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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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.
Reversion Suits: When the State Must Prove Forest Land Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies the State's burden in reversion cases, protecting vested rights over land titles issued before forest classification.
Confirmation of Imperfect Title: Prior Possession of Forest Land Not Counted in 30-Year Requirement
Philippine Supreme Court rules that possession of forest land before its classification as alienable cannot be counted toward the 30-year requirement for confirmation of imperfect title.
Void Titles: Land Ownership and Forest Land Classifications in the Philippines
A homestead patent over forest land is void. The Reyes v. Court of Appeals ruling and its implications for Philippine land titles.
Acquisitive Prescription of Land in the Philippines: When Possession Can Ripen Into Ownership
Philippine law on when long possession of land can ripen into ownership, and why forest lands can never be acquired by prescription.