Legal Insights

Protecting the Right to Vote: Domicile and Voter Registration in the Philippines

The Supreme Court protects voter registration rights, ruling that domicile, not technicalities, determines a citizen's right to vote.

Trademark Rights in the Philippines: Prior Use vs. Registration Explained

Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether trademark rights come from prior use or registration, and why distributors cannot own the marks they sell.

Registration OF Foreclosure Sales Protecting THE Mortgagees Rights Despite Record Loss

Union Registration Fraud Claims: What Eagle Ridge Teaches About Labor Organizing

Supreme Court clarifies when misrepresentation claims can cancel a union's registration, protecting workers' right to self-organization.

Reconstitution of Titles: Strict Compliance and Jurisdictional Requirements in Land Registration

The Supreme Court clarifies that petitions for reconstitution of lost Torrens titles require strict compliance with jurisdictional requirements under RA 26.

Double Sale or Ownership: Resolving Property Disputes in the Philippines

Learn how Philippine courts resolve property disputes, from double sales to registration issues, and what the Diaz v. Republic ruling means for landowners.

Upholding Public Land Rights Denying Land Registration Within Military Reservations

Supreme Court affirms that lands inside military reservations and forest lands are inalienable public domain, not registrable.

Union Registration and the 20% Membership Rule: Lessons from Mariwasa Siam Ceramics

The Supreme Court clarifies that the 20% membership requirement applies only at registration, not throughout a union's existence.

Due Process in Administrative Cases: PEZA Cancellation of Ecozone Registration Upheld

Supreme Court rules on due process and substantial evidence in administrative proceedings involving PEZA cancellation of ecozone enterprise registration.

Due Process in PEZA Registration Cancellation: What Fair Administrative Action Requires

The Supreme Court clarifies what due process means in PEZA registration cancellation cases, explaining the notice-and-hearing requirement for ecozone enterprises.

Final Judgments and the Law of the Case: Why Courts Cannot Reopen Settled Land Registration Claims

A look at how the doctrine of finality and the law of the case prevent relitigation, using a land registration case as a guide.

Proving Open Continuous Possession in Land Registration: The Wee Case

Land registration requires well-nigh incontrovertible evidence of open, continuous possession since 1945. The Wee case explains why tax declarations and bare claims fail.

Prior Title Prevails Resolving Land Ownership Disputes Through Registration Date

Reconveyance and Good Faith: Protecting Land Ownership in the Philippines

A Supreme Court ruling clarifies reconveyance actions, good faith purchasers, and why registration alone does not vest land ownership in the Philippines.

Upholding the Right to Organize: How the Supreme Court Scrutinizes Union Registration Objections

In Heritage Hotel Manila v. PIGLAS-Heritage, the Supreme Court rejected technical objections to union registration and affirmed the workers' right to self-organization.

Easement of Right of Way: Actual Knowledge Binds Even Without Registration

A registered owner cannot ignore an existing right of way he knows about, even if the easement is not annotated on the title.

Unregistered Land Sales: Why Registration Matters in Ownership Disputes

A Supreme Court ruling explains why an unregistered deed of sale cannot bind third parties in property disputes over unregistered land.

Lost Claim: Failure to Prove Open Possession Prevents Land Title Registration

Supreme Court denies land registration where applicant failed to prove open, continuous, exclusive possession since June 12, 1945.

Residency vs. Domicile in Philippine Elections: The Pundaodaya Ruling

The Supreme Court clarifies that voter registration and property ownership do not prove election residency, which legally means domicile.

Acquisitive Prescription: Proving Open, Continuous Possession for Land Registration

Philippine Supreme Court clarifies what evidence proves open, continuous possession for land registration under the Property Registration Decree.

Land Title Registration Proving Possession Since June 12 1945 FOR Imperfect Titles

Land Registration: Proving Open Continuous Possession Since 1945

How the Supreme Court applied Section 14(1) of the Property Registration Decree to confirm title through open, continuous possession since June 12, 1945.

Voter Registration Integrity False Statements AND Election Candidacy

SC ruling on double voter registration and false statements in certificates of candidacy under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code.

Title Registration vs Fraudulent Claims: Protecting Good Faith Purchasers in Land Disputes

When two titles cover the same land, the Torrens system protects innocent buyers for value, even if the original patent was fraudulent.