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BAYAN vs Zamora

 March 14 1947, PHILIPPINES and US forged a Military Bases Agreement (RP-US MBA) for the
o Use of installations in the PH territory by US military personnel
 PH and US entered into a Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) to further strengthen their defense and security
o Parties agreed to respond to any external armed attack on their territory, armed forces, public vessels and
 PH Senate rejected the proposed RP-US Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security for the extension of the
presence of US Military bases
 With the expiration of the RP-US MBA, the periodic military exercises conducted between PH and US were held
in abeyance
 But the defense and security relationship continued pursuant to the MDT
 On July 18, 1997 US panel met with PH panel to exchange notes on the complementing strategic interests of the
US and the PH
o They discussed the possible elements of the Visiting Forces Agreement
o Which led to a consolidated draft text of the VFA
 Then President Ramos approved the VFA which was respectively signed by public respondent Sec. Siason and US
Ambassador Hubbard
 President Estrada through Sec. of Foreign Affairs ratified the VFA
 The VFA was officially transmitted to the Senate, together with the Instrument of Ratification, and the letter of
the President, for concurrence pursuant to Section 21, Article VII of the 1987
 Senate referred the VFA to Comm. On Foreign Relations and Comm. On National Defense and Security for their
joint consideration and recommendation
 The Committees submitted their proposed senate resolution no. 443 recommending the concurrence of the
senate to the VFA and the creation of a legislative oversight committee.
 It was approved by the Senate by a 2/3 vote of its members
 On June 1, 1999, the VFA officially entered into force after an Exchange of Notes
 VFA (Preamble and 9 Articles)
o Provides for the mechanism for regulating the circumstances and conditions under which US Armed
Forces and defense personnel may be present in the PH
o provides for the guidelines to govern such visits of military personnel, and further defines the rights of the
United States and the Philippine government in the matter of criminal jurisdiction, movement of vessel
and aircraft, importation and exportation of equipment, materials and supplies.
 Petitioners, in their capacity as legislators, non-governmental organizations, citizens and taxpayers, assail the
constitutionality of the VFA and impute to respondents grave abuse of discretion in ratifying the agreement

Issue (in relation to international law): Whether or not an executive agreement is as binding as a treaty?

Ruling: Yes. Under international law, an executive agreement is as binding as a treaty.

*Court ruling that led to the discussion of international law:

 The Court ruled that Section 25, Article XVIII should apply to the VFA and not Section 21, Article VII of the
 Section 25, Article XVIII disallows foreign military bases, troops, or facilities in the country, unless the following
conditions are sufficiently met,: (a) it must be under a treaty; (b) the treaty must be duly concurred in by the Senate
and, when so required by Congress, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum;
and (c) recognized as a treaty by the other contracting state.

[c] Recognized as a treaty by the other contracting state

 Petitioners contend that the phrase “recognized as a treaty,” embodied in Section 25, Article XVIII, means that the
VFA should have the advice and consent of the United States Senate pursuant to its own constitutional process,
and that it should not be considered merely an executive agreement by the United States.

 Respondents argue that the letter of United States Ambassador Hubbard stating that the VFA is binding on the
United States Government is conclusive, on the point that the VFA is recognized as a treaty by the United States
of America. According to respondents, the VFA, to be binding, must only be accepted as a treaty by the United

Court Ruling on the ISSUE:

 This Court is of the firm view that the phrase “recognized as a treaty” means that the other contracting party
accepts or acknowledges the agreement as a treaty.
 Moreover, it is inconsequential whether the United States treats the VFA only as an executive agreement because,
under international law, an executive agreement is as binding as a treaty. To be sure, as long as the VFA
possesses the elements of an agreement under international law, the said agreement is to be taken equally as a
 A treaty, as defined by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, is “an international instrument concluded
in two or more related instruments, and whatever its particular designation”.
 There are many other terms used for a treaty or international agreement, some of which are: act, protocol,
agreement, compromis d’ arbitrage, concordat, convention, declaration, exchange of notes, pact, statute, charter
and modus vivendi. All writers, from Hugo Grotius onward, have pointed out that the names or titles of
international agreements included under the general term treaty have little or no legal significance. Certain
terms are useful, but they furnish little more than mere description.
 Thus, in international law, there is no difference between treaties and executive agreements in their binding
effect upon states concerned, as long as the negotiating functionaries have remained within their powers.
International law continues to make no distinction between treaties and executive agreements: they are
equally binding obligations upon nations.
 APPLICATION: The records reveal that the United States Government, through Ambassador Thomas C. Hubbard,
has stated that the United States government has fully committed to living up to the terms of the VFA. For as long
as the United States of America accepts or acknowledges the VFA as a treaty and binds itself further to comply
with its obligations under the treaty, there is indeed marked compliance with the mandate of the Constitution.

Additional Notes (Ratification and Pacta Sunt Servanda):

 Worth stressing too, is that the ratification, by the President, of the VFA and the concurrence of the Senate should
be taken as a clear and unequivocal expression of our nation’s consent to be bound by said treaty, with the
concomitant duty to uphold the obligations and responsibilities embodied thereunder.
 Ratification is generally held to be an executive act, undertaken by the head of the state or of the
government, as the case may be, through which the formal acceptance of the treaty is proclaimed. In
our jurisdiction, the power to ratify is vested in the President. With the ratification of the VFA, which is
equivalent to final acceptance, and with the exchange of notes between the Philippines and the United
States of America, it now becomes obligatory and incumbent on our part, under the principles of
international law, to be bound by the terms of the agreement.
 As a member of the family of nations, the Philippines agrees to be bound by generally accepted rules for
the conduct of its international relations. While the international obligation devolves upon the state, the
Philippines is nonetheless responsible for violations committed by any branch or subdivision of its
government or any official thereof. As an integral part of the community of nations, we are responsible
to assure that our government, Constitution and laws will carry out our international obligation.
 Beyond this, Article 13 of the Declaration of Rights and Duties of States adopted by the International Law
Commission in 1949 provides: “Every State has the duty to carry out in good faith its obligations arising
or its laws as an excuse for failure to perform this duty.” Equally important is Article 26 of the Convention
which provides that “Every treaty in force is binding upon the parties to it and must be performed by
them in good faith.” This is known as the principle of pacta sunt servanda which preserves the sanctity
of treaties and have been one of the most fundamental principles of positive international law,
supported by the jurisprudence of international tribunals.