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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Safeguarding Assets: Understanding Preliminary Attachment in Philippine Debt Recovery
Learn how Philippine courts handle writs of possession after extrajudicial foreclosure, and why procedural rules like the hierarchy of courts matter.
Ejectment Suits: Prior Physical Possession Decides Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that in ejectment cases, prior physical possession—not ownership—determines who stays. Learn the rules from Guanga v. Dela Cruz.
Foreclosure on Multiple Properties: Mortgage Indivisibility and Writ of Possession in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine law handles foreclosure of multiple mortgaged properties in different locations and the rules on writ of possession.
Forcible Entry in the Philippines: Why Prior Physical Possession Evidence Wins Cases
Learn how Philippine courts decide forcible entry cases, why prior physical possession evidence matters, and key lessons from Buduhan v. Pakurao.
Reconveyance and Implied Trust: When Fraudulent Titles Must Yield to Actual Possession
A Supreme Court ruling on reconveyance, implied trust, and why actual possession can defeat fraudulently obtained Torrens titles.
Court of Appeals Cannot Stop a Writ of Possession Through a Standalone Injunction Petition
A buyer who fully paid for foreclosed condominium units cannot ask the Court of Appeals for a standalone preliminary injunction to stop a writ of possession. Jurisdiction rules explained.
Beyond Deceit: Why Efficient Cause Is Key to Estafa Convictions in the Philippines
A disbarment case clarifies that mere possession of property isn't enough for estafa; deceit must be the efficient cause of the loss.
Forcible Entry in the Philippines: Why Prior Possession Wins Cases
Learn how prior physical possession, not ownership, decides forcible entry cases in the Philippines, guided by Dumo v. Espinas.
Securing Your Right to Possess Public Land: Understanding Accion Publiciana in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts resolve possession disputes over public land through accion publiciana, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
Supervening Events Resolving Property Disputes Between Ownership AND Possession
When a final quieting of title ruling overturns an earlier ejectment judgment, the latter becomes unenforceable.
Forcible Entry: Possession by Tolerance vs. Undue Deprivation Through Force
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that owners cannot use force to evict occupants, even if possession is by tolerance, without filing the proper ejectment case.
Tolerance Ends Unlawful Detainer: Landowner Rights in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies that courts may provisionally pass on a plaintiff's death in ejectment cases, and tolerated possession ends upon demand to vacate.
Indefeasibility of Title: Prior Registration Prevails in Land Ownership Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that prior registration and indefeasibility of title prevail over claims of ownership based on unregistered possession.
Torrens Title vs Adverse Possession: Protecting Property Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies how registered land under the Torrens system is protected against adverse possession claims.
Ejectment Actions and Contracts to Sell: Clarifying Possession Rights in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a buyer under a contract to sell may be ejected, and the duties of banks purchasing properties.
Partition of Property and Co-Ownership Claims in Unlawful Detainer Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how ejectment cases handle co-ownership claims and Torrens title holders' right to possession.
Implied Lease Renewal vs. Contractual Obligations: Rivera v. Roman
When does continued possession after a lease expires create an implied renewal? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules in Rivera v. Roman.
Forcible Entry: The Imperative of Detailing the Means of Dispossession in Pleadings
A forcible entry complaint must allege prior possession and the specific means of dispossession—force, intimidation, threat, strategy, or stealth—or it fails.
Losing a Land Title: Why Possession at Application Time Matters in Property Registration
Learn why the Supreme Court denied a land registration application because the applicant no longer possessed the property at the time of filing.
Agricultural Leasehold vs. Inheritance: Protecting Tenant Rights and Land Use in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on land registration, possession, and the distinction between ownership and mere holding in agricultural property disputes.
Buying All Shares Does Not Transfer Corporate Property Ownership: Silverio v. Filipino Business Consultants
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: acquiring controlling shares of a corporation does not give a stockholder ownership or possession of corporate assets.
The Ministerial Duty Securing Possession After Foreclosure IN THE Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on the ministerial duty to secure possession after foreclosure, explained in plain language.
Firearms Possession When Does a Gun Ban Trump Illegal Possession Charges
The Supreme Court explains when Republic Act No. 8294 bars a separate conviction for illegal possession of firearms if another crime was committed.
Lessor's Breach and Lessee's Rights: Rental Credits and Possession in Philippine Lease Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies lessee rights when lessor breaches lease: rental suspension, stipulation pour autrui, and possession after unlawful dispossession.