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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Moral Ascendancy AND Uncorroborated Testimony IN Familial Rape Cases
Statements After Trauma RES Gestae AND THE Admissibility OF Hearsay IN Rape Cases
Testimony After Trauma: Res Gestae and Proving Guilt in Rape Cases
When a rape victim dies before trial, can her words still convict? The Supreme Court explains the res gestae exception to hearsay.
Voice Recognition as Valid Identification in Rape Cases: Protecting Victims and Ensuring Justice
Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on voice identification, clarifying force, intimidation, and victim credibility standards.
Moral Ascendancy in Incestuous Rape Cases: Conviction Based on Victim's Testimony
Supreme Court affirms incestuous rape conviction, holding a father's moral ascendancy substitutes for force or intimidation, and clarifies limits on multiple convictions.
Aider and Abettor Establishing Criminal Liability in Rape Cases Through Conspiracy
Philippine Supreme Court rules that a person who aids a rape by holding the victim's legs is equally guilty through conspiracy.
Protecting the Vulnerable: Upholding Justice in Statutory Rape Cases
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, clarifying the relative nature of force and increasing damages awarded to minor victims.
Victim Credibility in Rape Cases: The Role of Corroborating Medical Evidence
How Philippine courts weigh victim testimony, medical findings, and identification in rape convictions, explained through a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
Protecting Childhood: Upholding Conviction in Statutory Rape Cases Based on Victim Testimony
The Supreme Court affirms a statutory rape conviction, holding that a child victim's credible testimony alone suffices to prove carnal knowledge.
How Philippine Courts Assess Credibility and Consent in Rape Cases
A look at how the Supreme Court evaluates witness credibility, consent, and damages in rape convictions, using People v. Bugna.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails: Circumstantial Evidence and the Burden of Proof in Rape Cases
A father's rape conviction was reversed when circumstantial evidence failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, reaffirming the prosecution's burden in criminal cases.
Protecting the Vulnerable: Upholding Convictions in Familial Rape Cases
A Supreme Court ruling affirms that a child rape victim's testimony, corroborated by medical evidence, can sustain a conviction even when relatives are the accused.
When Is Touching Rape: Defining Carnal Knowledge in Statutory Rape Cases
Supreme Court clarifies that mere touching of the vagina is not enough for statutory rape—there must be proof of penile penetration.
Conspiracy in Rape Cases: Expanding Liability Beyond the Accused's Own Act
The Supreme Court explains how conspiracy in rape cases makes each accused liable for all acts committed by their co-conspirators.
Moral Ascendancy as Intimidation: Stepfather's Abuse of Authority in Rape Cases
Stepfather's moral ascendancy can substitute for force or intimidation in rape, explains the Supreme Court in People v. Austria.
Minor Witness Testimony in Rape Cases: Credibility and Its Impact on Justice
How courts assess a minor rape victim's testimony, why it can sustain a conviction, and the rules on alibi, force, and damages.
Positive Identification Trumps Alibi in Child Rape Cases Under Philippine Law
How Philippine courts weigh a victim's positive identification against an alibi defense in child rape cases under RA 7610.
Credibility of Eyewitness Testimony in Rape Cases Despite Inconsistencies in Time
Philippine Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on credible victim testimony, clarifying that exact dates need not be precise.
Moral Ascendancy in Qualified Rape: How Step-Parents Breach Trust
The Supreme Court affirms that a step-parent's moral ascendancy can substitute for force and intimidation in qualified rape cases.
Protecting the Vulnerable: The Duty of Moral Ascendancy in Familial Rape Cases
How the Supreme Court affirmed a father's rape conviction, explaining why moral ascendancy replaces force in incestuous abuse.
Intellectual Disability and Witness Credibility in Philippine Rape Cases
The Supreme Court affirms that intellectual disability alone does not disqualify a rape victim from testifying, provided her account is coherent and consistent.
Rape Conviction Affirmed: Force and Intimidation Defined in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies force and intimidation in rape cases, affirming a conviction and increasing damages awarded to the victim.
Extinguishment of Criminal Liability: Death Before Final Judgment in Statutory Rape Cases
Explaining how an accused's death before final judgment extinguishes criminal liability, including in statutory rape cases, and its effect on civil liability.
Moral Ascendancy in Rape Cases: When Power Substitutes for Force Under Philippine Law
How the Supreme Court ruled that moral ascendancy can substitute for physical threat or intimidation in rape cases, protecting vulnerable victims.