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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The Perils of Selling Land You Don't Own: Resolving Property Disputes in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on adverse claims, constructive notice, and what happens when someone sells or leases property they no longer own.
Adverse Claims and Lease Agreements: Priority Rights in Property Disputes
How an adverse claim annotated on a title affects later lease agreements, explained through a Philippine Supreme Court ruling.
Establishing Ownership: The Decisive Role of Documentary Evidence Over Testimonial Claims in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why documentary evidence outweighs testimonial claims in land registration cases.
Agricultural Leasehold vs. Inheritance: Protecting Tenant Rights and Land Use in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on land registration, possession, and the distinction between ownership and mere holding in agricultural property disputes.
Sinking Funds and Legal Claims: Determining Rights in Contested Assets
Learn how Philippine courts resolve competing claims over contested property, using the Ingusan v. Santos case as a guide.
Losing a Land Title: Why Possession at Application Time Matters in Property Registration
Learn why the Supreme Court denied a land registration application because the applicant no longer possessed the property at the time of filing.
Proving Co-Ownership in Philippine Property Disputes: The Bulawin Case
Supreme Court clarifies what evidence proves co-ownership of inherited land, and what does not, in a dispute over a Camiguin rice field.
Res Judicata and Dismissal With Prejudice: When a Prior Case Bars a New Lawsuit
A voluntary dismissal with prejudice bars a later suit for the same property, even if the new case is styled differently.
When a Lawyer's Mistake Binds the Client: Property Rights and Negligence
A lawyer's negligence generally binds the client. The Supreme Court explains when relief from judgment is available and when it is not.
When Heirs Can Skip Probate and Sue Directly to Annul a Property Title
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when putative heirs may file an ordinary civil action to annul a title without first going through probate proceedings.
When a Civil Case Can Resolve Inheritance and Property Disputes in the Philippines
Learn when Philippine regular courts, not labor arbiters, have jurisdiction over breach of contract and property disputes.
Buying All Shares Does Not Transfer Corporate Property Ownership: Silverio v. Filipino Business Consultants
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: acquiring controlling shares of a corporation does not give a stockholder ownership or possession of corporate assets.
Redemption Rights Upholding Timeliness IN Foreclosure Cases
Learn how the Supreme Court enforced strict deadlines for property redemption after extrajudicial foreclosure, and why timing matters.
Eminent Domain and the Valid Offer Rule: Lessons from the Pasig Expropriation Case
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a local government must make a valid, definite offer before expropriating private property.
When a Spouse's Sale of Conjugal Property Without Consent Is Valid
The Supreme Court explains when a sale of conjugal property by one spouse without the other's consent stands, and when heirs can still demand partition.
Laches and Land Rights: Why Delay Can Defeat Property Claims
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how laches and inaction can bar property reconveyance claims even when fraud is alleged.
Quieting of Title After the Redemption Period: What Calacala v. Republic Teaches Property Owners
The Supreme Court in Calacala v. Republic ruled that failure to redeem within one year vests ownership in the auction buyer, defeating a later quieting of title suit.
Prescription and Reconveyance: Property Rights and Time Limits in the Philippines
Understand when actions for reconveyance prescribe in the Philippines, based on a Supreme Court ruling on property rights and time limits.
Voidable Contracts When a Husband's Consent Is Crucial in Conjugal Property Sales
When a wife sells conjugal property without her husband's consent, the sale is voidable—but only if he acts to annul it in time.
Redemption Rights Clarifying Property Disputes AND Legal Standing IN Philippine LAW
Trademark Infringement Courts Retain Jurisdiction Despite Pending Trademark Cancellation Proceedings
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that courts can hear trademark infringement cases even while cancellation proceedings are pending before the intellectual property office.
Jurisdiction Clarified When Regular Courts Handle Property Disputes Despite Developer Status
When do regular courts, not HLURB, hear property disputes? The Supreme Court clarifies jurisdiction rules in Lacson Hermanas v. Heirs of Ignacio.
When Government Delays Just Compensation: Property Return After Unreasonable Delay
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: government must pay just compensation promptly or risk losing expropriated property back to its owner.
Laches and Land Disputes: When Delaying a Claim Can Cost You Ownership in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court explains how laches—unreasonable delay in asserting a claim—can bar recovery of titled property, even for legal heirs.