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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Just Compensation When Government Takes Property Without Formal Expropriation
When the government takes private land without expropriation proceedings, owners can still claim just compensation. The Supreme Court explains how.
Just Compensation in Expropriation: How Courts Value Land in Eminent Domain Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how courts determine fair market value and interest in expropriation cases.
Private Roads and Public Use: When a Local Ordinance Cannot Convert Private Property
A local ordinance cannot convert a private road into public property without donation, purchase, or expropriation. The Supreme Court explains.
Just Compensation and Legal Interest in Expropriation: What Property Owners Should Know
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies interest rates on unpaid just compensation in expropriation cases, protecting property owners' rights.
Just Compensation for Improvements in Expropriation: The Replacement Cost Rule
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how courts must value improvements in expropriation cases, requiring evidence of replacement cost under RA 8974.
Just Compensation for Expropriated Improvements: The Replacement Cost Standard
Learn how Philippine courts value improvements in expropriation cases and why the Supreme Court remanded this case for proper evidence.
Expropriation and Just Compensation: Protecting Property Rights in Road Widening Projects
Learn how Philippine law protects property owners in expropriation cases, ensuring just compensation for land taken for road widening projects.
Eminent Domain: How Courts Fix Just Compensation and Interest in Expropriation
Learn how Philippine courts determine just compensation and legal interest in expropriation cases, based on a 2017 Supreme Court ruling.
Just Compensation in Expropriation: Timing and Evidence Standards
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when just compensation is reckoned and why courts cannot rely on arbitrary or stale comparable sales.
Just Compensation in Expropriation: Timing and Evidence Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when just compensation is reckoned and what evidence trial courts must consider in expropriation cases.
Expropriation and Capital Gains Tax: Who Pays When Government Takes Property?
Supreme Court rules property owners, not the government, pay capital gains tax in expropriation cases. Learn the tax implications.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: How Courts Value Expropriated Property
Philippine Supreme Court explains how courts determine just compensation in expropriation cases, using Republic v. Heirs of Santiago as guide.
Just Compensation When Government Takes Property Before Filing Expropriation
When government takes property years before filing expropriation, just compensation is valued at the time of taking, not at filing.
Expropriation Without Payment: When the Government Sleeps on Its Rights
Supreme Court rules that failure to pay just compensation for over 30 years bars the government from claiming expropriated property.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: Government Delay Forfeits Expropriation Rights
The Supreme Court rules that the government's failure to pay just compensation for over 30 years bars its claim to expropriated property.
State Immunity vs Private Rights: Balancing Public Use and Just Compensation
When government agencies take private property without expropriation, state immunity cannot block claims for just compensation and recovery of possession.
Homestead Rights Prevail: Reclassification of Land Does Not Extinguish Right to Repurchase
Learn how the Supreme Court protects homestead rights in expropriation, ruling on right-of-way measurement and just compensation.
Just Compensation Beyond Market Value: Ensuring Fair Recovery in Expropriation Cases
The Supreme Court affirms that just compensation in expropriation cases may exceed market value, including consequential damages for remaining property.
Just Compensation and Inflation: What Expropriation Law Really Requires
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that inflation is not added to just compensation; interest covers currency devaluation in expropriation cases.
Expropriation: When Legal Interest and Consequential Damages Are Justified
The Supreme Court clarifies when legal interest and consequential damages apply in expropriation cases, and who pays transfer taxes.
Just Compensation in Expropriation: When the Value Is Fixed at the Time of Taking
Explains the Supreme Court ruling that just compensation in expropriation is based on property value at the time of taking, not at filing of a later damages suit.
Dismissal Without Prejudice and Just Compensation: When Court Deference Prevails in Attorney Conduct Cases
When an expropriation case is dismissed without prejudice, just compensation must still be based on the property's value at the time of taking, not at the filing of a later damages suit.
Just Compensation in Philippine Expropriation: Beyond BIR Zonal Values
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that BIR zonal valuation is not the sole basis for just compensation in expropriation cases, requiring courts to consider all RA 8974 factors.
When Remand Limits Amendments: Damages in Expropriation Cases
Supreme Court rules on when courts may allow amended complaints after remand in eminent domain cases, protecting property owners' rights.