VARGAS Appeals Dismissal of Bullying Case, Urges Thorough Review

Alfred Vargas and wife Yasmine has urged the Manila Prosecutors Office to review the recent resolution which has thrown out their complaint against Rob Sy and Juvelle Bacosa. (Just an update from the case of actor and public servant Alfred Vargas who filed in behalf of their son).

As per their statement, they pointed out the erroneous basis for the resolution and non acceptance of important evidence that they have presented for the case. They pointed out RA 10627 or commonly called Anti Bullying Act of 2913 that addresses matters inside educational institutions, instead of Section 10a of RA 7610 which is for the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse Exploitation and Discrimination Act which is apt for that. The incident they also reported has happened inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last February 14th and not inside school premises as they claimed. They also believe that this was erroneous in adapting that and their evidence too. 

Vargas also feels the resolution lessens the protection given to their child as they're treating this as a school incident instead of it being a bullying matter. They would want the matter to be looked at with RA 7610 in mind since it gives a broader protection for their child. Aside from the non inclusion of evidence, they didn't also touch on witness testimonies or psychiatric findings since their child has struggled, as the incident brought fear, distraught and psychological damage. They also deem Sy and Bacosa failed to correct and stop the incident after giving notice in earlier incidents. They also told the court how their child received aggression, emotional stress and clinically documented psychological distress. 

In their petition, they reiterated that it is not based on just their story, but of material, direct, eyewitness accounts which supports the case. They also said the resolution didn't consider the child's statement, the one who experienced it all. They feel this isn't just an ordinary conflict between minors and shouldn't be downplayed. 

Philippine Supreme Court Systematize Videoconferencing Hearings

The Supreme Court of the Philippines finally made headway with institutionalizing Videoconferencing Hearings in the country. As of recent, over 170,000 virtual hearings have been conducted nationwide and assured continuation of justice proceedings even under the pandemic. This has resulted in the successful processing 81,000 persons all done through Microsoft technology.

The courts utilize Microsoft 365 which is comprised of a plethora of web application, intelligent cloud service, and security-transparent tools for proceedings. The body approved the court guidelines on the conduct of Videoconferencing, which now allows remote appearances in court, even for those outside the country. Now it is possible for individuals to provide remote testimony even if you are in different parts of the country. Microsoft 365 made these all cost efficient, training necessary for their people were also provided.

While all courts are authorized to conduct these, videoconferencing has been done in over 2,715 courts. In it, almost 170,000 video conferencing hearings in both civil and criminal cases have already been conducted by judges. This comprise 80% success rate in the process.

Future looks bright huh?

The Firm: Premiers on AXN ASIA!

Classy, intriguing, dirty, fast paced and frivolous. That's how I describe this great new show on AXN called THE FIRM. Imagine an idealistic person joining a law firm in the hopes of getting startling cases and good directions but only ending up seeing how dirty politics is both inside and out the office plus the involvement of the real deal Chicago mobsters. That's THE FIRM's selling point and with it's 2hour episode premier last Sunday it has taken quite a buzz from courtroom drama/suspense aficionados here and outside the Philippines.

This is a continuation of the movie with the same name but it'll be set ten years after. I read this particular novel by John Grisham and you should too because there are other things in the book that probably won't be shown in the TV series. They just came out after a stint in the Wintness Protection Program and thought that they would be able to live normally again only to see that the same old enemies are there plus a lot of complications too in the story.

THE FIRM Photo from L-R Molly Parker as Abby McDeere, Natasha Calis as Claire McDeere, Josh Lucas as Mitch McDeere, Juliette Lewis as Tammy Hemphill, Callum Keith Rennie as Ray McDeere -- All Photo credits to: Frank Ockenfels 3/NBC/Sony Pictures Television

Make sure you catch the repeat telecast of The Firm's Pilot Episode to be shown on Feb 23 at 10:55 PM and on Feb 26 at 10:20 AM exclusively on AXN Asia - Asia's number one channel! For new episodes, check it out on Sundays at 9:55 PM.

Capisce?!

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The Firm

AXN Asia