Title
Arenas vs. City of San Carlos, Pangasi
Case
G.R. No. L-34024
Decision Date
Apr 5, 1978
City judge Arenas sought salary differential under RA 5967, but SC ruled proviso limiting judge's salary to P100 less than mayor's prevails, denying claim.
Font Size:

Case Digest (G.R. No. L-34024)

Facts:

  1. Parties Involved:

    • Petitioner: Isidro G. Arenas, City Judge of San Carlos City (Pangasinan).
    • Respondents: City of San Carlos (Pangasinan), City Council of San Carlos City, and various city officials including the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, City Councilors, and City Treasurer.
  2. Background:

    • San Carlos City was classified as a third-class city since its creation in 1966.
    • Republic Act No. 5967, effective June 21, 1969, established the basic salary of city judges in second and third-class cities at P18,000.00 per annum.
    • At the time, Arenas was receiving a monthly salary of P1,000.00, with P350.00 paid by the national government and P650.00 by the city government. This was P500.00 below the mandated salary.
  3. Petitioner’s Claim:

    • Arenas claimed a salary differential of P9,500.00 from June 21, 1969, to January 21, 1971, under Republic Act No. 5967.
    • He repeatedly requested the city government to enact a budget to cover the differential, but the respondents refused, citing financial difficulties.
    • Arenas filed a petition for mandamus to compel the respondents to pay the salary differential.
  4. Respondents’ Defense:

    • They argued that Republic Act No. 5967 also stipulated that the salary of a city judge must be at least P100.00 per month less than that of the city mayor.
    • The city mayor’s annual salary was P13,200.00, while Arenas received P12,000.00, satisfying the P100.00 difference.
    • They claimed that the payment of the salary differential was discretionary and could not be implemented due to the city’s financial difficulties.

Issue:

  1. Whether the respondents are legally obligated to pay the salary differential of P9,500.00 to the petitioner under Republic Act No. 5967.
  2. Whether the proviso in Section 7 of Republic Act No. 5967, which states that the salary of a city judge shall be at least P100.00 per month less than that of the city mayor, controls over the general provision fixing the salary of city judges at P18,000.00 per annum.

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)


Jur is an AI-powered legal research platform in the Philippines for case digests, summaries, and jurisprudence. AI-generated content may contain inaccuracies; please verify independently.