Flashcards Studio

A private development corporation, Crescent Homes, Inc., based in Quezon City, enters into a public-private partnership with the National Housing Authority to build and manage a government-funded social housing project in Metro Manila. Crescent Homes adopts a policy that allocates housing units only to families headed by individuals who practice a religion the company favors, effectively excluding households headed by adherents of other faiths. A family headed by a Muslim applicant sues Crescent Homes, arguing that the policy violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee and the State’s obligation to promote social justice and human rights, invoking international human rights norms ratified by the Philippines. Crescent Homes contends that constitutional nondiscrimination obligations bind only the State, not private actors. (a)Identify the controlling doctrine governing whether constitutional nondiscrimination applies to private actors in the context of social justice and human rights in housing. (b)Distinguish how this doctrine treats private corporations versus government agencies in enforcing constitutional rights. (c)Apply to the facts: does Crescent Homes’ policy violate the Constitution and applicable human rights norms? What remedy should be sought and what is the appropriate standard of review?