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.
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CIAC Jurisdiction: When a Contract Is Not a Construction Contract
Supreme Court clarifies CIAC jurisdiction requires an actual construction contract, not merely plans or surveys for future projects.
Property Disputes and Surveys: Why Courts Order Relocation Surveys in Writ of Possession Cases
The Supreme Court explains when courts may order a survey to ensure a writ of possession is enforced on the correct property.
Proof of Encroachment: The Importance of Survey Plans in Property Disputes
Survey plans must clearly show encroachment to prove property disputes. The Supreme Court explains what suffices as evidence.
Baguio Land Titles Validation Denied for Expanded Areas Despite Prior Resurvey Approval
Supreme Court rules resurvey approval doesn't validate expanded Baguio land titles under PD 1271, requiring strict compliance.
Relocation Surveys in Land Disputes: Why Precise Boundaries Matter
When land titles conflict, courts order relocation surveys to settle boundary disputes. Learn the rules and practical lessons.
Land Registration: Proving Alienability Beyond Survey Plan Annotations
The Supreme Court clarifies what evidence proves a land is alienable and disposable for registration, examining survey plan annotations and certifications.
Transparency in Election Surveys: Balancing Free Speech and Fair Elections
The Supreme Court upheld COMELEC's power to require disclosure of election survey funders, including subscribers, under the Fair Election Act.
Property Rights and Survey Errors: Resolving Land Disputes Through Proper Legal Action
A Supreme Court ruling explains why survey errors must be corrected administratively, not through court actions for reconveyance.
Proving Land Is Alienable and Disposable: Beyond Survey Plan Notations
Survey plan notations alone cannot prove land is alienable and disposable. Learn the required evidence for land registration in the Philippines.
Proving Alienable and Disposable Land Status in Philippine Registration Cases
Philippine land registration requires proof of alienable and disposable status through DENR certification, not just survey plans.
Substantial Compliance in Land Registration: Blueprint Sufficiency and Possessory Rights
The Supreme Court held that a blueprint copy of a survey plan may substantially comply with registration requirements when the original tracing cloth plan is unavailable.
Contractual Obligations Survey Requirement Prevails Over Rescission Rights IN Land Sale Agreements
Supreme Court rules survey obligation in land sale contracts prevails over rescission rights, clarifying breach requirements under Philippine law.
In Land Sales, Survey Duty Prevails Over Payment Deadlines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a seller must survey land before demanding payment, and when rescission is improper.
Reconstitution of Title: Tax Declarations and Survey Plans Are Not Enough
Supreme Court rules tax declarations, survey plans, and technical descriptions are insufficient bases for reconstituting a lost or destroyed certificate of title.
Resolving Land Disputes THE Importance OF Accurate Surveys IN Overlapping Title Cases
Perfecting Land Titles Through Continuous Possession Since June 12, 1945
A Supreme Court ruling affirms that tax declarations, a survey plan, and witness testimony can prove open, continuous possession of land since June 12, 1945.
Land Title Registration in the Philippines: Overcoming the Presumption of Public Land
A Supreme Court ruling on land registration in the Philippines explains why proving alienable public land requires more than a surveyor's notation.
Resolving Land Disputes: Boundary Relocation and Title Amendments in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts handle boundary disputes, relocation surveys, and when title corrections require court approval under PD 1529.
Surveyor Negligence and Contractual Breach: When Professionals Are Liable for Damages
A surveyor's negligent placement of boundary monuments led to a fence encroaching on a right of way. The Court explains liability for breach of contract.
Boundary Disputes: Proving Land Ownership in Philippine Courts
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how courts resolve boundary disputes, emphasizing the importance of approved survey plans and proper identification of property.
Proving Land Ownership in the Philippines: Tax Declarations and Cadastral Surveys in Quieting Title Cases
Learn how tax declarations, cadastral surveys, and possession determine ownership in Philippine land disputes, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
Usufruct Rights and Survey Authority: Determining Land Boundaries in NHA v. Court of Appeals
A look at how the Supreme Court resolved conflicting surveys over a seven-hectare usufruct, and the rules on boundary determination.
Substantial Compliance in Land Registration Blueprint Suffices When Original Plan Is Available
Supreme Court clarifies that blueprint copies of survey plans may substantially comply with land registration requirements when the original is later submitted.