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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Union Registration Validity and Challenges in Philippine Labor Context
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that a registered union's legal personality cannot be collaterally attacked in certification election cases.
Rape Conviction Affirmed: Why Victim Credibility and Corroborating Evidence Matter
Supreme Court affirms rape conviction, highlighting victim credibility, corroborating medical evidence, and mandatory civil indemnity in sexual assault cases.
Judicial Efficiency: Resolving Motions Within Prescribed Deadlines
The Supreme Court reminds judges that delaying motions beyond 90 days is gross inefficiency, as shown in Visbal vs. Buban.
Court Employee Reprimanded for Willful Failure to Pay Just Debts
The Supreme Court holds a judiciary employee liable for willful failure to pay debts, stressing that court personnel must uphold integrity in both public and private conduct.
Judicial Accountability: Gross Ignorance of Law in Issuing Erroneous Orders
When do a judge's errors become sanctionable? The Supreme Court explains in this administrative case involving a writ of seizure and a warrant of arrest.
Plain View Doctrine and Warrantless Searches in Drug Possession Cases
When can police search a vehicle without a warrant? The Supreme Court explains the plain view doctrine and moving vehicle exception in drug cases.
Balancing Privacy and Law Enforcement: Warrantless Searches of Moving Vehicles in Drug Cases
The Supreme Court explains when warrantless searches of moving vehicles and plain view seizures are valid in drug cases.
Affidavits of Desistance: When Do They Overturn a Guilty Verdict?
When can an affidavit of desistance overturn a guilty verdict? The Supreme Court explains in Santos v. People.
Barangay Election Substitution After Candidate's Death: The People's Mandate Prevails
Supreme Court allows substitution of deceased barangay election candidates, honoring voter will over technical rules.
Judicial Accountability: Delay in Rendering Decisions Constitutes Gross Inefficiency
Supreme Court holds judges accountable for delayed decisions, ruling that failure to decide cases within 90 days is gross inefficiency.
Retroactive Regular Employment: When Prior Service Counts Toward Benefits
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when prior contractual service counts toward regular employment and CBA benefits under labor law.
Breach of Trust: Revisiting Intrafamilial Rape and the Limits of Legal Proof
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction despite an intact hymen, but reduces the death penalty to reclusion perpetua for a defective information.
Why Judges Must Decide Cases on Time: The Arbis Administrative Case
The Supreme Court fined a retired judge for delayed decisions, underscoring the constitutional duty to resolve cases promptly.
Attempted Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Retraction and Blotter Gaps
Supreme Court affirms attempted rape conviction, explaining why recantations and police blotter entries carry little weight in Philippine criminal cases.
When an Affidavit of Desistance Fails: Upholding Witness Testimony in Criminal Cases
The Supreme Court explains why a belated affidavit of desistance cannot overturn a conviction based on credible witness testimony.
Fair Trial Rights in Philippine Criminal Cases: What the Dy Case Teaches
The Supreme Court clarifies due process, arraignment, and fair trial rights in criminal cases through the Dy ruling.
Buy-Bust Money Not Essential for Drug Conviction, Says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court clarifies that failure to present buy-bust money does not doom a drug prosecution if credible witnesses prove the sale.
Rape Conviction Upheld: Victim Testimony and Alibi Defense Scrutiny in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, explaining why a credible victim's testimony prevails over alibi and denial defenses.
Upholding Judicial Integrity: Sandiganbayan Justice Fined for Misconduct and Media Stunt
Supreme Court fines retired Sandiganbayan Justice Badoy for conduct unbecoming a Justice and delay in resolving a motion.
Buy-Bust Operations Without Prior Surveillance or Buy-Bust Money: What the Supreme Court Says
The Supreme Court clarifies that prior surveillance and buy-bust money are not indispensable in drug cases, provided credible witnesses prove the elements of the crime.
Prejudicial Question Doctrine: Civil Case Does Not Automatically Suspend Estafa Prosecution
The Supreme Court clarifies when a civil case can suspend a criminal prosecution for estafa through falsification of public documents.
Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale: How the Supreme Court Protects Jobseekers from Deceptive Offers
A 2003 Supreme Court ruling affirms that illegal recruitment may be proven through credible testimony alone, even without receipts, and clarifies when it becomes economic sabotage.
Mortgage Foreclosure After Full Payment Is Void: PNB v. Court of Appeals
A mortgage foreclosure is void if the loan it secures was already paid. Learn the rules from this Philippine Supreme Court case.
Incestuous Rape: Supreme Court Upholds Convictions, Reduces Death Penalty
The Supreme Court affirms incestuous rape convictions but reduces death sentences to reclusion perpetua, clarifying penalty rules and victim rights.