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.
Accountability in Kidnapping: Conspiracy, Victim Rights, and the High Court's Ruling
The Supreme Court affirms a kidnap-for-ransom conviction, clarifies conspiracy liability, and adjusts damages awards for the victim.
Eyewitness Credibility and Collective Liability in Criminal Conspiracy: Establishing Individual Guilt
Learn how Philippine courts assess eyewitness credibility and collective liability in criminal conspiracy cases, and what this means for individual guilt.
Dying Declarations and Witness Credibility Determining Guilt in Murder Cases
Supreme Court ruling on witness credibility, alibi, conspiracy, and treachery in multiple murder convictions.
Conspiracy and Kidnapping for Ransom: Defining the Boundaries of Criminal Liability in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy in kidnapping for ransom cases, explaining when co-accused share criminal liability and how courts prove agreement.
Kidnapping for Ransom Conviction Affirmed: The Limits of Alibi and Denial of Conspiracy
Supreme Court affirms kidnapping-for-ransom convictions, explaining why alibi fails against positive identification and how conspiracy is inferred from concerted acts.
Conspiracy in Labor Disputes: Defining Employee Involvement in Fraudulent Transactions
Supreme Court clarifies when an employee's seemingly minor act in a fraudulent scheme constitutes conspiracy justifying dismissal.
Right of First Refusal in Lease Agreements: What Lessees Should Know
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies that right of first refusal in lease contracts survives expiration and binds the lessor to offer the property first.
Illegal Recruitment and Estafa: Distinguishing Roles and Defining Accountability
When do employees of an illegal recruiter face criminal liability? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on conspiracy, syndicate, and penalties.
Recanted Confession Inadmissible Against Co-Conspirators: Tamargo v. Awingan
The Supreme Court explains why a recanted extrajudicial confession cannot be used against alleged co-conspirators in criminal cases.
Double Dipping Denied: Separation Pay vs Retirement Benefits in Government Restructuring
Supreme Court rules NPC employees who received separation pay under EPIRA cannot also claim retirement benefits under CA 186, as amended.
Accountability for Group Actions: Establishing Conspiracy in Criminal Law
Understand how Philippine courts determine conspiracy in criminal cases, when group liability attaches, and why mere presence or evasion of arrest does not equate to guilt.
Kidnapping for Ransom: Conspiracy and the Element of Deprivation of Liberty
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies kidnapping for ransom elements, conspiracy liability, and what counts as deprivation of liberty.
Eyewitness Testimony and Conspiracy Decide Double Murder Case
How credible eyewitness testimony and conspiracy principles led to homicide convictions in a juvenile double murder case.
Proof Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Conspiracy and Murder: The Maliao Case
A look at how the Supreme Court distinguished conspiracy from mere accomplice liability in a rape-with-homicide case.
Accountability FOR ALL Establishing Conspiracy IN Robbery With Homicide
A conviction for robbery with homicide does not require each conspirator to wield the weapon. Presence and common purpose suffice.
Union Shop Steward Is a Union Position: Lessons from Miranda v. Asian Terminals
The Supreme Court clarifies that a shop steward holds a union position, not a company post, and explains the limits of employer liability in intra-union disputes.
Mootness in Election Contests: When Expiration of Term Ends the Legal Fight
Expiration of an elective office's term can render an election contest moot. Learn the rule from Baldo v. COMELEC.
Marital Discord and Deadly Conspiracy: Establishing Parricide Through Circumstantial Evidence
Explore how Philippine courts convict parricide when a spouse conspires with a lover to kill, relying on circumstantial evidence.
Conspiracy and Acquittal: When Can a Private Citizen Be Liable in Graft Cases
Explains when private persons can be charged with graft under Section 3(g) of RA 3019, and what happens when the co-accused public officer is acquitted.
Treachery and Intent in Philippine Criminal Law: The Nuances of Murder
The Supreme Court explains how treachery and conspiracy qualify a killing as murder under Philippine criminal law.
Kidnapping for Ransom with Homicide: Accountability and Admissibility of Confessions
Supreme Court affirms conviction for kidnapping for ransom with homicide, clarifying conspiracy liability and rules on extra-judicial confessions.
Proving Fraud and Conspiracy in Civil Cases: The Dutch Boy Philippines Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies the evidentiary standard for proving fraud and conspiracy in civil cases, emphasizing preponderance of evidence and the presumption of good faith.
Conspiracy and Treachery: Guilt Without Direct Action in People v. Bohol
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy, treachery, and murder liability for an accused who did not directly kill.
Conspiracy and Falsification: Probable Cause in Private Document Cases
How the Supreme Court clarified that conspiracy allegations in falsification cases need only probable cause at preliminary stages, not proof beyond reasonable doubt.