• Gaspar! v.! Molina! !! The! law! relating! to! the! obligations! of! contracts! does! not! prohibit! every! change! in! existing! laws.! To! fall! within! the! prohibition,! the! change! must! impair! the! obligation! of! the! existing! contract,! and! the! impairment! must! be! substantial.1(
• Clemons! v.! Nolting! !! A! law! which! changes! the! terms! of! a! legal! contract! between! parties,!either!in!the!time!or!mode!of!the!performance,!or!imposes!new!conditions,! or! dispenses! with! those! expressed,! or! authorizes! for! its! satisfaction! something! different! from! that! provided! in! its! terms,! is! law! which! impairs! the! obligation! of! a! contract!and!is!therefore!null!and!void.2(
• U.S.!v.!Dias!Conde!!!Any!law!which!enlarges,!abridges,!or!in!any!manner!changes! the!intention!of!the!parties,!necessarily!impairs!the!contract!itself.3(
• Manila! Trading! Co.! v.! Reyes! !! The! Court! ruled! that! what! the! contract! clause! prohibits!is!a!substantial!impairment!of!contracts.!Changes!in!procedural!remedies! which!do!not!diminish!substantive!rights!or!increase!substantive!obligations!do!not! violate!the!guarantee.( ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!1!Joaquin!G.!Bernas,!S.J.,!The!1987!Constitution!of!the!Republic!of!the!Philippines:!A!Commentary!(2009!ed.),!p.444! 2!Id.,!p.!445! 3!Ibid.!
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SECTION(11.( Free(access(to(the(courts(and(quasi9judicial(bodies(and(adequate(legal(assistance(shall(not( be(denied(to(any(person(by(reason(of(poverty.( ( FREE(ACCESS(TO(THE(COURTS,(QUASI9JUDICIAL(BODIES,(&(ADEQUATE(LEGAL(ASSISTANCE( ( I.(General(Principles( • Who$are$protected:(o Those$ protected$ include$ low$ paid$ employees,$ domestic$ servants$ and$ laborers.(
o They$ need$ not$ be$ persons$ so$ poor$ that$ they$ must$ be$ supported$ at$ public$ expense.(
o It$suffice$that$plaintiff$is$indigent.(
o Difference$ between$ paupers$ and$ indigent$ persons$ is$ that$ the$ latter$ are$ persons$ who$ have$ no$ property$ or$ sources$ of$ income$ sufficient$ aside$ from$ their$ own$ labor$ through$ self?supporting$ when$ able$ to$ work$ and$ in$ employment.(
• Purpose$ of$ this$ provision$ is$ to$ bar$ Philippine$ jurisprudence$ from$ the$ distinction$ made$ in$ American$ jurisprudence$ which$ requires$ two$ requirements$ before$ giving$ free$access$to$courts.(
o Interest$sought$to$be$protected$must$be$fundamental.(
o Objectively$impossible$to$protect$the$interest$except$in$a$court$of$law.( • The$ expansion$ of$ the$ free$ access$ clause$ in$ the$ 1987$ Constitution$ had$ in$ mind$ free$
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SECTION(12.(
(1) Any( person( under( investigation( for( the( commission( of( an( offense( shall( have( the( right( to( be( informed( of( his( right( to( remain( silent( and( to( have( competent( and( independent(counsel(preferably(of(his(own(choice.(If(the(person(cannot(afford(the( services(of(counsel,(he(must(be(provided(with(one.(These(rights(cannot(be(waived( except(in(writing(and(in(the(presence(of(counsel.cralaw(
(2) No(torture,(force,(violence,(threat,(intimidation,(or(any(other(means(which(vitiate( the( free( will( shall( be( used( against( him.( Secret( detention( places,( solitary,( incommunicado,(or(other(similar(forms(of(detention(are(prohibited.cralaw(
(3) Any( confession( or( admission( obtained( in( violation( of( this( or( Section( 17( hereof( shall(be(inadmissible(in(evidence(against(him.cralaw(
(4) The(law(shall(provide(for(penal(and(civil(sanctions(for(violations(of(this(section(as( well( as( compensation( to( the( rehabilitation( of( victims( of( torture( or( similar( practices,(and(their(families.( ( I.(Cases(Summary:(Section(12!gives!the!new!rights!to!accused!which!was!not!provided!prior! to!the!passage!of!the!1973!Constitution.!More!particularly!this!is!the!right!to!be!informed!of! his!right!to!be!silent!and!to!an!attorney!(Miranda).!Being!so,!such!right!was!held!to!be!apply! prospectively!(Magtoto).!With!regard!to!the!right!to!independent!and!competent!counsel,! the! court! held! that! a! city! legal! officer! which! provides! free! legal! aid! services! for! the! promotion!of!peace!and!order!cant!be!considered!as!an!independent!legal!counsel!seeing! that! there’s! a! conflict! of! interest! between! such! officer! and! the! accused! (Sunga).! Rights! under!Section(12!are!not!also!available!during!identification!through!police!line!ups!except! when!the!accused!is!already!under!custodial!investigation!(Gamboa,!Escordial).!It!was!also! held!that!there!is!no!hard!and!fast!rule!with!regard!to!the!place!where!police!line!ups!can!be! held.! Thus! even! if! it! was! done! outside! the! police! station,! as! long! as! done! property,! identification! is! valid! (Teehankee).! On! the! last! case! assigned,! the! court! held! that! a! law! restricting! the! right! to! remain! in! silence! (against! right! to! selfMincrimination)! during! an! investigation!conducted!by!a!panel!is!unconstitutional.!A!witness/accused!has!these!rights! even!during!such!investigation!(Galman).! ! II.(Citizens(Rights(under(Section(12((ISIP)( 1. Right!to!be!informed!of!rights!(#2!&!#3!below)! 2. Right!to!remain!silent! 3. Right!to!have!competent!and!independent!counsel.! 4. Right!to!proper!treatment!of!those!under!investigation1! ! III.(Miranda(Rights( A.(Reason(for(the(rule:( • It!recognized!the!fact!that!the!psychological!if!not!physical!atmosphere!of!custodial! investigations,!in!the!absence!of!proper!safeguards,!is!inherently!coercive.! ( B.(The(Miranda(Rights((Procedure)((1)(Miranda(v.(Arizona2(
1. The! person! in! custody! must! be! informed! at! the! outset! in! clear! and! unequivocal! terms!that!he!has!the!right!to!remain!silent.!
2. After!being!so!informed,!he!must!be!told!that!anything!he!says!can!and!will!be!used! against!him!in!court.!
3. He!must!be!clearly!informed!that!he!has!the!right!to!consult!with!a!lawyer!and!to! have! the! lawyer! with! him! during! the! interrogation.! He! does! not! have! to! ask! for! a! lawyer.! The! investigator! should! tell! him! that! he! has! the! right! to! counsel! at! that! point.! 4. He!should!be!warned!that!not!only!has!he!the!right!to!consult!with!a!lawyer!but!also! that!if!he!is!indigent,!a!lawyer!will!be!appointed!to!represent!him.! 5. Even!if!the!person!consents!to!answer!questions!without!the!assistance!of!counsel,! the!moment!he!asks!for!a!lawyer!at!any!point!in!the!investigation,!the!interrogation! must!cease!until!an!attorney!is!present.! 6. If!the!foregoing!protections!and!warnings!are!not!demonstrated!during!the!trial!to! have! been! observed! by! the! prosecution,! no! evidence! obtained! as! a! result! of! the! interrogation!can!be!used!against!him.!
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