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.
Incestuous Rape: Why Explicit Allegations Matter for the Death Penalty
The Supreme Court acquits a stepfather of rape, stressing that material inconsistencies in the victim's testimony and evidence of frame-up defeat conviction.
Statutory Rape: Why Pleading Qualifying Circumstances in the Information Matters
A Supreme Court ruling shows why prosecutors must allege both the victim's minority and relationship to the accused to justify the death penalty.
Defining Qualified Rape: The Critical Elements for Imposing the Death Penalty
The Supreme Court clarifies when rape with homicide warrants the death penalty, requiring proof of both crimes beyond reasonable doubt.
Statutory Rape and Parental Authority: Why the Supreme Court Upheld a Father's Conviction
The Supreme Court affirms a father's rape conviction, explaining how parental moral ascendancy substitutes for force and why proof of age matters for the death penalty.
Simple vs Qualified Rape: Why Allegations in the Information Matter
The Supreme Court explains why the death penalty for qualified rape requires both minority and relationship to be alleged in the information.
Father's Conviction for Raping Minor Daughter Upheld; Death Penalty Affirmed
The Supreme Court affirms the death sentence of a father convicted of qualified rape of his 14-year-old daughter, clarifying rules on victim credibility and damages.
Standing Firm Against Abuse: The Supreme Court's Stance on Rape and Incest
A father's rape of his 9-year-old daughter tests the limits of Philippine law on evidence, procedure, and the death penalty.
Incestuous Rape: Proving the Victim's Age and the Limits of Amending the Information
A father's rape conviction was reduced from death to reclusion perpetua because the prosecution failed to prove the victim's minority with competent evidence.
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.
Independent Counsel Requirement in Custodial Investigation: The Velarde Case
A mayor acting as counsel during custodial investigation is not independent, making confessions inadmissible and leading to acquittal.
Private Searches and Constitutional Rights: When Is Evidence Admissible
The Supreme Court clarifies that constitutional protection against unreasonable searches applies only against government action, not private individuals.
Eyewitness Testimony and Positive Identification in Criminal Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on eyewitness identification, circumstantial evidence, and penalties in carnapping and homicide cases.
Rape and Consent: Examining Force and Intimidation in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court affirms a death sentence for statutory rape of a six-year-old, clarifying that force is presumed when the victim is under twelve.
The Sanity Presumption Determining Criminal Liability in the Philippines
Philippine law presumes every person sane. This case explains when insanity can exempt an accused from criminal liability.
Reasonable Doubt Prevails Safeguarding Individual Rights In Criminal Prosecution
The presumption of innocence and the prosecution's burden to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt are fundamental safeguards in Philippine criminal law.
Deceptive Recruitment Establishing Guilt In Illegal Recruitment AND Estafa Cases
How false promises of overseas jobs led to convictions for illegal recruitment in large scale and estafa.
Rape Conviction Hinges on Specificity: Charges Define the Crime
Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains why specific allegations in rape informations matter, and how penetration is proven in statutory rape cases.
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.
When Mental Capacity at Arraignment Matters: A Landmark Drug and Criminal Case Remand
The Supreme Court vacated a death penalty conviction because the trial court failed to assess the accused's mental fitness before arraignment.
Conspiracy and Abuse of Superior Strength in Murder: Lessons from People v. Sumibcay
The Supreme Court explains how treachery, not conspiracy or abuse of superior strength, qualified killing to murder in People v. Sumibcay.
Eyewitness Testimony and Credibility in Murder Cases: The Noel Lee Case
How Philippine courts weigh eyewitness credibility, alibi, and treachery in murder convictions, explained through the Noel Lee case.
Forcible Abduction: Consent, Lewd Designs, and the Limits of the Sweetheart Defense
The Supreme Court clarifies forcible abduction under Article 342, when consent matters, and why failed rape evidence still proves lewd designs.
Voluntary Surrender as a Mitigating Circumstance: When Murder Is Reduced to Homicide
The Supreme Court explains when voluntary surrender mitigates a killing and why a heated argument negates treachery, reducing murder to homicide.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Witness Testimony Enough Despite Victim's Mental State
Supreme Court affirms rape conviction based on eyewitness testimony, ruling a victim's mental incapacity does not weaken prosecution evidence.