Article III Bill of Rights

Article III 
Bill of Rights

 

Summary: Article III enumerates the fundamental rights of the Filipino people. The Bill of Rights sets the limits to the government's power which proves to be not absolute. Among the rights of the people are freedoms of speech, assembly, religion, and the press. An important feature here is the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus which have three available grounds such as invasion, insurrection and rebellion.

 

SECTION 1. (1) No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.

 

(2) Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.

 

(3) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, to be determined by the judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses, he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

(4) The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits prescribed by law shall not be impaired.

 

(5) The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be in violab1e except upon lawful order of the court or when public safety and order require otherwise.

 

(6) The right to form associations or societies for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged.

 

(7) No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be, required for the exercise of civil or political rights.

 

(8) No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the rights of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances.

 

(9) No law granting a title of nobility shall be enacted, and no person holding any office of profit or trust shall, without the consent of the Congress of the Philippines, accept present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever from any foreign state.

 

(10) No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.

 

(11) No ex post facto law or bill of attainder shall be enacted.

 

(12) No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a poll tax.

 

(13) No involuntary servitude in any form shall exist except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.

 

(14) The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended except, in cases of invasion, insurrection, or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, in any of which events the same may be suspended wherever during such period the necessity for such suspension shall exist.

 

(15) No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law.

 

(16) All persons shall before conviction be bailable by sufficient sureties except those charged with capital offenses when evidence of guilt is strong. Excessive bail shall not be required.

 

(17) In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall be presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right to be heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to secure the attendance of witnesses in his behalf.

 

(18) No person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

 

(19) Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment, inflicted.

 

(20) No person shall be twice put in jeopardy of punishment for the same offense. If an act is punished by a law and an ordinance, conviction or acquittal under either, shall constitute a bar to another prosecution for the same act.

 

(21) Free access to the courts shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty.