Legal Updates

On 19 December 2024, the National Privacy Commission released Advisory No. 2024-04.

On 17 December 2024, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 10755 which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7652, otherwise known as the Investors’ Lease Act.

The National Privacy Commission has taken steps to tighten data privacy, secure cross-border data flows, and strengthen the overall data protection in the country.

On 27 November 2024, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) issued IPOPHL Memorandum Circular No. 2024-045 promulgating the Rules of Procedure on the Resolution of Actions Without Provisional Remedies in Intellectual Property Cases with Delimited Damages.

On 20 November 2024, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines announced its plans to integrate Intellectual Property education into the basic education curriculum through a collaboration with the Department of Education.

For the May 2025 National and Local Elections, the Commission on Elections will conduct the first-ever internet voting through the Online Voting and Counting System in 76 foreign service posts from different countries.

More than two decades since the Rules of Criminal Procedure were last amended, the Supreme Court is revisiting the Rules through the CrimPro Revision Project to streamline criminal court processes and current procedures, integrating relevant case doctrines and other procedural rules that developed over time.

In March 2024, the Anti-Money Laundering Council proposed regulatory actions for the implementing rules and regulations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

On 5 March 2024, the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 9277, which proposes the enactment of Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act.

On 12 January 2024, the Department of Energy issued Department Circular No. DC2024-01-001, also known as the Hydrogen Energy Guidelines, to establish a comprehensive framework for the development and utilisation of hydrogen energy in the Philippines.

Philippine courts are generally allowed to vacate or set aside an arbitral award issued in a domestic arbitration or an

Effective 1 March 2021, all foreign nationals who are issued visas (except holders of 9(a) visas and Emigration Clearance Certificates issued by the Bureau of Immigration (“BI”) are required to secure a Travel Pass from the same agency which issued their visas (i.e. BI, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)).

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) issued various resolutions to address the recent rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently released its guidelines on the administration by employers in the private sector of the COVID-19 vaccine in workplaces.

Beginning 27 January 2021, all nominee directors/trustees, nominee shareholders, incorporators/applicants for incorporation, and all concerned corporations subject to the supervision and jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) shall comply with the guidelines provided in Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2021 to prevent the misuse of corporations for illicit activities through measures designed to promote transparency of beneficial ownership.

On 23 December 2020, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11517 known as An Act Authorizing the President to Expedite the Processing and Issuance of National and Local Permits, Licenses and Certifications in Times of National Emergency (“RA No. 11517”).

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released the new guidelines for the issuance of Alien Employment Permit (“AEP”) and related certifications on 6 January 2021 through Department Order No. 221-21 (“Revised AEP Rules”).