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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Chain of Custody Breaks: When Drug Evidence Fails in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court acquits drug suspect after police broke the chain of custody rule under RA 9165, Section 21.
Agrarian Reform OR Industrial Activity Determining Jurisdiction Over Fishpond Disputes After R A 7881
The Supreme Court clarifies when fishpond disputes fall under DARAB jurisdiction or regular courts after R.A. 7881.
Who Bears the Loss? Examining Fault in Poultry Growing Contracts
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when poultry growers bear the risk of loss under continuing credit agreements with feed suppliers.
When Union Disaffiliation Leads to Dismissal: Union Security Clauses and Illegal Strikes
The Supreme Court clarifies who may enforce a union security clause and when a strike becomes illegal, affecting dismissal of union officers and members.
When Courts Can Pierce the Corporate Veil to Reach a Natural Person's Assets
Explaining the Supreme Court's ruling on reverse piercing of the corporate veil, allowing creditors to reach corporate assets to satisfy a judgment against a controlling individual.
Insanity Plea Under Scrutiny: The Fine Line Between Confusion and Criminal Responsibility
The Supreme Court clarifies when confusion amounts to insanity exempting an accused from criminal liability, and when it does not.
Conspiracy in Rape Cases: Expanding Liability Beyond the Accused's Own Act
The Supreme Court explains how conspiracy in rape cases makes each accused liable for all acts committed by their co-conspirators.
Extinguishment of Criminal Liability: How Death Before Final Judgment Impacts Guilt and Civil Obligations
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how an accused's death before final judgment extinguishes criminal liability and affects civil damages.
Positive Identification and Circumstantial Evidence in B.P. 22 Cases: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
How Philippine courts use eyewitness identification and circumstantial evidence to convict in Bouncing Checks Law cases, explained through a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Bypassing Justice: Defining Theft in Telecommunications and Probable Cause
The Supreme Court clarifies when toll bypass operations constitute theft and how courts review prosecutorial findings of probable cause.
Abandonment vs Illegal Dismissal: Proving the Fact of Termination
In illegal dismissal cases, the employee must first prove the fact of dismissal. The Supreme Court explains the rules on abandonment.
Essential Witness Rule Drug Sale Convictions Without Informant Testimony
The Supreme Court affirms a drug sale conviction despite the informant-poseur buyer not testifying, clarifying when the essential witness rule applies.
Reversal of Conviction Distinguishing Homicide From Murder and Attempted Kidnapping
Supreme Court clarifies when a killing is homicide, not murder, and why a failed abduction attempt may not be kidnapping.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When a Corporation’s Assets Answer for an Individual’s Debt
The Supreme Court explains when courts may pierce the corporate veil—even for non-stock corporations—to make corporate assets answer for an individual’s judgment debt.
Probable Cause in Toll Bypass Cases: Theft of Telephone Services Under Philippine Law
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling on probable cause for theft in toll bypass operations, clarifying what constitutes unlawful taking of telephone services.
When Dismissal for AWOL Violates Due Process: Saunar v. Ermita
The Supreme Court explains when an AWOL dismissal violates due process and what remedies an illegally dismissed government employee may claim.
Proving Lost Earnings After Wrongful Death: Testimony Can Suffice, Says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ruled that credible testimonial evidence alone can prove a deceased person's income for lost earning capacity damages.
Revival of Judgment: Why It Must Be Filed with the RTC, Not the Court of Appeals
The Supreme Court clarifies that actions to revive a judgment must be filed with the Regional Trial Court, not the Court of Appeals.
Venue Is Jurisdictional in Criminal Cases: The Casanas Carnapping Ruling
The Supreme Court explains why venue is jurisdictional in criminal cases and why a conviction outside the proper territory is void.
Territorial Jurisdiction in Criminal Cases: Where the Crime Occurs Determines the Court
The Supreme Court rules that venue in criminal cases is jurisdictional—a court cannot try an offense committed outside its territory.
Proving Filiation After Death: The Strict Rules on Inheritance Claims
Philippine law sets strict evidence rules for proving filiation after a parent's death. Learn what the Supreme Court requires in inheritance disputes.
Homicide vs Murder: When Abuse of Superior Strength Fails in Philippine Law
Supreme Court clarifies that abuse of superior strength requires simultaneous attack and deliberate advantage, reducing murder to homicide.
Unlawful Detainer in the Philippines: Why Lawful Entry at the Start Matters
The Supreme Court in Bugayong-Santiago v. Bugayong explains why an unlawful detainer case fails when the occupant's entry was illegal from the beginning.
Pre-Existing Conditions vs Non-Disclosure: Protecting Seafarers' Rights to Disability Benefits
The Supreme Court clarifies the three-day reporting rule for seafarers claiming disability benefits under the POEA-SEC.