Last June 30, 2019, I posted an article entitled “You’re Fired” and discussed basic information to help you determine what is legal and illegal under Philippine laws in relation to the dismissal or termination of one’s employment. If you have not read that article yet, please kindly read it here. This time, however, I will discuss all about resignation from employment. I will share the most important things to remember before you resign. I have mentioned before that if an employER has the right to hire an employEE, he also has the corresponding right to fire an employEE. That is a given, but s ..read more

In my previous post, I gave you important things to remember before you resign from employment. Once you have finally decided to resign from your job, let me tell you now about the things you need to know about your final pay and certificate of employment. This likewise applies to employees who retired or got terminated from employment for whatever cause. What is Final Pay? Final pay is also known as last pay or back pay. It refers to the sum or totality of all the wages or monetary benefits due the employee regardless of the cause of termination of employment. What comprises Final Pay? Final ..read more

May 5th… Cinco de Mayo… Mayo 5… is a date that is extraordinarily memorable and special for me. Why? It was on this date that I officially became a lawyer. On May 5th, more than ten years ago, I signed in the roll of attorneys. It is the final act in order to become a full-fledged lawyer in the Philippines. I can still vividly remember the overwhelming joy and sense of gratitude I felt that day. It also felt surreal at that moment, as I couldn’t believe it finally happened. All the hardwork, patience, efforts, sleepless nights, sweat and tears, at last paid off. It definitely was one of the be ..read more

Shoutout to all my fellow women out there! Every year on March 8, the whole world celebrates International Women’s Day. This is a day to recognize the achievements of women all over the world. I cannot imagine a world that is functioning without a woman in it. Women are amazing in everything. I am proud to be a woman. I am proud of the things I have accomplished and achieved so far. The Lord has blessed me with everything I need to pursue my passion and dreams. I always thank the Lord that I was born as a woman. I love being a woman. On this special day, let us honor all the special women in o ..read more

During the second day of my Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) online seminar, our speaker who was a former colleague in the Philippine Judicial Academy – Supreme Court, Former Judge Marjorie T. Uyengco-Nolasco, led the Lawyer’s Oath Renewal of all 300+ lawyer-attendees of the MCLE. Prior to that, all of us were asked to close our eyes and imagine that special moment when we actually had our Oath Taking. For me, that was more than ten years ago but I can still vividly remember the rollercoaster of emotions that I felt and experienced during that time. It was unforgettable for me. I tr ..read more

Today ends the month of January 2022. A lot of us have been busy and pre-occupied with so many things for the past year. Allow me to send you a congratulatory high five for making it this far. Job well done! I have been on a blogging hiatus for exactly a year. My last post was published last January 30, 2021. So many things have happened to me during the past year, I tell you. My one year break is totally justified. Promise! Enough of that. I am just here to assure my readers that I am back, still grateful to be alive and kicking. I am looking forward to continuing my mission as to why I start ..read more

In response to the many inquiries from my readers regarding separation pay, final pay and back wages, these three kinds of payment that an employee is entitled to receive (depending on the circumstances present), here is my attempt to explain the differences of one from the other. It appears that a lot of people mistakenly use final pay and back wages interchangeably. Others admit that they thought separation pay is the same as final pay. Let me try to distinguish them one by one, in simple terms, for easier understanding. SEPARATION PAY When an employee is forced to resign due to legally auth ..read more

You may notice that my recent posts deal with different topics on employment where I share some of the best practices that I have learned over the years in my combined work experiences in the government and private workplaces that I have been to. Today, I will be discussing about the important things you need to know if and when an employee is placed on a “floating status.” Q: What does it mean when an employee is placed on a floating status? A: An employee placed on a floating status means that he/she is temporarily suspended, temporarily laid-off or temporarily retrenched from employment. Q ..read more

Did you know that there are new rules on notarization of paper documents being implemented while there is community quarantine in the Philippines? Last July 14, 2020, the Supreme Court approved the 2020 Interim Rules on Remote Notarization of Paper Documents, and shall remain effective until the Supreme Court directs otherwise. Here are the things that you need to know about the latest rules: (1) SCOPE The Rules shall be limited to the notarization of paper documents and instruments with handwritten signatures or marks through the use of videoconferencing facilities. EXCEPTION: The Rules shall ..read more

Who among you buy anything and everything online, like me? Even pre-COVID-19, I was already an online shopper. I find online shopping so easy, convenient and hassle-free. Lucky me, from all the online purchases I have made, I have never encountered a major problem or mishap. I enjoy online window-shopping, too. Everything can be found online most especially during this time when several business have not re-opened yet. When you see something you fancy online, of course you would like to know how much it costs. Most of the time, the price is nowhere to be found. When this happens, you know the ..read more