GR L 14020; (May, 1960) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-14020; May 31, 1960
MANILA LETTER CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION, petitioner, vs. THE HONORABLE AUDITOR GENERAL, respondent.
FACTS
The Manila Letter Carriers’ Association, representing letter carriers employed in the Bureau of Posts in Manila, filed a claim with the Auditor General for a post allowance of P0.50 per day for each member. This claim was based on Item No. 536, Section 1 of Republic Act No. 1800 (the General Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1957-1958), which appropriated funds “For post allowance of letter-carriers and special delivery messengers in Manila at P0.50 each daily.” The Auditor General referred the claim to the Budget Commissioner for comment. The Budget Commissioner, reiterating a prior opinion, concluded that letter-carriers should receive only the P1.00 daily allowance provided under Republic Act No. 1631 (an act increasing the number of Manila letter carriers and granting them a P1.00 daily allowance), and not an additional P0.50 from Republic Act No. 1800 . The Budget Commissioner reasoned that the P0.50 allowance in the 1958 budget was proposed in February 1957, before Republic Act No. 1631 was passed in April 1957, and was not intended to be an additional allowance. The Auditor General concurred with this opinion and denied the petitioner’s claim. The petitioner sought review of this denial by the Supreme Court.
ISSUE
Whether or not the letter carriers in Manila are entitled to receive the P0.50 daily post allowance authorized in Republic Act No. 1800 in addition to the P1.00 daily allowance granted to them under Republic Act No. 1631 .
RULING
The Supreme Court ruled that the letter carriers are not entitled to the additional P0.50 allowance. The Court affirmed the denial of the claim by the Auditor General.
The Court held that while repeal by implication is not favored, and Republic Act No. 1631 (a special law) and Republic Act No. 1800 (a general appropriation act) should be harmonized if possible, there was an apparent conflict in the amount of allowance granted. Examining the circumstances, the Court found that the P0.50 daily post allowance was included in the President’s proposed budget (submitted February 11, 1957) at a time when there was no existing special law granting a similar allowance. Republic Act No. 1631 , granting a P1.00 allowance, was passed later in April 1957. The Court noted that the subsequently enacted General Appropriation Acts for the following fiscal years (Republic Acts No. 2080 and No. 2300) appropriated funds specifically “for post allowance of letter carriers and special delivery messengers in Manila at P1 and P.50 each daily, respectively.” These subsequent enactments demonstrated the legislative intent and policy not to grant Manila letter carriers the P0.50 allowance under Republic Act No. 1800 as an addition to the P1.00 allowance under Republic Act No. 1631 . Therefore, the letter carriers were entitled only to the P1.00 daily allowance.