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.
Territorial Disputes and Preliminary Injunctions: When a Writ Is Not Functus Officio
A preliminary injunction over disputed territory is not functus officio merely because a party later amends its answer. The Supreme Court explains the law-of-the-case doctrine.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Overcoming the Presumption of Public Land
A Supreme Court ruling on land registration in the Philippines explains why proving alienable public land requires more than a surveyor's notation.
Psychological Incapacity in Philippine Marriage: Understanding the Limits of Irresponsibility as Grounds for A
The Supreme Court clarifies that joblessness, drug use, and irresponsibility do not automatically constitute psychological incapacity under Article 36 of the Family Code.
Forum Shopping: When Multiple Lawsuits Undermine Judicial Efficiency in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when filing multiple petitions—even in the same court—constitutes forum shopping and warrants summary dismissal.
Forum Shopping Dismissal of Multiple Petitions in the Philippines Explained
Learn how the Supreme Court defines forum shopping and why filing multiple petitions in the Court of Appeals can lead to summary dismissal.
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.
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.
Establishing Ownership: The Decisive Role of Documentary Evidence Over Testimonial Claims in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why documentary evidence outweighs testimonial claims in land registration cases.
Eyewitness Testimony and Conspiracy in Philippine Criminal Law: People v. Magdaraog
How a lone eyewitness's credible testimony and proof of conspiracy can establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt in Philippine criminal cases.
Illegal Dismissal: Employer's Burden of Proof and Due Process in Termination Cases
Learn the Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, the employer's burden of proof, and due process requirements in employee termination cases.
COMELEC Jurisdiction Over Plebiscite Disputes: The Buac v. COMELEC Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies that the COMELEC has jurisdiction to resolve disputes over plebiscite results, including petitions to annul or recount ballots.
Buy-Bust Operations and Proving Illegal Drug Sales Beyond Reasonable Doubt
The Supreme Court explains how prosecution can prove illegal drug sales beyond reasonable doubt in buy-bust operations, and why frame-up defenses often fail.
The Perils of Second Pre-Trials: Safeguarding Due Process in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a second pre-trial without proper notice violates due process, and explains the proper appeal route for COSLAP decisions.
Credibility in Rape Cases: How Minor Inconsistencies Don't Undermine Conviction
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how minor inconsistencies in a rape victim's testimony do not defeat conviction when credibility is established.
Positive Identification Prevails Over Alibi in Robbery with Homicide Case
The Supreme Court explains when eyewitness identification outweighs alibi and why aggravating circumstances must be alleged in the information.
Liability in Highway Robbery: Conspiracy and Identifying Perpetrators
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy in highway robbery, eyewitness identification, and liability of accused under PD 532.
The Limits of Alibi: Proving Impossibility in Criminal Defense
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why alibi fails against positive identification in murder cases, explaining the legal standard for impossibility.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Ensuring Justice for Victims of Sudden Attacks
How Philippine courts apply treachery to qualify killings as murder, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a sudden stabbing.
People v. Laguerta: Why Clear Victim Testimony Matters in Philippine Rape Cases
In People v. Laguerta, the Supreme Court acquitted a rape convict due to inconsistent victim testimony, convicting him instead of acts of lasciviousness.
Insanity Plea in Philippine Law: Proving Mental Capacity at the Time of the Offense
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the insanity defense under Article 12(1) RPC, the burden of proof, and timing requirements for psychiatric examination.
Buy-Bust Operations in the Philippines: Rights, Realities, and What the Supreme Court Says
A look at how Philippine courts treat buy-bust operations in drug cases, the elements prosecutors must prove, and why the defense of frame-up rarely succeeds.
Conspiracy and Treachery in Group Attacks: Key Lessons from People v. Conde
How the Supreme Court applied conspiracy and treachery doctrines to hold a participant liable for murder in a group stabbing.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Victim Testimony and Conspiracy in Sexual Assault Cases
The Supreme Court affirms rape convictions based on credible victim testimony, medical evidence, and proof of conspiracy among three accused.
Prejudicial Question Doctrine: When Civil Cases Halt Criminal Proceedings in the Philippines
Understand the prejudicial question doctrine in Philippine criminal procedure, including when courts may suspend criminal cases pending civil actions.