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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Why Filing Too Early Can Jeopardize Total Disability Benefits
Filing a disability claim before the 240-day treatment period ends can be fatal. Learn from the Supreme Court's ruling in C.F. Sharp Crew Management v. Orbeta.
Self-Defense in Philippine Law: The Imperative of Unlawful Aggression
Philippine Supreme Court explains why unlawful aggression is the primordial element of self-defense, and what happens when it is absent.
Medical Abandonment in Seafarer Disability Claims: Upholding Treatment Obligations
Filing a disability claim while still under treatment can backfire. The Supreme Court explains medical abandonment in seafarer cases.
Strikes and Substantial Justice: Balancing Procedure and Workers' Rights in Labor Disputes
The Supreme Court reminds courts that procedural rules should serve, not defeat, substantial justice in labor cases involving workers' rights.
Self-Defense Claims in Homicide Cases: What the Supreme Court Requires
The Supreme Court explains why a self-defense plea failed in a fatal shooting, and clarifies the rules on unlawful aggression and damages.
Moral Ascendancy AS Substitute FOR Violence Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Recantation
Philippine Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on moral ascendancy, not physical force, despite victim's recantation.
Enforcing Arbitration Agreements: How Philippine Courts Handle Multi-Party Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that courts must refer arbitration-bound parties to arbitration even when other parties in the same case are not covered.
Treachery Prevails Establishing Murder Without Evident Premeditation in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when treachery—not evident premeditation—qualifies a killing as murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code.
Exclusive Venue Stipulations in Mortgage Contracts: When a Motion to Dismiss Must Be Granted
The Supreme Court clarifies when an exclusive venue stipulation in a mortgage contract binds parties and requires dismissal of a case filed elsewhere.
Chain of Custody in Drug Cases: Why Evidence Integrity Is Paramount
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect because police failed to establish an unbroken chain of custody, underscoring why evidence integrity is paramount.
Exclusive Venue Stipulations in Real Estate Mortgages: When They Bind the Parties
The Supreme Court clarifies when exclusive venue clauses in real estate mortgages are binding, even if borrowers challenge loan terms.
Reasonable Doubt in Human Trafficking Cases: The Necessity of Corroborating Evidence
The Supreme Court acquits an accused in a trafficking case, stressing that conviction requires proof beyond reasonable doubt, not just a police officer's lone testimony.
Chain of Custody Safeguarding Drug Evidence in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect after police failed to mark seized shabu, stressing the chain of custody rule under RA 9165.
Venue Stipulations in Contracts: When "Exclusive" Means Exclusive in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when contractual venue stipulations are binding and enforceable, and when courts must dismiss cases filed elsewhere.
Surrender of Title Broadening RTC Jurisdiction in Land Registration Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that Regional Trial Courts, as land registration courts, can hear contentious cases involving surrender of title under PD 1529.
Due Process Prevails: COA Decision Overturned for Lack of Fair Hearing
The Supreme Court annulled a COA ruling that held BSP officers liable for a cash shortage without affording them due process.
Good Faith vs Gross Negligence: Due Process in Government Benefit Disallowances
The Supreme Court nullified a COA decision holding BSP officers liable for cash shortage, ruling that due process was violated when the Commission treated a request for opinion as a complaint.
Perfecting Imperfect Titles: Open Possession and Land Registration in the Philippines
How the Supreme Court ruled that long, open possession of land can be confirmed as title, even without a DENR certification.
Land Registration: Proving Alienable and Disposable Status and Continuous Possession
When can long possession overcome the lack of a DENR certification in land registration cases? The Supreme Court explains.
Perfecting Imperfect Titles: Possessory Rights and Land Registration in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when long possession can confirm imperfect titles, even without a DENR certification, in Republic v. Noval.
Affidavits of Retraction and Evidence in Illegal Dismissal Cases: PNB v. Gregorio
Supreme Court clarifies how courts review NLRC rulings and how affidavits of retraction are treated in illegal dismissal cases.
Estafa Corporate Liability vs Personal Liability in Loan Agreements
When is a corporate officer personally liable for estafa in a loan deal? The Supreme Court clarifies the line between criminal fraud and civil debt.
Upholding Contract Validity Against Claims of Forgery and Incapacity in Property Sales
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on proving forgery, mental incapacity, and undue influence when challenging notarized property sales.
Mutual Contract Termination Does Not Waive Payment Claims in Construction Disputes
Supreme Court ruling on DPWH v. CMC/Monark Joint Venture clarifies that mutual termination of a construction contract does not extinguish valid payment claims.