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.
Compulsory Retirement at 60: When Company Policy Violates Security of Tenure
A company policy forcing retirement at 60 can be illegal dismissal. The Supreme Court explains the difference between voluntary and compulsory retirement.
Gross Negligence and Project Employment: Protecting Employee Rights Against Unjust Dismissal
Learn how the Supreme Court defined gross negligence and project employment in Belle Corporation v. Macasusi, protecting employees from unjust dismissal.
Cooperative Membership vs Employment: Defining SSS Coverage Obligations
Supreme Court rules cooperatives can be employers of their owner-members for SSS coverage purposes, clarifying when membership does not negate employment.
Fixed-Term Employment: Employers Cannot Terminate Before Contract Expiry Without Just Cause
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on fixed-term employment: employers cannot terminate workers before contract expiry without just cause, even with waiver clauses.
Non-Compete Clauses in Philippine Employment: When Post-Employment Restrictions Are Valid
The Supreme Court explains when non-compete clauses in employment contracts are valid and enforceable under Philippine law.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When a Parent Company Can Be Liable for Its Subsidiary's Debts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a parent company and its subsidiary can be treated as one employer for labor liability.
Fixed-Term Contracts in the Philippines: When Are They Valid? Caparoso v. Court of Appeals Explained
Understand when fixed-term employment contracts are valid in the Philippines, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Caparoso v. Court of Appeals.
Regular Employment Status and Labor-Only Contracting: The San Miguel Corporation Case
Learn how the Supreme Court protected a worker's regular employment status against labor-only contracting schemes in San Miguel Corporation v. NLRC.
Seafarers Are Contractual Employees: What This Means for Benefits Claims
Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers are contractual, not regular, employees—affecting 13th month pay and disability benefits claims.
Transferee Recruitment Agency Liability and OFW Claims: The Grand Placement Case
Explaining when a transferee recruitment agency assumes liability for OFW claims, and why evidence still matters in monetary disputes.
Large-Scale Illegal Recruitment: When Conspiracy and Acts of Participation Establish Guilt
The Supreme Court explains when a person who did not collect fees can still be liable for large-scale illegal recruitment through conspiracy.
Mutuality of Contracts: When One-Sided Termination Clauses in Employment Contracts Are Void
The Supreme Court explains when a termination clause that leaves dismissal to one party's sole judgment violates the mutuality principle under Article 1308 of the Civil Code.
Project Employees vs Regular Employees: Security of Tenure Under the Labor Code
When is a construction worker a project employee rather than a regular one? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on tenure and illegal dismissal.
Seafarer Status Contractual Employment AND Security OF TENURE IN Philippine Maritime LAW
The Supreme Court rules that seafarers are contractual employees, not regular employees, even after decades of continuous rehiring.
Protecting Seafarers: Illegal Dismissal and Due Process Rights in Maritime Employment
When can a shipowner dismiss a Filipino seafarer? The Supreme Court clarifies just cause and due process rules for maritime employment.
Seafarers' Employment Status: Contractual, Not Regular, Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers are contractual employees, not regular employees under Article 280 of the Labor Code.
Seafarers Are Contractual Employees: The Millares Ruling on Fixed-Term Overseas Work
The Supreme Court clarifies that Filipino seafarers are contractual, not regular, employees under Philippine law, and explains the limits of Article 280.
When Employment Contracts Expire: Protecting Security of Tenure in Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when contract expiration becomes illegal dismissal, and why employees cannot be forced into early retirement before age 65.
Non-Compete Clauses and Preliminary Injunctions: Time Limits and Mootness in Philippine Employment Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how non-compete clauses affect preliminary injunction validity, time limits, and mootness in employment disputes.
Regular vs Project Employee: Continuous Rehiring and Security of Tenure Under Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when project employees become regular employees through continuous rehiring, securing tenure under Article 280.
When a Project Employee Becomes Regular: The Imbuido Ruling on Continuous Rehiring
The Supreme Court explains when repeated fixed-term contracts convert a project employee into a regular employee entitled to security of tenure.
When Can an Employer Terminate an OFW Due to Illness? The Medical Certificate Rule
Philippine law requires a medical certificate from a competent public health authority before an employer can validly terminate an OFW due to illness.
Regular vs Project Employees: Key Differences and Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies regular vs project employee status, tenure security, and monetary claims under Article 280 of the Labor Code.
Retirement Pay Law Retroactivity: When RA 7641 Does Not Apply
The Supreme Court clarifies when the Retirement Pay Law applies retroactively—and when it does not—in J.V. Angeles Construction v. NLRC.