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.
Promissory Estoppel in Philippine Employment: When Employer Promises Bind
A Supreme Court ruling shows how employer assurances on retirement benefits can bind companies under promissory estoppel. Learn the key lessons.
Rice Allowance in GOCCs: When Employee Benefits Are Disallowed by COA
The Supreme Court clarifies limits on rice allowance and other benefits in GOCCs, and who must refund disallowed amounts.
Understanding Judicial Clemency: A Guide to Reinstatement for Disbarred Lawyers in the Philippines
The Supreme Court's 2021 ruling in Ricafort sets new guidelines for judicial clemency petitions by disbarred lawyers seeking reinstatement.
Understanding Government Contract Disallowances: Detailed Engineering and Quantum Meruit
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on COA disallowances for overestimated embankment materials in government road projects and the limits of quantum meruit.
Online Psychological Abuse Under RA 9262: When Facebook Posts Become a Crime
The Supreme Court clarifies how social media posts can constitute psychological abuse under RA 9262, and why using Facebook raises the penalty.
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse Legal Insights From A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
A landmark Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies how rape of a mentally disabled victim is classified and punished.
Understanding Qualified Statutory Rape in the Philippines: Key Insights from a Landmark Case
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when rape of a mentally disabled adult is qualified statutory rape, and the role of DNA evidence.
What a Disbarment Case Teaches About Lawyers and Corporate Roles in the Philippines
The Supreme Court dismissed a disbarment case against three lawyers, clarifying that corporate acts and mere receipt of pleadings are not professional misconduct.
Proving a Lost Property Title: Evidence Lessons from a 2021 Supreme Court Ruling
A 2021 Supreme Court ruling clarifies the strict evidence needed to replace a lost property title in the Philippines.
Withdrawing a Resignation: When Retraction Before Acceptance Is Valid
Can an employee retract a resignation before the employer accepts it? The Supreme Court explains the rules in Vergara v. ANZ Global Services.
Unlawful Detainer vs. Accion Reivindicatoria: Key Differences in Philippine Property Law
Learn the difference between unlawful detainer and accion reivindicatoria in Philippine property law, and when each legal action applies.
Suffrage Safeguards: Upholding Election Integrity Through Specificity and Evidence in Electoral Protests
The PET dismissed Marcos Jr.'s 2016 VP election protest, affirming Robredo's victory and underscoring the strict rules on specificity and evidence in election contests.
Supreme Court: Direct Petitions to SC Violate Hierarchy of Courts Rule
SC dismisses Palafox petition for bypassing Court of Appeals, reaffirming strict rule on hierarchy of courts in Philippine litigation.
Navigating Excise Tax Refunds: The Two-Year Prescriptive Period in the Philippines
Understand the two-year prescriptive period for excise tax refunds in the Philippines and how the Supreme Court applies procedural rules in customs assessments.
Understanding the Rule on Hierarchy of Courts: Implications for Legal Venue and Depositions in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the hierarchy of courts rule in Palafox v. Mendiola, addressing venue for defamation cases and deposition timing.
When a Company Doctor's Delay Makes a Seafarer's Disability Total and Permanent
Explain the Supreme Court's ruling in Salonga v. Solvang Philippines: a company doctor's failure to issue a timely disability assessment makes a seafarer's injury total and permanent.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Proving Work-Related Illness Under the POEA Contract
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a seafarer's illness is compensable under the POEA Standard Employment Contract and the burden of proof required.
Understanding Jurisdiction in Bank Liquidation: Filing Claims Against Closed Banks in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts handle claims against closed banks, including the liquidation court's exclusive jurisdiction under RA 7653.
Administrative Liability and Business Permits: Lessons from the Kentex Fire Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when local officials may be held liable for issuing business permits without fire safety certificates.
Free Patents on Private Land: Nullity and the Limits of Torrens Indefeasibility
When a free patent is issued over private land, it is void. The Supreme Court explains why in Alberto v. Flores.
Understanding the Distinction Between Attempted and Frustrated Murder in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when a shooting is attempted, not frustrated, murder—and why proving the wound's fatality matters.
One-Year Prescription Period for Insurance Claims: The Alpha Plus Ruling
Learn how the Supreme Court's Alpha Plus ruling clarifies the one-year prescription period for insurance claims and why timing matters.
Reassignment Orders and Insubordination: What Public Employees Must Know
Public employees must comply with reassignment orders even while appeals are pending. The Supreme Court clarifies the limits of insubordination.
Timely Intervention and Jurisdictional Limits in Philippine Estate Proceedings
Learn how the Constantino case clarifies intervention rules and probate court limits in Philippine estate proceedings.