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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Seafarers' Disability Claims: The 240-Day Rule and Premature Filing Explained
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the 240-day rule for seafarer disability assessments, explaining when a claim becomes premature and why timing matters.
Seafarers' Rights: Establishing Work-Related Illness for Disability Benefits
SC ruling clarifies how seafarers can prove work-related illness for disability benefits, even without company physician assessment.
Seafarer Disability Claims: The 120-240 Day Rule for Medical Assessments
Understand the 120-240 day rule for company-designated physician assessments in seafarer disability claims, explained through a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
Seafarers Disability Claims: When the Company Physician's Assessment Prevails
Learn when a company-designated physician's fit-to-work certification prevails over a seafarer's own doctor in disability claims under the POEA-SEC.
Seafarer Disability Claims: The 120-Day Rule and Timely Medical Assessment
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the 120-day and 240-day periods for company-designated physician assessments in seafarer disability claims, and the burden on employers to justify extensions.
Protecting Seafarers: Timely Disability Assessments and Employer Duties in Maritime Law
Learn how the Supreme Court protects seafarers' disability claims when company doctors miss the 120-day assessment deadline.
Independent Judicial Assessment Required in Estafa Case Withdrawals
Supreme Court clarifies that judges must independently assess evidence before granting motions to withdraw information in estafa cases.
Seafarers' Rights: Defining Total and Permanent Disability in Maritime Employment
When a company-designated physician fails to issue a final disability assessment within 120 or 240 days, a seafarer is deemed totally and permanently disabled.
Seafarers Disability Claims: Timely Assessment and the Right to Compensation
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability becomes permanent and total if the company doctor fails to issue a timely assessment.
Company-Designated Physician's Fitness Declaration Prevails in Seafarer Disability Claims
Supreme Court rules company-designated physician's fit-to-work assessment binds seafarer unless properly disputed under POEA-SEC procedure.
Weighing Medical Opinions: Company Doctors vs Private Physicians in Seafarer Disability Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's findings prevail over a private doctor's assessment in seafarer disability claims.
Seafarer Disability Claims and the 240-Day Rule: What the Supreme Court Says
Learn how the 240-day rule and medical assessments shape seafarer disability claims under Philippine law.
Tax Assessment Waivers Must Strictly Comply With BIR Rules or Prescription Applies
Learn how defective tax waivers fail to extend the BIR's three-year assessment period, from the Supreme Court's ruling in CIR v. Systems Technology Institute.
Defining the Limits of Medical Assessment Periods for Seafarer Disability Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's delay in assessing a seafarer's disability results in permanent total disability benefits.
When a Late Disability Assessment Makes a Seafarer's Injury Total and Permanent
A company physician's Grade 8 assessment issued on day 163 was too late—the Supreme Court explains the 120-day rule for seafarers.
Seafarers Disability Timelines: 120-Day Rule for Medical Assessment and Benefits
Learn the 120-day and 240-day rules for seafarer disability assessment under Philippine law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling.
BIR Assessments Without a Letter of Authority Are Void for Lack of Due Process
Philippine Supreme Court voids BIR deficiency assessments issued without a Letter of Authority, and clarifies HMO gross receipts for VAT.
HMO VAT Assessments Void Without Letter of Authority: Medicard Case
Supreme Court voids HMO VAT assessment without Letter of Authority; only service fees, not earmarked medical funds, are taxable gross receipts.
Seafarers Disability Claims Upholding Company Doctors Assessment Absent Third Opinion
Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's disability grading prevails over a seafarer's private doctor in POEA-SEC claims.
Filing Disability Claims Early: Why Timing and the Company Doctor's Assessment Matter
A seafarer's premature disability claim fails when the company-designated physician issues a Grade 10 rating within 240 days. Learn the rules.
When BIR Assessments Become Final: Why Taxpayers Must Act on Unchallenged Notices
Understand why unchallenged BIR assessments become final and executory, and what taxpayers must do to protect their rights.
Tax Assessment Falsity of Returns and the Ten-Year Prescriptive Period
When do false returns trigger the 10-year tax assessment period? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on prescription and notice.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Following POEA-SEC Procedures for a Valid Assessment
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability claim fails: premature filing and skipping the mandatory third-doctor referral under the POEA-SEC.
Production Assessment Fees: Water Districts Must Prove Harm Before Charging Deep Well Users
Water districts can't impose production fees on deep well users without a board finding of financial harm. Here's what the Supreme Court ruled.