Senate&v.&Ermita& i)! the!so?called!Fertilizer!scam^!!
G.R.&No.&169777&|&April&20,&2006! ii)! the!North!Rail!investigation!!
Petitioners:&Senate&of&the&Philippines& iii)! the!Wiretapping!activity!of!the!ISAFP^!and!!
Respondents:&Eduardo&Ermita,&as&Executive&Secretary&of&PGMA\& iv)! the!investigation!on!the!Venable!contract.!
!
DOCTRINE&
ISSUE:!
When!Congress!exercise!its!power!of!inquiry,!the!only!way!for!department!heads!to!
exempt!themselves!therefrom!is!by!a!valid!claim!of!privilege.!They!are!not!exempt!by! ?! W/N!EO!464!contravenes!the!power!of!inquiry!vested!in!Congress!
the!mere!fact!that!they!are!department!heads.!Only!one!official!may!be!exempted! !
from!this!power!??!the!President.!
RULING&&&RATIO&
Basically,!if!a!department!head!is!invited!by!Congress,!their!attendance!is:!
Discretionary!–!if!the!invitation!is!under!Question!Hour!(Sec.!22,!Art.!6!of!Consti)! YES.&
Mandatory!–!if!the!invitation!is!under!the!power!of!inquiry!(Sec.!21,!Art.!6!of!Consti)!
1)! EO!464!bars!the!appearance!of!executive!officials!before!the!Congress,!hence!it!
!! deprives!it!of!the!information!in!possession!of!these!officials.!
2)! To!determine!the!validity!of!the!provisions!of!EO!464,!the!SC!sought!to!
FACTS:& distinguish!Section!21!from!Section!22!of!Art!6!of!the!1987!Constitution.!
3)! Sec.!22:!Question!Hour!
1)! The!Committee!of!the!Senate!issued!invitations!to!various!officials!of!the! a)! “Heads&of&departments&may,&upon&their&own&initiative,&with&the&consent&of&the&
Executive!Department!for!them!to!appear!as!resource!speakers!in!a!public! President,&or&upon&the&request&of&either&House,&as&the&rules&of&each&House&
hearing!on!the!railway!project!of!the!North!Luzon!Railways!Corporation!with!the! shall&provide,&appear&before&and&be&heard&by&such&House&on&any&matter&
China!National!Machinery!and!Equipment!Group!(North!Rail!Project)! pertaining&to&their&departments.”!
2)! The!public!hearing!was!sparked!by!a!privilege!speech!of!Senator!Juan!Ponce! b)! Objective:!to!obtain!information!in!pursuit!of!Congress’!oversight!function.!!
Enrile!urging!the!Senate!to!investigate!the!alleged!overpricing!and!other!unlawful! c)! When!Congress!merely!seeks!to!be!informed!on!how!department!heads!are!
provisions!of!the!contract!covering!the!North!Rail!Project.! implementing!the!statutes!which!it!had!issued,!the!department!heads’!
3)! Senate!President!Franklin!M.!Drilon!received!from!Executive!Secretary!Eduardo! appearance!is!merely!requested.!
R.!Ermita!a!letter!respectfully!requesting!for!the!postponement!of!the!hearing! 4)! Sec.!21:!Congress’!power!of!inquiry!
regarding!the!North!Rail!project!to!which!various!officials!of!the!Executive! a)! The!power!of!inquiry!in!aid!of!legislation!is!inherent!in!the!power!to!legislate.!
Department!have!been!invited!in!order!to!afford!said!officials!ample!time!and! A!legislative!body!cannot!legislate!wisely!or!effectively!in!the!absence!of!
opportunity!to!study!and!prepare!for!the!various!issues!so!that!they!may!better! information!respecting!the!conditions!which!the!legislation!is!intended!to!
enlighten!the!Senate!Committee!on!its!investigation.! affect!or!change.!And!where!the!legislative!body!does!not!itself!possess!the!
a)! Senate!refused.! requisite!information,!recourse!must!be!had!to!others!who!do!possess!it.!
4)! PGMA!issued!EO!464,!effective!immediately,!which,!among!others,!mandated! b)! Exceptions!(under!Executive!Privilege):!
that!“all!heads!of!departments!of!the!Executive!Branch!of!the!government!shall! i)! This!is!the!power!of!the!government!to!withhold!information!from!the!
secure!the!consent!of!the!President!prior!to!appearing!before!either!House!of! public,!the!courts,!and!the!Congress.!!
Congress.”! ii)! Only!for!certain!types!of!information!of!a!sensitive!character.!!
a)! Pursuant!to!this!Order,!Executive!Sec.!Ermita!communicated!to!the!Senate! iii)! When!Congress!exercise!its!power!of!inquiry,!the!only!way!for!
that!the!executive!and!AFP!officials!would!not!be!able!to!attend!the!meeting! department!heads!to!exempt!themselves!therefrom!is!by!a!valid!claim!of!
since!the!President!has!not!yet!given!her!consent.!! privilege.!They!are!not!exempt!by!the!mere!fact!that!they!are!
b)! Despite!the!lack!of!consent,!Col.!Balutan!and!Brig.!Gen.!Gudani,!among!all! department!heads.!Only!one!official!may!be!exempted!from!this!power!??!
the!AFP!officials!invited,!attended!the!investigation.!Both!faced!court!martial! the!President.!
for!such!attendance.! 5)! The!requirement!then!to!secure!presidential!consent!under!Section!1!of!EO!464,!
5)! After!the!conclusion!of!the!oral!arguments,!the!parties!were!directed!to!submit! limited!as!it!is!only!to!appearances!in!the!question!hour,!is!valid!on!its!face.!!For!
their!respective!memoranda,!paying!particular!attention!to!the!following! under!Section&22,!Article!VI!of!the!Constitution,!the!appearance!of!department!
propositions:!! heads!in!the!question!hour!is!discretionary!on!their!part.!Section!1!cannot,!
a)! (1)!that!E.O.!464!is,!on!its!face,!unconstitutional^!and!! however,!be!applied!to!appearances!of!department!heads!in!inquiries!in!aid!of!
b)! (2)!assuming!that!it!is!not,!it!is!unconstitutional!as!applied!in!four!instances,! legislation.!!Congress!is!not!bound!in!such!instances!to!respect!the!refusal!of!the!
namely:!!
department!head!to!appear!in!such!inquiry,!unless!a!valid!claim!of!privilege!is!
subsequently!made,!either!by!the!President!herself!or!by!the!Executive!
Secretary.!
6)! When!Congress!merely!seeks!to!be!informed!on!how!department!heads!are!
implementing!the!statutes!which!it!has!issued,!its!right!to!such!information!is!not!
as!imperative!as!that!of!the!President!to!whom,!as!Chief!Executive,!such!
department!heads!must!give!a!report!of!their!performance!as!a!matter!of!duty.!In!
such!instances,!Section!22,!in!keeping!with!the!separation!of!powers,!states!that!
Congress!may!only!request!their!appearance.!Nonetheless,!when!the!inquiry!in!
which!Congress!requires!their!appearance!is!‘in!aid!of!legislation’!under!Section&
21,!the!appearance!is!mandatory.!
7)! Congress!has!authority!to!inquire!into!the!operations!of!the!executive!branch,!it!
would!be!incongruous!to!hold!that!the!power!of!inquiry!does!not!extend!to!
executive!officials!who!are!the!most!familiar!with!and!informed!on!executive!
operations.!As!discussed!in!Arnault,!the!power!of!inquiry,!with!process!to!enforce!
it,!is!grounded!on!the!necessity!of!information!in!the!legislative!process.!!
a)! If!the!information!possessed!by!executive!officials!on!the!operation!of!their!
offices!is!necessary!for!wise!legislation!on!that!subject,!by!parity!of!
reasoning,!Congress!has!the!right!to!that!information!and!the!power!to!
compel!the!disclosure!thereof.!
