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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Accomplice Liability Determining THE Extent OF Participation IN Homicide Cases IN THE Philippines
Passion Proof and Penalties: When Jealousy Doesnt Equal Murder
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains when a killing is homicide, not murder, and how accomplices are penalized.
Circumstantial Evidence Conviction: Murder Reduced to Homicide in Icalla Case
Supreme Court explains when circumstantial evidence suffices for conviction and why murder was reduced to homicide in People v. Icalla.
Self-Defense vs. Unlawful Aggression: Lessons from a Philippine Homicide Case
Understanding self-defense claims in Philippine criminal law, and why unlawful aggression is the foundation of any successful defense.
Homicide and Causation: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in the Philippines
When a victim has a pre-existing heart condition, can an accused still be convicted of homicide? The Supreme Court explains causation and proof.
Robbery With Homicide: How Multiple Killings Affect Sentencing in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether multiple killings in robbery with homicide warrant death penalty or reclusion perpetua.
Gun Fights and Legal Rights: Unpacking Self-Defense Claims in Homicide Cases
A Navy captain kills in a road rage scuffle. When does self-defense apply, and when does it fail? The Supreme Court explains.
When Silence Is Not Acquiescence: Fear and Delayed Testimony in Murder Cases
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when fear justifies delayed testimony and how incomplete self-defense works in homicide cases.
Reassessing Criminal Liability: When Robbery With Homicide Becomes Theft, Homicide, and Murder
The Supreme Court clarifies when killing followed by taking property is not robbery with homicide but separate crimes of murder, homicide, and theft.
Positive Identification Prevails Affirming Guilt Despite Conflicting Initial Reports
Supreme Court affirms homicide conviction, ruling positive eyewitness identification outweighs conflicting names in victim's dying declaration.
Unlicensed Firearm Use: From Separate Offense to Aggravating Circumstance in Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court explains how R.A. 8294 changed unlicensed firearm use from a separate crime to an aggravating circumstance in homicide.
The Weight of Circumstantial Evidence in Securing Justice for Victims in the Philippines
How the Supreme Court upheld a rape-homicide conviction based on circumstantial evidence, explaining the rules for proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Circumstantial Evidence Sufficient for Conviction in Robbery With Homicide Case
Supreme Court affirms robbery with homicide convictions based on circumstantial evidence, explaining when such evidence suffices for guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Self Defense OR Brutal Attack Examining THE Limits OF Justifiable Force IN Homicide
Self-Defense Unproven: The Limits of Justification in Homicide Cases
When alibi and self-defense fail: how Philippine courts weigh positive identification, treachery, and degrees of homicide.
Conspiracy and Liability in Philippine Murder Cases: The Uriarte Doctrine
A look at how Philippine courts handle conspiracy, witness credibility, and conflicting medical evidence in homicide cases.
Self Defense and Credibility: Redefining Homicide Conviction in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains Philippine rules on self-defense, defense of a relative, and witness credibility in affirming a homicide conviction.
When Brutality Escalates: Establishing Cruelty as an Aggravating Circumstance in Murder Convictions
The Supreme Court explains how cruelty as an aggravating circumstance elevates homicide to murder, using the Valdez decapitation case as a guide.
From Kidnapping TO Homicide When Circumstantial Evidence Determines Guilt
Reexamining Eyewitness Testimony and Guilt in Philippine Rape-Homicide Cases
The Supreme Court affirms a rape-homicide conviction, explaining how minor inconsistencies in eyewitness testimony and alibi defenses are weighed.
Diminished Responsibility When Absence of Treachery Reduces Murder to Homicide
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when killing without treachery is homicide, not murder—explained in plain language.
Eyewitness Testimony and Positive Identification in Murder Cases: People v. Paraiso
How the Supreme Court weighed eyewitness credibility, minor inconsistencies, and alibi in a rape-with-homicide conviction.
No Conspiracy No Murder: Independent Liability in Criminal Actions
Supreme Court clarifies conspiracy rules in People v. Pablo, distinguishing murder from attempted homicide and refining damage awards.
When Silence Speaks Volumes: Rape With Homicide Convictions Through Eyewitness and Circumstantial Evidence
How Philippine courts convict in rape-with-homicide cases when the victim cannot testify, using eyewitness accounts and circumstantial evidence.