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 Tax Assessments Become Final: Lessons from MERALCO's Garnishment Case
MERALCO's failed challenge to Muntinlupa's deficiency real property tax assessments shows why taxpayers must act promptly on tax notices.
Torrens Title vs Prior Possession: Resolving Property Disputes in the Philippines
Philippine property disputes often pit Torrens title holders against prior possessors. Learn how courts resolve these conflicts under law.
Priority Disputes: Registered Attachment vs Unregistered Sale in Property Law
A registered attachment beats an unregistered sale in Philippine property law, even if the sale happened first. Learn the rule from Du v. Stronghold.
Redemption vs. Repurchase: Property Rights After Foreclosure in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the crucial difference between redemption and repurchase of foreclosed property, and why timing matters.
Enforcement Delayed: Prescription and Revival of Judgments in Philippine Property Disputes
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains the five-year and ten-year deadlines for enforcing judgments, and the consequences of delay.
Double Sale and Good Faith: Protecting the Rights of Innocent Purchasers
In a double sale of registered land, the buyer who first registers the sale in good faith owns the property. The Supreme Court explains why in Payongayong v. Salvador.
Accountability in Public Service: Negligence in Handling Court Funds and Property
A look at how the Supreme Court holds public officers accountable for negligence in managing court funds and property.
Protecting the Vulnerable: Upholding Consent and Preventing Fraud in Property Sales
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on void property sales, fraud, and the importance of genuine consent in real estate transactions.
Possession After Foreclosure: Why the Buyer Wins the Writ of Possession
Buyers in extrajudicial foreclosure sales are entitled to possession of the property. The Supreme Court explains why in Samson v. Rivera.
Agrarian Disputes: The Imperfect Appeal and Loss of Land Rights
A one-day delay and the wrong appellate forum cost a landowner her property claim. Learn the rules on agrarian appeals.
Protecting a Buyer's Property Rights: The Venzon Case on Execution Sales and Good Faith
A buyer's pre-existing claim to property can defeat a later execution sale, even without registration, when the purchaser had actual knowledge.
Disproving Co-Ownership Claims: The Importance of Title and Evidence in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on land registration: why bare claims of possession without solid evidence fail.
One-Year Limit on Ejectment Suits: Why Timely Filing Matters in Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court explains the one-year deadline for ejectment cases and why missing it shifts jurisdiction to the RTC.
Estafa Through Misappropriation: When an Employee's Failure to Account Amounts to Breach of Trust
The Supreme Court clarifies when an employee's failure to account for company funds and property constitutes estafa through misappropriation, reversing dismissals by prosecutors.
Tenancy Rights vs Landowners' Prerogative: Resolving Disputes Over Agricultural Land Transfers
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether tenants can assign rights to agricultural land and whether landowners can be enjoined from disposing of property.
Bank Liability and Misplaced Trust: Who Pays When Loan Payments Go Astray
When a bank forecloses on property later found to be fraudulently mortgaged, who bears the loss? This case explains the legal protection for innocent mortgagees.
Conclusiveness of Judgment: Preventing Relitigation of Established Facts in Property Disputes
A Supreme Court administrative case clarifies when a trial court may still act after an appeal is perfected, and why litigated motions always require a hearing.
Piercing the Corporate Veil to Protect Conjugal Property Rights in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling explains when a corporation's separate personality may be set aside to reach property that really belongs to a married couple's conjugal estate.
Unregistered Donation vs Registered Title: Resolving Property Ownership Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether an unregistered deed of donation can defeat the rights of heirs of a registered property owner.
Tax Sale Trumps Mortgage Foreclosure When Property Title Shifts Due to Tax Delinquency
Supreme Court rules that a tax delinquency sale can render a mortgage foreclosure petition moot and academic when title has already transferred.
Sheriffs Authority IN Ejectment Implementing Writs AND Protecting Personal Property
When a Title Is Not Enough: Resolving Property Disputes Beyond Formal Ownership
A land dispute shows why formal titles can lose to equitable claims, and why the right appeal remedy matters in Philippine property cases.
Breach of Contract: When an Unperfected Sale Defines Liability in Property Agreements
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when an unaccepted offer creates no contract, and how equity cannot override positive law.
Freedom to Contract vs Equity: No Perfected Contract, No Forced Sale of Government Property
Supreme Court rules equity cannot compel the National Housing Authority to sell land without a perfected contract of sale.