions dated January 23, 2004 and February 6, 2004.

WHEREFORE, I concur with Justice Jose C. Vitug in his ponencia and with Senior Justice Reynato S. Puno in his Separate Opinion DISMISSING Fornier’s petition

CARPIO-MORALES

Issues for Resolution:

1) Whether this Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction to pass upon the qualifications of presidential candidates;

2) Whether the COMELEC acted with grave abuse of discretion when it issues its Resolutions of Jan. 23, 2004 and Feb. 6, 2004, dismissing the Petition for Disqualification;

3) Whether FPJ is a natural-born Filipino and therefore qualified to seek election as President.

1) Jurisdiction:

-  Petitions in G.R. Nos. 161464 and 161634

- Petitioners Tecson et al. and Velez assert that this Court has exclusive original jurisdiction to determine whether FPJ is qualified to be a candidate for President: paragraph 7, Section 4 of Article VII of the Constitution:

- The Supreme Court, sitting en banc, shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or Vice-President, and may promulgate its rules for the purpose.

- refers to this Court’s jurisdiction over electoral contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of the President, and not to the qualifications or disqualifications of a presidential candidate. FPJ is still just a candidate; petition: premature.

- Petitioners Tecson et al. and Velez claim that the issue of FPJ’s qualification for the Presidency may also be brought directly to this Court on the basis of Section 1 of Article VIII of the Constitution through a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court, specially considering that the instant case is one of transcendental importance.

- a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court is not available where there is another plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law—like in this case: (to intervene in the Petition for Disqualification)

- in determining whether procedural rules, such as standing, should be relaxed on the ground of “transcendental importance,” the following should be considered: the lack of any other party with a more direct and specific interest in raising the questions being raised. Considering that the substantive issues raised by petitioners Tecson et al. and Velez in G.R. Nos. 161434 and 161634, respectively, are virtually identical to those raised by petitioner Fornier in G.R. No. 161824, this Court is not convinced that the “transcendental importance” of the issues raised herein justifies a direct resort to this Court under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court or the exercise of its expanded certiorari jurisdiction under Sec. 1, Article VIII of the Constitution.

- Petition in G.R. No. 161824

-  this Court definitely has jurisdiction over the petition for Certiorari questioning the Resolutions of Jan. 23, 2004 and Feb. 6, 2004, issued by COMELEC: Section 7 of Art. IX-A of the Constitution vests this Court with the power of review over decisions, orders, or rulings of the COMELEC.

- COMELEC’s Jurisdiction Over the Subject Matter of the Petition for Disqualification Under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code.

- not really a constitutional question…

2) Whether The COMELEC Acted with Grave Abuse of Discretion in Dismissing the Petition for is qualification for Lack of Merit.

- the COMELEC did indeed act with grave abuse of discretion in issuing them: 

-  By resolving to dismiss the petition in the Petition for Disqualification without stating the factual bases therefore:

- Section 14, Article VIII of the Constitution provides that “[n]o decision shall be rendered by any court without expressing therein clearly and distinctly the facts and the law on which it is based.”

- By resolving to dismiss the Petition for Disqualification without ruling categorically on the issue of FPJ’s citizenship.

- To justify its evasion of the duty to rule squarely on the issue of citizenship, the COMELEC relies on this Court’s ruling in Salcedo II v. Commission on Elections,http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2004/mar2004/161434_carpiomorales.htm - _ftn96 and held that held that Fornier should have presented “proof of misrepresentation with a deliberate attempt to mislead” on the part of FPJ— confined the issue in the Petition for Disqualification to whether FPJ “must have known or have been aware of the falsehood as [allegedly] appearing on his certificate.”

- Carpio-Morales: it is impossible for the COMELEC to determine whether FPJ was aware of a false material representation in his Certificate of Candidacy without first determining whether such material representation (in this case, his claim of natural-born citizenship) was false.  The fact alone that there is a public document (i.e., his birth certificate) which FPJ might have relied upon in averring natural-born citizenship does not automatically exclude the possibility that (a) there is other evidence to show that such averment is false, and (b) that FPJ was aware of such evidence.

3) Whether FPJ is a natural-born Filipino

- Five crucial factual questions

(1)  Whether Lorenzo Pou has been established to be a Filipino citizen at the time of the birth of his son, Allan F. Poe;

-  the evidence presented does not show that Lorenzo Pou acquired Philippine citizenship by virtue of the Treaty of Paris or the Organic Acts covering the Philippine Islands. (no evidence as to his residence, only prima facie evidence.)

(2)   Whether Allan F. Poe, the putative father of FPJ was a Filipino at the time of the birth of the latter;

- Claim: Allan F. Poe acquired Filipino citizenship independently of his father’s by virtue of jus soli, Allan F. Poe having been allegedly born in the Philippines on November 27, 1916.

- even assuming arguendo that Allan F. Poe was born in the Philippines on November 27, 1916, such fact, per se, would not suffice to prove that he was a citizen of the Philippine Islands absent a showing that he was judicially declared to be a Filipino citizen: In Tan Chong v. Secretary of Labor,http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2004/mar2004/161434_carpiomorales.htm - _ftn186 this Court ruled that the principle jus soli or acquisition of citizenship by place of birth was never extended or applied in the Philippine Islands:

(3)   Whether FPJ is a legitimate or illegitimate child;

- FPJ’s birth certificate indicates that his parents were married, and that he is a legitimate child.  However, the Marriage Contract of his putative parents, Fernando R. Pou and Bessie Kelley, is dated September 16, 1940, thereby indicating that he was born out of wedlock. Since, in the Marriage Contract, the two contracting parties, Allan F. Poe and Bessie Kelley, participated in its execution, the entry therein with respect to the date of their marriage should be given greater weight than the birth certificate, which was executed by a physician who had to rely on hearsay as regards FPJ’s legitimacy.

- FPJ was born out of wedlock, and was thus an illegitimate child at birth. 

(4)   Whether Allan F. Poe has been legally determined to be the father of FPJ (Assuming arguendo that Allan F. Poe has been shown to have acquired Philippine citizenship)

- As proof of his filiation, FPJ relies upon (1) the stipulation by petitioner Fornier, both before the COMELEC and this Court that Allan F. Poe is indeed the father of FPJ; (2) the declaration of Ruby Kelley Mangahas; and (3) a certified copy of an affidavit of “Fernando R. Poe” for Philippine Army Personnel.

- none of the proofs supplied are sufficient proofs of filiation under Article 172 of the Family Code.

(5)   Whether FPJ is a natural-born Filipino Citizen.

- Carpio-Morales adopts the rule that an illegitimate, child of an alien-mother who claims to be an offspring of a Filipino father may be considered a natural-born citizen if he was duly acknowledged by the latter at birth, thus leaving the illegitimate child with nothing more to do to acquire or perfect his citizenship (nothing more to do to acquire citizenship = natural born).

- no evidence has been submitted to show that Allan F. Poe did indeed acknowledge FPJ as his own son at birth

- Since FPJ then was born out of wedlock and was not acknowledged by his father, the only possible Filipino parent, at the time of his birth, the inescapable conclusion is that he is not a natural-born Philippine citizen.

Conclusion  WHEREFORE, I vote to:  (1) DISMISS the petitions in G.R. Nos. 161434 and 161634 for being premature, (2) DECLARE COMELEC Resolutions dated January 23, 2004 and February 6, 2004, rendered in COMELEC SPA No. 04-003 NULL AND VOID, and (3) DIRECT the COMELEC to cancel the Certificate of Candidacy of Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, a.k.a. Fernando Poe Jr., for containing a false material representation.