Publications

The Philippine e-commerce market is experiencing continuous growth. E-commerce sales are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nine percent (9%). Against this backdrop, Republic Act No. 11967, or the Internet Transactions Act of 2023 (“ITA”) was signed into law last December 5, 2023.

Congress has enacted another piece of legislation meant to boost business in the country. It promotes fairness and modernization of tax administration. Will the Ease of Paying Taxes Act truly ease the burden of paying taxes?

The Philippines places a significant emphasis on privacy and consent, rooted in constitutional rights. In Ople v. Torres, the Supreme Court expressly recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, identifying in the process several constitutional provisions that protect different facets of such right.

Every employer has the right to exercise its management prerogative in the conduct of its business affairs, and this prerogative includes the right to dismiss its employees. In the Philippines, the employer’s prerogative to terminate an employee should muster both substantive and procedural due process.

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.