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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When Fraud in Election Returns Does Not Justify a Declaration of Failed Election
Philippine Supreme Court explains when election fraud warrants a failure of election declaration versus an election protest.
Filing Fees in Philippine Election Protests: Jurisdictional Rules and Timelines
Philippine election protest filing fees are jurisdictional. Late payment does not cure defects. Learn the rules and deadlines.
Comelec Jurisdiction in Election Protests: Ensuring Due Process in Philippine Election Appeals
The Supreme Court ruled that COMELEC en banc cannot decide election protests at first instance; only divisions have that authority.
Lost Your Election Case? Don't Miss the Appeal Deadline: The 5-Day Rule in Barangay Disputes
In barangay election protests, the appeal period to COMELEC is five days, not ten. Learn the rule from Antonio v. COMELEC.
Exhausting Administrative Remedies: A Key Principle in Philippine Labor Disputes
Why skipping the appeal to the Labor Secretary doomed a union's election protest before the Supreme Court.
Limits of Protest Striking Teachers and the Public Interest in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on teacher strikes, free assembly limits, and public interest in education.
Lost Your Election Protest? Understanding Pre-Proclamation Controversies in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when election protests must be filed, and why pre-proclamation cases end after proclamation.
Execution Pending Appeal in Philippine Election Protests: When Can a Trial Court Still Act
The Supreme Court clarifies when a trial court may still order execution pending appeal in election protests, even after an opponent files a notice of appeal.
Election Protests Understanding Timelines AND Grounds FOR Recounts IN THE Philippines
Election Protests Ensuring Fair Canvassing AND Valid Proclamations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on election protests, canvassing irregularities, and the validity of proclamations in electoral disputes.
Election Protests Understanding Demurrer to Evidence and Waiver of Rights in Philippine Law
Learn how filing a demurrer to evidence waives the right to present defense evidence, based on Philippine Supreme Court rulings.
Pre-Proclamation Disputes: When Election Cases End at the Start of Term
Learn how Philippine law terminates pre-proclamation cases at the start of term, and when the remedy shifts to an election protest.
Election Protests: The Strict Timeline for Filing Counterprotests in the Philippines
Understand the strict 5-day deadline for filing counterprotests in Philippine election cases, as clarified by the Supreme Court in Lim v. COMELEC.
Counter-Protest Deadlines in Election Cases: Jurisdictional Limits of COMELEC
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on strict deadlines for counter-protests in election cases and COMELEC's jurisdictional limits.
Pre-Proclamation Controversies: Valid Objections vs Election Protests in the Philippines
Learn when ballot objections belong in pre-proclamation cases or election protests, based on Patoray v. COMELEC.
Execution Pending Appeal in Philippine Election Protests: When Can a Winner Take Office Early
Learn when Philippine courts allow execution pending appeal in election protests, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Lindo v. COMELEC.
Pre-Proclamation Controversies: When Can Election Returns Be Excluded?
Philippine Supreme Court explains the limited grounds for excluding election returns in pre-proclamation controversies and why fraud claims belong in election protests.
Execution Pending Appeal in Philippine Election Protests: When Can a Winner Take Office Immediately
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when execution pending appeal is allowed in election protests, and why COMELEC can stop a premature assumption of office.
Election Protest Filing Fees: When Incomplete Payment Won't Get Your Case Dismissed
Learn when an incomplete election protest filing fee won't get your case dismissed, and the rules on paying deficiencies.
Election Protests Must Specify Precincts Where Fraud Occurred
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why election protests must specify precincts where fraud allegedly occurred to be sufficient in form and substance.
Navigating Forum Shopping in the Philippines: A Guide to Avoiding Dismissal
Learn how the Supreme Court applies the non-forum shopping certification rule to election protests and why timing matters for your case.
Election Protests and Forum Shopping: The Certification Rule in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when non-forum shopping certifications apply to election protests and why timing matters.
Election Protests and Succession: Ensuring Electoral Integrity After a Candidate's Death
The Supreme Court rules that election protests survive a candidate's death, ensuring the people's true choice prevails.
When Courts Must Decide Election Protests: The 15-Day Mandatory Period
A judge's one-year delay in resolving a barangay election protest led to a fine for gross inefficiency. Learn the mandatory 15-day rule.