Case Digest (G.R. No. L-33320) Core Legal Reasoning Model
Core Legal Reasoning Model
Facts:
In Ermita-Malate Hotel and Motel Operators Association, Inc., Hotel del Mar, Inc. and Go Chiu v. The Honorable City Mayor of Manila, G.R. No. L-24693, decided July 31, 1967 under the 1935 Constitution, petitioners–appellees, an association of eighteen licensed hotels and motels (including Hotel del Mar, Inc.) represented by its president Go Chiu, filed on July 5, 1963 a petition for prohibition against respondent–appellant, the City Mayor of Manila, and in intervention by Victor Alabanza. They challenged Ordinance No. 4760, enacted June 13, 1963 and approved June 14, 1963, amending sections of the City’s hotel and lodging code by (a) imposing increased annual license fees up to ₱6,000 for first-class motels and ₱4,500 for second-class motels; (b) requiring highly detailed public registration of guests; (c) classifying motels into two classes with prescribed minimum facilities; (d) prohibiting leasing rooms more than twice in 24 hours; (e) barring unaccompanied minors; and (f) ca Case Digest (G.R. No. L-33320) Expanded Legal Reasoning Model
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model
Facts:
- Parties and background
- Petitioners: Ermita-Malate Hotel and Motel Operators Association, Inc. (18 member establishments), Hotel del Mar, Inc., and its president Go Chiu, all licensed hotel/motel operators in Manila, employing ~2,500 and representing >₱3 million investment.
- Respondent: The Hon. City Mayor of Manila, sued in his official capacity to enforce city ordinances.
- Ordinance No. 4760 and procedural history
- Enacted June 13, 1963 by the Municipal Board of Manila (approved June 14, 1963 by acting Mayor), amending sections of the city code and adding three new sections regulating hotels, motels, lodging houses, taverns, and inns.
- Key provisions:
- Annual license fees—₱6,000 for first-class motels, ₱4,500 for second-class motels; corresponding fees for hotels.
- Mandatory guest registration in public lobby—surname, given/middle names, birth date, address, occupation, sex, nationality, length of stay, number and details of companions; signed certification; records kept and bound.
- Required facilities—telephone in each room, dining room/restaurant, laundry for first-class; dining room for second-class.
- Age restriction—no guest
- Rental limit—no room leased more than twice in 24 hours; full rate always charged.
- Inspection power—City Mayor, Chief of Police, or authorized representatives.
- Penalties—fines; on subsequent conviction, license cancellation.
- Petition filed July 5, 1963 for prohibition and declaration of unconstitutionality; ex parte preliminary injunction granted July 6, 1963; parties submitted stipulation of facts and legal memoranda; no testimonial evidence. Lower court declared Ordinance No. 4760 unconstitutional, null and void, and made injunction permanent.
Issues:
- Scope and authority
- Can the City of Manila lawfully regulate motels under its charter and police power?
- Constitutional challenges
- Do the license fees and classification scheme violate due process as arbitrary or oppressive?
- Do the guest-registration requirements invade privacy or self-incrimination guarantees?
- Does the rental-frequency limit unreasonably restrict freedom of contract?
- Are any provisions unconstitutionally vague or indefinite?
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)