Facts:

• The case involves the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI), represented by Dr. Rustico Jimenez, as the petitioner.
• Respondents include Hon. Salvador Medialdea, the Executive Secretary, and the Acting Secretary of the Department of Health.
• The petition was filed on November 6, 2018, challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions of Republic Act No. 10932, known as the Act Strengthening the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
• This law prohibits hospitals and medical clinics from demanding deposits or advance payments for emergency or serious cases.
• PHAPI argued that the law imposes undue burdens on hospitals and medical practitioners, violating their rights to substantive due process, equal protection, and the presumption of innocence.
• The lower court had not ruled on the law's constitutionality, prompting PHAPI to seek a direct declaration from the Supreme Court.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The Supreme Court dismissed PHAPI's petition.
• The Court ruled that while certiorari and prohibition are appropriate remedies to challenge a law's constitutionality, the petitioner lacked legal standing.
• PHAPI failed to demonstrate an actual case or controversy,...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Court emphasized the need for an actual case or controversy for judicial review, requiring a conflict of legal rights resolvable by the courts.
• As an association, PHAPI could not show a personal st...continue reading