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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Self-Defense, Treachery, and Voluntary Surrender: How the Supreme Court Redefined Criminal Liability in Homici
A barangay captain's claim of self-defense fails as the Court clarifies the elements of unlawful aggression and mitigating circumstances in homicide.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails: Acquittal in Rape with Homicide Case Due to Insufficient Circumstantial Evidence
Supreme Court acquits two men convicted of rape with homicide, ruling circumstantial evidence failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Reasonable Doubt and Circumstantial Evidence in Rape with Homicide Cases
The Supreme Court acquits two accused in a rape with homicide case, emphasizing that circumstantial evidence must form an unbroken chain proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The Chain of Circumstances Establishing Guilt in Robbery With Homicide Cases
How circumstantial evidence, not direct eyewitness testimony, can prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt in robbery with homicide cases.
Murder Reduced to Homicide: When Treachery and Conspiracy Are Not Proven
The Supreme Court explains when treachery and conspiracy fail in criminal cases, reducing murder to homicide.
Diminished Liability When Lack of Treachery Reduces Murder to Homicide
When does a killing become homicide instead of murder? The Supreme Court explains how the absence of treachery lowers the crime and its penalty.
Dying Declarations and Circumstantial Evidence Proving Homicide Beyond Reasonable Doubt
When a dying victim names her assailant, that statement can convict—but only if the prosecution proves every element beyond reasonable doubt.
Positive Identification Trumps Weak Defenses in Homicide Conviction
Learn how the Supreme Court distinguished homicide from robbery with homicide, and why positive identification defeated weak defenses in this Philippine case.
Mistake of Identity and the Limits of Treachery: Intent in Criminal Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies when mistaken identity negates treachery and how intent shapes murder versus homicide liability in the Philippines.
Self-Defense vs. Murder: Proving Treachery and Criminal Liability in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court explains self-defense, treachery, and criminal liability in homicide cases. Learn the legal requisites and evidentiary standards.
When Eyewitness Testimony Outweighs Alibi in Philippine Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why positive eyewitness identification prevails over alibi and denial in homicide prosecutions.
Attempted Robbery With Homicide: Liability When the Robbery Fails
The Supreme Court explains when a failed robbery that ends in death becomes the complex crime of attempted robbery with homicide.
Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Robbery With Homicide: The Marquez Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when robbery with homicide is proven beyond reasonable doubt, and when illegal possession of firearm charges fail.
When the Smoke Clears: Differentiating Robbery With Homicide From Illegal Firearm Possession
A bus holdup leads to a key ruling on when a gun found elsewhere cannot prove illegal possession, and how robbery-homicide is charged.
Homicide vs Murder: Proving Intent and Circumstances in Criminal Cases
How Philippine courts distinguish murder from homicide through qualifying circumstances like treachery, and why intent alone is not enough.
From Murder to Homicide: Proving Treachery and Intent in Criminal Cases
When qualifying circumstances like treachery aren't proven beyond reasonable doubt, a murder charge may be reduced to homicide.
Witness Testimony and Positive Identification in Robbery With Homicide Cases
How Philippine courts weigh eyewitness testimony and positive identification in robbery with homicide cases, explained through a Supreme Court ruling.
The Boundaries of Conspiracy: Examining Intent in Frustrated Homicide Cases in the Philippines
How Philippine courts determine conspiracy in frustrated homicide, using the Salvatierra case to explain shared intent and liability.
Conspiracy, Intent, and Frustrated Homicide: Lessons from Salvatierra v. People
The Supreme Court clarifies conspiracy and frustrated homicide in Salvatierra v. People, explaining when accomplices share liability for a crime.
Self-Defense vs. Unlawful Aggression: Distinguishing Homicide from Murder in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies self-defense requirements and treachery elements, reducing murder conviction to homicide in People v. Cariño.
Circumstantial Evidence and Conviction: When Proof Falls Short of Rape With Homicide
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when circumstantial evidence suffices for homicide but not rape with homicide conviction.
Treachery Unproven: Downgrading Murder to Homicide in Philippine Law
When treachery is not proven beyond reasonable doubt, a murder conviction is reduced to homicide. This case explains the rule.
Circumstantial Evidence and Robbery With Homicide: Establishing Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
How the Supreme Court upheld a robbery-with-homicide conviction based on circumstantial evidence, flight, and denial in People v. Corre Jr.
When a Court Employee's Conviction and Procedural Rights Collide: Lessons from OCA v. Garong
A court interpreter's frustrated homicide conviction raised key questions on procedural notice, finality of judgments, and administrative discipline for judiciary employees.