Atty. Raffy J. Roncales

14/10/2026

10/10/2026

𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Malampusong gipahigayon niadtong Oktubre 9–10, 2026 ang Dayong Collector Volunteers Assessment and Outing sa Pilwak Beach Resort, Salay, Misamis Oriental.

Dako kaayo ang among pasalamat sa tanang volunteers nga matinud-anong naghatag sa ilang panahon, kusog, kakugi, ug mga kahinguhaan alang sa pagpangolekta sa Dayong. Ang inyong dedikasyon ug paningkamot dakong bahin sa kalampusan sa atong kalihokan ug sa pagpadayon sa atong serbisyo sa komunidad. ❤️

Among kinasingkasing usab nga gipasalamatan ang atong Mayor, Hon. Mayor Warren Pabillaran, sa paghatag og oportunidad ug suporta aron magkatapok ang atong mga volunteers. Ang maong kalihokan nahimong higayon aron magkahiusa, magtinabangay, magpaambitay og kasinatian, ug mas mapalig-on ang panag-uban sa atong grupo.

Daghang salamat sa inyong walay puas nga suporta ug serbisyo! Magpadayon kita sa panaghiusa, pagtinabangay, ug matinud-anong pag-alagad alang sa kalamboan sa atong komunidad. 🤝❤️

02/10/2026

The has voided a couple’s marriage after finding that they falsely claimed five years of cohabitation to avoid obtaining a marriage license.

In a Decision written by Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, the SC’s Third Division denied the petition of the Republic of the Philippines which sought to declare a couple’s marriage valid despite the absence of a marriage license.

The couple had lived together as husband and wife since December 2003. In 2006, the husband left for Israel to work and returned in 2009 to marry his wife. To facilitate their marriage without the required license, the couple executed an 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, claiming they had lived together for six years and were thus exempt from the marriage license requirement under the 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦.

In 2013, the husband filed a petition to declare the marriage void, arguing the 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 they executed was false because he was in Israel for most of the period it covered.

The SC explained that while Article 3(2) of the 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦 provides that one of the formal requisites of a marriage is a valid marriage license, Article 34 of the same provides an exception to this requirement for couples who have lived together as husband and wife for at least five years and have no legal impediment to marry each other.

Citing the 2000 case of 𝘕𝘪ñ𝘢𝘭 𝘷. 𝘉𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘨, the SC stressed that the five-year cohabitation period is counted back from the marriage date. The couple must have lived together continuously and exclusively, without interruption or a third party.

In this case, the SC said that the testimony of the husband showed the couple had not lived together continuously for five years, making their 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 to the solemnizing officer false. His testimony also supported the finding that they failed to meet the five-year requirement.

The SC found that from 2001 to 2004, before the husband left for Israel, they lived separately and only occasionally shared a rented room with relatives. From 2005 to 2009, while the husband was in Israel, there was no evidence that they presented themselves as spouses or that he intended to return to the Philippines to live with his wife.

The SC thus ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that the couple continuously and exclusively cohabited as husband and wife for a period of five years immediately preceding the celebration of their marriage.

Read the full text of the Press Release at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=174170.

Read the full text of the Decision at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=168047.

Copying of this content is subject to the SC PIO’s Credit Attribution Policy: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/credit-attribution-policy/.

23/09/2026

22/09/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞 — 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝

We are pleased to share that the dispute between the owner of the camera and the renter concerning the damaged camera has been amicably settled.

Today, the parties voluntarily entered into a Compromise Agreement, resolving their respective concerns and obligations.

The 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮; and 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀’ 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁.

We also respectfully appeal to the public to delete any screenshots, reposts, or uploaded copies of the parties’ private conversations and photographs. We encourage everyone to respect the settlement entered into by the parties and to refrain from making comments or posts intended to ridicule, humiliate, harass, or otherwise cause harm to any of the parties involved.

At the end of the day, disputes do not always have to end in prolonged litigation. The true measure of a successful legal intervention is not simply winning a case, but helping parties find a fair, peaceful, and mutually acceptable resolution.

Thank you to the parties for choosing dialogue, understanding, and compromise, and for trusting our legal services in helping them settle this dispute amicably.

Justice is not always about winning. Sometimes, it is about finding a way forward.

20/09/2026

Thank you, Bukidnon Youth, for allowing me to be part of your journey. May your passion, courage, and commitment continue to inspire the Church and transform our communities.

It was a privilege to share not only thoughts about seeking community, but also lessons drawn from faith, service, leadership, and life itself.

Seek community. Live with purpose. Serve with love.

15/09/2026

Congratulations to my fiancé Twinks Jöy R. Estardo for being the Champion in the 18–29 Age Category during the Trail Run Malitbog Bukidnon (TRMB) 3! 🏆🥇

I am beyond proud of you! ❤️ Seeing you push through the pain, challenge yourself, and cross that finish line makes this achievement even more special. You truly earned that podium!

Daghang salamat, Pitik ni cloud, for capturing this beautiful moment and making it part of our memories.

11/09/2026

The (SC) has found a bar review coach guilty of indirect contempt for spreading false information about the 2023 Bar Examinations on Facebook after stating that the said exams would be checked by means of artificial intelligence (AI).

In a 𝘗𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘮 Decision, the SC 𝘌𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘤 found Edgar S. Dizon, administrator of the Facebook group Bar Law for Dummies, liable for indirect contempt. The Court fined him PHP 30,000 and ordered the removal of his name from the list of 2016 Bar passers.

On September 21, 2023, a post from the Facebook group and the account 𝘛𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘶 𝘋𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯 claimed that the 2023 Bar Examinations would be “𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘈𝘐).” It also stated:

“𝘈𝘓𝘞𝘈𝘠𝘚 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏 𝘠𝘌𝘚 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘖.
𝘠𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘐 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

As a result, the Office of the 2023 Bar Chair (BCO), headed by Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, had to investigate the source of the post and determine its impact on the examinations. It also issued an advisory clarifying that the examinations would be checked by four human examiners for each subject, all of whom are experts in their respective fields.

But instead of removing the post, Dizon threatened to sue the Court and demanded a public apology “within 24 hours”, in a media interview. He also sent several emails to the SC’s Judiciary Public Assistance Section, claiming that the advisory had a chilling effect on him. He denied spreading misinformation and asked the Court to issue a statement correcting the advisory.

After being directed by the SC to explain why he should not be cited for indirect contempt for interfering with the conduct of the 2023 Bar Examinations, Dizon admitted owning the Facebook account but denied claiming that AI would check the examinations, arguing that he used the words “TO HELP” in his post.

The SC was not convinced and held him liable under Rule 71, Section 3 of the 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵, which punishes unlawful interference with court processes outside a courtroom, conduct that degrades the courts or undermines public confidence in the administration of justice, and unauthorized practice of law, as indirect contempt.

The SC held that Dizon’s post unlawfully interfered with the conduct of the 2023 Bar Examinations and undermined the integrity of both the exams and the SC, which exercises supervision over the legal profession. It caused confusion and alarm, forcing bar officials to divert their limited time and resources to tracing the source of the post, coordinating with government agencies, issuing clarifications, and responding to numerous inquiries.

The SC further noted Dizon’s lack of remorse. Instead of acknowledging the harm caused by his post, he demanded an apology from the Court, threatened legal action, refused to take down the post, and sought a statement retracting the advisory.

The Court likewise warned Dizon from engaging in the unauthorized practice of law when he conducted bar review coaching sessions and authored several bar review materials used in the 𝘉𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 training program. Dizon acknowledged that while he had passed the 2016 Bar Examinations, he had not taken the lawyer’s oath, which is one of the requirements to practice law, because of pending criminal cases.

In his Separate Concurring Opinion, Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen agreed that Dizon must be punished for undermining the integrity of the Bar examinations. However, he also emphasized the need to balance the Court’s power to punish for contempt with the constitutional right to free speech, including legitimate criticism of the courts.

Read the full text of the press release at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=172950

Read the full text of the Decision at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/4734-in-re-social-media-posts-of-edgar-s-dizon/

Read the Separate Concurring Opinion of Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/4734-separate-concurring-opinion-senior-associate-justice-marvic-m-v-f-leonen/

Copying of this content is subject to the SC PIO’s Credit Attribution Policy: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/credit-attribution

07/08/2026

Naka tambong kita karung adlawa sa binulan nga panag tapok sa mga Barangay Coordinators.

Padayon kitang mo abag sa programa sa atoang Mayor, Mayor Warren Pabillaran alang sa Dayag og Maayong Pagdumala sa Siyudad sa Malaybalay.