Legal or Intestate Succession, also called Intestacy, is a mode of succession which generally takes place when a person (“decedent”) dies without a will. Under this mode, it is the law which will dictate the proper distribution of the decedent’s whole estate. Heirs who inherit under legal or intestate succession are called “intestate heirs.”

Recognizing the progress achieved in the field of medicine in the Philippines, and the value of medical science in the people’s daily lives, Proclamation No. 439, s. 1957 was issued declaring the fourth week of September as the observance of “Medicine Week.”

Under Philippine laws, the general rule is that an employer cannot compel an employee to work overtime. The country’s legal system, however, allows for exceptions to this general rule, such as those found under Article 89 of the Labor Code.

The Family Code of the Philippines allows the legal separation between husband and wife, which involves the separation of the spouses’ living arrangements (also called “bed-and-board”). Under Article 55 of the Family Code, one of the grounds for legal separation is the abandonment of a spouse without just cause for a period of more than one year. Jurisprudence explains that this abandonment must not only be physical estrangement but also amount to financial and moral desertion. The abandonment must likewise be unjustified.

The month of September marks the celebration of the “Public Relations Month” in the Philippines, by virtue of Proclamation No. 1357 signed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on August 13, 2007. Every September, the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, the country’s premier organization for PR professionals, organizes a public congress whereby PR practitioners and other interested participants gather to pay homage to the craft of public relations, and through seminars and insightful talks, equip themselves with the tools to traverse this dynamic and competitive field.

The Philippines celebrates every third week of September as the “National Building Management Industry Week”, where trade professionals are lauded for their role in advancing the innovation, development, and management of buildings and facilities in the country.

Article 86 of the Labor Code provides that every employee shall be paid a night shift differential of not less than 10% of his regular wage for each hour of work performed between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. On the other hand, overtime pay is the additional compensation of at least 25% on the regular wage for the service or work rendered or performed in excess of eight (8) hours a day by Ees or laborers in employment covered by the eight (8)-hour Labor Law. (Art. 87, LC)

An independent contractor is one who carries on a distinct and independent business and undertakes to perform the job, work, or service on its own account and under its own responsibility according to its own manner and method, free from the control and direction of the principal in all matters connected with the performance, of the work except as to the results thereof.

Double insurance is not contrary to law and hence, the insurers may still be liable. In double insurance, the insurers are considered as co-insurers. Each one is bound to contribute ratably to the loss in proportion to the amount for which he is liable under his contract. This is known as the “principle of contribution” or “contribution clause.” (Sec. 96(e), IC)