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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Understanding Void Marriages: The Impact of Simulated Unions on Legal Validity in the Philippines
A simulated marriage used as a front for benefits is void ab initio. The Supreme Court explains why in Ado-an-Morimoto v. Morimoto.
Bigamy and Void Ab Initio Marriages: The Crucial Role of Legal Standing in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling on bigamy highlights why only the Solicitor General can appeal criminal dismissals, not private complainants.
Protecting Public Land: The Nullity of Sales Within the Five-Year Prohibitory Period
A sale of free patent land within five years is void ab initio, imprescriptible, and cannot be cured by laches.
Void Judgments Create No Rights: The Borres Heirs Case
A judge who decides after retirement acts without authority. His decision is void ab initio and can never become final or create rights.
Unsigned Stipulations in Mortgages: Philippine Supreme Court Upholds Consent as Key
Philippine Supreme Court rules a mortgage stipulation inserted after signing without the mortgagor's consent is void ab initio.
Contracts Under Martial Law: When Government Regulations Don't Mean Void Ab Initio
Supreme Court clarifies that regulated goods under martial law orders remain valid contract objects, distinguishing prohibition from regulation.