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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Preliminary Injunction Preserving the Status Quo in Property Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when a preliminary injunction may issue in property disputes, emphasizing the need to preserve the status quo and the limits of such relief.
Substitution of Parties: Due Process Prevails Despite Procedural Lapses in Estate Cases
Philippine Supreme Court rules that failure to formally substitute deceased parties is not fatal when heirs actively participate in the case.
Substitution of Heirs and Due Process in Continuing Litigation After a Party's Death
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when failure to formally substitute deceased parties does not violate due process in ongoing civil cases.
BSP Can Use Private Counsel: Supreme Court Clarifies Jurisdiction and Representation Rules
Supreme Court rules on BSP's authority to engage private counsel and RTC jurisdiction over real property disputes.
Trial Court Discretion and Fair Trial: Nullifying Pre-Trial Proceedings
Supreme Court clarifies when a trial court may nullify pre-trial proceedings and the limits of judicial discretion in criminal cases.
Land Conveyance and Public Land Act Alienation Restrictions: A Guide to Reconveyance
Learn how the Public Land Act's five-year ban on selling free patent land affects property sales and reconveyance actions in the Philippines.
BSP Authority to Engage Private Counsel and Jurisdiction in Legal Proceedings
Supreme Court clarifies BSP's power to hire private counsel and RTC jurisdiction over real property cases involving assessed value.
Incomplete Self-Defense: When a Knife Is Not a Reasonable Means in Homicide Cases
The Supreme Court explains when a knife against a belt buckle fails the "reasonable necessity" test for incomplete self-defense in homicide.
Voiding Land Sales Under Free Patent: The Five-Year Restriction on Alienation
When can a sale of free patent land be void? The Supreme Court explains the five-year ban and its consequences.
Void Free Patent Sales: When Buying Land Too Soon Means Losing It
Buyers of free patent land must wait five years before buying; early sales are void and the buyer only gets the price back.
Electoral Tribunals and Nuisance Candidates: Jurisdiction After Proclamation
The Supreme Court clarifies that the HRET cannot declare a candidate a nuisance candidate once the COMELEC's ruling has become final.
Sheriffs Duty to Remit Payments and Execute Writs Promptly: Mahusay v. Gareza
A sheriff who withholds collected payments and delays writ execution faces dismissal. The Supreme Court's ruling in Mahusay v. Gareza explained.
Proving Receipt of Tax Assessment Notices: CIR v. GJM Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies that the BIR must prove a taxpayer actually received a tax assessment notice, or the assessment may be void.
Heirs Obligations Settling Debts Before Inheritance Distribution
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on heirs' duty to settle decedent's debts before inheritance distribution, including interest rules.
Foreign Land Ownership Restrictions Lease Agreements As Virtual Transfers
Supreme Court voids 100-year lease to foreigner as virtual transfer of land ownership, reaffirming constitutional ban on alien landholding.
Rape of a Person Deprived of Reason: How Philippine Law Protects Mentally Retarded Victims
In People v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court clarified that carnal knowledge of a mental retardate is rape of a person deprived of reason under the Revised Penal Code.
Perfecting Appeals Strict Compliance AND Jurisdictional Requirements IN Philippine LAW
Reconstitution of a Torrens title requires clear proof the certificate was genuine and in force when lost or destroyed.
When Does the State Pay in Government Contracts? The Agency Question
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a contractor can hold the government liable for a subcontractor's unpaid services under an agency theory.
Rape AND THE Burden OF Proof Establishing Minority IN Qualified Rape Cases
Beyond the Letter: Protecting Employee Rights and Personal Choices in Workplace Morality
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on agrarian reform land transfers, void contracts, and the limits of workplace morality enforcement.
Behest Loans AND Grave Abuse OF Discretion Safeguarding Public Funds IN Government Transactions
Just Compensation Beyond Market Value: Ensuring Fair Recovery in Expropriation Cases
The Supreme Court affirms that just compensation in expropriation cases may exceed market value, including consequential damages for remaining property.
Work-Related Aggravation and Seafarers' Right to Disability Benefits
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on seafarers' disability benefits when a pre-existing illness is aggravated by work conditions.
Illegal Dismissal: PAL's Duty to Prove Valid Retrenchment Explained
Philippine Airlines failed to prove valid retrenchment, making employee dismissals illegal. Learn the burden of proof employers must meet.