HABEAS CORPUS AND AMPARO

A. Habeas corpus is a Latin term meaning "you have the body". It

is a writ (court order) which directs the law enforcement officials
who have custody of a prisoner to appear in court with the prisoner
in order to determine the legality of the prisoner's confinement.
B. The petition for a writ of amparo is a remedy available to
any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or
threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public
official or employee, or of a private individual or entity. The writ
shall cover extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or
threats thereof.
Contents
The formal requirements for the two petitions differ. In habeas
corpus, the petition should allege the following:
1. The person in whose behalf the application is filed;
2. The officer or the name of the person detaining him/her or, if
unknown, he/she may be described by an assumed appellation and
the person who is served with the writ shall be deemed the person
intended;
3. The place where the person is detained;
and4. Copy
of
the commitment or the cause of his detention, if it can be procured
without impairing the efficiency of the remedy; or if the detention is
without any legal authority, such fact shall appear.

of the respondent, and how such threat or violation is committed,

with the attendant circumstances detailed in supporting affidavits;
d) the investigation conducted, if any, specifying the names,
personal circumstances, and addresses of the investigating
authority or individuals, as well as the manner and conduct of the
investigation, together with any report;
e) the actions and recourses taken by the petitioner to determine
the fate or whereabouts of the aggrieved party and the identity of
the person responsible for the threat, act, or omission; and the
relief prayed for.
Petitions for both writs of amparo and habeas corpus must be
verified. This is to ensure that the allegations are true and correct
and not the offshoot of speculation or imagination, and that the
pleading is filed in good faith or is the consequence of a legitimate
grievance or indignation that demands redress.
Reliefs to Be Prayed for
What reliefs may be prayed for in the petitions? In habeas corpus,
the ultimate prayer is for the release of the detainee or the person
from the custody of the respondent. In exceptional cases where the
habeas court in reaching the body may also inquire into the
courts jurisdiction or a constitutional question, reliefs may also
include vacating the decision of the court that acted without
jurisdiction and the declaration of nullity of a statute upon which
the penalty or detention is based.
Venue

An amparo petition, on the other hand, should aver the following:

a) The petitioners personal
circumstances;
b) the name and personal circumstances of the respondent
responsible for the threat, act, or omission, or, if the name is
unknown or uncertain, the respondent may be described by an
assumed appellation;
c) the right to life, liberty, and security of the aggrieved party
violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission

Both may be filed before the RTC, CA, or SC without the need to
observe the rule on hierarchy of courts.
Amparo petition may be filed in Sandiganbayan if it involves public
officials.
Petition for habeas corpus may be filed before the MTC in the
absence of RTC judges.

HABEAS DATA
The writ of habeas data is a remedy available to any
person whose right to privacy in life, liberty or security is
violated or threatened by an unlawful act or omission of a
public official or employee, or a private individual or entity
engaged in the gathering, collecting or storing of data or
information regarding the person, family, home and
correspondence of the aggrieved party.
Sec. 2 Any aggrieved party may file a petition for the writ of
habeas data. However, in cases of extra-judicial killings and
enforced disappearance, the petition may be filed by:
(a)

any member of the immediate family of the

aggrieved party, namely: the spouse, children or parents; or
(b)
any ascendant, descendat or collateral relative of the
aggrieved party within the fourt civil degree of
consanguinity or affinity, in default of those mentioned in
the preceding paragraph.
Where to file a Petition for a writ of habeas data
Under Section 3, the petition may be filed, at the option of
the petitioner, with :

(i)

(ii)
(iii)

The regional trial court where the respondent or

petitioner resides. This is akin to the venue in the
habeas data rules of Argentina and many Latin American
countries.
The regional trial court which has jurisdiction over the
place where the data or information is gathered,
collected or stored.
The Supreme Court, Court of Appeals or the
Sandiganbayan when the action concerns public data
files of government offices.

If the petition involves public data files of government

offices [which is interpreted to mean that the respondent is a
government personnel or official in charge of a public registry] the

petitioner is allowed three options for venue including the filing

before the Supreme Court. Otherwise, the petitioners venue is
restricted to the Regional Trial Courts.
What should the Petition contain ?
Section 6 of the Rule provides that:

Sec. 6 A verified petition for a writ of habeas data

should contain:

(a) the personal circumstances of the petitioner and the

respondent
(b) the manner the right to privacy is violated or
threatened and how it affects the right to life, liberty
or security of the aggrieved party
(c) the actions and recourses taken by the petitioner to
secure the data or information
(d) the location of the files, registers or databases, the
government office and the person in charge, in
possession or in control of the data or information, if
known
(e) the reliefs prayed for, which may include the
updating, rectification, suppression or destruction of
the database or information or files kept by the
respondent.
In case of threats, the relief may include a prayer for
an order enjoining the act complained of; and
(f) such other relevant reliefs as are just and equitable.
Firstly, the petition must be verified.
Secondly, the Petition must show the connection between the
violation of the right to privacy and the threat or violation of the
petitioners right to life, liberty or property.
Thirdly, it seems from the provision that the petitioner must
alleged in the petition if he or she has made attempts to secure the
data or have it amended or destroyed before the filing of a petition.

This is interpreted by the writer to be an optional requirement,

particularly since the petitioner may not know who in particular
controls the data.
It must be noted that the location of the file and the name of
the person in charge must be alleged in the petition only if known
to the petitioner. The rule therefore allows for a petition to prosper
even if the specific location or respondent is not exactly known.

Lastly, the reliefs must categorically state what is prayed for.

Considering that knowledge of the actual content may not be
available to the petitioner upon filing, the Petitioner may ask for the
destruction of the entire file available or those portions which
violate or threatens his or her right to privacy.