The Supreme Court ruled in favor of PICOP Resources, finding that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) violated PICOP's right to due process when it retroactively applied filing fee increases that were not properly promulgated. Specifically, the SEC failed to satisfy publication requirements for its 1990 circular that removed the fee cap, and PICOP could not have known of the fee increases when it filed in 2002 since the circular was only discovered 14 years later.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of PICOP Resources, finding that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) violated PICOP's right to due process when it retroactively applied filing fee increases that were not properly promulgated. Specifically, the SEC failed to satisfy publication requirements for its 1990 circular that removed the fee cap, and PICOP could not have known of the fee increases when it filed in 2002 since the circular was only discovered 14 years later.
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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of PICOP Resources, finding that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) violated PICOP's right to due process when it retroactively applied filing fee increases that were not properly promulgated. Specifically, the SEC failed to satisfy publication requirements for its 1990 circular that removed the fee cap, and PICOP could not have known of the fee increases when it filed in 2002 since the circular was only discovered 14 years later.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of PICOP Resources, finding that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) violated PICOP's right to due process when it retroactively applied filing fee increases that were not properly promulgated. Specifically, the SEC failed to satisfy publication requirements for its 1990 circular that removed the fee cap, and PICOP could not have known of the fee increases when it filed in 2002 since the circular was only discovered 14 years later.
Facts: • In 2002, PICOP Resources filed with SEC an application to amend its AOI, extending its corporate existence for another 50 years • PICOP paid P210 for the filing fee • SEC notified them that the correct amount of filing fee is 12M or 1/5 of 1% of its authorized capital stock of 6 billion • PICOP sought a reduction of such amount but SEC upheld the same assessment as it is based on RA3531 • SEC EN Banc assessed fee is based on the said RA and although the Schedule of Revised Fees do not provide for a filing fee for extensions of term, it does not limit SEC from imposing the prevailing fees. The amount was reduced to 6 million, which is 1% of the authorized capital stock Facts: • PICOP sought a reconsideration of the En Banc ruling. Arguing that RA No. 3531 has been repealed by the Corporation Code of 1980 and Presidential Decree 902-A. Section 139 of the Corporation Code authorizes the SEC to collect and receive fees as authorized by law or by rules and regulation promulgated by the SEC. • En Banc denied once more PICOPs request to reconsider the earlier ruling and reverted to the P12 Million assessment. It maintained that the provision on the maximum imposable fee under the 1986 Circular has been amended by the 1994 Circular which removed the maximum imposable fee. • En Banc explained that contentions that its 2001 Circular was not published are erroneous. There was, in fact, due publication in The Manila Standard on July 31, 2001. Accordingly, the 2001 Circular became effective on August 15, 2001. Thus, the public was properly apprised of the changes in fees ISSUE: • Whether the OP and CA are correct in declaring that the applicable filing fee is P100,000.00, instead of P12 million last assessed by the SEC En Banc Held: Yes • In Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. v. International Communication Corporation, the Court laid the guidelines in resolving disputes concerning the interpretation by an agency of its own rules and regulations to wit: • (1) Whether the delegation of power was valid; • (2) Whether the regulation was within that delegation; • (3) Whether it was a reasonable regulation under a due process test Held: • there is an evident violation of the due process requirement. • SEC failed to satisfy the requirements for promulgation when it filed the required copies of the said regulation at the UP Law Center only fourteen (14) years after it was supposed to have taken effect. • The SEC violated the due process clause insofar as it denied the public prior notice of the regulations that were supposed to govern them. The SEC can not wield the provisions of the 1990 Circular against PICOP and expect its outright compliance. • The circular was not yet effective during the time PICOP filed its request to extend its corporate existence in 2002. In fact, it was only discovered in 2004, fifteen (15) days before the SEC filed its second MR • The circular was not yet effective during the time PICOP filed its request to extend its corporate existence in 2002. In fact, it was only discovered in 2004, fifteen (15) days before the SEC filed its second motion for reconsideration.