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.
Kidnapping for Ransom in the Philippines: Liability and Conspiracy Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies kidnapping for ransom liability, conspiracy, and penalties in People v. Olidan (G.R. No. 263920).
Qualified Rape vs. Statutory Rape: Supreme Court Clarifies Child Sexual Abuse Law
The Supreme Court clarifies the proper legal designation for child sexual abuse cases, distinguishing qualified rape from statutory rape under Philippine law.
Qualified Trafficking in Persons: Entrapment, Privacy Rights, and Penalties Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies entrapment vs. instigation, privacy rights, and penalties in qualified trafficking cases involving minors.
Judicial Clemency: When Is a Judge Entitled to a Second Chance?
The Supreme Court explains the strict requirements for judicial clemency, including remorse, reformation, and the five-year waiting period.
Circumstantial Evidence and Dying Declarations in Rape-Homicide Convictions
How the Supreme Court upheld a rape-homicide conviction using circumstantial evidence and the victim's dying declaration.
Duplicitous Informations and Child Abuse: Understanding Convictions for Multiple Offenses in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies how duplicitous informations can lead to convictions for multiple offenses, and when child abuse charges apply instead of rape.
Qualifying Circumstances in Rape: Proving the Victim's Minority and Relationship
The Supreme Court clarifies how the prosecution may prove a rape victim's minority and relationship, and when a conviction may be upgraded to qualified statutory rape.
Intellectual Disability as a Defense: The Limits of Exemption from Criminal Liability in Statutory Rape Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when intellectual disability or imbecility exempts an accused from criminal liability, and why it did not apply in this statutory rape conviction.
Treachery in Robbery with Homicide: The Supreme Court’s Ruling in People v. Juada
The Supreme Court clarifies when treachery aggravates robbery with homicide and affirms conviction based on circumstantial evidence in People v. Juada.
Understanding Qualified Rape Legal Insights From A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
This article examines a landmark Supreme Court ruling on qualified rape, explaining the legal principles and practical implications.
Insanity Defense in Philippine Rape Cases: Key Insights from People v. Toledo
The Supreme Court clarifies when insanity can exempt an accused from criminal liability in rape cases, and why the defense failed in this case.
Moral Ascendancy and Statutory Rape: Insights from a Philippine Supreme Court Decision
The Supreme Court affirms a statutory rape conviction, explaining how moral ascendancy and recantation are treated under Philippine law.
Understanding Statutory Rape in the Philippines: The Impact of Victim Recantation on Convictions
Learn how Philippine courts handle statutory rape cases when the victim recants, and why recantation alone does not automatically overturn a conviction.
Understanding Aberratio Ictus When A Missed Shot Leads To Complex Crimes In Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains aberratio ictus and complex crimes when a missed shot kills an unintended victim, applying treachery in People v. Bendecio.
Understanding Kidnapping for Ransom: Legal Insights From a Landmark Philippine Case
A 2020 Supreme Court ruling clarifies the elements of kidnapping for ransom under Philippine law and why alibis rarely prevail against positive identification.
Understanding Conspiracy and Homicide When Threats Turn Deadly
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how circumstantial evidence can prove rape with homicide and why alibi often fails.
Burden of Proof in Rape Cases: Testimony and Physical Evidence
The Supreme Court clarifies how courts weigh testimony and medical findings in rape cases, acquitting on two counts for insufficient evidence.
Death of the Accused Before Final Judgment Extinguishes Criminal Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies that an accused's death pending appeal extinguishes criminal liability and civil liability ex delicto, but not other civil claims.
Qualified Rape Conviction Affirmed: The Weight of a Child Victim's Testimony
Supreme Court affirms qualified rape conviction, explaining why a minor victim's clear testimony outweighs a father's denial and alibi.
Incestuous Rape: Moral Ascendancy as Substitute for Force in Father-Daughter Abuse
Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains how a father's moral ascendancy replaces force in incestuous rape, and why conviction stands.
Qualifying Circumstances in Rape: When Minority and Relationship Raise the Penalty
The Supreme Court explains when rape is qualified by minority and relationship, and the damages a convicted offender must pay.
Death of Accused Pending Appeal Extinguishes Criminal Liability in Rape Cases
Supreme Court explains how an accused's death before final conviction extinguishes criminal and civil liability ex delicto, citing Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code.
Self-Defense vs. Treachery: The Boundaries of Justifiable Homicide in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when self-defense fails and treachery qualifies a killing as murder under Philippine law.
Statutory Rape and the Burden of Proof: Lessons from People v. Ramirez
A look at People v. Ramirez on statutory rape, the burden of proof, and why hearsay cannot support a conviction.