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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Forged Titles and Faulty Foundations: How Errors in Original Land Registration Undermine Property Rights in th
A Supreme Court ruling explains why the date of transcription, not decree issuance, determines a title's validity and priority.
Res Judicata and Land Ownership: When Prior Judgments Do Not Bar New Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies when res judicata bars land disputes, protecting property owners from endless litigation.
Estate Claims and Procedural Rules: Balancing Legal Technicalities With Justice
Heirs of a registered landowner can recover property despite delay; prescription and laches do not bar Torrens title claims.
Jurisdiction Limits When Labor Disputes Overshadow Regular Court Actions In Property Disputes
When can a regular court hear a property dispute that stems from a labor case? The Supreme Court settles the jurisdictional boundary.
Implied Trust and Prescription: Resolving Property Disputes Among Heirs
A Supreme Court ruling explains how implied trusts arise when a co-heir takes family property and why the right to recover it may not yet be barred.
Breaking the Bonds of Trust: Acquisitive Prescription and Recovery of Real Property
When a verbal claim of trust fails, long possession can ripen into ownership. Learn the rules on prescription and recovery of property.
Proving Land Claims in the Philippines: What a Foreclosure Redemption Case Teaches
A Supreme Court ruling on foreclosure redemption clarifies how blanket mortgage clauses affect land claims and property disputes in the Philippines.
Dragnet Clauses in Mortgages: When Future Debts Are Secured Beyond the Initial Loan
Philippine Supreme Court explains how dragnet clauses in real estate mortgages cover future debts, and what borrowers must pay to redeem foreclosed property.
Essential Co-Owner: Indispensable Parties in Property Donation Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on co-owners as indispensable parties in donation disputes, and the requisites of a valid tenancy relationship.
Equitable Mortgage vs Absolute Sale: Intent and Prescription in Property Disputes
Supreme Court clarifies when a sale is an equitable mortgage and why fraud claims can prescribe. Learn the rules.
Revoking a Land Surrender: When Is an Affidavit Final Under Agrarian Law
A landowner's affidavit surrendering property under PD 27 is binding unless timely revoked; learn the rules on waiver and laches.
Proof of Alienability Required: Land Registration Denied Without Government Certification
Supreme Court denies land registration where applicant failed to prove the property was alienable and disposable public land.
Expropriation of Small Lots Upheld: The Limits of RA 7279's Exemption Rule
Supreme Court clarifies when small property owners may be exempt from expropriation, and the prospective effect of RA 7279.
Conjugal Property Support Illegitimate Children Family Code Rules
Supreme Court clarifies when conjugal property may be levied to satisfy support obligations for illegitimate children under the Family Code.
When Property Is Conjugal: Support Debts and the Right Appeal Route
A wife's attempt to shield a titled lot from execution for her husband's child support debt fails on procedure and property law.
When Landlocked Property Demands Passage: Establishing a Legal Right of Way in the Philippines
Philippine law allows landlocked owners to demand a right of way, but only after meeting four strict requirements. Learn the rules from a Supreme Court ruling.
Contractual Obligations and Third Party Rights in Property Lease Disputes
Supreme Court ruling on when lease penalties bind only contracting parties, not property owners who are third parties to the contract.
Double Sale of Immovable Property: Good Faith as the Decisive Factor in Land Ownership Disputes
Learn how good faith determines ownership in double sale cases under Philippine law, and what buyers must do to protect their property rights.
Government Liability When Illegal Land Seizure Requires Just Compensation
Supreme Court ruling on government liability for illegally seized property, default judgments, and limits on monetary awards.
Real Property Tax Exemption: Government Instrumentalities vs. Beneficial Use by Private Entities
When does a government agency's real property tax exemption end? The Supreme Court clarifies the rule on leased government properties.
Bigamous Marriage and Property Rights: When No Contribution Means No Co-Ownership
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on property acquired during a bigamous marriage and the crucial role of actual contribution in determining ownership.
LIS Pendens Protecting Real Property Rights IN Loan Disputes
Double Sale of Land: Priority of Registered Title in Good Faith
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on double sale of land: who owns the property when the same parcel is sold twice.
Partitioning Property Understanding Co-Ownership and Heirs' Rights in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine law resolves double sales of inherited property, the role of registration, and heirs' rights in co-ownership disputes.