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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Seafarer Disability Claims Upholding Honesty IN PRE Employment Medical Exams
Regular Employment vs Independent Contractor: The Control Test in Philippine Labor Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when construction workers are regular employees, not independent contractors, using the four-fold test and control test.
Breach of Trust: Defining Qualified Theft in Employment Relationships
The Supreme Court clarifies when employee theft becomes qualified theft, punishing breach of trust with reclusion perpetua.
Deceptive Recruitment: The High Cost of False Promises in Overseas Employment
The Supreme Court affirms life imprisonment for illegal recruitment in large scale and estafa, underscoring the severe penalties for fake overseas job promises.
Breach of Trust in Employment: When Can an Employer Validly Terminate an Employee
The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on dismissing managerial and fiduciary employees for loss of trust and confidence under the Labor Code.
The Duty to Disclose Probation and Honesty in Government Employment
A Supreme Court ruling on a court employee's failure to disclose a past conviction in his Personal Data Sheet, and the judge who recommended him.
UST v. Samahang Manggagawa ng UST: When Repeated Hires Make Workers Regular Employees
The Supreme Court clarifies when repeated fixed-term hires for maintenance work create regular employment, not project employment, under the Labor Code.
Project vs Regular Employment: Defining Boundaries of Fixed-Term Contracts in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when project-based employees become regular employees and the validity of fixed-term contracts in Philippine labor law.
Project Employment vs Regular Employment: What Philippine Law Says
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when construction workers are project employees and not regular employees, and what this means for termination rights.
Breach of Trust in Employment: When Negligence Justifies Dismissal
The Supreme Court ruled that negligence in handling company property can justify dismissal for breach of trust, even without proof of theft or misconduct.
Social Media Speech and Employment: Defining the Boundaries of Loss of Trust in Termination Cases
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when loss of trust justifies dismissal, distinguishing rank-and-file from managerial employees.
Government Employment and Separation Benefits: The TransCo Ruling on Contractual Employees
The Supreme Court clarifies when contractual government employees qualify for separation benefits and when good faith excuses refund of disallowed amounts.
Project vs Regular Employment: Defining Worker Rights in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when construction workers are regular employees, not project-based, and the employer's burden of proof.
When a "Retainership" Is Really Employment: The Control Test and Security of Tenure
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a retainership agreement masks an employer-employee relationship, applying the control test to protect security of tenure.
Breach of Trust in Employment: Upholding Employee Rights Against Unsubstantiated Claims
Employers cannot dismiss on loss of trust without proof. Learn the legal requisites from a 2016 Supreme Court ruling.
Employer Liability for Vehicle Accidents: When Is an Employee Acting Within the Scope of Employment?
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when employers are liable for vehicle accidents caused by employees acting outside their assigned tasks.
Fixed-Term Employment vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure Under the Labor Code
Explaining Oyster Plaza Hotel v. Melivo on when fixed-term and probationary workers become regular employees entitled to security of tenure.
Corporate Mergers and Employee Rights: Understanding Job Security in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court rules that corporate mergers do not terminate employees' jobs; absorbed workers continue employment with the surviving corporation.
Forum Shopping AND Dismissal Safeguarding Judicial Efficiency IN Employment Disputes
Project Employees: When Length of Service Does Not Mean Regular Employment
Supreme Court clarifies that project employees may be validly terminated upon project completion, even after years of continuous service.
Project vs Regular Employment: Understanding Security of Tenure in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when project employees become regular workers and how security of tenure applies in Philippine construction labor law.
Breach of Trust in Employment: Upholding Termination for Misconduct
The Supreme Court explains when loss of trust and confidence justifies dismissing an employee, even without a criminal conviction.
Conditional Employment Offers and When No Employer-Employee Relationship Exists
The Supreme Court clarifies when a conditional job offer, subject to background checks, does not create an employer-employee relationship.
Due Process in Employment Termination: Balancing Cause and Procedure
The Supreme Court clarifies that dismissals with just cause remain valid even without procedural due process, but employers must pay nominal damages.