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Alan F. Paguia
Former Professor of Law
Ateneo Law School
University of Batangas
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
alanpaguia@yahoo.com
January 4, 2011
The Rule
Implementation by the SC
“Rule 12
Voting Requirements
(b) All decisions and actions in Division cases shall be made upon the
concurrence of at least three Members of the Division who actually took part
in the deliberations on the issue or issues involved and voted on them.
SEC. 2. Tie voting in the Court en banc. – (a) In civil cases, including
special proceedings and special civil actions, where the Court en banc is
equally divided in opinion or the necessary majority vote cannot be had, the
Court shall deliberate on it anew. If after such deliberation still no decision
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is reached, the Court shall, in an original action filed with it, dismiss the
case; in appealed cases, it shall affirm the judgment or order appealed from.
(e) In all matters incidental to the main action where the Court en
banc is equally divided in opinion, the relief sought shall be denied.
The Principle
Comments
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The PRINCIPLE is DEMOCRACY, which means the RULE OF
5.
MAJORITY.
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DEMOCRATIC RULE in relation to the total number of Justices in the division or
the Banc, that is: (a) 3 out of 7, or (b) 5, 6, or 7 out of 15. Obviously, the solution
to the AMBIGUITY is JUDICIAL CONSTRUCTION that could reconcile the RULE
with the PRINCIPLE by harmonizing the rule with the objective MINIMUM
MAJORITY of: (a) 4 out of 7, and (b) 8 out of 15. To construe otherwise would be
to ridicule common sense by applying the MAJORITY of the MINIMUM
MAJORITY, which is actually the MINORITY. The mechanical application of the
1987 RULE thus defeats the principle of DEMOCRACY or MAJORITY by
creating the possibility of the RULE OF THE MINORITY.
First. In cases heard by a Division, the same shall be decided by the Court
en banc (Sec. 3, Rule 12, IRSC).
Second. In cases heard by the Court en banc, the rules in Section 2, Rule
12 of the INTERNAL RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT shall apply.
It is important to note at this point that in Fortich v. Corona, 312 SCRA 751,
at 758, the SC ruled that when there is a tie or the required number of votes is
not obtained, THERE IS NO DECISION. It seems clear the intrinsic merit of the
argument is self-evident.
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11. Thus, a 5, 6, or 7-vote acquittal, reversal, affirmation, and/or
modification by the Court en banc is NOT A DECISION.