Primicias vs. Fugoso

CIPRIANO P. PRIMICIAS, General Campaign Manager of Coalesced Minority Parties, petitioner,
vs.
VALERIANO E. FUGOSO, Mayor of City of Manila, respondent.

G.R. No. L-1800
January 27, 1948

FACTS:

An action was instituted by the petitioner for the refusal of the respondent Mayor Fugoso to issue a permit to them to hold a public meeting in Plaza Miranda for redress of grievances to the government. The reason alleged by the Mayor Fugoso in his defense for refusing the permit is, “that there is a reasonable ground to believe, basing upon previous utterances and upon the fact that passions, specially on the part of the losing groups, remains bitter and high, that similar speeches will be delivered tending to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government, and in the duly constituted authorities, which might threaten breaches of the peace and a disruption of public order.”

Mayor Fugoso also invoked the delegated police power to local government. The Philippine Legislature has delegated the exercise of the police power to the Municipal Board of the City of Manila. The Municipal Board is also granted the following legislative powers, to wit: “(p) to provide for the prohibition and suppression of riots, affrays, disturbances and disorderly assemblies, (u) to regulate the use of streets, avenues, . . . parks, cemeteries and other public places” and “for the abatement of nuisances in the same,” and “(ee) to enact all ordinances it may deem necessary and proper for sanitation and safety, the furtherance of prosperity and the promotion of morality, peace, good order, comfort, convenience, and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants.”

Section 844 of the Revised Ordinances of 1927 prohibits as an offense against public peace, and section 1262 of the same Revised Ordinance penalizes as a misdemeanor, “any act, in any public place, meeting, or procession, tending to disturb the peace or excite a riot; or collect with other persons in a body or crowd for any unlawful purpose; or disturb or disquiet any congregation engaged in any lawful assembly.” Included herein is Sec. 1119, Free use of Public Place.

ISSUE:

Whether or Not the freedom of speech was violated.

HELD:

Yes. Dealing with the ordinance, specifically, Sec. 1119, said section provides for two constructions: (1) the Mayor of the City of Manila is vested with unregulated discretion to grant or refuse, to grant permit for the holding of a lawful assembly or meeting, parade, or procession in the streets and other public places of the City of Manila; (2) The right of the Mayor is subject to reasonable discretion to determine or specify the streets or public places to be used with the view to prevent confusion by overlapping, to secure convenient use of the streets and public places by others, and to provide adequate and proper policing to minimize the risk of disorder. The court favored the second construction. First construction tantamount to authorizing the Mayor to prohibit the use of the streets. Under our democratic system of government no such unlimited power may be validly granted to any officer of the government, except perhaps in cases of national emergency.

The Mayor’s first defense is untenable. Fear of serious injury cannot alone justify suppression of free speech and assembly. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears. To justify suppression of free speech there must be reasonable ground to fear that serious evil will result if free speech is practiced. There must be reasonable ground to believe that the danger apprehended is imminent. There must be reasonable ground to believe that the evil to be prevented is a serious one. The fact that speech is likely to result in some violence or in destruction of property is not enough to justify its suppression. There must be the probability of serious injury to the state.

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