Publications

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic and people around the globe are understandably very worried, if not in a state of panic. In the Philippines, in an effort to quell the upward surge in infections similar to what is happening in other countries, President Rodrigo R. Duterte initially ordered a “community quarantine” of the National Capital Region (NCR) effective March 15 until April 1.

The 1987 Constitution requires the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. It reflects the State’s policy to adopt a more inclusive educational institution that does not discriminate against the underprivileged and persons with special needs.

With the end in view of keeping abreast of changing times and easing doing business in the Philippines, the Revised Corporation Code (RCC) introduced the concept of a corporation with a single stockholder. Under the RCC, a natural person, trust, or an estate can now establish a One Person Corporation (OPC).

The extraordinary writ of quo warranto has been raised to public consciousness again recently that it begs to be understood further. It will be recalled that an action for quo warranto was filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) a couple of years ago to challenge Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s right to her to public position.

Following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the 2019 novel coronavirus (renamed COVID-19) outbreak as a public health emergency, the Philippine government on Feb. 2 deemed it prudent to implement a temporary travel ban against all foreign nationals coming from China, Hong Kong and Macau; all foreign nationals who have been to China, Hong Kong, and Macau in the last 14 days prior to the arrival to the Philippines; and transiting passengers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

As early as Dec. 31, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of the steadily increasing number of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. Over the next three weeks, researchers connected the spread of the outbreak to a market in Wuhan City

Much has been said about the feature of the Revised Corporation Code (RCC) allowing corporations to have perpetual existence under Section 11 of the RCC. Yet, there is also a nifty feature tucked in under the same section allowing the revival of those corporations whose corporate terms have expired.

On Jan. 12 — nearly half a century after its last eruption — Taal Volcano had a phreatic eruption, causing ash to fall on numerous cities and necessitating the evacuation of families living near the volcano. With the sudden turn of events, immediate evacuation and disaster preparations were necessary for the affected areas, and schools and offices were constrained to suspend their operations to make way for the same.

How difficult is it to do business in the Philippines in comparison to other economies?

One way to answer this complex question is to look at the annual Ease of Doing Business Index issued by the World Bank. As its name suggests, the Index ranks almost all the world’s economies according to how easy it is to do business.

To quote Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban: “Trial courts are the dispensers of justice closest to the poor.” But when the demand for justice is clearly disproportionate to that of the number of our judges in the lower courts, how can justice even be dispensed?