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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Witness Credibility and the Perils of Delayed Justice: Analyzing Testimonial Inconsistencies in Murder Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on witness credibility, police blotter discrepancies, and why aggravating circumstances must be alleged in the information to justify the death penalty.
Rape Conviction and Venue: When Aggravating Circumstances Must Be Alleged
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why aggravating circumstances like dwelling and nighttime must be alleged in the information to justify the death penalty.
Amending Informations After Arraignment: Rights of the Accused vs. Prosecutorial Efficiency
When can the prosecution amend an Information after arraignment? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on substantial vs. formal amendments.
Conviction for Incestuous Rape: When Multiple Counts Arise from One Information
A father's conviction for six counts of incestuous rape shows how credible victim testimony and proof of minority determine the penalty.
Rape Conviction Stands But Death Penalty Reduced: Qualifying Circumstances Must Be Alleged in the Information
A rape conviction stands, but the Supreme Court reduces the death penalty to reclusion perpetua because minority and relationship were not alleged in the information.
Rape Conviction and the Death Penalty: When Relationship Must Be Alleged in the Information
The Supreme Court affirms a death sentence for rape, explaining when the qualifying circumstance of relationship must be alleged and proven.
Rape Conviction Requires Proof of Specific Dates Alleged in Information
Supreme Court ruling on proving specific dates in rape and acts of lasciviousness cases under Philippine law.
Due Process in Rape Cases: Why Alleging Qualifying Circumstances Matters for Death Penalty
The Supreme Court explains why the death penalty in rape cases requires the qualifying circumstances to be alleged in the information, not just proved at trial.
Rape and the Requisite Allegations: Protecting Due Process in Criminal Prosecutions
The Supreme Court clarifies that special qualifying circumstances like relationship must be alleged in the information to justify the death penalty for rape.
Rape and Parental Relations: Clarifying Special Qualifying Circumstances in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when rape qualifies for the death penalty and why allegations of relationship must appear in the information.
Incestuous Rape: Why Alleging Minority in the Information Matters
A father's rape conviction was reduced from death to reclusion perpetua because the Information failed to properly allege the victim's minority.
Rape of a Mentally Retarded Person: Consent and Knowledge of Disability
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on rape of a mental retardate, consent, and the need to allege knowledge of disability in the information.
Motion for Bill of Particulars: Ensuring Clarity in Philippine Criminal Informations
Learn when a bill of particulars is needed in Philippine criminal cases and why vague dates in an information may not be fatal.
Pleading Pitfalls: How Incorrect Wording in Rape Informations Can Impact Penalties in the Philippines
Learn how defective wording in rape informations can affect penalties, based on Philippine Supreme Court rulings on criminal procedure.
Accused's Right to Be Informed: Why Discrepancies in Rape Charges Lead to Acquittal in the Philippines
The Supreme Court acquitted a rape accused because the trial court convicted him of a mode of rape not alleged in the information, violating his constitutional right to be informed of the accusation.
Proving Rape: Why Corroborating Testimony and Victim Behavior Matter in Philippine Courts
A child rape victim's candid testimony and medical evidence secured conviction, but the Supreme Court reduced the death penalty because the information failed to allege the qualifying circumstance of
Vague Dates in Rape Informations: When Approximate Time Is Enough
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether vague dates in rape informations violate the accused's right to be informed, and why approximate time suffices.
Statutory Rape in the Philippines: Why Proper Charges and Proof Matter
A look at how the Supreme Court reduced a death sentence to reclusion perpetua because the information failed to properly allege qualifying circumstances.
Rape Case Dismissed? Why Proper Legal Information Is Crucial in Philippine Criminal Law
A rape conviction reduced to reclusion perpetua shows why qualifying circumstances must be alleged in the information. Learn the legal rules.
When Parental Authority Becomes Criminal Abuse: Rape by a Father in Philippine Law
A father's rape of his 12-year-old daughter leads to reclusion perpetua, not death, because the minority was not alleged in the information.
Philippine Rape Law: Why Properly Charging Qualifying Circumstances Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
A rape conviction was reduced from death to reclusion perpetua because a qualifying circumstance wasn't alleged in the information. Learn why precise charging matters.
Due Process in Preliminary Investigations: Raro v. Sandiganbayan Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies that defects in a preliminary investigation do not automatically invalidate an information or violate due process.
Protecting Child Rape Victims: Why Precision in Criminal Charges Matters
The Supreme Court affirms a stepfather's rape conviction but spares his life because the information misstated his relationship to the victim.
Incestuous Rape and the Moral Ascendancy Standard: Key Lessons from People v. Nava
The Supreme Court explains the moral ascendancy standard in incestuous rape and why qualifying circumstances must be pleaded in the information.