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.
Insurance Proceeds and Lease Agreements: Key Lessons from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how insurance proceeds are treated when a lease is preterminated, and when COA may disallow government expenditures.
Government Procurement and Audit Disallowances: Lessons from a Landmark COA Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when government officials and contractors may be held liable for audit disallowances in public procurement projects.
Unlawful Detainer vs Accion Publiciana: Key Property Dispute Lessons
Learn how the Supreme Court distinguishes unlawful detainer from accion publiciana, and why forum shopping can void administrative rulings.
Grave Misconduct and Personal Loans: When Public Officials Cross Legal Lines
The Supreme Court clarifies when a public official's personal loan becomes grave misconduct, and the proper remedy to question Ombudsman dismissals.
Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service: SC on Inordinate Delay
The Supreme Court clarifies when the period for inordinate delay begins in Ombudsman cases, citing Quemado v. Sandiganbayan.
Execution Pending Appeal in Ejectment Cases: Immediate Judgment Enforcement in the Philippines
Learn how execution pending appeal works in Philippine ejectment cases, including the mandatory rule and key Supreme Court rulings.
Understanding Acceleration Clauses in Loan Agreements: A Guide to Immediate Debt Repayment
The Supreme Court explains how acceleration clauses work in loan agreements, allowing creditors to demand full payment upon default.
Implied Repeal and Administrative Regulations: The CTPL Insurance Case
The Supreme Court explains when a new administrative regulation impliedly repeals an earlier one, using the CTPL insurance integration case as an example.
Understanding Tax Compromise Agreements: Validity and Implications for Taxpayers
The Supreme Court affirms the validity of tax compromise agreements under the NIRC, protecting good-faith settlements with the BIR.
Foreign Investment and Unfair Competition: Key Insights from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies the limits of judicial review over Board of Investments registration decisions and the meaning of unfair competition claims.
Probable Cause in Estafa Cases: Insights from Favis-Velasco v. Gonzales
Learn how the Supreme Court defined probable cause in estafa cases and why solid evidence matters in fraud complaints.
Valid Land Titles and Res Judicata: Key Lessons from a Philippine Property Dispute
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why tax declarations don't prove ownership and how res judicata bars relitigating property claims.
Foreclosure During Conservatorship: Can a Company's Directors Still Act?
Supreme Court clarifies that a conservator does not replace a company's board; directors may still initiate foreclosure to collect debts.
Probable Cause and Government Procurement: Insights from the DOH v. Pascua Case
The Supreme Court dismissed DOH petitions against a trial court's TRO and injunction in a bidding dispute, ruling the case moot after the project proceeded.
Understanding Demurrers to Evidence: When Can You Challenge the Prosecution's Case
A demurrer to evidence lets an accused challenge the prosecution's case. But denial cannot be attacked via certiorari, as Espinosa v. Sandiganbayan shows.
When Can You Challenge an Ombudsman Dismissal? Certiorari Limits Explained
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling in Dormido v. Ombudsman on why certiorari cannot cure errors of judgment in graft case dismissals.
When the Ombudsman Can Dismiss Graft Cases: Ownership Disputes and Certiorari Limits
Explaining when the Ombudsman may dismiss a graft complaint that hinges on a property ownership dispute, and why certiorari cannot cure errors of judgment.
Plea Bargaining in Philippine Drug Cases: What the Supreme Court's Sayre Ruling Means
The Supreme Court clarifies plea bargaining in drug cases: prosecutors' guidelines bind the prosecution, not the courts.
PDIC Deposit Insurance Denials: Court of Appeals Holds Exclusive Certiorari Jurisdiction
Supreme Court clarifies that PDIC deposit insurance claim denials must be challenged via certiorari before the Court of Appeals, not the RTC.
Usurpation of Authority: Delineating Official Functions and Good Faith in Public Office
The Supreme Court clarifies the meaning of "forthwith" in impeachment proceedings, emphasizing the Senate's discretion in preparing for trial and the limits of judicial intervention.
Probable Cause and Conspiracy: When Presence Alone Does Not Mean Guilt in Insurance Fraud
Supreme Court clarifies that mere presence and family ties do not establish conspiracy or probable cause in insurance fraud cases.
Quantum Meruit and Government Contracts: Reclaiming Payment for Completed Projects
The Supreme Court allows payment for completed government projects even without a written contract, applying quantum meruit to prevent unjust enrichment.
Balancing Confrontation Rights and Due Process in Transnational Crime Investigations
Supreme Court clarifies when courts may interfere with preliminary investigations and how constitutional rights apply in fact-finding probes.
Constitutional Rights vs Preliminary Investigation: When Evidence Admissibility Matters
Supreme Court clarifies that preliminary investigations cannot be suspended on prejudicial question grounds, and evidence admissibility is for trial, not preliminary inquiry.