WILLY C.

DUMPIT Constitutional Law 2

FIRST YEAR – LLB Atty. Fayzee P. Alim –
Prof.

SHORT ESSAY (RIGHT TO TRAVEL vis a vis the Current Quarantine Situation)

It is my routine every weekends to travel from Lingig, Surigao del Sur to

Davao City and vice versa to attend classes at JMC Law School. This would usually
take me six hours one way traversing the latter; a bit sacrifice on my part to cope up
with the demands of this course and for the love of learning. However, in as much as
I would like to travel thereto, the current Quarantine situation restricts everyone from
going out abode and travel. Good thing all classes both in the basic education and
higher education were suspended not just respecting the National and Local
Executive Orders, but for the general welfare of its clientele.
Moreover, I am scheduled supposed to be last third week of March for the
renewal of my Passport, PRC, and NBI for travel abroad this summer. But again, the
present crisis prohibits me thereof specially that I cannot cross a number of towns
with lockdown policies. As an abiding citizen of the country and as a law school
student, I pretty understand the measures implemented by political leaders. I know
that what they are doing are in anchorage with the constitution and local code.
Under, Article III, Sec. 6 of the 1987 Constitution “The liberty of abode and of
changing the same within the limits prescribed by law 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 health, as may be
provided by law”. With the present pandemic situation, the prohibitions executed by
the government is a must for everybody’s protection without prejudice to the basic
rights of the common people.
Here is hoping that with the Police Power exercised by National and Local
Executives in collaboration with health practitioners are lawful to protect the public by
preventing people to acquire COVID-19. As such, I am just praying, that citizens of
this country shall fully cooperate because the “Community Quarantine” carried out by
each town, city, province, region, national and all agencies, are public health
practices that would benefit all. Having said that, I am hoping too that there shall be
proper dissemination of information as to protocols by authorities and that there shall
be efficient distribution of goods specially to the less so that they would not keep on
going out to survive for their daily needs.