Araullo,etalv.Aquino,etal,GRNo.209287,July1,2014(p.

22)Bryan
Facts:
WhenPresidentBenignoAquinoIIItookoffice,hisadministrationnoticedthesluggishgrowthof
the economy. The World Bank advised that the economy needed a stimulus plan. Budget Secretary
Florencio Butch Abad then came up with a program called the Disbursement Acceleration Program
(DAP).
TheDAPwasseenasaremedytospeedupthefundingofgovernmentprojects.DAPenablesthe
Executivetorealignfundsfromslowmovingprojectstopriorityprojectsinsteadofwaitingfornextyears
appropriation.SowhathappensundertheDAPwasthatifacertaingovernmentprojectisbeingundertaken
slowlybyacertainexecutiveagency,thefundsallottedthereforwillbewithdrawnbytheExecutive.Once
withdrawn,thesefundsaredeclaredassavingsbytheExecutiveandsaidfundswillthenbereallottedto
otherpriorityprojects.TheDAPprogramdidworktostimulatetheeconomyaseconomicgrowthwasin
factreportedandportionofsuchgrowthwasattributedtotheDAP(asnotedbytheSupremeCourt).
OthersourcesoftheDAPincludetheunprogrammedfundsfromtheGeneralAppropriationsAct
(GAA).UnprogrammedfundsarestandbyappropriationsmadebyCongressintheGAA.
Meanwhile, in September 2013, Senator Jinggoy Estrada made an expos claiming that he, and other
Senators,receivedPhp50MfromthePresidentasanincentiveforvotinginfavoroftheimpeachmentof
thenChiefJusticeRenatoCorona.SecretaryAbadclaimedthatthemoneywastakenfromtheDAPbutwas
disbursedupontherequestoftheSenators.
ThisapparentlyopenedacanofwormsasitturnsoutthattheDAPdoesnotonlyrealignfunds
within the Executive. It turns out that some nonExecutive projects werealso funded; to name a few:
Php1.5BfortheCPLA(CordilleraPeoplesLiberationArmy),Php1.8BfortheMNLF(MoroNational
Liberation Front), P700M for the Quezon Province, P50P100M for certain Senators each, P10B for
RelocationProjects,etc.
This prompted Maria Carolina Araullo, Chairperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and
severalotherconcernedcitizenstofilevariouspetitionswiththeSupremeCourtquestioningthevalidityof
theDAP.Amongtheircontentionswas:
DAPisunconstitutionalbecauseitviolatestheconstitutionalrulewhichprovidesthatnomoney
shallbepaidoutoftheTreasuryexceptinpursuanceofanappropriationmadebylaw.
Secretary Abad argued that the DAP is based on certain laws particularly the GAA (savings and
augmentation provisions thereof), Sec. 25(5), Art. VI of the Constitution (power of the President to
augment),Secs.38and49ofExecutiveOrder292(powerofthePresidenttosuspendexpendituresand
authoritytousesavings,respectively).
Issue:Whetherornotthecaseismootandacademic.
Ruling:
ItistruethatSec.AbadmanifestedduringtheJanuary28,2014oralargumentsthattheDAPasa
programhadbeenmeanwhilediscontinuedbecauseithadfullyserveditspurpose,saying:Inconclusion,
Your Honors, may I inform the Court that because the DAP has already fully served its purpose, the
Administration'seconomicmanagershaverecommendeditsterminationtothePresident.
A moot and academic case is one that ceases to present a justiciable controversy by virtue of
superveningevents,sothatadeclarationthereonwouldbeofnopracticaluseorvalue.TheCourtcannot
agreethattheterminationoftheDAPasaprogramwasasuperveningeventthateffectivelymootedthese
consolidatedcases.Verily,theCourthadinthepastexercised'itspowerofjudicialreviewdespitethecases
beingrenderedmootandacademicbysuperveningevents,like:(1)whentherewasagraveviolationofthe
Constitution;(2)whenthecaseinvolvedasituationofexceptionalcharacterandwasofparamountpublic
interest;(3)whentheconstitutionalissueraisedrequiredtheformulationofcontrollingprinciplestoguide
theBench,theBarandthepublic;and(4)whenthecasewascapableofrepetitionyetevadingreview.
Assumingthatthepetitioners'severalsubmissionsagainsttheDAPwereultimatelysustainedbytheCourt

here,thesecaseswoulddefinitelycomeunderalltheexceptions.Hence,theCourtshouldnotabstainfrom
exercisingitspowerofjudicialreview.