Burden of disproving disputable presumption of work-relatedness of a seafarer’s illness
The burden to disprove the work-relatedness of an illness is on the employer and not on the seafarer-claimant.…
A tribute to the five UP 2022 National Artist awardees
The UP Naming Mahal overture was played as a tribute to the five 2022 National Artist awardees from University of…
Protecting intellectual property rights in the Philippines
Twenty five years ago, the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (IP Code), or Republic Act 8293, authored…
Seafarer’s single consultation with his personal doctor and disability benefits
The diagnosis of a seafarer’s personal doctor, even if made only after a single consultation, may be used…
VAWC and child support
Even if the marriage is declared void, the obligation to give support to a minor child subsists. This…
Gone are the days of almost empty seats in the UAAP
I remember watching basketball games of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in the late ’80s and early…
The journey of the Sumilao farmers
My first encounter with the farmers from Brgy. San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon, popularly known as “Sumilao farmers,” was during their well-publicized hunger…
Economics for good governance
Economics was not my first choice when I took the entrance exam at the University of the Philippines in…
The OFW votes and the party-list system
The votes of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), both land-based and sea-based, are now being courted by groups…
Welcoming the ‘Best Bar Ever’ passers
The 8,241 passers of the so-called “best bar ever” will now formally enter the legal profession. It is…
Bastardizing the party-list system
Gearing away from its original purpose, the party-list system is now being “bastardized” by questionable groups. Presidential candidates…
Philippines still a top supplier of seafarers
The sea-based sector’s remittances comprise at least 22 percent of the total dollar remittances of overseas Filipino workers…
Broken family and psychological incapacity in annulment cases
Psychological incapacity in annulment cases may be attributed to the hostile home environment of the spouse who is…
Violence against women and children
Violence and other forms of abuse at home are most commonly understood as a pattern of behavior intended…
Amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act
Greater involvement of foreign retailers in the Philippine retail trade sector is expected as barriers to their entry…
Disbarment due to extramarital affairs
Extramarital affairs of lawyers are always very interesting stories during the legal ethics sessions of the Mandatory Continuing Legal…
To teach law in the grand manner
AS freshies in 1992 at the UP College of Law, the imposing words of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. welcomed…
Memoirs of a kidnap victim
IF Tokhang was already a sensational word in the 1990s, I could have been considered a tokhang survivor.
Sea Sunday, fishermen and the West Philippine Sea
Matamlay. Sluggish. This was how Taytay Apostolic Vicar-designate Bishop Broderick Pabillo described the government’s treatment of Filipino fishermen despite the…
Mutiny as ground for dismissal
Mutiny has become a common plot for blockbusters like the 1997 American historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film…
Saving the seas from plastic pollution
The video of a marine biologist removing a plastic straw stuck in a sea turtle’s nose in August…
A Filipina’s tale of Mt. Everest, the seven summits and the Balangay
Take the risk: “The danger of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort,” says…
500 years of Christianity and the ships of faith
My early grasp of the history of Christianity in the Philippines at a young age can perhaps be…
Seafarer’s compensation cases and company doctor’s declarations
Courts are not bound by the medical findings of the company doctors in the determination of compensation cases…
Academic freedom and the termination of the UP-DND Accord
#DefendUP and #DefendAcademicFreedom became trending hashtags for the past few days due to the sudden, arbitrary, and unilateral…
Starting 2021 with a collision
For me, the year 2021 started with a bang, literally, due to a car accident. On my way…
Filipino seafarers and the ‘Good Samaritan at Sea’ doctrine
The recent story of an American sailor who was rescued by Filipino seafarers may aptly be an application…
The viral photo of a Physics student with the street as his bigger classroom
Freedom represents many other young Filipinos thirsty for knowledge and wishing to achieve something in the field of science despite their economic status.
Seafarer’s arthritis as a compensable work-related illness
Arthritis is considered as compensable work-related illness for seafarers who performed tasks onboard the vessel that involved unduly…
Waiting to cheer ‘UP Fight!’ again amid the Covid-19 pandemic
Sadly this year, fans have to content themselves with past photos as the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted several sporting events, including the UAAP games.
Joint and solidary liability in seafarers’ abandonment cases
Athough international law prescribes that the seafarer has the right to be repatriated back to his point of…
The ‘David and Goliath’ legal battle for seafarers’ death benefits
The maritime profession has always been identified as a perilous job replete with health and safety hazards in…
The plight of maritime cadets as utility boys
The proliferation of cadets serving as utility boys is an issue that is widely known in the maritime…
Protect Filipino female seafarers and cadettes from sexual harassment and violence
Employers must have effective mechanisms and guidelines to promptly address sexual harassment and violence incidents committed against female…
Declare seafarers as regular employees, not merely contractual
The Makabayan Bloc in Congress, through House Bill (HB) 6588, is pushing for job security for seafarers through…
Entitlement to disability benefits despite recovery
The seafarer’s recovery from his illness or injury will not negate his entitlement to total permanent disability benefits.…
‘Desaparecidos’ and the threat of the Anti-Terror Law
AN increase in numbers of “desaparecidos” is one of the feared scenarios in the enforcement of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.…
Anita Linda, the ‘Pambansang Lola’ and memories of Alhambra
The late actress Anita Linda should have been called the “Pambansang Lola” who gained critical acclaim for her…
Kuwentong Kule: Cinemalaya and the memoirs of vinyl records
When my father was still alive, our house on weekends were normally filled with soothing sounds emanating from the phonograph playing…