Publications
July 17, 2019
Amending the Public Service Law: Distinguishing Public Utilities from Public Services
Senate Bill No. 1441 seeks to amend the Public Service Act to differentiate a “public service” from a “public...
July 16, 2019
Promoting Corporate Governance Under the Revised Corporation Code
It had been almost 40 years since the old Corporation Code was enacted thus it became inevitable and imperative...
July 10, 2019
Being in the Internet Spotlight and Intellectual Property Rights
For quite a number of us, a significant chunk of the things we learn comes from the internet. The...
June 26, 2019
The MOU Between PHL and China and a Timely Revisit of the La Bugal Case
On Nov. 20, 2018, the Philippines and China entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation on Oil...
June 19, 2019
One Signature Away: What You Need to Know About Senate Bill No. 1826
Just last year, much controversy arose upon the emergence of Senate Bill No. 1826 (SB 1826), or the bill...
June 18, 2019
The Philippine Competition Commission Bares Its Teeth
Competition law is a growing field of practice in the Philippines.
Francisco Ed. Lim, Eric R. Recalde, Korina Ana...
June 11, 2019
Chambers Global Practice Guide: Patent Litigation 2019
Intellectual property law is a specialized field of practice. The Firm’s Intellectual Property Department is well-versed with developments in...
June 11, 2019
Asian-Mena Counsel – Philippines Jurisdiction Updates 2019
Renz J. Pagayanan and Agustin P. Geraldez are lawyers from the Firm’s Corporate and Special Projects Department. They contributed...
June 5, 2019
Implementing the Expanded Maternity Leave Law
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), together with the Social Security System (SSS) and the Civil Service Commission...
June 1, 2019
Chambers Global Practice Guide: Trade Marks 2019
Our Firm’s Intellectual Property Department contributed the Philippine Chapter on Trade Marks. Chambers Global Practice Guide on Trade Marks...
May 29, 2019
Revisiting Important Concepts in Arbitration
Alternative dispute resolution methods or ADRs, i.e., arbitration, mediation, conciliation among others, “are encouraged by the Supreme Court, since...
May 22, 2019
That’s my move! Are motion marks eligible for trademark protection?
“Moonwalk” is a dance move popularized by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. It is his signature dance move...
May 15, 2019
Developments in the Philippine Competition Commission’s enforcement activities
Early this year, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Enforcement Office launched a leniency/whistleblower program offering immunity from suit and...
March 20, 2019
Keeping Your Mobile Number for a Lifetime
In this digital world, mobile phones are a necessary part of our daily lives. As we become heavily dependent...
March 13, 2019
A Peek into the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines
On 20 February 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11232, otherwise known as the Revised...
February 28, 2019
The Struggle with Premature Campaigns
One who has experienced an election or two will probably be familiar with the term “premature campaigning,” and what...
February 13, 2019
Who is the ‘Real’ Owner?
In an effort to increase transparency in the beneficial ownership and control of domestic corporations — and to prevent...
February 6, 2019
Protecting Indigenous Knowledge in Intellectual Property Rights
Indigenous peoples (IPs) and indigenous cultural communities (ICCs), though explicitly protected under the Constitution itself, sadly remain one of...
January 30, 2019
Streamlining the OSG While Sparing the PCGG and OGCC from Dissolution
Recently, Congress decided to strengthen the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) by passing the proposed OSG law.
January 9, 2019
Telecommuting as an Alternative Work Arrangement
In the Philippines, employees are subject to normal working hours of not exceeding 8 hours a day, for 6...
December 15, 2018
Chambers Global Practice Guide: Outsourcing 2019
The Philippines is known for the growing industry of business process outsourcing entities. The Philippine Chapter of Chambers...
December 12, 2018
Asian-Mena Counsel – Philippines Jurisdiction Updates 2018-2019
Throughout 2018, the Firm’s lawyers contributed to Asia-Mena Counsel’s initiatives to updates its members on the evolving laws in...
November 19, 2018
Chambers Global Practice Guide: Employment 2019
Emerico O. De Guzman, Clarence Darrow C. Valdecantos, Joy Anne C. Leong-Pambid and Gilyen Ezra Marie L. Li contributed...
October 26, 2018
Cybersecurity 2019
Leland R. Villadolid Jr. and Arianne T. Ferrer authored the Philippine chapter on Cybersecurity. The chapter identifies and defines...
October 24, 2018
The Mental Health Act: A Boon to Filipinos
With the alarming increase of mental health illnesses today, with more than 300 million people suffering from depression alone...
October 18, 2018
Continuing Compliance Requirements for the Data Privacy Act of 2012
Entities and individuals covered by Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (“DPA”)...
October 3, 2018
Business-minded or business-hindered?
“A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not...
September 26, 2018
D.O. 195-18: An additional ground for wage deduction and its legal implications
On 27 July 2018, the Honorable Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre H. Bello signed Department Order No. 195,...
September 5, 2018
The TRABAHO Bill:Recurring dilemmas
WHILE few of us were watching, the House Committee on Ways and Means approved on Aug. 7 the substitute...
August 29, 2018
Video Games and Intellectual Property
LAST Aug. 26, 2018, the international gaming community watched intently as two of the world’s best DOTA2 teams went...
August 9, 2018
Is ‘tambay’ a crime?
“I dle, shiftless and worthless man who made no attempt to follow any legal calling, and whose habits of...
August 2, 2018
Increase in minimum public float for better corporate governance
Corporate governance is a system of rules and policies by which a company is directed and controlled. It influences...
July 19, 2018
The PCC’s draft joint venture guidelines
Just recently, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) published the draft Joint Venture Guidelines (Draft Guidelines) aimed to help businesses...
July 10, 2018
Deriving value from E-Learning platforms
Business is an ever-changing landscape. It finds ways to create assets, improve what has been already done, and maximize...
July 4, 2018
The ease of doing business act cuts red tape further
Bureaucracy teaches us two things: to wait and to execute everything in triplicate.
June 27, 2018
The right to be notified of data breach incidents
Consumer personal data has played an increasingly pivotal role in many markets and economies.
May 31, 2018
Portrait of a statesman
On May 13, 2018, the nation mourned the loss of one of the greatest statesmen to have served the...
May 30, 2018
Electronic documents/data are covered by subpoena powers of the Philippine Competition Commission
One of the policy declarations of the Philippine Competition Act (Republic Act No. 10667, or the PCA) is to...
May 25, 2018
Legal robots
In the past, it was thought that only simple jobs could be replaced by technology. However, with the onset...
May 25, 2018
How to maintain a trademark registration
To maintain a trademark registration with the Philippine Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL), the registrant must use the mark in...
May 17, 2018
In funds we trust
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), recognizing the financial sophistication of trust funds, released on April 20, the proposed...
May 9, 2018
Much EndO About Nothing
German-American socialist editor and author, Oscar Ameringer, once said: “Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the...
May 3, 2018
Right to travel
After years of uncertainty, the Supreme Court (SC) finally laid to rest whether the Department of Justice, through its...
May 2, 2018
Displaced Personnel’: a labor consequence of the K to 12
Almost four (4) years have lapsed since the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, or Republic Act 10533 (RA...
April 19, 2018
Whatever happened to ‘My Husband’s Lover’ bill?
With the recent progress of House Bills 6027 and 6595, more popularly known as the divorce bill and same-sex...
April 18, 2018
The TRAIN in the eyes of the DoF and BIR
The law cannot just be gauged on the basis of its provision. One should consider how its administrator views...
April 13, 2018
Data privacy update: The Annual Security Incident Report
he National Privacy Commission (NPC) recently extended the deadline to submit the Annual Security Incident Report for all security...
April 5, 2018
Making light of perjury
Perjury is one of the vilest crimes that one can commit. With the stroke of a pen or slip...
April 4, 2018
It’s the time of the year to think about tax
As the deadline for filing our annual income tax return (ITR) is fast approaching, it is fitting to remind...
March 28, 2018
Build, Build, Build, and the Swiss Challenge Method
Under the Build, Build, Build program, the government intends to spend $158 billion over the next five years in...
March 22, 2018
TRAIN’s bells and alarms
Just a few days after it took effect, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law has set...
March 13, 2018
DoLE Initiative in curbing the perils of a sedentary life
On Oct. 18, 2017, the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Silvestre H. Bello III issued...
March 8, 2018
Beware of the short-swing profits rule!
In broad strokes, the short-swing profits rule provides that any profit realized by insiders of an issuer from the...
March 7, 2018
Overtaxed corporations?
In today’s business community, corporations abound and are still growing in number. In many cases, entrepreneurs opt to conduct...
February 28, 2018
Financial institutions towards cyber resilience
Businesses have continued to rely heavily on the use of Information Technology (IT) for efficient delivery of products and...
February 22, 2018
Saving our slice of paradise
Early this month, President Duterte laid down the law, so to speak, and threatened to shut down the entire...
February 20, 2018
The Presidential veto in the passage of a law
Constitutions are the fundamental law of every nation. They put in place basic tenets and forms of government to...
February 13, 2018
Look on House Bill 6779: Coverage and Limitations
On Jan. 29, House Bill 6779 or “An Act Recognizing the Civil Effects of Church Annulment Decrees” was approved...
February 8, 2018
Cryptocurrency as security
In a recent order, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) directed four of businessman Joseph Calata’s companies to cease...
February 7, 2018
New IPO Guidelines for patent examination
In line with its goal to deliver timely and quality patents, utility models and industrial designs, the Intellectual Property...
January 31, 2018
Proposed rules and regulations on crowdfunding
Crowdfunding (CF) platforms have proven to be a popular way to solicit charitable donations and to raise funds for...
January 24, 2018
The Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and Renewable Energy Market (RE Market)
The implementation of the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) is an important development for the Renewable Energy (RE) Market, and...
January 18, 2018
Bitcoin too good to be true?
As of this writing, one bitcoin is already equivalent to $10,338. Late last year, it reached an all-time high...
January 17, 2018
Immortality of gift checks
During the last Holiday Season, it was not unusual for companies, firms and even individuals to give gift checks,...
January 10, 2018
Changes under DoLE’s revised rules on inspections
Consistent with the efforts of the Duterte administration to stop endo and promote regulation, the Department of Labor and...