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.
Combating Human Trafficking: Understanding Philippine Law and Your Rights
The Supreme Court affirms a qualified trafficking conviction, explaining the elements of the crime, conspiracy, and penalties under RA 9208.
Conspiracy and Ignominy in Rape Cases: Understanding Criminal Liability
How conspiracy and ignominy widen criminal liability in rape cases under Philippine law, explained through a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Community Service as an Alternative to Jail Time: Understanding R.A. 11362 in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains how Republic Act No. 11362 allows courts to convert arresto menor and arresto mayor penalties into community service.
Marital Infidelity and Psychological Violence: Understanding RA 9262
The Supreme Court clarifies when marital infidelity becomes psychological violence under RA 9262, and whether a psychological report is required for conviction.
Protecting Children: Understanding Sexual Assault Laws in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between rape by sexual assault and sexual assault under RA 7610, protecting child victims.
Seafarer Disability Claims Understanding Valid Medical Assessments AND Your Rights
The Supreme Court clarifies what makes a company-designated physician's medical assessment valid in seafarer disability claims, protecting seafarer rights.
Protecting Installment Buyers Understanding Rescission Rights Under THE Maceda LAW
The Supreme Court clarifies the strict notarial and grace period requirements for canceling installment contracts under the Maceda Law.
Protecting Minors: Understanding Human Trafficking Laws in the Philippines
The Supreme Court affirms a life sentence for trafficking minors for forced labor, clarifying key rules under RA 9208.
Understanding Compromise Agreements in Labor Disputes: When Are They Valid
The Supreme Court clarifies when compromise agreements and quitclaims in labor cases are valid, and when courts may invalidate them.
Estafa and Bouncing Checks: Understanding Penalties and Retroactivity in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when RA 10951's reduced estafa penalties apply retroactively and why a trial court erred in releasing a convict.
Probationary Employment in the Philippines: Understanding Regularization Standards
The Supreme Court clarifies when probationary employees may be validly terminated for failing to meet regularization standards under Philippine law.
Treachery and Confessions: Understanding Murder Convictions in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains how treachery qualifies a killing as murder and when extrajudicial confessions are admissible in Philippine courts.
When Does Teasing Cross the Line? Understanding Homicide and Sufficient Provocation in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when teasing amounts to sufficient provocation and why a sudden attack may not be treachery.
Protecting Children: Understanding Qualified Trafficking in Persons in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when child trafficking is qualified, why force or coercion need not be proven, and what this means for prosecutions.
Navigating Plea Bargaining in Drug Cases: Understanding the Limits and Safeguards
The Supreme Court clarifies when plea bargaining is allowed in drug cases, the trial court's discretion, and the protection of double jeopardy.
One-Year Ban on Appointments for Losing Candidates: Understanding the Restrictions
The Supreme Court clarifies the one-year constitutional ban on appointing losing candidates to government posts, including contractual engagements.
Employee Misconduct and Termination: Understanding Just Cause in the Philippines
When does employee misconduct justify termination in the Philippines? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on serious misconduct and just cause.
Abandonment as Psychological Violence: Understanding RA 9262 in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court ruled that a husband's abandonment of his wife can be psychological violence under RA 9262, explaining the elements and penalties.
Extortion Under the Color of Authority: Understanding Simple Robbery in the Philippines
When court employees demand money to perform official duties, they commit simple robbery. The Supreme Court explains why in Peralta v. People.
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.
Acquisitive Prescription and Partition: Understanding Property Rights in the Philippines
Learn how acquisitive prescription and partition work in Philippine property law through a recent Supreme Court ruling on family inheritance disputes.
Family Home Protection in the Philippines: Understanding Execution Exemptions
When is a family home exempt from execution in the Philippines? The Supreme Court clarifies the limits of this protection.
Understanding Novation, Statute of Frauds, and Conjugal Property Sales in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling explains when oral land sales are valid, how novation works, and why a wife's consent matters.
Understanding Qualified Trafficking in Persons: Insights from a 2023 Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court affirms a conviction for qualified trafficking in persons, explaining the elements of the crime and how courts prove them.