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.
Emergency Powers and Oil Industry Takeovers: Understanding Delegation Limits in the Philippines
The Supreme Court struck down Section 14(e) of the Oil Deregulation Law for invalidly delegating emergency takeover powers. Learn the constitutional limits.
Citizen Suits and Native Title: What the Maliones Case Means for Philippine Environmental Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that citizen suits protect the environment but cannot resolve native title claims, which belong to the NCIP.
Lascivious Conduct Under RA 7610: The Magno Case Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies when touching a minor's private parts is lascivious conduct under RA 7610, citing the Magno case.
Unconstitutional Bargain: State Control Over Natural Resources in Philippine Seas
The Supreme Court struck down the JMSU as unconstitutional, reaffirming that exploration of the country's natural resources must remain under full State control.
Can Religious Corporations Own Land in the Philippines? The RVM Case Explained
Learn how the Supreme Court's RVM ruling clarifies constitutional limits on religious corporations acquiring public land in the Philippines.
Duplicitous Informations and Child Abuse: Understanding Convictions for Multiple Offenses in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies how duplicitous informations can lead to convictions for multiple offenses, and when child abuse charges apply instead of rape.
Proving Land Is Alienable and Disposable: Key to Philippine Land Registration
Learn the strict proof required to register land in the Philippines, from the Supreme Court's ruling in Republic v. PNP.
Proving Foreign Law in Philippine Courts: Divorce, Property Rights, and the Keppel Case
Philippine courts don't take judicial notice of foreign laws. Learn the proof requirements from the Supreme Court's Keppel ruling on divorce and property.
Foreign Nationals and Land Ownership: Constitutional Limits on Succession Rights
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that foreign nationals cannot own land or transmit rights through succession, affecting heirs' claims.
Regalian Doctrine and Land Registration: Proving Alienable and Disposable Land
Learn how the Regalian doctrine affects land registration in the Philippines, and why applicants must prove land is alienable and disposable.
Foreign Ownership in Public Utilities: The High Court Defines "Capital"
The Supreme Court clarifies that Under the Constitution
Constitutional Ban on Land Ownership: Filipino Spouses and Foreign Nationals
The Supreme Court rules that land bought for a foreigner and titled in a Filipino spouse's name is void, reaffirming the constitutional ban.
Homestead Rights vs Agrarian Reform: Continued Cultivation Is Key
Supreme Court clarifies that heirs of homestead grantees must personally cultivate the land to exempt it from CARP coverage under Section 6 of RA 6657.
Defining Capital: Filipino Control of Public Utilities Under the Constitution
The Supreme Court clarifies that mean in the Constitution's requirement that public utilities be at least 60% Filipino-owned? The answer—that "capital" refers to voting stock, not all outstanding shar
Presidential Warranties vs. State Sovereignty: The PICOP Timber License Case
The Supreme Court ruled presidential warranties on timber licenses are not contracts, and state sovereignty over natural resources prevails.
Reversion of Land Titles: Public Domain vs Private Claims in the Philippines
Supreme Court ruling on when certificates of title over public domain land, including timberlands, are void and subject to reversion.
Public Land vs Private Claim: Military Reservations and the Limits of Land Acquisition in the Philippines
The Supreme Court voids a title over land inside Fort Bonifacio, ruling military reservations are inalienable public land.
State Control vs Foreign Assistance: The Scope of Mining Agreements Under the Constitution
The Supreme Court clarifies that foreign-assisted mining agreements under Article XII must preserve state control, not bar foreign participation.
Mining Rights vs National Patrimony: The La Bugal Case on Foreign Control of Philippine Resources
Explaining the Supreme Court's La Bugal ruling on the Philippine Mining Act and foreign ownership limits over the country's mineral resources.
The Binding Force of a Signed Affidavit of Full Payment and the Absence of Fraud in Subcontracting Agreements
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on the binding effect of a signed affidavit of full payment and the absence of fraud in subcontracting agreements.
Regalian Doctrine vs Indigenous Rights: The IPRA Landmark Case
The Supreme Court's 7-7 split in Cruz v. DENR left the IPRA intact, shaping how ancestral domains and the Regalian doctrine interact today.
Philippine Oil Deregulation Upheld: Supreme Court Defers to Market Freedom and Congress
The Supreme Court upheld oil deregulation under RA 8479, ruling that price controls are policy choices for Congress, not constitutional requirements.