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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Force, Theft, and Rape: How the Supreme Court Weighs Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
In a 2003 rape case, the Supreme Court acquitted two men after finding the complainant's testimony riddled with inconsistencies. Here is what the ruling teaches.
Sheriffs Duty Upholding Impartiality AND Avoiding Misconduct IN Executing Court Orders
Reassessing Criminal Liability From Murder TO Homicide Based ON Absence OF Evident Premeditation
The Supreme Court clarifies when a killing is homicide, not murder, absent proof of evident premeditation, and explains conspiracy liability.
Rent Obligations Remain Lease Contracts Survive Land Ownership Changes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether a change in land ownership cancels a lease contract and excuses unpaid rent.
Forcible Entry: Why Even Property Owners Cannot Eject Occupants by Force
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: owners cannot forcibly eject occupants, even trespassers. Learn the legal remedies for recovering possession.
Property Rights vs Due Process: When Forceful Eviction Is Illegal
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: owners cannot forcibly eject occupants, even trespassers, without court order. Know your rights.
When Is a Shipping Company a Common Carrier? Lessons from Philamgen v. PKS Shipping
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a shipping firm is a common carrier and how extraordinary diligence affects liability for lost cargo.
Prescription and Work-Related Illness: Protecting Employees' Right to Compensation
Learn how the Supreme Court protected a widow's employees' compensation claim, ruling on prescription periods and work-related heart attacks.
Judicial Accountability When Judges Notarize Outside Their Authority
A Supreme Court ruling reminds judges that the power to notarize ex officio is narrow, and that notarizing a document without the affiant present is a serious breach.
Due Process in Administrative Dismissals: The Impermissibility of Hasty Decisions on Unauthenticated Evidence
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why administrative dismissals cannot rest on unauthenticated evidence and the importance of due process.
When a Judge's Private Misconduct Ends a Judicial Career: Gross Immorality and Its Consequences
A Supreme Court ruling shows how a judge's extramarital affair led to dismissal from service and suspension from law practice.
Upholding Judicial Integrity Strict Adherence TO Raffle Procedures AND Truthfulness IN Court Orders
The Perils of Second Pre-Trials: Safeguarding Due Process in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a second pre-trial without proper notice violates due process, and explains the proper appeal route for COSLAP decisions.
Motion to Dismiss Clarifies Court's Duty and the Boundaries of Prescription
A look at how the Supreme Court clarified the proper appellate remedy from COSLAP decisions and the boundaries of prescription in land disputes.
Treachery in Robbery With Homicide: Supreme Court Clarifies Aggravating Circumstances
The Supreme Court clarifies that treachery can aggravate robbery with homicide when the victim is killed treacherously, affecting penalty imposition.
Judicial Ethics: Maintaining Impartiality and Avoiding Impropriety in the Judiciary
A Supreme Court ruling on a Batangas land dispute clarifies when a trial court may deny a motion to dismiss and why it must not defer that resolution until trial.
The Weight of Fear: Evaluating Delay in Rape Cases Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on rape convictions, victim credibility, and why delay in reporting does not weaken a case.
Judicial Integrity Under Scrutiny: False Statements and the Limits of Bribery Claims in the Philippines
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling on dismissing an unproven bribery complaint against a judge while penalizing false statements under judicial ethics.
Unlawful Confessions and the Acquittal in a Robbery with Rape Case
The Supreme Court acquitted two men convicted of robbery with rape after finding the extrajudicial confession inadmissible and the identification of the accused uncertain.
Regular Employment vs Fixed-Term Contracts: Security of Tenure in Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when fixed-term employees become regular workers entitled to security of tenure and full backwages.
Withdrawal of an Administrative Complaint Does Not Stop the Supreme Court's Discipline of Court Personnel
In Casanova v. Cajayon, the Supreme Court held that a complainant's withdrawal does not divest it of authority to discipline erring court personnel.
Judicial Accountability When Judges Overstep Supervisory Bounds and Circumvent Due Process
A Supreme Court ruling on when reprimanding a complainant violates due process, and why withdrawing an administrative complaint does not end the case.
Treachery in Group Assault: When Murder Qualifies Beyond Reasonable Doubt
A Supreme Court ruling explains how treachery in a coordinated group attack qualifies killing as murder, even without evident premeditation.
Intrafamilial Rape: Conviction Upheld on Minor's Credible Testimony and Parental Relationship
Supreme Court affirms death penalty for father convicted of raping his 13-year-old daughter, relying on the victim's credible testimony and proven relationship.