Administrative Law Arellano University School of Law aiza ebina/2015
National Hosin! Athority vs Almeida 525 S"#A $%$ Adjudicatory Powers Powers &A"'S( &A"'S( On June 28, 1959, the Land Tenure Administration (LTA) awarded to Margarita Herrera severa !ortions o" and whi#h are !art o" the Tunasan $state in %an &edro, Laguna'The re#ords show that Margarita Herrera Herrera had two #hidren eatri* Herrera+Mer Herrera+Mer#ado #ado (the mother o" !rivate res!ondent) and ran#is#a ran#is#a Herrera' eatri* Herrera+Mer#ado !rede#eased her mother and e"t heirs' Margarita Herrera !assed awa- on O#to.er 2/, 19/1'On August 22, 19/0, ran#is#a Herrera, the remaining #hid o" the ate Margarita Herrera ee#uted a eed o" %e"+Ad3udi#ation #aiming that she is the onremaining reative, .eing the soe surviving daughter o" the de#eased' %he aso #aimed to .e the e#usive ega heir o" the ate Margarita Herrera' The eed o" %e"+Ad3u %e"+Ad3udi#ation di#ation was .ased on a %inum!aang %inum!aang %aa-sa- dated O#to.er /, 194, aegedee#uted .- Margarita Herrera' The surviving heirs o" eatri* Herrera+Mer#a Herrera+Mer#ado do 6ed a #ase "or annument o" the eed o" %e"+Ad3udi#ation %e"+Ad3udi#ation .e"ore the then 7ourt o" irst nstan#e o" Laguna' On e#em.er 29, 198, a de#ision on the #ase uestioning the eed o" %e"+Ad3udi#ation was rendered and the deed was de#ared nu and void' uring tria on the merits o" the #ase assaiing the eed o" %e"+Ad3udi#ation, ran#is#a Herrera 6ed an a!!i#ation with the :HA to !ur#hase the same ots su.mitting therewith a #o!- o" the ;%inum!aang %aa-sa-; %aa-sa-; ee#ut ee#uted ed .- her mother mother'' &rivate &rivate res!ond res!ondent ent Ameida, Ameida, as heir heir o" eatri* eatri* Herrer Herrera+Me a+Mer#a r#ado, do, !rotested the a!!i#ation' n a , 198/' On e.ruar- 1, 198/, ran#is#a Herrera died' Her heirs ee#uted an etra3udi#ia settement o" her estate whi#h the- su.mitted to the :HA' %aid trans"er o" rights was a!!roved .- the :HA' The :HA ee#uted severa deeds o" sae in "avor o" the heirs o" ran#is#a Herrera and tites were issued in their "avor' Therea"ter, the heirs o" ran#is#a Herrera dire#ted %egunda Mer#ado+Ameida to eave the !remises that she was o##u!-ing' eeing aggrieved .- the de#ision o" the O=#e o" the &resident and the resoution o" the :HA, !rivate res!ondent %egunda Mer#ado+Ameida sought the #an#eation o" the tites issued in "avor o" the heirs o" ran#is#a' %he 6ed a 7om!aint on e.ruar- 8, 1988, "or ;:ui6#ation o" ?overnment Lot@s Award,; with the , the 7ourt o" A!!eas a=rmed the de#ision de#ision o" the
)SSU*( Chether )SSU*( Chether or not the resoution o" the :HA and the de#ision o" the O=#e o" the &resident have attained 6nait-, and i" so, whether or not the !rin#i!e o" administrative res 3udi#ata .ars the #ourt "rom "urther determining who .etween the !arties has !re"erentia rights "or award over the su.3e#t ots #UL)N+( Des' #UL)N+( Des' ) .ran#he .ran#hesEth sEthe e egisa egisative tive,, the ee#utive, ee#utive, and the 3udi#iar-' 3udi#iar-' $a#h de!artment de!artment is #o+eua and #oordinate, and su!reme in its own s!here' s!here' A##ord A##ording ing-, -, the ee#ut ee#utive ive de!artment de!artment ma- not, .- its own 6at, im!ose the 3udgment 3udgment o" one o" its agen#ie agen#ies, s, u!on the 3udi#iar 3udi#iar-' ndeed, ndeed, under under the e!ande e!anded d 3urisdi# 3urisdi#tion tion o" the %u!reme %u!reme 7ourt, 7ourt, it is em!owered to ;determine whether or not there has .een grave a.use o" dis#retion amounting to a# or e#ess o" 3urisdi#tion on the !art o" an- .ran#h or instrumentait- o" the ?overnment'; 7ourts have an e!anded roe under the 198/ 7onstitution in the resoution resoution o" so#ieta #onGi#ts under the grave grave a.use a.use #ause #ause o" Arti#e Arti#e whi#h whi#h in#udes in#udes that dut- to #he# whether the other other .ran#he .ran#hes s o" government government #ommitted an a#t that "as under the #ategor- o" grave a.use o" dis#retion dis#retion amounting to a# or e#ess o" 3urisdi#tion' &etitioner #ites atas &am.ansa g' 129 or the Judi#iar- , aread- rued that the issue o" the tria #ourt@s authorit- to hear and de#ide the instant #ase has aread- .een setted in the de#ision o" the 7ourt o" A!!eas dated June 24, 1989 (whi#h has .e#ome 6na and ee#utor- on August 2, 1989 as !er entr- o" 3udgment dated O#to.er 1, 1989)' Ce 6nd no reason to distur. this ruing' 7ourts are dut-+.ound to !ut an end to #ontroversies' The s-stem o" 3udi#ia review shoud not .e misused and a.used to evade the o!eration o" a 6na and ee#utoree#utor- 3udgment' The a!!eate #ourt@s de#ision .e#omes the aw o" the #ase whi#h must .e adhered to .- the !arties .- reason o" !oi#-' #A'),( A #A'),( A government government agency performs adjudicatory adjudicatory functions when it renders decisions or awards that determine the rights of adversarial parties, which decisions or awards have the same binding eect as a judgment of a court of law, law, such that when they attain nality, nality, they have the eect of res judicata that even the courts of justice have to respect. +++