Prof. Te: Deep freeze for the constitutional guarantee against ex post facto laws In the column “Deep Dive” of 15 Feb. 2019, Professor Theodore Te dissects the arrests of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and of former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos, Jr., on grounds of the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws. The theory of the DOJ on cyber libel being a “continuing crime” and its prescriptive period being subject to “multiple republication,” is what the court will have to resolve, writes Professor Te. His position is that “multiple republication” or “continuing crime” are not principles that apply to libel,…

Prof. Theodore Te: "EJK finally defined but is it a crime?" Prof. Theodore Te highlights the inclusion of the definition of Extrajudicial Killings (EJKs) within the Republic Act No. 11188, passed on 10 January 2019. And while the statute does not criminalize the act, Prof. Te places value in it as "the mere definition of EJKs in a statute represents a significant step forward in providing justice to many victims of EJKs over the years," for him. In his column “Deep Dive” on the Rappler news site, the law scholar who teaches Criminal Law points out, however, that “the definition[of EJKs] is…

Prof. Gwen Grecia-De Vera: "Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law: A Context for Coordination and Harmonization" "Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law: A Context for Coordination and Harmonization" Prof. Gwen Grecia-De Vera Link: Ateneo Law Journal Vol. 62, No. 4, 2018 In enacting the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), does the Philippines’ pursuit in combating disadvantageous monopolies defeat the rights given by the Intellectual Property Code, as well as the constitutional mandate to preserve technology, knowledge, and the arts? To answer the question, the Author looks into the two laws mentioned, determines the possible conflicts between them, and attempts to find a…