Amicus Curiae

The Philippines has a pro-arbitration policy. Republic Act No. 9285 or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act (ADR Act) and Supreme Court Administrative Matter No. 07-11-08-SC or the Special Rules of Court on Alternative Dispute Resolution (Special ADR Rules) both declare as a policy that the “State shall encourage and actively promote the use of ADRs, such as arbitration, as an important means to achieve speedy and impartial justice and declog court dockets.”

Aegis’ “Christmas Bonus” is arguably one of the most popular Christmas songs in the country. It was released more than 20 years ago in 2000 by the Filipino pop-rock band; and since then the song has become a staple in every Filipino worker’s Billboard’s top Christmas hits, even antedating and at times out-performing Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas In Our Hearts.” Every working person in the country can relate to the song; its core message hits straight to their hearts.

The National Privacy Commission (“NPC”) recently issued NPC Advisory No. 2023–01 dated 7 November 2023 entitled “Guidelines on Deceptive Design Patterns” (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines serve to apprise data subjects about the use of Deceptive Design Patterns (“DDPs”), also called Dark Patterns, in order to obtain their consent.

The end of the COVID-19 global pandemic is beginning a transformative era for the global workforce. For years, the pandemic reshaped the way we work, accelerating trends in remote and flexible work arrangements, and emphasizing the importance of employee well-being.

During a 26 September 2023 inquiry, the Philippine Senate cited in contempt four officers and members of an organization in Visayas who were allegedly involved in human right abuses and criminal activities disguised under the veil of cult-like practices.

As early as 2022, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (“BSP”) disclosed that with the continued surge of Unit Investment Trust Funds (“UITFs”) in terms of both volume and number of participants, they are set on establishing a common framework across the trust industry on benchmark selection.

Enacted into law in 2022, Republic Act No. 11765 or the “Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act” (“FCPA”) aims to provide an efficient and effective consumer redress or complaints handling mechanisms such as mediation, conciliation, or other modes of alternative dispute resolution to address conflict/dissatisfaction from financial consumers arising from financial products or services.

Since travel restrictions have been lifted, our airports have been bustling with travelers heading to various destinations around the world for purposes of tourism, business, or employment, among others.

Just last month, representatives from the Enforcement Office of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office (“IPOPHL”) met with representatives of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, a trade and investment promotion organization funded and operated by the South Korean government.