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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Unilateral Interest Rate Hikes: Mutuality of Contracts Prevails in Loan Agreements
Philippine Supreme Court rules banks cannot unilaterally raise interest rates without borrower consent, citing mutuality of contracts principle.
Protecting Marital Property: Understanding Consent Requirements in Real Estate Sales
The Supreme Court clarifies when spousal consent is required for real estate sales and the difference between contracts to sell and deeds of sale.
Rape and Consent: Examining the Boundaries of Sexual Assault in the Philippines
The Supreme Court affirms a rape-with-homicide conviction, clarifying how force and lack of consent are established in Philippine law.
Silence Is Not Consent: Rape by Intimidation and the Limits of a Guilty Plea
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains why a victim's silence and fear do not equal consent, and why a guilty plea in a capital case needs more than a warning.
Mental Capacity and Consent in Rape Cases: Protecting Vulnerable Individuals
How Philippine courts treat consent when the victim has diminished mental capacity, based on People v. Mabonga.
Consent in Rape Cases: Force, Intimidation, and Credibility Under Scrutiny
The Supreme Court acquits a rape accused, explaining when lack of resistance signals consent and how courts test force and intimidation.
Contracts and Consent: How Limited Education and Fraudulent Inducement Can Void a Philippine Contract
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how fraud, undue influence, and limited education can invalidate contracts, shifting the burden of proof.
Rape Conviction Affirmed Understanding THE Elements OF Force AND Consent IN Cases Involving Minors
Protecting the Vulnerable: Upholding Consent and Preventing Fraud in Property Sales
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on void property sales, fraud, and the importance of genuine consent in real estate transactions.
Threat of Force Nullifies Consent: Rape Conviction Affirmed Despite Lack of Physical Resistance
Philippine Supreme Court affirms rape conviction, ruling threats of death negate consent and proving force is unnecessary in statutory rape.
Rape of a Mentally Retarded Person: Consent and Legal Standards in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that sexual intercourse with a mentally retarded person is rape, as they cannot give legal consent.
Wife's Consent and Property Alienation: Voidable, Not Void, Under the Old Civil Code
A husband's alienation of conjugal property without the wife's consent is voidable, not void, under the Old Civil Code. The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction.
Parental Rights vs Child’s Affidavit of Desistance: Protecting Minors in Legal Proceedings
A judge was fined for dismissing a rape case based on a minor’s affidavit of desistance without parental consent or notice. Key family law lessons.
Reassignment Without Consent: Security of Tenure for Philippine Civil Servants
When can a government employee be reassigned against their will? The Supreme Court's ruling in Cariño v. Daoas explains the limits of transfer powers.
Voiding a Sale: Understanding Consent and Good Faith in Property Transactions
The Supreme Court explains when a Philippine deed of sale may be voided for lack of consent, and how the Torrens system protects buyers in good faith.
Rape and Consent: The Supreme Court's Stance on Sweetheart Defense and Weapon Use
Learn how the Supreme Court treats date and relationship allegations in rape cases, and why precise time is not essential for conviction.
Rape and Consent: Establishing Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Philippine Law
How Philippine courts weigh a rape victim's testimony against the defense of denial, and why conviction requires proof beyond reasonable doubt.
Workplace Boundaries: Defining Acts of Lasciviousness and Consensual Acts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when sexual acts are rape, not consensual, and why workplace familiarity does not imply consent.
Rape by Intimidation: The Supreme Court's Stance on Fear and Consent
How the Supreme Court ruled that fear of death can vitiate consent in rape cases involving kidnapping and illegal detention.
Rape Conviction Stands: Force and Intimidation Trump Claims of Consent in Sweetheart Defense
SC affirms rape conviction of man who attacked a mentally disabled woman, ruling force and intimidation override any alleged romantic relationship.
Conspiracy and Consent in Rape Cases: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on gang rape, conspiracy liability, victim credibility, and consent in People v. Binarao.
Kidnapping for Ransom: False Inducement and the Role of Circumstantial Evidence
When a victim initially consents to go with an accused, kidnapping can still occur if force is later used to detain them.
Burden of Proof in Rape Cases: Consent and the Presumption of Innocence
The Supreme Court acquits a rape accused where prosecution failed to prove force or intimidation, reaffirming the presumption of innocence and the prosecution's burden.
Voidable Contracts: Spousal Consent and Conjugal Property Sales Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court explains why a husband's sale of conjugal property without the wife's consent is voidable, not void, and how buyers can lose good faith protection.