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.
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.
Land as Attorney’s Fees: Enforcing Written Contracts for Legal Services in the Philippines
Philippine courts uphold written attorney’s fee contracts, even those paid in land, provided the essential elements of a valid contract are present.
Land Title Forever: Why Court Decisions in Land Registration Cases Don't Expire in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling confirms that prescription and laches do not bar enforcement of final land registration judgments, protecting property rights indefinitely.
Challenging Land Titles: Understanding Extrinsic Fraud in Property Registration
The Supreme Court clarifies when fraud can void a land title—and why ordinary disputes over ownership are not enough.
Land Registration in the Philippines: The Critical Role of Publication
Why publication in the Official Gazette is a non-negotiable jurisdictional requirement in Philippine land registration and cadastral cases.
Boundary Disputes: Proving Land Ownership in Philippine Courts
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how courts resolve boundary disputes, emphasizing the importance of approved survey plans and proper identification of property.
Proving Land Ownership in the Philippines: Tax Declarations and Cadastral Surveys in Quieting Title Cases
Learn how tax declarations, cadastral surveys, and possession determine ownership in Philippine land disputes, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
Private Land vs Public Grant: Understanding Property Rights and Free Patents in the Philippines
When a court decree vests private ownership, the land leaves the public domain and cannot be subjected to a free patent. This case explains why.
Sale vs Commodatum: Property Rights and Contractual Intent in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how to distinguish sale from commodatum, and why proving ownership in recovery actions requires clear evidence of title and identity.
Continued Possession Prevents Prescription in Land Reconveyance Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: an action for reconveyance cannot be barred by prescription when the plaintiff remains in possession of the disputed land.
Attorney Negligence in the Philippines: A Lawyer's Duty of Diligence and the Consequences of Abandoning a Clie
When can a lawyer abandon a client? The Supreme Court explains the duty of diligence and the penalty for neglect in Aromin v. Boncavil.
Paraphernal vs Conjugal Property: How Cadastral Court Findings Settle Ownership
A final cadastral court finding that a wife inherited land overcomes the presumption of conjugal property, the Supreme Court rules.
Torrens Title vs. Acquisitive Prescription: Why Registered Land Prevails in the Philippines
A Torrens title defeats claims of ownership by long possession. Learn the Ramos v. Bautista ruling and how to protect registered land.