Legal Insights

Closure Due to Serious Losses: When Separation Pay Is Not Required

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when business closure due to serious losses exempts employers from separation pay, but still requires proper notice.

Voluntary Resignation Defense in Illegal Dismissal Cases: The Burden on Employers

When can an employer rely on a resignation letter? The Supreme Court clarifies the burden of proof in illegal dismissal cases involving claims of voluntary resignation.

Abandonment vs. Constructive Dismissal: Proving Intent in Philippine Labor Cases

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the elements of abandonment of employment and why employers must prove clear intent to sever the employer-employee relationship.

Abandonment vs Illegal Dismissal: When Absence Is Not Enough to Fire an Employee

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when employee absence is not abandonment, and what employers must prove to justify dismissal.

Probationary Employment: Employers Must Disclose Regularization Standards

Employers must inform probationary employees of regularization standards at engagement or risk them being deemed regular employees from day one.

Probationary Employment: Employers Must Communicate Standards for Regularization

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on probationary employment: employers must inform workers of regularization standards at hiring or risk illegal dismissal liability.

Loss of Confidence in Dismissal Cases: Employers Must Substantiate the Breach of Trust

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that loss of trust and confidence requires clear, convincing proof, not mere allegations.

Redundancy Dismissal: Employers Must Prove Justification, Not Just Declare It

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that employers cannot simply declare redundancy—they must present substantial proof to justify dismissal.

Forum Shopping and Fair Play: Why Employers Cannot Raise New Defenses on Appeal

Supreme Court rules employers cannot raise lack of employer-employee relationship for the first time on appeal after actively participating in labor proceedings.

Upholding Employers Right Willful Disobedience AS Just Cause FOR Termination

Supreme Court ruling on willful disobedience as just cause for dismissal, explaining employer rights and employee duties under Philippine labor law.

Breach of Trust: Upholding Employers' Right to Terminate Managerial Employees in the Philippines

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when employers may validly terminate managerial employees for breach of trust, examining the legal standards and evidentiary requirements.

Death Benefits and Seafarers' Willful Acts: Employer Liability in Maritime Law

When a seafarer dies by suicide, employers may avoid death benefits if they prove the death resulted from a willful act.

Loss of Trust and Confidence: When Can Philippine Employers Dismiss Managerial Employees?

The Supreme Court in Manese v. Jollibee clarifies the less stringent standard for dismissing managerial employees for loss of trust and confidence.

Probationary Employment: When Employers Can Terminate for Failure to Meet Standards

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when employers may validly terminate probationary employees for failing reasonable standards, including chronic tardiness.

Shifting Legal Theories in Employer-Employee Disputes: Lessons from Duty Free Philippines v. Tria

Supreme Court ruling on when employers can change legal theories in illegal dismissal cases and the burden of proof for just cause.

Probationary Employment: Employers Must Inform Employees of Regularization Standards

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on probationary employment: employers must inform employees of regularization standards at the time of engagement.

Quasi-Delict Liability and Negligence in Vehicular Accidents: Insights from G.R. No. 279772

Supreme Court affirms quasi-delict liability for negligent driving, clarifying rules on overtaking, right of way, and vicarious liability of employers.

Employer’s Subsidiary Liability for Employee Crimes: The Calang Ruling

Employers are only subsidiarily liable for employees’ criminal acts. The Calang ruling explains when and how this liability applies.

Loss of Trust and Confidence: When Philippine Employers Can Validly Dismiss Employees

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when loss of trust and confidence justifies dismissal and who counts as managerial staff.

Loss of Trust and Confidence in Philippine Labor Law: When Dismissal Becomes Illegal

Philippine labor law requires employers to prove willful breach of trust before dismissing employees. This case explains the standard.

Facilities vs Supplements in Wage Disputes: Key Distinctions Under Philippine Labor Law

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the legal distinction between facilities and supplements in computing wages, and when employers may deduct their value.

Redundancy Dismissal in the Philippines: When Is It Legal? The Culili v. ETPI Case

The Supreme Court explains when redundancy dismissal is valid, what employers must prove, and the cost of missing procedural due process.

Retrenchment in the Philippines: Employee Rights and Employer Obligations

A Supreme Court ruling shows what employers must prove before retrenching staff, and why a signed quitclaim does not always bar an illegal dismissal case.

Contractual Obligations Prevail: Upholding the Christmas Bonus in Collective Bargaining Agreements

Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies that employers cannot bypass a valid CBA by negotiating with a splinter union.