This page contains a list of websites or links that may be of interest or use to anyone searching the internet on matters related to the subject of law. It is not by any means all-inclusive nor particularly selective although we have made an effort to limit it to the most relevant sites that Arceo Balmoja & Irasusta Law Firm (ABI Law) has encountered. Most of the agencies in this list are located near our law office in Bulacan.
JUDICIARY
SUPREME COURT OF THE PHILIPPINES
The judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.
Judicial power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Government.
The Court of Appeals, second highest tribunal of the land, was created on February 1, 1936 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 3 promulgated on December 31, 1935 with its eleven (11) Judges with Pedro Concepcion as the first Presiding Judge. Being the second highest court of the land, the Court of Appeals handles around 90% of all cases elevated to the third level courts which cases often involve complicated issues and voluminous records, thus sharpening the skills and enhancing the proficiency of Court of Appeals Justices in almost all fields of law.
The Sandiganbayan's mission is to give life and meaning to the constitutional precept that a public office is a public trust and to impress upon public officers and employees that they are at all times accountable to the people with their duty to serve with the highest degree of responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency. It carries out this objective by conducting expeditious trials of criminal and civil cases involving offenses committed by public officers and employees, including those employed in government-owned or controlled corporations.
The jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan is perhaps one of the most often amended provision from the 1973 Constitution to RA 8249 of 1997. Before RA 8249, jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan was determined on the basis of the penalty imposable on the offense charged. Then, it was amended such that regardless of the penalty, so long as the offense charged was committed by a public officer, the Sandiganbayan was vested with jurisdiction. Under RA 8249, to determine whether the Sandiganbayan has jurisdiction, lawyers must look into two (2) criteria, namely: the nature of the offense and the salary grade of the public official.
The Court of Tax Appeals is a specialized tax court that is impartial, competent, transparent, and worthy of public trust and confidence, ensuring faithful compliance with tax laws.
LEGISLATURE
SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES
The present Congress is actually a reincarnation of the Senate of the Philippines under the 1940 amendment to the 1935 Constitution. As mandated by the new constitution, the upper chamber is composed of 24 members elected at large, who serve a term of six years. Senators cannot serve beyond two consecutive terms.
The new Congress has the biggest membership and is probably the most powerful among its predecessor legislatures. The Constitutional Commission (ConCom) clothed it with vast powers to perform a wider and more dynamic role. This fact is partly reflected in the Charter itself, which devotes 32 sections to the legislative department compared with only 23 for the executive and 16 for the judicial departments.
EXECUTIVE
The DOE is mandated by RA 7638 (Department of Energy Act of 1992) to prepare, integrate, coordinate, supervise and control all plans, programs, projects and activities of the Government relative to energy exploration, development, utilization, distribution and conservation.
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (ERC)
The new ERC is faced with tremendous challenges in the restructured electric industry. In addition to its traditional rate and service regulation functions, ERC shall focus on two primary responsibilities: to ensure consumer education and protection, and to promote the competitive operations in the electricity market.
The ERC endeavors to create a regulatory environment that is democratic and transparent, and one that equitably balances the interests of both the consumers and the utility investors.
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (DENR)
The DENR is the primary agency responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources, specifically forest and grazing lands, mineral resources, including those in reservation and watershed areas, and lands of the public domain, as well as the licensing and regulation of all natural resources as may be provided for by law in order to ensure equitable sharing of the benefits derived therefrom for the welfare of the present and future generations of Filipinos.
BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE (BIR)
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is an attached agency of the Department of Finance. It is tasked to assess and collect all national internal revenue taxes, fees, and charges, and to enforce all forfeitures, penalties, and fines connected therewith.
The BOC is an attached agency of the Department of Finance. It is charged with assessing and collecting customs revenues, curbing illicit trade and all forms of customs fraud, and facilitating trade through an efficient and effective customs management system.
On August 15, 2013, Republic Act No. 10607, otherwise known as the Amended Insurance Code, was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III. One of the amendments included in the said law is the progressive increase of capital requirements for life and non-life insurance companies every three years until 2012.
The revisions embodied in the Amended Insurance Code are intended to reinforce the provisions of the previous code so as to further strengthen the insurance industry and ensure the economic viability and financial stability of companies operating in the country, to the end that each and every Filipino is amply protected and secured.
CENTRAL BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEAL (CBAA)
The CBAA, mandated under RA 7160, is a collegial appellate quasi-judicial body which decides on appeal before it, decision of the Local Board of Assessment Appeals of municipalities and cities of Metro Manila and provincial and city Local Board of Assessment Appeals nationwide. Under section 229 (c) of the said law, its decision is final and executory and the only remedy available for seeking a review of its decision is the special civil action of certiorari before the Supreme Court. However, in a recent issuance of Administrative Circular #1–95 (Revised Circular #1–91) by the Supreme Court, all decisions by the Central Board of Assessment Appeals shall be appealable to the Court of Appeals through a petition for review.
PHILIPPINE DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (PDIC)
PDIC is a government instrumentality created in 1963 by Republic Act 3591, as amended, to insure the deposits of all banks. PDIC exists to protect depositors by providing deposit insurance coverage for the depositing public and help promote financial stability.
PDIC is tasked to strengthen the mandatory deposit insurance coverage system to generate, preserve, maintain faith and confidence in the country’s banking system; and protect it from illegal schemes and machinations.
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (DFA)
The DFA is the prime agency responsible for the pursuit of the State’s foreign policy. The DFA advises and assists the President in planning, coordinating, and evaluating the total national effort in the field of foreign relations. It provides services in relation to passport and Visa applications and Philippine and foreign immigration. The DFA also coordinates with the different foreign embassies in the Philippines, including but not limited to, the following:
-
Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Republic of the Philippines;
-
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines;
-
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines;
-
Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of the Philippines;
-
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the Republic of the Philippines;
The BI is principally responsible for the administration and enforcement of immigration, citizenship, and alien admission and registration laws in accordance with the provisions of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. It also plays a role in the enforcement of RA 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking In Persons Act of 2003.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT CORPORATE COUNSEL (OGCC)
The OGCC is the principal and statutory law office of government-owned-and-controlled corporations (GOCC’s), their subsidiaries, government financial institutions, government corporate offspring, government instrumentalities with corporate powers and government acquired asset corporations.
LAND REGISTRATION AUTHORITY (LRA)
The Philippine’s Land Registration Authority (Pangasiwaan sa Patalaan ng Lupain), abbreviated as LRA, is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Justice responsible for issuing decrees of registration and certificates of title and register documents, patents and other land transactions for the benefit of landowners, agrarian-reform beneficiaries and the registering public in general; providing a secure, stable and trustworthy record of land ownership and recorded interests therein so as to promote social and economic well-being and contribute to the national development.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION (NLRC)
The NLRC is a quasi-judicial body tasked to promote and maintain industrial peace by resolving labor and management disputes involving both local and overseas workers through compulsory arbitration and alternative modes of dispute resolution. It is attached to the Department of Labor and Employment for program and policy coordination.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP CENTER (PPP CENTER)
The PPP Center is the main driver of the PPP Program. It serves as the central coordinating and monitoring agency for all PPP projects in the Philippines. It champions the country’s PPP Program by enabling implementing agencies in all aspects of project preparation, managing of the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), providing projects advisory and facilitation services, monitoring and empowering agencies through various capacity building activities.
The PPP Center provides technical assistance to national government agencies (NGAs), government-owned-and controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local government units (LGUs) as well as to the private sector to help develop and implement critical infrastructure and other development projects.
The PPP Center is also advocating policy reforms to improve the legal and regulatory frameworks governing PPPs in order to maximize the great potentials of these infrastructure and development projects in the country.
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI)
The DTI is the primary coordinative, promotive, facilitative, and regulatory arm of the Philippine Government with the country's trade, industry, and investment activities.
The DTI is responsible for realizing the country's goal of globally competitive and innovative industry and services sector that contribute to inclusive growth and employment generation. It guides potential investors about registering and doing business in the Philippines.
The BOI, an attached agency of DTI, is the lead government agency responsible for the promotion of investments in the Philippines.
Taking the lead in the promotion of investments, BOI assists Filipino and foreign investors to venture and prosper in desirable areas of economic activities. Investors are welcome to experience the potentials of the booming Philippine Industry sectors. Profitable business opportunities abound in the food processing, construction, metal products, telecommunications, power and infrastructure projects among others.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF THE PHILIPPINES (IPO PHIL)
The IPO PHIL is the agency that processes and publishes patents, marks, utility models, and industrial designs. It is also responsible for adjudicating in proceedings related to intellectual property rights.
PHILIPPINE ECONOMIC ZONE AUTHORITY (PEZA)
PEZA, attached to the DTI, is the Philippine government agency tasked to promote investments, extend assistance, register, grant incentives to and facilitate the business operations of investors in export-oriented manufacturing and service facilities inside selected areas throughout the country proclaimed by the President of the Philippines as PEZA Special Economic Zones.
It oversees and administers incentives to developers/operators of and locators in world-class, ready-to-occupy, environment-friendly, secured and competitively priced Special Economic Zones.
PEZA’s dynamic, responsive and client-oriented ethics have earned the trust and confidence of investors in its Special Economic Zones, the local business sector, and the foreign chambers of commerce in the Philippines. All Industrial Economic Zones are manned by a PEZA officer and staff to immediately attend to stakeholders' needs and concerns. Information Technology companies are attended to by Head Office.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC)
The SEC is the national government regulatory agency charged with supervision over the corporate sector, the capital market participants, the securities and investment instruments market, and the investing public. Created on October 26, 1936 by Commonwealth Act (CA) 83 also known as The Securities Act, the Commission was tasked to regulate the sale and registration of securities, exchanges, brokers, dealers and salesmen. Subsequent laws were enacted to encourage investments and more active public participation in the affairs of private corporations and enterprises, and to broaden the Commission’s mandates. Recently enacted laws gave greater focus on the Commission’s role to develop and regulate the corporate and capital market toward good corporate governance, protection of investors, widest participation of ownership and democratization of wealth.
SEC is the registrar and overseer of the Philippine corporate sector; it supervises more than 500,000 active corporations and evaluates the financial statements (FS) filed by all corporations registered with it. SEC also develops and regulates the capital market, a crucial component of the Philippine financial system and economy. As it carries out its mandate, SEC contributes significantly to government revenues.
With the growing number of corporations and other forms of associations that SEC supervises and monitors, and given the evolving nature of transactions where the corporate vehicle is being used to defraud the investing public, as well as the ever dynamic character of the capital market, SEC must progressively perform its critical role as the prudent registrar and supervisor of the corporate sector and the independent guardian of the capital market.
PHILIPPINE COMPETITION COMMISSION (PCC)
The PCC is an independent quasi-judicial body created to promote and maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct.
The main role of the Philippine Competition Commission is to protect the well-being and efficiency of competition in the market for the benefit of consumers and businesses.
The PCC is a recent anti-trust regulation in the Philippines. It prohibits anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant position.
Also, the PCC reviews mergers and acquisitions with the goal of of promoting competition in the Philippines. In specified cases, it requires parties to the merger or acquisition to undergo the compulsory notification process as provided under the Philippine Competition Act.
HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD (HLURB)
The HLURB is a national government agency tasked as the planning, regulatory and quasi-judicial body for land use development and real estate and housing regulation. These roles are done via a triad of strategies namely, policy development, planning and regulation.
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS (BSP)
The BSP is the central bank of the Republic of the Philippines. It was established on 3 July 1993 pursuant to the provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the New Central Bank Act of 1993. The BSP took over from the Central Bank of Philippines, which was established on 3 January 1949, as the country’s central monetary authority. The BSP enjoys fiscal and administrative autonomy from the National Government in the pursuit of its mandated responsibilities.
BASES CONVERSION AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (BCDA)
The BCDA Group is led by the BCDA, a government instrumentality vested with corporate powers under Republic Act (RA) 7227 (Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992), signed into law by former President Corazon C. Aquino last March 13, 1992. The BCDA Charter was amended by RA 7917 in 1995, and further amended by RA 9400 in 2007.
Mandated to transform former US military bases into alternative productive civilian use, BCDA has proven to be one of the most successful government agencies in attracting investments, creating jobs for the community and upholding proper stewardship and honest governance. This it does as it builds integrated developments, dynamic business centers and vibrant communities.
BCDA engages in public-private partnerships to push forward vital public infrastructure such as tollways, has successfully developed economic centers such as airports, seaports, and also major real estate developments. Driven by the values of integrity, excellence and stewardship, it completed the world-class Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and is currently engaged in building the country's new metropolis, Clark Green City.