Legal Insights

Bouncing Checks and Broken Promises: Proving Guilt in B.P. 22 Cases

A Supreme Court ruling explains how photocopies of bounced checks can convict a drawer under B.P. 22, and when imprisonment is proper.

Serving Time Before Deportation: Criminal and Immigration Law Intersect

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that convicted aliens must serve their prison sentence before deportation under the Immigration Act of 1940.

Prescription of Penalties: Why Actual Imprisonment Matters in Philippine Law

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when prescription of penalties begins—only after a convict actually escapes from imprisonment.

Prescription of Penalties: Evasion of Sentence Requires Prior Imprisonment

Philippine Supreme Court ruling: prescription of penalty starts only when a convicted person escapes from actual imprisonment, not from hiding.

BP 22 and Humanitarian Considerations: When Courts May Modify Final Judgments

The Supreme Court explains when humanitarian grounds, like serious illness, can justify replacing imprisonment with a fine in BP 22 cases.

Bouncing Checks Law: When Issuing Postdated Checks Leads to Imprisonment

The Supreme Court affirms imprisonment for twelve counts of B.P. 22 violations, clarifying when fines alone are insufficient and why each worthless check is a separate offense.

Bouncing Checks Law: When Courts May Impose Fine Instead of Imprisonment

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on B.P. 22 violations explains when fines replace imprisonment and clarifies due process rights in bouncing checks cases.

Bouncing Checks and Due Process: What Aguirre v. People Teaches About B.P. 22 Cases

A look at Aguirre v. People: how courts treat B.P. 22 violations, due process rights, and when fines replace imprisonment.

Bouncing Checks Law: When Courts May Impose Fine Instead of Imprisonment

The Supreme Court clarifies that under BP 22, courts may impose only a fine instead of imprisonment, depending on the circumstances.

Serving Multiple Prison Terms in the Philippines: The Rule on Successive Sentences

Philippine law requires imprisonment terms for multiple offenses to be served successively, not simultaneously. Learn the rule under the Revised Penal Code.

Adultery and Its Consequences: Honor, Outrage, and the Limits of Justifiable Homicide in the Philippines

When a spouse kills a cheating partner caught in flagrante, Philippine law may spare them from prison—but only under strict conditions.

Illegal Recruitment and Estafa: Lessons from People v. Fajardo

The Supreme Court affirms that unlicensed recruiters face life imprisonment and estafa liability, even when claiming to act for a licensed agency.

Legislative Immunity vs. Criminal Conviction: The Jalosjos Ruling

The Supreme Court ruled that election to Congress does not exempt a convicted legislator from imprisonment while his criminal appeal is pending.

When Prison Bars the Legislative Seat: Jalosjos and the Limits of Congressional Immunity

The Supreme Court ruled that a convicted congressman cannot claim parliamentary immunity to attend sessions while detained for a non-bailable offense.

Custody and Legal Practice: Defining the Bounds of Detention

Supreme Court clarifies that detention prisoners cannot practice law and must be confined in jail, not held under loose custodial arrangements.

Probation Denied: Why Evading Civil Liability in the Philippines Can Cost You Your Freedom

Philippine Supreme Court ruling: evading civil liability after conviction can disqualify you from probation and lead to imprisonment.

Beware Illegal Recruiters: Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence for Syndicate Preying on Job Seekers

The Supreme Court affirms life imprisonment for large-scale illegal recruitment, warning Filipinos against unscrupulous individuals promising overseas jobs.

Navigating Illegal Recruitment in the Philippines: Why One Instance Can Lead to Conviction

Learn how Philippine courts treat illegal recruitment cases, why a single act can lead to life imprisonment, and what the Hernandez ruling means.

Probation Revocation in the Philippines: Why Non-Compliance with Court Orders Can Lead to Imprisonment

Probation is a privilege, not a right. Learn how ignoring court orders can lead to revocation and imprisonment in the Philippines.

Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale and Estafa: Supreme Court Upholds Stiff Penalties

Philippine Supreme Court affirms life imprisonment and fine for illegal recruitment in large scale, plus separate estafa convictions.

Positive Identification Overcomes Alibi in Murder Conviction of Prison Inmates

Supreme Court affirms murder convictions of four inmates, ruling positive identification prevails over denial and alibi in prison killing.

The Clerk’s Duty: Accurate Case Reporting and the Efficient Administration of Justice in the Philippines

A Supreme Court ruling on a judge and clerk fined for issuing a subpoena to a life-term prisoner without authority, underscoring diligence in court duties.

Judicial Misconduct When Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse

Supreme Court fines judge and clerk for issuing subpoena to a life-term prisoner without authority, ruling ignorance of circulars is no excuse.

Drug Possession Penalties: How Quantity Matters Under the Dangerous Drugs Act

Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains how drug quantity determines penalties, reducing life imprisonment for small amounts of shabu.