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	<title>AttyAtWork.com &#187; Politics &amp; Society</title>
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	<description>Legal thoughts and beyond</description>
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		<title>The Anarchy of Car Sirens (Wangwang)</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/the-anarchy-of-car-sirens-wangwang/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/the-anarchy-of-car-sirens-wangwang/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noynoy Aquino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[siren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wangwang]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1290</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[President Benigno &#8220;Noynoy&#8221; Aquino, in his inaugural speech delivered last 30 June 2010, pointed out something close to my heart &#8212; the siren, better known as the &#8220;wangwang&#8221;. Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin. x x x Ngayon, sa araw na ito – dito magwawakas ang pamumunong manhid sa mga daing ng taumbayan. x x x (full text) It&#8221;s close to my heart not because I have a wangwang, but because I support any move to ban it. Last year I seriously contemplated a people&#8217;s initiative, for a law banning the use of wangwang, with the fewest exceptions possible (e.g., emergency vehicles like ambulance, firetrucks, marked police vehicles). I&#8217;m thankful that President Noynoy or P-Noy chose to highlight this seemingly mundane subject in an inaugural speech. This subject is far from petty. Traffic rules, as noted by Alex Lacson in his book 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<title>Why the Inauguration of Noynoy Aquino is Historic</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/why-the-inauguration-of-noynoy-aquino-is-historic/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/why-the-inauguration-of-noynoy-aquino-is-historic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:32:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benigno Aquino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Binay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inauguration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jejomar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jejomar Binay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jojo Binay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noynoy Aquino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philippines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1273</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tomorrow, 30 June 2010, is the inauguration of the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. It is also the inauguration of Vice-President Jojo Binay. The ceremonies start at around 11:00 a.m. at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila City, although roads in the area will be closed as early as 7 a.m. (more details here; read also inaugural speech). We know that people have been acting like there is something truly special about the inauguration. Even outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in Proclamation 2085 declaring June 30 as a special non-working holiday, notes that “it is fitting and proper that all citizens of our country be given full opportunity to witness and welcome this historic event in the life of the nation.” Why is this a historic event? Is it because Noynoy Aquino is the first Philippine President who is not married and not a father? Is it historic because of the sheer number of showbiz personalities involved during the inauguration? Is it because the election of Noynoy is not because of any political party, but another manifestation of People Power, probably fueled by the death of the Saint of Democracy, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino? [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://attyatwork.com/why-the-inauguration-of-noynoy-aquino-is-historic/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Poll: The 2010 Automated Elections a Success?</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/poll-the-2010-automated-elections-a-success/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/poll-the-2010-automated-elections-a-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2010 13:17:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2010 elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[automated elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jojo Binay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loren Legarda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manny Villar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mar Roxas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noy-Bi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noynoy Aquino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCOS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philippines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PICOS]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(Note: The poll is found at the bottom of this post.) We all know, of course, that the first automated election in the Philippines was done last Monday, 10 May 2010. We all know that there were so many problems with the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and the system that goes with the automated elections. Yet, in just a few hours, we have proclamations of local candidates. In just a matter of one day, we have more than 50% of results for national positions. We who were handling election duties for clients were particularly surprised with the speed of the results. We have realized that this is the birth of a new election practice in the Philippines, one where it&#8217;s not lawyers against lawyers, but lawyers against IT people (would this benefit us lawyers who have IT exposure, let&#8217;s see). We&#8217;re bracing for a barrage of election contests (at least we can fully test the Rules on Electronic Evidence). We&#8217;ve seen the presidential candidates, led by Manuel Villar, concede to NoyNoy Aquino. We&#8217;ve seen a vice-presidential candidate, Loren Legarda, concede the VP race to Jojo Binay, the dark horse of the Noy-Bi surge (some say we now have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://attyatwork.com/poll-the-2010-automated-elections-a-success/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Who will you Vote for President in May 2010?</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/poll-who-will-you-vote-for-president-in-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/poll-who-will-you-vote-for-president-in-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:34:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2010 elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gibo Teodoro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joseph Estrada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manny Villar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noynoy Aquino]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a little over two months, we will have our national and local elections. Some personalities and certain events have made the May 2010 elections very interesting. Each candidate say he/she is the better choice. No surprise in that. Perhaps what&#8217;s surprising is what you&#8217;d say to explain why we should or should not vote for a particular candidate. Some candidates say that surveys are basically paid and that the results are questionable. That, in itself, is open to debate. Still, if we have the elections today and if surveys are accurate, then Noynoy Aquino would win hands down. He is way ahead of the survey’s second placer, Manny Villar, though Villar’s figures seem to slowly improve (a recent survey placed them in a statistical tie). Surveys, of course, could be wrong. More importantly, you may have a different vote even if the surveys show otherwise. This is the reason why the rest of the candidates are included. We could say that the lower set based on the surveys (Jamby Madrigal, JC de los Reyes and Brother Eddie and Dick Gordon) are out of the equation, but you may want to vote for them. You would have a reason for [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://attyatwork.com/poll-who-will-you-vote-for-president-in-2010/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>89</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Let the Next President Appoint the Next Chief Justice</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/let-the-next-president-appoint-the-next-chief-justice/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/let-the-next-president-appoint-the-next-chief-justice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:07:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Legal Misc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1172</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(This is a statement issued by the members of the Faculty of the College of Law, University of the Philippines. Reproduced from the UP Law website. What do you think? Your comments below.) Maintain Fealty to the Rule of Law: Let the Next President Appoint the Next Chief Justice Statement of Members of the Faculty, UP College of Law January 18, 2010 Essential to the existence of a democratic republic is its fealty to the Rule of Law. Any attempt to circumvent clear constitutional text must be justified on grounds of absolute necessity. The need to fill in a lacuna in constitutional text through interpretation must be made on the basis of real needs and not imagined scenarios. We, the members of the UP College of Law Faculty, are of the firm conviction that the incumbent President cannot appoint the next Chief Justice when the present Chief Justice Reynato Puno retires on May 17, 2010. We do not see any reason why the constitutional provision for the President not to issue any “midnight appointment” in the twilight of her term should not be followed. The President’s appointing power is limited by an express provision in article VII, section 15 of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://attyatwork.com/let-the-next-president-appoint-the-next-chief-justice/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Should Pres. Gloria Arroyo run in House of Representatives?</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/should-pres-gloria-arroyo-run-in-house-of-representatives/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/should-pres-gloria-arroyo-run-in-house-of-representatives/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:09:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gloria Arroyo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s start this discussion with a brief backgrounder on the three branches of government. The Judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice. The Legislature is divided into the Senate (President of the Senate) and the House of Representatives (Speaker of the House). The executive department is headed by the President. It&#8217;s not unusual for members of the Legislative Branch to cross over to the other branches of government. Chief Justice Hilario Davide was formerly an Assemblyman representing Cebu. President Estrada, among others, used to be a Senator. It&#8217;s also not unusual for members of the Judiciary to subsequently serve in the other branches of government. The late Marcelo B. Fernan became a Senator after his service as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But it&#8217;s unusual for a President to become a member of Congress. No President, as far as I know, sought to be elected as a Senator. Certainly no President sought a position in the House of Representatives. There are talks that Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, after the end of her Presidency in 2010, would run for Congress also in 2010 &#8212; as a Representative of Pampanga. A former President serving as a congresswoman. There&#8217;s no legal prohibition, though [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Just Another Day in a Lawyer&#8217;s Work: Maguindanao Massacre</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/just-another-day-in-a-lawyers-work/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/just-another-day-in-a-lawyers-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:42:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1127</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have a previous post entitled: Do you [still] want to become a lawyer. Law students are always told to stand their ground even under fire. A recent incident should perhaps give serious pause to those wanting to become lawyers. This is more than surviving the fire and pressure in the classroom or the courtroom, even. Contrary to the expectation of many, lawyering is not an easy job. Two lady lawyers came under fire, literally. Maybe you&#8217;ve heard of the two lady lawyers who are among the victims in the recent Maguindanao Massacre. Rest in peace, Attys. Connie Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo. I&#8217;ve read that they were accompanying their client to the COMELEC to file the client&#8217;s Certificate of Candidacy. What should have been another day in work ends in death. As to the barbarity of the massacre in Maguindanao, it&#8217;s beyond words . . .]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Using the Power of your Vote on the Divorce Issue (or any other Issue)</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/using-the-power-of-your-vote-on-the-divorce-issue-or-any-other-issue/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/using-the-power-of-your-vote-on-the-divorce-issue-or-any-other-issue/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:55:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vote]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1069</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is an issue, together with other more important issues, that should be discussed nearer to May 2010, when national and local elections are scheduled. Two events, however, reminded me to write about it sooner. First, in my discussion with Dean Amado Valdes during a TV show on whether President Estrada is eligible to run again, he pointed out that we should let the people decide whether they still want former Pres. Estrada as a President. It was along the lines of vox populi, vox dei (the voice of the people is the voice of God). Second, a recent comment on divorce in this blog partly lambasted lawyers for the &#8220;financial burden&#8221; in going through the regular process of annulment/declaration of nullity. Divorce should be allowed, the anonymous comment said. I replied that it&#8217;s unfair to blame us working lawyers because the status quo (without divorce) and the proposed law on divorce are matters well within the powers of the legislators/lawmakers &#8212; the members of the House of Representatives and the Senators. These are government officials that the Filipinos will vote for in 2010. The common thread is the representative nature of our government. Under our system of government, we [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Can former President Joseph Estrada run as President in 2010?</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/can-former-president-joseph-estrada-run-as-president-in-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/can-former-president-joseph-estrada-run-as-president-in-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1032</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, popularly known as &#8220;Erap&#8221;, recently announced that he is running for President in the 2010 National Elections. This should be a good topic for discussion. Here&#8217;s what we all know: 1. Joseph Estrada was elected as President of the Republic of the Philippines in the 1998 elections. 2. He “stepped out” of Malacanang in 20 January 2001, after EDSA People Power II. 3. He was convicted of plunder in 2007, but was immediately granted executive clemency by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The pertinent portion of the order reads: “In view hereof and pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by the Constitution, I hereby grant executive clemency to Joseph Ejercito Estrada, convicted by the Sandiganbayan of plunder and imposed a penalty of reclusion perpetua. He is hereby restored to his civil and political rights.&#8221; (Emphasis supplied) 4. The Constitution provides that an elected President shall not be eligible for any reelection. The pertinent provision of Article VII, Sec. 4 of the Constitution reads: Section 4. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://attyatwork.com/can-former-president-joseph-estrada-run-as-president-in-2010/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>63</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Heroism and Frustration during Typhoon Ondoy</title>
		<link>http://attyatwork.com/heroism-and-frustration-during-typhoon-ondoy/</link>
		<comments>http://attyatwork.com/heroism-and-frustration-during-typhoon-ondoy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:21:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Atty. Fred</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics & Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ondoy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rescue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[typhoon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://attyatwork.com/?p=1010</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(This email is currently being forwarded around the email circuit. It speaks of heroism amidst the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy, and the government&#8217;s Please let us know if you&#8217;re the author so we could make the proper attribution.) Yesterday, at the height of the floods, my sister&#8217;s husband Rey whose family lives at Provident Village in Marikina, got a call from his brother. They were already at the roof of their 2-storey house &#8212; his brother, his wife, 2 kids, his sister, and their 85-year old dad who just got out of the hospital last week. Not wanting to rely on our USELESS government to rescue them, Rey went to Makati and scoured the stores for a motorized boat that he can buy. At around 6 p.m., he finally found a store at Reposo Street selling a 6-seater motorized boat for over 100k. But since water at Reposo was lagpas-tao, he persuaded the store owner to just ride the boat and bring it to Greenbelt where he was. Immediately after, Rey put the boat on his pick-up and drove as far as he could en route to Marikina. The nearest dry land was the Sta. Clara Church which was [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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