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Filipinas Eng'g. Machine Shop V Ferrer

In the case of Filipinas Eng’g. Machine Shop v Ferrer, the Supreme Court addressed the jurisdiction of lower courts over COMELEC's contract awards from bidding invitations and ruled that such matters are administrative and not directly appealable to the Supreme Court. The court also clarified that participation in bidding does not guarantee an absolute right to contract awards, even for the lowest bid. Filipinas Engineering's injunction suit against COMELEC and Acme was ultimately dismissed.

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5 views2 pages

Filipinas Eng'g. Machine Shop V Ferrer

In the case of Filipinas Eng’g. Machine Shop v Ferrer, the Supreme Court addressed the jurisdiction of lower courts over COMELEC's contract awards from bidding invitations and ruled that such matters are administrative and not directly appealable to the Supreme Court. The court also clarified that participation in bidding does not guarantee an absolute right to contract awards, even for the lowest bid. Filipinas Engineering's injunction suit against COMELEC and Acme was ultimately dismissed.

Uploaded by

baguiostudent2600
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Filipinas Eng’g.

Machine Shop v Ferrer, 135 SCRA 25 (1985)

Facts:

In anticipation of the 1969 Philippine national elections, the Commission on Elections


(COMELEC) issued an Invitation to Bid for the manufacturing and delivery of 11,000 voting
booths. Seventeen bids were submitted, including those from Filipinas Engineering and Machine
Shop (Filipinas) and Acme Steel Manufacturing Company (Acme). Filipinas proposed a unit
made of plywood or lawanit, while Acme’s was made of steel. The COMELEC Bidding Committee
recommended Filipinas due to concerns over Acme’s sample but eventually awarded the
contract to Acme with conditions for improvement. Filipinas filed an injunction suit in the
Manila Court of First Instance against COMELEC and Acme, which was dismissed, leading to the
appeal to the Supreme Court

Issues:

1. Does the lower court have jurisdiction over suits involving COMELEC’s contract awards arising
from bidding invitations?

2. Does the losing bidder, Filipinas, have a cause of action against COMELEC and Acme to enjoin
them from implementing their contract?

Court’s Decision:

1. **Jurisdiction Issue**: The Supreme Court ruled that while it has exclusive jurisdiction to
review COMELEC decisions related to elections and enforcement of election laws, a COMELEC
order awarding a contract as a result of bidding is administrative in nature and is not directly
appealable to the Supreme Court. Such matters may be taken in a civil action before trial courts.

Doctrine:

– Final orders, rulings, and decisions of the COMELEC that are reviewable by certiorari by the
Supreme Court refer to those issued by COMELEC in its adjudicatory or quasi-judicial functions,
not to those arising from its administrative functions, such as awarding contracts from bidding
processes.
– Participation in bidding, governed by specific terms and conditions that reserve the right for
the issuing authority (e.g., COMELEC) to reject any and all bids, does not confer on the bidders
any absolute right to the award of the contract even if their bid is the lowest.

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