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86649

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RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
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ENBANC

G.R.No.86649July12,1990

ANNADOMINIQUEM.L.COSETENGandKABABAIHANPARASAINANGBAYAN,petitioners,
vs.
HON.RAMONV.MITRA,JR.,asspeakeroftheHouseofRepresentativesoftheCongressofthe
PhilippinesHON.FRANCISCOSUMULONG,asMajorityFloorLeaderoftheHouseofRepresentativesof
theCongressofthePhilippinesHON.JOVITOSALONGA,asExOficioChairmanoftheCommissionon
AppointmentsHON.ROQUER.ABLAN,JR.,HON.LORNAL.VERANOYAP,HON.MIGUELROMERO,HON.
ANTONIOV.CUENCO,HON.ROGACIANOM.MERCADO,HON.ALAWADINT.BANDON,JR.,HON.JOSEL.
CABOCHAN,HON.CARLOSR.IMPERIAL,HON.MA.CLARAL.LOBREGAT,HON.NATALIOM.BELTRAN,
JR.,HON.CARMELOJ.LOCSIN&HON.LUISC.SINGSON,asMembersoftheCommissionon
AppointmentsfortheHouseofRepresentativesoftheCONGRESSOFTHEPHILIPPINES,respondents.

PerfectoV.Fernandez,JoseP.FernandezandCristobalP.Fernandezforpetitioners.

Panganiban,Benitez,Barinaga&BautistaLawOfficesforLornaL.VeranoYap.

GRIOAQUINO,J.:

The congressional elections of May 11, 1987 resulted in the election to the House of Representatives of the
candidatesofdiversepoliticalpartiessuchasthePDPLaban,LakasngBansa(LB),LiberalParty(LP),NPUnido,
Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan (KBL), Panaghiusa, Kababaihan Para sa Inang Bayan (KAIBA), and some
independents. Petitioner Anna Dominique M.L. Coseteng was the only candidate elected under the banner of
KAIBA.

OnAugust26,1987,theHouseofRepresentatives,uponnominationbytheMajorityFloorLeader,Cong.Francisco
Sumulong,electedfromtheCoalescedMajority,eleven(11)outoftwelve(12)congressmentorepresenttheHouse
intheCommissiononAppointments.Theywere:

1.Hon.MiguelRomeroLP(LiberalParty)
2.Hon.AntonioV.CuencoLBPanaghiusa
3.Hon.RogacianoMercadoLB(LakasngBayan)
4.Hon.RaulDazaLP
5.Hon.AlawadinT.BandonJr.PDPLaban
6.Hon.JoseCabochanPDPLaban
7.Hon.LornaL.VeranoYapLP
8.Hon.CarlosR.ImperialIND
9.Hon.Ma.ClaraL.LobregatIND
10.HonNatalioM.Beltran,Jr.LB/Unido/NP
11.Hon.CarmeloJ.LocsinPDPLaban/LB

(pp.115116,Rollo.)

OnSeptember22,1987,uponnominationoftheMinorityFloorLeader,theHouseelectedHonorableRoqueAblan,
Jr., KBL, as the twelfth member of the Commission on Appointments, representing the Coalesced Minority in the
House.

Ayearlater,onSeptember16,1988,the"LabanngDemokratikongPilipino"(LDP,forbrevity)wasorganizedasa
political party. As 158 out of 202 members of the House of Representatives formally affiliated with the LDP, the
Housecommittees,includingtheHouserepresentationintheCommissiononAppointments,hadtobereorganized.

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OnOctober8,1988,petitionerCosetengwrotealettertoSpeakerRamonMitrarequestingthatasrepresentativeof
KAIBA,shebeappointedasamemberoftheCommissiononAppointmentsandHouseElectoralTribunal(p.15,
Rollo).Herrequestwasendorsedbynine(9)congressmen,namely,Hon.LallyLaurelTrinidad,BonifacioGillego,
LuzReyesBakunawa,GerardoCabochan,JoseD.Aspiras,OscarSantos,EduardoN.Joson,AntonioH.Cerilles
andIsacioPelaez.

OnDecember5,1988,theHouseofRepresentatives,onmotionoftheMajorityFloorLeaderandovertheobjection
ofCong.RaulA.Daza,LP,revisedtheHousemajoritymembershipintheCommissiononAppointmentstoconform
withthenewpoliticalalignmentsbyreplacingRep.RaulA.Daza,LP,withRep.LuisC.Singson,LDP,asfollows:

1.Hon.MiguelL.RomeroLDP
2.Hon.AntonioV.CuencoLDP
3.Hon.RogacianoM.MercadoLDP
4.Hon.AlawadinT.Bandon,Jr.LDP
5.Hon.JoseL.CabochanLDP
6.Hon.CarlosR.ImperialLDP
7.Hon.MariaClaraL.LobregatLDP
8.Hon.NatalioM.Beltran,Jr.LDP
9.Hon.CarmeloJ.LocsinLDP
10.Hon.LuisC.SingsonLDP
11.Hon.LornaL.VeranoYapLP

(p.122,Rollo.)

CongressmanAblan,KBL,wasretainedasthe12thmemberrepresentingtheHouseminority.

OnFebruary1,1989,CongresswomanCosetengandherparty,theKAIBA,filedthisPetitionforExtraordinaryLegal
Writs(whichmaybeconsideredasapetitionforquowarrantoandinjunction)prayingthisCourttodeclareasnull
andvoidtheelectionofrespondentAblan,VeranoYap,Romero,Cuenco,Mercado,Bandon,Cabochan,Imperial,
Lobregat, Beltran, Locsin, and Singson, as members of the Commission on Appointments, to enjoin them from
actingassuchandtoenjoinalsotheotherrespondentsfromrecognizingthemasmembersoftheCommissionon
AppointmentsonthetheorythattheirelectiontothatCommissionviolatedtheconstitutionalmandateofproportional
representationbecause:

1)theNewMajority(158LDPmembersoutofthe202membersoftheHouse)isentitledtoonlynine(9)seatsout
ofthetwelvetobefilledbytheHouse(p.29,Rollo)

2) the members representing the political parties, or coalitions thereof, must be nominated by their respective
politicalpartiesorcoalitions

3)thenominationandelectionofrespondentVeranoYapbytherespondentsasrepresentativeoftheminoritywas
clearlyinvalid(p.31,Rollo)and

4)thatsimilarlyinvalidwastheretentionofrespondentAblanasMinoritymemberintheCommissionbecausehe
wasneithernominatednorelectedassuchbytheminoritypartyorpartiesintheHouse(p.31,Rollo).

Petitioner Coseteng further alleged that she is qualified to sit in the Commission on Appointments as a
representativeoftheMinoritybecauseshehasthesupportofnine(9)othercongressmenandcongresswomenof
theMinority(p.31,Rollo).

IntheircollectiveComment,therespondentsHouseofRepresentatives,theSpeaker,theMajorityFloorLeader,the
members of the Commission on Appointments including Congressman Roque R. Ablan, but excluding
Congresswoman Lorna VeranoYap (who filed a separate Comment), alleged: (1) that the legality of the
reorganization of the Commission on Appointments is a political question, hence, outside the jurisdiction of this
Courttodecide,and(2)thatinanycase,thereorganizationwas"strictlyinconsonancewithSection18,ArticleVIof
the 1987 Constitution" i.e., on the basis of proportional representation of the political parties, considering the
majoritycoalition"asaformofapoliticalparty"(pp.115,118,Rollo).TheyfurtherallegedthatasofMarch3,1989,
160 members of the House (including 26 former Liberals) had expressly renounced in writing their respective
politicalpartyaffiliationsandformallyaffiliatedwiththeLDPleavingonly15LiberalsintheHouse(p.119,Rollo). itcasl

After its petition for registration as a political party was granted on August 28, 1989 by the First Division of the
COMELEC)andaffirmedonNovember23,1989bytheCOMELECenbanc,theLDPbecomethenewMajorityin
theHouse.TheyfinallyarguedthatasKAIBAispartoftheCoalescedMajoritywhichsupportstheadministrationof
PresidentCorazonC.Aquino,notoftheminority,petitionerisboundbythechoiceoftheCoalescedMajorityofthe
memberswhowouldsitintheCommissiononAppointments.

RepresentativeLornaVeranoYap,inhercommentallegedthatthepetitionerhasnobetterlightthanthosealready
selected, to be chosen as a member of the Commission on Appointments because: (1) the Constitution was not

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violatedinelectingYapandeleven(11)otherHousememberstotheCommissiononAppointments(2)respondent
Yapisarightfulincumbentand(3)petitioner'sclaimtoaseatontheCommissiononAppointmentsiswithoutlegal
andfactualbasis(pp.217218,Rollo).

The Commission on Appointments took a neutral stand on the petition as the issues involved may touch on the
validityofitsorganizationandthelegalityoftheentitlementoftheLDPortheLPtorepresentation,whichareraised
inthecaseofDazavs.Singson,G.R.No.86344,thenpendingbeforethisCourt(pp.195198,Rollo).

TheissuehereiswhetherthemembersoftheHouseintheCommissiononAppointmentswerechosenonthebasis
of proportional representation from the political parties therein as provided in Section 18, Article VI of the 1987
Constitutionwhichreads:

Sec.18.ThereshallbeaCommissiononAppointmentsconsistingofthePresidentoftheSenate,as
exoficioChairman,twelveSenators,andtwelveMembersoftheHouseofRepresentativeselectedby
each House on the basis of proportional representation from the political parties and parties or
organizations registered under the partylist system represented therein. The chairman of the
Commission shall not vote, except in case of a tie. The Commission shall act on all appointments
submittedtoitwithinthirtysessiondaysoftheCongressfromtheirsubmission.Thecommissionshall
rulebyamajorityvoteofalltheMembers.(Art.VI,1987Constitution.)

After deliberating on the petition and the comments of the respondents, we hold that the petition should be
dismissed, not because it raises a political question, which it does not, but because the revision of the House
representation in the Commission on Appointments is based on proportional representation of the political parties
thereinasprovidedinSection18,ArticleVIofthe1987Constitution.

The "political question" issue was settled in Daza vs. Singson, G.R. No. 86344, December 21, 1989, where this
Court ruled that "the legality, and not the wisdom, of the manner of filling the Commission on Appointments as
prescribedbytheConstitution"isjusticiable,and,"evenifthequestionwerepoliticalinnature,itwouldstillcome
within our powers of review under the expanded jurisdiction conferred upon us by Article VIII, Section 1, of the
Constitution, which includes theauthorityto determine whether graveabuseofdiscretionamountingto excess or
lackofjurisdictionhasbeencommittedbyanybranchorinstrumentalityofthegovernment."

The composition of the House membership in the Commission on Appointments was based on proportional
representationofthepoliticalpartiesintheHouse.Thereare160membersoftheLDPintheHouse.Theyrepresent
79% of the House membership (which may be rounded out to 80%). Eighty percent (80%) of 12 members in the
CommissiononAppointmentswouldequal9.6members,whichmayberoundedouttoten(10)membersfromthe
LDP.TheremainingtwoseatswereapportionedtotheLP(respondentLornaVeranoYap)asthenextlargestparty
in the Coalesced Majority and the KBL (respondent Roque Ablan) as the principal opposition party in the House.
ThereisnodoubtthatthisapportionmentoftheHousemembershipintheCommissiononAppointmentswasdone
"onthebasisofproportionalrepresentationofthepoliticalpartiestherein."

TheotherpoliticalpartiesorgroupsintheHouse,suchaspetitioner'sKAIBA(whichispresumablyamemberalso
of the Coalesced Majority), are bound by the majority's choices. Even if KAIBA were to be considered as an
opposition party, its lone member (petitioner Coseteng) represents only .4% or less than 1% of the House
membership,hence,sheisnotentitledtooneofthe12HouseseatsintheCommissiononAppointments.Tobe
able to claim proportional membership in the Commission on Appointments, a political party should represent at
least 8.4% of the House membership, i.e., it should have been able to elect at least 17 congressmen or
congresswomen.

The indorsements of the nine (9) congressmen and congresswomen in favor of the petitioner's election to the
Commissionareinconsequentialbecausetheyarenotmembersofherpartyandtheysignedidenticalindorsements
infavorofherrival,respondentCongresswomanVeranoYap.

Thereisnomeritinthepetitioner'scontentionthattheHousemembersintheCommissiononAppointmentsshould
have been nominated and elected by their respective political parties. The petition itself shows that they were
nominated by their respective floor leaders in the House. They were elected by the House (not by their party) as
provided in Section 18, Article VI of the Constitution. The validity of their election to the Commission on
Appointmentseleven(11)fromtheCoalescedMajorityandonefromtheminorityisunassailable.

WHEREFORE,thepetitionisdismissedforlackofmerit.Costsagainstthepetitioner.

SOORDERED.

Fernan, C.J., Narvasa, MelencioHerrera, Gutierrez, Jr., Cruz, Paras, Feliciano, Gancayco, Padilla, Bidin, Cortes,
MedialdeaandRegalado,JJ.,concur.

Sarmiento,J.,tooknopart.

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