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.
Double Jeopardy and Parental Rape: What the Supreme Court Clarified in G.R. No. 262846
The Supreme Court clarifies double jeopardy in criminal appeals and affirms a father's rape conviction in G.R. No. 262846.
Rape Convictions and the Burden of Proving Qualifying Circumstances in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that qualifying circumstances like relationship must be alleged and proven beyond reasonable doubt in rape cases.
Statutory Rape in the Philippines: Understanding Consent and the Role of Minority
The Supreme Court clarifies when rape becomes qualified and how minority and relationship must be alleged and proven in Philippine criminal cases.
Protecting Children When a Stepfather's Actions Constitute Lascivious Conduct Under RA 7610
The Supreme Court clarifies when a stepfather's lewd acts against his common-law wife's child constitute lascivious conduct under RA 7610, not mere acts of lasciviousness.
Protecting Children from Physical Abuse: The Scope of RA 7610 and the Need to Prove Qualifying Circumstances
The Supreme Court clarifies when physical abuse of children falls under RA 7610 and why qualifying circumstances in rape must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Redefining Rape Anatomical Thresholds and Victim Testimony in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies the exact anatomical threshold distinguishing attempted from consummated rape through penile penetration, and reaffirms victim testimony standards.
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.
Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Delayed Reporting: Protecting Minors and Upholding Justice
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction based on a credible child victim's testimony, despite a five-year delay in reporting and minor inconsistencies.
When One Is Liable for All: Conspiracy in Gang Rape Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies that in conspiracy, each accused is liable for all acts of rape committed by co-conspirators, even those at large.
Understanding Qualified Rape and Child Abuse Penalties in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when rape is qualified, why the penalty was reduced here, and what child abuse requires.
Intellectual Disability in Rape Cases: What the Supreme Court Requires
The Supreme Court clarifies when intellectual disability must be proven by clinical evidence in rape prosecutions, and why it matters.
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.
Statutory Rape and Intellectual Disability: The Villena Ruling Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies that rape of an intellectually disabled person with a mental age below 12 constitutes statutory rape under Philippine law.
Understanding Rape Convictions: Res Gestae and Circumstantial Evidence in Philippine Courts
How Philippine courts convict in rape cases when the victim cannot testify, using res gestae and circumstantial evidence.
Rape Conviction Reduced to Simple Rape When Mental Disability Not Alleged in Information
The Supreme Court explains why a rape conviction was reduced from qualified to simple rape when the victim's mental disability was not alleged in the information.
Relationship as Qualifying Circumstance in Rape: Why Precise Allegations Matter
The Supreme Court clarifies that "stepfather" and "common-law spouse" are distinct terms in rape cases, and qualifying circumstances must be alleged and proven.
Rape of Person With Mental Disability: Supreme Court Affirms Qualified Rape Conviction
The Supreme Court affirms a qualified rape conviction where the offender knew the victim was mentally disabled, upholding enhanced penalties and damages.
Simple Rape Conviction: Credibility of Victim’s Testimony and Burden of Proof
A look at how Philippine courts weigh a rape victim’s testimony, credibility, and the prosecution’s burden of proof in simple rape cases.
When a Knife Threat After Rape Does Not Qualify the Crime: People v. Tagle
The Supreme Court clarifies when the use of a deadly weapon qualifies rape to a graver penalty, and when it does not.
Statutory Rape Conviction Modified to Simple Rape When Victim's Age Not Proven Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies proof required for statutory rape, modifying conviction to simple rape when victim's age wasn't established beyond reasonable doubt.
Breach of Trust, Intrafamilial Rape, and the Erosion of Parental Authority in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between statutory and simple rape when the prosecution fails to prove the victim's exact age.
Protecting the Vulnerable: Upholding Justice in Statutory Rape Cases
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, clarifying the relative nature of force and increasing damages awarded to minor victims.
SC Upholds Rape Conviction Based on Victim's Credible Testimony Despite Inconsistencies
The Supreme Court affirms rape convictions, ruling that minor inconsistencies in a victim's testimony do not undermine credibility when the account is coherent and believable.
When Forcible Abduction Is Absorbed by Rape: Key Ruling on Complex Crimes
The Supreme Court clarifies when forcible abduction with rape is actually simple rape, and explains the governing rules on victim testimony and damages.