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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The Control Test in Illegal Dismissal Cases: De los Santos v. NLRC
How Philippine courts determine the real employer using the control test, and why a labor-only contractor cannot shield a company from liability.
Resignation VS Illegal Dismissal Employee Rights AND Separation PAY
Burden of Proof in Illegal Dismissal: Unsigned Records Cannot Justify Termination
Unsigned records and self-serving documents cannot justify employee dismissal. The Supreme Court clarifies the employer's burden of proof in illegal termination cases.
Preventive Suspension VS Illegal Dismissal Protecting Employee Rights IN THE Philippines
Certification Election Findings on Employment Not Binding in Dismissal Cases
A Supreme Court ruling explains why a certification election finding on employer-employee relationship cannot bar a later illegal dismissal case.
Upholding Employee Rights Illegal Dismissal AND THE Importance OF DUE Process
Protecting Overseas Workers: Solidary Liability and Illegal Dismissal in Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies the solidary liability of local recruitment agencies and the burden of proof in illegal dismissal cases involving overseas Filipino workers.
Redundancy vs Illegal Dismissal: Employer’s Burden to Prove Just Cause
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that redundancy requires proof of good faith and fair process; employers must justify dismissals.
Management Prerogative in Reorganization: Upholding Business Needs in Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when demotions during corporate reorganization are valid and when they constitute illegal dismissal under Philippine labor law.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: Employee Rights and Employer Responsibilities
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, employee abandonment, overtime pay, and employer duties in termination cases.
Reinstatement or Separation Pay: Employer Obligations After Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines
Philippine labor law on illegal dismissal: when reinstatement is ordered, when separation pay applies, and the employer's obligations.
Strained Relations and Separation Pay in Illegal Dismissal Cases: The Vinoya Rule
When reinstatement becomes impractical due to strained relations, Philippine law allows separation pay instead. Learn the rule from Vinoya v. NLRC.
Finality OF Judgment Payroll Reinstatement VS Limited Back Wages IN Illegal Dismissal Cases
Demotion vs Illegal Dismissal: Know Your Rights as an Employee in the Philippines
Understand when a demotion is legal, when it becomes constructive dismissal, and how abandonment claims work under Philippine labor law.
Justice Delayed IS Justice Denied Understanding Judicial Delay AND Inefficiency IN THE Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on optional retirement, separation pay, and backwages in illegal dismissal cases involving managerial employees.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: Why Unauthenticated Evidence and Lack of Due Process Can Cost Employers
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies illegal dismissal rules: retirement age, CBA benefits, and employer liability in Ondevilla v. Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
When Reinstatement Isnt Required Philippine Supreme Court ON Separation PAY IN Labor Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when separation pay substitutes for reinstatement in illegal dismissal cases, balancing worker protection with employer realities.
Illegal Dismissal Liability: Government Entity vs Individual Officials
Supreme Court clarifies when government, not individual officials, must pay back wages of illegally dismissed employees.
Fixed Term Contracts VS Illegal Dismissal Balancing Employer Rights AND Employee Security
When Quitting Is Not Illegal Dismissal: Voluntary Abandonment in Philippine Labor Law
A barber who left work and filed for illegal dismissal without seeking reinstatement was found to have abandoned his job. Learn the rules.
Project Employees vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure in Philippine Labor Law
Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal of regular employees disguised as retirement, and the rules on appeal bonds in labor cases.
Why Illegal Dismissal Cases Belong in Labor Courts: A Guide to Jurisdiction
Learn why illegal dismissal cases belong in labor courts and how the Supreme Court protects probationary employees' security of tenure.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: Due Process and Valid Waivers in C & A Construction v. NLRC
Understand illegal dismissal in the Philippines through C & A Construction v. NLRC: due process requirements, valid quitclaims, and limits on damages.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: When an Anonymous Letter Leads to Reinstatement and Back Wages
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal based on an anonymous letter, and the awards of back wages and separation pay.