The Estate Tax

The estate tax is a tax on the right of the decedent to transmit his/her estate to his/her lawful heirs and beneficiaries at the time of death and on certain transfers, which are made by law as equivalent to testamentary disposition. This is not a tax on the properties inherited, but a tax on the…

Read More

Selling Inherited Property in the Philippines

If you inherited a real estate property in the Philippines, such as a land, and would like to sell it instead of keeping it, there are important things to know to ensure the sale goes smoothly and legally. First, the inherited property cannot be sold right away without settling the estate of the person (who…

Read More

RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN DIVORCE DECREE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Philippine laws on marital status follow Filipinos wherever they may go. Thus, as a rule, a married Filipino remains married even if a divorce is obtained abroad because divorce is generally not recognized in the Philippines. Luckily there is a limited exception for recognition of a foreign divorce decree which would allow a divorced Filipino…

Read More

SOLICITOR GENERAL CALIDA’S QUO WARRANTO SHOULD BE DISMISSED

Spokesperson Sal Panelo proclaimed Pres. Duterte does not want ABS-CBN to shut down. But Panelo’s statement is suspect given SolGen Calida’s filing of quo warranto petition in SC. Calida also wants the high court to gag ABS-CBN from exercising free speech. The administration is speaking from the two sides of its mouth. Calida argues that…

Read More

DUERTE CANCELS VFA

Pres. Duterte’s announcement to cancel VFA purportedly as a retaliation for the cancellation of Sen. Bato’s U.S. visa, is actually a direction consistent with Philippines’ recent pivot to China. But the scrapping of VFA is facing strong headwinds coming from the Senate, Department of Foreign Affairs and most importantly, from the Department of Defense. Reading…

Read More

PRES. DUTERTE SHOULD FIRE FRANCISCO DUQUE III AS DOH SECRETARY AMID THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, THE COUNTRY NEEDS HONEST AND TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION IN THIS CRISIS

Francisco Duque III should resign as Secretary of DOH because he is not acting as the country’s health official, instead he is acting more as a political hack. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he is a danger to the Philippines. During a deliberation in Congress on Jan. 30, on why travel ban should be imposed against…

Read More

Children of Foreign Nationals Married to Filipinos Eligible for Permanent Residence in the Philippines

  Justice Secretary Leila De Lima approved on January 8, 2015 Bureau of Immigration (BI) Memorandum Circular No. SBM-2015-001, permitting children of foreign nationals to acquire permanent residence in the Philippines based on the foreign parent’s marriage to a Filipino national. Pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act (PIA), the spouse or child…

Read More

Extrajudicial Settlement of Estates in the Philippines

When a person dies in the Philippines, property left behind (the “estate”) can only be legally transferred to the heirs through a process called “settlement of estate.” The settlement of estate can either be done through court process (judicial) or without court intervention (extrajudicial). A judicial settlement of estate is a complex, long and tedious,…

Read More