MLB Legal Services

03/08/2025

🧠📱 Literacy vs. Comprehension: Why Fake News Wins Elections 🗳️💡

The recent data about functional literacy in the Philippines is not just an education issue — it's a national emergency for our democracy. 🇵🇭

Yes, most Filipinos can read. But reading isn't enough. The real problem is comprehension — the ability to understand, analyze, and question what’s being read. And here's the scary part: nearly 30% of Filipinos struggle with that. 😟📉

In today’s digital world where social media is the main source of news for many, this gap becomes a direct threat. 🤳💥 Disinformation doesn’t need to be true — it just needs to look true and feel true. Troll farms, fake news peddlers, and political operators know this, and they exploit it every election season. 🎭📰

A person may read a headline like “Candidate X is a hero!” — but without the tools to verify the source, analyze the intent, or spot the manipulation, that voter might take it as fact. 😶💭 That’s not stupidity. That’s a system failure — one where school completion no longer guarantees real learning. 🎓❌

This is how propaganda wins, not because it's right, but because it’s undisputed by those who lack critical skills to challenge it. The result? Leaders who win not because of merit, but because of misinformation. 🤥🎯

The worst part? Some regions — like Tawi-Tawi — have even lower functional literacy rates, making them even more vulnerable. While younger people and women show higher rates, they’re still not enough to defend the entire electorate from the onslaught of digital lies. 🌊🧍‍♀️🧍

So what can we do?

We must stop treating education reform as just an academic concern — it’s a political weapon against corruption and deception. 📚⚔️
We need to build a generation that doesn’t just consume information, but challenges it. And we must push for media literacy to be part of national development. 🧑‍🏫📊

Until we do that, the truth will always be outvoted by the loudest lie. 🗳️📢

More than 1 in 5 Filipinos aged 10 to 64 have difficulty understanding what they read—despite being able to read, write, and compute.

12/06/2024

For the past few days or months, I’ve encountered situations and concerns related to co-ownership. Today, let’s break down the intricacies of co-ownership, its relevant legal provisions, and its significance for co-owners, as well as the management and administration of co-owned property.

First, let’s define co-ownership. José María Manresa y Navarro, a renowned legal expert, describes co-ownership (comunidad de bienes) as a situation where ownership of a single thing or right belongs collectively to multiple persons, without physically dividing the object but rather sharing abstract ownership rights. Felipe Sánchez Román defines co-ownership as the right of common dominion, where two or more individuals hold an undivided spiritual share of a thing, not physically divided.

Now, let’s explore the rights and obligations of co-owners based on the above definitions:

Right to Use the Thing Owned in Common:
Co-owners must agree on the use, aligning it with the intended purpose of the property.
Use should not harm the interests of the co-ownership.
Other co-owners should not be deprived of their rights to use the property.

Right to Share Benefits:
Co-owners are entitled to share benefits (income, accessions, accessories) based on their respective interests. Any contrary stipulations are void.

Right to Benefit from Prescription:
Co-owners can benefit from prescription related to their ownership.

Obligations of Co-owners:

Sharing Charges:
Co-owners must contribute to charges in proportion to their respective interests. Any contrary stipulation is void.

Sharing Preservation Expenses:
Co-owners are responsible for sharing expenses related to property preservation.

Exemption for Co-owners:
A co-owner compelled to pay taxes and expenses may exempt themselves by renouncing their share equivalent to such costs. The value of the property at the time of renunciation determines the portion to be renounced.

Regarding governance, here are the guiding rules:

Preservation: Co-owners may take actions with prior notice. In the absence of notice, there may be a reduction in the reimbursable amount, but the act remains valid.

Management/Administration: A financial majority must approve decisions, representing the majority interest.

Alterations/Acts of Ownership: Unanimous agreement is required for any alterations or acts of ownership.

I hope this breakdown provides relevant information for your current situation. Feel free to share any further concerns or issues, and we’ll continue to provide insights through a legal lens. 😊

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23/05/2024

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11/05/2024

It is worth noting that when you are appreciated for the work you have done, you will find encouragement and an endless supply of reasons to continue doing what you are doing to help others in need.