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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Probationary Employment: Employers Must Disclose Regularization Standards
Employers must inform probationary employees of regularization standards at engagement or risk them being deemed regular employees from day one.
Probationary Employment: Employers Must Communicate Standards for Regularization
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on probationary employment: employers must inform workers of regularization standards at hiring or risk illegal dismissal liability.
Defining Regular Employment Security Benefits FOR Seasonal Farm Workers IN THE Philippines
Supreme Court clarifies when seasonal farm workers are regular employees entitled to SSS coverage and benefits under Philippine law.
Overseas Dreams, Local Schemes: Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale and Economic Sabotage
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on large-scale illegal recruitment, syndicate liability, and penalties for overseas employment fraud.
THE Binding Nature OF Undertakings Return OF Excess Payment IN Maritime Employment Disputes
Seafarers Disability Claims Strict Compliance With POEA SEC Requirements
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why seafarers must strictly comply with POEA-SEC disability claim procedures, including the 3-day post-employment medical examination rule.
Seafarers' Rights: Timely Medical Exams and Disability Claims Under the POEA-SEC
A seafarer's disability claim survives if the employer fails to provide timely post-employment medical examination, as ruled in Career Philippines v. Serna.
Defining Disability for Seafarers: Rights and the 240-Day Rule in Maritime Employment
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability becomes total and permanent, and why exceeding 120 days does not automatically entitle him to full benefits.
Wage Deductions VS Post Employment Claims Protecting Employee Rights
Learn how the Supreme Court protects employee rights in wage deductions, labor-only contracting, and illegal dismissal cases under Philippine law.
Regular Employment vs Consultancy: Defining the Line in Illegal Dismissal Cases
A consultant labeled regular employee: how control and supervision define employment status in illegal dismissal cases under Philippine law.
Strained Relations in Employment: Separation Pay as an Alternative to Reinstatement
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, due process, and when separation pay replaces reinstatement due to strained relations.
Work-Related Illness and Seafarers’ Disability Claims: Proving the Causal Link
Seafarers claiming disability benefits must prove work-relatedness, not just illness during employment. The Supreme Court clarifies the burden.
Probationary Employment: When Employers Can Terminate for Failure to Meet Standards
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when employers may validly terminate probationary employees for failing reasonable standards, including chronic tardiness.
Probationary Employment: Employers Must Inform Employees of Regularization Standards
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on probationary employment: employers must inform employees of regularization standards at the time of engagement.
Project vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure in Construction After 31 Years of Service
Supreme Court rules repeated rehiring in construction projects can convert project employment into regular employment with security of tenure.
Verbal Dismissal in the Philippines: Why Oral Termination Is Illegal Without Due Process
Verbal dismissal alone cannot lawfully end employment in the Philippines. Learn the due process rules from Uy v. Centro Ceramica.
Breach of Seafarer Employment Contracts: POEA Rules and the Risk of Suspension
A Supreme Court ruling on a seafarer's refusal to join a vessel clarifies POEA breach rules and the proper appeal route.
Probationary Employment in the Philippines: Standards for Regularization and Illegal Dismissal
A general manager dismissed during probation won his illegal dismissal case because his employer failed to set reasonable standards for regularization.
Regular Employment vs Apprenticeship: Protecting Workers' Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when apprenticeship agreements cannot defeat regular employment status and workers' rights.
False Pretenses and Failed Promises: Establishing Estafa in Employment Scams
When promises of overseas jobs fail, when is it estafa or illegal recruitment? The Supreme Court clarifies in People v. Laogo.
Proving Work-Related Illness in Seafarer Disability Claims: The Francisco Case
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is compensable, emphasizing proof of work-relatedness beyond mere occurrence during employment.
Seafarers Must Comply With Post-Employment Medical Exams or Forfeit Disability Claims
Philippine Supreme Court rules seafarers who skip mandatory post-employment medical exams within three days forfeit disability claims, even for mental health conditions.
Seafarer Disability Claims: The Cost of Skipping the Post-Employment Exam
A seafarer's failure to submit to the required post-employment medical exam within three days forfeits disability claims, even for depression.
Habeas Data vs. Employment Disputes: The MERALCO Transfer Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when the writ of habeas data protects privacy—and when labor disputes belong instead to the NLRC.