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When lawyers present legal arguments and judges write opinions, they cite authority. They lace their
representations of what the law is and how it applies to a given situation with references to statutes,
regulations, and prior appellate decisions they believe to be pertinent and supporting. They also refer to
persuasive secondary literature such as treatises, restatements, and journal articles.
1. ATTRIBUTION
citation identifies the source of ideas developed in the text and materials quoted or referenced
therein
Example:
To prove tortuous interference, the plaintiff must show that the defendant intentionally
interfered with the plaintiffs economic relations with improper purpose or means. Leigh
Furniture & Carpet, Co. v. Isom, 657 p. 2d 293, 304 (Utah 1982)
2. SUPPORT
citation facilitates support by directing reader to a specific legal or factual authority in the text.
Compacting Principles:
Principles that reduce the space taken up by the information items included in a citation. These include
standard abbreviations and principles that eliminate redundancy.
Format Principles:
Principles about punctuation, typography, order of items within a citation, and the like. Such principles apply
to the optional elements in a citation as well as the mandatory ones. One need not report to the reader that
a cited Supreme Court case was decided 5-4; but if one does, there is a standard form.
Types of Sources
Primary Sources
Constitution
Codes
Session Laws
Bills, Resolution & Committee Reports
Treaties
Presidential Acts
Ordinances
Cases
Secondary Sources
Books and Pamphlets
Periodical Articles
Annotations
Newspapers
Internet Sources
Proper Citations
CONSTITUTION
CONGRESS
<House where these reports originated>, <serial report number>, <Congress>, <Session>, <year in
parenthesis>
<Origin of bill>, <bill number>, <Number of Batasan>, <number of the Session>, <year in parenthesis>
<Name of the agreement>, <exact date of signature by Phils>, <source of the treaty>
Treaty of Friendship with India, July 11, 1952 (1953), II-2 D.F.A.T 1,2 P.T.S. 797, 2003 U.N.T.S. 73
PRESIDENTIAL ACTS
Executive orders: Exec. Order No. __ (year)
Exec. Order No. 329 (1950), 46 O.G. 2053 (July 1950).
Proclamations: Proc. No. __ (year)
Proc. No. 784 (1961), 57 O.G. 7122 (September, 1961)
Administrative Orders: Adm. Order No.__(year)
Adm. Order No. 21 (1966), 62 O.G. 7194 (October, 1966)
COURT DECISIONS
1. CASE NAMES
A. General Rule:
<Surname of Party v. Surname of Other Party>, <Volume> <Title> <Page of Report> (Year
of Promulgation)
Example:
Ariaga v. Javellana, 92 Phil. 330 (1952)
NOTE:
(a) If used in the text, underline it. Thus:
(c) If two or more actions are consolidated, cite only first listed. (Applies on each side)
WRONG: Javellana v. The Executive Secretary; Tan, Araneta, Roces, Crudo, Miranda,
Peralta and Tanada v. The Executive Secretary, The Secretary of Finance, The
Secretary of Justice; Roxas, Padilla, Salonga, Laurel, Mitra v. The Executive Secretary,
Juan Ponce Enrile, in his capacity as Secretary of National Defense, General Romeo
Epino, in his capacity as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 50 SCRA
30
*If one of the parties is a partnership, dont omit any portion of its name (Arts.
1815 to 1827 of the New Civil Code)
Ex. Wilson U. Ng doing business and style as Compact Blockbuster Video, Inc. v.
Juan de la Cruz
CASE REPORTS
A. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS
Espiritu v. Rivera, G.R. No. 17092, September 30, 1963, 62 O.G. 7226 (Oct. 1966)
Disciplinary cases:
Secretary of Justice v. Catolico, G.R. Adm. Case No. 203-J & Adm. Matter No. 625-CFI, November
18, 1975
B. COURT OF APPEALS
*Court of Appeals Reports, 2nd series: volume C.A. rep. 2d page (year).
*CA General Register (advance decision of the CA): C.A.-G.R. No__. Date of promulgation
*Official Gazette: C.A. No.__, date of promulgation, volume O.G. page (month and year of issue)
*Manila Electric Co. v. Allarde, C.A. SP No. 11850, May 15, 1987, 86 O.G. 3447 (May, 1990)
C. OTHER COURTS
People v. Sabarre, Sandiganbayan Crim. Case No. 001, December 12, 1979, 1
Sandiganbayan, Rep. 305 (1979)
Abad v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, CTA Case No. 717, June 4, 1963
D. OTHER COURTS
*RTC: RTC (Place and Branch No.) Crim. Case or SP No. R-__, date of promulgation
* People v. Johnson, RTC (San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Br. 45) Crim. Case R-1681, August 6,
1984).
*People v. Soliven, MCTC (Paoay-Cirrimao, Ilocos Norte) Crim. Case No. 992-C, November 11,
1983
*Shariah District and Circuit Courts: Shariah Dist/Circ. Ct. (place) date of promulgation
*Al-Awadhi v. Rulona, Shariah Dist. Ct. (Marawi City) Special Proceeding No. 011-87,
September 15, 1988
ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS
Name of the Agency (when there is an abbreviated form, use abbreviation or acronym) case number and
date of promulgation
Ex. Tinio v. Dizon, DENR Case No. 2734, April 24, 1967
Some administrative agencies and boards exercising regulatory and quasi-judicial functions:
SECONDARY SOURCES
BOOK AND PAMPLETS
<Volume- if more than one>,<Author- initial of first name and surname>, <title of book>, <page>, <section>,
or <paragraph>, <edition>, and (date)
Formally printed works of general circulation are cited in large and small capitals while works
not normally printed are cited in regular roman with the title of the book underscored.
Examples:
* P. Fernandez & C. Quiason, Labor Standards and Welfare Legislation 173 (1964)
a. For bibliographical purposes, include the first name of the author (in inverted form), place of
publication, publisher, and date in parenthesis, and inclusive pages.
b. For unofficial reports of cases, cite by volume, abbreviated citation of the reports as indicated
by publisher, page and year.
Examples:
c. For unofficial collection of treaties and the like: volume, title, page and year
d. For unofficial collection of statutes: volume, title or abbreviated citation as indicated by the
publisher, page.
Example:
Examples:
J. Ponce Enrile, The Tax Treatment of Real Estate Transactions, in 1964 ASPECTS OF
PHILIPPINE TAX LAW 81.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Title of newspaper are printed in regular roman and are cited with the date of issue, page,
and column.
A signed article (but not a news report) is cited by author and title
Arroyo, 2 Months, Behind the Iron Curtain, Manila Times, December 12, 1966,p1, col. 2
LETTERS, SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS
LETTER
<Name of the letter written and his correspondent>, <date written>, <include citation to a printed
work, if available>
Letter of Apolinario Mabini to Emilio Jacinto, December 17, 1898 in LETTER OF APOLINARIO
MABINI 81 (1965)
INTERVIEW
Interview with Manuel C. Roura, Chief of the Polygraph Division, National Bureau of Investigation,
Manila, February 18, 1970
Address by Justice Cesar Bengzon, 7th Anniversary Celebration of the Bulacan Bar Association,
Manila, November 8, 1952, Ateneo L.J. 307-314 (1953)
PERIODICAL ARTICLES
<initial of first name, surname>, <title of articles>, <volume>, <name of periodical in large and
small capitals>, <page and year number in parenthesis>
J. Luna, International Law Standards and the Philippine Law on Deportation, 1 PHIL. INTL. LJ. 347
(1963)
E. Abello, Constitution under the Commonwealth and Under the Republic, 1965 Philconsa
YRBK
*PERIODICALS paginated only within each issue are cited in regular roman by date or period of
issue
F. Medalla, Judicial Review and Cautionary Consideration of its Exercise, NOBA L.J. Sept. 13,
1965
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
REPEATING CITATIONS
Supra (above)
Infra (below)
Same rule as supra
Seldom used because one should put full citations first
Ibid (the same reference)
Reference to a citation in IMMEDIATELY REPEATED with the same volume and page number
Always italicized
Not to be used to cite primary sources
Id
Used in citation sentences and clauses for any kind of authority
In briefs, legal memoranda, and similar materials, used id. When citing to the immediately
preceding authority
Indicate page if subsequent citation refers to a different page
Italicized
Do not use to cite primary sources
1. V. Sinco Philippine Political Law. 551 (11th ed., 1962).
2. Id, at 555.
To avoid repeating titles of books and periodical articles, preceded by authors name and followed
by footnote reference and page number
E.g.
V. Sinco, op. cit., note 5 at 133
Abbreviation of citation
E.g.
International Labour Office, Sharing in Development: A Programme of Employment, Equity and Growth for
the Philippines 304 (1974)
Signals
Used to indicate supporting, contrary and other positions relating to the propositions of law or fact
E.g.
Accord, Manila Trading Co. v Reyes, 62 Phil. 416 (1935)
Accord - indicates substantial support of a proposition although there are differences in facts
See (roman type) introduces a secondary authority which supports the proposition
But see (italics) indicates a dictum which opposes or contradicts the proposition
But see (roman type) - indicates secondary authority which contradicts the proposition
E.g.- indicates support of a proposition by numerous holdings but illustrated by a selective citation
of one or a few cases