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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Privacy Beyond Residence: Surveillance Cameras and the Right to Be Let Alone
The Supreme Court expands the right to privacy beyond residences, holding that business premises and property enjoy protection from intrusive video surveillance.
Judicial Ethics: Court Employee Cannot Buy Litigated Property
Court employees must avoid acquiring property in litigation, even outside their court's jurisdiction, to uphold judicial integrity.
Final Judgments and Supervening Events: When Execution Cannot Be Stopped
A sale of property after judgment finality does not automatically stop execution. The Supreme Court explains the limits of supervening events.
Choosing the Right Appeal: Rule 41 vs. Rule 42 in Property Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when to use an ordinary appeal versus a petition for review in property cases, emphasizing the importance of the correct mode of appeal.
Tax Sales and Due Process: Protecting Property Rights in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts protect landowners from defective tax sales and uphold due process in property forfeiture cases.
Just Compensation and Government Delay: Valuing Property at the Time of Taking
The Supreme Court clarifies when just compensation is valued and how legal interest accrues in expropriation cases involving government delay.
Contract to Sell: Seller's Right to Rescind and Recover Property Ownership
When a buyer covertly transfers title before full payment in a contract to sell, the seller may rescind and recover ownership.
Public Space vs Private Gain: When Loan Agreements Undermine Public Land Rights
Supreme Court rules loans secured by public plaza are void; public dominion property cannot be collateralized for commercial ventures.
Possession vs Ownership: Resolving Ejectment Disputes Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that in unlawful detainer cases, courts may provisionally rule on ownership to determine who has the right to possess property.
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.
Protecting Third Party Rights in Foreclosure When Possession Trumps Ownership
When a third party adversely possesses foreclosed property, courts must hold a hearing before issuing a writ of possession.
Mortgage Foreclosure: Clarifying Rights and Procedures in Disputed Property Cases
Learn how the Supreme Court clarified extrajudicial foreclosure rules, writ of possession, and procedural requirements in disputed mortgage cases.
Tolerance and Land Ownership: How Permissive Use Impacts Property Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how possession by mere tolerance cannot ripen into ownership through prescription or adverse possession.
Balancing Landlord Rights and Tenant Protection When Personal Use Justifies Eviction
Explore how Philippine courts balance a landlord's need to repossess property for personal use against a tenant's rights under urban land reform laws.
When Police Power Oversteps: The Marikina Fence Ordinance and Property Rights
The Supreme Court struck down Marikina's fence ordinance as an oppressive exercise of police power, protecting private property and privacy rights.
Public Easements in Land Disputes: Private Rights vs Public Welfare
The Supreme Court clarifies that 3-meter easements along rivers and streams are public property, limiting private landowner rights.
Estafa and Erroneous Designation of Offended Party in Property Offenses
When a wrong name appears in an estafa charge, the accused's right to be informed may still be protected. Learn the rules.
Movable or Immovable: How Mortgage Agreements Define Property in Foreclosure
A Supreme Court ruling on whether machineries are movable or immovable property in mortgage foreclosures, explained in plain language.
Balancing Due Process and Anti-Money Laundering: Freeze Orders and Property Rights
Supreme Court rules indefinite freeze orders violate due process; six-month extension limit applies under the Rule in Civil Forfeiture Cases.
Annulment of Judgment: Extrinsic Fraud and Due Process in Property Disputes
When a property owner loses title without notice, annulment of judgment may lie. The Supreme Court clarifies extrinsic fraud and due process rules.
Annulment of Judgment Protects Due Process in Property Disputes
Supreme Court clarifies that failure to state "extrinsic fraud" verbatim does not doom a petition for annulment of judgment.
Void Writ of Execution: Supreme Court Nullifies Property Seizure and Auction
A void writ of execution invalidates all actions taken under it, including property levies and auction sales. Learn the rules.
Protecting Land Ownership: The Limits of Good Faith in Real Estate Transactions
The Supreme Court clarifies when a property owner's claim of fraud in a real estate mortgage fails for lack of evidence.
Rescission Rights When Developers Fail to Deliver on Property Sales
Buyers who fully paid for a lot can rescind the contract and recover the property's market value when the developer fails to deliver title.