Quo warranto is
a remedy to try disputes with respect to the title to a public office.
Generally, quo warranto proceedings are commenced by the
Government as the proper party-plaintiff. However, under Section 5, Rule 66 of
the Rules of Court, an individual may commence such action if he claims to
be entitled to the public office allegedly usurped by another. The Supreme
Court stressed that the person
instituting the quo warranto proceedings
in his own behalf must show that he is entitled to the office in dispute; otherwise, the
action may be dismissed at any stage. Emphatically, Section
6, Rule 66 requires the petitioner to state in the
petition his right to the public office and the respondent's unlawful
possession of the disputed position. As early as
1905, the Court already held that
for a petition for quo
warranto to be successful,
the suing private individual must show a clear right to the contested office.
His failure to establish this right warrants the dismissal of the suit
for lack of cause of action; it is not even necessary to pass upon the right of
the defendant who, by virtue of his appointment, continues in the undisturbed
possession of his office. Since the petitioner merely holds an
acting appointment (and an expired one at
that), he clearly does not have a cause of action to maintain the present
petition.
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