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.
SSS Death Benefits: Does Legal Separation Bar a Spouse’s Claim?
Legal marriage alone does not guarantee SSS death benefits—surviving spouses must prove actual dependency, especially after separation.
Jan 31, 2006sss death benefitssocial security actbeneficiary rightslegal spousefamily lawsupreme court
SSS Death Benefits for Legal Spouses: Separation Agreements and Beneficiary Rights
A look at how Philippine law treats legal spouses as SSS primary beneficiaries despite separation agreements, and the procedural lessons from a 2006 Supreme Court ruling.
Property Rights in Cohabitation: Ownership Rules for Unmarried Couples in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine law divides property for unmarried couples, the limits on donations, and key lessons from the Agapay case.