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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Eminent Domain Revisited: When Expropriated Land Must Be Returned After Public Use Ceases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when former owners can reclaim expropriated property if the public purpose is abandoned or never pursued.
Reinstatement vs. Abandonment: How the Supreme Court Determines Illegal Dismissal and Employee Rights
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when an employee is illegally dismissed, when retirement is truly voluntary, and what backwages and separation pay are owed.
Abandonment of Duty, Unauthorized Absences, and the Doctrine of Dropping From the Rolls
Philippine Supreme Court explains when a court employee may be dropped from the rolls for AWOL and unauthorized foreign travel.
When Illness Leads to Dismissal: Proving Abandonment in Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, abandonment of work, and employer's burden of proof in termination cases.
Illegal Dismissal: Employer Must Prove Abandonment With Clear Intent to Sever Employment
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that employers must prove both absence and clear intent to sever employment to establish abandonment.
When a Request for a Raise Leads to a Lawsuit: Proving Abandonment in Illegal Dismissal Cases
A forklift operator's request for regularization and better pay led to termination, sparking a landmark case on fixed-term contracts and quitclaims.
Pre-Existing Conditions and Seafarer Disability Claims Under the POEA Contract
Explaining when seafarers can claim disability benefits under the POEA Standard Contract, using the Supreme Court's ruling in Bandila Maritime v. Dubduban.
Judge Dismissed and Suspended from Law Practice for Marital Infidelity and Abandonment
Supreme Court dismisses a judge for gross immorality over an extramarital affair and child, suspending him from law practice for three years.
Abandonment vs Illegal Dismissal: Protecting Employee Rights in the Philippines
Explain the difference between abandonment and illegal dismissal in Philippine labor law, and the employer's burden of proof.
Abandonment vs Constructive Dismissal: Employer Duties and Employee Rights in Termination Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between abandonment and constructive dismissal, and the burden of proof in illegal dismissal cases.
Constructive Possession When Contraband in a Shared Space Implicates Guilt
Philippine Supreme Court explains when drugs found in a shared space can still prove constructive possession and guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Illegal Dismissal vs AWOL: When a Security Guard's Absence Is Not Abandonment
Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a worker's absence is illegal dismissal, not AWOL or abandonment, and the rules on off-detail status.
Abandonment of Work and Due Process: When Dismissal Is Valid but Still Costs the Employer
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that abandoning work is a just cause for dismissal, but employers who skip the two-notice rule still pay nominal damages.
Due Process vs Abandonment: Balancing Employee Rights in Termination Cases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that valid dismissal for abandonment still requires due process; employers must pay nominal damages for notice violations.
Emancipation Patents and Land Ownership: Protecting Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
Learn how emancipation patents vest absolute ownership in farmer-beneficiaries, and why temporary surrender of possession does not mean abandonment.
When Courts Can Take Judicial Notice of Industry Practice in Labor Disputes
Supreme Court clarifies judicial notice limits, independent contractor tests, and abandonment rules in South Davao Development Co. v. Gamo.
OFW Death Liability: Protecting Overseas Workers and Ensuring Accountability
Supreme Court ruling holds recruitment agencies solidarily liable for OFW deaths, imposing moral and exemplary damages for abandoning workers in distress.
Deceptive Recruitment: When Promises of Overseas Jobs Lead to Criminal Liability
The Supreme Court holds recruitment agencies liable for moral damages when they abandon distressed OFWs and make baseless claims of suicide.
Constructive Dismissal and Abandonment: When a Work Reduction Scheme Becomes Illegal Dismissal
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between constructive dismissal and abandonment in labor cases, ruling on a hotel's work reduction scheme.
Condonation vs Abandonment: Protecting Employee Rights in Termination Disputes
Understand the distinction between condonation and abandonment in Philippine labor law, and how courts protect employees' rights in termination disputes.
Reconveyance After Expropriation: Balancing Public Purpose and Private Rights
When government abandons an expropriated lot's public purpose, former owners may recover it—but must return just compensation.
Eminent Domain and Abandonment: Reversion of Expropriated Land for Lack of Public Use
When the government abandons expropriated land and fails to pay just compensation, courts may order reconveyance to the original owners.
Eminent Domain Abandonment of Expropriated Property and the Right to Reconveyance
When the government abandons expropriated land and fails to pay just compensation, owners may reclaim the property. Learn the rules.
Lawyer Disbarred for Gross Immoral Conduct: Abandoning Wife and Children
Supreme Court disbars lawyer who abandoned his wife and 12 children to cohabit with another woman, ruling gross immoral conduct warrants the ultimate penalty.