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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Safeguarding Confessions: Independent Counsel and Admissibility in Philippine Criminal Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when extrajudicial confessions are inadmissible for lack of competent and independent counsel during custodial investigation.
Homicide vs Murder: Proving Intent and Circumstances in Criminal Law
When qualifying circumstances like treachery and evident premeditation lack proof, a killing is homicide, not murder.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Qualifying Circumstances and Aggravating Factors
Understand how treachery qualifies killing as murder but cannot be double-counted to impose the death penalty, per the Supreme Court.
Rape Conviction Hinges on Specific Allegations Protecting Due Process in Criminal Law
The Supreme Court acquits a father of rape because the prosecution failed to prove carnal knowledge and unconsciousness as specifically alleged.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Elements and Legal Implications
Understand treachery (alevosia) as a qualifying circumstance in murder under Philippine law, explained through a landmark Supreme Court case.
Lone Witness Credibility: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Philippine Criminal Law
How Philippine courts assess a lone witness's credibility in criminal cases, and why positive identification defeats alibi.
Treachery in Criminal Law: The Element of Surprise in Murder Convictions
Understand how treachery qualifies a killing as murder under Philippine law, focusing on the element of surprise and sudden attack.
Self-Defense and Treachery: The Limits of Justification in Philippine Criminal Law
When self-defense fails: the Supreme Court explains unlawful aggression, treachery, and why a sudden attack on a sleeping victim is murder.
Positive Identification Trumps Alibi in Murder Conviction of Sleeping Victim
Supreme Court affirms murder conviction, ruling that credible eyewitness identification prevails over alibi and denial in Philippine criminal law.
Treachery in Criminal Law: When a Frontal Attack Constitutes Murder
The Supreme Court explains when a frontal attack still qualifies as treachery, elevating a killing to murder in the Philippines.
The Element of Surprise: Establishing Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law
A look at how the Supreme Court defines treachery in murder cases, using a 2001 decision as a guide.
Accountability FOR Group Violence Examining Conspiracy AND Shared Responsibility IN Criminal LAW
Treachery and Dwelling Limits on the Death Penalty in Philippine Criminal Law
Explore how Philippine courts apply treachery and dwelling as qualifying circumstances in criminal cases, and their impact on penalties.
Downgrading Murder to Homicide: The Crucial Role of Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when treachery qualifies murder, and when its absence downgrades the crime to homicide.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Ensuring Justice for Victims of Sudden Attacks
How Philippine courts use circumstantial evidence to convict killers, even without direct proof of the shooting.
Reasonable Doubt and Witness Credibility: Protecting the Accused's Rights in Philippine Criminal Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when a conviction stands, how self-defense is proven, and why treachery must be established beyond reasonable doubt.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: The Element of Surprise in Murder Convictions
Understand how treachery qualifies killing as murder under Philippine law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a 1993 shooting.
Treachery in Criminal Law: Establishing Intent in Sudden Attacks
The Supreme Court explains how sudden, unexpected attacks establish treachery in murder cases, even when attacker and victim exchange words first.
Self-Defense vs. Unlawful Aggression: Lessons from a Philippine Homicide Case
Understanding self-defense claims in Philippine criminal law, and why unlawful aggression is the foundation of any successful defense.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Ensuring Justice for Victims of Sudden Attacks
How Philippine courts apply treachery to qualify killings as murder, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a sudden stabbing.
Treachery in Criminal Law: When Unexpected Attacks Constitute Murder
The Supreme Court explains when a sudden, unexpected attack constitutes treachery and qualifies a killing as murder under Philippine law.
Guilt by Association: The Limits of Conspiracy in Philippine Criminal Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that mere presence at a crime scene does not prove conspiracy, acquitting an accused while affirming a co-accused's murder conviction.
Positive Identification Prevails Over Alibi: Eyewitness Testimony in Philippine Criminal Law
How Philippine courts weigh eyewitness identification against alibi, explained through a Supreme Court murder case.
Positive Identification in Robbery With Homicide: Why Eyewitness Testimony Matters in Philippine Criminal Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on eyewitness identification, credibility of relatives, and why alibi fails against positive identification.