Manning agency cannot legally withhold employee’s Philippine passport
Dear PAO, I am a sea-based OFW who disembarked in October 2024. Shortly thereafter, I surrendered my travel and employment documents, including my passport, to the manning agency with the expectation that they will process the renewal of my US visa. Two weeks later, I was informed that my contract will not be renewed. When […]
Airlines Scramble to Rebook Travelers After Canceling Heathrow Flights
As Heathrow Airport, Britain’s busiest travel hub, shut down on Friday because of a nearby fire and power outage, airlines told thousands of travelers not travel to the airport and to check online for updates. About 80 airlines operate at Heathrow, and they were diverting inbound flights to others airports in Britain, elsewhere in Europe […]
Supervisory employees prohibited from joining collective bargaining unit of rank and file
Dear PAO, I am employed as a supervisor in a factory. Currently, there is a labor union composed of the rank-and-file employees in our company. I want to know whether I could join the said labor union considering that I am not a member of any union right now. Kristoff Dear Kristoff, First and foremost, […]
UK Counterterrorism Police Investigating Fire Near Heathrow
Britain’s counterterrorism police are leading the investigation into the cause of the fire near Heathrow Airport, signaling that the possibility of sabotage was being taken seriously, at least as a precaution. But officials said there was no immediate evidence that foul play was involved. After the blaze at the electrical substation and subsequent power outage, […]
Licensing and payment of royalties for performance of copyrighted songs
Dear PAO, As an owner of a bar and restaurant, I want to confirm if there is really a need to get a license and pay royalties for playing music in my establishment. I have a live entertainment band that performs popular foreign and local songs in my bar every night, and we also have […]
Flights Resume at Heathrow After Substation Fire Shut Down Airport
Heathrow Airport in London was plunged into chaos after a fire at an electrical substation shut down operations at one of Europe’s busiest air hubs, forcing the airport to cancel or divert more than 1,000 flights on Friday and removing a global linchpin of air travel. Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, described the disruption as […]
Property donated by relative may still be subject to donor’s tax, documentary stamp tax
Dear PAO, I got married to my now-husband two (2) months ago. As a wedding present, my parents gifted us with a lot in Cavite. The title of the property is still under my parents’ names. Will the transfer be subject to tax? How do we transfer the title of the lot to my name? […]
Family of Boeing Whistle-Blower Who Killed Himself Sues Company
The family of a prominent Boeing whistle-blower who killed himself last year has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the airplane manufacturer. The suit, which was filed on Wednesday in federal court in South Carolina, says Boeing contributed to the “unbearable depression, panic attacks and anxiety” the whistle-blower, John Barnett, suffered for many years. “Boeing may […]
Grace period under the ‘Bayanihan To Heal as One Act’
Dear PAO, I secured a car loan from a reputable bank sometime in 2019. I religiously paid all of the monthly installments except for the months of April 2020 and May 2020, as I remember having read online that all monthly payments falling due within the period of the enhanced community quarantine were waived by […]
What to Know About Crossing the U.S. Border as an International Visitor
In recent weeks, a flurry of international visitors attempting to enter the United States from other countries have been denied entry at border checkpoints, leading to either deportations to their home countries or days or weeks of detention. A 28-year-old British woman arrived in Britain earlier this week after she was held at an immigration […]