SC Declares Ban on "Short Time" in Motels Unconstitutional

PDI:

The Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional a Manila ordinance banning “short time” admissions in motels, saying it violates the rights not only of motel owners but also of married couples.

The high court decision, penned by Associate Justice Dante Tinga, also overturned a Court of Appeals ruling that voided the original Manila regional trial court verdict that City Ordinance 7774 violated constitutional guarantees on personal liberty.

In its ruling, the high court said even if the Manila City government’s claims that motels had become dens of “prostitution, adultery and fornication” were true, banning short time admissions would curtail "legitimate sexual behavior among consenting married or consenting single adults, which is constitutionality protected.”

The full text of the decision (White Light Corp. v. City of Manila, G.R. No. 122846) is now posted at the Supreme Court website.