ilipr rL)lic ol llrr PhLlipt)lDcs f:i'f;ih DEPAR.TMENT OF'T]HI.O INTERIOR. AND LOCAL GOVERNIVIENT A.Fr ilncisco Cr)ld Coldonrrii rr 11, F]DSA rorller M.rp.lgirahill St., Dili|rrur, QutzoD Citt' qx/)t TelL?hollc Ndr:rl)er 925.11.48 . 925.88.88 . 925.03.32 www.clilg gov.pl) OFFICE OF THE TJI\]]t},IiRSECRE,TARY TOR LOCAL COVERNMENT DILG Legal Opinion No. 23, S. 2013 HON. DAN]LO O. LEYBLE JUN 2013 City Ntayor 20 Antipolo, Rizal Dcar Mayor Leyble, 'l'his pertains to your letter cl: rr,cl 21 I!1ay 2013 recluesting this l)e1:rat tlnent's opiniou rggardilg ltesolur.ion Nurnbelr; 119 artd 120 of the Satigguniang Par-rlLilawigarl of Rizal rvhich clcclarecl City Resoluti.)| No. 2013-013 (Annlral Investmc'nt Plan) ancl city Appr-opriation or:clinauce No. i201ll-001 (AnuuaI Ljudget) as "invaLjd ancl iroperative" on the solc' grould that only eighr (8) rternbcrs of the Sangguniang Panlungsod tll Antipokr (iity approved and enacted the : aicl measures last 29 April 2013. [)cr your letr€r and its atrlchrnents, you filcd a Petition fbr N{aDcla|rus agair.ist the' lrt,rnbers of the Sangguniang P: nIungsocl o['Aritipolo City beforc the Regional'l'rial Court (l?'l'C), 13ral]ch 7"1 of Antipolo rliiry, seeking juclicial relie[.fbr tlre contiur-tec] failute a]}d/cir rt,fusal ol the Sangguniang PanJungsod to enact and approve the 20i3 Ar]nual lnvestmcllt Plan alcl the Annnal Buclget for 11013 of Ant\rolo City ln arr Orcler datcd 25 April 2013, the RTC Blantecl the petitioD, ancl dirccted the Sanggnniarg Parluugsod of A.rrtipolo lo "convene and ltold re.r:lb;l a.r a collegial brttly exclusiv.tJS. for tht: delibetattDrr ol'the 201-l ,Annual Inveslnietlt Platt and tlte Annuitl Itutlget litr 201,V ofAnripolo Ci;5 , until tht' sante are respectit'elv approvetl anJ ptssecl. " Accorcliirgly, in a letter datcd ll5 April 20113, yoll wrote l-[on. Susalra C. Say, Antipoio City Vice Nllyor alcl Presiding C)ffl:rrr of the Sanggltniang Panlungsod, informing thc' latter ol rhe aforesaid C)rclcr of the RllC ancl enjoitri.ng t).re sanggunian to cornpJy rvith tirc saute, ln conpliance with the afbrelrcntioned RTC Olcler alLcl directive fiour your otlice, cight (8) rren-rbers of the SangguDiang Panlungsod of Antipolo City held a r.'c'gulirr session on 29 April 2913. Despire due norice, ten (10) mernbers ofthe sanggunian u'ere allegedly abscnt iLr rhe said session, in wlrich Clity ResohLtion No. 201lJ 0] ll ancl City ApPropriation Ordinance No. 2013-001 s/ere,ltlacted ald approved. On 07 NIay 201!J, the Siinggur,r:trg Pirnlalawigun of llizal, PursLl.]rt to iLs revi('w Pu\\ r-'r runcler rhc Local Governnent (locle of i991 (codc), enacted Resolution Nos. 119 ard 120 cleclaring the aforementiolej rneasuLes as invalid aud inoperative for tlaving bcen cracte(l by the Sangguniang }?allungsoci of Ar.rtipolo City withoLrt the t'ctlitisiLc {luorLlin [s providtcl under Section 53 oltlri: sane Code- llence, yonl clueries, which arc ltereto cpotecl, viz: 1.Is rhc declaration by'ttLe Sangguniang panlalawigan plrrsuunr to trs revrew power on City Resolur::c,n No. 2013-013 and Appropriation C)rdiluLnce No. 2013-001 as both "inv;rlid and inopcrative" on rhe sole ground that only eight (8) membersi out of eighreen (lg) members of Sangguniang Panlungsoci appro'ecl rhe subject resolut.io. and ortlinance, a valic] (sic) legislative act? 2- Does panlalawigan the Sangguniarrg has (sic) the por,r,er to cleclare such ordinance and resoluti,rn as invalid and inoperative other than rhc ground o[ ulrrr r ires? l3efore drvellir-rg on yoLrr querics, may we nore that based on the facts ancl circurnstances y,u stated in your letter-request, it appears that what are at issue are thc validity of city Resolution No. 2013-0r3 and Appropriation ordina.rce No. 20r3 001, purpo.tedly by the sa'rgguniang ".ro.t".r P'nlungsod of Antipoio anci Resolurion Nos. 119 anct 120 purportedly enacted by the Sangguniang panlztlawigan of Rizal. I-egislative acts enjoy the presLr.:ption of variclity, and iegislative boclies ar, presuned to have carried out their functiorr rr:gularly in enacting the said pursuant to Rtrle 13r, Section 3 (m) of the Rules of Courr" ''easu'es, Generally, therefore, the matrer :f the validity of legisiative enaLrnlenrs ,',ay appropriatery be rhreshed out in the proper ju,ricial proceeding, as only courts ur" by lan, to i)naily "r''po*".# detern-rine tl-re vaiidity of :rre herein questioned measures and their complia'ce with the provisions of the Constitution, the Code ancl pertinent lalvs. llc that as it may, we shalr rencle:'an opinion on the issues her.ein raised soleiy rbr purposes o1, academic discussion' considerirL'3 that this Department previously rrad the o"""rror, ,o LliscoLrrse on t hu sriJ nt(LLre[s. ln reply to your first qtrery, ir is lur view that the sangguniang panlalar.l,igan of Rizar erred in disapProving city Resoluti.* l{o. 2013-013 a'd city Appropriatio' ordina'ce No. 2013_ 001 on the sole grouncl thar sa.d measures were approved by only eight (g) our of the eighteen (18) mcmber.s of the iiang;guniang panlungsod of Antipolo Ciry. Please be advisecl that this Depar'trnent already had the occasion to elucidate on the exrent oI the review polver of the sanggu:riang panlalawigan over a city,s appropriations ordinance in DILG Legal Opinion No. 102, S. 200.1 (copy attached). Quoting Section 327r of the Code,, the afbrementionecl Legal Opinion helcl that rhe exte'r ot, the revierv power of the srrngguniang panialawigar over a clry s appropriarions I Secrion 327 Review of ApproprirrioD ordinarces of cornponenr cities and Nlunicipaliries.- The Sanggunial18 PanlaLawigan shall revir:n' the ordjnance aurhorizing annual or supplenental u'pr.opriario's of compoDe:rc cities aud mr.rnicipalities iu rhe same manner and within the."rrt" p"riod pr"..,.ib.d tb,. tl-," ."ur.* of other ordinances. ni-r Il wir.hin rhe saore period, rhe sangguniang panlalawigan shar have uscertai'ed th't rhe ordinance L.xtends only as lar as looking rrtto rv[rether ol- not a city's a 1_rpropr.taLrols ,,r(linirllc,' . orrrplies r,r it lt t r,.," h,: rlircn)r,nl\ arcl lirnitations sct fbrth under'l'irle V, Ilool< Il of ttrc Local Covernrnent Cocl,:, or the title beirg refen ed to iu rhe afbr.emc.trtionecl bectrot). 1\pplyirrg the albresaid princilrtr: ro your query, rhe revierv of Ciry llcsolution Nci. 2013- 013 ancl City Appropriation Or,linalce No. 20111 001 by the Sangguninrrg |aulalawigln oI Itizal sbould have been coirlint:cl to the deter:l'niration of said neasurc.s, c,.lnrpiil.ce; rvirh the budgeta4' recluireme.rs lai,i dolv'in sectio^s 324 a^d 325 of tr.rc LGC. viz: 'SECIlON32{. Builgerrrv Requirements. The budget of local govemrnenr Lruits tln ;ruy I'isc;rl ye,ar. ;hall comply with the l.bllowitrg requ ircr.Dents: 'I'he aggregatF a. anlount appropriatecl shall not exceed thc estltrrtes ol. income; b. Fuli prr-rvisioLr rlLall be nacle for ul statutory atid corltractual obligations of the locar government unit c.'cerned: provicleci, however,'l'hat thc lrnrounr of appropriatior.rs for clebt servicing sJ.rlll nor exceed twenty pt:i-,:r:nt (20026) of the regular inconrc ol tht local SOVerrlment uDrt col r,:terrled; c. In case ol provinces, cities, and mulicipalities, aicl to conrpolent barungays slLall be providecl in arnotLnts o1 n.t less trra' one 'l hciLrs:r.d (P1,000.00) Pesos per barangay, arcl; li'ive pcrccnt (,5!t,) d. of the estiutated reveure lion Lc,gLrlar souLces shall be sc-t aside irs iut annual lump appropriation for un{irr"eseen expenditures arisiinl; from the occurrence of calamitir.s: pr.oviclrcl, however, T'har sLr(ll apptopriation shall bc usecl oliy in tltr: arr.a, or a portion thereof, c,f r re locar gover rllnent unit or oLher art as decraretl irr a stlte of calarLrit',r by tbe Presidr:nt.,, (Note: Sec llA g ltj5 lbr amcndrnenr of par. (C). "SEC'I iON 325. Gener:al Linitariors. - Tht Lrse of rhe provirreial, ciry, and rrunicipal funds shall bt. subject ro the l'ollolvi ng liuritatiotrs: 'fhe a) total apprrpriatiols, rl4rether annual ol sr-tpplenental, for pelsonal services of rr local govenrment rurit for one (1) fiscal year shall not exceed lbrty fir,c percent (,150/o) il the case of firsr to thircl class provinces, cities and mr-rnicipalities, and lifiy-fir,e percent (5501, in tlie case offourth class or lowet., of thc total aunual income front r.cgular sources realized in thc next prececling fiscal year.. The lppropr.iaLions reclul [erllei]Ls forth g1!. in this dre sa'gguniarg panlaiawiga. shall, u,it] ni'cLy-clay lrerei.above'qg- presc.ibed tlecrare 'tl.re Period such orcli'u.ce inopcrative in its enrirety or in pa.t. Items of appropriarions contlary ro rirrrirations prescribed herein shall b.: clisalrorvecr or. rccrucecL accorcli ngly. xxx" (uncler-scorirrEi sLrpplied). fbr-- salaries, wagt's rcpresenLation aud t [a ltsportat iolt tl]orvlnces of ofTicials a r.rcl enpic,v:,ls of the pr-rblic utilities ancl econorrric (ltLcrprises o\,"'ned, operated, itircL rnaintailed by the locui governutent rurit collcern...l shiLll rrot be included iu the annual bu(lgrt or in rhe coluputatioD of the urrximutrr antoLil]t tbr per:sonal scrvic0s. '] l-rir appropriatious fitr the personal services of such eutetprise.s shall be chargecl to theil respcctive budgets; b) No oflicial or er:nployee shall be eutitled ro a salar.l r.are higlrcr thrn the maximum lixerl lbl his position or other positions of eclLrivalent ratrli by applicable l;rvs or rules and regulatiolrs issued thereunder; c) No local ftlnd shr-ll be appropriatccl ro ilcrease or adjust sllaries t.rL wages of officials and ernployeres of the national gover rinrenL, cxcepl its nay be cxpressly authorized by larv; d) [n cases of abo]ition of positions and the creation .rf' rew ones resulting from tlre atxrlition of existing positions in rhr: carc.cL sei'vicc, such abolirion or .