'Stare decisis' and changing jurisprudence

STARE decisis et quieta non movere... To stand by what has been settled and not to disturb it. This is the doctrine by which the law guarantees expectations that decided matters will stand, that a case shall not be relitigated continually, that the court will go by the rules it has articulated and announced. In our laws, particularly Article 8 of the Civil Code, the precept is laid down that "judicial decisions interpreting the laws or the Constitution shall form part of the legal system of the Philippines."

When you ask, for example, what the Constitution means when it requires a candidate for the House of Representatives to be a "resident" of the district he represents for at least one year prior to the elections, you will be told that by the doctrine of stare decisis, the matter is settled and it means "domiciled."