SC denies Caloocan petition vs. Malabon City Charter

The Supreme Court (SC) has denied the petition filed by Caloocan City challenging the constitutionality of the Malabon City Charter.

In a 21-page decision, the SC Second Division denied the petition, saying it is not the proper remedy as the core issue in the case is a boundary dispute that must be resolved by joint referral to the Sangguian of the concerned local government units.

“The Court, while being the final arbiter of actual cases and controversies, does not possess the exclusive competence to read and interpret the organic law as this power and duty is shared with the other branches of government and the people themselves,” the SC said.

This stemmed from Caloocan’s petition for declaratory relief, arguing that Section 2 of the Republic Act No. 9019 or the Charter of the City of Malabon unconstitutionally altered Caloocan’s boundaries without a plebiscite.

Meanwhile, Malabon argued that the said areas have always been under the city’s jurisdiction. The SC said this is supported by records from the Geodetic Survey Division of the Lands Management Bureau.

A Regional Trial Court ruled in favor of Caloocan and declared the Malabon Charter unconstitutional.

However, this was reversed by the Court of Appeals (CA), which found that the dispute should have first been brought for settlement before the Sanggunian of both cities.

For its part, the SC affirmed the appellate court's ruling.

The SC directed the parties to comply with Section 118(d) and (e) of the Local Government Code of 1991 and Rule III of its Implementing Rules and Regulations without prejudice to judicial recourse as provided in the said law.

According to the SC, Section 118 of the Local Government Code of 1991 states that boundary disputes involving two or more highly urbanized cities shall be jointly referred to their respective Sanggunians for settlement.

The decision, penned by Associate Justice Antonio Kho Jr., was promulgated in November 2024 but was made public in February 2025. — BAP, GMA Integrated News