Monthly Archives: April 2008

Allowing Absolute Divorce in the Philippines

Posted on April 18, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 165 Comments

Divorce is a controversial topic, except that it’s often discussed with hushed voices. Many are just waiting for the right opportunity to end their respective marriages, and the reasons are diverse — physical abuse (against the spouse and/or the children), sexual infidelity, irreconcilable differences and conflicting personalities, gross irresponsibility, loss (and transfer) of affection, among others. Unfortunately, these grounds are not enough to severe the marital bond through annulment. In lieu of divorce, married persons resort to annulment and according to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), there is an alarming increase in the number of annulment cases in the Philippines. The number of annulment cases filed in courts, which never breached the 7,000-mark prior to 2006, rose to 7,138 (2006) and 7,753 (2007). Read more »

Posted in Discuss-a-Bill, Family Law

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Tax Amnesty Available until May 2008

Posted on April 18, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 3 Comments

The last day to avail of tax amnesty is 5 May 2008. Now, before you get excited because you may happen to have failed to file your income tax return by 15 April 2008, this tax amnesty refers to all national internal revenue taxes for the taxable year 2005 and prior years that have remained unpaid as of 31 December 2005. Read more »

Posted in Business & Corporate, Money & Finance

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Tracking the Solo Flight of Solo Parents

Posted on April 15, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 19 Comments

In the course of our work, particularly labor and HR-related functions, we’ve come to observe an increasing number of solo parents. Of course, solo parents have always been there all along, but the enactment of a law (Republic Act No. 8972, also known as the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000) placed the spotlight on them. Read more »

Posted in Family Law, HR & Labor

Tagged

Libel for Bloggers: Liability Arising from Blog Comments

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 45 Comments

We see the explosion of e-groups, blogs, message boards and other fora wherein people share facts, views and opinions in cyberspace. If we consider the huge amount of content written by and about almost everyone in the internet, it is only logical to expect the increasing number of libel cases filed against bloggers. Read more »

Posted in Criminal Law, Internet & Technology

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Internet Sources and Legal Blogs in Court Decisions

Posted on April 12, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 5 Comments

Law blogs, referred to as “blawgs” by some, are being cited in court decisions in the U.S. (to the cyber-challenged, the term “blog” is a contraction of the words “web log”). As reflected in a collection of court cases that cite legal blogs, there are 32 citations of legal blogs from 27 different cases in the United States, with 8 legal blogs being cited (as of 6 August 2006). Read more »

Posted in Internet & Technology, Legal Misc

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A Closure on the 2007 Bar Exams

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 260 Comments

The diverse opinions on the 2007 bar examination expressed in this site probably reflects the level of “controversy” surrounding it. I agree that more reforms are needed, although it’s unfair to say that the Supreme Court is not doing anything about it. I agree that the Supreme Court is not perfect, but any effort to destroy its credibility, especially when based on mere allegations, should never be allowed as it brings more harm. I agree that some are luckier than others, but it’s unfair to attribute everything to luck because we all know the extreme difficulty in preparing for the bar exams. I agree that there’s nothing else we could do because the result was already released, but it’s unfair to tell those who want to express their respective opinions to shut up. Read more »

Posted in Bar Exams

Bar Exams not Difficult

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 77 Comments

The Bar examinations are not difficult, it depends on the examinees. If he prepared well and studied well, and prayed hard, then he will make it.

The correction (by the examiners) was unusually strict so that the justices of the court felt there was a need to lower the passing rate. There was need to lower the passing grade in order to balance the correction in these three subjects.

- Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna
Chair of the 2007 committee
on Bar examinations
(as quoted by Inquirer.net)

Posted in Bar Exams

All Rice!

Posted on April 5, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 4 Comments

The headlines these past days have been all about rice. I know rice, and not simply because I don’t feel satisfied eating without rice, just like any Filipino. Many years ago, while growing up in the province, I would walk the pilapil of rice paddies with ease, something which would probably come in handy when I try the “sangkilo” bridge at Isdaan. We have a modest tract of ricefield, with produce sufficient to last the family, and some, until the next harvest season. Just like any child, I loved playing with, and in, the ricefield mud, and I refused to understand, way back then, why such pleasure would merit punishment from my mother. I have cultivated rice — from the preparation of the field, preparing the seeds, planting, weeding, harvesting until milling. Read more »

Posted in Politics & Society

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Reflections of Dean Raul Pangalangan on the Bar Exams

Posted on April 4, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 49 Comments

There’s a lot of comments on the proposed bar exam reforms. Some say that a major overhaul of the entire system is needed. Some, on the other hand, say that the bar exams is acceptable as it is, and no reforms are needed. Perhaps the opinion of the Political Law examiner for the 2007 bar exams, Dean Raul Pangalangan, would carry more weight. Here’s a portion of what Dean Pangalangan said in his PDI column: Read more »

Posted in Bar Exams

Congratulations to the New Lawyers from the Wednesday Team

Posted on April 3, 2008 by Atty. Fred| 14 Comments

The original title of this post is “Congratulations, Wednesday Team,” but it had to be modified because it sounds showbiz, closely resembling the Wednesday Group of Kuya Germ’s That’s Entertainment. Anyway, congratulations to the members of our Wednesday Team at the U.P.-Office of Legal Aid (OLA): Read more »

Posted in Bar Exams