SC wants more time to decide on gag-order plea vs ABS-CBN
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-27
File photo: A protester holds a banner during a rally in metropolitan Manila, Philippines, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. The Philippine government's chief lawyer asked the Supreme Court to shut down the country's largest TV network, ABS-CBN corp., by revoking its operating franchises because of alleged constitutional violations, in a move critics ...

Last mile: Honda workers fight for a dignified ending
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-26
He said he had not always planned to stay in Honda since he only wanted to save enough money for college ... according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, citing a 2008 study. Honda is the third big company in the Philippines that announced a shutdown this year as a cost-cutting move. Nokia Technology Center Philippines ...

We should not be frozen into inaction by SC decision - Drilon on ABS-CBN franchise
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-26
Senate Minority Franklin made this pronouncement after former Chief Justice Reynato Puno pointed out that the Supreme Court had ruled in 2003 that a TV station was required to have a franchise and that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) could not grant it a provisional permit without the license being issued by Congress.

House probes PSALM books; SMC cries foul
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-26
We would always choose to be on the side of law, instead of presenting a good yet misleading story. Let us stick to the facts of the case, and let the court decide," SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang said. Ang is reacting to a series of stories coming out in tabloids and broadsheets quoting the DOF as running after SMC over its alleged ...

Infringement By ReTweet?
Mondaq - 2020-02-26
When you retweet - using functionality built into Twitter's platform that is fundamental to how Twitter works - can you be held responsible for copyright infringement if it turns out that the original tweet, unbeknownst to you, included infringing content? A case pending in Chicago raises precisely this question. Defendant Joshua Lifrak is ...

Philippines imposes partial travel ban on South Korea
philstar.com - 2020-02-26
However, Bello said that in the event the IATF imposes a travel ban on South Korea, then the DOLE and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are ready to provide the necessary assistance. Meanwhile, job recruiters claimed that as of yesterday, many Filipino HSWs were still unable to leave for their jobs in Hong Kong and Macau due to ...

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines: Embattled?
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-26
More specifically, the transmission business was spun off to government ... and access to state-of-the-art technology. Cutting-edge technology will continue to be the grail that leads to the paradigm of a safe, quality, and reliable electricity in the Philippines. Sixth, the rise of real GNP will continue at its decade average of 5-6%, so ...

Labor group urges SC to rule for 11,000 ABS-CBN workers
GMA Network - 2020-02-26
A labor group on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court (SC) to rule in favor of ABS-CBN's 11,000 workers as the network faces a petition seeking the forfeiture of its soon-to-expire franchise. As the justices meet for their regular en banc session, Defend Job Philippines said the court must uphold the jobs of the broadcast company's employees ...

Be vigilant vs fake job offers for Yukon, Canada - DOLE
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-26
MANILA, Philippines -- The government has cautioned job hunters against accepting offers to work in Yukon, Canada, after authorities discovered that the supposed employment does not exist. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Tuesday that the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) found that some ...

DBM chief, 4 AFP officers get CA nod
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-26
MANILA, Philippines -- The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the ad interim appointment of Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado. No CA member objected when a motion to approve ...

MLB: Cheating part of sports
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-25
He also is investigating allegations against the Red Sox. In its papers, MLB cited a 2010 opinion by Judge Robert Cowen for a 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals panel that upheld the dismissal of a suit by a New York Jets season ticket-holder against the National Football League, New England Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots over the Spygate ...

COVID-19 seen curbing remittance flows
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-25
The China-epicentered coronavirus (COVID-19) contagion may curb remittance flows to the Philippines this year as travel restrictions hinder the movement of migrant labor in the region, an economist from Philippine National Bank (PNB) said. In a research note dated Feb. 18, Jun Trinidad said remittances to the country might rise by 2 to 3 ...

Cash aid, quarantine await 400 cruise ship workers
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-25
In this photo released by the Department of Foreign Affairs, officials of the DFA and Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, with a Department of Health team, wear protective suits as they prepare for the disembarkation of Filipino crew members on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Yokohama Port on Tuesday (February 25). About 400 Filipino crew ...

Intellectual Property Awareness for Early-Stage Companies
Law - 2020-02-25
Intellectual property is often most critical asset for an early-stage company. Developing a strong, cost-effective IP strategy and risk management strategy to avoid costly IP litigation can make t ...

Sabal: Why the government remains relevant
Sun Star - 2020-02-25
The role of the government is correct inequality and lessen the gap between those who gained and those who did not. Such government inventions include taxation and subsidies. Here then comes the typical narrative of taxing the rich and helping the middle-class in form of subsidies and transfers collected from the taxes. Negative externalities ...

Sabal: Why the government remains relevant
Sun Star - 2020-02-25
Such government inventions include taxation and subsidies. Here then comes the typical narrative of taxing the rich and helping the middle-class in form of subsidies and transfers collected from the taxes. Negative externalities, on the other hand ...

Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd Ripped Off Yeasayer, Suit Says
Law360 - 2020-02-25
Law360 (February 24, 2020, 10:48 PM EST) -- Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd illegally sampled vocals from a 2007 track by indie rock band Yeasayer for use on the song "Pray For Me," from the "Black Panther" soundtrack album, Yeasayer told a New York federal court Monday, hitting the artists and their producers with copyright infringement claims.

Kentucky Colonels sue 'Kentucky Colonels International' over copyright infringement
Courier-Journal - 2020-02-24
Kentucky Colonels sue 'Kentucky Colonels International' over copyright infringement In a lawsuit, the Colonels asked for a restraining order and temporary injunction against a group allegedly using its registered trademark. Check out this story on courier-journal.com: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/02/24/kentucky-colonels ...

Reforming the real- property valuation system in the Philippines
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-24
A single valuation base for taxation, which is a principal feature of the bill, is, therefore, a welcome development that will hopefully end the dilemma that taxpayers have been facing for decades everytime they pay real-property taxes and other taxes on disposition of real properties, such as transfer taxes, capital gains tax/withholding tax ...

Infected Pinoys on ship hits 59
philstar.com - 2020-02-24
"Magsaysay has been working in close contact with the DOH, the Department of Labor, the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) and the Philippine embassy in Japan to ensure that all our Filipino seafarers working onboard the ship are protected from harm," the agency said in a ...

San Miguel Corp. to DOF, PSALM: Let courts decide on Ilijan power plant row
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-24
MANILA, Philippines -- San Miguel Corporation (SMC) on Monday urged the Department of Finance and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) to let the courts decide on the issue ...

ABS-CBN abides by tax, labor and corporate laws -- gov't
philstar.com - 2020-02-24
MANILA, Philippines -- Embattled broadcast giant ABS-CBN Corp. pays the right taxes, follows corporate regulations and complies with all labor laws, state officials revealed on Monday, effectively vindicating the network from attacks that it broke the law and therefore should not have its franchise renewed once it expires in May. In a hearing ...

Vico Sotto gives teeth to city laws vs unregistered Chinese resto
InterAksyon - 2020-02-24
Others were discovered to be unregistered with the tax bureau. The establishments were said to be "allied services" to POGOs as it "predominantly" served Chinese nationals employed in the industry, the Bureau of Internal Revenue said before. Parañaque padlocked at least 18 Chinese-owned restaurants and other business establishments in ...

Vico Sotto gives teeth to city laws vs unregistered Chinese resto
InterAksyon - 2020-02-24
Others were discovered to be unregistered with the tax bureau. The establishments were said to be "allied services" to POGOs as it "predominantly" served Chinese nationals employed in the industry, the Bureau of Internal Revenue said before. Parañaque padlocked at least 18 Chinese-owned restaurants and other business establishments in ...

The Class of 1970
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-23
Last Saturday, the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1970 marked their golden anniversary with simple and abbreviated homecoming activities at Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City. In 1966, 85 young men entered the academy as plebes, or fourth-classmen. Of the original 85, only 32 would graduate but they would be joined by 33 cadets from other ...

CGBP brings best business practices seminars to Cebu
philstar.com - 2020-02-22
MANILA, Philippines -- With the clamor of many business owners and decision-makers based in the Visayas to have more world-class training programs available to them, the Center for Global Best Practices (CGBP) will bring two of its best-selling programs to Seda Ayala Center in Cebu City next month. The 2019 Revised Corporation Code of the ...

Season of illness
Bulatlat - 2020-02-22
With its luminous skyscrapers, magical Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, year-long sales, and manageable public transport system, it remains hugely popular with Filipinos ... It is the Hong Kong chapter of MIGRANTE International. In this fast-paced city, families rely heavily on live-in migrant domestic workers to smoothly run a household.

BIR shuts down first tax-evading Pogo firm
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-21
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Friday shuttered licensed Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) Synchronization Anywhere For You Inc. as the Pasay City-based firm had been unregistered with the taxman and failed to pay the franchise tax worth more than P114 million. The BIR was able to close down Synchronization Anywhere For You ...

Copyright Enforcement in the Arts Gets Aid From New CASE Act
Law - 2020-02-21
While some of the enforcement issues plaguing copyright owners are a simple byproduct of progress--such as the need to police the web for online infringement or the proliferation of more-efficient technologies used in committing infringement--there are other obstacles that are inherent in our system of copyright law. Many of these built-in ...

Return of 497 Filipinos in isolated cruise ship in Japan set next week - Palace
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-21
MANILA, Philippines -- The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the repatriation of 497 Filipinos aboard the quarantined M/V Diamond Princess in Japan, Malacañang confirmed Friday. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Filipinos to be repatriated are expected to arrive early next week via ...

1st Ilocos GAD Convention set
Gov - 2020-02-21
Other government partners include Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the provincial governments of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte ...

OWWA CALABARZON distributes P7.3M calamity assistance
Gov - 2020-02-21
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, Feb 21 (PIA) -The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Regional Welfare Office IV-A has released financial assistance amounting to P7,392,000.00 to OWWA-member OFWs and their families affected by the recent eruption of ...

High Court Should Not Abet Google's Efficient IP Infringement
Law360 - 2020-02-20
The search engine giant clearly believes that efficient infringement is a worthwhile business strategy. Its behavior in the Google v. Oracle case demonstrates as much. Rather than negotiate a licensing agreement over the copyright-protected Java programming APIs, Google allegedly chose[7] to ignore the Java copyright and replicate the relevant ...

PEZA says respect labor rights after tie-up with PNP
BusinessWorld - 2020-02-20
Sermonia, has said that JIPCO prevents "radical labor infiltration" of the labor force by communist groups. Ms. Plaza said the aim of JIPCO is to promote ease of doing business and global competitiveness in ecozones by addressing security issues. "A PNP station will be put up in large ecozones so that the police permits and clearances of ...

OWWA ceases giving P10,000 in aid to OFWs bound for HK, Macau after lifting of travel ban
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-20
LEGAZPI CITY--The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Bicol on Thursday announced that it would stop the processing of financial aid to hundreds of Bicolano Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong and Macau after the government recently lifted the travel ban in these countries as a precaution against COVID-19.

BIR sets P2.5 trillion tax collection target for 2020
Gov - 2020-02-20
"I trust that the Bureau will once more overshoot its targets with the able leadership of Commissioner Billy Dulay and the landmark reforms we are putting in place in how we do taxation. I also expect you to intensify your efforts against tax ...

PhilHealth mess: Raps filed vs 4 execs for OFW payment scam
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-19
In a complaint, Sarmiento, former head of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency-Overseas Filipino Professionals (POEA-OFP) Operations Office, detailed the scheme in which some liaison officers of recruitment agencies and some PhilHealth employees defrauded OFWs by faking receipts, making the workers believe that they had paid their P2,400 ...

Britain unveils immigration overhaul focused on skills
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-19
British Lawmaker Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, leaves 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday, February 13, 2020. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shook up his government on Thursday ...

Lifestyle check on immigration staff welcomed
Journal - 2020-02-19
JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday supported the recommendation of opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros to conduct a lifestyle check on Bureau of Immigration personnel accused of involvement in corruption. "A lifestyle check is not conclusive ...

Recruitment firms issued fake receipts to OFWs, says PhilHealth
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-19
MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Wednesday said the alleged fake receipts issued for premium payments of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were ...

PhilHealth execs face new corruption complaint over non-remittance of OFWs' contributions
CNN Philippines - 2020-02-19
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19) -- Former and current officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation are facing a complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly ignoring an illegal scheme involving its employees. Named as respondents in the complaint are Philhealth Senior Vice President Dennis Mas, Vice President ...

SSS welcomes newest members of the Social Security Commission
Gov - 2020-02-19
Argel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree and Bachelor of Laws degree from San Beda University. On the other hand ... Argel and Alonto will join Secretary of Finance Carlos G. Dominguez III (Chairperson), SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio (Vice-Chairperson), Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre ...

Two conservative groups file briefs attacking Google in copyright suit
Washington Times - 2020-02-19
Conservative advocacy groups are jumping into a battle between two Silicon Valley tech giants that is heading to the Supreme Court, siding with Oracle in its copyright infringement suit against Google. The decade-long battle revolves around ownership of computer code that Google used to build its mobile Android software, which Oracle says has ...

OFWs, Filipino students may return to Hong Kong, Macau
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-18
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard P. Olalia confirmed the development, saying they will resume the processing of OFWs as soon as the IATF-EID decision takes effect. The lifting of the partial deployment ban on Hong Kong and Macau comes a few days after the government completely removed the travel ban ...

Filipino household worker in Hong Kong tests positive for novel coronavirus
CNN Philippines - 2020-02-18
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 18) -- The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong confirmed Tuesday that a Filipina domestic worker had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID ...

Canada: SaskTel Sent Out 30,000 Copyright Infringement Notices Last Year
Mondaq - 2020-02-18
Since January 2019 SaskTel has sent out approximately 30,000 notifications to customers accused of unauthorized downloading or uploading of copyrighted material. Copyright owners hire companies that track down IP addresses that access movies, such as through peer-to-peer file sharing software, and then obtain court orders requiring SaskTel to ...

OWWA releasing P3,000 each to more than 1,000 OFW victims of storm Tisoy in Albay
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-02-17
LEGAZPI CITY - Over a thousand Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from Albay who suffered losses as a result of Typhoon "Tisoy" in late 2019 would receive P3,000 in financial assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Rowena Alzaga, spokesperson of OWWA in Bicol, said P3.2 million in financial aid would be given to ...

Govt limits working hours of AV industry employees
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-17
He said the JMC also requires AV companies to inform the DOLE regional offices if they will conduct shoots outside of their principal place of business. In this way, Benavidez said, the DOLE will be able to keep track of their location shoots, which are still considered as workplace. He said the other provisions contained in the new JMC such as ...

NEDA: PH gov't confident of infrastracture momentum
Gov - 2020-02-17
MANILA, Feb 17 -- The National Economic and Development Authority is confident the government will sustain its infrastructure undertaking momentum as it continues to make definite progress in the different phases of project processing. "Since the start ...

POEA: Onsite inspection of OFW now mandatory
BusinessMirror - 2020-02-17
ONSITE inspection on the status of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will soon be made mandatory by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to ensure their welfare abroad.