SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan’s (SyCipLaw) publication about the general guidelines in doing business in the Philippines has been updated. It aims to showcase the Philippines as an attractive venue for business ventures, to guide the businessmen and lawyers alike in their business decision making, and to help investors restart the Philippine economy in connection with the lifting of certain COVID-19-related quarantine restrictions ...
Myanmar continues to generate intense investor interest in what remains one of the world’s largest frontier markets. Ever since 2011 when the country first opened its doors to foreign investment and participation, its economy has continued to surge with greater diversification of its markets and deepening sophistication of its consumer base ...
Earlier this month, the DFDL Employment & Labour Team organized a well-attended webinar on Workforce Restructuring in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam. Our experts shared their insights with the audience on ways to minimize COVID-19 related labour challenges in compliance with local law as well as practical steps and considerations when implementing options available to employers to cut down labor costs in each jurisdiction ...
In the age of social distancing, it is about time the law is changed to allow wills to be executed electronically.Ingenious lawyers all over the Commonwealth are dreaming up rigmaroles for the signing of wills amid the pandemic. An English law firm has suggested that the will be signed at a park bench, with witnesses lurking nearby, ready to rotate around the document ...
Metro Manila, Regions II, III, and IV-A, and the provinces of Pangasinan and Albay (which are currently under [MECQ]) will be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from June 1. This is based on the announcement made on May 28, 2020 by the President. Many other areas of the country which are now under GCQ will transition to Modified General Community Quarantine starting June 1 ...
The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower (“MOM”) and some other Ministries have issued a number of regulations and policies or guidelines to manage and control the impact of the spread of COVID-19 in the Indonesian employment sector. Please find below a summary of the government measures: I. Employers are encouraged to prepare plans to take preventive measures against the further spread of COVID-19 and to maintain the continuity of their businesses ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to change the way that they do business. The fact that the National Capital Region is currently under a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ),[1] and prior to that, was under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for two months since 16 March 2020, makes it difficult for Philippine domestic corporations to navigate the Philippine business landscape and conduct business as usual ...
HAS SUPREME COURT TAKEN A STEP BACK IN ITS RECENT JUDGMENT IN “NAFED VS. ALIMENTA S.A.”? The Supreme Court on April 22, 2020 declared a foreign award unenforceable on the ground that one of the provisions of the Agreement in question was hit by Section 32 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and thus violative of public policy of India. Brief Background: NAFED and Alimenta S.A ...
Can the shuttered events industry restructure to not just survive but thrive? While many organisations are facing an urgent need to restructure to survive the COVID-19 led financial crisis, those most acutely affected are in the major event, hospitality, tourism, festival and sporting businesses. Social isolation and the severe curtailment of most travel has effectively shut down many of these industries ...
While immediate pandemic pressures may moderate short-term corporate progress on climate risk assessment and disclosure, there is little to suggest that regulatory and investor expectations have significantly diminished in 2020. Corporates may face increasing investor pressure to make a 'Paris-aligned' business strategy a central pillar of their corporate rebuilding and recovery plans, with a measurable pathway to net zero emissions ...
The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to rage and tenants in Cambodia are now looking carefully at whether this situation can be considered a force majeure event in order to seek a cessation or reduction of their rental payments. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) officially declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) a global pandemic ...
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has issued guidelines on data protection in work from home (WFH) arrangements (NPC PHE Bulletin No. 12 on “Protecting Personal Data in a Work from Home Arrangement; issued May 15, 2020). The full text of the guidelines can be found here: https://www.privacy.gov.ph/2020/05/npc-phe-bulletin-no-12-protecting-personal-data-in-a-work-from-home-arrangement/ ...
Philippine government agencies continue to issue additional and more specific guidelines on dealing with business continuity concerns, in light of more enterprises being able to resume operations under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), and more areas now being under the less restrictive General Community Quarantine (GCQ). This briefing covers the following more recent advisories: Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Advisory No ...
This briefing takes a deeper dive into the labor and employment aspect of COVID-19 issuances. Some of the guidelines here are covered in our The Return-to-Work-Checklist for Philippine Companies. A. Operating establishments have been directed to comply with public health standards prescribed by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 1. The DTI issued DTI Memorandum Circular No ...
This is a briefing on the following issuances as of May 16, 2020 in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: No Mandatory Testing of Returning Workers What is MECQ? New Normal? Business Allowed to Operate During MECQ Other Key Things to Remember in a MECQ Area Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Resumes On-site Operations on May 25, 2 The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) ha
The key Direct tax changes as announced by the Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt ...
Is Coronavirus the Great Leveller? When the novel coronavirus first started spreading like wildfire, people called it the “great leveller”. No respecter of status or economic background, Covid-19 affected people at all strata, from housemaids to Hollywood royalty; peons to prime ministers. Tom Hanks, Boris Johnson and an aide to US Vice President Mike Pence all contracted it ...
The key Direct tax changes as announced by the Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt ...
This is a briefing on the issuances of the Philippine government as of May 13, 2020 about the imposition of a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) over Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
On April 27, the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") and 11 other departments jointly announced the promulgation of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (the "Measures"), which will come into effect on June 1, 2020 and replace the current Measures for Security Review of Network Products and Services (for Trial Implementation) (the "Trial Measures") ...
What is the Public Service Obligation (PSO)? Whose obligation is it? What is the realization of the PSO? Some of us may not be familiar with the PSO and what actually means for a country. This article provides a general understanding of the PSO and particularly, how the PSO can affect us directly. First things first, what is the PSO? The PSO is a concept commonly adopted by all nations and as you might guess, it is the obligation of the government to serve the public ...
This is a briefing on the following issuances as of May 10, 2020 in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A. Suspension of Periods to File Applications and Other Documents with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) B. Issuances Supplementing the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF) Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine (Omnibus Guidelines) C ...
Significant changes are expected to be introduced to the trademark law of Hong Kong to cater for the examination, acceptance and administration of the International Registration of marks under the Madrid System which is tentatively scheduled for launch in 2022/23. The Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department (IPD) is revamping the trademark law to align with international practices, after holding several industry consultations to gather opinions and recommendations ...
With a view to combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong Government has introduced measures to implement social distancing, including, among other things, the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) (Regulation), which has been effective since 29 March 2020. The Regulation, when first issued, prohibited group gatherings of more than four persons in public places during the “specified period” ...
The sudden onset of the Covid-19 emergency has caused significant disruption across swathes of the Japanese economy and raised novel and urgent questions for employers as they seek to handle the challenges they face, whilst balancing the protection of their business and their obligations to their workers. This memorandum briefly addresses a number of key employment law issues and questions ...
