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Co Kim Chan v Valdez Tan Keh
Facts of the case: Co Kim Chan had a pending civil case, initiated during the Japanese occupation, with the Court of
First Instance of Manila. After the Lieration of the Manila and the American occupation, Judge Arsenio !i"on refused
to continue hearings on the case, sa#ing that a proclamation issued # $eneral !ouglas MacArthur had invalidated
and nullified all %udicial proceedings and %udgments of the courts of the &hilippines and, without an enaling law,
lower courts have no %urisdiction to ta'e cogni"ance of and continue %udicial proceedings pending in the courts of thedefunct (epulic of the &hilippines )the &hilippine government under the Japanese*.
+he court resolved three issues:
. -hether or not %udicial proceedings and decisions made during the Japanese occupation were valid and remained
valid even after the American occupation
/. -hether or not the 0ctoer /1, 233 proclamation MacArthur issued in which he declared that 4all laws,
regulations and processes of an# other government in the &hilippines than that of the said Commonwealth are null
and void and without legal effect in areas of the &hilippines free of enem# occupation and control5 invalidated all
%udgments and %udicial acts and proceedings of the courts
1. And whether or not if the# were not invalidated # MacArthur6s proclamation, those courts could continue hearing
the cases pending efore them.
(atio: &olitical and international law recogni"es that all acts and proceedings of a de facto government are good and
valid. +he &hilippine 78ecutive Commission and the (epulic of the &hilippines under the Japanese occupation ma#
e considered de facto governments, supported # the militar# force and deriving their authorit# from the laws of war.
Municipal laws and private laws, however, usuall# remain in force unless suspended or changed # the con9ueror.
Civil oedience is e8pected even during war, for 4the e8istence of a state of insurrection and war did not loosen the
onds of societ#, or do awa# with civil government or the regular administration of the laws. And if the# were not
valid, then it would not have een necessar# for MacArthur to come out with a proclamation arogating them.
+he second 9uestion, the court said, hinges on the interpretation of the phrase 4processes of an# other government5
and whether or not he intended it to annul all other %udgments and %udicial proceedings of courts during the Japanese
militar# occupation.
IF, according to international law, nonpolitical %udgments and %udicial proceedings of de facto governments are valid
and remain valid even after the occupied territor# has een lierated, then it could not have een MacArthur6s
intention to refer to %udicial processes, which would e in violation of international law.A well'nown rule of statutor# construction is: 4A statute ought never to e construed to violate the law of nations if
an# other possile construction remains.5
Another is that 4where great inconvenience will result from a particular construction, or great mischief done, such
construction is to e avoided, or the court ought to presume that such construction was not intended # the ma'ers of
the law, unless re9uired # clear and une9uivocal words.5
Annulling %udgments of courts made during the Japanese occupation would clog the doc'ets and violate international
law, therefore what MacArthur said should not e construed to mean that %udicial proceedings are included in the
phrase 4processes of an# other governments.5
In the case of ;< vs (eiter, the court said that if such laws and institutions are continued in use # the occupant, the#
ecome his and derive their force from him. +he laws and courts of the &hilippines did not ecome, # eing
continued as re9uired # the law of nations, laws and courts of Japan.It is a legal ma8im that, e8cepting of a political nature, 4law once estalished continues until changed # some
competent legislative power. I+ I< =0+ C>A=$7! M7(7L? @? C>A=$7 0F
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the laws remain valid, the court must continuehearing the case pending efore it.1 'inds of de facto government: oneestalished through
reellion )govt gets possession and control through forceor the voice of the ma%orit# and maintains itself against the will of the
rightfulgovernment*through occupation )estalished and maintained # militar#forces who invade and occup# a territor# of the enem# in
the course of wardenoted as a government of paramount force*through insurrection
)estalished as an independent government # the inhaitants of a countr#who rise in insurrection against the parent state*
Isagani Cruz vs DENR
Land Titles and Deeds IPRA Law vis a vis Regalian Doctrine
Cru", a noted constitutionalist, assailed the validit# of the (A D1E or the Indigenous &eoples (ights Act on the
ground that the law amount to an unlawful deprivation of the ence, ancestral domains ma# include pulic domain somehow against the regalian doctrine.
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