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 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.
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.
Personal Liability of Corporate Officers: When Are They Responsible for Company Debts
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when corporate officers and directors can be held personally liable for corporate obligations and debts.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Stockholders Become Liable for Corporate Debts in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when stockholders may be held personally liable for corporate debts, including unpaid subscriptions and the trust fund doctrine.
Breach of Public Trust: Why Appearances Matter in Philippine Civil Service
The Supreme Court's ruling in Republic v. Sandiganbayan clarifies how public officers can be held liable for breach of public trust, even through corporate vehicles.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Parent Companies Face Liability for Labor Violations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when parent companies can be held liable for subsidiaries' labor violations, explained for employees and businesses.
Protecting Your Property: Understanding Sheriffs Authority and Preventing Wrongful Levy in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine law protects property from wrongful levy, using the PFDA case to explain exemptions and legal remedies.
Land Ownership Disputes: Proving Your Claim in the Philippines
Learn how the Supreme Court distinguishes government instrumentalities from GOCCs in real property tax disputes, and what this means for proving ownership claims.
Appraisal Rights and Unrestricted Retained Earnings: Turner v. Lorenzo Shipping
A dissenting stockholder's right to payment accrues only when the corporation has unrestricted retained earnings; a premature suit is dismissible.
Unrestricted Retained Earnings and the Appraisal Right of Dissenting Stockholders
When can a dissenting stockholder sue to collect the fair value of shares? The Supreme Court clarifies the timing rule.
Corporate Officers vs Employees: Who Hears Dismissal Cases in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when a corporate officer's removal is an intra-corporate dispute, not an illegal dismissal case for labor tribunals.
Corporate Officers and Labor Jurisdiction: Lessons from Locsin v. Nissan Lease
The Supreme Court clarifies that corporate officers cannot claim illegal dismissal before labor tribunals; their removal is an intra-corporate dispute.
Corporate Officer vs Employee: Who Hears Illegal Dismissal Cases?
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when an illegal dismissal case belongs to the Labor Arbiter versus the Regional Trial Court.
Water Districts as GOCCs: Reaffirming Government Control and Audit Authority
The Supreme Court reaffirms that water districts are government-owned or controlled corporations with special charters, settling tax and audit questions.
Immediate Execution of Damages: Protecting Corporate Dissenting Stockholders' Rights
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that awards for exemplary damages and attorney's fees in intra-corporate disputes are not immediately executory pending appeal.
Retroactivity of Laws and Vested Rights in Bank Liquidation: PDIC v. Stockholders of Intercity Bank
When can a new law apply to an ongoing bank liquidation? The Supreme Court explains the rule on retroactivity and vested rights.
Shareholder Derivative Suits: Venue and Procedure Under Philippine Rules
Learn how Philippine courts determine venue for shareholder derivative suits and why procedural choices like certiorari vs. appeal matter.
DST on Deposit on Stock Subscription: When Is It Due?
The Supreme Court clarifies when documentary stamp tax applies to deposits on stock subscription, distinguishing them from actual stock subscriptions.
Dividends Follow the Shares in Ill-Gotten Wealth Recovery
Supreme Court rules dividends and interests follow ownership of recovered ill-gotten shares, even if not expressly stated in the dispositive portion.
Proxy Validation vs Solicitation: SEC and RTC Jurisdiction in Corporate Elections
The Supreme Court clarifies when proxy disputes in corporate elections belong to the RTC, not the SEC, under the Securities Regulation Code.
Rehabilitation Petitions Technical Insolvency AND Creditors Rights IN Corporate Recovery
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a technically insolvent corporation may file for rehabilitation and how creditor rights are affected.
SEC Authority Validating Stock and Transfer Books Over Intra-Corporate Disputes
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling that the SEC has regulatory jurisdiction to validate and cancel stock and transfer books.
Shareholder Rights vs Corporate Autonomy: When Can a Stockholder Intervene in a Corporate Dispute
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when stockholders may intervene in corporate disputes, emphasizing the separate legal personality of corporations.