Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) made a statement to the effect saying that the police would be monitoring social media posts to determine compliance with community quarantine measures. This raised concern from a good number of people and for good reason. Issues on privacy were raised which constrained the PNP to clarify that they were to monitor only public posts. But the question remains, can the PNP legally monitor social media posts and could said posts be used as evidence in court?     The answer to the question is a bit tricky, especially given the pervasiveness of social...

With the COVID-19 pandemic still ravaging the world, people have been mostly relegated in their homes. Working from home has become increasingly the norm for workers who can do so. Even schools are mostly doing classes online with the Philippines exploring the idea of “blended learning” with the objective of keeping the students in their respective houses. With many aspects of our daily lives able to be done, and in fact, being done, at home, a number of businesses/professionals have capitalized on this and started to offer their services remotely. Nowadays consultations with lawyers, doctors, and a whole host of...

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuously wreaking havoc on economies around the world, more and more people are finding themselves strapped for cash. We, in the Philippines, are no exception to this. With hundreds – if not thousands – of businesses closing shop either temporarily or permanently and a lot more downsizing their operations, employees are left without any means of livelihood. True, a good number of Filipinos have tapped into their entrepreneurial acumen and have started businesses to make a living, a substantial number have resorted to borrowing money from a multitude of lending companies now operating within the country....

With the current pandemic still raging in our country especially in Metro Manila, a lot of companies have switched from onsite operations to employees working from home where possible. This, of course, conjured up a lot of questions both from the employees and the employers alike. We would try to answer some of them here.   What is work from home? Work from home is a term used to describe an arrangement whereby an employee shall continue to render work for the employer at the employee’s home or some other location. It is a term that can be interchanged with...

Sexual harassment is something that, in the olden days, everyone knew existed but dare not speak about. Victims are then left too often to suffer alone and in silence. Who could blame them after all? Before, when one speaks up against sexual harassment, they end up being ridiculed, thought of as a liar, or worse, subjected to further harassment. Not anymore. In recent years, more and more victims conjured the courage to speak up; to say that it’s not okay; that they deserve justice. Thankfully, society and the government are finally listening, not with judgment but with compassion and empathy....