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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Election Offenses and Probable Cause: The COMELEC's Role in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity
The Supreme Court clarifies the COMELEC's authority to find probable cause for election offenses and its limits on disqualification cases after proclamation.
Final Judgments Are Immutable: Withdrawal of Complaint and Property Dispute Rights
Learn how the Supreme Court protected a final judgment from modification in a property dispute, and what this means for your rights.
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.
Speedy Trial vs Demurrer to Evidence: Protecting the Accused's Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between a motion to dismiss for speedy trial violation and a demurrer to evidence, protecting accused rights.
Positive Identification Over Denial Establishing Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
How clear, categorical eyewitness identification outweighs the weak defense of denial in Philippine criminal cases.
Rape Overcoming Fear AND Intimidation Through Testimony
VAT Credits for Real Estate Dealers: The Transitional Input Tax Rule
The Supreme Court ruled that real estate dealers may claim 8% transitional input tax credit on land inventory, not just improvements.
Possession vs. Sale: Proving the Distinction in Drug Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies why illegal sale and illegal possession of drugs are separate crimes requiring distinct proof, acquitting on one charge.
Breach of Contract Assignees Rights and Developer Liability for Erroneous Construction
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on developer liability for erroneous construction and the rights of lot buyers as assignees.
Chattel Mortgage Foreclosure: Attaching Creditors, Notice, and the Equity of Redemption
When a chattel mortgage is foreclosed, who must receive notice of the sale? The Supreme Court clarifies the rights of attaching creditors.
Government Employee Benefits THE Limits OF Mandamus AND Garnishment Against Public Funds
Employer Control Determines Employment Status: The PLDT Security Guard Case
When a security agency's contract ends but guards remain at their posts under the principal's direction, an employer-employee relationship may arise.
Perfecting Appeals Strict Compliance With Appeal Bonds In Labor Cases
Learn why the Supreme Court requires strict compliance with appeal bonds and deadlines in labor cases, and what happens when employers fail to perfect their appeals on time.
Safeguarding the Electorate's Will: Evidence in Election Result Exclusion
The Supreme Court ruled that while procedural lapses may be excused in pre-proclamation cases, the exclusion of election returns must rest on substantial evidence.
Jurisdiction BY Estoppel When Active Participation Waives Jurisdictional Challenges IN Arbitration
Certiorari Not a Substitute for Lost Appeal: Lessons from Republic v. Yang Chi Hao
The Supreme Court reminds litigants that certiorari cannot replace a lost appeal, even in naturalization cases where the government seeks to question a trial court's ruling.
Squatters Rights vs Absentee Landlords: Resolving Land Disputes in Urban Reform
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on absentee landowners vs renters in urban land reform, explaining who qualifies for lot awards under the Zonal Improvement Program.
Unregistered Land Sales: Why Registration Matters in Ownership Disputes
A Supreme Court ruling explains why an unregistered deed of sale cannot bind third parties in property disputes over unregistered land.
Rape and Parental Betrayal: Proving Minority and Relationship in Qualified Rape Cases
A father convicted of raping his daughter escapes the death penalty because the prosecution failed to prove her minority by independent evidence.
Eviction and Urban Land Reform: When Prior Rights Yield to New Ordinances
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when month-to-month leases end, and why new city ordinances and PD 1517 protections cannot stop a valid ejectment.
Judicial Ethics Upholding Impartiality IN THE Face OF Impropriety
Foreclosure Rights vs BP 22: Understanding Creditors' Remedies and Their Limits
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that annulment of judgment is only for civil cases, not criminal convictions like swindling.
Chain of Custody in Drug Cases: Why Marking Evidence Matters
The Supreme Court acquits a drug suspect because police failed to mark seized shabu in his presence, explaining the chain of custody rule.
Bigamy Conviction Upheld Despite Later Declaration of Nullity of First Marriage
A subsequent declaration that a first marriage was void does not erase criminal liability for bigamy contracted before that declaration.