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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Replevin and Vehicle Sales: When Entrusting Your Car Makes You Lose Ownership
A Supreme Court ruling on replevin clarifies when entrusting a vehicle to an agent for sale transfers ownership, and what claimants must prove.
Disbarment Complaint Dismissed for Insufficient Evidence: The Burden of Proof in Administrative Cases
The Supreme Court dismissed a disbarment complaint against Atty. Johan Tabuzo, ruling that complainants must present substantial evidence, not just self-serving affidavits.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can Stockholders Be Held Liable for Corporate Debts
The Supreme Court clarifies that stockholders of a close corporation are not automatically personally liable for corporate debts, explaining the limits of piercing the corporate veil.
UST v. Samahang Manggagawa ng UST: When Repeated Hires Make Workers Regular Employees
The Supreme Court clarifies when repeated fixed-term hires for maintenance work create regular employment, not project employment, under the Labor Code.
Contempt of Court for Defying a Corporate Rehabilitation Order in the Philippines
The Supreme Court affirms contempt charges against BIR officials who pursued deficiency tax claims despite a corporate rehabilitation Commencement Order.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can a Stockholder’s Assets Answer for Corporate Debts
The Supreme Court clarifies that stockholders are not automatically liable for corporate debts, even in close corporations, and explains when personal assets may be reached.
Redundancy and Fair Compensation: Balancing Business Needs and Employee Rights in Termination
The Supreme Court clarifies when redundancy dismissals are valid and when separation pay falls short of the Labor Code's requirements.
When Attorney Negligence Doesnt Equal Extrinsic Fraud Protecting Final Judgments
The Supreme Court clarifies that a lawyer's negligence, without malice or connivance with the adverse party, does not constitute extrinsic fraud to annul final judgments.
Protecting Victims: How Family Can Petition for Protection Orders Under the Anti-VAWC Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that a victim's family can file for protection orders under the Anti-VAWC Law, even after a criminal complaint is dismissed.
Credit Card Debt Collection: Proving the Basis of Claims in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on credit card collection cases: creditors must prove the basis of claims, not just submit a statement of account.
COA Disallowance of Irregular Government Funds: Good Faith Restitution Rule Explained
Supreme Court rules on COA disallowance of DBP car subsidy, clarifying when good faith excuses refund of disallowed government benefits.
Notarizing Without Personal Appearance: The Cost of a Notary's Lapse
The Supreme Court suspends a lawyer-notary for six months and permanently bars him from notarial commission for notarizing a deed without the parties' personal appearance.
Navigating NCIP Jurisdiction in Indigenous Peoples Rights Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when the NCIP has jurisdiction over ancestral domain disputes and when regular courts take over.
Acts of Lasciviousness Under RA 7610: Scope of Child Sexual Abuse Defined
The Supreme Court clarifies when acts of lasciviousness fall under RA 7610's child abuse provisions, not just the Revised Penal Code.
Judicial Accountability: Timely Decisions and Ethical Conduct on the Bench
The Supreme Court holds judges accountable for delayed decisions and retirement violations, imposing fines on a retired judge.
Forum Shopping and Probable Cause: Safeguards Against Abuse in Anti-Money Laundering Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies the limits of freeze orders and bank inquiries in AMLA cases, penalizing forum shopping and demanding real probable cause.
Public Duty vs Private Interest: When a Prosecutor’s Delay Betrays Legal Ethics
The Supreme Court clarifies that a prosecutor's duty to expedite cases is not excused by a respondent's failure to assert the right to speedy disposition.
Excise Tax on Cigarette Bundles: The Sin Tax Law and Packaging Rules
The Supreme Court ruled that excise tax applies to a 20-stick bundle as a whole, not to individual 5s or 10s pouches.
SALN Non-Disclosure: Intent Matters in Administrative Penalties for Public Officials
The Supreme Court clarifies that mere SALN omissions do not automatically mean dishonesty—intent to deceive must be shown.
Prescription in Tax Refund Claims: Strict Adherence to the Two-Year Rule
The Supreme Court in Metropolitan Bank v. CIR held that the two-year period to claim a tax refund runs from the date of payment, not from the filing of the annual return.
Project Employees vs Regular Employees: When Contracts Determine Labor Status
Supreme Court clarifies when project-based employees remain project employees despite repeated rehiring and performing tasks necessary to business.
Client Bound by Counsel's Negligence? SC Relaxes Rules in Pontillas Construction Dispute
Supreme Court reminds courts that procedural rules serve justice, not hinder it, in a case involving counsel's lapses.
Project vs Regular Employment: Defining Boundaries of Fixed-Term Contracts in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when project-based employees become regular employees and the validity of fixed-term contracts in Philippine labor law.
Speedy Disposition of Cases: Balancing Delay and Due Process in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies the balancing test for inordinate delay in preliminary investigations, affirming that prosecutors must justify delays.