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.
Prescription IN Anti Graft Cases THE States Right TO Recover ILL Gotten Wealth VS Timely Prosecution
From Public Land to Private Right: Establishing Land Ownership Through Acquisitive Prescription
How long possession of alienable public land can ripen into private ownership, explained through a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.
Prescription AND Implied Trusts When Possession AND Time Determine Land Ownership
Prescription of Offenses: When Filing a Complaint Interrupts the Prescriptive Period
Learn how filing a complaint interrupts prescription of offenses in the Philippines, and when the prescriptive period resumes under Article 91 of the RPC.
Prescription Period in Illegal Dismissal Cases: When Does the Clock Start Ticking
Learn when the prescriptive period for illegal dismissal claims begins, based on Philippine Supreme Court rulings and the Labor Code.
When Can a Court Reinstate a Dismissed Appeal: Procedural Lapses in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court explains when procedural lapses in appeals may be overlooked to serve substantial justice, with rules on prescription of mortgage actions.
Prescription in Mortgage Foreclosure: When the Clock Starts Ticking in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that the 10-year prescriptive period for mortgage foreclosure runs from default, not from the mortgage date.
When Can Land Awards Be Cancelled? The Buenaventura Case on Prescription
The Supreme Court clarifies when possession of alienable public land ripens into private ownership through prescription, even without proof of possession since 1945.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Acquiring Ownership Through Prescription
Learn how to acquire land title in the Philippines through prescription under Section 14(2) of PD 1529, explained through a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Prescription Periods in Labor Disputes: Why Filing on Time and in the Right Court Matters
A Supreme Court ruling on prescription of money claims in labor cases, and why filing in the wrong court can be fatal.
Does Filing a Case Stop the Clock? Prescription in Philippine Land Registration Cases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that prescription and laches do not bar enforcement of final judgments in land registration cases, explaining why.
Prescription and Laches in Land Registration Cases: The Sta. Ana Doctrine Affirmed
Philippine Supreme Court affirms that prescription and laches do not bar enforcement of final land registration judgments, protecting property owners' rights.
Land Title Forever: Why Court Decisions in Land Registration Cases Don't Expire in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling confirms that prescription and laches do not bar enforcement of final land registration judgments, protecting property rights indefinitely.
Setting the Critical Date for Electric Rate Refunds in the Philippines
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a refund claim over utility charges is barred by prescription, and why the date of payment, not discovery, controls.
Acquisitive Prescription and Laches in Property Disputes: Aguirre v. Heirs of Villanueva
Learn how the Supreme Court applied ordinary acquisitive prescription and laches in a property dispute between heirs and buyers.
When a Seafarer's Quitclaim and Delay Bar Disability Claims: The Famanila Case
The Supreme Court explains when a seafarer's quitclaim is valid and how prescription periods bar late disability claims.
Prescription of Offenses Under Special Laws: Absence From the Philippines Does Not Suspend the Period
The Supreme Court rules that under Act No. 3326, an accused's absence from the Philippines does not interrupt the prescriptive period for offenses under special laws.
When Does Prescription Start for a Renunciation Agreement? Caoibes v. Caoibes-Pantoja
Learn when the prescriptive period runs for enforcing a renunciation agreement, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Caoibes v. Caoibes-Pantoja.
Prescription and Foreclosure: Understanding Timelines in Philippine Mortgage Law
Learn when prescription bars mortgage foreclosure actions in the Philippines, and why courts—not litigants—decide the issue.
Due Process in Corporate Disputes: Prescription and Quieting of Title Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when actions to quiet title are imprescriptible, protecting possessors from wrongful execution sales.
Reformation of Contract: When Does the Prescription Period Begin?
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when the 10-year prescriptive period for reformation of contract starts—not from execution, but from discovery of the mistake.
When Can a Lawyer Be Disciplined? No Prescription for Attorney Misconduct
The Supreme Court strikes down the IBP's two-year prescription rule, affirming that lawyer misconduct can be disciplined anytime.
Protecting Your Inheritance: Co-Ownership and Prescription in Philippine Property Law
Learn how Philippine law protects co-owners from prescription and laches, and the rules on legal redemption when a co-heir sells property.
Prescription Periods in Philippine Anti-Graft Cases: When Does the Clock Really Start
Learn how Philippine courts determine when the prescriptive period for anti-graft offenses begins, based on recent Supreme Court rulings.