EN BANC DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN G.R. No. 162070REFORM, represented b !ECRETAR"#O!E MARI B. PONCE $OIC%, Present&Pet't'oner, D()'de, C.J.,P*no, P(n+(n'b(n, ,*'s*-b'n+, "n(res.!(nt'(+o,!(ndo)(/.G*t'erre0, C(rp'o,. )ers*s . A*str'(.M(rt'ne0,Coron(, C(rp'o Mor(/es, C(//e1o, !r., A02*n(, T'n+(,C3'2o.N(0(r'o (nd G(r2'(, JJ. DE4IA T. !5TTON, E44A T.!5TTON.!O4IMAN (nd Pro-*/+(ted& 6ARR" T. !5TTON,Respondents. O2tober 17, 20089 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 DECI!ION P5NO, J.& This is a petition for review filed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of the DecisionandResolutionof theCourt of Appeals, datedSeptember !, "##$and%ebruary&, "##&,respectively, which declared DAR Administrative 'rder (A('() )o( !, series of !!$, null andvoid for being violative of the Constitution( The case at bar involves a land in Aroroy, *asbate, inherited by respondents which has beendevoted e+clusively to cow and calf breeding( 'n 'ctober ",, !-., pursuant to the then e+istingagrarian reform program of the government, respondents made a voluntary offer to sell (/'S):1; their landholdings to petitioner DAR to avail of certain incentives under the law( 'n 0une #, !--, a new agrarian law, Republic Act (R(A() )o( ,,1., also 2nown as theComprehensive Agrarian Reform 3aw (CAR3) of !--, too2 effect( 4t included in its coveragefarms used for raising livestoc2, poultry and swine( 'n December &, !!#, in an en banc decision in the case of 4*0 F(r-s ). !e2ret(r o; 8etitioner ignored their re7uest( 'n December "., !!$, DAR issued A.O. No. 7, ser'es o< 177=,:8; which provided thatonly portions of private agricultural lands used for the raising of livestoc2, poultry and swine asof 0une 1, !-- shall be e+cluded from the coverage of the CAR3( 4n determining the area oflandtobee+cluded, the A('( fi+edthefollowingretentionlimits, viz9 9animal5landratio(i.e.,hectare of land perhead of animal shall be retained by the landowner), and a ratio of(.-1hectares for livestoc2infrastructure for every"heads of cattle shall li2ewise bee+cluded from the operations of the CAR3( 'n %ebruary &, !!&, respondents wrote the DAR Secretary and advised him to consider as finalandirrevocablethewithdrawal oftheir/'Sas, underthe 4*0F(r-sdo2tr'ne, theirentirelandholding is e+empted from the CAR3(:6; 'nSeptember&, !!1, thenDARSecretary:rnestoD( ;arilaoissuedan'rder:7; partiallygranting the application of respondents for e+emption from the coverage of CAR3( Applying theretention limits outlined in the DARA('( )o( !, petitioner e+empted ,"#! hectares ofrespondents land for gra:RS '% T6: 8R:S4D:)T >4T6'DT :)CR'AC64); ') T6: 3:;4S3AT4/: 8'>:RS '% C');R:SSGC( T6: %D)DS ):C:SSARF %'R T6: 4*83:*:)TAT4') '% T6: 4D:)T4%4CAT4') R:%:R:)C: SFST:* *AF ?: S'DRC:D %R'* T6: ?DD;:TS '% T6: C')C:R):D A;:)C4:SGD( A('( )'( $#- A!!,B 8R'T:CTS A) 4)D4/4DDA3CS 4)T:R:ST 4) 8R4/ACF(A$B>e now resolve(IAs is usual in constitutional litigation, respondents raise the threshold issues relating to thestandingtosueof thepetitioner andthe=usticiabilityof thecaseat bar( *orespecifically,respondents aver that petitioner has no legal interest to uphold and that the implementing rules ofA('( )o( $#- have yet to be promulgated(Thesesubmissions do notdeserve our sympatheticear( 8etitioner 'pleisadistinguishedmember of our Senate( As a Senator, petitioner is possessed of the re7uisite standing to bring suitraisingtheissuethattheissuanceof A('( )o( $#-isausurpationoflegislativepower(A&B Asta+payer and member of the ;overnment Service 4nsurance System (;S4S), petitioner can alsoimpugnthelegalityof themisalignment of publicfundsandthemisuseof ;S4Sfundstoimplement A('( )o( $#-(A1BTheripenessfor ad=udicationof thepetitionat bar isnot affectedbythefact that theimplementing rules of A('( )o( $#- have yet to be promulgated( 8etitioner 'ple assails A('( )o($#- as invalid per se and as infirmed on its face( 6is action is not premature for the rules yet tobe promulgated cannot cure its fatal defects( *oreover, the respondents themselves have startedthe implementation of A('( )o( $#- without waiting for the rules( As early as 0anuary !, !!.,respondent Social SecuritySystem(SSS) causedthepublicationof anoticetobidfor themanufacture of the )ational 4dentification (4D) card(A,B Respondent :+ecutive Secretary Torreshaspubliclyannouncedthat representativesfromthe;S4SandtheSSShavecompletedtheguidelines for the national identification system(A.B All signals from the respondents show theirunswerving will to implement A('( )o( $#- and we need not wait for the formality of the rulesto pass =udgment on its constitutionality( 4n this light, the dissenters insistence that we tighten theruleonstandingisnotacommendablestanceasitsresultwouldbetothrottleanimportantconstitutional principle and a fundamental right(IIAeno@2o-etot3e2ore'ss*es. Pet't'oner2/('-st3(t A.O. No. =0?'snot(-ere(d-'n'str(t')e order b*t ( /(@ (nd 3en2e, beond t3e po@er o< t3e Pres'dent to 'ss*e( 6ealleges that A('( )o( $#- establishes a system of identification that is all5encompassing in scope,affects the life and liberty of every %ilipino citi