Case Digest of BAYAN MUNA vs. ALBERTO ROMULO

BAYAN MUNA vs.
ALBERTO ROMULO
FACTS
This petition for certiorari, mandamus and prohibition under Rule 65 assails and seeks
to nullify the Non-Surrender Agreement concluded by and between the Republic of the
Philippines (RP) and the United States of America (USA).
Petitioner Bayan Muna is a duly registered party-list group established to represent the
marginalized sectors of society. Respondent Blas F. Ople, now deceased, was the Secretary of
Foreign Affairs during the period material to this case. Respondent Alberto Romulo was
impleaded in his capacity as then Executive Secretary. Via Exchange of Notes No. BFO-028-
03dated May 13, 2003 (E/N BFO-028-03, hereinafter), the RP, represented by then DFA
Secretary Ople, agreed with and accepted the US proposals embodied under the US Embassy
Note adverted to and put in effect the Agreement with the US government.|||
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the power to exercise its jurisdiction over
persons for the most serious crimes of international concern x x x and shall be complementary
to the national criminal jurisdictions. In 2000, the RP, through Charge d’Affaires Enrique A.
Manalo, signed the Rome Statute which, by its terms, is “subject to ratification, acceptance or
approval” by the signatory states.
RP-US Non-Surrender Agreement, aims to protect what it refers to and defines as "persons"
of the RP and US from frivolous and harassment suits that might be brought against them in
international tribunals.
The Agreement pertinently provides as follows:
1. For purposes of this Agreement, "persons" are current or former Government

officials, employees (including contractors), or military personnel or nationals of
one Party.
2. Persons of one-Party present in the territory of the other shall not, absent the
express consent of the first Party, DIESHT
a. be surrendered or transferred by any means to any international tribunal
for any purpose, unless such tribunal has been established by the UN
Security Council, or
b. be surrendered or transferred by any means to any other entity or third
country, or expelled to a third country, for the purpose of surrender to or
transfer to any international tribunal, unless such tribunal has been
established by the UN Security Council.
3. When the [US] extradites, surrenders, or otherwise transfers a person of the
Philippines to a third country, the [US] will not agree to the surrender or transfer
of that person by the third country to any international tribunal, unless such
tribunal has been established by the UN Security Council, absent the express
consent of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines [GRP].
4. When the [GRP] extradites, surrenders, or otherwise transfers a person of the
[USA] to a third country, the [GRP] will not agree to the surrender or transfer of
that person by the third country to any international tribunal, unless such tribunal
has been established by the UN Security C ouncil, absent the express consent
of the Government of the [US].
5. This Agreement shall remain in force until one year after the date on which one
party notifies the other of its intent to terminate the Agreement. The provisions
of this Agreement shall continue to apply with respect to any act occurring, or
any allegation arising, before the effective date of termination
ISSUE
1. Whether the exchange of notes, valid, binding and effective without the concurrence by
at least two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the senate
2. WON the signing of RP in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court pending
ratification will be in conflict with the RP-US Non-Surrender Agreement;
RULING
Under international law, there is no difference between treaties and executive

agreements in terms of their binding effects on the contracting states concerned, as
long as the negotiating functionaries have remained within their powers. Neither, on the
domestic sphere, can one be held valid if it violates the Constitution.
One of these is the doctrine of incorporation, as expressed in Section 2, Article II of the
Constitution, wherein the Philippines adopts the generally accepted principles of international
law and international jurisprudence as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of
peace, cooperation, and amity with all nations. An exchange of notes falls "into the category
of inter-governmental agreements," which is an internationally accepted form of international
agreement. The United Nations Treaty Collections (Treaty Reference Guide) defines the term
as follows:
An "exchange of notes" is a record of a routine agreement, that has many
similarities with the private law contract. The agreement consists of the exchange of two
documents, each of the parties being in the possession of the one signed by the representative
of the other. Under the usual procedure, the accepting State repeats the text of the offering
State to record its assent. The signatories of the letters may be government Ministers,
diplomats or departmental heads. The technique of exchange of notes is frequently resorted
to, either because of its speedy procedure, or, sometimes, to avoid the process of legislative
approval.
It is fairly clear from the foregoing disquisition that E/N BFO-028-03––be it viewed as the
Non-Surrender Agreement itself, or as an integral instrument of acceptance thereof or as
consent to be bound––is a recognized mode of concluding a legally binding international
written contract among nations.
Senate Concurrence Not Required
Article 2 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties defines a treaty as “an
international agreement concluded between states in written form and governed by international
law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever
its particular designation.”32 International agreements may be in the form of treaties that require
legislative concurrence after executive ratification; or executive agreements that are similar to
treaties, except that they do not require legislative concurrence and are usually less formal and
deal with a narrower range of subject matters than treaties.33
Under international law, there is no difference between treaties and executive agreements in
terms of their binding effects on the contracting states concerned,34 as long as the negotiating
functionaries have remained within their powers.35 Neither, on the domestic sphere, can one be
held valid if it violates the Constitution.36 Authorities are, however, agreed that one is distinct
from another for accepted reasons apart from the concurrence-requirement aspect.37 As has
been observed by US constitutional scholars, a treaty has greater “dignity” than an executive
agreement, because its constitutional efficacy is beyond doubt, a treaty having behind it the
authority of the President, the Senate, and the people
LEGAL BASIS:
RA No. 6426 guarantees a clear right to the depositors and demands an exacting
obligation from banks to maintain the absolute confidentiality of the foreign currency deposits.
The failure of a bank to fulfill its obligation under the law subjects the bank and its officials to
criminal liability under Section 10 of RA No. 6426, and its authority to accept new foreign
currency deposits may be revoked or suspended by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas under
Section 87 of the Manual of Regulations on Foreign Exchange Transactions. More than this,
the banks failure in its obligation given media coverage and the non-legal slant it can give gives
rise to a real danger that the banks reputation may suffer. In a very bad situation, the effect
goes beyond the banks reputation and can adversely affect the economy.
The only exception provided by the law is when there is a written permission by the
depositor. Jurisprudence declares that there is only a single exception to the secrecy of foreign
currency deposits, that is, disclosure is allowed only upon the written permission of the
depositor. This single excepting circumstance, however, does not obtain in the present case;
hence, the banks petition.
RA No. 6426, by its plain terms, is clear that all foreign currency deposits are considered
to be absolutely confidential. The law expressly refers to deposits not to the identity, nationality,
or residence of the depositors. Thus, to claim that the depositors must be considered is
misplaced. Also, to so claim is to read into the clear words of the law exemptions that its literal
wording does not support. To so claim may even amount to judicial legislation.

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BAYAN MUNA vs.

The Agreement pertinently provides as follows:

1. For purposes of this Agreement, "persons" are current or former Government

Under international law, there is no difference between treaties and executive

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