This case involves a petition for certiorari and prohibition challenging the constitutionality of Section 23 of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), which explicitly prohibits plea bargaining in all drug cases regardless of the penalty. The petitioner, charged with possession of dangerous drugs under Section 11 of RA 9165, sought to plea bargain for a lesser offense but was denied by the Regional Trial Court citing the prohibition in Section 23. The Supreme Court granted the petition, declaring Section 23 unconstitutional because it encroaches upon the exclusive constitutional power of the Supreme Court to promulgate rules of pleading, practice, and procedure, including the rules on plea bargaining.

* The case arose within the context of the Philippine government's intensified campaign against illegal drugs, governed by Republic Act No. 9165. * RA 9165 contained a specific provision, Section 23, that explicitly disallowed plea bargaining for any offense under the Act, diverging from the general availability of plea bargaining in other criminal cases under the Rules of Court.