Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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Tenant vs Caretaker: When Fishpond Watching Does Not Create Tenancy Rights
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the line between agricultural tenant and mere caretaker, and why intent and consent matter in tenancy.
Abandonment vs Illegal Dismissal: Proving Intent to Abandon Employment
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the two requisites for valid dismissal due to abandonment, emphasizing employer's burden of proof.
Respecting Voters' Intent: The Importance of Liberal Ballot Interpretation in Philippine Elections
How Philippine election law favors liberal ballot appreciation to protect voters' intent, and why courts defer to COMELEC's expertise.
Intent to Kill: Understanding the Nuances of Murder in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains how intent to kill and treachery are established in murder cases, using a fatal explosive bottle attack as the example.
Treachery and Intent: Understanding Murder and Homicide in Philippine Law
A single Supreme Court case clarifies how treachery distinguishes murder from homicide, and what damages families can claim.
Perjury in the Philippines: Proving Willful Falsehood in Legal Statements
The Supreme Court explains when a false statement under oath becomes perjury, requiring willful and deliberate intent beyond mere error.
Unintentional Admission: How Words Can Win or Lose Your Ejectment Case in the Philippines
Learn how a party's own admission in pleadings can decide an ejectment case, and why every word in court filings matters.
Holographic Wills Recognizing Testamentary Intent Beyond Formal Titles IN Philippine LAW
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how courts determine testamentary intent in holographic wills, beyond formal titles and designations.
Holographic Wills and Disinheritance: Reconciling Intent With Legal Formalities in Estate Succession
When is a disinheritance document a valid holographic will? The Supreme Court clarifies probate rules, preterition, and testamentary intent.
Intent to Kill vs Intent to Rob: Distinguishing Murder From Robbery With Homicide in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a killing is murder, not robbery with homicide, based on the accused's intent.
Arson and Homicide: Distinguishing Intent and Consequences in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when arson absorbs resulting deaths versus when separate homicide charges apply, using intent as the key.
Beyond Absence Proving Intent IN Abandonment Cases Under Philippine Labor LAW
Abandonment of Work: Proving Intent to Sever Employment in Philippine Labor Law
Explaining when absence becomes abandonment under Philippine law, using the Supreme Court's ruling in Aliten v. U-Need Lumber.
Conspiracy in Estafa: Shared Criminal Intent for Fraud Conviction
How Philippine courts infer conspiracy in estafa cases, using overt acts before, during, and after the crime to prove shared criminal intent.
Self Defense OR Murder Examining Intent AND Evidence IN Philippine Criminal LAW
Equitable Mortgage vs Option to Buy: Distinguishing Intent in Property Transactions
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a sale with option to buy becomes an equitable mortgage, and the evidence needed to prove it.
Ballot Appreciation Rules and Voter Intent in Philippine Election Contests
How Philippine courts read ballots to honor voter intent, from idem sonans to marked ballots, explained through a barangay election dispute.
The Neighborhood Rule in Philippine Election Law: Abad v. Co Explained
Learn how the Supreme Court applied the neighborhood rule in Abad v. Co, ensuring voter intent prevails over technical ballot errors.
Bouncing Checks and Criminal Intent: Upholding Strict Liability Under BP 22
The Supreme Court affirms that BP 22 punishes the mere issuance of a bouncing check, regardless of intent or purpose.
Estafa Tightrope: Good Faith vs Criminal Intent in Bounced Check Cases
Supreme Court acquits AFPSLAI exec in falsification case, stressing that conviction requires proof of damage as alleged in the information.
Falsification of Documents: Proving Intent and Damage in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on notarial falsification, forgery evidence, and lawyer liability in Lingan v. Calubaquib.
Judicial Impropriety WHY Even Good Intentions CAN Lead TO Sanctions FOR Judges IN THE Philippines
Simulated Contracts in the Philippines: Intent, Validity, and the Valerio Case
Learn how Philippine courts decide simulated contracts by examining party intent, absolute vs. relative simulation, and the Valerio ruling.
Inadvertent Misrepresentation as a Lawyer: When It Is Not Contempt of Court in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that inadvertent misrepresentation as a lawyer without intent to practice is not indirect contempt.