Fed. Consti. drafter explains new Sec. 1 under Art. III

A draft of the proposed Federal Constitution has been released by the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked to review and attempt to rewrite the 1987 Constitution. The first provision under Article III (Bill of Rights) is completely new.

The rights under this article are demandable against the State and non-state actors, and their enforcement shall be consistent with international standards. (Section 1 of Article III of the New Federal Constitution) Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino, on Facebook, explained this.

QUESTION: Section 1 of Article III is completely new. What is its significance?
ANSWER: First, the rights enumerated under the article are demandable not only against the State but even against non-State actors. It has been traditional doctrine that the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights are demandable only against the State. So a curious neighbor who rummages through your belongings for evidence of your addiction would not be violating the guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures unless your neighbor were a police officer or a law enforcer. Under this new section, however, one can invoke the Bill of Rights against private trespassers of those rights. Second, the Philippines adheres by this section to the concept of “minimum legal standards,” where the minimum is not what domestic law affords but what international human rights standards provide.

SOURCES:
[1] Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino; ConCom 2018 Member; https://www.facebook.com/rannieaquino/posts/2102616533101292
[2] http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/659748/draft-federal-constitution-released-by-the-con-com/story/