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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Beyond 30 Days When Preventive Suspension Becomes Constructive Dismissal
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that preventive suspension beyond 30 days can constitute constructive dismissal, entitling employees to reinstatement and backwages.
Due Process in Employee Dismissal: Backwages Only for Bad Faith Termination
Learn when reinstated government employees can claim backwages, and why procedural rules on appeals must still be followed.
Power Back On: Your Rights to Electricity Reconnection in the Philippines
When can a power company cut your electricity, and can you get it restored? A Supreme Court ruling clarifies your rights.
When Government Takes Property Without Expropriation: Just Compensation Rules
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how to value property taken by government without expropriation proceedings, and when back rentals are due.
Reinstatement Isn't Just an Order: Supreme Court Clarifies Employers' Backwage Obligations in Illegal Dismissa
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies that an order to reinstate an illegally dismissed employee does not stop backwages from accruing until actual reinstatement or separation pay.
Illegal Preventive Suspension in the Philippines: The Gatbonton Case and Employee Rights
When is preventive suspension illegal in the Philippines? The Gatbonton v. Mapua ruling explains due process, publication of rules, and back wages.
Presidential Power Limits on Foreign Debt Contraction in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the President's power to contract foreign loans, including debt buybacks and bond conversions, under Section 20, Article VII of the Constitution.
When a over his 15.3955-hectare unregistered parcel of land in Davao City in favor of Benny Go for P20,000.00.
Bacaron filed a complaint for reformation of instrument, arguing that the true agreement was an equitable mortgage. He pointed out that the P20,000.00 considera
Equal Treatment in Back Pay for Philippine Ports Authority Employees
Supreme Court rules PPA employees hired after July 1, 1989 are entitled to COLA and amelioration allowance back pay.
Taxation OF Stemmed Leaf Tobacco Clarifying Exemptions FOR Tobacco Manufacturers
Habeas Corpus and Military Detention: The Limits of the Writ in the Oakwood Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when habeas corpus applies to military detention and what rights detainees retain, using the 2003 Oakwood incident as the backdrop.
Reinstatement After Acquittal: Employee Rights When Dismissal Is Based on a False Cause
When an employee is dismissed for a crime they did not commit, the dismissal is illegal. Learn the rules on reinstatement and backwages.
Due Process in Dismissal: Nominal Damages for Procedural Violations in Philippine Labor Law
Learn when Philippine courts award nominal damages, not backwages, for procedural due process violations in employee dismissal cases.
PLDT v. City of Bacolod: The Limits of the Most-Favored-Treatment Clause in Tax Exemptions
The Supreme Court rules that the most-favored-treatment clause in R.A. 7925 does not grant tax exemptions to telecommunications companies.
Most Favored Treatment Clause in Telecom: What PLDT v. Bacolod Means for Tax Exemptions
The Supreme Court rules that Section 23 of RA 7925 does not grant automatic tax exemptions to telecom companies. Learn what this means.
Protecting Labor's Bread: Defining Employee Status and Rights to Benefits in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on security of tenure, back salaries, and the binding authority of CSC regional offices in personnel matters.
When Government Delays Just Compensation: Property Return After Unreasonable Delay
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: government must pay just compensation promptly or risk losing expropriated property back to its owner.
Reinstatement vs. Separation Pay: Upholding the Rights of Illegally Dismissed Employees
Illegal dismissal entitles workers to reinstatement and full back wages. Separation pay is only an alternative when strained relations are proven.
Constructive Dismissal: Demotion and Altered Work Conditions as Illegal Termination
When a demotion and altered work schedule make continued employment unreasonable, it amounts to constructive dismissal, entitling workers to backwages and reinstatement.
Illegal Dismissal: Full Backwages Despite Procedural Lapses
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled that illegally dismissed employees are entitled to full backwages even without perfect procedural compliance.
When Economic Hardship Doesnt Justify Termination: Separation Pay Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, separation pay, and backwages when economic hardship is not a valid cause for termination.
Intent to Kill, Conspiracy, and Premeditation in Philippine Murder Cases
The Supreme Court explains how intent to kill, conspiracy, and evident premeditation are proven in murder cases, using a 2004 Bacolod double-attack case.
Specific Tax on Stemmed Leaf Tobacco: When Exemptions Do Not Apply
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on specific tax liability of stemmed leaf tobacco dealers and the limits of tax exemptions under the NIRC.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can a Parent Company Be Held Liable for a Subsidiary's Labor Violations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when related corporations may be treated as one employer for labor liability, including separation pay and backwages.