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.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Navigating Ownership Complexities
The Supreme Court clarifies how RA 11573 affects land registration applications, shortening the possession period to 20 years before filing.
Land Registration in the Philippines: Understanding Alienable and Disposable Land
Learn how RA 11573 changed proof requirements for registering alienable and disposable land in the Philippines, explained through a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Homestead Patent vs Implied Trust: When Land Ownership Claims Collide
A Supreme Court ruling shows why a homestead patent can defeat claims of implied trust over registered land in the Philippines.
Fraudulent Land Patents Void Derivative Titles Even for Good-Faith Buyers
Supreme Court ruling: titles derived from fraudulently obtained land patents are void, even if current owners bought in good faith.
Land Rights and Oral Sales: Understanding Property Disputes in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when oral sales of land are valid, and why the five-year free patent ban on alienation matters.
Upholding Land Rights: Possession as a Shield Against Prescription in Reconveyance Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies how actual possession of disputed land can defeat the defense of prescription in reconveyance actions.
Land Registration Indefeasibility Hinges on Demonstrable Alienability of Public Land
A CENRO certification alone cannot prove public land is alienable and disposable; applicants must present the DENR Secretary's original classification.
Annulment of Free Patents vs Reversion: Who May Sue and When
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between annulment of free patents and reversion actions, and who has the legal standing to file each.
Land Registration Under Section 14(2): The Patrimonial Property Requirement
The Supreme Court clarifies when alienable public land becomes private property subject to acquisition by prescription under PD 1529.
Tenant Rights vs Landowner Rights in the Philippines: Understanding Tenancy and Agricultural Land Law
A look at Philippine tenancy law, balancing tenant rights and landowner rights under agricultural land reform and related statutes.
Torrens Title vs Unregistered Sale: Who Has Better Right to Possess Land in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains why a Torrens title prevails over an unregistered deed of sale in disputes over land possession.
Nemo Dat Quod Non Habet and Tenancy Rights in Philippine Land Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a tenant's right of redemption requires proof of a valid tenancy relationship with the true landowner.
Prescription vs Possession: Quieting Title and Indefeasibility in Land Disputes
Explore how prescription, possession, and indefeasibility of title interact in land disputes, and what the Supreme Court ruled on jurisdiction.
Foreshore Lease Preference: Riparian Rights vs. Reclamation in Philippine Land Law
Supreme Court ruling on whether a littoral owner retains preferential right to lease foreshore land that has been reclaimed by another applicant.
Protecting Your Inheritance: Why Heirs' Consent Matters in Estate Partition
Learn how the Supreme Court protects heirs' inheritance rights in estate partition, and why an administrator's failure to follow the decedent's will amounts to extrinsic fraud.
Reconstitution of Lost Titles: When the LRA Can Cancel a Sham Torrens Title
The Supreme Court clarifies when the LRA and CA can order cancellation of a spurious Torrens title in administrative reconstitution proceedings.
Homestead Rights vs Agrarian Reform: What Landowners Must Know
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies that homestead patents do not automatically exempt land from agrarian reform coverage under Philippine law.
When Survey Plans Lack Approval Reversion OF Land Titles TO THE State
A land title issued without a survey plan approved by the Director of Lands is void, and the State may seek its reversion.
Alien Land Ownership: Constitutional Ban Survives Even After Heirs Become Filipino Citizens
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on land reconstitution, alien ownership bans, and how Filipino heirship cures constitutional defects.
Res Judicata and Reconstitution: The Limits of Prior Judgments in Philippine Land Law
A dismissed reconstitution case cannot bar a quieting of title action. Learn the limits of res judicata in Philippine land disputes.
Continued Possession Prevents Prescription in Land Reconveyance Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: an action for reconveyance cannot be barred by prescription when the plaintiff remains in possession of the disputed land.
Selling a Homestead Too Soon in the Philippines Can Cost You Everything
Philippine law bars selling homestead land within five years of the patent. Learn the rule and its consequences.
Torrens Title vs. Fraud: Protecting Land Ownership in the Philippines
Learn how the Torrens system protects land ownership in the Philippines and why proving fraud requires clear and convincing evidence, based on a landmark Supreme Court case.
How Presidential Proclamations Affect Imperfect Land Titles in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when presidential proclamations can defeat claims to public land by long-time occupants.