Atty. King Anthony Perez

24/08/2026

22/08/2026

A court stenographer in Paniqui, Tarlac has been dismissed for grave misconduct after she allegedly duped a complainant into paying P250,000 in exchange for a fake annulment ruling, the Supreme Court (SC) reported on Thursday.

Aside from dismissal, the SC forfeited the retirement benefits of Rosalie Sarsagat, stenographer III of the Paniqui Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 67, and disqualified her from seeking reemployment in government. http://tiny.cc/tt09101

22/08/2026

The (SC) has ruled that a sales agent’s promise to issue a Contract to Sell after payment of reservation fee is not an “advertisement” under Presidential Decree No. (PD) 957, or the 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦, that would form part of developer’s warranties. However, the developer may still be required to refund a buyer if it fails to honor that promise.

In a Decision written by Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, the SC’s Third Division ordered Empire East Land Holdings, Inc. (Empire East) to refund the payments made by John Edrem Bautista (Bautista) after it failed to issue the promised Contract to Sell.

Bautista paid Empire East for a residential unit PHP 130,000, consisting of a PHP 20,000 reservation fee and PHP 110,000 in additional payments. He claimed he made the payments because Empire East’s sales agent promised to issue a Contract to Sell once he paid the reservation fee. When more than a year passed without the contract being issued, Bautista stopped making payments and demanded a refund.

The SC, agreeing with both the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC) and the Court of Appeals which ruled in Bautista’s favor, held that Bautista was entitled to a refund but clarified that the sales agent’s promise did not fall under Section 19 of PD 957.

The SC clarified that Section 19, which mandates truthful and non-misleading advertisements and sales materials, applies only to materials intended for the general public, such as those in those in newspapers, radio, TV, or similar mass communication channels. It does not cover promises made by a sales agent to individual buyers.

The SC emphasized that buyers remain protected, as developers may still be held liable under their contractual obligations and other applicable laws.

The SC ordered Empire East to refund Bautista the PHP 130,000 with interest of 6% per annum reckoned from the filing of the complaint in 2012, as well as to pay PHP 260,000 in exemplary damages, which courts award to discourage wrongful conduct and warn against similar actions.

Read the full text of the Press Release at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=171359.

Read the full text of the Decision at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/272556-1.pdf.

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

20/08/2026

📌 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 (𝗡𝗢𝗡-𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚) 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧

As per Proclamation No. 1006, 𝟮𝟭 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 is declared a 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 (𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴) 𝗗𝗮𝘆 in commemoration of Ninoy Aquino Day.

On August 21, if the employee did not work, the "no work, no pay" principle shall apply, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice, or Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) granting payment on a Special Day. For work done, the employee shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her basic wage on the first eight hours of work.

Proclamation No. 1006: bit.ly/2026NationalHolidays
Labor Advisory No. 12-25: bit.ly/2026NationalHolidaysPayRules
Labor Advisory No. 13-26: bwc.dole.gov.ph/issuances/labor-advisories

20/08/2026

Local Government Units and the public were urged to strengthen waste management and take preventive measures to reduce risk of flooding during heavy rains. Photo from the Department of Environment

18/08/2026

The has acquitted a woman of bigamy, ruling that a prior marriage that was void from the beginning (𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘣 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰) may be raised as a defense even without a prior judicial declaration of nullity.

In a Decision penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, the SC’s Third Division reversed the ruling of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Pampanga and the Court of Appeals (CA), which had found Ma. Fe Imelda Lapira guilty of bigamy.

Lapira faced a bigamy charge under Article 349 of the 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦 for marrying Jimmy Fariscal while still married to Takahiko Sato as evidenced by a marriage certificate from the Office of the Civil Registrar General.

During trial, Lapira argued that her marriage to Sato was void because no ceremony took place and no marriage license had been issued, both of which were required for validity. The Local Civil Registrar confirmed that there was no record of the application for a marriage license for Lapira and Sato.

In acquitting Lapira, the SC applied its ruling in the 2021 case of 𝘗𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘰 𝘷. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, which held that an accused in a bigamy case may directly argue that a previous marriage is void as a defense, even without a prior court declaration.

The SC explained that one of the essential elements of bigamy is the existence of a valid prior marriage. If the first marriage was void from the beginning, that element is absent.

In this case, the certification from the Local Civil Registrar sufficiently proved that no marriage license was issued to Lapira and Sato. This certification was enough to counter the presumption of the marriage certificate’s validity.

Read the full text of the Press Release at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=171178.

Read the full text of the Decision at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=165698.

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

18/08/2026

'HUMAN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS...MUST TAKE ABSOLUTE PRECEDENCE OVER VIEWS, LIKES, OR SPEED'

LOOK: The Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas has released a statement on responsible reporting and legal compliance after a school shooting incident in Zamboanga City early Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

"We urgently remind all news outlets, journalists, content creators, and social media users that protecting human dignity and the rights of minors must take absolute precedence over views, likes, or speed," the statement read.

13/08/2026

MANILA, Philippines -— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expanded social protection coverage to include contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) workers in government to ensure their 'equitable access' to social protection programs

Read more: https://mrf.lu/2k5zd

13/08/2026

NEWS UPDATE: The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday, August 13, reminded its personnel not to use their ATM payroll card as collateral for loans and refrain from "engaging in informal or unauthorized lending schemes."

DepEd personnel are advised to "avail only of accredited, authorized and regulated loan facilities in accordance with existing DepEd issuances and applicable government regulations."

Visit gmanetwork.com/news for more updates.

13/08/2026

"Do you want to appear many times so you will know how to dress properly?"

Ito ang hamon ni Presiding Justice Geraldine Econg kay Tarlac 3rd District Rep. Noel "B**g" Rivera matapos dumalo sa arraignment ng kanyang kasong graft sa Sandiganbayan na nakasuot ng maong.

Nasa comments section ang buong ulat.