breaking news. first posted here at 11:15 am Nov. 15, updated at 11:33: Aksyon 5 news director DJ Sta. Ana broke the story live from Leyte that Energy Secretary Petilla announced that the government has taken over two gas stations in the province for an orderly and rational distribution of fuel. Petilla said that soldiers have been deployed to guard the gas stations to avoid chaos and ensure that fuel will be distributed equitably.
Good work. Decisive. While the President has not gotten any emergency powers from Congress
and some of the senators and congressmen are happily vacationing, someone in government exercised a semblance of “emergency powers” (or emergency powers in its technical, legal sense, the way that it is defined in constitutional law, see yesterday’s blog post below). Don’t use the word “take-over” na lang muna , the President should ask for emergency powers. Lawyers will find a legal provision defending your action under the Civil Code or Administrative Code — we can find a provision. (i never thought lawyers would have a role to play in an apocalyptic event, one would think we’re useless and only doctors, nurses, engineers, journalists, etc. could help). This act of guarding the gas stations and volunteering to distribute the gas using government personnel in an emergency is defensible. In the meantime … Energy Secretary Petilla can say: to save lives by preventing chaos and violence, the government bought on credit the energy supply of two gas stations and government offered to distribute the fuel using government personnel, and the owners agreed.
Objectives: After completing the course, students should be able to:
1.Explain basic concepts of constitutional law, crime and punishment, civil damage and injury, the concept of jurisdiction, the structure of the judiciary, the jurisdiction of each court, and the different kinds of actions: criminal and civil procedure, special civil actions
2.Assess the background, basis, and scope of the right to freedom of expression; the constitutional requisites of media ownership and management; the law and jurisprudence on the the rights and privileges of media workers including: the right of access, the right not to be forced to disclose the source, the right to freedom from prior restraint, labor rights of media workers in the Philippines, intellectual property rights of content- creators
3.Analyze and explain the laws that limit freedom of expression including: libel, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the individual’s right to privacy based on civil law and criminal law, the Anti-Voyeurism Act, the law on obscenity, laws on public order, the right of the accused to a fair trial and against prejudicial publicity
1st Day of Classes
I. Concepts of Law
A.The Constitution. B. Statutes. ( examples: the Revised Penal Code; Civil Code; special laws) C. Decisions of the Supreme Court (examples of different kinds of actions as background: criminal actions, civil cases, special civil actions: injunction cases: petition for certiorari and mandamus, petition for certiorari and prohibition, etc.)
II. How the Judicial Machinery Works
A.The Courts. Concept of jurisdiction. Structure of the Judiciary. Jurisdiction of each court: Metropolitan Trial Court, Regional Trial Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court. B. Quasi-Judicial Bodies
