Comelec vs. Silva

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS vs. HON. LORENZO R. SILVA, JR., as Presiding Judge, RTC, Branches 2 and 3, Balanga, Bataan, HON. BENJAMIN T. VIANZON, as Presiding Judge, Branch 1, of the same Court, ERASTO TANCIONGCO, and NORMA CASTILLO

G.R. No. 129417 February 10, 1998

FACTS:

The COMELEC charged private respondents Erasto Tanciongco and Norma Castillo with violations of Sec.27 of R.A. No. 6646, together with Zenon Uy, in twelve separate informations filed with the Regional Trial Court of Bataan for tampering the certificates of canvass by increasing the votes received of senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile in certain municipalities of Bataan in the May 8, 1995 elections. The twelve cases were presided over by respondent Judges, Honorable Lorenzo R. Silva Jr. and Honorable Benjamin T. Vianzon.

Tanciongco and Castillo filed a joint "Omnibus Motion for Examination of Evidence to Determine the Existence of Probable Cause; Suspension of Issuance of Warrant of Arrest; and Dismissal of the Cases." Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, who had been designated by the Commission on Elections to prosecute the cases, filed a comment joining in private respondents' request. Complainant, Aquilino Q. Pimentel,Jr. did not object to the dismissal of the cases. 

Respondent Judges Silva and Vianzon summarily dismissed the cases against private respondents. It also denied the Notice of Appeal filed by the COMELEC on the ground that the prosecutor, whom the COMELEC had deputized to prosecute the cases, had earlier taken a contrary stand against the COMELEC. 

ISSUE: 

Whether or not the Respondent Judges is correct in denying the Notice of Appeal filed by the COMELEC?

RULING:

The authority to decide whether or not to appeal the dismissal belongs to the COMELEC. Art. IX-C, Sec. 2(6) of the Constitution expressly vests in it the power and function to "investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute cases of violations of election laws, including acts or omissions constituting election frauds, offenses, and malpractices.

In effect the 1987 Constitution mandates the COMELEC not only to investigate but also to prosecute cases of violation of election laws. This means that the COMELEC is empowered to conduct preliminary investigations in cases involving election offenses for the purpose of helping the Judge determine probable cause and for filing information in court. This power is exclusive with COMELEC.

Prosecutors designated by the COMELEC to prosecute the cases act as its deputies. They derive their authority from it and not from their offices. It was beyond the power of Chief State Prosecutor Zuño to oppose the appeal of the COMELEC and leave to the trial courts the determination of probable cause for the filing of the cases and, if it found none, to dismissed it. Those cases were filed by the COMELEC after appropriate preliminary investigation. If the Chief State Prosecutor thought there was no probable cause for proceeding against private respondents, he should have discussed the matter with the COMELEC and awaited its instruction. If he disagreed with the COMELEC's findings, he should have sought permission to withdraw from the cases but he could not leave the determination of probable cause to the courts and agree in advance to the dismissal of the cases should the courts find no probable cause for proceeding with the trial of the accused. It was, therefore, grave abuse of discretion on the part of the respondent judges to rely on the manifestation of Chief State Prosecutor Zuño as basis for denying due course to the notices of appeal filed by the COMELEC.