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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Probationary Employment: Standards for Regularization and Dismissal Explained
Learn the rules on probationary employment in the Philippines—what standards employers must set and when dismissal is valid.
Seafarer's Right to Disability Benefits When Employer Delays Post-Employment Medical Exam
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies employer duties and seafarer rights in post-employment medical examinations under the POEA-SEC.
Termination Disputes and Choice of Law: Protecting Philippine Labor Rights in Cross-Border Employment
Philippine labor tribunals can hear termination disputes involving foreign employers; Philippine law applies when the worker's duties are performed here.
Security of Tenure vs Management Prerogative: Balancing Rights in Security Agency Employment
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on the balance between security of tenure and management prerogative in security agency employment.
Navigating Jurisdictional Boundaries Resolving Employment Disputes Within Corporate Structures
The Supreme Court clarifies which courts and tribunals have jurisdiction when employment claims and intra-corporate disputes overlap in one case.
Fixed-Term Employment Contracts: When Expiration Is Not Illegal Dismissal
The Supreme Court clarifies when fixed-term employment is valid and its expiration is not illegal dismissal, citing Brent School.
Project vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure in Construction
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when construction workers are project employees and how employers prove project employment.
Seafarer Death Benefits: Proving Work Relatedness and Contractual Obligations
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when seafarer death benefits are payable under the POEA Standard Employment Contract, emphasizing work relatedness and contract term.
Upholding Workers Rights Interpreting Employment Contracts IN Favor OF Labor
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability becomes total and permanent, and how CBA conflict-resolution clauses bind the parties.
Regular Employment vs Talent Contract: Defining Employer-Employee Relationships in Media
How the Supreme Court distinguished regular employees from talents in ABS-CBN's TV Patrol Bicol case, applying the control test.
Seafarers Must Comply With Timely Medical Reporting To Claim Disability Benefits
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why seafarers must undergo post-employment medical exams within three days to claim disability benefits.
Breach of Trust: Defining Qualified Theft in Philippine Employment Relationships
The Supreme Court clarifies when an employee's misappropriation is qualified theft, not estafa, and explains the penalty rules.
Beyond the Contract: Can Seafarers Claim Disability Benefits After Employment Ends?
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies why death and disability benefits under the POEA contract must be claimed correctly and within the proper proceedings.
Civil Service Exam Fraud: Forged Signatures and Dishonesty in Public Service
Supreme Court ruling on Civil Service exam fraud, forged signatures, and the consequences of dishonesty in public service employment.
Regular vs. Fixed-Term Employment: Security of Tenure Under Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when fixed-term employment is valid and when it violates a worker's security of tenure under Philippine labor law.
Project-Based Employment: Defining Scope and Duration in Philippine Labor Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when project-based employment is valid, focusing on the determinable duration and scope of the project.
Finality of Settlements: How Quitclaims Impact Employment Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when quitclaims are valid and binding in labor disputes, protecting employees from waivers made under duress.
Seafarer Death Benefits After Contract Termination: What Employers Must Know
Supreme Court clarifies when death benefits apply under POEA contract—death must occur during employment term, not after pre-termination.
Pregnancy and Employment: Protecting Women's Rights in the Philippine Workplace
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling on Saudia's pregnancy termination policy affirms that women cannot be dismissed for becoming pregnant.
Security of Tenure: Regular Employment and Illegal Dismissal in Fixed-Term Contracts
When does a fixed-term employee become regular? The Supreme Court clarifies security of tenure, illegal dismissal, and employer burden of proof.
Breach of Trust in Employment: When Misconduct Justifies Termination
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a cashier's mishandling of funds amounts to breach of trust justifying dismissal from employment.
Workplace Conduct Defining Serious Misconduct IN Employment Dismissal Cases
Honesty in Public Service: Falsifying Employment Records Leads to Dismissal
The Supreme Court rules that concealing past administrative offenses in a Personal Data Sheet is gross dishonesty warranting dismissal from the Judiciary.
Theft and Dishonesty in Public Service: Consequences for Retirement Benefits and Re-Employment
Supreme Court rules on theft, dishonesty in public service, and how retirement does not erase administrative liability or preserve benefits.