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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Acquiring Public Land: Open Possession Since 1945 and the Right to Compensation
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when long possession of public land can ripen into ownership and entitle a claimant to just compensation.
Stroke Compensation Claims: When Work Stress Meets Employee Welfare
Supreme Court clarifies when stroke and hypertension are compensable under PD 626, emphasizing probability over certainty in employee claims.
Work-Related Stroke: Supreme Court Upholds Employees' Compensation Claims
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled that a worker's stroke can be compensable under Philippine law, using substantial evidence and probability.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: Government Delay Forfeits Expropriation Rights
The Supreme Court rules that the government's failure to pay just compensation for over 30 years bars its claim to expropriated property.
Expropriation Without Payment: When the Government Sleeps on Its Rights
Supreme Court rules that failure to pay just compensation for over 30 years bars the government from claiming expropriated property.
Eminent Domain Easements Just Compensation For Perpetual Restrictions ON Property USE
When a right-of-way easement for transmission lines permanently restricts property use, full just compensation, not a mere easement fee, is due.
Work-Related Illness and Seafarers' Compensation: The Burden of Proof Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is compensable and how the burden of proof works in disability claims.
Eminent Domain and Timely Filing: Protecting Landowner Rights to Just Compensation
The Supreme Court clarifies when landowners may still seek judicial determination of just compensation despite missing the 15-day filing period under agrarian reform laws.
Subrogation and Compensation When Payment of Another's Debt Extinguishes Obligations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on legal subrogation and compensation when a business buyer pays the seller's unpaid bills.
State Immunity vs Private Rights: Balancing Public Use and Just Compensation
When government agencies take private property without expropriation, state immunity cannot block claims for just compensation and recovery of possession.
Salary Standardization vs Local Autonomy: Resolving Compensation Disputes in Water Districts
The Supreme Court clarifies that water districts must follow the Salary Standardization Law when fixing general manager pay, but good faith may excuse refunds.
Homestead Rights Prevail: Reclassification of Land Does Not Extinguish Right to Repurchase
Learn how the Supreme Court protects homestead rights in expropriation, ruling on right-of-way measurement and just compensation.
Navigating Compensation in GOCCs: PCSO COLA Disallowance and the Limits of Board Authority
The Supreme Court affirms COA's disallowance of PCSO's cost of living allowance, clarifying limits on GOCC board authority over compensation.
Just Compensation Beyond Market Value: Ensuring Fair Recovery in Expropriation Cases
The Supreme Court affirms that just compensation in expropriation cases may exceed market value, including consequential damages for remaining property.
Seafarers Death After Repatriation Ensuring Compensation FOR Work Related Illnesses
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on death benefits for seafarers who die shortly after repatriation from work-related illnesses.
Timely Compensation Determining Interest on Delayed Agrarian Land Payments
The Supreme Court clarifies when 12% interest accrues on delayed agrarian reform compensation, ruling it runs from the time of taking, not from revaluation.
Just Compensation and Inflation: What Expropriation Law Really Requires
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that inflation is not added to just compensation; interest covers currency devaluation in expropriation cases.
Untimely Relief: The High Cost of Delay in Labor Disputes
Explore how the Supreme Court ruled on laches, tolerance, and compensation in property disputes involving government agencies.
Permanent Total Disability for Seafarers: The 120-Day Rule and POEA-SEC Entitlement
When does a seafarer's disability become permanent and total? The Supreme Court clarifies the 120-day rule and POEA-SEC compensation in Island Overseas Transport v. Beja.
Mortgages on Land Reform Properties: Balancing Bank Rights and Agrarian Justice
When land reform and bank mortgages collide, who gets the just compensation? The Supreme Court settles the rule.
Compensation and Delay: When Debts Cannot Offset Judgments in the Philippines
Philippine Trust Co. v. Roxas explains when legal compensation fails—unliquidated debts, waiver, and late defenses at execution stage.
Just Compensation for Agrarian Reform: Balancing Landowner Rights and Social Justice
The Supreme Court clarifies how just compensation is computed in agrarian reform cases, balancing landowner rights with social justice.
Just Compensation in Eminent Domain: Balancing Judicial Discretion and Statutory Guidelines
The Supreme Court clarifies how courts must balance judicial discretion with statutory guidelines in determining just compensation for agrarian reform lands.
Just Compensation and Agrarian Reform: Applying RA 6657 to Lands Under PD 27
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how RA 6657 governs just compensation for lands previously covered by PD 27, ensuring farmers receive fair value.