Money is [one of] the root[s] of all kinds of relationship problems, says an article at the Family Relationships site. In my modest years of law practice, I can say that among the most bitter confrontations (in and out of court) relate to property/money/inheritance issues between members of the family.
Continue readingLast month, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued Administrative Order No. 10 (series of 2006), which prohibits, among others, the imposition of a surcharge, extra charge or additional charge in the use of credit cards, automated teller machine (ATM) cards and debit cards for payment of purchases of consumer products or services. In other words, stores cannot impose any extra charges on top of the cash price for purchases of goods or services paid via credit card. Violators face a penalty of imprisonment of up to six months. Here’s the full text of Administrative Order No. 10. It takes effect 15 days from publication.
The PIA reports that the President issued Executive Order No. 573, creating an Anti-Fraud Task Force composed of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to strengthen Republic Act 8484, or the “Access Device Regulation Act of 1998“.
Continue readingOn 15 February 2006, the group of Raul Lambino and Erico Aumentado (“Lambino Group”) commenced gathering signatures for an initiative petition to change the 1987 Constitution. On 25 August 2006, the Lambino Group filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to hold a plebiscite that will ratify their initiative petition under Section 5(b) and (c) and Section 7 of Republic Act No. 6735 or the Initiative and Referendum Act. The proposed changes under the petition will shift the present Bicameral-Presidential system to a Unicameral-Parliamentary form of government.
Continue readingThe stated purpose of this law blog or blawg is to disseminate legal information for the general public (at the very least, those with internet access), in a manner consistent with the plain language initiative. We don’t pretend that such coverage is extensive, as the internet penetration index of the Philippines is admittedly low. Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere. Continue reading
One of the major concerns of employers is labor, and it doesn’t matter if the employer is a big corporation with a Human Resources (HR) department or simply an entrepreneur/small and medium enterprise (SME). The employer hires, pays, manages, disciplines and fires employees. Problems inevitably arise in the process, and, based on the full-packed hallways that I regularly go through at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), these problems are not diminishing. Continue reading
Among the burning issues of the day is the merits of the move to shift from the current Presidential system to a Parliamentary system. You’ve heard the arguments; it’s time for you to let us hear your opinion. Check the survey at the left-bottom part of this blawg – Survey 2: Presidential to Parliamentary System – Are you in favor of the move to shift the form of government from Presidential to Parliamentary?
The other survey concerns the Death Penalty, which had been abolished this year. Survey 1: The Death Penalty – Are you in favor of bringing back the Death Penalty?
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) recently released the calendar of activities and prohibited acts in connection with the 2007 synchronized national and local elections. The full calendar is provided in Resolution No. 7707. Here are some dates to remember: Continue reading
The examination for admission to the Philippine Bar (the Bar refers to the aggregation of all lawyers in the Philippines) is one of the most, if not THE most, difficult Philippine licensure exams. Some even say that it’s the most difficult bar exam in the world, primarily because it’s an essay-type exam (there’s already a proposal to adopt objective multiply-choice questions for 30%-40% of the total number of questions). Continue reading
The best law firm in the Philippines. An extremely sensitive matter, just like asking which law school is the best. I wouldn’t even attempt to give my personal top list, so, for now, let’s leave it to institutions which prepare directories and rankings. Here goes. Continue reading