The Honorian Law Journal

26/05/2025

🎉 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐰! 🎉

𝘛𝘩𝘦 35𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘌𝘉-𝘈𝘓𝘚𝘗 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴. 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴!

𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴:

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏:
𝐃𝐑. 𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐀 𝐃𝐂. 𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐍 – 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐰.

𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 - 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐:
𝐃𝐢𝐫. 𝐄𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐩𝐞, 𝐃𝐢𝐩. – 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲

𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬

𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦!

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄: ⁦https://forms.gle/3hrtLmRdMhdEzXrZ8⁩

22/05/2025

21/05/2025

Muling iginiit ng na nananatiling lehitimo ang mga anak kahit na ang kasal ng kanilang mga magulang ay idineklarang walang bisa dahil sa psychological incapacity.

Sa Desisyon na isinulat ni Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, binago ng Second Division ng Korte ang desisyon ng Regional Trial Court na nagdeklarang illegitimate ang isang anak kasunod ng pagpapawalang-bisa ng kasal ng kanyang mga magulang.

Ipinanganak ang bata ilang buwan bago ikinasal ang mag-asawa. Sa panahon ng kasal, ang asawang babae ay nakaranas ng pisikal, emosyonal, at berbal na pang-aabuso mula sa kanyang asawa. Ang asawang lalaki ay may isyu din ng pagkalulong sa alak, pagsusugal, at pagtataksil.

Sa petisyon na isinampa ng babae para mapawalang-bisa ang kanilang kasal, nagprisinta siya ng mga ebidensya ng pang-aabuso at isang sikolohikal na ulat na nag-diagnose sa kanyang asawa na may narcissistic personality disorder.

Pinagtibay ng Korte Suprema ang desisyon ng Regional Trial Court na walang bisa ang kasal pero nagpasya din ito na ang bata ay nananatiling lehitimo. Sa pangkalahatan, kapag ang isang kasal ay pinawalang-bisa, ang anak ay itinuturing na hindi lehitimo mula sa oras na sila ay ipinaglihi. Gayunpaman, may exception sa Family Code tulad ng kapag ang kasal ay pinawalang-bisa dahil sa psychological incapacity. Nalalapat ito kung ang bata ay ipinanganak bago o habang kasal.

Dagdag pa ng Korte, ang nawawalang anotasyon sa birth certificate ay hindi nakakaapekto sa legal na kalagayan ng anak.

Kapag naging lehitimo ang isang anak sa ilalim ng Family Code, walang legal na basehan para baguhin ang kanilang status pabalik sa illegitimate. Ang pagpayag dito ay labag sa layunin ng batas na protektahan ang best interest ng anak.

Basahin ang buong teksto ng press release sa https://tinyurl.com/4yrkc82r.

Basahin ang buong teksto ng Desisyon sa https://tinyurl.com/c673ywxs.

Basahin ang Concurring Opinion ni Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen sa https://tinyurl.com/mrx3swc7.

16/05/2025

The (SC) has reiterated that once a job offer is accepted, an employer-employee relationship is already formed. Employers cannot just claim redundancy to justify terminating workers – they must present clear proof that a valid redundancy program is in place.

In a Decision written by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, the SC’s Third Division found that Alltech Biotechnology (Alltech) illegally dismissed Paolo Landayan Aragones (Aragones) for failing to prove there was redundancy in the company.

Alltech had offered Aragones the position of Swine Technical Manager - Pacific, with a monthly salary of PHP 140,000. He accepted the offer and resigned from his previous job.

Before Aragones’ start date, however, Alltech informed him that the position had been abolished due to a global restructuring. Alltech offered him the amount of PHP 140,000 as goodwill payment. Aragones then filed a complaint for illegal dismissal.

The SC ruled that the employment contract was perfected as soon as Aragones signed the job offer. The delay in his start date merely postponed the obligations of Aragones to report for work, and of Alltech to pay his salary.

However, the SC emphasized that employers must provide solid evidence to justify terminating an employee due to redundancy, which Alltech failed to provide.

Alltech only submitted an affidavit from its Vice President stating that the company decided to shift from regional to local support to better respond to its customers’ needs.

The SC found the statement vague and unsupported by other documents. It did not explain how or why certain positions like Aragones’ were removed. It thus ordered Alltech to pay Aragones backwages and separation pay.

Read the full text of the Press Release at https://tinyurl.com/38vp842u.

Read the full text of the Decision at https://tinyurl.com/2tfywuhu.

Copying of this content is subject to the SC PIO’s Credit Attribution Policy: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/credit-attribution-policy/.

16/05/2025

The has approved the Manual on the Rules on Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS), which guides the implementation of the ULAS Rules that took effect on February 3, 2025. These Rules require covered lawyers to provide at least 60 hours of free legal aid service every three years to individuals who cannot afford adequate legal representation.

Under the Rules, the legal service is free for qualified beneficiaries — individuals who meet the eligibility criteria under the Rules and Manual.

The Manual supplements the Rules by outlining key procedures for compliance. Lawyers must create accounts on the ULAS Portal, an upcoming online platform, through which all reports, requests, and documents related to their pro bono work will be submitted. Lawyers may also opt to give financial contribution to the ULAS Fund instead of rendering service, and may do so generally for up to 50% of the required hours, but must remit payment before the end of the compliance period. Lawyers may also seek reimbursement for certain reasonable expenses, including transportation and document printing, subject to availability of funds and approval by the ULAS Office.

Read the full text of the Press Release at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/sc-approves-manual-on-the-rules-on-unified-legal-aid-service/.

Read the full text of the Manual on the Rules on ULAS at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/promulgated-ULAS-Manual-Reso-A.M.-No.-22-11-01-SC-re-The-Rules-on-ULAS.pdf.

Read the full text of the Rules on ULAS at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/22-11-01-sc-re-the-rules-on-unified-legal-aid-service/.

Visit the ULAS Microsite at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/ulas/.

Copying of this content is subject to the SC PIO’s Credit Attribution Policy: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/credit-attribution-policy/

12/05/2025

10/05/2025

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

“No language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mother’s love.”

—Edwin Chapin

09/05/2025

08/05/2025

29/04/2025

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎁

Ms. Erika Layson
3rd Year Juris Doctor Student
DHVSU School of Law