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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Judicial Overreach Defining THE Limits OF Contempt Power IN THE Philippines
A voluntary arbitrator's dual role as counsel and his unauthorized hold-departure order led to a two-year suspension—a lesson on judicial limits.
Hold-Departure Orders, Judicial Misconduct, and the Cost of Ignorance of the Law
Administrative case clarifies when judges may issue hold-departure orders — and the penalties for getting it wrong.
Hold Departure Orders: Why Only Regional Trial Courts Can Issue Them
A judge's unauthorized hold-departure order violated the right to travel. Learn the rules under Supreme Court Circular No. 39-97.
Judicial Overreach: The Limits of Hold-Departure Orders and the Right to Travel
A judge who issued a hold-departure order beyond his court's jurisdiction was fined by the Supreme Court for violating Circular 39-97.
Hold Departure Orders: Why Only Regional Trial Courts Can Issue Them
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies that only Regional Trial Courts may issue hold-departure orders, protecting the constitutional right to travel.
Why Only Regional Trial Courts Can Issue Hold-Departure Orders in Criminal Cases
A judge's reprimand clarifies that only RTCs may issue hold-departure orders, protecting the constitutional right to travel.