Kinds and effects of acquittal on civil liability
Dear PAO, My wife, a medical doctor, faced a complaint for medical negligence related to the death of her patient. In its decision, the court acquitted my wife after finding that she was not the author of the act complained of. However, the court still held her civilly liable, explaining that the quantum of proof […]
Assessing self-defense | The Manila Times
Dear PAO, At a barangay fiesta, our neighbor ran amuck and attacked my uncle, a barangay tanod on duty, with a bolo. A bystander and I intervened to help, but the attacker turned to us. In the chaos, I fell to the ground, and the attacker severely wounded me. I managed to struggle with him, […]
Extrajudicial settlement of estate not necessary to claim deceased employee’s last pay
Dear PAO, Is it really necessary to have an extrajudicial settlement of estate before my father’s last pay can be released to us, his heirs? My father worked for a call center company, and he passed away because of an accident. We are left with debts from his hospitalization expenses, and his last pay from […]
Lessee cannot deny the title of the landlord
Dear PAO, I own a piece of land in Pasig City, where I built two houses. In 2018, one of the two houses was rented to Julia on a monthly basis. A contract of lease was signed covering the transaction. She was religiously paying her obligations for two years until she missed them. The total […]
Legality of 'paluwagan'
Dear PAO, My co-workers were talking over lunch about setting up a “paluwagan” system among us. I have second thoughts because I hear stories about how they never got their money back. Is “paluwagan” legal? Angie Dear Angie, Paluwagan is an informal system of “savings and/or lending” based on the trust of each member of […]
Permanent validity of certificates of live birth, death and marriage
Dear PAO, My mother asked me to check her documents for her passport application, and I noticed that she wanted to present a birth certificate that was still issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO). I know that the NSO changed its name to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) over a decade ago, and I […]
DNA test results | The Manila Times
Dear PAO, My ex-boyfriend got me pregnant. However, due to a number of issues, we decided to split up when I was seven months pregnant. When we decided to end our relationship, we agreed to co-parent our daughter. But now that he has a new girlfriend, he is denying that he is the father of […]
Benefits of plea bargaining | The Manila Times
Dear PAO, My neighbor was apprehended while selling “shabu” on the street fronting our house. I heard that the investigator mentioned to one member of his family that the culprit may avail of plea bargaining in the event that he is formally indicted in court. Allegedly, this procedure is encouraged and the same is beneficial […]
What happens when there is neither illegal dismissal nor abandonment of work?
Dear PAO, We filed a case for illegal dismissal, praying for separation pay in lieu of reinstatement due to strained relations. Our employer established that we stopped reporting to work, but the ruling states there could be no abandonment because the filing of a case for illegal dismissal is incompatible with the desire to sever […]
Remedies against charging multiple crimes in single complaint
Dear PAO, I saw the news about a case involving X, who faces accusations of sexual abuse. It appears that although only one complaint was filed by the prosecutor, X is charged with two crimes within the same complaint. A foreign friend said that such a practice is prohibited in their country. Do we have […]