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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Statutory Rape IN THE Philippines AGE OF Victim AND Evidence Admissibility Explained
Treachery in Transit: When a Failed Reconciliation Leads to a Fatal Jeepney Attack
The Supreme Court explains when a sudden attack inside a moving jeepney constitutes treachery, even after an amicable settlement.
Leasehold Improvements in the Philippines: Rights of Lessors and Lessees
Learn how Philippine law treats leasehold improvements, when Article 1678 applies, and why contract stipulations usually prevail over default rules.
Novation and Suretyship: Understanding Debt Substitution in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when debt substitution is novation versus suretyship, and why accommodation parties remain liable.
When Force Is Relative: Rape of a Mentally Disabled Victim in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how force and intimidation in rape are measured against a mentally disabled victim's condition.
Project Employment vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure in Construction Projects
Learn when construction workers are project employees and their rights on termination before project completion, based on a Philippine Supreme Court ruling.
Illegal Strikes in the Philippines: Return-to-Work Orders and Employment Consequences
Understand when a strike becomes illegal in the Philippines, the binding effect of return-to-work orders, and the employment consequences for defiant strikers.
Protecting Children: Understanding Qualified Rape and Parental Liability in the Philippines
The Supreme Court affirms the death penalty for a father who raped his daughter, clarifying qualified rape and accomplice liability.
Rape of a Mentally Disabled Victim: How Courts Assess Force and Intimidation
The Supreme Court explains how force and intimidation in rape are measured when the victim is mentally disabled, citing the Dumanon case.
Airport Security Checks and Your Rights: The Johnson Case Explained
Understand your rights during airport security frisks in the Philippines, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in People v. Johnson.
No License, No Case: Understanding Illegal Recruitment Convictions in the Philippines
The Supreme Court acquits a recruiter for lack of POEA certification, clarifying the prosecution's burden in illegal recruitment cases.
Decoding Criminal Liability: Principal vs Accomplice in Philippine Murder Cases
Learn how Philippine courts distinguish a principal from an accomplice in murder, using the 2000 Bato brothers case as a guide.
When a Lawyer's Negligence Can Void a Judgment: Extrinsic Fraud in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when lawyer negligence amounts to extrinsic fraud that can annul a judgment, and when it does not.
Safeguarding Your Appeal: Due Process and Lawyer Negligence in Philippine Courts
When a lawyer's mistakes cost a client her case, can the judgment be annulled? The Supreme Court explains the limits of extrinsic fraud and counsel negligence.
When Silence Isnt Golden Understanding Conspiracy AND Liability IN Murder Cases Under Philippine LAW
The Supreme Court clarifies the line between conspiracy and mere accomplice liability in a murder case where one brother struck the victim and the other delivered the fatal stab.
Safeguarding Due Process: Understanding Indirect Contempt in Philippine Courts
The Supreme Court reminds the IBP that formal investigation is mandatory in lawyer discipline cases, ensuring due process before any penalty.
Limits of Judicial Authority: Understanding Preliminary Investigations in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies that judges conducting preliminary investigations cannot reclassify crimes—that power belongs to the prosecutor.
Police Abuse of Power: Understanding Robbery by Intimidation in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when police officers commit robbery by intimidation and how abuse of public position affects the penalty.
The Limits of a Judge's Power in Preliminary Investigation: Lessons from Cabarloc v. Cabusora
A municipal judge cannot downgrade a murder charge or order the release of accused during preliminary investigation—that power belongs to the prosecutor.
Campus Press Freedom vs School Authority: Balancing Student Rights and Institutional Discipline in Philippine
How the Supreme Court balanced campus press freedom under RA 7079 with a school's disciplinary authority in Miriam College v. Court of Appeals.
When Silence Speaks Volumes: Rape With Homicide Convictions Through Eyewitness and Circumstantial Evidence
How Philippine courts convict in rape-with-homicide cases when the victim cannot testify, using eyewitness accounts and circumstantial evidence.
Fair Reporting Privilege When Media Coverage of Official Proceedings Is Protected From Libel Suits in the Phil
Learn how the fair reporting privilege shields media coverage of official proceedings from libel suits in the Philippines, with rules and limits explained.
Employee vs Independent Contractor: SSS Coverage for Farmworkers in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a "pakyaw (piece-rate) basis considered an employee entitled to compulsory Social Security System (SSS) coverage? The ruling is a reminder that the label used b
When Eyewitness Testimony and Conspiracy Lead to Conviction: Murder Liability in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on murder conviction based on eyewitness identification, conspiracy, and treachery, and why alibi fails.