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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Rape Conviction and the Death Penalty: When Relationship Must Be Alleged in the Information
The Supreme Court affirms a death sentence for rape, explaining when the qualifying circumstance of relationship must be alleged and proven.
Incestuous Rape: Proving Guilt and Ensuring Fair Sentencing in the Philippines
A father's rape conviction affirmed but death penalty reduced—explaining the rules on victim credibility, force, and proving minority.
Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Lack of Full Penetration: The Importance of Touching in Statutory Rape Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies that slight penetration of the labia is enough to consummate rape, even without full vaginal penetration.
When Fear, Not Force, Proves Rape: Lessons from People v. Cuadro
The Supreme Court affirms rape convictions where a stepfather exploited moral dominance and intimidation, explaining why submission is not consent.
The Lone Testimony Upholding Rape Conviction Despite Delayed Reporting
Philippine Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on the victim's credible lone testimony, despite a six-month delay in reporting the crime.
Rape Consensual or Forced: Evaluating Delayed Reporting and Parental Authority in Incest Cases
Supreme Court ruling on incestuous rape, delayed reporting, and admissibility of a child victim's res gestae statements.
Rape Conviction Requires Proof of Specific Dates Alleged in Information
Supreme Court ruling on proving specific dates in rape and acts of lasciviousness cases under Philippine law.
Incestuous Rape and Parental Authority: When Consent Is Invalid in Familial Sexual Abuse Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on incestuous rape clarifies that a father's moral ascendancy and threats invalidate any claim of consent from a minor daughter.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Credibility of the Accuser and the Role of Physical Evidence
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, ruling that a credible victim's testimony suffices even without physical evidence and despite delayed reporting.
Rape and Parental Authority: When Stepfathers Exploit Familial Trust
The Supreme Court affirms that a father's moral ascendancy over his minor daughter makes rape a betrayal of trust, but requires qualifying circumstances to be alleged for the death penalty.
Rape vs Acts of Lasciviousness: Proving the Crime Beyond Reasonable Doubt
How Philippine courts distinguish rape from acts of lasciviousness and what evidence proves carnal knowledge beyond reasonable doubt.
Delayed Reporting and Sleep as Defense: When Rape Becomes Acts of Lasciviousness
A father's conviction for rape was reduced to acts of lasciviousness because the victim slept through the alleged assault. Explore the ruling.
Moral Ascendancy in Rape Cases When Familial Trust Becomes a Weapon
How Philippine courts treat incestuous rape, moral ascendancy, and why the death penalty was reduced to reclusion perpetua.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Credibility of Witness Testimony and Circumstantial Evidence
Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on credible witness testimony and circumstantial evidence, explaining rules on unconscious victims and alibi.
Incestuous Rape and Relationship as an Aggravating Circumstance: People v. Mendi
In People v. Mendi, the Supreme Court affirmed three rape convictions and clarified how a father's relationship to his daughter aggravates the crime.
Intent Matters Distinguishing Robbery With Rape From Separate Crimes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a sexual assault followed by taking property is one complex crime or separate offenses.
Due Process in Rape Cases: Why Alleging Qualifying Circumstances Matters for Death Penalty
The Supreme Court explains why the death penalty in rape cases requires the qualifying circumstances to be alleged in the information, not just proved at trial.
Unwavering Testimony: How Philippine Courts Uphold Victim Credibility in Rape Cases
Learn how Philippine courts assess witness credibility in criminal cases, using the Supreme Court's ruling in People v. Navarro as a guide.
Moral Ascendancy in Child Rape Cases: When a Stepfather's Influence Replaces Physical Force
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how a stepfather's moral ascendancy can substitute for force or intimidation in child rape cases.
The Weight of Circumstantial Evidence in Securing Justice for Victims in the Philippines
How the Supreme Court upheld a rape-homicide conviction based on circumstantial evidence, explaining the rules for proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Rape and the Requisite Allegations: Protecting Due Process in Criminal Prosecutions
The Supreme Court clarifies that special qualifying circumstances like relationship must be alleged in the information to justify the death penalty for rape.
Rape and Parental Relations: Clarifying Special Qualifying Circumstances in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when rape qualifies for the death penalty and why allegations of relationship must appear in the information.
Incestuous Rape: Why Alleging Minority in the Information Matters
A father's rape conviction was reduced from death to reclusion perpetua because the Information failed to properly allege the victim's minority.
Rape and Relationship Qualifying Circumstances and Penalties
Understand how rape penalties change when a qualifying circumstance like relationship is proven, based on Philippine Supreme Court rulings.