Practice question
A city quotes a general amusement-power clause to prohibit all motels despite the Code’s specific hotel-and-motel regulatory provision. Under Laguio, which interpretive approach is correct?
- Keep the distinct statutory grants separate rather than merge them into an unlimited prohibition power
- Combine every clause into universal power to close any lawful business
- Ignore the specific hotel provision
- Let a competitor define local powers
- Assume the punctuation has no possible interpretive role
Legal references
- City of Manila v. Laguio, GR118127, April12 2005, main decision: https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2005/apr2005/gr_118127_2005.html Equal-protection and statutory regulatory-power holdings.
- RA7160 Local Government Code: https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1991/ra_7160_1991.html Section458(a)(4)(iv),(vii).
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