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.
Procedural Due Process and Employee Dismissal: When a Security Agency Contract Ends
When a security agency contract ends but guards remain on post, who is the employer? The Supreme Court clarifies control, due process, and liability.
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.
Stipulation Pour Autrui: The Beneficiary's Right and Timely Acceptance
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies stipulation pour autrui requisites, acceptance timing, and repurchase rights under Article 1606 in Narvaez v. Alciso.
Leasehold Improvements: Understanding Reimbursement Rights and Obligations in Philippine Law
Learn how Philippine courts handle leasehold improvement reimbursement rights, obligations, and settlement through compromise agreements.
Accountability for False Promises: Illegal Recruitment and Estafa in Philippine Law
Explaining when false promises of overseas employment lead to both illegal recruitment and estafa, and how Philippine courts penalize each offense.
Redundancy Programs Upholding Employer Rights IN Employee Dismissal
Supreme Court affirms employer's right to contract out work during business exigencies, clarifying limits of unfair labor practice claims.
Labor-Only Contracting: When a Principal Becomes the True Employer
Supreme Court ruling on labor-only contracting and when a principal becomes the true employer of contractual workers.
VFA Constitutionality Upheld: Balancing Sovereignty and International Agreements
The Supreme Court upheld the Visiting Forces Agreement as constitutional while striking down detention agreements that violated its terms.
Contract Interpretation: Plain Language Prevails Over Extrinsic Evidence
When contract terms are clear, courts must apply them literally. Extrinsic evidence cannot rewrite a written agreement.
Perfected Contract of Sale vs. Writ of Preliminary Attachment: Balancing Obligations with Due Process
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a contract of sale is perfected and when a writ of preliminary attachment may be improperly issued.
Breach of Contract and Tortious Interference: Proving a Valid Contractual Right
Learn when tortious interference claims fail: a valid contract must exist before third-party interference can be actionable under Philippine law.
Illegal Recruitment Conviction Stands Even Without Direct Misrepresentation of Authority to Deploy Workers Abr
The Supreme Court affirms that giving the impression of ability to send workers abroad, without express claims of authority, constitutes illegal recruitment.
Freelance or Employee? The Test for Newspaper Columnists in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when a newspaper columnist is an independent contractor, not an employee, under the control test.
Illegal Recruitment by Non-Licensees and the Promise of Overseas Jobs
The Supreme Court clarifies when a non-licensee can be liable for illegal recruitment in large scale under RA 8042.
Insurer's Inaction on Insurance Application: When Silence Means Approval
Supreme Court rules insurer's prolonged inaction on a group life insurance application amounts to approval, protecting insured parties from prejudice.
Retinal Detachment and Work-Related Illness: Compensability Under PD 626 Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies when retinal detachment is compensable under PD 626, requiring proof of reasonable work connection, not direct causation.
Contractual Obligations and Third Party Rights in Property Lease Disputes
Supreme Court ruling on when lease penalties bind only contracting parties, not property owners who are third parties to the contract.
Burden of Proof in Compensation Claims: Establishing Work Relatedness of Non-Occupational Diseases
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on proving work-relatedness for non-occupational diseases in SSS compensation claims under PD 626.
Perfecting Your Appeal Understanding Jurisdictional Requirements IN Philippine Courts
A look at how the Supreme Court treats compromise agreements after a petition is denied, and what this means for litigants in the Philippines.
Lawyer Suspended for Contracting Second Marriage While First Was Subsisting
A lawyer's second marriage while his first remained valid led to a one-year suspension, underscoring lawyers' duty to know the law.
Suing the Government: Understanding State Immunity in the Philippines
A pharmaceutical company's bid dispute clarifies when government officials can be sued despite state immunity.
Construction Contract Disputes: Interpreting Amendments and Deduction Clauses in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether a contractor can deduct accommodation costs from a subcontractor's billings after a final contract amendment.
Regular Employment Status and Labor-Only Contracting: The San Miguel Corporation Case
Learn how the Supreme Court protected a worker's regular employment status against labor-only contracting schemes in San Miguel Corporation v. NLRC.
DOLE Philippines v. Esteva: Labor-Only Contracting and Regular Employment Rights
Supreme Court ruling on labor-only contracting, regular employment, and employer liability in DOLE Philippines v. Esteva (G.R. No. 161115).