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.
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.
Breach of Public Trust: Dishonesty and Gross Negligence Leading to Dismissal
When a municipal treasurer's repeated financial irregularities amount to grave misconduct, dismissal from service is the warranted penalty.
Sangguniang Bayan Concurrence in Municipal Appointments: A Mandatory Requirement
The Supreme Court ruled that municipal appointments require Sangguniang Bayan concurrence; without it, the appointment is invalid regardless of tenure.
Accomplice Liability in Rape With Homicide: Clarifying the Degree of Participation
The Supreme Court clarifies when a witness to a crime becomes an accomplice, not a principal, in rape with homicide.
Agency Liability When Authorizing a Third Party Leads to Responsibility
A principal can be held liable for its agent's actions even if the agent loses the property. Learn the rules on agency and authorization.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When a Principal Becomes the True Employer in Labor-Only Contracting
When is a principal the real employer? The Supreme Court clarifies labor-only contracting rules in Iligan Cement Corporation v. IEWU-SPFL.
Illegal Dismissal and Employee Misconduct: Balancing Rights and Responsibilities in Employment Law
Learn how the Supreme Court balanced illegal dismissal claims against employee misconduct in Palteng v. United Coconut Planters Bank.
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.
Continuing Surety Agreements: When a Surety Is Liable for Another's Loan
Philippine Supreme Court explains continuing surety agreements and when a surety becomes liable for a principal debtor's obligations.
Continuing Surety Agreements: When a Surety Stays Liable Despite Principal Default
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on continuing surety agreements and a surety's joint and several liability despite the principal debtor's default.
Surety Still Liable: Insolvency of Principal Debtor Does Not Extinguish Surety's Obligations
Philippine Supreme Court rules that a surety remains liable even if the principal debtor is declared insolvent. Learn the key principles from Gateway Electronics v. Asianbank.
Contractual Obligations Prevail: Surety Liable Despite Principal Debtor's Insolvency
Supreme Court rules surety remains liable for corporate debts even after principal debtor is declared insolvent, upholding solidary obligations.
Independent Contractors vs Regular Employees: Defining the Boundaries of Employer Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies when a principal is not the employer of a contractor's workers, and why the regular employment test does not apply in trilateral arrangements.
Judges Must Stay Abreast of Legal Developments: Lessons from Magpali v. Pardo
A judge's failure to know updated pre-trial rules constitutes gross ignorance of the law, warranting disciplinary action.
Accomplice Liability in Homicide: Defining the Scope of Criminal Participation in the Philippines
Understand how Philippine courts define accomplice liability in homicide cases, the rules on criminal participation, and what makes a person an accomplice rather than a principal.
Labor-Only Contracting and Illegal Dismissal: When a Principal Becomes the Employer
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a company becomes the true employer of workers supplied by a contractor, and the consequences of illegal dismissal.
Venue Rules in Personal Actions: Why the Principal Plaintiff's Residence Matters
Supreme Court clarifies venue rules for personal actions, emphasizing the principal plaintiff's residence determines proper venue, not nominal co-plaintiffs.
Philippine Airlines Retrenchment: Proving Financial Distress and Fair Implementation
The Supreme Court ruled PAL's 1998 mass retrenchment illegal for failure to prove losses and use fair criteria. Here's what employers must show.
Res Judicata in Philippine Labor Disputes: When Prior Rulings Bar Relitigation
Explaining res judicata in labor cases through Garcia v. PAL, where a final ruling on employer-employee relationship barred a later illegal dismissal claim.
Solidary Liability in Labor Disputes: When Principals and Contractors Share Responsibility
The Supreme Court clarifies when a principal is solidarily liable with an independent contractor for labor claims, and when it is not.
Labor-Only Contracting: When a Principal Becomes the True Employer
Explaining labor-only contracting under Philippine law, and when a principal employer is liable as the true employer of contractor-supplied workers.
Solidary Liability in Labor-Only Contracting: Catholic Vicariate v. Sto. Tomas
Explains when a principal is solidarily liable with contractors for unpaid wages, even without an employer-employee relationship.
Upholding Comelec's Authority: Finality of Election Contest Decisions for Municipal Mayors
The Supreme Court affirms the finality of Comelec decisions in election contests for municipal mayors, clarifying jurisdictional boundaries.
Municipal Boundaries Law Prevails Over Inconsistent Interpretation
Supreme Court rules that a municipality's boundaries are fixed by its charter law, and only Congress may alter them.