An employee is allowed to leave company premises during meal breaks
Dear PAO, My uncle works as a company doctor in a manufacturing company, with his shift running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., including a regular meal break from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. His residence is just a three-minute drive away from his workplace. Last Tuesday, he left the clinic around noon to have […]
Recovery of large amount of dangerous drugs
Dear PAO, Can police officers dispense with the requirement of insulating witnesses considering that large quantities of dangerous drugs were recovered from the scene of the crime? Busa Dear Busa, In People v. Lung Wai Tang, GR 238517, Nov. 27, 2019, penned by Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda, the Supreme Court held that where the quantity […]
Prescription cannot work against an heir deprived of his lawful share
Dear PAO, My father married Tina five years after my mother’s demise. Last year, I discovered that in 2006, my father and his son with Tina executed an extrajudicial settlement dividing the properties acquired during my father’s marriage to my mother. I asked my father to give me my inheritance, warning him I would file […]
Electric distributors cannot automatically disconnect due to non-payment
Dear PAO, We live in a residential area in Bulacan. On June 17, 2024, we received our monthly billing from our electricity provider, which stated that payment was due by June 26, 2024. Unfortunately, we missed the payment on its due date. On June 27, 2024, we noticed that we did not have an electricity […]
Small claims | The Manila Times
Dear PAO, I have heard about the small claims procedure in civil cases, which supposedly covers claims not exceeding P1 million. I would like to know if I can file a claim under this procedure to recover my diamond, valued at P500,000. Such a claim arose from a contract of sale. Nikka Dear Nikka, The […]
Custody of a non-marital child upon the death of the mother
Dear PAO, My sister died, and she was survived by my 5-year-old nephew. My sister and my nephew’s father were never married. Upon learning of the death of my sister, the father signified his plan to take over the custody of my nephew from our parents — the maternal grandparents. The father argued that as […]
Collection of agency fees by the company from non-bargaining union members
Dear PAO, I am an assembly worker at a manufacturing company in the Philippines. A few months ago, a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was signed between the newly established union of workers and the company for the grant of salary increases and other benefits. Although I am not a member of the bargaining union, I […]
Elements of lascivious conduct against minors
Dear PAO, My nephew, who is a 15-year-old boy, came to me last night. He was distressed by what had happened to him. He narrated that a man pulled down his shorts and underwear and began putting the penis of my nephew in his mouth. Luckily, my nephew was able to forcibly open the car […]
Liability for pointing a gun at a minor
Dear PAO, The teenage son of my neighbor and his friends are always hanging around at night by the road in front of my house. Their unruly behavior disturbs my sleep. One night, I asked them to go home, but they just laughed and ignored me. In a fit of anger, I took my gun […]
Effect of failure to appear during mandatory conciliation and mediation conference
Dear PAO, I have a question about the mandatory conciliation and mediation conference set by a labor arbiter. My sister Jenny received a notice to attend this conference, but she was not able to attend it. The notice included two scheduled conferences; she plans to attend the second one. Are there any consequences for missing […]