EVARDONE v. COMELEC, 204 SCRA 464 (Digested Case)

EVARDONE v. COMELEC

Re: General principles (Sec. 1-5, LGC 1991)

FACTS: Petitioner Evardone is the mayor of Municipality of Sulat. Herein respondents filed a petition for recall with the Office of the Local Election Registrar (LER) in said municipality against said mayor. The respondent COMELEC issued a resolution, approving the recommendation of the LER, to hold the signing of the petition for recall. On July 10, 1990, Evardone prayed for a TRO which was favorably issued on July 12, 1990. On the same day, July 12, the TRO was received by the central office of COMELEC. But it was only in July 15 that the field agent of the respondent COMELEC received the telegraphic notice of the TRO—a day after the completion of the signing process sought to be temporarily stopped by the TRO. Thereafter, the respondent COMELEC nullified the signing process held in Sulat, Eastern Samar for being violative of the order (the TRO) of this Court. The COMELEC held that the critical date to consider is the service or notice of the Restraining Order on 12 July 1990 upon the principal i.e. the Commission on Election, and not upon its agent in the field. Evardone however argued that the resolution earlier issued by respondent is null and void as he maintained that Article X, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution repealed Batas Pambansa Blg. 337 in favor of one to be enacted by Congress. Since there was, during the period material to this case, no local government code enacted by Congress after the effectivity of the 1987 Constitution nor any law for that matter on the subject of recall of elected government officials, Evardone contends that there is no basis for COMELEC Resolution No. 2272 and that the recall proceedings in the case at bar is premature.

ISSUES:

(1) WON the adoption of the 1987 Constitution abrogated the provisions of BP 337, and therefore, COMELEC indeed has no basis in conducting the recall.

(2) WON the TRO issued by this Court rendered nugatory the signing process of the petition for recall held pursuant to the questioned resolution.

HELD:

(1)  No. Article XVIII, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution expressly provides that all existing laws not inconsistent with the 1987 Constitution shall remain operative, until amended, repealed or revoked. RA 7160 providing for the LGC 1991, approved by the President on 10 October 1991, specifically repeals BP 337 as provided in Sec. 534, Title Four of said Act. But the LGC 1991 will take effect only on 1 January 1992 and therefore the old LGC (BP 337) is still the law applicable to the present case. Prior to the enactment of the new LGC, the effectiveness of BP 337 was expressly recognized in the proceedings of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.  Thus, the COMELEC was vested the power to promulgate the questioned resolution.

(2) No. Indeed, this Court issued a TRO on 12 July 1990 but the signing of the petition for recall took place just the same on the scheduled date through no fault of the respondent COMELEC and Apelado, et al. The signing process was undertaken by the constituents of the Municipality of Sulat and its Election Registrar in good faith and without knowledge of the TRO earlier issued by this Court. As attested by Election Registrar Sumbilla, about 2,050 of the 6,090 registered voters of Sulat, Eastern Samar or about 34% signed the petition for recall. As held in Parades vs. Executive Secretary, there is no turning back the clock. Thus, the signing process held last 14 July 1990 in Sulat, Eastern Samar, for the recall of Mayor Felipe P. Evardone of said municipality is valid and has legal effect. However, recall at this time is no longer possible because of the limitation provided in Sec. 55 (2) of B.P. Blg, 337, which states: (2) No recall shall take place within two years from the date of the official's assumption of office or one year immediately preceding a regular local election.

NB: Petitions are DISMISSED for having become moot and academic.