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19-Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 July 10, 2003
19-Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 July 10, 2003
157013 1 of 19
remains to assure that the supremacy of the Constitution is upheld." Once a "controversy as to the
application or interpretation of constitutional provision is raised before this Court (as in the instant case), it
becomes a legal issue which the Court is bound by constitutional mandate to decide."
In another case of paramount impact to the Filipino people, it has been expressed that it is illogical to await the
adverse consequences of the law in order to consider the controversy actual and ripe for judicial resolution. 8 In yet
another case, the Court said that:
. . . despite the inhibitions pressing upon the Court when confronted with constitutional issues, it will not
hesitate to declare a law or act invalid when it is convinced that this must be done. In arriving at this
conclusion, its only criterion will be the Constitution and God as its conscience gives it in the light to probe
its meaning and discover its purpose. Personal motives and political considerations are irrelevancies that
cannot influence its decisions. Blandishment is as ineffectual as intimidation, for all the awesome power of
the Congress and Executive, the Court will not hesitate "to make the hammer fall heavily," where the acts of
these departments, or of any official, betray the peoples will as expressed in the Constitution . . .9
The need to consider the constitutional issues raised before the Court is further buttressed by the fact that it is now
more than fifteen years since the ratification of the 1987 Constitution requiring Congress to provide a system for
absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad. Thus, strong reasons of public policy demand that the Court resolves
the instant petition10 and determine whether Congress has acted within the limits of the Constitution or if it had
gravely abused the discretion entrusted to it.11
The petitioner raises three principal questions:
A. Does Section 5(d) of Rep. Act No. 9189 allowing the registration of voters who are immigrants or
permanent residents in other countries by their mere act of executing an affidavit expressing their intention
to return to the Philippines, violate the residency requirement in Section 1 of Article V of the Constitution?
B. Does Section 18.5 of the same law empowering the COMELEC to proclaim the winning candidates for
national offices and party list representatives including the President and the Vice-President violate the
constitutional mandate under Section 4, Article VII of the Constitution that the winning candidates for
President and the Vice-President shall be proclaimed as winners by Congress?
C. May Congress, through the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee created in Section 25 of Rep. Act
No. 9189, exercise the power to review, revise, amend, and approve the Implementing Rules and
Regulations that the Commission on Elections shall promulgate without violating the independence of the
COMELEC under Section 1, Article IX-A of the Constitution?
The Court will resolve the questions in seriatim.
A. Does Section 5(d) of Rep. Act No. 9189 violate Section 1, Article V of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic
of the Philippines?
Section 5(d) provides:
Sec. 5. Disqualifications. The following shall be disqualified from voting under this Act:
.........
d) An immigrant or a permanent resident who is recognized as such in the host country, unless he/she
executes, upon registration, an affidavit prepared for the purpose by the Commission declaring that he/she
shall resume actual physical permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three (3) years from
approval of his/her registration under this Act. Such affidavit shall also state that he/she has not applied for
citizenship in another country. Failure to return shall be cause for the removal of the name of the immigrant
or permanent resident from the National Registry of Absentee Voters and his/her permanent disqualification
to vote in absentia.
Petitioner posits that Section 5(d) is unconstitutional because it violates Section 1, Article V of the 1987
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 3 of 19
Constitution which requires that the voter must be a resident in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place
where he proposes to vote for at least six months immediately preceding an election. Petitioner cites the ruling of
the Court in Caasi vs. Court of Appeals12 to support his claim. In that case, the Court held that a "green card"
holder immigrant to the United States is deemed to have abandoned his domicile and residence in the Philippines.
Petitioner further argues that Section 1, Article V of the Constitution does not allow provisional registration or a
promise by a voter to perform a condition to be qualified to vote in a political exercise; 13 that the legislature should
not be allowed to circumvent the requirement of the Constitution on the right of suffrage by providing a condition
thereon which in effect amends or alters the aforesaid residence requirement to qualify a Filipino abroad to vote. 14
He claims that the right of suffrage should not be granted to anyone who, on the date of the election, does not
possess the qualifications provided for by Section 1, Article V of the Constitution.
Respondent COMELEC refrained from commenting on this issue.15
In compliance with the Resolution of the Court, the Solicitor General filed his comment for all public respondents.
He contraposes that the constitutional challenge to Section 5(d) must fail because of the absence of clear and
unmistakable showing that said provision of law is repugnant to the Constitution. He stresses: All laws are
presumed to be constitutional; by the doctrine of separation of powers, a department of government owes a
becoming respect for the acts of the other two departments; all laws are presumed to have adhered to constitutional
limitations; the legislature intended to enact a valid, sensible, and just law.
In addition, the Solicitor General points out that Section 1, Article V of the Constitution is a verbatim reproduction
of those provided for in the 1935 and the 1973 Constitutions. Thus, he cites Co vs. Electoral Tribunal of the House
of Representatives16 wherein the Court held that the term "residence" has been understood to be synonymous with
"domicile" under both Constitutions. He further argues that a person can have only one "domicile" but he can have
two residences, one permanent (the domicile) and the other temporary; 17 and that the definition and meaning given
to the term residence likewise applies to absentee voters. Invoking Romualdez-Marcos vs. COMELEC18 which
reiterates the Courts ruling in Faypon vs. Quirino,19 the Solicitor General maintains that Filipinos who are
immigrants or permanent residents abroad may have in fact never abandoned their Philippine domicile.20
Taking issue with the petitioners contention that "green card" holders are considered to have abandoned their
Philippine domicile, the Solicitor General suggests that the Court may have to discard its ruling in Caasi vs. Court
of Appeals21 in so far as it relates to immigrants and permanent residents in foreign countries who have executed
and submitted their affidavits conformably with Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189. He maintains that through the
execution of the requisite affidavits, the Congress of the Philippines with the concurrence of the President of the
Republic had in fact given these immigrants and permanent residents the opportunity, pursuant to Section 2, Article
V of the Constitution, to manifest that they had in fact never abandoned their Philippine domicile; that indubitably,
they would have formally and categorically expressed the requisite intentions, i.e., "animus manendi" and "animus
revertendi;" that Filipino immigrants and permanent residents abroad possess the unquestionable right to exercise
the right of suffrage under Section 1, Article V of the Constitution upon approval of their registration, conformably
with R.A. No. 9189.22
The seed of the present controversy is the interpretation that is given to the phrase, "qualified citizens of the
Philippines abroad" as it appears in R.A. No. 9189, to wit:
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the prime duty of the State to provide a system of honest and orderly overseas
absentee voting that upholds the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot. Towards this end, the State ensures equal
opportunity to all qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad in the exercise of this fundamental right.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act:
a) "Absentee Voting" refers to the process by which qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad,
exercise their right to vote;
. . . (Emphasis supplied)
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 4 of 19
f) "Overseas Absentee Voter" refers to a citizen of the Philippines who is qualified to register and
vote under this Act, not otherwise disqualified by law, who is abroad on the day of elections.
(Emphasis supplied)
SEC. 4. Coverage. All citizens of the Philippines abroad, who are not otherwise disqualified by law,
at least eighteen (18) years of age on the day of elections, may vote for president, vice-president, senators
and party-list representatives. (Emphasis supplied)
in relation to Sections 1 and 2, Article V of the Constitution which read:
SEC. 1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who
are at least eighteen years of age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in
the place wherein they propose to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the election. No
literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
SEC. 2. The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as
a system for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad.
. . . . . . . . . (Emphasis supplied)
Section 1, Article V of the Constitution specifically provides that suffrage may be exercised by (1) all citizens of
the Philippines, (2) not otherwise disqualified by law, (3) at least eighteen years of age, (4) who are residents in the
Philippines for at least one year and in the place where they propose to vote for at least six months immediately
preceding the election. Under Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189, one of those disqualified from voting is an immigrant
or permanent resident who is recognized as such in the host country unless he/she executes an affidavit declaring
that he/she shall resume actual physical permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three years from
approval of his/her registration under said Act.
Petitioner questions the rightness of the mere act of execution of an affidavit to qualify the Filipinos abroad who
are immigrants or permanent residents, to vote. He focuses solely on Section 1, Article V of the Constitution in
ascribing constitutional infirmity to Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189, totally ignoring the provisions of Section 2
empowering Congress to provide a system for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad.
A simple, cursory reading of Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189 may indeed give the impression that it contravenes
Section 1, Article V of the Constitution. Filipino immigrants and permanent residents overseas are perceived as
having left and abandoned the Philippines to live permanently in their host countries and therefore, a provision in
the law enfranchising those who do not possess the residency requirement of the Constitution by the mere act of
executing an affidavit expressing their intent to return to the Philippines within a given period, risks a declaration
of unconstitutionality. However, the risk is more apparent than real.
The Constitution is the fundamental and paramount law of the nation to which all other laws must conform and in
accordance with which all private rights must be determined and all public authority administered. 23 Laws that do
not conform to the Constitution shall be stricken down for being unconstitutional.
Generally, however, all laws are presumed to be constitutional. In Peralta vs. COMELEC, the Court said:
. . . An act of the legislature, approved by the executive, is presumed to be within constitutional limitations.
The responsibility of upholding the Constitution rests not on the courts alone but on the legislature as well.
The question of the validity of every statute is first determined by the legislative department of the
government itself.24
Thus, presumption of constitutionality of a law must be overcome convincingly:
. . . To declare a law unconstitutional, the repugnancy of that law to the Constitution must be clear and
unequivocal, for even if a law is aimed at the attainment of some public good, no infringement of
constitutional rights is allowed. To strike down a law there must be a clear showing that what the
fundamental law condemns or prohibits, the statute allows it to be done.25
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 5 of 19
As the essence of R.A. No. 9189 is to enfranchise overseas qualified Filipinos, it behooves the Court to take a
holistic view of the pertinent provisions of both the Constitution and R.A. No. 9189. It is a basic rule in
constitutional construction that the Constitution should be construed as a whole. In Chiongbian vs. De Leon,26 the
Court held that a constitutional provision should function to the full extent of its substance and its terms, not by
itself alone, but in conjunction with all other provisions of that great document. Constitutional provisions are
mandatory in character unless, either by express statement or by necessary implication, a different intention is
manifest.27 The intent of the Constitution may be drawn primarily from the language of the document itself.
Should it be ambiguous, the Court may consider the intent of its framers through their debates in the constitutional
convention.28
R.A. No. 9189 was enacted in obeisance to the mandate of the first paragraph of Section 2, Article V of the
Constitution that Congress shall provide a system for voting by qualified Filipinos abroad. It must be stressed that
Section 2 does not provide for the parameters of the exercise of legislative authority in enacting said law. Hence, in
the absence of restrictions, Congress is presumed to have duly exercised its function as defined in Article VI (The
Legislative Department) of the Constitution.
To put matters in their right perspective, it is necessary to dwell first on the significance of absentee voting. The
concept of absentee voting is relatively new. It is viewed thus:
The method of absentee voting has been said to be completely separable and distinct from the regular
system of voting, and to be a new and different manner of voting from that previously known, and an
exception to the customary and usual manner of voting. The right of absentee and disabled voters to cast
their ballots at an election is purely statutory; absentee voting was unknown to, and not recognized at, the
common law.
Absentee voting is an outgrowth of modern social and economic conditions devised to accommodate those
engaged in military or civil life whose duties make it impracticable for them to attend their polling places
on the day of election, and the privilege of absentee voting may flow from constitutional provisions or be
conferred by statutes, existing in some jurisdictions, which provide in varying terms for the casting and
reception of ballots by soldiers and sailors or other qualified voters absent on election day from the district
or precinct of their residence.
Such statutes are regarded as conferring a privilege and not a right, or an absolute right. When the
legislature chooses to grant the right by statute, it must operate with equality among all the class to
which it is granted; but statutes of this nature may be limited in their application to particular types
of elections. The statutes should be construed in the light of any constitutional provisions affecting
registration and elections, and with due regard to their texts prior to amendment and to predecessor statutes
and the decisions thereunder; they should also be construed in the light of the circumstances under which
they were enacted; and so as to carry out the objects thereof, if this can be done without doing violence to
their provisions and mandates. Further, in passing on statutes regulating absentee voting, the court should
look to the whole and every part of the election laws, the intent of the entire plan, and reasons and spirit
of their adoption, and try to give effect to every portion thereof.29 (Emphasis supplied)
Ordinarily, an absentee is not a resident and vice versa; a person cannot be at the same time, both a resident and an
absentee.30 However, under our election laws and the countless pronouncements of the Court pertaining to
elections, an absentee remains attached to his residence in the Philippines as residence is considered synonymous
with domicile.
In Romualdez-Marcos,31 the Court enunciated:
Article 50 of the Civil Code decrees that "[f]or the exercise of civil rights and the fulfillment of civil
obligations, the domicile of natural persons is their place of habitual residence." In Ong vs. Republic, this
court took the concept of domicile to mean an individuals "permanent home," "a place to which, whenever
absent for business or for pleasure, one intends to return, and depends on facts and circumstances in the
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 6 of 19
sense that they disclose intent." Based on the foregoing, domicile includes the twin elements of "the fact of
residing or physical presence in a fixed place" and animus manendi, or the intention of returning there
permanently.
Residence, in its ordinary conception, implies the factual relationship of an individual to a certain place. It
is the physical presence of a person in a given area, community or country. The essential distinction
between residence and domicile in law is that residence involves the intent to leave when the purpose for
which the resident has taken up his abode ends. One may seek a place for purposes such as pleasure,
business, or health. If a persons intent be to remain, it becomes his domicile; if his intent is to leave as soon
as his purpose is established it is residence. It is thus, quite perfectly normal for an individual to have
different residences in various places. However, a person can only have a single domicile, unless, for
various reasons, he successfully abandons his domicile in favor of another domicile of choice. In Uytengsu
vs. Republic, we laid this distinction quite clearly:
"There is a difference between domicile and residence. Residence is used to indicate a place of
abode, whether permanent or temporary; domicile denotes a fixed permanent residence to which,
when absent, one has the intention of returning. A man may have a residence in one place and a
domicile in another. Residence is not domicile, but domicile is residence coupled with the intention
to remain for an unlimited time. A man can have but one domicile for the same purpose at any time,
but he may have numerous places of residence. His place of residence is generally his place of
domicile, but it is not by any means necessarily so since no length of residence without intention of
remaining will constitute domicile."
For political purposes the concepts of residence and domicile are dictated by the peculiar criteria of political
laws. As these concepts have evolved in our election law, what has clearly and unequivocally emerged is
the fact that residence for election purposes is used synonymously with domicile.32 (Emphasis supplied)
Aware of the domiciliary legal tie that links an overseas Filipino to his residence in this country, the framers of the
Constitution considered the circumstances that impelled them to require Congress to establish a system for
overseas absentee voting, thus:
MR. OPLE. With respect to Section 1, it is not clear whether the right of suffrage, which here has a
residential restriction, is not denied to citizens temporarily residing or working abroad. Based on the
statistics of several government agencies, there ought to be about two million such Filipinos at this time.
Commissioner Bernas had earlier pointed out that these provisions are really lifted from the two previous
Constitutions of 1935 and 1973, with the exception of the last paragraph. They could not therefore have
foreseen at that time the phenomenon now described as the Filipino labor force explosion overseas.
According to government data, there are now about 600,000 contract workers and employees, and although
the major portions of these expatriate communities of workers are to be found in the Middle East, they are
scattered in 177 countries in the world.
In a previous hearing of the Committee on Constitutional Commissions and Agencies, the Chairman of the
Commission on Elections, Ramon Felipe, said that there was no insuperable obstacle to making effective
the right of suffrage for Filipinos overseas. Those who have adhered to their Filipino citizenship
notwithstanding strong temptations are exposed to embrace a more convenient foreign citizenship. And
those who on their own or under pressure of economic necessity here, find that they have to detach
themselves from their families to work in other countries with definite tenures of employment. Many of
them are on contract employment for one, two, or three years. They have no intention of changing their
residence on a permanent basis, but are technically disqualified from exercising the right of suffrage in their
countries of destination by the residential requirement in Section 1 which says:
Suffrage shall be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who
are eighteen years of age or over, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year
and in the place wherein they propose to vote for at least six months preceding the election.
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 7 of 19
I, therefore, ask the Committee whether at the proper time they might entertain an amendment that will
make this exercise of the right to vote abroad for Filipino citizens an effective, rather than merely a nominal
right under this proposed Constitution.
FR. BERNAS. Certainly, the Committee will consider that. But more than just saying that, I would like to
make a comment on the meaning of "residence" in the Constitution because I think it is a concept that has
been discussed in various decisions of the Supreme Court, particularly in the case of Faypon vs. Quirino, a
1954 case which dealt precisely with the meaning of "residence" in the Election Law. Allow me to quote:
A citizen may leave the place of his birth to look for greener pastures, as the saying goes, to improve
his lot and that, of course, includes study in other places, practice of his avocation, reengaging in
business. When an election is to be held, the citizen who left his birthplace to improve his lot may
decide to return to his native town, to cast his ballot, but for professional or business reasons, or for
any other reason, he may not absent himself from the place of his professional or business activities.
So, they are here registered as voters as he has the qualifications to be one, and is not willing to give
up or lose the opportunity to choose the officials who are to run the government especially in
national elections. Despite such registration, the animus revertendi to his home, to his domicile or
residence of origin has not forsaken him.
This may be the explanation why the registration of a voter in a place other than his residence of origin has not
been deemed sufficient to consider abandonment or loss of such residence of origin.
In other words, "residence" in this provision refers to two residence qualifications: "residence" in the
Philippines and "residence" in the place where he will vote. As far as residence in the Philippines is
concerned, the word "residence" means domicile, but as far as residence in the place where he will actually
cast his ballot is concerned, the meaning seems to be different. He could have a domicile somewhere else
and yet he is a resident of a place for six months and he is allowed to vote there. So that there may be
serious constitutional obstacles to absentee voting, unless the vote of the person who is absent is a vote
which will be considered as cast in the place of his domicile.
MR. OPLE. Thank you for citing the jurisprudence.
It gives me scant comfort thinking of about two million Filipinos who should enjoy the right of suffrage, at
least a substantial segment of these overseas Filipino communities. The Committee, of course, is aware that
when this Article of the Constitution explicitly and unequivocally extends the right of effective suffrage to
Filipinos abroad, this will call for a logistical exercise of global proportions. In effect, this will require
budgetary and administrative commitments on the part of the Philippine government, mainly through the
COMELEC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and perhaps, a more extensive elaboration of this
mechanism that will be put in place to make effective the right to vote. Therefore, seeking shelter in some
wise jurisprudence of the past may not be sufficient to meet the demands of the right of suffrage for
Filipinos abroad that I have mentioned. But I want to thank the Committee for saying that an amendment
to this effect may be entertained at the proper time. . . . . . . . . . 33 (Emphasis supplied)
Thus, the Constitutional Commission recognized the fact that while millions of Filipinos reside abroad principally
for economic reasons and hence they contribute in no small measure to the economic uplift of this country, their
voices are marginal insofar as the choice of this countrys leaders is concerned.
The Constitutional Commission realized that under the laws then existing and considering the novelty of the
system of absentee voting in this jurisdiction, vesting overseas Filipinos with the right to vote would spawn
constitutional problems especially because the Constitution itself provides for the residency requirement of voters:
MR. REGALADO. Before I act on that, may I inquire from Commissioner Monsod if the term "absentee
voting" also includes transient voting; meaning, those who are, let us say, studying in Manila need not go
back to their places of registration, for instance, in Mindanao, to cast their votes.
MR. MONSOD. I think our provision is for absentee voting by Filipinos abroad.
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 8 of 19
MR. REGALADO. How about those people who cannot go back to the places where they are registered?
MR. MONSOD. Under the present Election Code, there are provisions for allowing students and military
people who are temporarily in another place to register and vote. I believe that those situations can be
covered by the Omnibus Election Code. The reason we want absentee voting to be in the Constitution as a
mandate to the legislature is that there could be inconsistency on the residence rule if it is just a question
of legislation by Congress. So, by allowing it and saying that this is possible, then legislation can take
care of the rest.34 (Emphasis supplied)
Thus, Section 2, Article V of the Constitution came into being to remove any doubt as to the inapplicability of the
residency requirement in Section 1. It is precisely to avoid any problems that could impede the implementation of
its pursuit to enfranchise the largest number of qualified Filipinos who are not in the Philippines that the
Constitutional Commission explicitly mandated Congress to provide a system for overseas absentee voting.
The discussion of the Constitutional Commission on the effect of the residency requirement prescribed by Section
1, Article V of the Constitution on the proposed system of absentee voting for qualified Filipinos abroad is
enlightening:
MR. SUAREZ. May I just be recognized for a clarification. There are certain qualifications for the exercise
of the right of suffrage like having resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place where
they propose to vote for at least six months preceding the elections. What is the effect of these mandatory
requirements on the matter of the exercise of the right of suffrage by the absentee voters like Filipinos
abroad?
THE PRESIDENT. Would Commissioner Monsod care to answer?
MR. MONSOD. I believe the answer was already given by Commissioner Bernas, that the domicile
requirements as well as the qualifications and disqualifications would be the same.
THE PRESIDENT. Are we leaving it to the legislature to devise the system?
FR. BERNAS. I think there is a very legitimate problem raised there.
THE PRESIDENT. Yes.
MR. BENGZON. I believe Commissioner Suarez is clarified.
FR. BERNAS. But I think it should be further clarified with regard to the residence requirement or the place
where they vote in practice; the understanding is that it is flexible. For instance, one might be a resident of
Naga or domiciled therein, but he satisfies the requirement of residence in Manila, so he is able to vote in
Manila.
MR. TINGSON. Madam President, may I then suggest to the Committee to change the word "Filipinos" to
QUALIFIED FILIPINO VOTERS. Instead of "VOTING BY FILIPINOS ABROAD," it should be
QUALIFIED FILIPINO VOTERS. If the Committee wants QUALIFIED VOTERS LIVING ABROAD,
would that not satisfy the requirement?
THE PRESIDENT. What does Commissioner Monsod say?
MR. MONSOD. Madam President, I think I would accept the phrase "QUALIFIED FILIPINOS ABROAD"
because "QUALIFIED" would assume that he has the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to
vote.
MR. TINGSON. That is right. So does the Committee accept?
FR. BERNAS. "QUALIFIED FILIPINOS ABROAD"?
THE PRESIDENT. Does the Committee accept the amendment?
MR. REGALADO. Madam President.
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 9 of 19
possible that his residence is in Angeles and he would be able to vote for the candidates in Angeles, but
Congress or the Assembly may provide the procedure for registration, like listing ones name, in a
registry list in the embassy abroad. That is still possible under the system.
FR. BERNAS. Madam President, just one clarification if Commissioner Monsod agrees with this.
Suppose we have a situation of a child of a diplomatic officer who reaches the voting age while living
abroad and he has never registered here. Where will he register? Will he be a registered voter of a certain
locality in the Philippines?
MR. MONSOD. Yes, it is possible that the system will enable that child to comply with the registration
requirements in an embassy in the United States and his name is then entered in the official registration
book in Angeles City, for instance.
FR. BERNAS. In other words, he is not a registered voter of Los Angeles, but a registered voter of a
locality here.
MR. MONSOD. That is right. He does not have to come home to the Philippines to comply with the
registration procedure here.
FR. BERNAS. So, he does not have to come home.
MR. BENGZON. Madam President, the Floor Leader wishes to inquire if there are more clarifications
needed from the body.
Also, the Floor Leader is happy to announce that there are no more registered Commissioners to propose
amendments. So I move that we close the period of amendments.36 (Emphasis supplied)
It is clear from these discussions of the members of the Constitutional Commission that they intended to
enfranchise as much as possible all Filipino citizens abroad who have not abandoned their domicile of origin. The
Commission even intended to extend to young Filipinos who reach voting age abroad whose parents domicile of
origin is in the Philippines, and consider them qualified as voters for the first time.
It is in pursuance of that intention that the Commission provided for Section 2 immediately after the residency
requirement of Section 1. By the doctrine of necessary implication in statutory construction, which may be applied
in construing constitutional provisions,37 the strategic location of Section 2 indicates that the Constitutional
Commission provided for an exception to the actual residency requirement of Section 1 with respect to qualified
Filipinos abroad. The same Commission has in effect declared that qualified Filipinos who are not in the
Philippines may be allowed to vote even though they do not satisfy the residency requirement in Section 1, Article
V of the Constitution.
That Section 2 of Article V of the Constitution is an exception to the residency requirement found in Section 1 of
the same Article was in fact the subject of debate when Senate Bill No. 2104, which became R.A. No. 9189, was
deliberated upon on the Senate floor, thus:
Senator Arroyo. Mr. President, this bill should be looked into in relation to the constitutional provisions. I
think the sponsor and I would agree that the Constitution is supreme in any statute that we may enact.
Let me read Section 1, Article V, of the Constitution entitled, "Suffrage." It says:
Section 1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by
law, who are at least eighteen years of age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least
one year and in the place wherein they propose to vote for at least six months immediately preceding
the election.
Now, Mr. President, the Constitution says, "who shall have resided in the Philippines." They are permanent
immigrants. They have changed residence so they are barred under the Constitution. This is why I asked
whether this committee amendment which in fact does not alter the original text of the bill will have any
effect on this?
Macalintal v. COMELEC GR No. 157013 11 of 19
Senator Angara. Good question, Mr. President. And this has been asked in various fora. This is in
compliance with the Constitution. One, the interpretation here of "residence" is synonymous with
"domicile."
As the gentleman and I know, Mr. President, "domicile" is the intent to return to ones home. And the fact
that a Filipino may have been physically absent from the Philippines and may be physically a resident of
the United States, for example, but has a clear intent to return to the Philippines, will make him
qualified as a resident of the Philippines under this law.
This is consistent, Mr. President, with the constitutional mandate that we that Congress must provide a
franchise to overseas Filipinos.
If we read the Constitution and the suffrage principle literally as demanding physical presence, then
there is no way we can provide for offshore voting to our offshore kababayan, Mr. President.
Senator Arroyo. Mr. President, when the Constitution says, in Section 2 of Article V, it reads: "The
Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for
absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad."
The key to this whole exercise, Mr. President, is "qualified." In other words, anything that we may do or
say in granting our compatriots abroad must be anchored on the proposition that they are qualified.
Absent the qualification, they cannot vote. And "residents" (sic) is a qualification.
I will lose votes here from permanent residents so-called "green-card holders", but the Constitution is the
Constitution. We cannot compromise on this. The Senate cannot be a party to something that would affect
or impair the Constitution.
Look at what the Constitution says "In the place wherein they propose to vote for at least six months
immediately preceding the election."
Mr. President, all of us here have run (sic) for office.
I live in Makati. My neighbor is Pateros where Senator Cayetano lives. We are separated only by a creek.
But one who votes in Makati cannot vote in Pateros unless he resides in Pateros for six months. That is how
restrictive our Constitution is. I am not talking even about the Election Code. I am talking about the
Constitution.
As I have said, if a voter in Makati would want to vote in Pateros, yes, he may do so. But he must do so,
make the transfer six months before the election, otherwise, he is not qualified to vote.
That is why I am raising this point because I think we have a fundamental difference here.
Senator Angara. It is a good point to raise, Mr. President. But it is a point already well-debated even in the
constitutional commission of 1986. And the reason Section 2 of Article V was placed immediately after
the six-month/one-year residency requirement is to demonstrate unmistakably that Section 2 which
authorizes absentee voting is an exception to the six-month/one-year residency requirement. That is the
first principle, Mr. President, that one must remember.
The second reason, Mr. President, is that under our jurisprudence and I think this is so well-entrenched
that one need not argue about it "residency" has been interpreted as synonymous with "domicile."
But the third more practical reason, Mr. President, is, if we follow the interpretation of the
gentleman, then it is legally and constitutionally impossible to give a franchise to vote to overseas
Filipinos who do not physically live in the country, which is quite ridiculous because that is exactly
the whole point of this exercise to enfranchise them and empower them to vote. 38 (Emphasis
supplied)
Accordingly, Section 4 of R.A. No. 9189 provides for the coverage of the absentee voting process, to wit:
SEC. 4. Coverage. All citizens of the Philippines abroad, who are not otherwise disqualified by law, at
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least eighteen (18) years of age on the day of elections, may vote for president, vice-president, senators and
party-list representatives.
which does not require physical residency in the Philippines; and Section 5 of the assailed law which enumerates
those who are disqualified, to wit:
SEC. 5. Disqualifications. The following shall be disqualified from voting under this Act:
a) Those who have lost their Filipino citizenship in accordance with Philippine laws;
b) Those who have expressly renounced their Philippine citizenship and who have pledged allegiance to a
foreign country;
c) Those who have committed and are convicted in a final judgment by a court or tribunal of an offense
punishable by imprisonment of not less than one (1) year, including those who have committed and been
found guilty of Disloyalty as defined under Article 137 of the Revised Penal Code, such disability not
having been removed by plenary pardon or amnesty: Provided, however, That any person disqualified to
vote under this subsection shall automatically acquire the right to vote upon expiration of five (5) years
after service of sentence; Provided, further, That the Commission may take cognizance of final judgments
issued by foreign courts or tribunals only on the basis of reciprocity and subject to the formalities and
processes prescribed by the Rules of Court on execution of judgments;
d) An immigrant or a permanent resident who is recognized as such in the host country, unless he/she
executes, upon registration, an affidavit prepared for the purpose by the Commission declaring that he/she
shall resume actual physical permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three (3) years from
approval of his/her registration under this Act. Such affidavit shall also state that he/she has not applied for
citizenship in another country. Failure to return shall be cause for the removal of the name of the immigrant
or permanent resident from the National Registry of Absentee Voters and his/her permanent disqualification
to vote in absentia.
e) Any citizen of the Philippines abroad previously declared insane or incompetent by competent authority
in the Philippines or abroad, as verified by the Philippine embassies, consulates or foreign service
establishments concerned, unless such competent authority subsequently certifies that such person is no
longer insane or incompetent.
As finally approved into law, Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189 specifically disqualifies an immigrant or permanent
resident who is "recognized as such in the host country" because immigration or permanent residence in another
country implies renunciation of ones residence in his country of origin. However, same Section allows an
immigrant and permanent resident abroad to register as voter for as long as he/she executes an affidavit to show
that he/she has not abandoned his domicile in pursuance of the constitutional intent expressed in Sections 1 and 2
of Article V that "all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law" must be entitled to exercise the
right of suffrage and, that Congress must establish a system for absentee voting; for otherwise, if actual, physical
residence in the Philippines is required, there is no sense for the framers of the Constitution to mandate Congress to
establish a system for absentee voting.
Contrary to the claim of petitioner, the execution of the affidavit itself is not the enabling or enfranchising act. The
affidavit required in Section 5(d) is not only proof of the intention of the immigrant or permanent resident to go
back and resume residency in the Philippines, but more significantly, it serves as an explicit expression that he had
not in fact abandoned his domicile of origin. Thus, it is not correct to say that the execution of the affidavit under
Section 5(d) violates the Constitution that proscribes "provisional registration or a promise by a voter to perform a
condition to be qualified to vote in a political exercise."
To repeat, the affidavit is required of immigrants and permanent residents abroad because by their status in their
host countries, they are presumed to have relinquished their intent to return to this country; thus, without the
affidavit, the presumption of abandonment of Philippine domicile shall remain.
Further perusal of the transcripts of the Senate proceedings discloses another reason why the Senate required the
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execution of said affidavit. It wanted the affiant to exercise the option to return or to express his intention to return
to his domicile of origin and not to preempt that choice by legislation. Thus:
Senator Villar. Yes, we are going back.
It states that: "For Filipino immigrants and those who have acquired permanent resident status abroad," a
requirement for the registration is the submission of "a Sworn Declaration of Intent to Return duly sworn
before any Philippine embassy or consulate official authorized to administer oath"
Mr. President, may we know the rationale of this provision? Is the purpose of this Sworn Declaration to
include only those who have the intention of returning to be qualified to exercise the right of suffrage?
What if the Filipino immigrant has no purpose of returning? Is he automatically disbarred from exercising
this right to suffrage?
Senator Angara. The rationale for this, Mr. President, is that we want to be expansive and all-
inclusive in this law. That as long as he is a Filipino, no matter whether he is a green-card holder in the
U.S. or not, he will be authorized to vote. But if he is already a green-card holder, that means he has
acquired permanent residency in the United States, then he must indicate an intention to return. This
is what makes for the definition of "domicile." And to acquire the vote, we thought that we would require
the immigrants and the green-card holders . . . Mr. President, the three administration senators are leaving,
maybe we may ask for a vote [Laughter].
Senator Villar. For a merienda, Mr. President.
Senator Angara. Mr. President, going back to the business at hand. The rationale for the requirement that
an immigrant or a green-card holder should file an affidavit that he will go back to the Philippines is that, if
he is already an immigrant or a green-card holder, that means he may not return to the country any more
and that contradicts the definition of "domicile" under the law.
But what we are trying to do here, Mr. President, is really provide the choice to the voter. The voter, after
consulting his lawyer or after deliberation within the family, may decide "No, I think we are risking our
permanent status in the United States if we file an affidavit that we want to go back." But we want to give
him the opportunity to make that decision. We do not want to make that decision for him . 39 (Emphasis
supplied)
The jurisprudential declaration in Caasi vs. Court of Appeals that green card holders are disqualified to run for any
elective office finds no application to the present case because the Caasi case did not, for obvious reasons, consider
the absentee voting rights of Filipinos who are immigrants and permanent residents in their host countries.
In the advent of The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 or R.A. 9189, they may still be considered as a
"qualified citizen of the Philippines abroad" upon fulfillment of the requirements of registration under the new law
for the purpose of exercising their right of suffrage.
It must be emphasized that Section 5(d) does not only require an affidavit or a promise to "resume actual physical
permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three years from approval of his/her registration," the
Filipinos abroad must also declare that they have not applied for citizenship in another country. Thus, they must
return to the Philippines; otherwise, their failure to return "shall be cause for the removal" of their names "from the
National Registry of Absentee Voters and his/her permanent disqualification to vote in absentia."
Thus, Congress crafted a process of registration by which a Filipino voter permanently residing abroad who is at
least eighteen years old, not otherwise disqualified by law, who has not relinquished Philippine citizenship and who
has not actually abandoned his/her intentions to return to his/her domicile of origin, the Philippines, is allowed to
register and vote in the Philippine embassy, consulate or other foreign service establishments of the place which
has jurisdiction over the country where he/she has indicated his/her address for purposes of the elections, while
providing for safeguards to a clean election.
Thus, Section 11 of R.A. No. 9189 provides:
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failure to return shall be cause for the removal of the names of the immigrants or permanent residents from the
National Registry of Absentee Voters and their permanent disqualification to vote in absentia.
In fine, considering the underlying intent of the Constitution, the Court does not find Section 5(d) of R.A. No. 9189
as constitutionally defective.
B. Is Section 18.5 of R.A. No. 9189 in relation to Section 4 of the same Act in contravention of Section 4, Article
VII of the Constitution?
Section 4 of R.A. No. 9189 provides that the overseas absentee voter may vote for president, vice-president,
senators and party-list representatives.
Section 18.5 of the same Act provides:
SEC. 18. On-Site Counting and Canvassing.
.........
18. 5 The canvass of votes shall not cause the delay of the proclamation of a winning candidate if the
outcome of the election will not be affected by the results thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Commission is empowered to order the proclamation of winning candidates despite the fact that the
scheduled election has not taken place in a particular country or countries, if the holding of elections therein
has been rendered impossible by events, factors and circumstances peculiar to such country or countries, in
which events, factors and circumstances are beyond the control or influence of the Commission. (Emphasis
supplied)
Petitioner claims that the provision of Section 18.5 of R.A. No. 9189 empowering the COMELEC to order the
proclamation of winning candidates insofar as it affects the canvass of votes and proclamation of winning
candidates for president and vice-president, is unconstitutional because it violates the following provisions of
paragraph 4, Section 4 of Article VII of the Constitution:
SEC. 4 . . .
The returns of every election for President and Vice-President, duly certified by the board of canvassers of
each province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the President of the Senate. Upon
receipt of the certificates of canvass, the President of the Senate shall, not later than thirty days after the day
of the election, open all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in
joint public session, and the Congress, upon determination of the authenticity and due execution thereof in
the manner provided by law, canvass the votes.
The person having the highest number of votes shall be proclaimed elected, but in case two or more shall
have an equal and highest number of votes, one of them shall forthwith be chosen by the vote of a majority
of all the Members of both Houses of the Congress, voting separately.
The Congress shall promulgate its rules for the canvassing of the certificates.
...
which gives to Congress the duty to canvass the votes and proclaim the winning candidates for president and vice-
president.
The Solicitor General asserts that this provision must be harmonized with paragraph 4, Section 4, Article VII of the
Constitution and should be taken to mean that COMELEC can only proclaim the winning Senators and party-list
representatives but not the President and Vice-President.41
Respondent COMELEC has no comment on the matter.
Indeed, the phrase, proclamation of winning candidates, in Section 18.5 of R.A. No. 9189 is far too sweeping that
it necessarily includes the proclamation of the winning candidates for the presidency and the vice-presidency.
Section 18.5 of R.A. No. 9189 appears to be repugnant to Section 4, Article VII of the Constitution only insofar as
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said Section totally disregarded the authority given to Congress by the Constitution to proclaim the winning
candidates for the positions of president and vice-president.
In addition, the Court notes that Section 18.4 of the law, to wit:
18.4. . . . Immediately upon the completion of the canvass, the chairman of the Special Board of Canvassers
shall transmit via facsimile, electronic mail, or any other means of transmission equally safe and reliable the
Certificates of Canvass and the Statements of Votes to the Commission, . . . [Emphasis supplied]
clashes with paragraph 4, Section 4, Article VII of the Constitution which provides that the returns of every
election for President and Vice-President shall be certified by the board of canvassers to Congress.
Congress could not have allowed the COMELEC to usurp a power that constitutionally belongs to it or, as aptly
stated by petitioner, to encroach "on the power of Congress to canvass the votes for president and vice-president
and the power to proclaim the winners for the said positions." The provisions of the Constitution as the
fundamental law of the land should be read as part of The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 and hence, the
canvassing of the votes and the proclamation of the winning candidates for president and vice-president for the
entire nation must remain in the hands of Congress.
C. Are Sections 19 and 25 of R.A. No. 9189 in violation of Section 1, Article IX-A of the Constitution?
Petitioner avers that Sections 19 and 25 of R.A. No. 9189 violate Article IX-A (Common Provisions) of the
Constitution, to wit:
Section 1. The Constitutional Commissions, which shall be independent, are the Civil Service
Commission, the Commission on Elections, and the Commission on Audit. (Emphasis supplied)
He submits that the creation of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee with the power to review, revise,
amend and approve the Implementing Rules and Regulations promulgated by the COMELEC, R.A. No. 9189
intrudes into the independence of the COMELEC which, as a constitutional body, is not under the control of either
the executive or legislative departments of government; that only the COMELEC itself can promulgate rules and
regulations which may be changed or revised only by the majority of its members; and that should the rules
promulgated by the COMELEC violate any law, it is the Court that has the power to review the same via the
petition of any interested party, including the legislators.
It is only on this question that respondent COMELEC submitted its Comment. It agrees with the petitioner that
Sections 19 and 25 of R.A. No. 9189 are unconstitutional. Like the petitioner, respondent COMELEC anchors its
claim of unconstitutionality of said Sections upon Section 1, Article IX-A of the Constitution providing for the
independence of the constitutional commissions such as the COMELEC. It asserts that its power to formulate rules
and regulations has been upheld in Gallardo vs. Tabamo, Jr.42 where this Court held that the power of the
COMELEC to formulate rules and regulations is implicit in its power to implement regulations under Section 2(1)
of Article IX-C43 of the Constitution. COMELEC joins the petitioner in asserting that as an independent
constitutional body, it may not be subject to interference by any government instrumentality and that only this
Court may review COMELEC rules and only in cases of grave abuse of discretion.
The COMELEC adds, however, that another provision, vis--vis its rule-making power, to wit:
SEC. 17. Voting by Mail.
17.1. For the May, 2004 elections, the Commission shall authorize voting by mail in not more than three (3)
countries, subject to the approval of the Congressional Oversight Committee. Voting by mail may be
allowed in countries that satisfy the following conditions:
a) Where the mailing system is fairly well-developed and secure to prevent occasion for fraud;
b) Where there exists a technically established identification system that would preclude multiple or proxy
voting; and
c) Where the system of reception and custody of mailed ballots in the embassies, consulates and other
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