Partners’ Message

It is our pleasure to share with you the maiden issue of our online newsletter, “SAID THE LAW”.

This work is in line with our philosophy of reaching out and giving back to our clients and to the various sectors and communities that we serve.

SAID THE LAW dissects and explains some of the most pressing issues in our society, particularly, in this time of COVID-19 pandemic. For this first issue of SAID THE LAW, the newsletter delves into contentious areas in labor law, aviation law, and contract law involving force majeure and credit extensions:

• Labor/Salary Cuts: Clarifies key legal principles on employers’ right to withhold or reduce the salaries of their employees during this health crisis.

• Aviation: Outlines the rights and obligations of airline companies and passengers in response to queries concerning the mounting claims for refund of the airfares brought about by the mass cancellations of the scheduled flights.

• Labor/Government Regulations: Provides guidelines to companies to ensure compliance with the relevant labor laws in light of the resumption of business operations in the post-Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) period.

• Contract/Credit Extensions: Cites and interprets the relevant government issuances that mitigate the effects of delay in the payment of loans, interests, and penalties for obligations that fell due during the lockdown.

• Contract/Force Majeure: Explains the concept of force majeure; shows how it operates to release a party from his contractual obligations; and determines whether a public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, constitutes force majeure.

We hope that we would be able to impart our legal insights on these relevant issues and that SAID THE LAW would be your valuable tool in the enrichment of your legal knowledge and in the pursuit of your business goals and public service mission.

Thank you for the privilege of sharing this newsletter with you.