Supreme Court Decision Upholding the Government's Option to Use Printing Presses Other than the National Printing Office (NPO)

April 27, 2010 BLGF MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 007-10 TO : All BLGF Officials and Employees, Regional Directors for Local Government Finance, District Treasurers of Metropolitan Manila; Provincial, City and Municipal Treasurers and Others Concerned SUBJECT : Supreme Court Decision Upholding the Government's Option to Use Printing Presses Other than the National Printing Office (NPO) For the information and guidance of all concerned, attached is a copy of the Supreme Court En Banc Decision promulgated on April 20, 2010 on G.R. No. 166620 Atty. Sylvia Banda, et al. (National Printing Office employees), Petitioners vs. Eduardo R. Ermita, in his capacity as Executive Secretary, the Director General of the Philippine Information Agency and the National Treasurer, Respondents, on the matter of the constitutionality of Executive Order No. 378 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004 which removed the exclusive jurisdiction of the NPO over all government printing requirements. HCITAS Said Supreme Court decision upheld the constitutionality of the President's decision to allow government agencies to secure their printing requirements from the private sector instead of exclusively from the NPO and that such would not result in NPO's abolition. The Court ruled that the petitioners failed to substantiate their claim that the directive threatened their job security. It also mentioned that Executive Order No. 378 did not reduce the NPO from being the "main printing arm of government for all kinds of government forms and publications." In view of the foregoing, the Regional Directors of this Bureau are hereby instructed to provide the City and Provincial Treasurers with a copy of the said Decision. The Provincial Treasurers should likewise furnish copies of the same to their respective Municipal Treasurers. Be guided accordingly. (SGD.) MA. PRESENTACION R. MONTESA Executive Director ATTACHMENT G.R. No. 166620 Atty. Sylvia Banda, et al. (National Printing Office employees), Petitioners vs. Eduardo R. Ermita, in his capacity as Executive Secretary, the Director General of the Philippine Information Agency and the National Treasurer, Respondents.