This case has been cited 2 times or more.
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2013-06-05 |
SERENO, C.J. |
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| Furthermore, under Section 24, Chapter 6, Book I of the Administrative Code, "[t]he publication of any law, resolution or other official documents in the Official Gazette shall be prima facie evidence of its authority." Thus, whether or not President Marcos intended to include Western Bicutan is not only irrelevant but speculative. Simply put, the courts may not speculate as to the probable intent of the legislature apart from the words appearing in the law.[17] This Court cannot rule that a word appears in the law when, evidently, there is none. In Pagpalain Haulers, Inc. v. Hon. Trajano,[18] we ruled that "[u]nder Article 8 of the Civil Code, '[j]udicial decisions applying or interpreting the laws or the Constitution shall form a part of the legal system of the Philippines.' This does not mean, however, that courts can create law. The courts exist for interpreting the law, not for enacting it. To allow otherwise would be violative of the principle of separation of powers, inasmuch as the sole function of our courts is to apply or interpret the laws, particularly where gaps or lacunae exist or where ambiguities becloud issues, but it will not arrogate unto itself the task of legislating." The remedy sought in these Petitions is not judicial interpretation, but another legislation that would amend the law to include petitioners' lots in the reclassification. | |||||