Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life. It is the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution whose nature, consequences, and incidents are governed by law and not subject to stipulation, except that marriage settlements may fix the property relations during the marriage within the limits provided by the Family Code.
Continue readingGrounds for Annulment of Marriage in the Philippines
Annulment and declaration of nullity are used interchangeably by lay persons, but these two concepts are different. Annulment refers to a marriage that is valid until annulled by a court, while declaration of nullity refers to a marriage which is void from the very beginning. There are separate grounds for annulment of marriage (enumerated below), declaration of nullity of marriage, and legal separation.
Continue readingAbandonment as Ground for Legal Separation
A petition for legal separation may be based on any of ten (10) grounds, one of which is “abandonment of petitioner by respondent without justifiable cause for more than one year,” provided in Article 55 of the Family Code. Abandonment as a ground for legal separation has three components:
Continue readingGrounds for Legal Separation under the Family Code of the Philippines
There are ten (10) grounds for legal separation, provided in Article 55 of the Family Code. Note that these are separate from the grounds for annulment and grounds for declaration of nullity of marriage. A petition for legal separation may be filed based on any of the following grounds:
Continue readingCooling Off Period in Legal Separation
There are a number of differences between legal separation and annulment/declaration of nullity. One of the differences, in terms of procedure, is the requirement of a “cooling off” period.
Continue readingCustody of Computer Data in Cybercrime Warrants
The Rule on Cybercrime Warrants, issued by the Supreme Court pursuant to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175), provides that all computer data subject of the appropriate warrant shall be simultaneously deposited in a sealed package with the same court that issued the warrant. The deposit of the sealed package shall be done upon filing of:
Continue readingDestruction of Computer Data under the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants
Under the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, service providers have the duty to preserve computer data within a general period of 6 months (see Preservation of Computer Data), upon notice by law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, law enforcement agencies have a requisite period to complete the examination of computer data. Upon the expiration of these periods, the service providers and law enforcement authorities, as the case may be, shall immediately and completely destroy the computer data subject of preservation and examination.
Continue readingPreservation of Computer Data under the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants
The integrity of traffic data and subscriber’s information shall be kept, retained, and preserved by a service provider for a minimum period of six (6) months from the date of the transaction. On the other hand, content data shall be preserved for six (6) months from the date of receipt of the order from law enforcement authorities requiring its preservation. These are provided in Section 13 of Republic Act No. 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Continue readingDisclosure of Computer Data, Warrant to Disclose Computer Data (WDCD), under the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants
As previously noted in the Preservation of Computer Data, the obligation to preserve traffic data, subscriber’s information, and content data does not equate to an obligation to disclose the data. A warrant must be secured to authorize the disclosure of the computer data. This is called a Warrant to Disclose Computer Data (WDCD). This is provided under the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants issued by the Supreme Court pursuant to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175).
Continue readingWarrant to Examine Computer Data (WECD) in Lawful Warrantless Arrests
A warrant is generally required for arrests, or search and seizure. There are, however, valid warrantless arrests or valid warrantless searches and seizures. One exception to the requirement for a search warrant is when the search is conducted pursuant to a valid arrest.
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