Category Archives: Special Projects

RA 9184 or The Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003: Boon or Bane?

By: 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 capital outlay in the P1.227 trillion national budget this year) and show Government commitment to good governance, transparency, accountability, equity, efficiency, and economy in the procurement process. In short, the law wants to deter corruption. Continue reading

Basic concepts in estate proceedings and estate tax

Among the inescapable facts in life, something which everyone shares regardless of status, race, sex or creed, is death. A person may leave properties (or liabilities) upon death, so a discussion on the basic concepts on estate proceedings is in order.

Inheritance – Inheritance includes all the property, rights and obligations of a person which are not extinguished by his death. (Civil Code, Art. 776) Continue reading