Pelaez vs Auditor General

on December 18, 2011

Political Law Sufficient Standard Test and Completeness Test From Sept 04 to Oct 29, 1964, the President !arcos" issued e#ecutive orders creatin$ %% municipalities & this is purportedl' in pursuant to Sec 6( o) the *evised Administrative +ode ,hich provides that the President o) the Philippines ma' -' e#ecutive order de)ine the -oundar', or -oundaries, o) an' province, su-.province, municipalit', /to,nship0 municipal district or other political su-division, and increase or diminish the territor' comprised therein, ma' divide an' province into one or more su-provinces12he 3P 4mmanuel Pelaez and a ta#pa'er )iled a special civil action to prohi-it the auditor $eneral )rom dis-ursin$ )unds to -e appropriated )or the said municipalities5 Pelaez claims that the 4Os are unconstitutional5 6e said that Sec 6( o) the *A+ has -een impliedl' repealed -' Sec % o) *A 2%70 ,hich provides that -arrios ma' 8not -e created or their -oundaries altered nor their names chan$ed9 e#cept -' Act o) +on$ress or o) the correspondin$ provincial -oard 8upon petition o) a ma:orit' o) the voters in the areas a))ected9 and the 8recommendation o) the council o) the municipalit' or municipalities in ,hich the proposed -arrio is situated59 Pelaez ar$ues, accordin$l'; 8<) the President, under this ne, la,, cannot even create a -arrio, can he create a municipalit' ,hich is composed o) several -arrios, since -arrios are units o) municipalities=9 2he Auditor General countered that onl' -arrios are -arred )rom -ein$ created -' the President5 !unicipalities are e#empt )rom the -ar and that t a municipalit' can -e created ,ithout creatin$ -arrios5 4#istin$ -arrios can :ust -e placed into the ne, municipalit'5 2his theor' overloo>s, ho,ever, the main import o) Pelaez? ar$ument, ,hich is that the statutor' denial o) the presidential authorit' to create a ne, -arrio implies a ne$ation o) the -i$$er po,er to create municipalities, each o) ,hich consists o) several -arrios5 ISSUE: @hether or not +on$ress has dele$ated the po,er to create -arrios to the President -' virtue o) Sec 6( o) the *A+5 HELD: Althou$h +on$ress ma' dele$ate to another -ranch o) the $overnment the po,er to )ill in the details in the e#ecution, en)orcement or administration o) a la,, it is essential, to )orestall a violation o) the principle o) separation o) po,ers, that said la,; a" -e complete in itsel) A it must set )orth therein the polic' to -e e#ecuted, carried out or implemented -' the dele$ate A and -" )i# a standard A the limits o) ,hich are su))icientl' determinate or

determina-le A to ,hich the dele$ate must con)orm in the per)ormance o) his )unctions5 <ndeed, ,ithout a statutor' declaration o) polic', the dele$ate ,ould, in e))ect, ma>e or )ormulate such polic', ,hich is the essence o) ever' la,B and, ,ithout the a)orementioned standard, there ,ould -e no means to determine, ,ith reasona-le certaint', ,hether the dele$ate has acted ,ithin or -e'ond the scope o) his authorit'5 <n the case at -ar, the po,er to create municipalities is eminentl' le$islative in character not administrative5