Politics & Law
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Rules vs Drunk and Drugged Driving
Hopefully this new law would be implemented in full swing and not to become another idle law with no budget allocations and ignored (or unaware of) even by the law enforcers. Coinciding with the Road Safety Month of May as designated in Presidential Proclamation 115-A, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) today published the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10586, otherwise known as the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act, which penalizes drivers who are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances. “This will permit law enforcers to begin implementing the safety measures imposed by RA 10586. Among other things, it limits…
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DOLE’s Salary Rules for January 31
January 31 was recently declared by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III as special non-working holiday. This is in celebration of Chinese New Year, noting that there’s a huge population of Filipino-Chinese in the country. It’s just so ironic that while we respect the tradition, the government and its people were gradually facing the sanctions by China after the President’s failure to apologize in the deadly hostage-taking in Luneta, Manila. Nevertheless, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released the guidelines for employees in paying their workers who will go on duty tomorrow. (click the infographic to read)
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Behind Kazakhstan’s Success In Business
Ernst & Young executive John Ferraro has become an huge supporter of doing business in Kazakhstan. He cites the government’s enthusiasm, the “can-do” attitude of Kazakhstan citizens and the geography as major reasons to invest in this economy. The country lies on both sides of the Ural River and is one of only two landlocked countries in the world positioned on two continents. Kazakhstan shares borders with both Russia and China. The economy of this country also makes it an attractive target for investment. In addition to crude oil, the country exports textiles, wheat, livestock, and uranium. Kazakhstan made history by being the first former Soviet country to to pay…
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Full Text: President Noynoy Aquino SONA 2013
State of the Nation Address of President Benigno S. Aquino III to the Congress of the Philippines, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, July 22, 2013 [This is an English translation of the SONA delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 22, 2013] Vice President Jejomar Binay; Senate President Franklin M. Drilon; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the eminent Justices of the Supreme Court; former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; honorable members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate; our leaders in local government; members…
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Guidelines Against Misleading Seat Sale Ads
Did the airline companies thought that they can mislead everyone with their seat sale or fare promo? Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has issued a warning against the misleading advertisements on promotional fares, even as it set guidelines on how to promote such “seat sales.” Among the guidelines set by the DOJ are: 1. Airline companies should be conscious of the allowable limits of their advertisements under the Consumer Act and the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. 2. Ads should also contain reasonable details about the deal being offered, taking into account the perspective of a consumer. 3. Reasonable caveats or warnings like ‘plus applicable fees and charges,’ ‘exclusive of…
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Media Finally Gets To Exercise Their Right To Suffrage
Campaign season has already started and sorties are being held left and right in different regions of the country. Equally busy as the electoral candidates are the media personnel that cover and report every election related news. Now’s a great time to stock up on barefruitsnacks you can munch on while watching election related news and infomercials on the tube. Every election, whether local or national, media personnel covering the news on election day itself do not get the chance to cast their votes. This year though, media personnel will be allowed to cast their votes ahead of the elections. The Commission on Elections promulgated Resolution 9637 last February 13…
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Lawyers Worried With New Supreme Court Flip-Flopping
The country’s top legal luminaries have expressed deep concern that the Supreme Court might be sliding back to its flip-flopping days following it”s decision to reverse itself and lift entry of judgment on a decision that was already rendered as final and executory. In a manifesto, top lawyers led by Dean Amado Valdez, Chairman of the Philippine Association of Law Schools and Dean of the UE College of Law, are worried that the High Tribunal might be going back to its old habit of reversing its own decisions which eventually undermined its credibility and resulted in an embarrassing impeachment process that removed former Chief Justice Renato Corona. “We have been…
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An Call Against For A Stable Judicial System
Is it only in the Philippines? A flip-flopping Highest Tribunal in the land which said to be proven by its changing decisions on big cases can endanger the justice system in the country and could also deny its people their basic rights. We should join all those legal luminaries in a strong call for stability and remaining firm in the rightful decisions of the Supreme Court. After the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, Filipinos believed that the corruption in the judiciary would ceased. We all wrong, they did not stopped, they just rested.
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Air Passenger Bill of Rights To Be Implemented Soon, Finally!
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has finally signed a joint administrative order on Air Passenger Bill of Rights. The DOTC-DTI Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 1, Series of 2012 was approved after three public hearings conducted by the two Departments.The hearings were attended by various stakeholders, including representatives of airline companies, consumer groups and other concerned citizens, who actively presented their comments and suggestions to develop the regulation. The public consultations also involved the participation of other government units, such as the Department of Tourism and the offices of several Senators and Congressmen. The Regulation will take effect ten (10)…