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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Speed Limits and Local Governance: When Public Safety Measures Fail Legal Scrutiny
The Supreme Court voids a municipal speed limit ordinance for non-compliance with publication and RA 4136, underscoring the rule of law in local governance.
Burden of Proof in Rape Cases: Testimony and Physical Evidence
The Supreme Court clarifies how courts weigh testimony and medical findings in rape cases, acquitting on two counts for insufficient evidence.
Presidential Power vs Community Rights Clarifying Land Disposition in the Philippines
Supreme Court upholds President's power to withdraw public land from disposition, clarifying limits of community rights in land allocation.
Chain of Custody in Drug Cases: Why Evidence Integrity Is Key to a Fair Trial
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect due to broken chain of custody, stressing the prosecution's duty to prove evidence integrity.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails: Safeguarding Individual Rights in Drug Cases
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect due to broken chain of custody, reinforcing that presumption of innocence cannot be defeated by presumption of regularity.
Reasonable Doubt and Chain of Custody: Safeguarding Rights in Drug Cases
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect when police break the chain of custody, reaffirming that presumption of regularity cannot replace proof beyond reasonable doubt.
Broken Chains: Safeguarding Rights in Drug Cases Through Strict Evidence Protocols
Why the Supreme Court acquitted a drug suspect when police broke the chain of custody, and what this means for fair trials.
Presidential Power Over Public Land: Social Housing vs. Public Use
Supreme Court affirms presidential authority to withdraw public land from socialized housing disposition for public use, balancing resident rights.
Safeguarding Public Funds: The Ombudsman’s Authority in Administrative Cases
The Supreme Court affirms the Ombudsman’s power to decide administrative cases and its standing to appeal, upholding findings of grave misconduct in a sham bidding.
Judicial Accountability: Gross Ignorance of the Law in Issuing Unlawful Arrest Warrants
When a judge issued arrest warrants in cases where the law forbids them, the Supreme Court held him liable for gross ignorance of the law.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails: Conviction Overturned Due to Broken Chain of Custody in Drug Case
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect after police fail to justify gaps in the chain of custody, reinforcing strict compliance with Section 21 of RA 9165.
Reasonable Doubt in Drug Cases: Integrity of Evidence and Chain of Custody
The Supreme Court acquits in People v. Dungo, stressing that broken chain of custody and unjustified non-compliance with Section 21, RA 9165, create reasonable doubt.
Seafarer Disability Claims: When the Company Doctor's Assessment Prevails
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's fitness-to-work assessment binds a seafarer, even if the seafarer's own doctor disagrees.
Subrogation and Prescription: Insurers' Rights in Quasi-Delict Claims Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when prescription runs for insurers subrogated to insureds' quasi-delict claims, abandoning the Vector doctrine.
Chain of Custody in Drug Cases: Safeguarding Evidence Integrity
The Supreme Court acquits an inmate in a drug possession case due to the prosecution's failure to justify non-compliance with the chain of custody rule under Section 21 of RA 9165.
Safeguarding Rights: The Chain of Custody Rule in Drug Cases
The Supreme Court acquits a drug possession convict, underscoring that strict compliance with the chain of custody rule is substantive law, not mere procedure.
Conspiracy and Intent: When Multiple Assaults Do Not Prove Discernment in Minors
The Supreme Court clarifies that intent to kill and conspiracy do not automatically prove a minor's discernment, requiring separate proof for criminal liability.
Chain of Custody Safeguarding Drug Evidence and Ensuring Fair Trials in the Philippines
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect due to broken chain of custody, reinforcing the rule that preserves evidence integrity.
Conspiracy and Intent: Establishing Guilt in Multiple Stabbing Incidents
A Supreme Court ruling explains how implied conspiracy and intent to kill establish guilt in a coordinated multiple-stabbing attack.
Legal Redemption: The Critical Importance of Timely Assertion in Property Disputes
Land registration requires proof the property is alienable and disposable. The Supreme Court explains the rules and burden of proof.
Foreign Nationals and Land Ownership: Constitutional Limits on Succession Rights
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that foreign nationals cannot own land or transmit rights through succession, affecting heirs' claims.
Proving Foreign Law in Philippine Courts: Divorce, Property Rights, and the Keppel Case
Philippine courts don't take judicial notice of foreign laws. Learn the proof requirements from the Supreme Court's Keppel ruling on divorce and property.
Protecting Children Upholding Convictions FOR Rape AND Lasciviousness IN THE Home
The Supreme Court affirms rape and lasciviousness convictions, clarifying the applicable law for sexual abuse of minors under RA 7610 and the Revised Penal Code.
Broken Chains: Safeguarding Rights in Drug Cases Through Strict Chain of Custody
The Supreme Court acquits an inmate in a drug possession case, stressing the mandatory witness requirements in the chain of custody rule under RA 9165.