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.
Loan Restructuring vs Foreclosure: Borrower Rights in the Philippines
When does a pending loan restructuring stop a bank from foreclosing? The Supreme Court explains borrower rights and limits.
Voiding Contracts: The Perils of Selling Future Inheritance and Post-Mortem Deeds in Philippine Property Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a non-party can annul a judgment and the risks of selling inherited property before the estate is settled.
Regular Employment vs Consultancy: Defining the Line in Illegal Dismissal Cases
A consultant labeled regular employee: how control and supervision define employment status in illegal dismissal cases under Philippine law.
Annulment of Judgment: Who Can Sue and When It Is Allowed Under Philippine Law
Learn who may file annulment of judgment under Rule 47, the limited grounds, and why non-parties have other remedies.
Annulment of Judgment: When a Non-Party Can Challenge a Final Court Decision
Learn when Philippine courts allow annulment of judgment under Rule 47, and why non-parties have limited remedies.
Bad Faith in Unregistered Land Sales and Trust Disputes: Belle Corp. v. De Leon-Banks
When can a buyer of unregistered land be sued for bad faith? The Supreme Court clarifies pleading rules in trust and property disputes.
When a Motion to Dismiss Fails: Bad Faith and Trust Claims Must Go to Trial
The Supreme Court clarifies that allegations of bad faith and implied trust cannot be resolved in a motion to dismiss but require full trial.
Preventive Suspension Grounds: When Philippine Civil Servants Face Removal
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when preventive suspension may validly issue against civil servants pending administrative investigation.
Supreme Court Acquits IMC General Manager But Affirms Convictions in P116M Graft Case
SC ruling clarifies evident bad faith in graft cases, acquitting an IMC official who relied on subordinates while affirming convictions of others.
Unlocking VAT Refunds: The Transitional Input Tax Credit Principle in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that prior tax payment is not required to claim the 8% transitional input tax credit under the NIRC.
Corporate Merger and Garnishment: Surviving Corporation's Liability for Pre-Existing Obligations
When banks merge, the surviving corporation inherits garnishment obligations of the absorbed bank. The Supreme Court explains why.
Upholding Agreements: The Decisive Impact of Admitted Extensions in Maritime Claims
How a carrier's failure to specifically deny an agreed extension period can defeat a prescription defense in maritime cargo claims.
Corporate Rehabilitation Separate Juridical Personality Prevails Over Third Party Mortgages
Supreme Court clarifies that corporate rehabilitation stay orders do not cover properties owned by third-party mortgagors.
Tax Exemption for Government Instrumentalities: Defining the Scope of Real Property Tax Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies when a government entity is exempt from real property tax, distinguishing instrumentalities from GOCCs.
Rehabilitation Denied When Financial Realities Override Corporate Rescue
The Supreme Court clarifies when corporate rehabilitation is not available—mere illiquidity qualifies, but irreversible insolvency with speculative plans does not.
USAID Certification as Public Document: Admissibility and Proof in Philippine Law
Learn when foreign agency certifications are public documents admissible without authentication, and how courts treat them as prima facie evidence.
Eminent Domain vs Easement: Just Compensation for Transmission Lines in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when transmission line projects require full just compensation rather than mere easement fees.
Defining Agrarian Disputes When Land Ownership Claims Fall Outside DARAB Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court clarifies that ownership disputes over land, absent tenurial arrangements, are not agrarian disputes and belong to regular courts.
Proving Delivery and Payment in a Contract of Sale: Lessons from Asian Construction v. Mendoza
A seller need not attach invoices to a complaint, but must prove delivery. Learn the rules from a 2012 Supreme Court ruling.
Expropriation for Socialized Housing: Balancing Public Need and Private Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on City of Manila's failed expropriation for socialized housing, highlighting strict rules on eminent domain.
Contempt and Corporate Audits: The Boundaries of Court Orders and Stockholder Rights
The Supreme Court clarifies when court-ordered corporate audits and contempt citations stand—and when they become moot.
Church Disaffiliation and Corporate Rights: Balancing Religious Freedom and SEC Jurisdiction
A local church's right to disaffiliate from a national church body, and the SEC's jurisdiction over religious corporations, explained.
Determining the Reckoning Point for Unlawful Detainer Actions: The Significance of the Final Demand to Vacate
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that the one-year period for unlawful detainer is counted from the last demand to vacate, not lease expiration.
Enforced Disappearance and State Complicity: The Amparo Writ's Core Requirement
The Supreme Court clarifies that a writ of amparo requires proof of state involvement in enforced disappearances, not just evidence that a person is missing.