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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Lease Termination and Rent Increases: Lessons from Chua v. Victorio
When can a lessor rescind a lease and raise rent? The Supreme Court explains in Chua v. Victorio.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can a Parent Company Be Held Liable for a Subsidiary's Labor Violations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when related corporations may be treated as one employer for labor liability, including separation pay and backwages.
Derivative Citizenship: How a Parent's Naturalization Can Grant Citizenship to Their Children
Philippine Supreme Court explains when a parent's naturalization confers derivative citizenship on minor children born in the Philippines.
Protecting Minors When a Stepfather's Relationship Qualifies as Rape
The Supreme Court explains when a stepparent's rape of a minor is simple rape or qualified rape and why the indictment must allege the qualifying relationship.
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.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can a Parent Company Be Liable for Its Subsidiary's Obligations
Philippine Supreme Court explains the strict requirements for piercing the corporate veil and holding a parent liable for subsidiary obligations.
Parental Betrayal and Rape: When a Stepfather's Crime Redefines Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies statutory rape, qualifying circumstances, and why a stepfather's conviction for simple rape, not death, underscores due process.
When Heirs Cannot Sue to Void Parents' Property Sales Before Death
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when compulsory heirs lack legal standing to challenge parents' sales of property during their lifetime.
Co-Ownership Rights: Possession and Rent Obligations Under Philippine Property Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies co-owner rights to possession and rent before partition, citing Civil Code provisions in De Guia v. Abejo.
Parental Authority vs Child's Rights: Rape by a Father and the Limits of Criminal Allegations
Father convicted of raping his 14-year-old daughter twice; Supreme Court affirms guilt but reduces death penalty to reclusion perpetua for procedural defects in the information.
Spousal Conspiracy in Rape: When a Parent's Silence Becomes Criminal Liability
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling shows how a parent's failure to stop a spouse's sexual abuse of their child can create joint criminal liability.
The Limits of Parental Authority: Rape and Incest in the Philippines
A father's rape conviction was reduced from death to reclusion perpetua because the prosecution failed to prove the victim's age beyond reasonable doubt.
Forum Shopping and Foreclosure: Navigating Jurisdictional Boundaries in Mortgage Disputes
When properties in different provinces are foreclosed, filing separate suits to stop each sale is not forum shopping. The Supreme Court explains why.
Double Jeopardy? No—Forum Shopping and Abuse of Judicial Processes
When a party files suits in different courts for the same relief, it commits forum shopping—an abuse of judicial processes with serious consequences.
Fair Rental Value as Measure of Reasonable Compensation in Lease Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how courts determine fair rental value and reasonable compensation when lease agreements fail to fix rental rates.
Incestuous Rape Parental Authority VS Childs Right TO Protection AND THE Imposition OF THE Death Penalty
Rape Conviction Affirmed Despite Procedural Lapses in Parental Incest Case
Supreme Court affirms rape conviction of father but reduces death penalty to reclusion perpetua due to procedural defects in the information.
When Can a Corporate President Bind the Corporation? Lessons from Inter-Asia v. Asia Industries
A corporate president can bind the corporation even without board authority under apparent authority. Learn the rules from this Supreme Court case.
Corporate Officers' Apparent Authority and Breach of Warranties in Stock Sales
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on corporate president's apparent authority to bind company and breach of warranty claims in stock purchase agreements.
Litis Pendentia in Lease Disputes: When Concurrent Actions Can Proceed
The Supreme Court clarifies when litis pendentia bars a second lease case, distinguishing claims that matured after the first suit was filed.
Parental Authority and Child Abuse: Defining the Limits of Incestuous Rape
In incestuous rape cases, the victim's minority and relationship to the offender must be proven beyond reasonable doubt for the death penalty to apply.
Rent Obligations Remain Lease Contracts Survive Land Ownership Changes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether a change in land ownership cancels a lease contract and excuses unpaid rent.
Intrafamilial Rape: Conviction Upheld on Minor's Credible Testimony and Parental Relationship
Supreme Court affirms death penalty for father convicted of raping his 13-year-old daughter, relying on the victim's credible testimony and proven relationship.
Clarifying Contract Obligations: Rentals vs Purchase Price in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when rental payments form part of the purchase price in property disputes, protecting buyers from altered contract terms.