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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Moratorium on Salary Increases Limits on GOCC Board Authority
Supreme Court clarifies that moratoriums on salary increases constrain GOCC board authority, affirming the legality of compensation freezes.
Backwages IN Illegal Dismissal Cases Ensuring Full Compensation FOR Lost Earnings
Burden of Proof in Seafarer Compensation Claims: Work Conditions and Illness Causation
Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is work-related and how delayed disability ratings affect permanent total disability claims.
Right of Way vs Just Compensation: Property Disputes in Infrastructure Projects
When government projects use private land, a pre-existing right of way can bar compensation claims. Learn the rules from a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: Valuing Land Beyond BIR Zonal Valuation
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that BIR zonal values are mere guides, not binding limits, in determining just compensation for expropriated property.
Senior Citizen and PWD Discounts: Police Power, Not Eminent Domain
The Supreme Court upheld the 20% senior citizen and PWD medicine discounts as a valid exercise of police power, not eminent domain requiring just compensation.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Courts Hold Individuals Accountable for Corporate Wrongdoing
Explaining the Supreme Court's ruling in California Manufacturing v. Advanced Technology System on when courts may pierce the corporate veil and apply legal compensation.
Redundancy and Fair Compensation: Balancing Business Needs and Employee Rights in Termination
The Supreme Court clarifies when redundancy dismissals are valid and when separation pay falls short of the Labor Code's requirements.
Determining Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: Balancing Land Value and Legal Mandates
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how just compensation is determined in agrarian reform cases, balancing land value factors and legal mandates.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: How Courts Value Expropriated Property
Philippine Supreme Court explains how courts determine just compensation in expropriation cases, using Republic v. Heirs of Santiago as guide.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform Courts Must Apply Legal Formula for Fair Land Valuation
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that agrarian reform courts must follow DAR valuation formulas when determining just compensation for land.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: Balancing Land Valuation and Fair Returns
When courts ignore the DAR valuation formula for agrarian land, the Supreme Court remands the case to ensure just compensation under RA 6657.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: The Heirs of Tapulado Case
Learn how courts determine just compensation in agrarian reform cases, based on the Heirs of Tapulado ruling.
Agrarian Reform Just Compensation: Balancing Landowner Rights and Social Justice
Supreme Court clarifies when landowners may directly sue for just compensation despite the exhaustion of administrative remedies doctrine.
Judicial Immunity and the Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies in Agrarian Compensation Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when landowners may directly sue for just compensation despite the exhaustion of administrative remedies doctrine.
Non-Diminution of Pay: Protecting Employee Benefits in Government Restructuring
The Supreme Court clarifies how non-diminution of pay applies when government agencies restructure compensation plans, using the NAPOCOR COLA case as example.
Premature Claims and the Company Physician's Assessment in Seafarer Disability Cases
Explaining Maersk Filipinas v. Ramos on why premature disability claims fail and how the company-designated physician's assessment shapes seafarer compensation.
Protecting Seafarers' Permanent Partial Disability and the Right to Compensation
Supreme Court rules seafarers can claim permanent partial disability benefits even if injury is curable or not in POEA schedule.
Just Compensation for Agrarian Land: The Cut-Off Rule Before RA 9700
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when RA 9700 applies to agrarian land valuation, protecting landowners with claims filed before July 1, 2009.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: Balancing Landowner Rights and Valuation Guidelines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that courts must apply DAR valuation formulas in agrarian just compensation cases, not rely solely on market values.
Myocardial Infarction and Employee Compensation: Proving Causation in Occupational Diseases
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when myocardial infarction is compensable under the Employees' Compensation Program and what claimants must prove.
Just Compensation When Government Takes Property Before Filing Expropriation
When government takes property years before filing expropriation, just compensation is valued at the time of taking, not at filing.
Fiscal Autonomy vs COA Oversight: Striking the Balance in PHIC
The Supreme Court clarifies that PHIC's fiscal autonomy does not exempt it from COA oversight and compensation standards.
Determining Damages in Wrongful Death: Balancing Compensation and Proof
How the Supreme Court balances compensation and proof in wrongful death cases, and what heirs must prove to recover damages.