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VOL. 285, JANUARY 26, 1998 23

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals
*
G.R. No. 123989. January 26, 1998.

ATTY. DAVID B. CORPUZ, petitioner, vs. COURT OF

APPEALS, and MOVIE AND TELEVISION REVIEW AND
CLASSIFICATION BOARD, respondents.

Civil Service Commission; Public Officers; Appointments; The

appointment becomes complete when the last act required of the
appointing power is performed.·It is long settled in the law of
public offices and officers that where the power of appointment is
absolute, and the appointee has been determined upon, no further
consent or approval is necessary, and the formal evidence of the
appointment, the commission, may issue at once. Where, however,
the assent or confirmation of some other officer or body is required,
the commission can issue or the appointment may be complete only
when such assent or confirmation is obtained. In either case, the
appointment becomes complete when the last act required of the
appointing power is performed. Until the process is completed, the
appointee can claim no vested right in the office nor invoke security
of tenure. Hence, in the case of CORPUZ, since the last act required
for the completion of his appointment, viz., approval by the MTRCB
itself, was not obtained, as a matter of fact, the MTRCB ultimately
disapproved it, his appointment ceased to have effect, if at all, and
his services were properly terminated.
Same; Same; Same; The tolerance, acquiescence or mistake of
the proper officials resulting in non-observance of the requirements
of law or rules to complete the appointment does not render the
requirements ineffective and unenforceable.·That the employee
involved had, in fact, assumed office and performed the functions
and duties thereof is of no moment, for it matters not that the
appointee had served for several years. Those years of service

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cannot substitute for the want of consent of another body required

by law to complete the appointment. The tolerance, acquiescence or
mistake of the proper officials resulting in non-observance of the
requirements of law or rules to complete the appointment does not
render the requirements ineffective and unenforceable.

_______________

* FIRST DIVISION.

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24 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

Same; Same; Same; A public official or employee who assumed

office under an incomplete appointment is merely a de facto officer
for the duration of his occupancy of the office.·A public official or
employee who assumed office under an incomplete appointment is
merely a de facto officer for the duration of his occupancy of the
office for the reason that he assumed office under color of a known
appointment which is void by reason of some defect or irregularity
in its exercise. Undeniably, under the facts here, CORPUZ was such
a de facto officer.

PETITION for review on certiorari of a decision of the

Court of Appeals.

The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.

David B. Corpuz for and in his own behalf.
Francisco Ma. Chanco for private respondent.

DAVIDE, JR., J.:

Petitioner Atty. David Corpuz (hereafter CORPUZ) asks us

to set aside the 13 October 1995 decision
1
of the Court of
Appeals in CA-G.R. SP-No. 37694 which reversed
Resolution
2
No. 93-5964 of the Civil Service Commission
(CSC), the latter declaring that petitionerÊs separation
from the service as Attorney V in the Movie Television
Review Board (MTRCB) was not in order and directed that

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he be automatically restored to his position.

The pleadings of the parties, the decision of the Court of
Appeals and the Resolution of the CSC disclose the
following facts:
On 18 July 1986, CORPUZ was appointed as the
MTRCBÊs Legal Counsel-Prosecutor and Investigation
Services (Super-

____________________________

1 Per Ynares-Santiago C., J.; with Paras, G.C. and Reyes, R.T., JJ.,
concurring. Annex „A‰ of Petition, Rollo, 23-28.
2 Per Sto. Tomas, P.A., Chairman; with Ereñeta, R.P. and Gaminde,
T.P., Commissioners, concurring. Annex „K‰ of Petition, Rollo, 42-44.

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VOL. 285, JANUARY 26, 1998 25

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals
3
vising Legal Staff Officer). The appointment was approved
by Asst. Regional Director Benita Santos of the CSC-
National Capital Region. Subsequently, CORPUZÊ position
was designated Attorney V under the Salary
Standardization Law.
As MTRCB Legal Counsel, CORPUZÊ duties included
„attendance in Board meetings‰ pursuant to then 4
Chairman MoratoÊs memorandum of 11 September 1987.
Sometime in August5 1991, the MTRCB passed MTRCB
Resolution No. 8-1-91 entitled „An Act To Declare The
Appointments Of The Administrative And Subordinate
Employees Of This Board As Null And Void.‰ This undated
resolution noted that the past and present Chairmen of the
MTRCB had failed to submit for approval the
appointments of administrative and subordinate employees
to the MTRCB before forwarding them to the CSC, in
violation
6
of Section 5 of P.D. No. 876-A, and later, P.D. No.
1986. It thus declared:

FOR ALL OF THE FOREGOING, this Board, in Session

Assembled, hereby declare[s] that ALL the appointments of the
present administrative and subordinate employees of this Board

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suffers [sic] from illegality and therefore [are] considered invalid

and of no value and effect ab initio.
IT IS THEREFORE RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY
RESOLVED BY THIS BOARD, that the Chairman recommend to
this Board, the appointment of all or some of the present
administrative and subordinate employees of this Board, or new
ones, at his initiative, discretion and preference, including the
category of the position for which the appointees [are]
recommended, within a period of ONE MONTH from the approval
of this Resolution;
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the interregnum, and in
order not to disrupt the workings and functions of this Board while
this body is awaiting for [sic] the recommendation of the appoint-

_______________

3 Annex „C‰ of Petition, Rollo, 31.

4 Annex „E‰ of Petition, Id., 33.
5 Annex „G‰ of Petition, Id., 36-38.
6 Entitled „Creating the Movie and Television Review and Classification
Board.‰

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26 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

ments of the old and or new appointees, the present administrative

and subordinate employees shall hold on [to] their position[s] in an
[sic] holdover capacity.
7
As certified by MTRCB Secretary Vicente G. Sales,
Resolution No. 8-1-91 was filed in his office on 1 August
1991, while Resolution No. 10-2-91, a mere reiteration of
Resolution No. 8-1-91, was approved by the MTRCB en
banc on 9 October 1991. No copy of Resolution No. 10-2-91,
however, was found in the records.
CORPUZ was unaware of the promulgation of
Resolution No. 8-1-91 as he was then on leave. The
Resolution was likewise kept secret and
8
it was only on 12
March 1993 that an announcement of its contents was
posted by an Ad Hoc Committee on the MTRCB bulletin

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board. This announcement invited the submission of any

information concerning the appointments involved therein
to the Committee. It appears, however, that nothing was
immediately done to implement Resolution No. 8-1-91.
On 14 July 1992, Henrietta S. Mendez was appointed
MTRCB Chairman. Thereafter, new members of the Board
were likewise appointed with Mendez assuming office in
August 1992.
At the MTRCB meeting of 19 January 1993, Mendez
was informed about Resolution No. 8-1-91. An Ad Hoc
Committee composed of MTRCB members was then
constituted to look into the appointments extended by
former Chairman Morato, as well as the qualifications of
the appointees. The Committee then posted on the MTRCB
bulletin board the 12 March 1993 announcement
mentioned above.
Thereafter, the Committee resolved to recommend to the
MTRCB the approval of the appointments, except that of
CORPUZ and seven others.

_______________

7 Annex „G‰ of Petition, Rollo, 35.

8 Annex „H‰ of Petition, Rollo, 39.

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Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals
9
In a Memorandum dated 28 June 1993, Mendez informed
CORPUZ that at the MTRCB regular meeting of 25 June
1993, his appointment was disapproved effective 30 June
1993. None of the parties attached to their pleadings a copy
of the MTRCB Resolution disapproving the appointment.
On 27 July 1993, CORPUZ and one Larry Rigor filed a
complaint with the CSC requesting a formal investigation
and hearing. In her comment to the complaint, Mendez
stated that she discovered that the appointments extended
by Morato were not submitted to the MTRCB for approval
pursuant to Section 5(c) of P.D. No. 1986; hence to cure the
defect, she submitted the appointments to the MTRCB.

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On 31 August 1993, the CSC promulgated Resolution

No. 93-3509 granting the MTRCB authority to fill up
positions vacated in the agency due to appointments
10
which
were not submitted to the MTRCB for approval.
11
However, in Resolution No. 93-5964 dated 23 December
1993, the CSC ruled in favor of CORPUZ, as follows:

It must be appreciated that the appointment of Atty. Corpuz was

approved by the Commission because it was signed by Mr. Manuel
Morato, then Chairman of [the] MTRCB and the duly authorized
signatory of MTRCB appointments. All the appointments signed by
Mr. Morato in his capacity as MTRCB Chairman are presumed to
have been made after complying with all the legal requirements
including the Board approval, whether express or implied.
The appointment of Atty. Corpuz, if defective, could have been
the subject of a direct action for revocation or recall which may be
brought to the Commission within a reasonable period of time after
its approval . . . Since no such action was filed with the
Commission, we can safely state that Corpuz had already acquired
security of tenure in the said position. Hence, the Commission can
not allow the current BoardÊs disapproval of the said appointment to
produce any effect. Atty. Corpuz can no longer be separated from
the service

____________________________

9 Annex „I‰ of Petition, Id., 40.

10 Memorandum for Respondent, 7; Rollo, 132.
11 Supra note 2.

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28 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

except for cause and after observing the requirements of due

process.
WHEREFORE, foregoing premises considered, the Commission
hereby resolves to rule that the separation of Mr. David Corpuz
from the service is not in order. Accordingly, he is automatically
restored to his position of Atty. V with payment of back salaries.

The MTRCBÊs motion for reconsideration was denied by the

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12
CSC in Resolution No. 94-2551 dated 20 June 1994.
In the meantime, specifically on 22 August 1994,
CORPUZ became 13
a permanent employee of the
Ombudsman.
The MTRCB filed with us a special civil action for
certiorari which we referred14to the Court of Appeals in view
of Republic Act No. 7902. The Court of Appeals then
docketed the case as CA-G.R. SP No. 37694.
In its decision, the Court of Appeals declared null and
void Resolution No. 93-5964 of the CSC, ruling that since
the appointment of CORPUZ was not approved by the
MTRCB, the appointment was invalid and he could not
invoke security of tenure. In support of its ruling, the Court
of Appeals held:

Presidential Decree No. 1986, the law creating the Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board, specifically provides as
follows:

„Section 16. Organization Patterns; Personnel.·The Board shall

determine its organizational structure and staffing pattern. It shall have
the power to suspend or dismiss for cause any employee and/or approve
or disapprove the appointment, transfer or detail of employees. It shall
appoint the Secretary of the Board who shall be the official custodian of
the records of the meetings of the Board and who shall perform such
other

____________________________

12 Petition, 6; Rollo, 12.

13 Page 17 of Memorandum for CORPUZ, Rollo, 94.
14 An Act Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals, Amending for
the Purpose Section Nine of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, as Amended Known as
the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980.

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Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

duties and functions as directed by the Board.‰ (Italics supplied)

The record shows that the appointment of respondent Atty.

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David Corpuz was not approved by the Board, as mandated by

Presidential Decree No. 1986, Section 16.
The Supreme Court, in a similar case has reiterated the
importance of complying with legal requirements for a valid
appointment. In Tomali vs. Civil Service Commission (238 SCRA
572), it held:

„Compliance with the legal requirements for an appointment to a civil

service position is essential in order to make it fully effective (Favis vs.
Rupisan, 17 SCRA 190, cited in Mitra vs. Subido, 21 SCRA 127). Without
the favorable certification or approval of the Commission, in cases when
such an approval is required, no title to the office can yet be deemed to be
permanent; vested in favor of the appointee, and the appointment can
still be recalled or withdrawn by the appointing authority (Grospe vs.
Secretary of Public Works and Communication, 105 Phil. 129; Villanueva
vs. Balallo, 9 SCRA 407; Suarez vs. Commission on Elections, 20 SCRA
797). Until an appointment has become a completed act, it would
likewise be precipitate to invoke the rule of security of tenure (See
Aquino vs. Civil Service Commission, 208 SCRA 240; Mitra vs. Subido,
21 SCRA 797).‰

It appearing that respondent Atty. CorpuzÊ appointment was not

approved by the Board, the same cannot be considered as [a] valid
appointment. As such, he cannot invoke security of tenure, even if
he has rendered service for a number of years.
Neither would the silence or the failure of the Board to recall the
private respondentÊs appointment constitute as a [sic] consent or
confirmation. In the aforecited case, the Supreme Court restated
the existing jurisprudence on the matter, thus:

„The tolerance, acquiescence or mistake of the proper officials, resulting

in the non-observance of the pertinent rules on the matter does not
render the legal requirement, on the necessity of the approval of the
Commissioner on Civil Service of appointments, ineffective and
unenforceable. The employee, whose appointment was not approved, may
only be considered as a de facto officer.‰ (Tomali vs. Civil Service
Commission, supra citing Favis vs. Rupisan, 17 SCRA 190, 191)

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Thus, We find merit in petitionerÊs contention that respondent Atty.

David Corpuz did not acquire a vested right nor does he presently
enjoy a [sic] security of tenure to the subject position in the MTRCB
for failure to comply with the legal requirements needed for a valid
appointment. Hence, he cannot be reinstated. Not being a
permanent employee of the Movie and Television Review and
Classification Board, the tenure of respondent Atty. Corpuz ceased
when he was not properly appointed under present law.

His motion15 for reconsideration having been denied in the

Resolution of 13 February 1996, CORPUZ filed the
instant petition under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court and
asked us to reverse the challenged decision of the Court of
Appeals on the sole ground that:

THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN RULING THAT THE

APPOINTMENT OF PETITIONER ATTY. DAVID B. CORPUZ DID
NOT HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MTRCB BOARD WHICH IF
NOT CORRECTED, IS TANTAMOUNT TO A VIOLATION OF HIS
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO SECURITY OF TENURE.

In his Memorandum, however, CORPUZ explicitly declared

that he „is no longer seeking reinstatement with
respondent MTRCB but for the continuity of his
government service from the time he was illegally
dismissed on 30 June 1993 up to the time he was
permanently employed with the Office of the Ombudsman
on 22 August 1994 plus back salaries16and other benefits
due him if not for the illegal dismissal.‰
Pursuant to Section 2 of P.D. No. 1986, the MTRCB is
composed of a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman and thirty (30)
members, all appointed by the President of the Philippines.
Section 5 thereof enumerates the following functions,
powers and duties of the Chairman as the Chief Executive
Officer of the MTRCB, to wit:

_______________

15 Annex „B‰ of Petition, Rollo, 29-30.

16 Rollo, 94.

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VOL. 285, JANUARY 26, 1998 31

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

(a) Execute, implement and enforce the decisions,

orders, awards, rules and regulations issued by the
BOARD;
(b) Direct and supervise the operations and the
internal affairs of the BOARD;
(c) Establish the internal organization and
administrative procedures of the BOARD, and
recommend to the BOARD the appointment of the
necessary administrative and subordinate
personnel; and
(d) Exercise such other powers and functions and
perform such duties as are not specifically lodged in
the BOARD.

On the other hand, Section 16 thereof, quoted in the

challenged decision of the Court of Appeals, vests upon the
Board itself the power to, inter alia, approve or disapprove
the appointments of its personnel.
It is thus clear that there are two stages in the process
of appointing MTRCB personnel, other than its Secretary,
namely: (a) recommendation by the Chairman which is
accomplished by the signing of the appointment paper,
which is among his powers under Section 5(d) above; and
(b) approval or disapproval by the MTRCB of the
appointment. As to the Secretary, it is the MTRCB itself
that is empowered to appoint said official pursuant to
Section 16.
It is long settled in the law of public offices and officers
that where the power of appointment is absolute, and the
appointee has been determined upon, no further consent or
approval is necessary, and the formal evidence of the
appointment, the commission, may issue at once. Where,
however, the assent or confirmation of some other officer or
body is required, the commission can issue or the
appointment may be complete only when such assent or
confirmation is obtained. In either case, the appointment
becomes complete when the last 17
act required of the
appointing power is performed. Until the process is

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completed, the appointee can claim no vested right in the

office nor invoke security of ten-

_______________

17 MECHEM, LAW OF PUBLIC OFFICE AND OFFICERS, §112, at

46. See Mitra v. Subido, 21 SCRA 127, 140 [1967].

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32 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

ure. Hence, in the case of CORPUZ, since the last act

required for the completion of his appointment, viz.,
approval by the MTRCB itself, was not obtained, as a
matter of fact, the MTRCB ultimately disapproved it, his
appointment ceased to have effect, if at all, and his services
were properly
18
terminated. This Court so declared in Favis
v. Rupisan where the appointment involved was not
approved by the Civil Service Commission pursuant to
Section 16(h) of R.A. No. 2260 and Section 2(a) of Rule VI of
the Civil Service Rules
19
implementing said law; Taboy v.
Court of Appeals and Provincial Board of 20
Cebu v.
Presiding Judge of Cebu Court of First Instance where the
appointments of subject employees were disapproved by the
Provincial Boards pursuant21to the powers granted them; in
Carillo v. Court of Appeals where the required consent of
the municipal council in the appointment of the chief of
police was not22
obtained; and in Tomali v. Civil Service
Commission, which the Court of Appeals relied upon,
where the required submission to and approval by the Civil
Service Commission were not made as required by Section
9(h) of P.D. No. 807 and Section 11, Rule V of the Omnibus
Rules Implementing Book V of Executive Order No. 292,
otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987. In
the latter, this Court held that compliance with the legal
requirements for an appointment to a civil service position
is essential to make it fully effective. That the employee
involved had, in fact, assumed office and performed the
functions and duties thereof is of no moment, for it matters
not that the appointee had served for several years. Those

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years of service cannot substitute for the want of consent of

another body required by law to complete the appointment.
The tolerance, acquiescence or mistake of the proper
officials resulting in non-observance of the requirements of
law or rules to com-

_______________

18 17 SCRA 190 [1966].

19 105 SCRA 758 [1981].
20 171 SCRA 1 [1989].
21 77 SCRA 170 [1967].
22 238 SCRA 572 [1994].

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VOL. 285, JANUARY 26, 1998 33

Corpuz vs. Court of Appeals

plete the appointment does not 23

render the requirements
ineffective and unenforceable.
A public official or employee who assumed office under
an incomplete appointment is merely a de facto officer for
the duration of his occupancy of the office for the reason
that he assumed office under color of a known appointment
which is 24void by reason of some defect or irregularity in its
exercise. Undeniably, under the facts here, CORPUZ was
such a de facto officer.
WHEREFORE, the instant petition is DENIED and the
assailed decision of 13 October 1995 of the Court of Appeals
in CA-G.R. SP-No. 37694 is AFFIRMED.
Costs against petitioner.
SO ORDERED.

Bellosillo, Vitug and Kapunan, JJ., concur.

Petition denied; Assailed decision affirmed.

Note.·Acceptance is indispensable to complete an

appointment. (Garces vs. Court of Appeals, 259 SCRA 99
[1996])

··o0o··
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_______________

23 Favis v. Rupisan, supra note 18, at 196.

24 Id., See also Ibañez v. COMELEC, 19 SCRA 1002, 1014 [1967];
Aparri v. Court of Appeals, 127 SCRA 231, 239 [1984].

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