34 Republic vs. de Knecht [GR 87335, 12 February 1!"
Facts# $n 2! February 17 the Republic %& the 'hilippines (led in the )%urt %& First *nstance +)F* %& Ri-al in 'asay )ity an epr%priati%n pr%ceedin/s a/ainst the %0ners %& the h%uses standin/ al%n/ Fernand% Reinel 'an streets a%n/ the )ristina e Knecht t%/ether 0ith )%ncepci%n )abarrus, and s%e 15 %ther de&endants +)ivil )ase 7!!1'. $n 1 arch 17, de Knecht (led a %ti%n t% disiss alle/in/ lac %& 6urisdicti%n, pendency %& appeal 0ith the 'resident %& the 'hilippines, 'hilippines, preatureness %& c%plaint and arbitrary and err%ne%us valuati%n %& the pr%perties. pr%perties. $n 2 arch 17 de Knecht (led an e parte ur/ent %ti%n &%r the issuance by the trial c%urt %& a rest restrai rainin nin/ / %rder %rder t% rest restrai rain n the Republ epublic ic &r% &r% pr%ce pr%ceedi edin/ n/ 0ith 0ith the the tain tain/ / %& iedi iediate ate p%ssessi%n and c%ntr%l %& the pr%perty s%u/ht t% be c%ndened. *n une 17, the Republic (led a %ti%n &%r the issuance %& a 0rit %& p%ssessi%n %& the pr%perty t% be epr%priated %n the /r%und that it had ade the reuired dep%sit 0ith the 'hilippine 9ati%nal :an +'9: %& 1!; %& the a%unt %& c%pensati%n stated in the c%plaint. *n an %rder dated 14 une 17 the l%0er c%urt issued a 0rit %& p%ssessi%n auth%ri-in/ the Republic t% enter int% and tae p%ssessi%n %& the pr%perties s%u/ht t% be c%ndened, and created a )%ittee %& three t% deterine the 6ust c%pensati%n &%r the lands inv%lved in the pr%ceedin/s. $n 1< uly 17, de Knecht (led 0ith this )%urt a petiti%n &%r certi%rari and pr%hibiti%n +GR 9%. =51!78 and directed a/ainst the %rder %& the l%0er c%urt dated 14 une 17 prayin/ that the Republic be c%anded t% desist &r% &urther pr%ceedin/ in the epr%priati%n acti%n and &r% ipleentin/ said %rder. $n 3! $ct%ber 18!, the >upree )%urt rendered a decisi%n, /rantin/ the petiti%n &%r certi%rari and pr%hibiti%n and settin/ aside the 14 une 17 %rder %& the ud/e :autista. $n 8 ?u/ust 181, aria el )aren R%as @da. de Ali-alde, Francisc% Ali-alde and ?nt%ni% R%as %ved t% disiss the epr%priati%n acti%n in c%pliance 0ith the disp%sitive p%rti%n %& the a&%resaid decisi%n %& the >upree )%urt 0hich had bec%e (nal and in %rder t% av%id &urther daa daa/e /e t% latt latter er 0h% 0h% 0er 0ere deni denied ed p%ss p%sses essi si%n %n %& thei theirr pr%p pr%per erti ties es.. Bhe Bhe Repub epubli lic c (led (led a ani&estati%n %n 7 >epteber 181 statin/, a%n/ %thers, that it had n% %b6ecti%n t% the said %ti %ti%n %n t% dis disis iss s as it 0as 0as in acc% acc%rd rdan ance ce 0ith 0ith the the a&%r a&%res esta tate ted d deci decisi si%n %n.. C%0e C%0eve ver, r, %n 2 >epteber 183, the Republic (led a %ti%n t% disiss said case due t% the enactent %& the :atas 'abansa 34! epr%priatin/ the sae pr%perties and &%r the sae purp%se. Bhe l%0er c%urt in an %rder %& 2 >epteber 183 disissed the case by reas%n %& the enactent %& the said la0. Bhe %ti%n &%r rec%nsiderati%n there%& 0as denied in the %rder %& the l%0er c%urt dated 18 eceber 18<. e Knecht appealed &r% said %rder t% the )%urt %& ?ppeals 0herein in due c%urse a decisi%n 0as rendered %n 28 eceber 188, settin/ aside the %rder appealed &r% and disissin/ the epr%priati%n pr%ceedin/s. Bhe Republic (led the petiti%n &%r revie0 0ith the >upree )%urt. *ssue# Dhether an epr%priati%n pr%ceedin/ that 0as deterined by a (nal 6ud/ent %& the >upree )%urt ay be the sub6ect %& a subseuent le/islati%n &%r epr%priati%n. Celd# Dhile it is true that said (nal 6ud/ent %& the >upree )%urt %n the sub6ect bec%es the la0 %& the case bet0een the parties, it is eually true that the ri/ht %& the Republic t% tae private pr%perties pr%perties &%r public use up%n the payent %& the 6ust c%pensati%n is s% pr%vided in the )%nstituti%n and %ur la0s. >uch epr%priati%n pr%ceedin/s ay be undertaen by the Republic n%t %nly by v%luntary ne/%tiati%n 0ith the land %0ners but als% by tain/ appr%priate c%urt acti%n %r by le/islati%n. Dhen %n 17 February 183 the :atasan/ 'abansa passed :' 34! epr%priatin/ the very pr%perties sub6ect %& the present pr%ceedin/s, and &%r the sae purp%se, it appears that it 0as based %n supervenin/ events that %ccurred a&ter the decisi%n %& the >upree >upree )%urt )%urt 0as rendered rendered in e Knecht Knecht in 18! 6usti&yin/ 6usti&yin/ the epr%pri epr%priati% ati%n n thr%u/h thr%u/h the Fernand% Reinel 'an >treets. Bhe s%cial ipact &act%r 0hich persuaded the )%urt t% c%nsider this etensi%n t% be arbitrary had disappeared. ?ll residents in the area have been rel%cated and duly c%pensated. 8!; %& the A>? %ut&all and 3!; %& the A>? etensi%n had been c%pleted. $nly e Knecht reains as the s%litary %bstacle t% this pr%6ect that 0ill s%lve n%t %nly the drai draina na/e /e and and E%%d E%%d c%nt c%ntrr%l pr%b pr%ble le but but als% als% ini inii i-e -e the the tra trac c b%tt b%ttle lene nec c in the the area area.. %re%ver, the decisi%n, is n% %bstacle t% the le/islative ar %& the G%vernent in therea&ter
ain/ its %0n independent assessent %& the circustances circustances then prevailin/ as t% the pr%priety pr%priety %& undertain/ the epr%priati%n %& the pr%perties in uesti%n and therea&ter by enactin/ the c%rresp%ndin/ le/islati%n as it did in this case. Bhe )%urt a/rees in the 0isd% and necessity %& enactin/ :' 34!. Bhus the anteri%r decisi%n %& this )%urt ust yield t% this subseuent le/islative (at.