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.
Timely Filing of Just Compensation Claims Under Philippine Agrarian Law
Learn the 10-year prescriptive period for filing just compensation claims with the Special Agrarian Courts under Philippine agrarian reform law.
City of Manila v. Prieto: Strict Limits on Local Government Expropriation Powers
Supreme Court rules local governments must strictly comply with legal requirements before exercising delegated eminent domain powers.
Strict Compliance Required for Expropriation of Private Lands for Socialized Housing
Local governments must strictly follow RA 7279 and the LGC before expropriating private land for socialized housing; failure voids the taking.
State's Right to Recover Public Funds: Prescription Does Not Run Against the Government
Supreme Court rules the government's right to recover illegally disbursed public funds does not prescribe, but limits COA's power over tax collection.
Judicial Ethics: Court Employee Cannot Buy Litigated Property
Court employees must avoid acquiring property in litigation, even outside their court's jurisdiction, to uphold judicial integrity.
Government Contracts and Eminent Domain: Scrutinizing Good Faith in Land Acquisition
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that just compensation in agrarian reform must follow RA 6657 and DAR formulas, not market data alone.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: Applying Current Land Valuation Standards
Explains how Philippine courts determine just compensation for agrarian reform lands, using current DAR valuation formulas rather than outdated standards.
Fraudulent Land Acquisition Titles Obtained Through Deceit Lack Indefeasibility
Land titles obtained through fraud are void and do not gain indefeasibility. Philippine law protects true owners from deceitful schemes.
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.
Protecting Landowner Rights Due Process and Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform
Learn how the Supreme Court balanced landowner due process rights with farmer-beneficiary qualifications in agrarian reform cases under RA 6657.
Agrarian Reform and Due Process: When Land Acquisition Fails for Lack of Notice
A landowner's right to due process in agrarian reform acquisition explained through the DAR vs. Apex case.
Eminent Domain vs Urban Development: Balancing Public Need and Property Rights in Manila
The Supreme Court clarifies when local governments may expropriate private land for socialized housing under R.A. 7279.
The Perils of Verbal Land Deals: Why Written Authority Is Non-Negotiable in Philippine Real Estate
Learn how the Supreme Court protects small property owners from expropriation and why written authority is crucial in Philippine land deals.