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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Airline Liability: The Ticket-Issuing Carrier Responsible for Your Entire Journey
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: ticket-issuing airlines are principals in contracts of carriage and liable for the acts of partner carriers on any segment.
Control Is Key: Determining Employer-Employee Relationships in Outsourcing Arrangements
The Supreme Court clarifies when a principal employer becomes liable for outsourced workers, emphasizing control over contractual labels.
Challenging Filiation: When Can Heirship Be Contested in Property Disputes
Philippine law sets strict rules on when filiation can be challenged in inheritance cases. Learn the key principles and deadlines.
Gross Ignorance of the Law: A Judge's Duty to Uphold Basic Legal Principles
Learn when a judge's error becomes gross ignorance of the law, and why delay in deciding cases still draws administrative penalties.
Solidary Liability of Co-Principals in Agency: Agent May Collect Full Commission From Any Principal
When co-owners appoint an agent for a common transaction, they are solidarily liable. The agent can collect the full commission from any one of them.
Incestuous Rape Parental Authority VS Childs Right TO Protection
When a father rapes his child, parental authority yields to the child's right to protection. This article explains the legal principles and limits of parental power under Philippine law.
Corporate Dissension and the Limits of Rescission: How Investment Disputes Can Trigger Liquidation
Explore how corporate dissension can lead to liquidation, the limits of rescission in investment disputes, and key legal principles from a Philippine Supreme Court ruling.
Surety's Solidary Liability: The True Extent of Guarantees in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a "guarantee" becomes a suretyship, making the surety solidarily liable with the principal debtor.
Corporate Residence vs Actual Place of Business: Determining Proper Venue in Damage Suits
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a corporation's residence for venue purposes is its principal office stated in the articles of incorporation, not its actual place of business.
Accomplice Liability in Murder: Distinguishing Conspiracy From Spontaneous Action
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a person present at a crime becomes liable as a co-principal versus a mere accomplice.
Premature Demolition and Due Process: When Property Rights Clash with Fair Play
A Supreme Court ruling on how premature demolition violates due process and the abuse of rights principle under Article 19 of the Civil Code.
Fraudulent Land Registration: Actual vs Constructive Notice in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies notice rules in land registration disputes and DAR jurisdiction over emancipation patent cancellations.
Certification of Non-Forum Shopping: When a Philippine Agency Can Sign for Its Foreign Principal
The Supreme Court held that a local recruitment agency may sign the certification of non-forum shopping for its foreign principal, but strict rules still apply to service of pleadings.
When Can an Attorney-in-Fact Bind a Principal to a Compromise Agreement
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains how far an attorney-in-fact's authority reaches and why a compromise agreement signed by an agent can bind the principal.
Accomplice Liability: Distinguishing Principals From Accessories in Criminal Conspiracy
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy, accomplice liability, and how co-conspirators are treated as principals in murder cases.
Agents Cannot Acquire Principal's Property: Imprescriptible Action to Recover Trust Property
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that an agent's acquisition of the principal's property is void and the action to recover it is imprescriptible.
Decoding Criminal Liability: Principal vs Accomplice in Philippine Murder Cases
Learn how Philippine courts distinguish a principal from an accomplice in murder, using the 2000 Bato brothers case as a guide.
Credible Eyewitness Testimony Overcomes Alibi in Philippine Murder Case
Explore how credible eyewitness testimony defeats alibi in Philippine murder cases, citing People v. Panela and key legal principles.
Single Credible Witness Can Secure Conviction: People v. Sabado Explained
A single credible eyewitness can convict in Philippine courts. Learn how People v. Sabado demonstrates the quality-over-quantity principle in evidence.
Credibility of Child Testimony in Rape Cases: Lessons from People v. Mariano
Philippine courts give significant weight to a child's credible testimony in rape cases. Learn the key principles from People v. Mariano.
Conspiracy and Homicide in the Philippines: When Being Present Makes You a Principal
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy in homicide: when presence and participation make you a principal, explained in plain language.
Upholding Integrity: Consequences of Workplace Misconduct in the Philippine Judiciary
This article examines the Supreme Court's firm stance on workplace misconduct within the Philippine judiciary, detailing consequences and legal principles.
Land Classification and Agrarian Reform Zoning Maps Prevail Over Tax Declarations
Supreme Court rules zoning maps and land use plans, not tax declarations, determine CARP coverage. Learn the key principles.
Eyewitness Testimony vs Alibi: Key Principles in Philippine Murder Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on eyewitness identification, alibi, and treachery in murder and frustrated murder cases.