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SCR 8
SCR 8
FACTS Julio Agcaoili was appointed as justice of the peace in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, in
1916 under Act No. 2041, which stated that justices of the peace shall hold office
during good behavior. Act No. 3107, enacted in 1923, provided that justices of
the peace shall serve until reaching the age of 65. A letter from the
Undersecretary of Justice in 1923 informed Agcaoili that, due to his age, he
ceased to be a justice of the peace under the new act.
Agcaoili protested this decision, arguing that Act No. 3107 did not apply
retroactively to justices appointed before its enactment and that Act No. 2041 did
not include age limitations. Despite protests and requests for clarification,
Agcaoili received no response from the Secretary of Justice. Eventually, to avoid
potential criminal prosecution, Agcaoili relinquished his office as a justice of the
peace, all the while protesting against the decision.
The petition for quo warranto filed by Agcaoili was denied in the Court of First
Instance on the grounds of prescription. Agcaoili appealed, arguing that the
ISSUE WON the legislature can adopt a law that contains a provision not expressed in
the title of the Act.
RULING The court affirms that the provision in the Jones Law mandating a single subject
expressed in the title is mandatory, not merely directory. It states that the violation
of this provision renders any provision of the law to which no reference was made
in the title as illegal and void. The court also refers to the reasoning behind this
provision, emphasizing that it aims to prevent incongruous matters from being
combined in a single bill and to avoid surprise or fraud on the legislature and the
public.
In the case being considered, Act No. 3107 was found to contain a provision not
indicated in the title, specifically regarding the appointment of justices and
auxiliary justices of the peace to serve until the age of sixty-five. Consequently,
the court rules that this provision is illegal, void, and contrary to the mandatory
nature of the Jones Law. As a result, the law (Act No. 3107) cannot be applied to
justices and auxiliary justices of the peace appointed before March 17, 1923. The
court also concludes that Julio Agcaoili, who was forcibly removed from his
position as a justice of the peace, was unlawfully ousted and should be restored
to his position without delay.
The court further discusses the limitation or prescription of action in quo warranto
proceedings, asserting that ordinary statutes of limitation do not apply to actions
brought to enforce public rights. It argues that the principle of nullum tempus
occurrit regi (no time runs against the king) applies in these cases, meaning that
the lapse of time does not constitute a bar to such proceedings.
Additionally, the court examines the statutory provisions (Section 216) in both
English and Spanish versions of Act No. 190. It argues that based on the
punctuation used and the subject matter discussed preceding and following the
semicolon in the English version, the latter part of the section might refer solely to
officers of corporations rather than public officers like Agcaoili. Even if applicable,