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.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Consent, Intimidation, and Victim Credibility in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, explaining how intimidation, victim credibility, and medical evidence establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Philippine Search Warrants and Territorial Jurisdiction: When Can a Manila Court Order a Search in Cavite
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling on when courts can issue search warrants outside their territorial jurisdiction.
Warrantless Vehicle Searches: When Can Police Search Your Car in the Philippines
Philippine law allows warrantless vehicle searches under certain conditions. Learn the rules from a Supreme Court ruling on illegal lumber transport.
Rape Conviction Based on Credible Testimony: People v. Suyat
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, explaining when a victim's credible testimony alone can prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Retirement Plans and Security of Tenure: Voluntary vs Compulsory Retirement in the Philippines
When does a retirement plan violate security of tenure? The Supreme Court explains the difference between voluntary and compulsory retirement.
Quieting of Title and Summary Judgments: What Philippine Property Owners Should Know
Learn how the Supreme Court clarified when summary judgment is proper in quieting of title cases, and what this means for property owners facing ownership disputes.
Challenging Election Results: Pre-Proclamation Controversies and Void Proclamations
Learn when a pre-proclamation controversy can be filed after proclamation, and why a void proclamation is no proclamation at all.
Serious Physical Injuries in the Philippines: The Pilares Case Explained
Understand serious physical injuries under Philippine law through the Pilares case, including penalties, evidence, and self-defense considerations.
Employer Liability for Employee Death in the Philippines Even in Fortuitous Events
Philippine employers may be liable for employee death caused by fortuitous events under Article 1711 of the Civil Code, as explained in Candano Shipping Lines v. Sugata-on.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Overcoming the Presumption of Public Land
A Supreme Court ruling on land registration in the Philippines explains why proving alienable public land requires more than a surveyor's notation.
Persistent Lying As Psychological Incapacity Understanding Grounds For Marriage Nullity In The Philippines
Explore how persistent lying may constitute psychological incapacity under Philippine law, affecting marriage nullity cases and legal remedies.
Local Government Authority and Ordinance Enforcement: A Guide for Businesses
Learn how the Supreme Court affirmed a city mayor's duty to enforce local ordinances, and what this means for businesses operating under reclassified zones.
Judicial Accountability in the Philippines: When Judges Fail Their Duty
Supreme Court ruling on judge who resigned amid administrative cases shows accountability persists even after resignation from the judiciary.
Unconscionable Interest Rates: How Philippine Courts Protect Borrowers
Philippine courts void unconscionable interest rates as against public policy. Learn the rules, jurisprudential standards, and practical protections for borrowers.
Voluntary Agreement IS KEY Understanding Valid Arbitration IN Philippine Barangay Dispute Resolution
Learn how the Supreme Court treats compromise agreements as binding law, and how filing a second case can constitute forum shopping.
When Circumstantial Evidence Convicts: Lessons from a Philippine Rape-Homicide Case
The Supreme Court explains when circumstantial evidence is enough to convict, using a rape-homicide case as a guide.
Double Sale in the Philippines: How Good Faith and Prior Knowledge Decide Property Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on double sale: a second buyer who registers first but knows of the first sale acts in bad faith and loses.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When a Parent Company Can Be Liable for Its Subsidiary's Debts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a parent company and its subsidiary can be treated as one employer for labor liability.
Bank Closures Under RA 7653: Why a Report Suffices Without Full Examination
Supreme Court clarifies that under RA 7653, the BSP Monetary Board may close a bank based on a department head's report, not a full examination.
Fixed-Term Contracts in the Philippines: When Are They Valid? Caparoso v. Court of Appeals Explained
Understand when fixed-term employment contracts are valid in the Philippines, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Caparoso v. Court of Appeals.
Divorce Abroad and Remarriage in the Philippines: Legal Standing in Bigamy Cases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies who may challenge a bigamous marriage when a foreign divorce is involved, and what evidence is required.
Philippine Wage Orders: The Limits of Regional Wage Board Authority
The Supreme Court rules that regional wage boards cannot grant across-the-board increases to all workers, only minimum wage earners.
Substantial Justice Prevails Understanding Motions FOR Extension AND Notice Requirements IN Philippine Appeals
When a defective motion for extension can still save an appeal, and when execution pending appeal is premature in ejectment cases.
Missed Appeal Deadlines Understanding THE Fresh Period Rule IN Philippine Courts
Learn how the fresh period rule in Neypes v. CA changed appeal deadlines in Philippine courts, giving litigants a full 15 days after denial of a motion for reconsideration.