SPECIAL CIVIL ACTIONS QUO WARRANTO

Rule%66:%Quo%Warranto% established!by!proof,!the!Solicitor!General!or!the!public!
! prosecutor!must,commence!the!action.!
Quo%warranto,%definition% !
Latin! phrase! meaning! “by! what! authority.”! It! is! the! Petition,%when%filed%
remedy! or! proceeding! by! which! the! sovereign! or! state! Within!1!year!from:!!
determines!the!legally!of!a!claim!which!a!party!asserts!to! a.! the!time!of!the!cause!of!the!ouster;!or!!
the!use!or!exercise!of!an!office!or!franchise!and!ousts!the! b.! the!right!of!the!petitioner!to!hold!the!office!or!
holder! from! its! enjoyment,! if! the! claim! is! not! well! position!arose!
founded,! or! if! the! right! to! enjoy! the! privilege! has! been! !
forfeited!or!lost.! The!oneOyear!period,!however,!is!not!interrupted!by!the!
! prosecution! of! any! administrative! remedy! as,! in! quo!
Quo%warranto%v.%Mandamus% warranto!proceedings,!no!one!is!compelled!to!resort!to!
Quo!Warranto!is!the!remedy!to!try!disputes!with!respect! administrative! remedies! since! the! public! interest!
to!the!title!to!a!public!office.!Where,!however,!there!is!no! requires! that! the! right! to! public! office! should! be!
dispute!as!to!who!has!the!title!to!the!public!office!but!the! determined!as!speedily!as!possible.!
adverse! party,! without! lawful! ground,! prevents! the! !
rightful!occupant!from!assuming!the!office,!mandamus!is! In! the! exception! case! of! Cristobal, v., Melchor,, et., al.,, the!
the!remedy!to!oust!the!usurper.! oneOyear! period! was! not! applied,! on! equitable!
! considerations,!against!an!employee!who!failed!to!seek!
A!quo!warranto!proceeding!is!brought!against!the!holder! relief!by!quo!warranto!within!the!period.!
of! the! office,! who! is! the! person! claiming! the! office! as! !
against!the!petitioner.!In!mandamus,,the!suit!is!brought! Quo%warranto%in%the%Omnibus%Election%Code%(elective%
against! the! person! who! is! responsible! for! unlawfully! office)%v.%Quo%Warranto%in%an%appointive%office%
excluding! the! petitioner! from! office,! like! an! appointing! %
authority.! Elective%Office% Appointive%Office%
! The!governing!law!is!the! Governed!by!the!Rules!of!
Against%whom%petitioner%may%be%brought% Election!Law! Court!
a)! A! person! who! usurps,! intrudes! or! unlawfully! Issue:! eligibility! or! Issue:!legality!or!illegality!
holds! or! exercises! a! public! office,! position,! or! ineligibility!of!the!person! of! the! occupancy! of! the!
franchise.! elected! or! his! loyalty! or! office! by! virtue! of! an!
b)! A! public! officer! who! does! or! suffers! an! act! disloyalty!to!the!Republic! appointment!
which,! by! the! provision! of! law,! constitutes! a! Petition!is!filed!within!10! Petition! is! filed! within! 1!
ground!for!the!forfeiture!of!his!office;!or! days! after! the! year!from!the!time!of!the!
c)! An! association! which! act! as! a! corporation! proclamation! of! the! cause!of!the!ouster,!or!the!
within! the! Philippines! without! being! legally! results!of!the!election! right! of! the! petitioner! to!
incorporated!or!without!lawful!authority!so!to! hold!the!office!or!position!
act.! arose!
! Where!filed:!! Where!filed:!
A% petition% generally% brought% in% the% name% of% the% COMELEC! Supreme!Court!
Republic;%verified%petition% RTC! CA!
Under!the!Rules!of!Court,!quo,warranto!is!a!special!civil! MTC! RTC!
action! commenced! in! the! name! of! the! Republic! of! the! Petitioner! may! be! any! Petitioner! is! the! person!
Philippines!by!a!verified!petition.!! voter! even! if! he! is! not! claiming!to!be!entitled!to!
! entitled!to!the!office! the!office!
Action%brought%by%an%individual% Where!the!person!elected! The! court! determines!
In! certain! instances,! however,! the! petition! may! be! is! ineligible,! the! court! who!is!legally!appointed,!
brought!by!an!individual!in!his!own!name!if!he!claims!to! cannot! declare! that! and! can! and! ought! to!
be!entitled!to!a!public!office!usurped!or!unlawfully!held! candidate! occupying! the! declare! the! person!
or!exercised!by!another.! second! place! as! elected,! entitled! to! occupy! the!
! even! if! he! were! eligible,! office.!
Who%may%commence%the%petition% since! the! law! only!
The!petition!may!be!commenced!by!the:! authorizes! of! election! in!
a.! Solicitor!General;! favor! of! the! person!
b.! Public!prosecutor;!or! obtaining!the!plurality!of!
c.! Private!person! votes.!
! !
When% the% action% must% be% commenced% by% the%
Note:%This!has,!however,!
government%
been! modified! by! the!
When! directed! by! the! President! of! the! Philippines,! or!
Court! in! the! case! of!
when!upon!complaint!or!otherwise!he!has!good!reason!
Maquiling, v., COMELEC,,
to! believe! that! any! case! specified! in! the! Rules! can! be!
 SPECIAL CIVIL ACTIONS QUO WARRANTO

GRN, 210164, (2013)., The! That! Respondent! be! ousted! and! altogether! excluded!
case! holds! that! when! a! therefrom,!and!that!the!petitioner!or!relator,!as!the!case!
person! who! is! not! may,!recover!his!costs.!
qualified!is!voted!for!and! !
eventually! garners! the! Such!further!judgment!may!be!rendered!determining!the!
highest!number!of!votes,! respective! rights! in! the! public! office,! position! or!
even! the! will! of! the! franchise! of! all! the! parties! to! the! action,! as! justice!
electorate! expressed! requires.!
through!the!ballot!cannot! !
cure! the! defect! in! the! Rights%of%Persons%Adjudged%Entitled%to%Office:%
qualifications! of! the! If!judgment!be!rendered!in!favor!of!the!person!averred!in!
candidate.! Even! if! the! the!complaint!to!be!entitled!to!the!public!office,!he!may,!
ineligible! candidate! after!taking!the!oath!of!office!and!executing!any!official!
receives! the! highest! bond!required!by!law:!
number! of! votes,! such! 1)! Take!upon!himself!the!execution!of!the!office;!
votes! cast! are! not! 2)! May! immediately! thereafter! demand! all! the!
considered! at! all! in! books!and!papers!in!the!respondent’s!custody!
determining! the! winner! or!control!appertaining!to!the!office!o!which!the!
of! an! election.! The! judgment!relates;!and!
winner! in! the! election! is! 3)! May!bring!an!action!against!the!respondent!to!
the! candidate! who! recover!damages!sustained!by!such!persons!of!
garnered! the! highest! usurpation.!
number! of! votes! among! !
the!qualified!candidates.! Limitations:%
! Actions! must! be! commenced! within! 1! year! after! the!
! cause!of!such!ouster,!or!the!right!of!the!petitioner!to!hold!
! such!office!or!position,!arose.!
Quo%warranto%v.%election%protest% ! !
% An!action!for!damages!in!accordance!with!Sec.!10!should!
Quo%warranto% Election%protest% be! commenced! within! 1! year! after! the! entry! of! the!
Cause! of! action:! the! Cause! of! action:! judgment! establishing! petitioner’s! right! to! the! office! in!
eligibility! of! the! irregularity! in! the! question.!
candidate!or!lack!of!it,!or! conduct!of!the!elections! !
his! being! disloyal! to! the!
Republic!
!
!
Parties%and%Contents%of%Petition%
Petitioner%
Name! of! the! person! who! claims! to! be! entitled! thereto,!
with! an! averment! of! his! right! to! the! same! and! that! the!
respondent!is!unlawfully!in!possession!thereof.!
!
Petitioner!must!show!that!he!is!entitled!to!office!held!by!
the! respondent,! not! merely! that! he! has! a! preferential!
right!to!be!appointed.!
!
Venue%
Supreme!Court;!
!
Court!of!Appeals;%
%
Regional! Trial! Court% exercising! jurisdiction! over! the!
territorial! are! where! the! respondent! or! any! of! the!
respondents!resides!
%
Regional! Trial! Court% in! the! City! of! Manila,! CA,! or! SC! –!
When!Solicitor!General!commences!the!action!
!
Judgment%Where%Usurpation%Found%