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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Management Prerogative vs. Illegal Dismissal: Redundancy and Employee Rights
When does a redundancy program become illegal dismissal? The Supreme Court clarifies the balance between business needs and employee security of tenure.
Establishing Illegal Dismissal: The Employee's Burden to Prove Dismissal First
Employees must first prove they were dismissed before employers must justify termination. A Supreme Court ruling explains the evidence required.
Proving Illegal Dismissal: The Employee's Burden to Establish Termination
Employees must first prove they were dismissed before employers must justify termination. Learn the rules from a Supreme Court ruling.
Abandonment Defense in Illegal Dismissal Cases Requires Proof and Notice
Employers claiming abandonment as a defense to illegal dismissal must prove it with clear evidence and serve two required notices.
Probationary Employment vs Fixed-Term Contracts: What Schools Must Prove to Avoid Illegal Dismissal Claims
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how probationary employment rules apply to teachers on fixed-term contracts, and what employers must prove.
Backwages and Separation Pay: Reconciling Employee Rights in Illegal Dismissal Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies that illegally dismissed employees can receive both backwages and separation pay when reinstatement is no longer feasible.
Illegal Dismissal and Serious Misconduct as Just Cause for Termination
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains when misconduct justifies dismissal, why the penalty must fit the offense, and how employers must prove a valid termination.
Illegal Dismissal Damages: Computing Backwages Until Judgment Becomes Final
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how backwages and separation pay are computed in illegal dismissal cases, including when the computation period ends and interest applies.
Reckoning Backwages and Separation Pay: Finality of Illegal Dismissal Judgments
When illegal dismissal judgments become final, backwages and separation pay must be computed up to that date, not just the labor arbiter's decision date.
Re-Computation of Monetary Awards in Illegal Dismissal Cases: Ensuring Complete Relief
The Supreme Court clarifies that monetary awards in illegal dismissal cases may be recomputed up to finality of judgment, ensuring full relief.
Regular Employees Entitled to CBA Benefits; Dismissal via Contracting Out in Bad Faith Is Illegal
Supreme Court rules regular employees are covered by the CBA and that dismissing them to force transfer to a contractor is illegal dismissal.
Corporate Officer vs Employee: Who Hears Illegal Dismissal Cases?
When is a dismissed executive a corporate officer or an employee? The Supreme Court clarifies which forum has jurisdiction.
Drug Testing in the Workplace: Ensuring Procedural Rigor and Employee Rights
The Supreme Court ruled that employers must ensure drug tests are properly administered, or face liability for illegal dismissal.
Employee vs Corporate Officer: Who Hears Illegal Dismissal Cases?
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company administrator is a regular employee, not a corporate officer, for labor jurisdiction purposes.
Reinstatement vs Separation Pay: Defining Strained Relations in Illegal Dismissal Cases
When can an illegally dismissed employee be denied reinstatement due to strained relations? The Supreme Court clarifies the rule.
Illegal Dismissal, Retirement Age, and Employee Benefits: Key Lessons from Ondevilla v. Colegio de San Juan de
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on constructive dismissal, optional retirement, and CBA benefits for managerial employees in this Philippine labor case.
Illegal Dismissal The Employers Burden OF Proof AND Ratification OF Unauthorized Actions
The Supreme Court clarifies the employer's burden of proof in illegal dismissal cases and the doctrine of ratification of unauthorized acts.
Illegal Dismissal: Employer Must Prove Abandonment With Clear Intent to Sever Employment
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that employers must prove both absence and clear intent to sever employment to establish abandonment.
When Illness Leads to Dismissal: Proving Abandonment in Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, abandonment of work, and employer's burden of proof in termination cases.
When a Request for a Raise Leads to a Lawsuit: Proving Abandonment in Illegal Dismissal Cases
A forklift operator's request for regularization and better pay led to termination, sparking a landmark case on fixed-term contracts and quitclaims.
Dismissal Based on Technicality When Courts Must Prioritize Justice Over Procedure
The Supreme Court relaxes procedural rules in labor cases to resolve the merits of an illegal dismissal dispute involving retirement age.
Voluntary Retirement vs. Illegal Dismissal: The Thin Line in Philippine Labor Law
When does a voluntary retirement program cross the line into illegal dismissal? The Supreme Court clarifies in Quevedo v. BENECO.
Abandonment vs Illegal Dismissal: Protecting Employee Rights in the Philippines
Explain the difference between abandonment and illegal dismissal in Philippine labor law, and the employer's burden of proof.
Voluntary Retirement vs Illegal Dismissal: Employee Rights in Downsizing
When does a retirement package become a forced exit? The Supreme Court clarifies the thin line between voluntary retirement and illegal dismissal.