Amicus Curiae

On Oct. 23, the Honorable Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), Silvestre H. Bello, signed Department Order No. 215 Series of 2020 (DO No. 215-20) entitled, “Rule Amending Section 12 of Rule I, Rules Implementing Book VI of the Labor Code on Suspension of Employment Relationship.”

Often quoted in cases involving searches and seizures is the principle that “a man’s home is his castle.” This principle finds its roots in the Constitutional right of all citizens to be secure in their homes and to privacy.

At the start of the second quarter of this year, however, many Filipino households have been forced by circumstance to set up “home offices” as a measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift towards this new normal however may have blurred the lines between home and “business premises.”

Currently, around 90,000 businesses*, including 6% of micro, small and medium enterprises**, remain closed due to the more than six-month community quarantine imposed in the National Capital Region and several provinces to prevent the ongoing spread of COVID-19.*** Meanwhile, poverty incidence rate is expected to increase next year, at a range of 15.5% to 17.5%, due to the continuing national emergency.****

As the country continues to confront different issues brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) is addressing the challenges in the basic education for the school year 2020-2021 through its Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) under DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2020.

For the last few weeks, we have been witnesses to a highly contentious, if not bitter, speakership race between former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and newly elected Speaker Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco. This bitter fight stems from the highly publicized “term-sharing agreement” between the two gentlemen which was arrived at, if not even brokered by no less than the President, at the beginning of the 18th Congress in July 2019.

Republic Act No. 11232, otherwise known as the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines (RCC), became effective on Feb. 23, 2019. One of its salient features is the provision on institutionalizing arbitration of intra-corporate disputes — conflicts arising from intra-corporate relations, relationships between or among stockholders of the same corporation, or relationships between the stockholders and the corporation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a heavy sense of global discord. State leaders are expected to come up with national policies that would prevent economic collapse and, at the same time, adopt the necessary health measures to combat the spread of the virus. While there have been efforts to contain and minimize the effects of COVID-19, the number of positive cases continues to rise at a rate that seems to be the “largest economic shock which the world has experienced in decades.”

On Aug. 15, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones to defer the opening of classes from Aug. 24 to Oct. 5 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. This postponement reflects the challenges faced by the government, educators, parents, and students in providing and accessing quality education during the current health emergency.

The year 2020 has brought to us a forced awareness of health matters, both on a public and private plane. Indeed, we have not seen in modern history such a paralysis brought about by an ancient enemy, which has pretty much held the whole world hostage. But world affairs must move on and the emphasis on strong leadership — both figuratively and literally — now has even more importance.

As soon as the effects of COVID-19 were felt, people have craved for the same thing: a duplicate of the life before the global pandemic.

To satisfy this (with minimal physical contact as much as possible), people have resorted to electronic means to carry on their regular day-to-day activities. Hence, there was a rise in the number of online businesses, as opportunists have seen this as a means to create revenues while under quarantine.