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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Power Rate Differentials: ERB Authority to Protect Utility Companies Upheld
Supreme Court affirms ERB power to set rate differentials favoring utilities over direct industrial customers of NAPOCOR.
Distinguishing Homicide From Robbery With Homicide: Intent Is the Decisive Factor
The Supreme Court explains when taking a victim's property after a killing is theft, not robbery with homicide.
Positive Identification Overrides Alibi: Examining Witness Credibility and Delayed Reporting in Criminal Convi
The Supreme Court affirms a homicide conviction, rejecting self-defense, and clarifies the rules on witness credibility and delayed reporting.
Contractors Lien vs Preliminary Attachment: Rights in Construction Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a contractor's lien applies and how preliminary attachment works in construction payment disputes.
Statutory Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Lack of Physical Evidence
The Supreme Court affirms a statutory rape conviction, ruling that an intact hymen and lack of physical injuries do not negate carnal knowledge.
Wage Order Obligations: Contractor and Principal Liability in Security Service Agreements
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when security agencies can recover wage order increases from principals under solidary liability rules.
Power Rate Differentials: When Regulators May Favor Utilities Over Direct Consumers
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on ERB authority to set power rate differentials between utilities and direct industrial consumers.
Contractor's Lien vs. Insolvency: Enforcement Rights in Construction Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when a contractor's lien under Article 2242 of the Civil Code can be enforced, and the proper remedy for wrongful attachment.
Title Reconstitution AND Jurisdictional Requirements Heirs OF Ragua VS Court OF Appeals
Overtaking at a Curve: Determining Negligence and Liability in Vehicular Accidents
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on overtaking at curves, negligence presumption, and common carrier liability for passenger deaths.
Summary Procedure and Motions for Reconsideration: Scope of Prohibited Pleadings Clarified
A judge may validly act on a motion for reconsideration of a dismissal order in summary procedure cases, as clarified by the Supreme Court.
When Self Defense Fails: Unlawful Aggression as a Prerequisite in Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why self-defense fails when unlawful aggression ceases, using a police officer's homicide conviction as the key example.
Lease Renewal Clauses: Mutual Consent vs Unilateral Option Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a lease renewal clause requires mutual consent rather than a unilateral lessee option, with practical guidance.
Living Wills and Inheritance Rights: When Relatives Can Intervene in Estate Proceedings
Explains when a testator may probate a will during lifetime, and when relatives or creditors may intervene in estate settlement.
Motion for Reconsideration Under Summary Procedure: The Lucas Doctrine
When can a litigant file a motion for reconsideration under summary procedure? The Supreme Court clarifies the exception for dismissal orders.
Treachery and Conspiracy in Philippine Murder Law: The Ricafranca Case on Unlicensed Firearms
The Supreme Court clarifies treachery, conspiracy, and the effect of R.A. 8294 on murder committed with unlicensed firearms.
Forgery in Land Sales: Upholding Final Judgments Against Claims of Extrinsic Fraud
A Supreme Court ruling explains why a buyer who admitted a deed of sale was forged cannot later overturn the final judgment by claiming extrinsic fraud.
Incestuous Rape: When a Father's Betrayal Warrants the Death Penalty
The Supreme Court affirms the death penalty for a father who raped his 12-year-old daughter, underscoring the gravity of incestuous rape under Philippine law.
Execution Pending Appeal: Financial Distress Alone Is Not a Good Reason
The Supreme Court clarifies that a corporation's financial distress is not, by itself, a "good reason" for execution pending appeal.
Official Duty vs Personal Liability: Defining Immunity in Defamation Cases
Can a diplomat or international organization worker claim immunity for defamation? The Supreme Court clarifies when official duty ends and personal liability begins.
Judicial Employees and Immorality: Ethics Standards in the Philippine Judiciary
Supreme Court dismisses two court employees for illicit affair, reaffirming high moral standards for judiciary personnel.
Eminent Domain: Necessity, Procedure, and the Writ of Possession in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains when the government may expropriate private land, the necessity requirement, and the rule on writs of possession.
Exit Polls and Free Speech: The ABS-CBN v. Comelec Ruling
The Supreme Court struck down Comelec's total ban on exit polls, affirming that free speech and press freedoms protect election-day surveys.
Breach of Trust: Safeguarding Employee Rights in Termination Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on dismissal of court employees for immorality, highlighting integrity standards and due process in administrative cases.