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Comelec Case Digest

Case Digest: Fetalino & Calderon v. COMELEC

G.R. No. 191890: December 4, 2012

EVALYN I. FETALINO an A!ADO !. "ALDERON, #e$%$%oner&, !AN'EL A. (AR"ELONA, )R.,

#e$%$%oner*In$er+enor, +. "O!!IION ON ELE"TION, Re&-onen$.

FACTS:

President Fidel V. Ramos extended an interim appointment to petitioners Evalyn Fetalino (Fetalino)
and Amado Calderon (Calderon) as Comelec Commissioners, eac !or a term o! seven (") years.
Con#ress, o$ever, ad%o&rned 'e!ore te Commission on Appointments (CA) co&ld act on teir
appointments. Te constit&tional 'an on presidential appointments later too e!!ect and Fetalino and

Calderon $ere no lon#er reappointed. T&s, Fetalino and Calderon merely served as Comelec
Commissioners !or more tan !o&r monts.

S&'se*&ently, Fetalino and Calderon applied !or teir retirement 'ene!its and montly pension $it
te Comelec, p&rs&ant to R.A. +o. -/. Te Comelec initially approved te claims p&rs&ant to its
resol&tion. 0o$ever, in its s&'se*&ent resol&tion, te Comelec, on te 'asis o! its 1a$ 2epartments
st&dy, completely disapproved te Fetalino and Calderons claim, statin# tat one $ose ad interim
appointment expires cannot 'e said to ave completed is term o! o!!ice so as to !all &nder te
provisions o! Section  o! RA -/ tat $o&ld entitle im to a l&mp s&m 'ene!it o! !ive years salary.
Petitionerintervenor 3an&el A. 4arcelona, 5r. (4arcelona) later %oined te petitioners in *&estionin#
te assailed s&'se*&ent resol&tion.

ISSUES:

 A. Whether or not an ad interim appointment qualifies as retirement under the law and entitles them
to the full five-year lump sum gratuity;

. Whether or not the resolution that initially granted the five-year lump sum gratuity is already final
and e!e"utory;

#. Whether or not $etalino and #alderon a"quired a vested right over the full retirement %enefits
 provided %y &A 'o. ()*+.

ELD: T/e -e$%$%on ac& mer%$.

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"ONTIT'TIONAL LA: Term o3 O33%ce

F%r&$ I&&e: Fe$a%no, "aeron an (arceona are no$ en$%$e $o $/e m- &m 5ra$%$6 ner
ec$%on 1 o3 R.A. No. 178, a& amene.

Te Co&rt empasi6ed tat te ri#t to retirement 'ene!its accr&es only $en t$o conditions are
met: !irst, $en te conditions imposed 'y te applica'le la$ in tis case, R.A. +o. -/ are
!&l!illed7 and second, $en an act&al retirement taes place. Te Co&rt as repeatedly empasi6ed
tat retirement entails compliance $it certain a#e and service re*&irements speci!ied 'y la$ and
 %&rispr&dence, and taes e!!ect 'y operation o! la$.

Section  o! R.A. +o. -/ allo$s te #rant o! retirement 'ene!its to te Cairman or any 3em'er o! 
te Comelec $o as retired !rom te service a!ter avin# completed is term o! o!!ice. Fetalino,
Calderon and 4arcelona o'vio&sly did not retire &nder R.A. +o. -/, as amended, since tey
never completed te !&ll sevenyear term o! o!!ice. 8ile te Co&rt caracteri6ed an ad interim
appointment in 3ati'a# v. 4enipayo as a permanent appointment tat taes e!!ect immediately and
can no lon#er 'e $itdra$n 'y te President once te appointee as *&ali!ied into o!!ice, te Co&rt
ave also positively r&led in tat case tat an ad interim appointment tat as lapsed 'y inaction o!
te Commission on Appointments does not constit&te a term o! o!!ice.

econ I&&e: T/e "omeec % no$ +%oa$e $/e re on 3%na%$6 o3 5men$&.

Section 9, R&le / o! te Comelec R&les o! Proced&re reads: n ordinary actions, special
proceedin#s, provisional remedies and special relie!s a decision or resol&tion o! te Commission en
'anc sall 'ecome !inal and exec&tory a!ter tirty (9;) days !rom its prom&l#ation.

 A simple readin# o! tis provision so$s tat it only applies to ordinary actions, special proceedin#s,
provisional remedies and special relie!s. T&s, it is clear tat te proceedin#s tat precipitated te
iss&ance o! te assailed resol&tion do not !all $itin te covera#e o! te actions and proceedin#s

&nder Section 9, R&le / o! te Comelec R&les o! Proced&re. T&s, te Comelec did not violate its
o$n r&le on !inality o! %&d#ments.

T/%r I&&e: No +e&$e r%5/$& o+er re$%remen$ bene3%$&.

Retirement 'ene!its #ranted to Fetalino, Calderon and 4arcelona &nder Section  o! R.A. +o. -/
are p&rely #rat&ito&s in nat&re7 t&s, tey ave no vested ri#t over tese 'ene!its. Retirement

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'ene!its as provided &nder R.A. +o. -/ m&st 'e distin#&ised !rom a pension $ic is a !orm o!
de!erred compensation !or services per!ormed7 in a pension, employee participation is mandatory,
t&s, employees ac*&ire contract&al or vested ri#ts over te pension as part o! teir compensation.

DENIED

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