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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Mortgage Validity and Foreclosure: Protecting Property Rights Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when a mortgage is void, how redemption periods work, and why prior judgments bind parties in foreclosure disputes.
Tenants' Rights vs. Landowners' Prerogatives: Balancing Agrarian Reform and Property Rights
When a forged compromise agreement taints a university's title to agrarian land, the Supreme Court rules on collateral attack and indefeasibility.
When a Lease Lapses: A Lesson on Property Rights, Renewal Options, and Fraud Claims
Supreme Court ruling explains when a lease ends, how renewal options work, and why proving fraud requires solid evidence.
Lease vs. Sale: When a Property Owner Can Sell Leased Land in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on lease rights, option to renew, and when a lessor can sell property.
Newspaper Circulation and Foreclosure: Ensuring Public Notice in Property Sales
Supreme Court nullifies foreclosure sale because notice was published in a newspaper not circulated in the city where the property was located.
Good Faith and Land Sales: Protecting the True Landowner in Philippine Property Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that Torrens titles are not proof of ownership, and that a Filipino buyer can cure a flawed land sale from an alien.
Property Rights in Relationships: Protecting Filipino Land Ownership From Alien Acquisition
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether an Austrian's Filipino girlfriend could keep land registered in her name despite his payment and later assignment to a Filipino buyer.
Navigating Appeals: Jurisdictional Errors and Lost Rights in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling on res judicata, indispensable parties, and mortgagee good faith in property disputes.
Reconveyance Actions and Good Faith: Clarifying Property Rights in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains res judicata and good faith in reconveyance actions, protecting banks that rely on court-issued titles.
When an Affidavit of Quitclaim Isn't Enough: Donation Requirements in Property Transfers
A quitclaim affidavit transferring real property may be treated as a donation. Learn the formal requirements to make it valid under Philippine law.
Land Registration Court Authority Overlapping Property Claims
When a court executes a final judgment, it cannot add reliefs—like possession—that the appellate court never awarded.
Real Action vs Annulment: How Courts Determine Proper Docket Fees in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when an annulment of sale case is a real action requiring higher docket fees based on property value.
Lost Inheritance: Proving Kinship in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why heirs must prove kinship to claim inherited property, and the limits of Torrens title challenges.
Finality vs Jurisdiction: Resolving Property Disputes in the Philippines
Understand how Philippine courts resolve property disputes, where finality of judgments and jurisdictional rules intersect, and what this means for litigants.
Breach OF Trust Disbarment FOR Attorneys Misappropriation OF Client Property
Real Property Tax: Who Is the Actual User in a BOT Agreement?
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on real property tax exemption under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement and who qualifies as actual user.
Protecting Registered Landowners: Injunction Against Unlawful Property Seizure
When can a registered landowner stop a sheriff from enforcing a writ of execution? The Supreme Court explains the limits of lis pendens and the protection of Torrens titles.
Tax Exemption and Real Property Assessment: What Electric Cooperatives Must Know
The Supreme Court clarifies when tax exemptions for electric cooperatives take effect and why unpaid real property taxes become final without timely protest.
Theft Beyond Tangibles: When Telecom Services Became Personal Property
The Supreme Court ruled that telephone services and business can be the object of theft under the Revised Penal Code.
Redemption of Foreclosed Property: What Buyers Must Know About Payment and Transfer of Rights
Learn the rules on redeeming foreclosed property, including payment amounts and assignment of redemption rights, from a Supreme Court ruling.
Equitable Mortgage: When an Absolute Sale Is Really a Loan Security
The Supreme Court explains when a deed of absolute sale is actually an equitable mortgage, and what parties must do to recover property.
Taxing Telecommunications: No Exemption Without Explicit Grant
The Supreme Court rules that the phrase "exclusive of this franchise" in RA 7678 does not exempt Digitel's real properties from real property tax.
Clarifying Ownership When a Property Title Is Held in Trust
A Supreme Court ruling explains how courts determine whether a titled property is truly owned by the registered owner or held in trust for another.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: Protecting Property Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain, just compensation, and property rights when government takes land without expropriation proceedings.