Land Transfer and Titling

Tax declaration vs Torrens title: Which one prevails? Dear PAO, I am the sole heir of my deceased mother, and I inherited her house and lot, which had served as our ancestral home for over 30 years. I was able to transfer the property in my name. However, my aunt, or my mother’s biological sister, presented the receipts of tax declaration, claiming t...

Elements of illegal gambling Dear PAO, My brother joined a huddle where, allegedly, a game of cara y cruz was being played. The barangay authorities arrived and dispersed the crowd, but they told both the participants and the spectators that they would file a case for illegal gambling against them. Can they implicate my brother...

Substantial evidence to prove claim for compensation for sickness Dear PAO, I believe that my husband’s sickness might have been acquired through his work. After his demise, I tried to claim compensation; however, the same was denied because his illness was not listed as an occupational disease. I was told to present evidence to prove that my husband’s disease...

📢 SCHEDULE UPDATE | PALS 2026 BAR LECTURE SERIES – PART 1

Please be advised of the change in schedule for the Political Law lecture:

🏛️ Political Law
👤 Dean José Aguila Grapilon
📅 July 30, 2026 (Thursday)
🕐 1:00 PM

The lecture was originally scheduled for July 20, 2026 and has been moved to July 30, 2026.

Please take note of the updated schedule. See you online! ⚖️

Caretaker’s violation of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 Dear PAO, I caught the caretaker of our house taking a video of my sister while she was taking a bath, through a peephole. When I confronted him, I discovered that he had stored on his phone all sorts of intimate videos of every female who had used that particular bathroom in the past. He maintains....

Company’s covert pregnancy policy is unlawful Dear PAO, I am writing to ask for your legal advice about a situation that I discovered in my company. For context, when I took my preemployment medical exam, the referral only showed the five major tests plus a drug test. When I started working, I found out (because I was in HR) that the company se...

Can notarization cure the defects of a forged document? Dear PAO, My best friend owns a company. He obtained a loan to fund it, and he named me as a guarantor without my consent. He forged my signature, and he was able to notarize the loan contract. Now, the lending company is going after me. I explained that I took no part in taking out the loan, and I....

Limited Portability Law Dear PAO, I have a question regarding my retirement from work. I worked for ten (10) years in a private company before I transferred to the government, where I worked for sixteen (16) years until my retirement. That said, I am a member of both the SSS and the GSIS. I heard about the “Limited Porta...

Authority of solemnizing officer Dear PAO, Three years ago, we availed of a full package civil wedding which includes a wedding officiant provided by the coordinator. The coordinator informed us that our wedding officiant is a certain judge whom she personally knows. However, I have recently discovered that a different person offic...