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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Election Gun Ban: What Counts as a Deadly Weapon in the Philippines
SC clarifies what "other deadly weapons" means under the election gun ban, and why a knife conviction was reversed.
Election Gun Ban and Retroactivity: The Bargado Case Explained
Can a postponed election erase a gun ban violation? The Supreme Court's Bargado ruling explains retroactivity in Philippine election law.
Election Gun Ban: Can Bladed Weapons Be Prohibited?
The Supreme Court rules on whether the COMELEC election gun ban can cover bladed instruments like knives, and explains how to challenge its constitutionality.
Stop and Frisk During Election Periods: When Police Searches Are Valid
The Supreme Court explains when a warrantless stop and frisk search is valid, using an election gun ban case as an example.
Election Gun Ban and Airsoft Guns: What the Supreme Court Ruled
The Supreme Court upheld COMELEC's inclusion of airsoft guns in the election gun ban but excluded replicas and imitations.
Election Gun Ban vs Illegal Firearm Possession: Avoiding Double Conviction
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a person can be convicted of illegal firearm possession during an election gun ban period.
Double Jeopardy: When a Gun Ban Violation Precludes Illegal Possession Charges
The Supreme Court clarifies when a COMELEC gun ban violation bars a separate illegal possession of firearms charge under RA 8294.
When a Gun Ban Charge Does Not Bar Illegal Possession of Firearms: Celino v. Court of Appeals
The Supreme Court clarifies when a COMELEC gun ban charge prevents prosecution for illegal possession of firearms under R.A. 8294.
Strict Liability and the Comelec Gun Ban: Why Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse
The Supreme Court explains why carrying a firearm during an election period without a permit is a strict liability offense under COMELEC Resolution No. 2323.
Firearms Possession When Does a Gun Ban Trump Illegal Possession Charges
The Supreme Court explains when Republic Act No. 8294 bars a separate conviction for illegal possession of firearms if another crime was committed.