Monthly Archives: November 2006

“Jollibee scandal” video: Libel?

Last week, I saw a video with an interesting “Jollibee Scandal” caption. I chose to forget about it; then I saw the post of Talentado, which pointed to the post of Abe. From there, I got real curious.

A simple Google search led me to a number of blogs, including that of Mike Abundo, discussing this topic. Mike mentions a “bunch of anonymous trolls” who think that Abe should delete the post and the fact that Abe faced “far worse threats“. Read more »

Be Honest

Be honest,
even if others are not;
even if others will not;
even if others cannot.

I noticed these words, plastered on a billboard, in one of my out-of-town court hearings. No life-changing flow of thought occurred at that very moment, maybe because I was busy praying that the tricycle I hired reach the airport on time (the hotel car was gone by the time I woke up and there are no cabs in Tacloban). I missed the flight by 30 minutes and got to reflect while waiting at the airport for the next flight. Read more »

Sexual Harassment (R.A. 7877)

What’s the difference between “Good morning, sir” and “Sir, morning na”? Well, the latter may mean lots of things, one of which is sexual harassment. I know there are hotter issues of these days, but in the meantime, let’s shift and set our hands on sexual harassment (pun intended). Republic Act 7877, also known as the “Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995″, covers only the superiors in a work, education or training-related environment. Read more »

Decriminalize libel?

In 2004, Rep. Imee Marcos filed a bill (HB00330; I don’t know its status) seeking to extinguish the penalty of imprisonment and to impose higher fines for offenders of the crime of libel. The accompanying explanation states that the imposition of a more reasonable set of fines for offenders of the crime of libel is more in keeping with the protection of the right of individuals to freedom of speech and expression rather than the imposition the penalty of imprisonment. Read more »

Cash price vs. credit card price

In an Administrative Order recently issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), stores are now prohibited from imposing any extra charges, on top of the cash price, for purchases of consumer goods or services using credit card, automated teller machine (ATM) cards and debit cards. 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. This is provided in Department Order No. 10 (series of 2006), which takes effect 15 days from publication. (See also: Credit cards – How to Stay Ahead of Runaway Credit Card Debt)

A new day. A new beginning.

This is a picture of yesterday’s beautiful sunrise from our law firm’s balcony. This has been a familiar sight for the past 6 months. It’s already dawn and I’m all set – all set to go home. Read more »

Tax amnesty extended

Well, not exactly like the old amnesty. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has extended, until 22 December 2006, the “One-Time Administrative Abatement” of all penalties/surcharges and interest on all delinquent accounts and assessments. The guidelines are spelled out in Revenue Regulation 15-2006.

We will discuss this later at the Forum.