- Petitioner
- Celestino Tatel
- Respondent
- Municipality of Virac
- Citation
- G.R. No. 40243
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Ponente
- Nocon, J.
- Decided
- March 11, 1992
Summary
Celestino Tatel challenged Municipal Resolution No. 29 declaring his abaca warehouse a public nuisance and the constitutional validity of Ordinance No. 13 requiring 200-meter distance from residential areas. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, upholding the municipal ordinance as a valid exercise of police power. The Court found the ordinance constitutional and reasonable, designed to protect lives and property from fire hazards posed by inflammable materials storage. The decision affirmed local government authority to regulate potentially dangerous business operations through reasonable ordinances that serve public safety. The case establishes important precedent on municipal police power limits and the balance between individual property rights and community welfare in local government regulation.