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.
Probationary Employment in the Philippines: Rules, Limits, and Regularization
Know your rights during probationary employment in the Philippines, including the legal limits on probation periods and the rules for regularization.
Foreign Adoption Recognition in the Philippines: What the Yuta Hayashi Case Means
Philippine courts can recognize foreign adoption decrees involving Filipino citizens if proven as fact and not contrary to public policy.
Bidding Rights Prospective vs Actual Bidders and Preliminary Injunctions
Supreme Court clarifies that prospective bidders lack clear legal rights for preliminary injunctions in government procurement disputes.
Novation in Philippine Estafa Cases: When Settlements Prevent Criminal Liability
Learn when amicable settlements can extinguish criminal liability for estafa under Philippine law, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Sorongon v. People.
The President’s Power to Withdraw from Treaties: What the Supreme Court Ruled
The Supreme Court clarified the limits of the President’s power to withdraw from international treaties. Learn the rules from the Rome Statute case.
Understanding Disability Benefits for Seafarers: A Guide to Legal Rights and Claims
Learn how the Supreme Court clarified seafarer disability benefits, appeal periods, and the difference between CBA accident claims and POEA-SEC compensation.
Civil Registry Corrections: Why Impleading All Interested Parties Matters
The Supreme Court explains why correcting a birth record requires impleading all affected parties, not just publication.
Executing a Labor Judgment Does Not Bar Certiorari: Due Process in Labor Disputes
Forced compliance with a writ of execution does not waive an employer's right to challenge a labor ruling via certiorari, the Supreme Court held.
Retaliatory Dismissal: Protecting Employees Who Assert Their Rights
The Supreme Court affirms that firing workers for filing labor complaints violates security of tenure and constitutes illegal dismissal.
Affinity vs Consanguinity: Correcting Birth Records and Inheritance Rights in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts handle birth certificate corrections affecting filiation, legitimacy, and inheritance rights under Rule 108.
Laches and Land Ownership: Registered Titles Prevail Despite Delayed Action
The Supreme Court clarifies that laches cannot bar a registered landowner's right to recover property, reaffirming the strength of Torrens titles.
Malicious Mischief in the Philippines: Intent, Property Damage, and Road Rage Cases
Learn how Philippine courts prove malicious mischief under the Revised Penal Code, and why intent matters in road rage property damage cases.
Possession vs Ownership: When Land Status Determines Rights
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how land classification as public domain affects possessory rights and estoppel claims.
Seafarers' Rights: Employer Liability for Illness Manifesting During Employment Despite Post-Contract Death
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on seafarer death benefits when illness manifests during employment but death occurs after contract term.
Custody Rights and the Child's Welfare: Reassessing Habeas Corpus in Family Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that habeas corpus in child custody cases aims to determine rightful custody, not just produce the child.
Habeas Corpus for Child Custody: What the Supreme Court Requires
The Supreme Court clarifies when habeas corpus applies to child custody disputes and why courts must hold a trial, not just produce the child.
Abuse of Rights in Philippine Law: When Filing Complaints Is Not a Basis for Damages
The Supreme Court clarifies the abuse of rights principle, ruling that filing labor complaints and seeking government action without malice is not actionable.
Heirship and Filiation: Proving Inheritance Rights in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on proving filiation through baptismal certificates and the rights of heirs in property disputes.
Valid Substituted Service and Child Support Rights in Philippine Family Law
Supreme Court ruling on valid substituted service of summons for OFW parents and the right of illegitimate children to support.
Trade Secrets vs Discovery: Balancing Business Confidentiality and Legal Rights in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when trade secrets are privileged from compulsory disclosure in civil discovery proceedings.
Jurisdiction and Arbitration in Real Estate Contract Disputes: Frabelle Fishing Case
When do courts, not HLURB, hear real estate contract disputes? The Frabelle Fishing case explains jurisdiction and arbitration rules.
Security of Tenure: Defining Agricultural Tenancy in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies what makes a person an agricultural lessee entitled to security of tenure under Philippine agrarian laws.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: Employee Rights Under the Boundary System
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on jeepney drivers under the boundary system, illegal dismissal, and employee rights to reinstatement and backwages.
Debt Recovery Gone Wrong Understanding Abuse of Rights in Property Repossession Uypitching vs Quiamco
Explore abuse of rights in debt recovery and property repossession through the Supreme Court ruling in Uypitching vs Quiamco.