Monthly Archives: October 2006

New writer at the Forum; Alex Magno is “Off-line”

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 2 Comments

Responding to the open invitation to write at the Forum, Mr. Basilio submitted a timely article on the potential face-off between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now that the Supreme Court has dismissed the petition of Lambino et.al., it’s expected that the same petitioners through the President’s allies in the Lower House would finally resort next to the other mode in the amendatory process, i.e. proposal by the Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members. Read more »

Posted in Politics & Society

Computation of pay for holidays: Regular, special non-working, special working

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 4 Comments

One of the more confusing matters, for employees and HR people alike, is the computation of holiday pay, complicated by the fact that there are different “kinds” of holidays. This is cleared by Memorandum Circular No. 1 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the full text of which is reproduced and discussed below. Read more »

Posted in HR & Labor

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Anonymity

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Atty. Fred| Leave a comment

I recall MLQ3 saying in iBlog2 that bloggers are, in a sense, leaders – they are willing to risk their reputation by putting forward their opinions and beliefs for the whole world to dissect (or in similar words). On the other side of the spectrum is the anonymous blogger – he who prefers the relative anonymity and freedom offered by the web. Of course, there are various reasons, some of which may be legitimate, for a blogger’s decision to remain anonymous. One reason, unfortunately, is cowardice. Read more »

Posted in Internet & Technology

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Things you’d love to say at work, but can’t

Posted on October 30, 2006 by Atty. Fred| Leave a comment

Here’s something that made me smile. This email made the rounds some time ago and, as usual, the author is not indicated in the email…will be more than glad to acknowledge authorship if someone steps up. Read more »

Posted in Office and Work

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Credit card fraud

Posted on October 30, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 174 Comments

Credit card fraud is present in our country, although its prevalence is subject to debate. In the cases I’ve handled, a SINGLE fraudulent transaction amounted to millions of pesos. A newly-created task force addresses the dilemma of whether a credit card company, which oftentimes absorbs the loss, should spend more money in prosecuting a fraudulent credit card transaction without the active participation of government agencies. Read more »

Posted in Money & Finance

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SC is not a trier of facts – Sigaw ng Bayan

Posted on October 29, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 3 Comments

“The arguments used as basis in the Supreme Court’s decision were questions of facts, issues that should not be tackled by the Supreme Court. The [high] court is not a trier of fact but should only decide on issues of laws and jurisdiction,” [Atty. Raul] Lambino [of Sigaw ng Bayan] told ABS-CBN‘s Magandang Umaga Pilipinas. Read more »

Posted in Legal Procedure, Politics & Society

Overtaking ONLY

Posted on October 28, 2006 by Atty. Fred| Leave a comment

I passed through the North Luzon Expressway or NLEX on my way back to Manila from Angeles, Pampanga. There’s no doubt that the NLEX is among the best roads or highways in the Philippines. You’ll notice many things if you’re passing through NLEX or NLE, some of which are the following: Read more »

Posted in On the Road

Beach Paradise – Boracay, Philippines

Posted on October 27, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 7 Comments

Is there a place where your view is gently guided from the white sand towards the light green waters, and unto the clear blue sky? Is there a place where you can frolick on the soft white sand all day and night? Yes, such place exists. It’s called Boracay. Read more »

Posted in Philippine Travel

10 Little Things OFWs, Balikbayans and Pinoy Expats Could Do To Help

Posted on October 27, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 4 Comments

a) Spend your vacation, your dollars, in our Philippines

It is understandable for our OFWs, balikbayans and Pinoy expats to spend vacation in other countries. The world is truly beautiful and majestic. But please do spend some of your vacation, and some of your dollars, in our Philippines. Every dollar that you bring into our country will help build our Philippines. It will help our tourism industry. It will mean more sales and more jobs for our local industries. It will mean an increase in our country’s international dollar reserves. It will help stabilize the Peso. And ultimately, it will help stabilize our economy. Read more »

Posted in Politics & Society

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Waiting for the 2006 bar examination results

Posted on October 27, 2006 by Atty. Fred| 300 Comments

This year, 6,344 law graduates from 100 Philippine law schools took the 100-year-old plus Bar exams. Now that the 2006 Bar exams are over and as the day of the release of the results approaches, the mental torture is going to get worse. In my experience, the first time I felt God’s presence was when I took the bar exams. That was the first time I had nightmares, waking up at dawn drenched in sweat. That was the first time I went to church, alone, in the middle of the night. That was the first time my tears fell while praying. I felt guilty of asking for anything because I forgot Him in happier times. Yet, I really have no one to turn to; He is my refuge and I have to ask for strength to go on. More suggestions on how to deal with the waiting game at the Forum. Read more »

Posted in Bar Exams