G.R. No. 45282; September 21, 1936
Benito Mateo, in behalf of his son, Sim It, petitioner, vs. The Insular Collector of Customs and The Court of Appeals, respondents.

FACTS

Sim It arrived in Manila seeking admission as the son of petitioner Benito Mateo, a Filipino citizen. The board of special inquiry denied his application, a decision approved by the Insular Collector of Customs. Benito Mateo then filed a petition for habeas corpus in the Court of First Instance of Manila, which was granted, ordering Sim It’s release. The Court of Appeals reversed this decision. Benito Mateo now petitions the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to review the Court of Appeals’ decision.

ISSUE

Whether the Supreme Court can review the decision of the Court of Appeals, which involved a reversal of the Court of First Instance’s habeas corpus grant based on the appreciation of evidence regarding Sim It’s right to admission.

RULING

No. The petition is dismissed. Under the governing law and rules, review by the Supreme Court of Court of Appeals decisions via certiorari is limited to questions of law and is discretionary. The petition raises no question of law; it concerns only the sufficiency of evidence and credibility of witnesses—matters of fact already passed upon by the board of special inquiry, the Collector of Customs, and the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals decided the case in accordance with applicable Supreme Court precedents. Therefore, no special or important reason exists to warrant the exercise of the Supreme Court’s discretionary power of review.

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