Amending the Constitution, which is the highest law of the land, is an issue that comes alive in every term of recent Presidents. Terms such as “Cha-Cha” (charter change), “con-ass” and “concon” are thrown around with regularity. Some sectors argue that there’s a need to amend the Constitution now. Others say that while there’s a [...]
Archive for the 'Elections and Constitutional Law' Category
How to Change a Constitution
Published by December 15th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law. 0 CommentsPrimer on the Continuing Registration of Voters
Published by December 11th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law. 0 CommentsRegardless of one’s opinion on Philippine elections, the act of voting remains a sacred duty of every qualified Filipino voter. Registration is a prerequisite to vote. Here is a basic primer on the continuing registration of voters.
Legal Status of Parcels of Land in Boracay
Published by November 7th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law and Family and Property Law. 0 CommentsIf you’re planning to purchase or deal with land located in Boracay, you may want to check on two things: (1) whether the parcel of land belongs to the portion already declared as agricultural, as this is the only portion which may be alienated or disposed of; and (2) if it is classified as agricultural [...]
Primer on the President’s power to grant Pardon
Published by October 8th, 2008 in Criminal Law and Elections and Constitutional Law. 3 CommentsWhat is pardon? Pardon is “an act of grace, proceeding from the power entrusted with the execution of the laws, which exempts the individual, on whom it is bestowed, from the punishment the law inflicts for a crime he has committed. It is the private, though official act of the executive magistrate, delivered to the [...]
Primer on the Recall Process
Published by September 24th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law. 0 CommentsYou may have heard about the recent gathering of signatures to initiate the recall process against Pampanga Governor Eddie “Ed” Panlilio. Let’s discuss the concept and process of recall. Who may exercise the power of recall? The power of recall for loss of confidence shall be exercised by the registered voters of a local government [...]
Creation of ARMM’s Shariff Kabunsuan province is invalid
Published by August 31st, 2008 in Digests and Elections and Constitutional Law. 1 CommentThe Supreme Court Justices, according to Chief Justice Reynato Puno (thru PDI), “are aware of of how their decision on a deal expanding the Bangsamoro territory would impact on the volatile situation in Mindanao.” This may be particularly true considering that just last month, the SC also declared that the creation of a new province [...]
Primer on Ancestral Lands and Ancestral Domains
Published by August 14th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law. 2 CommentsOne of the bigger issues for the past couple of days is the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Ancestral Domain (for the Bangsamoro People in certain parts of Mindanao) between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court assailing the validity of the MOA, so [...]
RA 9184 or The Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003: Boon or Bane?
Published by March 28th, 2008 in Corporate and Investments, Elections and Constitutional Law and Special Projects. 1 CommentBy: ACA Nimfa Cuesta Vilches* The procurement (acquisition of goods, services and contracting for infrastructure project) law was enacted to lay down rules and regulations and to modernize, standardize, and regulate the procurement activities of the government. It is a response to the clamor of the citizenry to provide value for taxpayer money (P147.662 billion [...]
Extradition procedures and principles in the United States
Published by February 28th, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law and Litigation and Labor Law. 0 CommentsIn one of the Senate hearings in relation to the NBN investigation, a point was raised regarding a request for extradition of potential witnessess allegedly in the United States of America. Extradition is a big word for non-lawyers who watched the Senate investigation, so it may be helpful to have a brief discussion on this [...]
The Writ of Habeas Data (by Chief Justice Reynato Puno)
Published by February 23rd, 2008 in Elections and Constitutional Law. 0 Comments(This is a speech delivered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno on 19 November 2007, at the UNESCO Policy Forum and Organizational Meeting of the Information for all Program (IFAP), Philippine National Committee.)
Recent Comments