Practice question
A licensing statute grants one named commercial firm a permanent exemption from a fee paid by identical competitors. The adjudicated facts establish that the sole purpose is rewarding a private friendship, with no legitimate governmental end or conceivable reasonable regulatory justification. The state argues that rational-basis review requires automatic approval of all economic classifications. Which answer is correct?
- Economic labels categorically eliminate equal protection review
- A named beneficiary always creates a constitutional exception
- Private friendship is necessarily a legitimate regulatory objective
- Courts must approve every classification if the statute passed both Houses
- Deference is not automatic approval; the stipulated absence of a legitimate end and rational justification defeats the classification
Legal references
- 1987 Constitution, Article III, Section 1, equal protection: https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/3/353
- Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. v. Commissioner of Customs, G.R. No. 256907, February 20, 2023, main decision, rational-basis review of economic legislation: https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2023/feb2023/gr_256907_2023.html
- Albano v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 257610 and UDK No. 17230, January 24, 2023, main decision, legitimate interest and reasonable connection under rational-basis review: https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2023/jan2023/gr_257610_2023.html
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