The immunity of the State from suit, known also as the doctrine of sovereign immunity

or non-suability of the State, is expressly provided in Article XVI of the 1987

Constitution

The immunity of the State from suit, known also as the doctrine of sovereign immunity or non-
suability of the State, is expressly provided in Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, viz:

Section 3. The State may not be sued without its consent.

The immunity from suit is based on the political truism that the State, as a sovereign, can
do no wrong.

* Sabi dito and isang estado ay hindi pwedeng magkamali.

A sovereign is exempt from suit, not because of any formal conception or obsolete
theory, but on the logical and practical ground that there can be no legal right as
against the authority that makes the law on which the right depends.

* Maaaring walang legal na karapatan laban sa awtoridad na gumagawa ng batas na kung

saan ang karapatan ay nakasalalay.
Practical considerations dictate the establishment of an immunity from suit in favor of the
State. Otherwise, and the State is suable at the instance of every other individual,
government service may be severely obstructed and public safety endangered because of
the number of suits that the State has to defend against.
* Kung ang estado ay madaling i-habla, makakahadlang ito sa pagganap ng pamahalaan ng
obligasyon nito na maglingkod sa mga tao. Maglalaan ang gobyerno ng oras at enerhiya sa
pagtatanggol sa sarili nito sa korte. At gagastos pa ito gamit ang buwis ng tao. At isa pa,
mapapabayaan ang kaligtasan ng publiko dahil magiging abala ang gobyerno sa
pagtatanggol sa sarili nito sa korte.

STATE IMMUNITY (JURE IMPERII and JURE GESTIONIS)

Originally, under customary international law the doctrine of absolute state immunity applied,
covering all areas of State activity and recognizing only very narrow exceptions. Nowadays,
the rule is to adopt a doctrine of qualified immunity --that is, immunity is granted to foreign
States only in respect of their governmental acts (acts jure imperii ), not in respect of their
commercial acts (acts jure gestionis ).
* jure imperii hindi maaring i-habla o dalhin sa korte ang estado kapag ginampanan ng
pamahalaan ang kanyang tungkulin
*jure gestionis ito ay may kinalaman sa mga kilos na komersyal. Kapag ang gobyerno ay
nakipag-kontrata sa isang indibidwal, bumababa ang estado sa lebel ng isang indibidwal. Sa
pamamagitan ng pagpasok sa mga kontrata, binubuksan ng gobyerno ang sarili upang
mademanda