WON GAD, JD and locus standi? Yes.

All waived because of TI

WON RA 8999 valid? No need because repealed by ra 9054

 R.A. 8999 was repealed and superseded by R.A. 9054. Where a statute of later date clearly
reveals an intention on the part of the legislature to abrogate a prior act on the subject, that
intention must be given effect
 R.A. 8999 is antagonistic to and cannot be reconciled with both ARMM Organic Acts, R.A. 6734
and R.A. 9054.
o R.A. 9054 is anchored on the 1987 Constitution. It advances the constitutional grant of
autonomy
 1987 Constitution mandates regional autonomy to give a bold and unequivocal answer to the
cry for a meaningful, effective and forceful autonomy
 Autonomy, as a national policy, recognizes the wholeness of the Philippine society in its
ethnolinguistic, cultural, and even religious diversities. It strives to free Philippine society of the
strain and wastage caused by the assimilationist approach
 The need for regional autonomy is more pressing in the case of the Filipino Muslims and the
Cordillera people who have been fighting for it.
 the creation of autonomous regions does not signify the establishment of a sovereignty distinct
from that of the Republic
 In international law, the right to self-determination need not be understood as a right to
political separation, but rather as a complex net of legal-political relations between a certain
people and the state authorities
o ensures the right of peoples to the necessary level of autonomy that would guarantee
the support of their own cultural identity, the establishment of priorities by the
communitys internal decision-making processes and the management of collective
matters by themselves
 Regional autonomy refers to the granting of basic internal government powers to the people of
a particular area or region with least control and supervision from the central government
 Decentralization is a decision by the central government authorizing its subordinates, whether
geographically or functionally defined, to exercise authority in certain areas. It involves decision-
making by subnational units
 Federalism implies some measure of decentralization, but unitary systems may also
decentralize.
 Decentralization comes in two forms deconcentration and devolution.
o Deconcentration is administrative in nature; it involves the transfer of functions or the
delegation of authority and responsibility from the national office to the regional and
local offices. This mode of decentralization is also referred to as administrative
decentralization
o Devolution, on the other hand, connotes political decentralization, or the transfer of
powers, responsibilities, and resources for the performance of certain functions from
the central government to local government units
 creation of autonomous regions contemplates the grant of political autonomyan autonomy
which is greater than the administrative autonomy granted to local government units
 The continued enforcement of R.A. 8999, therefore, runs afoul of the ARMM Organic Acts and
results in the recall of powers which have previously been handed over