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.
Proving Employer-Employee Relationship in Illegal Dismissal Cases
A look at Sermona v. Hacienda Lumboy and the rules on proving employer-employee relationships in illegal dismissal cases in the Philippines.
Piece-Rate Workers Are Regular Employees Entitled to Security of Tenure
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that piece-rate payment does not negate regular employment, and abandonment requires proof of intent.
Abandonment Requires Clear Intent Protecting Employees From Unjust Dismissal
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that abandonment of work requires clear intent to sever employment, not mere absence from work.
Protecting Workers: Illegal Dismissal and the Rights of Pakyaw Employees in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that pakyaw workers are regular employees entitled to security of tenure, holiday pay, and service incentive leave pay.
Defining Regular Employment Security Benefits FOR Seasonal Farm Workers IN THE Philippines
Supreme Court clarifies when seasonal farm workers are regular employees entitled to SSS coverage and benefits under Philippine law.
Illegal Dismissal: Abandonment Defense Fails, Backwages Still Due
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on illegal dismissal, abandonment defense, and the right to full backwages even when separation pay is awarded.
Illegal Dismissal Burden of Proof: Employer Must Substantiate Abandonment Claims
In Velasco v. NLRC, the Supreme Court clarified that employers bear the burden of proving abandonment in illegal dismissal cases, and that separation pay does not replace backwages.
Employee vs Independent Contractor: SSS Coverage for Farmworkers in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a "pakyaw (piece-rate) basis considered an employee entitled to compulsory Social Security System (SSS) coverage? The ruling is a reminder that the label used b
Piece-Rate Workers Can Be Regular Employees: The Lambo v. NLRC Ruling
How the Supreme Court ruled that piece-rate tailors are regular employees entitled to full labor rights under Philippine law.
Illegal Dismissal vs Constructive Dismissal: Union Formation and Employee Rights
Understand illegal dismissal versus constructive dismissal through Mark Roche International v. NLRC, a landmark Philippine labor case on union formation.
Illegal Dismissal in the Philippines: Employee Rights and Employer Obligations
Learn how Philippine law defines illegal dismissal, abandonment, and the rights of piece-rate workers to security of tenure and back wages.