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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When a Company Doctor's Delay Makes a Seafarer's Disability Total and Permanent
Explain the Supreme Court's ruling in Salonga v. Solvang Philippines: a company doctor's failure to issue a timely disability assessment makes a seafarer's injury total and permanent.
Real Property Tax on IPP Power Facilities: EO 173 Condonation and Valid Assessments
Supreme Court clarifies that IPP power facilities under BOT contracts with GOCCs may qualify for EO 173 real property tax reduction and condonation.
Navigating Disability Benefits for Seafarers: Key Insights From a Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when seafarers can claim total disability benefits, emphasizing the weight of company-designated physician assessments.
Navigating Seafarers' Rights to Disability Benefits in the Philippines: Key Lessons from Blue Manila v. Jamias
Learn how the Supreme Court protects seafarers' disability claims when company doctors fail to give complete medical assessments.
Local Tax Refund Requisites and Procedures for Contesting Assessments
Learn the requisites for local tax refunds and the proper procedure for contesting local tax assessments in the Philippines.
Navigating Tax Assessments: The Validity of Letters of Authority in the Philippines
Learn when a BIR Letter of Authority becomes invalid, the 30-day and 120-day rules, and how the Supreme Court ruled in AFP General Insurance.
Navigating Seafarer Disability Claims: The Mandatory Third Doctor Rule in the Philippines
Understand the mandatory third doctor rule in Philippine seafarer disability claims and why company physician assessments prevail when the rule is ignored.
Understanding Tax Assessment and Collection Prescription: The BPI Case
The Supreme Court's BPI ruling explains when the BIR loses the right to assess and collect deficiency taxes—key lessons for taxpayers.
Understanding the Difference Between Tax Assessments and Compliance Notices in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies why not all BIR notices are tax assessments, and what this means for taxpayers facing compliance letters.
Navigating Tax Exemptions for Non-Profit Clubs: The Supreme Court's Ruling on Membership Fees
The Supreme Court clarifies that membership fees and assessment dues of recreational clubs are not subject to income tax and VAT.
Seafarer Disability Benefits: The 120/240-Day Rule on Medical Assessments
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a seafarer's disability is deemed permanent and total due to delayed medical assessments by company-designated physicians.
Navigating Disability Benefits for Seafarers: Work-Related Illnesses and Legal Presumptions
Understand how the Supreme Court protects seafarers' disability claims when company physicians fail to issue timely, definite assessments.
Navigating Disability Benefits for Seafarers: Key Insights From Recent Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when seafarers may claim total and permanent disability benefits and how the company-designated physician's assessment affects claims.
Navigating Work-Related Illnesses: The Legal Path to Disability Benefits for Seafarers
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is work-related and compensable under the POEA-SEC, including the 240-day disability assessment rule.
Unclear Medical Assessments Protecting Seafarers Rights TO Disability Benefits
A company doctor's vague medical report cannot defeat a seafarer's claim for total permanent disability benefits, the Supreme Court ruled.
Finality of Medical Assessments: Protecting Seafarers' Right to Full Disability Benefits
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's assessment is final and definitive, protecting seafarers' right to permanent total disability benefits.
Permanent Disability for Seafarers: Final Assessment and the Limits of the Third Doctor Rule
When a company-designated physician issues only an interim assessment, the third-doctor rule may not apply and the seafarer may be deemed permanently disabled.
Definitive Disability Assessments: Protecting Seafarers' Right to Full Compensation
The Supreme Court ruled that a company doctor's tentative or unclear disability rating does not bar a seafarer from claiming permanent total disability benefits.
Defining Final Assessment Seafarer Disability Benefits AND Employer Obligations
Seafarer Disability Claims: When the Company Doctor's Assessment Prevails
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's fitness-to-work assessment binds a seafarer, even if the seafarer's own doctor disagrees.
Seafarers Disability Claims Employers Duty TO Provide Timely Medical Assessment
Timely Action Required Prematurely Filed Disability Claims CAN BE Dismissed
Seafarers must wait for the company doctor's assessment or the 240-day period before filing disability claims. Learn from Guadalquiver vs. Sea Power.
Seafarers Disability When Delayed Assessment Trumps Third Doctor Rule
When the company-designated physician fails to issue a timely final assessment, the seafarer's disability is presumed total and permanent.
Probable Cause vs Due Process: Independent Judicial Assessment in Arrest Warrant Issuance
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between executive and judicial probable cause in arrest warrant issuance, and the limits of due process in preliminary investigation.