Constitutional Law: Right to Privacy… September 21, 2014 by 2014 by The Lawyer's Post
G.R G.R. No. No. 17 1797 9736 36,, un! un! "6 "6,, "# "#13 13,, $P $P%& %&$' $'$ $ ()LL )LL *N+ *N+ )C )C-%R) -%R)* * )NG )NG,, P'-) P' -)-) -)%N %N'R 'R$, $, $ $.. *L *L'/ '/*N *N+' +'R R C%* C%*C C&0 &0,, $R. $R. *N+ *N+ *L *LL* L*N N C%* C%*C C&0 &0,, R'$P%N+'N-$. “In this this day day and and age, age, video video survei surveilla llance nce camer cameras as are are insta installe lled d practi practica cally lly everywhere for the protection and safety of everyone. The installation of these came camera ras, s, howe howeve verr, sh shou ould ld not not cove coverr plac places es wher where e ther there e is reas reason onab able le expecta expectation tion of privacy privacy,, unless unless the consent of the individual, individual, whose right right to privacy would would be aected, aected, was obtained” obtained” (ill an ictoria, s2ous!s, l! a Co42laint 5or )nunction an +a4ag!s with 2ray!r 5or issuanc! o5 a rit o5 Pr!li4inary )nunction against *l!8an!r an *llan. *ccoring to th!4, th!y own th! lot aac!nt to th! lots own! y *lo +!v!lo +!v!lo24! 24!nt nt an an R!sour !sourc!s c!s,, wh!r! wh!r! *l!8 *l!8 an an *lla *llan n ar! ar! stoc stochol hol!r !rs. s. -h! cor2oration uilt an auto;sho2 uiling on Lot 19##;C aac!nt to th! lot own! y (ill an ictoria. )n *2ril, "##<, *lo l! a cas! 5or inunction an a4ag!s against (ill an ictoria clai4ing that th!y w!r! constructing a 5!nc! without a vali 2!r4it an th! construction woul !stroy its uiling. -h! court !ni! th! a22lication y *lo 5or 2r!li4inary inunction 5or 5ailur! to sustantiat! its all!gations. -o gath!r !vi!nc! against th! s2ous!s, *lo ill!gally s!t;u2 on th! uiling uiling o5 *lo two vi!o vi!o surv!il surv!illan lanc! c! ca4!ra ca4!ra 5acing 5acing 2!tition 2!tition!rs !rs 2arty an through th!ir !42loy!!s an without th! cons!nt o5 s2ous!s too 2ictur!s o5 th!ir on;going construction= thus it violat!s th!ir right to 2rivacy. -h! s2ous!s 2ray! that *l!8an!r an *llan ! or!r! to r!4ov! th!ir vi!o;ca4!ras an sto22! 5ro4 conucting ill!gal surv!illanc!. *nsw!ring, *l!8an!r an *llan clai4! that th!y i not install th! ca4!ras, nor or!r! th!ir !42loy!!s to ta! 2ictur!s o5 th! s2ous!>s construction= th!y also av!rr! that th!y ar! 4!r! stochol!rs o5 *lo= -h! R!gional -rial -rial Court grant! th! 2ray!r 5or t!42orary r!straining r!straining or!r an ir!ct! *l!8an!r an *llan to r!4ov! th!ir vi!o ca4!ras an install th!4 !ls!wh!r! wh!r! th! s2ous!>s 2ro2!rty will no long!r ! vi!w!. *l!8an *l!8an!r !r an *ll *llan an l! l! a 2!tition 2!tition 5or c!rtiora c!rtiorari ri with th! Court Court o5 *22!als *22!als,, which grant! th!ir 2!tition. (ill an ictoria th!r!5or! !l!vat! th! cas! to th! $u2r!4! Court:
?-h! right to 2rivacy is !nshrin! in our Constitution an in our laws. )t is !n! as ?th! right to ! 5r!! 5ro4 unwarrant! !82loitation o5 on!>s 2!rson or 5ro4 intrusion into on!>s 2rivat! activiti!s in such a way as to caus! hu4iliation to a 2!rson>s orinary s!nsiiliti!s.@ )t is th! right o5 an iniviual ?to ! 5r!! 5ro4 unwarrant! 2ulicity, or to liv! without unwarrant! int!r5!r!nc! y th! 2ulic in 4att!rs in which th! 2ulic is not n!c!ssarily conc!rn!.@ $i42ly 2ut, th! right to 2rivacy is ?th! right to ! l!t alon!.@ -h! (ill o5 Rights guarant!!s th! 2!o2l!>s right to 2rivacy an 2rot!cts th!4 against th! $tat!>s aus! o5 2ow!r. )n this r!gar, th! $tat! r!cogniA!s th! right o5 th! 2!o2l! to ! s!cur! in th!ir hous!s. No on!, not !v!n th! $tat!, !8c!2t ?in cas! o5 ov!rriing social n!! an th!n only un!r th! string!nt 2roc!ural sa5!guars,@ can istur th!4 in th! 2rivacy o5 th!ir ho4!s.@ 888 ?%ur Co! s2!cically
4!ntions ?2rying
into th!
2rivacy
o5 anoth!r>s
r!si!nc!.@ -his o!s not 4!an, how!v!r, that only th! r!si!nc! is !ntitl! to 2rivacy, !caus! th! law cov!rs also ?si4ilar acts.@ * usin!ss oBc! is !ntitl! to th! sa4! 2rivacy wh!n th! 2ulic is !8clu! th!r!5ro4 an only such iniviuals as ar! allow! to !nt!r 4ay co4! in. 8 8 8 D'42hasis su22li!E -hus, an iniviual>s right to 2rivacy un!r *rticl! "6D1E o5 th! Civil Co! shoul not ! conn! to his hous! or r!si!nc! as it 4ay !8t!n to 2lac!s wh!r! h! has th! right to !8clu! th! 2ulic or !ny th!4 acc!ss. -h! 2hras! ?2rying into th! 2rivacy o5 anoth!r>s r!si!nc!,@ th!r!5or!, cov!rs 2lac!s, locations, or !v!n situations which an iniviual consi!rs as 2rivat!. *n as long as his right is r!cogniA! y soci!ty, oth!r iniviuals 4ay not in5ring! on his right to 2rivacy. -h! C*, th!r!5or!, !rr! in li4iting th! a22lication o5 *rticl! "6D1E o5 th! Civil Co! only to r!si!nc!s.@ 888 )n asc!rtaining wh!th!r th!r! is a violation o5 th! right to 2rivacy, courts us! th! ?r!asonal! !82!ctation o5 2rivacy@ t!st. -his t!st !t!r4in!s wh!th!r a 2!rson has a r!asonal! !82!ctation o5 2rivacy an wh!th!r th! !82!ctation has !!n violat!. )n %2l! v. -orr!s, w! !nunciat! that ?th! r!asonal!n!ss o5 a 2!rson>s !82!ctation o5 2rivacy !2!ns on a two;2art t!st: D1E wh!th!r, y his conuct, th! iniviual has !8hiit! an !82!ctation o5 2rivacy= an D"E this !82!ctation is on! that soci!ty r!cogniA!s as r!asonal!.@ Custo4s, co44unity nor4s, an 2ractic!s 4ay, th!r!5or!, li4it or !8t!n an iniviual>s ?r!asonal! !82!ctation o5 2rivacy.@ !nc!, th! r!asonal!n!ss o5 a 2!rson>s !82!ctation o5 2rivacy 4ust ! !t!r4in! on a cas!;to;cas! asis sinc! it !2!ns on th! 5actual circu4stanc!s surrouning th! cas!.
)n this ay an ag!, vi!o surv!illanc! ca4!ras ar! install! 2ractically !v!rywh!r! 5or th! 2rot!ction an sa5!ty o5 !v!ryon!. -h! installation o5 th!s! ca4!ras, how!v!r, shoul not cov!r 2lac!s wh!r! th!r! is r!asonal! !82!ctation o5 2rivacy, unl!ss th! cons!nt o5 th! iniviual, whos! right to 2rivacy woul ! aF!ct!, was otain!. Nor shoul th!s! ca4!ras ! us! to 2ry into th! 2rivacy o5 anoth!r>s r!si!nc! or usin!ss oBc! as it woul ! no iF!r!nt 5ro4 !av!sro22ing, which is a cri4! un!r R!2ulic *ct No. "## or th! *nti;ir!ta22ing Law. ?-h! conc!2t o5 li!rty woul ! !4asculat! i5 it o!s not li!wis! co42!l r!s2!ct 5or on!>sH 2!rsonality as a uniIu! iniviual whos! clai4 to 2rivacy an nonH;int!r5!r!nc! !4ans r!s2!ct.@
