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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Understanding the Legal Boundaries of Sexual Assault and Rape in the Philippines
A landmark ruling clarifies the distinction between rape by sexual intercourse and sexual assault, and the penalties for each.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Corporate Officers Can Be Held Personally Liable
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when courts may pierce the corporate veil and hold officers personally liable for fraud and mismanagement.
Corporate Veil and Employment Contracts: When Are Companies Considered One Entity
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when courts may pierce the corporate veil and whether interlocking officers make companies one entity.
When Corporate Veil Piercing Fails: Renewal Commissions After Agent Termination
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a terminated insurance agent can claim commissions and when the alter ego doctrine applies to affiliated companies.
Proving Murder Through Witness Credibility: The Maghuyop Case on Treachery and Self-Defense
The Supreme Court affirms a murder conviction, explaining how credible eyewitness testimony overcomes claims of self-defense and establishes treachery.
Protection Orders and Adult Children: The Estacio v. Estacio Ruling on RA 9262
The Supreme Court clarifies that protection orders under RA 9262 can include adult children used as tools of coercion or harassment.
Maritime Liability in Vessel Collisions: Fault, Insurance Claims, and the Code of Commerce
When vessels collide, determining liability depends on the cause of action—contract or tort. The Supreme Court clarifies the governing rules.
Understanding Corporate Liability and Piercing the Corporate Veil in the Philippines
A Philippine Supreme Court case explains when corporate officers can be held personally liable and when courts pierce the corporate veil.
Lawyer Disbarred for Fraud and Coercion in Corporate Governance
A lawyer's deceitful takeover of a client corporation leads to disbarment, underscoring ethics rules for attorneys.
Moral Character and Bar Admission: Overcoming Obstacles to Legal Practice
How the Supreme Court weighed pending criminal cases against moral fitness in bar admission, and when a bar applicant may finally take the oath.
Proving Debt With Delivery Receipts: Preponderance of Evidence in Commercial Cases
Learn how delivery receipts and bills of lading can prove unpaid commercial debts under the preponderance of evidence rule.
Limits of Post-Judgment Examination: Protecting Third-Party Rights in Execution
Third-party claimants can vindicate ownership of levied property through independent actions without being penalized for exercising their right to litigate.
When a Transfer Is Not Constructive Dismissal: Management Prerogative in Labor Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when an employee transfer is a valid exercise of management prerogative and not constructive dismissal.
Online Psychological Abuse Under RA 9262: Proving Social Media Authorship and Higher Penalties
Supreme Court clarifies how to prove social media authorship in VAWC cases and rules that using Facebook raises the penalty under the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Least Cost Electricity Supreme Court Mandates Fair Valuation Of Utility Assets
Supreme Court rules ERC must ensure least cost electricity and fair valuation of utility assets in rate-setting cases.
Consent and Coercion: Rape and Sexual Abuse Nuances in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies the line between rape and sexual abuse, acquitting on rape but convicting on child abuse.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: Holding Affiliate Companies Liable for Illegal Dismissal
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when affiliate corporations can be held solidarity liable for illegal dismissal and monetary awards in labor cases.
B.P. 22 and the Corporate Veil: When Corporate Officers Face Personal Liability
The Supreme Court pierces the corporate veil in B.P. 22 cases, holding officers personally liable for bouncing checks—but only with proper notice of dishonor.
Incestuous Rape: When Moral Ascendancy Substitutes for Force
The Supreme Court explains how a father's moral ascendancy can substitute for force in incestuous rape cases, and clarifies the distinction between rape by sexual intercourse and sexual assault.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Are Corporate Officers Personally Liable in Labor Cases?
The Supreme Court clarifies when corporate officers can be held personally liable for labor claims, emphasizing the need for clear allegations and proof of bad faith.
Seafarers' Rights: Overcoming Pre-Existing Conditions for Disability Claims
Pre-existing illness does not automatically bar a seafarer's disability claim. Learn the rules on work-relatedness, compensability, and the 120/240-day window.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Officers Are Solidarily Liable
The Supreme Court clarifies when corporate officers may be held personally and solidarily liable with the corporation, and when they cannot.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Company Officers Face Personal Liability
A corporate officer can be held personally liable for labor awards if the judgment is final. Learn the risks and rules.
City of Manila v. Prieto: Strict Limits on Local Government Expropriation Powers
Supreme Court rules local governments must strictly comply with legal requirements before exercising delegated eminent domain powers.