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.
Tax Sale Invalidity: Strict Compliance With Notice Requirements Protects Property Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how failure to give proper notice in tax delinquency sales invalidates the sale and protects property owners' rights.
Corporate Residence and Venue: Where a Corporation Must Sue
The Supreme Court clarifies that a corporation's residence for venue purposes is its principal office stated in its Articles of Incorporation.
Judicial Accountability: Fines for Judges Who Delay Case Resolutions
Learn how Philippine courts penalize judges for failing to decide cases on time, based on a Supreme Court ruling on judicial accountability.
Overcoming Technicalities in Employees Compensation for Associated Illnesses
How the Supreme Court ruled that a worker's death from a non-listed illness may still be compensable if associated with a compensable disease.
Judicial Accountability: Habitual Absenteeism and Public Trust in the Judiciary
The Supreme Court dismissed a process server for habitual absenteeism, affirming that public office is a public trust demanding accountability.
Breach of Trust Accountability for Mismanaged Court Funds in the Philippine Judiciary
When a clerk of court mishandles fiduciary funds, the Supreme Court imposes strict accountability, even after retirement.
Tenancy Rights: How to Prove Agricultural Tenancy in Philippine Agrarian Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that a tenancy relationship cannot be presumed—all six elements must be proven by evidence.
Prosecutor's Comment on Motion for Reconsideration After Information Filed Not Misconduct
Supreme Court rules a prosecutor who files a recommendatory comment on a motion for reconsideration after arraignment does not commit conduct prejudicial to the service.
Disability Benefits for Seafarers: Defining Total and Permanent Incapacity
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a seafarer's illness counts as total and permanent disability, entitling them to full benefits.
When Good Faith Fails: Financing Firm's Foreclosure Voided for Ignoring Occupants' Rights
A financing firm's foreclosure was voided for bad faith because it ignored occupants' notice of a prior unregistered sale. Learn the due diligence rule.
Injunctions in Ejectment: Balancing Immediate Execution With Equitable Considerations
The Supreme Court clarifies when courts may issue preliminary injunctions despite the immediately executory nature of ejectment judgments.
Procedural Rules vs Substantive Rights: Dismissal of Appeals for Technical Defects
Learn how the Supreme Court treats appeals dismissed for technical defects, and why procedural rules matter as much as substantive rights.
Banks' Duty of Care: Liability for Unauthorized Withdrawals and Moral Damages
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on bank liability for unauthorized withdrawals, gross negligence, and awards of moral and exemplary damages.
Mutual Life Insurance Companies Exempt from Premium Tax and DST
Supreme Court rules mutual life insurance companies are cooperatives exempt from premium tax and documentary stamp tax without CDA registration.
Retrenchment Rules in the Philippines: Proving Losses and Fair Selection
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on retrenchment: what employers must prove to validly dismiss employees due to business losses.
Mutual Life Insurance Companies Tax Exemption as Cooperatives Explained
Supreme Court ruling on Sun Life clarifies tax exemption for mutual life insurance companies as cooperatives under Philippine tax law.
When Does the Clock Start? Prescription Periods for Hidden Contract Breaches in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when the prescriptive period begins for hidden breaches of contract, protecting buyers who rely on seller representations.
Limits of Ombudsman Discretion When Clarificatory Hearings Are Not Mandatory
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when the Ombudsman may skip clarificatory hearings in preliminary investigations without abusing discretion.
Presidential Power Limits on Foreign Debt Contraction in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the President's power to contract foreign loans, including debt buybacks and bond conversions, under Section 20, Article VII of the Constitution.
Acting Secretaries and the Commission on Appointments: The Pimentel Ruling
The Supreme Court explains when the President may appoint acting department secretaries without Commission on Appointments consent.
Upholding Civil Service Integrity: The CSC's Power to Investigate Eligibility Falsification
The Supreme Court affirms the Civil Service Commission's power to directly investigate and prosecute cases of falsified eligibility, protecting the integrity of the civil service.
Preventive Suspension of Court Personnel: The Case of Maripi Apolonio
Explaining preventive suspension for court personnel facing criminal charges, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in De Guzman v. Apolonio.
Breach of Construction Contract: Liability for Additional Works Beyond Original Scope
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on contractor liability for additional works ordered beyond original construction contract scope.
Fair Market Value vs. Actual Use: Defining Real Property Tax Assessments in the Philippines
The Supreme Court strikes down a Quezon City ordinance that based real property tax on deed prices, reaffirming actual use and fair market value as the legal standards.