G.R. No. 33987 ; January 21, 1931
LOO KAY CHAY, petitioner-appellant, vs. THE COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS OF CEBU, respondent-appellee.

FACTS

The petitioner-appellant, Loo Kay Chay, sought admission into the Philippines, claiming to be the minor son of Loo Ang Chein, a resident merchant in Cebu. A majority of the customs board of special inquiry in Cebu initially granted his admission. However, upon appeal by the customs authorities, the Insular Collector of Customs reversed this decision and denied admission. Loo Kay Chay then filed a petition for habeas corpus before the Court of First Instance of Cebu, which denied the petition. He appealed this denial to the Supreme Court.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of First Instance erred in denying the petition for habeas corpus and upholding the decision of the Insular Collector of Customs to deny the petitioner’s admission.

RULING

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Court of First Instance, denying the petition. The Court held that the decision of the Collector of Customs was based on the weight of the evidence presented before him. It reiterated the established doctrine that where there is evidence supporting the decision of the Collector of Customs, such decision must be respected, and courts cannot review the sufficiency or admissibility of that evidence. The Court further ruled that the Collector of Customs did not abuse his authority by deciding the appeal without calling a new hearing, as such a procedure is not required by law. The administrative decisions in Chinese immigration cases are final unless there is a clear abuse of authority, which was not present in this case.

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