Ordillo v COMELEC – G.R. No.

93054 December 4, 1990

FACTS:
1.) On Jan 31, 1990, people of the provinces of Benguet, Mt. Province, Ifugao,
Abra, and Kalinga-Apayao and Baguio City cast their votes in a plebiscite to
form the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) following RA 6766, “An
Act Providing for an Organic Act for the Cordillera Autonomous Region.”
2.) Commission on Elections (Comelec) results showed that only the province
of Ifugao voted favorably by majority of its people the creation of CAR.
Comelec then issued a Resolution that Ifugao “being the only province
which voted favorably-then alone, legally and validly constitutes the CAR.”
3.) Petitioners filed a petition disputing the ratification of the CAR as invalid as
there can no Region of only one province as the Constitution requires that
the Region be composed of more than one constituents.
ISSUES:
1.) Whether or not the province of Ifugao, being the only province which voted
favourably for the creation of the Cordillera Autonomous Region can, alone,
legally and validly constitute such Region.
HELD:
1.) No. Ifugao cannot, alone, legally form a “Region.” The well-established
rule in statutory construction is that the language of the Constitution should
be understood in the sense it has in common use and the words are to be
given their ordinary meaning except where technical terms are employed.
Art. 10, Sec 15 of the 1987 Constitution calls for the creation of CAR
“consisting of provinces, cities, municipalities, and geographical areas
sharing common and distinctive historical...etc” which connotes that
“Region” is to be made up of more than one province. RA 6766 is infused
with provisions which rule against the sole province of Ifugao constituting
the Region. To allow the formation of the CAR with only one province
would not only violate the letter and intent of the Constitution and RA 6766
but would also be impractical and illogical.
RULING:
Petition was granted and the Resolution that upheld the creation of CAR
made up of only Ifugao was declared null and void. The sole province of
Ifugao cannot validly constitute the CAR.