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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Credibility of Eyewitnesses in Philippine Criminal Law: Lessons from People v. Palomar
How the Supreme Court weighed eyewitness credibility, minor inconsistencies, and alibi in a brutal multiple murder case.
When a Drinking Session Turns Into Murder: Conspiracy and Treachery Under Philippine Law
A look at how the Supreme Court applied conspiracy and treachery to convict five men for clubbing a drinking companion to death.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Intent and Defenseless Victims
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling clarifies when treachery qualifies a killing as murder, and why suddenness or superior numbers alone are not enough.
Treachery and the Aswang Defense: Understanding Murder Convictions in the Philippines
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling explains how treachery qualifies killings as murder, even when superstition—the (folkloric evil creatures).
Dying Declarations and Homicide: When a Victim's Last Words Can Convict
The Supreme Court explains when a dying declaration suffices to convict and why the accused was held for homicide, not murder.
Attempted Murder vs Murder: Proving Intent and Causation in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies how intent to kill and causation distinguish attempted murder from murder, with practical guidance.
Treachery in Philippine Law: When Does an Attack Qualify as Murder
Understand how Philippine courts determine treachery in murder cases through this analysis of People v. Castro, G.R. No. 119068.
Unintended Consequences: Criminal Liability for Foreseeable Outcomes in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on criminal liability, dying declarations, and witness credibility in murder cases under Philippine law.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Elements and Implications
Learn how Philippine courts define treachery and why it qualifies murder, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in People v. Marollano.
Dying Declarations and Conspiracy: When Can a Deceased's Statement Convict
Explore how Philippine courts treat dying declarations, conspiracy, and eyewitness credibility in murder cases through this Supreme Court ruling.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Understanding Intent and Qualifying Circumstances
Learn how Philippine courts define treachery as a qualifying circumstance in murder, explained through a Supreme Court case.
Self-Defense vs. Treachery: Understanding Criminal Liability in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when self-defense fails against treachery, and how conspiracy and surrender affect criminal liability in murder cases.
Self-Defense and Voluntary Surrender: Key Lessons from a Philippine Murder Case
A Philippine Supreme Court case clarifies when self-defense fails and voluntary surrender mitigates murder liability. Learn the rules.
Admissibility of Confessions and Eyewitness Testimony in Philippine Murder Cases
Learn how Philippine courts weigh eyewitness testimony, extrajudicial confessions, and circumstantial evidence in murder convictions.
Circumstantial Evidence and Treachery in Philippine Murder Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when treachery qualifies murder and why conspiracy must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Witness Testimony and the Standard of Proof in Philippine Criminal Law
How Philippine courts weigh eyewitness testimony against denial and alibi in criminal cases, explained through a murder conviction.
Conspiracy AND Murder Understanding Shared Criminal Intent IN Philippine LAW 2
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: When an Attack Qualifies as Murder
The Supreme Court explains how treachery elevates killings to murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code.
Circumstantial Evidence and Eyewitness Testimony in Philippine Criminal Law
How the Supreme Court weighed eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence in affirming a murder conviction in People v. Rabutin.
Discharge of an Accomplice as a State Witness: Safeguarding Justice in Philippine Courts
The Supreme Court affirms that trial courts' factual findings and witness credibility assessments are conclusive unless arbitrary, in a murder conviction.
Positive Identification in Philippine Criminal Law: Overcoming Doubts and Alibis
How Philippine courts weigh positive identification against alibis and dying declarations, explained through a landmark murder case.
Self-Defense in the Philippines: When Can You Justifiably Use Force?
The Supreme Court explains the three elements of self-defense in the Philippines and why a Palawan man's claim failed in a murder conviction.
Witness Identification and Conspiracy in Philippine Murder Cases
How the Supreme Court weighed witness credibility, conspiracy, and qualifying circumstances in a murder conviction.
Shared Guilt Establishing Conspiracy in Robbery With Homicide Under Philippine Law
When does a getaway accomplice become liable for murder? Philippine law on conspiracy in robbery with homicide explained through a Supreme Court ruling.