ASAALI vs. COMMISSION OF CUSTOMS | G.R. No. L-24170 | December 16, 1968

ASAALI vs. COMMISSION OF CUSTOMS
G.R. No. L-24170, December 16, 1968 
Facts

The SC held that petitioner be acquitted of the crime charged. Time and again the SC has decreed that the statutes are to be construed in the light of the purposes to be achieved and the evil sought to be remedied. Thus in construing a statute the reason for its enactment should be kept in mind and the statute should be construed with reference to the intended scope and purpose. The court may consider the spirit and reason of the statute, where a literal meaning would lead to absurdity, contradiction, injustice, or would defeat the clear purpose of the law makers. 
Issue

Whether or not the interception and seizure by custom officials on the high seas is valid on the contention that the seizure was affected outside our territorial waters. 
Ruling

The SC held that it is a settled doctrine of International Law that a state has the right to protect itself and its revenues, a right not limited to its own territory but extending to the high seas. The Revised Penal Code leaves no doubt as to its application and enforceability not only within the Philippines, its interior waters and maritime zone but also outside of its jurisdiction while on Philippine ship. 

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