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.
Fixed-Term Seafarers' Contracts: Illegal Dismissal and Compensation Standards
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers are contractual employees governed by POEA contracts, not regular employees under the Labor Code.
Jurisdiction Over PNP Officers: Salary Grade Thresholds and Retroactive Application in Criminal Cases
Explaining Escobal v. Garchitorena on Sandiganbayan jurisdiction, salary grade thresholds, and retroactive application of R.A. 7975.
Business Closure and Employee Rights: Employer Obligations in Termination
Understand employer obligations when closing a business in the Philippines, including notice requirements, separation pay, and when dismissal is valid.
Substantial Compliance in Labor Disputes: Upholding Merits Over Technicalities
Philippine Supreme Court rules that substantial compliance with procedural rules, not technicalities, should govern labor dispute resolutions.
Judicial Efficiency: Sanctions for Undue Delay in Rendering Decisions
A judge's failure to decide cases within 90 days is undue delay, a less serious offense under Rule 140.
Age Limits and Security of Tenure: Navigating Employment Rights in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies how age limits in service contracts interact with security of tenure and constructive dismissal claims.
Treachery and Conspiracy in Stone Pelting: Understanding Murder Convictions in the Philippines
How the Supreme Court applied treachery and conspiracy to uphold murder convictions in a fatal stone-pelting attack in Sorsogon.
Employer-Employee Relationship and Illegal Dismissal: The Control Test in Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the control test for employer-employee relationship and rules on illegal dismissal due to disease in Sy v. Court of Appeals.
Court Stenographer Dismissed for Falsifying DTRs and Pocketing Colleague's Salary
Supreme Court dismisses court stenographer for forging DTRs and special powers of attorney to steal a colleague's salary for nearly two years.
Correcting Appellate Court Designations Preserving the Right to Appeal
A timely correction of the appellate court designation preserves a valid appeal, even if the first notice named the wrong court.
Optional Retirement and Illegal Dismissal: The Ondevilla Case on Security of Tenure
The Supreme Court clarifies when an employee's early retirement is voluntary, and the rights of illegally dismissed employees who reach compulsory retirement age.
Dismissal of Administrative Cases Against Judges: Upholding Judicial Integrity and Curbing Frivolous Complaint
Supreme Court dismisses administrative complaint against Judge Angeles for failure to prosecute, protecting judges from frivolous cases and preserving judicial integrity.
Appointment vs Reassignment: Clarifying the Role of Local School Boards in Superintendent Designations
The Supreme Court clarifies when local school board consultation is required for schools division superintendent designations, distinguishing appointment from reassignment.
Ombudsman’s Authority to Prosecute Cases Beyond the Sandiganbayan’s Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court clarifies that the Ombudsman may prosecute graft cases in regular courts, not only before the Sandiganbayan.
Collective Bargaining: When Partial Agreements Do Not Make a CBA
Supreme Court clarifies that partial agreements in conciliation do not constitute a completed CBA; parties must still negotiate in good faith.
Acting Secretary's One-Day Salary Counts for Terminal Leave Pay Computation
Supreme Court rules a designated Acting Secretary's higher salary, even for one day, determines terminal leave pay basis.
Deceptive Recruitment Establishing Guilt In Large Scale Illegal Recruitment Cases
Learn how deceptive recruitment schemes establish guilt in large-scale illegal recruitment cases under Philippine law.
Retroactive Application of Procedural Rules: Timely Filing of Certiorari Petitions in Labor Disputes
Learn how the Supreme Court applied A.M. No. 00-2-03-SC retroactively, allowing a late certiorari petition in a labor case to proceed.
Management Prerogative in Reorganization: Upholding Business Needs in Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when demotions during corporate reorganization are valid and when they constitute illegal dismissal under Philippine labor law.
Fixed Terms for Constitutional Commissioners: The Gaminde Case on Staggered Terms
The Supreme Court clarifies that a constitutional commissioner's term follows the staggered system, not the appointment paper's date, as shown in Gaminde.
Reinstatement or Separation Pay: Employer Obligations After Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines
Philippine labor law on illegal dismissal: when reinstatement is ordered, when separation pay applies, and the employer's obligations.
Philippine Supreme Court Disciplines Court Employee for Disrespectful Conduct in Workplace
The Supreme Court fined a court employee P5,000 for shouting at and humiliating a co-worker during office hours, reaffirming strict standards of decorum in the judiciary.
Employee vs. Independent Contractor: The Four-Fold Test Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court's ruling in Corporal v. NLRC clarifies when workers are true employees, not independent contractors, under Philippine labor law.
Good Faith and Falsification: When Honest Belief Defeats Criminal Intent in Public Documents
The Supreme Court in Layug v. Sandiganbayan ruled that good faith and absence of damage can defeat a falsification charge.