G.R. No. L-9737; October 28, 1914
HO NINA, HO YEN, HO CIAP, HO UY, and HO FU, petitioners-appellants, vs. THE INSULAR COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, respondent-appellee.

FACTS:
The petitioners, Ho Nina, Ho Yen, Ho Ciap, Ho Uy, and Ho Fu, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Court of First Instance of Manila on February 11, 1914, challenging their detention by the Insular Collector of Customs. An identical petition had been previously filed by the same petitioners on September 24, 1912 (Case No. 9949). In the earlier case, the court, after reviewing the customs proceedings, denied the writ, ruling that the detention was legal. The petitioners appealed to the Supreme Court but failed to pay the required registration fee despite notice. Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on December 15, 1913, and the judgment became final. Nearly two months after the final judgment, the petitioners filed the present petition, which was word-for-word identical to the first, including interlineations and misspellings. The parties submitted an agreement acknowledging that the same issues and evidence from Case No. 9949 were being relitigated, with the petitioners seeking another opportunity to appeal.

ISSUE:
Whether the petitioners may relitigate, through a second petition for habeas corpus, the same issues already conclusively adjudicated in a prior final judgment.

RULING:
No. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the denial of the writ of habeas corpus. The Court held that a final judgment in a habeas corpus proceeding is as binding on the parties as a final judgment in any other proceeding. The petitioners presented no new facts or questions, nor did they allege any fraud or illegality in the prior judgment. Their sole purpose was to obtain a new judgment on the same facts, which is impermissible. The doctrine of finality of judgment precludes relitigation of settled issues. Accordingly, the Court dismissed the appeal without further discussion of the assignments of error, with costs against the petitioners.