public safety or order requires otherwise,
ARTICLE III as prescribed by law.
BILL OF RIGHTS
(2) Any evidence obtained in violation of
Section 1. this or the preceding section shall be
inadmissible for any purpose in any
No person shall be deprived of life, proceeding.
liberty, or property without due process
of law, nor shall any person be denied the Section 4.
equal protection of the laws.
No law shall be passed abridging the
Section 2. freedom of speech, of expression, or of
the press, or the right of the people
The right of the people to be secure in peaceably to assemble and petition the
their persons, houses, papers, and effects government for redress of grievances.
against unreasonable searches and
seizures of whatever nature and for any Section 5.
purpose shall be inviolable, and no search
warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue No law shall be made respecting an
except upon probable cause to be establishment of religion, or prohibiting
determined personally by the judge after the free exercise thereof.
examination under oath or affirmation of
The free exercise and enjoyment of
the complainant and the witnesses he may
religious profession and worship, without
produce, and particularly describing the
discrimination or preference, shall forever
place to be searched and the persons or
be allowed. No religious test shall be
things to be seized.
required for the exercise of civil or
political rights.
Section 3. Section 6.
(1) The privacy of communication and The liberty of abode and of changing the
correspondence shall be inviolable except same within the limits prescribed by law
upon lawful order of the court, or when shall not be impaired except upon lawful
order of the court. Neither shall the right to
travel be impaired except in the interest of
national security, public safety, or public Section 11. ‘
health, as may be provided by law.
Free access to the courts and quasi-judicial
Section 7. bodies and adequate legal assistance shall
not be denied to any person by reason of
The right of the people to information poverty.
on matters of public concern shall be
recognized. Section 12.
Access to official records, and to (1) Any person under investigation for the
documents and papers pertaining to commission of an offense shall have the
official acts, transactions, or decisions, as right to be informed of his right to remain
well as to government research data used silent and to have competent and
as basis for policy development, shall be independent counsel preferably of his own
afforded the citizen, subject to such choice. If the person cannot afford the
limitations as may be provided by law. services of counsel, he must be provided
with one. These rights cannot be waived
Section 8. except in writing and in the presence of
counsel.
The right of the people, including those
employed in the public and private sectors, (2) No torture, force, violence, threat,
to form unions, associations, or societies intimidation, or any other means which
for purposes not contrary to law shall not vitiate the free will shall be used against
be abridged. him. Secret detention places, solitary,
incommunicado, or other similar forms of
Section 9.
detention are prohibited.
Private property shall not be taken for
(3) Any confession or admission obtained
public use without just compensation.
in violation of this or Section 17 hereof
Section 10. shall be inadmissible in evidence against
him.
No law impairing the obligation of
contracts shall be passed. (4) The law shall provide for penal and
civil sanctions for violations of this section
as well as compensation to and
rehabilitation of victims of torture or provided that he has been duly notified and
similar practices, and their families. his failure to appear is unjustifiable.
Section 13. Section 15.
All persons, except those charged with The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus
offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua shall not be suspended except in cases of
when evidence of guilt is strong, shall, invasion or rebellion when the public
before conviction, be bailable by sufficient safety requires it.
sureties, or be released on recognizance as
may be provided by law. The right to bail Section 16.
shall not be impaired even when the
All persons shall have the right to a speedy
privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is
disposition of their cases before all
suspended. Excessive bail shall not be
judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative
required.
bodies.
Section 14.
Section 17.
(1) No person shall be held to answer for a
No person shall be compelled to be a
criminal offense without due process of
witness against himself.
law.
Section 18.
(2) In all criminal prosecutions, the
accused shall be presumed innocent until (1) No person shall be detained solely by
the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the reason of his political beliefs and
right to be heard by himself and counsel, aspirations.
to be informed of the nature and cause of
the accusation against him, to have a (2) No involuntary servitude in any form
speedy, impartial, and public trial, to meet shall exist except as a punishment for a
the witnesses face to face, and to have crime whereof the party shall have been
compulsory process to secure the duly convicted.
attendance of witnesses and the production
Section 19. (1) Excessive fines shall not
of evidence in his behalf. However, after
be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or
arraignment, trial may proceed
inhuman punishment inflicted. Neither
notwithstanding the absence of the accused
shall the death penalty be imposed, unless,
for compelling reasons involving heinous
crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for
it. Any death penalty already imposed
shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua.
(2) The employment of physical,
psychological, or degrading punishment
against any prisoner or detainee or the use
of substandard or inadequate penal
facilities under subhuman conditions shall
be dealt with by law.
Section 20.
No person shall be imprisoned for debt or
non-payment of a poll tax.
Section 21.
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.
Section 22.
No ex post facto law or bill of attainder
shall be enacted.
