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.
Proving Land Claims in the Philippines: What a Foreclosure Redemption Case Teaches
A Supreme Court ruling on foreclosure redemption clarifies how blanket mortgage clauses affect land claims and property disputes in the Philippines.
Retinal Detachment and Work-Related Illness: Compensability Under PD 626 Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies when retinal detachment is compensable under PD 626, requiring proof of reasonable work connection, not direct causation.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: Why Courts—Not Agencies—Fix Fair Value
Supreme Court clarifies that RTCs, not DAR adjudicators, have original jurisdiction over just compensation in agrarian expropriation cases.
Laches vs Torrens Title: When Delay Overrides Ownership Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains when laches, not just prescription, can bar a registered owner from recovering possession of titled land.
Burden of Proof in Compensation Claims: Establishing Work Relatedness of Non-Occupational Diseases
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on proving work-relatedness for non-occupational diseases in SSS compensation claims under PD 626.
Choosing the Right Appeal Route: Lessons from Taguinod v. Court of Appeals
A 2007 Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies appeal routes and the burden of proof in agrarian reform cases involving homestead patents.
Perfecting Land Titles: Open, Continuous, and Adverse Possession Since June 12, 1945
Learn how the Supreme Court applied the June 12, 1945 possession rule in land registration, citing Republic v. Consunji.
Indefeasibility of Title: Why Land Ownership Can't Be Attacked Decades After Registration
A Torrens title becomes incontrovertible after one year. Learn why a collateral attack on a 1973 title failed in Ingusan v. Heirs of Reyes.
Financial Crisis as Fortuitous Event: Real Estate Contract Obligations in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether the 1997 Asian financial crisis excuses a developer's failure to deliver condominium units.
Jurisdiction and Arbitration in Real Estate Contract Disputes: Frabelle Fishing Case
When do courts, not HLURB, hear real estate contract disputes? The Frabelle Fishing case explains jurisdiction and arbitration rules.
Prescription vs Possession: Quieting Title and Indefeasibility in Land Disputes
Explore how prescription, possession, and indefeasibility of title interact in land disputes, and what the Supreme Court ruled on jurisdiction.
Taxing Government Instrumentalities: Real Property Tax and Public Dominion Rules
Philippine Fisheries Development Authority case clarifies when government instrumentalities pay real property tax and why public ports cannot be sold.
Reversion of Land Titles: Public Domain vs Private Claims in the Philippines
Supreme Court ruling on when certificates of title over public domain land, including timberlands, are void and subject to reversion.
From Public Land to Private Right: Establishing Land Ownership Through Acquisitive Prescription
How long possession of alienable public land can ripen into private ownership, explained through a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.
Possession of Stolen Cattle and Proof of Guilt in Anti-Cattle Rustling Cases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how possession of stolen cattle establishes guilt beyond reasonable doubt under the Anti-Cattle Rustling Law.
Publication Requirement for Tax Ordinances: A Prerequisite to Enforceability
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that publication of local tax ordinances is a condition precedent to their enforceability and collection.
Compromise Agreements and Redemption Rights in Philippine Tax Delinquency Sales
Supreme Court ruling on compromise agreements, tax delinquency redemption, and substantial compliance in Philippine property law.
Military Pension and Citizenship: The Parreño Ruling on PD 1638
Retired AFP officers who lose Filipino citizenship can have their pensions terminated under PD 1638, as upheld in Parreño v. COA.
INP Retirees Entitled to PNP Retirement Benefits Under R.A. 6975
Supreme Court rules INP retirees are entitled to the same retirement benefits as PNP retirees under R.A. 6975, as amended.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Overcoming the Presumption of Public Land
A Supreme Court ruling on land registration in the Philippines explains why proving alienable public land requires more than a surveyor's notation.
Lump Sum Land Sales: Boundaries vs. Area Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on land sales, tenancy, and why property boundaries matter more than area in lump sum transactions.
Missed Your Appeal Understanding Finality of Judgments in Philippine Courts
A missed appeal deadline means final judgment. Learn how Philippine courts treat late appeals and why co-accused appeals don't help.
Administrative Power in the Philippines: Data Protection for Public Interest
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on FPA's proprietary data protection under P.D. 1144, upholding administrative power for public interest.
Resolving Land Disputes: Boundary Relocation and Title Amendments in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts handle boundary disputes, relocation surveys, and when title corrections require court approval under PD 1529.