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Commissioner of Internal Revenue, et al. vs. Apolinario B. Santos, et al.

COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE and COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS, petitioners vs. HON. APOLINARIO B. SANTOS, in his capacity as Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 67, Pasig City; ANTONIO M. MARCO; JEWELRY BY MARCO & CO., INC., and GUILD OF PHILIPPINE JEWELLERS, INC., respondents.

G.R. No. 119252 | 1997-08-18

D E C I S I O N


HERMOSISIMA, JR., J.:

Of grave concern to this Court is the judicial pronouncement of the court a quo that certain provisions of the Tariff & Customs Code and the National Internal Revenue Code are unconstitutional. This provokes the issue: Can the Regional Trial Courts declare a law inoperative and without force and effect or otherwise unconstitutional? If it can, under what circumstances?

In this petition, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the Commissioner of Customs jointly seek the reversal of the Decision, 1 dated February 16, 1995, of herein public respondent, Hon. Apolinario B. Santos, Presiding Judge of...