Stare decisis et non quieta movere
Over the past years, the Supreme Court has promulgated a number of cases involving the 349 number fever promo. Thus, the Supreme Court is bound by our pronouncement in those cases.
The principle of stare decisis et non quieta movere holds that a point of law, once established by the court, will generally be followed by the same court and by all courts of lower rank in subsequent cases involving a similar legal issue. This proceeds from the legal principle that, in the absence of powerful countervailing considerations, like cases ought to be decided alike.
The Supreme Court has consistently held (in previous 349 number fever promo cases) that the correct security code was an indispensable requirement to be entitled to the cash prize concerned. Here, petitioners held 349 crowns bearing either security code L-2560-FQ or L-3560-FQ. These, however, were not the security codes for the 349 crowns issued during the extended period of the promo. Thus, petitioners were never entitled to any prize. (G.R. No. 168030; December 19, 2007)