Philippines: HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS CONDEMN CURFEW AND ARREST OF MEDIA AS VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND AN ARBITRARY OVERKILL
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemns the imposition of the curfew by Pres. Gloria Arroyo as oppressive, unconstitutional and an arbitrary overkill intended only to instill fear on the people. Article III, Section 6 of the Constitution states that “Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety or public health, as may be provided by law.” Absent any law, Pres. Arroyo does not have the authority to impose curfew. The supposed exemptions in the ‘guidelines’ are of no moment, since the order has no constitutional basis in the first place.
