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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Suggestive Identification Taints Conviction: Safeguarding Fair Trials in Philippine Criminal Law
The Supreme Court acquits a robbery-homicide convict because a suggestive mug shot tainted eyewitness identification, reaffirming the need for fair trials.
Accomplice Liability: When Conspiracy in Robbery Extends to Rape
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that conspirators in robbery are equally liable for rape committed on the occasion, even if only one performed the rape.
When Rape Precedes Robbery: Distinguishing Theft from Robbery with Rape
The Supreme Court clarifies when taking property after rape constitutes theft, not robbery with rape, in People v. Tamayo.
Robbery With Homicide: Proving Conspiracy and the Limits of Band Aggravation
The Supreme Court explains when conspiracy makes co-accused liable for robbery with homicide, and why "band" aggravates only when three or more armed men are proven.
Positive Identification in Philippine Criminal Law: Why Eyewitness Testimony Matters in Robbery with Rape Case
Philippine courts weigh eyewitness identification carefully in robbery with rape cases. Learn the rules on positive identification and credibility.
Eyewitness Identification AND THE Complex Crime OF Robbery With Homicide Establishing Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt and the Limits of Sole Identification in Rape Convictions
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on alibi, positive identification, and the elements of robbery with rape under Article 294.
Defense of Alibi: Limits on Intervention in Criminal Law Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when alibi fails as a defense and how courts determine intent in robbery with rape cases.
Positive Identification Prevails Over Alibi IN Robbery With Homicide Cases 2
Robbery With Homicide: Proving Guilt Through Circumstantial Evidence in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court explains how circumstantial evidence can prove robbery with homicide beyond reasonable doubt, and distinguishes it from highway robbery.
Alibi VS Positive Identification Conviction Stands IN Robbery With Homicide Despite Unpleaded Aggravating Circumstances
Positive Identification Prevails Over Alibi in Robbery with Homicide Case
The Supreme Court explains when eyewitness identification outweighs alibi and why aggravating circumstances must be alleged in the information.
Drugs, Murder, and Afterthoughts: Clarifying the Boundaries Between Robbery with Homicide and Multiple Offense
When theft is an afterthought to murder, the crime is not robbery with homicide. This case clarifies the distinction.
The Peril of Alibi: Positive Identification Overrides Defense in Robbery With Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how positive eyewitness identification defeats the weak defense of alibi in robbery with homicide cases.
Rape Conviction Upheld BUT Death Penalty Reduced THE Importance OF Proving Qualifying Circumstances
The Supreme Court reduced a death sentence to reclusion temporal after finding the prosecution failed to prove robbery and nighttime as aggravating circumstances.
Rape vs Theft: Distinguishing Intent in Special Complex Crimes Under Philippine Law
When does robbery with rape apply? The Supreme Court clarifies that intent to take property must precede the rape, not follow it.
From Robbery With Homicide to Homicide: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt Through Circumstantial Evidence
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on self-defense, circumstantial evidence, and the distinction between attempted homicide and frustrated murder.
Positive Identification Overrules Alibi in Vergara Robbery Case
Supreme Court affirms robbery conviction, holding that a victim's positive identification prevails over an accused's alibi and bare denial.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails: Acquittal in Highway Robbery Due to Inconsistent Testimony
The Supreme Court acquitted four men convicted of highway robbery, ruling that inconsistent testimony and credible alibis created reasonable doubt.
Liability IN Robbery With Homicide THE Intent TO ROB Governs THE Outcome
Uninhabited Places and Cruelty: Defining Aggravating Circumstances in Robbery with Rape
The Supreme Court clarifies when cruelty and uninhabited place aggravate robbery with rape, and affirms the death penalty in a Quezon City case.
The Chain of Circumstances Establishing Guilt in Robbery With Homicide Cases
How circumstantial evidence, not direct eyewitness testimony, can prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt in robbery with homicide cases.
Positive Identification Trumps Weak Defenses in Homicide Conviction
Learn how the Supreme Court distinguished homicide from robbery with homicide, and why positive identification defeated weak defenses in this Philippine case.
Robbery With Rape and Forcible Abduction: Lessons From People v. Napud
A 2001 Supreme Court ruling explains why the absence of physical injuries does not defeat a rape charge, and how robbery with rape is punished.