Filipino sign language | The Manila Times

Dear PAO, I am a government employee, and I have co-workers who are deaf. They usually communicate through writing and sign language. I was told that they primarily use English sign language as a means of communication. I am curious, is there no Filipino sign language? Elijah Dear Elijah, The Philippine government puts a high […]
Employees without fiduciary duties cannot be dismissed for loss of trust and confidence

Dear PAO, I worked as a landscaper for a real estate developer. The marketing department directed me to canvass the prices of plants or ornamentals for a project site. They reasoned that transporting the plants from our head office to the project site was too costly; thus, for this particular project, it was more economical […]
Doctrine of command responsibility | The Manila Times

Dear PAO,My friend was apprehended for a crime. The apprehending officers allegedly extorted a certain amount from him in exchange for his freedom. My friend was released after paying the money, but he wants to file an appropriate criminal case against the members of the arresting team, including all of their officers. I told my […]
Premarital sexual relations between single adults are not immoral

Dear PAO, After passing the licensure examination for teachers, I secured a job as a high school teacher in a private school run by a religious organization. As a single individual, I developed an intimate relationship with my boyfriend, who is also single. In the course of our relationship, I became pregnant. After informing the […]
Baptismal certificate is not sufficient to prove filiation

Dear PAO, I have a question regarding the use of my baptismal certificate, which indicates the name of my deceased father. Can I use it to prove filiation? Aside from my baptismal certificate, I don’t have any other document to prove my filiation to him. Can you enlighten me on this matter? Hazel Dear Hazel, […]
Recognition of decree of foreign divorce

Dear PAO, I was married to an American citizen for 10 years. Thereafter, he decided to obtain a decree of an absolute divorce in the US. After it was granted, my ex-husband married another woman in the US. May I legally remarry here in the Philippines, even if an absolute divorce decree was issued by […]
Validity of a post-employment restriction

Dear PAO, I am working in an accounting firm. We have a prohibition in our contract that prevents us from working in other accounting firms for one year after our resignation. If we breach this contract provision, our benefits will be forfeited, and we will not be issued a certificate of employment. Is this prohibition […]
Remedies of registered owner of land in expropriation

Dear PAO, My family owns a land situated in the province and this has been occupied by a government agency for a long time. During his last days, my father expressed his wish that payment for the said land be collected from the government. I have coordinated with the concerned government agency regarding the payment; […]
Use of force, violence or intimidation is not proper, even by an owner

Dear PAO, Our family has been occupying a piece of land since 1994. Our occupancy is based on the fact that we bought the land from an individual who claimed to have the mother title. We have a deed of sale. Recently, another individual appeared, demanding that we vacate the property, claiming that he is […]
Delivery rider of online e-commerce platforms is considered an employee

Dear PAO, A friend worked as a delivery rider for an online shopping website that also offers free delivery of its products. The online company directly hired my friend, and his supervisor assigned the pickup and drop-off of the packages, including the number of packages to be delivered. A daily delivery route was also given […]