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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Equal Pay for Equal Work: When Seniority and Performance Justify Salary Differences
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that seniority, performance, and merit can justify different salaries for employees holding the same position.
No COLA on Top of Standardized Pay for Government Employees Post-1989
Supreme Court confirms COLA and amelioration allowance are integrated into standardized salaries under RA 6758; no extra payment allowed.
Faculty Rights and Union Membership: Protecting the Right to Self-Organization in Educational Institutions
The Supreme Court clarifies that faculty members are not managerial employees and may form unions, protecting their right to self-organization.
Constructive Dismissal: Protecting Employees From Unjust Working Conditions
The Supreme Court explains constructive dismissal, abandonment, and when harsh working conditions amount to illegal termination under Philippine law.
Regular Employment Status and Illegal Dismissal: Employee Rights After Probation
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when probationary employees become regular and the rights they gain against illegal dismissal.
Theft of Company Property: Balancing Employee Rights and Employers' Disciplinary Prerogative
Supreme Court clarifies when theft of company property justifies dismissal, balancing employer discipline with proportional penalties for erring employees.
Dual Roles Divided Loyalties When Public Service AND Private Interests Collide
Supreme Court rules on when public service and private interests collide, and how employees can be dismissed for divided loyalties.
Unfair Dismissal: Protecting Employees From Arbitrary Termination and Belated Evidence
The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on belated evidence in labor cases and reaffirms protections against illegal dismissal under Philippine law.
Challenging Labor Only Contracting: Regular Employment Rights Affirmed
Supreme Court affirms that DOLE registration alone does not prove legitimate job contracting; workers performing principal business tasks are regular employees.
Regularization Standards Failure To Inform Converts Probationary Employee To Regular Status
Failure to inform probationary employees of regularization standards converts them to regular employees by operation of law, with full backwages.
Beyond the Timesheet: Ghost Employee Acquittal Hinges on Good Faith and Actual Service
The Supreme Court acquits a former board member and five job order employees in a ghost employee case, emphasizing that actual service and good faith defeat charges of graft and falsification.
Due Process Prevails: Informations Clarity Protects Against Unfair Conviction
The Supreme Court rules that administrative liability requires a formal charge, protecting public employees from unfair conviction based on delay alone.
Philippine Airlines v. Yañez: When Workplace Conduct Warrants Disciplinary Action
The Supreme Court clarifies when employers may discipline employees for creating a hostile work environment, even absent explicit sexual demands.
Loss of Trust and Confidence: When Can an Employer Terminate a Managerial Employee in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains the rules on dismissing managerial employees for loss of trust and confidence, and when belated reporting justifies termination.
Profit Sharing in CBA: Exclusivity for Rank-and-File Employees
Supreme Court rules CBA profit sharing belongs exclusively to rank-and-file employees; separate benefits for managers must not dilute union gains.
Executive Power to End Overtime Pay for Immigration Employees: Tendenilla v. Purisima
Supreme Court ruling on whether the Executive may discontinue overtime pay charged to airlines for Bureau of Immigration employees.
Employee Dismissal in the Philippines: Due Process and Substantial Evidence Requirements
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that employers must prove just cause with substantial evidence and follow procedural due process when dismissing employees.
Redundancy in Philippine Employment: When a Valid Termination Becomes Illegal Dismissal
Learn when redundancy is valid in Philippine labor law, and how the Supreme Court protects employees from illegal dismissal disguised as redundancy.
Serious Misconduct and Due Process in Employment Termination: Key Lessons from a 2021 Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies the standards for serious misconduct and procedural due process in dismissing employees, using a university professor's case.
Religious Ministers as SSS Employees: The Salvation Army Case Explained
The Supreme Court ruled that religious ministers can be employees under SSS law, settling the employer-employee relationship question.
When Religious Ministers Are Employees: SSS Coverage and the Condonation Doctrine
The Supreme Court ruled that religious ministers can be SSS-covered employees, clarifying the limits of church-state separation in secular matters.
Religious Freedom and SSS Coverage: The Salvation Army Case Explained
The Supreme Court ruled that religious ministers can be SSS-covered employees. Learn how the Court balanced faith and social security law.
Employee vs. Independent Contractor in Real Estate: The Four-Fold Test Explained
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when real estate sales agents are employees or independent contractors, and why the distinction matters.
Understanding Due Process in Government Audits: Lessons from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
Learn how the Supreme Court's ruling on an administrative case clarifies due process, misconduct, and penalties for government employees.