Concealment and materiality in insurance
Dear PAO, My husband procured a life insurance policy from an insurance company here in Leyte, and I was the designated beneficiary. When he died in a vehicular accident, I promptly filed a claim with the insurance company, but my claim was denied on the ground that my husband did not disclose facts relevant to […]
Fathers can seek remedies under VAWC Law
Dear PAO, As a father of a minor child, is it legally possible for me to seek remedies under the VAWC Law? My former wife is verbally abusing our child, but she insists that she cannot be held liable under the law because it was enacted solely for the protection of women and their children. […]
Separation of parents does not automatically result in loss of parental authority
Dear PAO, My wife and I separated due to irreconcilable differences. We have a five-year-old child. I learned that my wife intends to work abroad as a nurse and leave our kid to her mother who is residing in a remote barangay in the province. I cannot allow this as life in that barangay is […]
Inheritance may be held liable for obligations of deceased
Dear PAO, Sometime in the year 2019, my father borrowed the sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php1,500,000.00) from a lending company for his coffee shop business. However, after one year of operation, he passed away, leaving unpaid debts. Recently, I learned that my father left me a 1,000-square-meter agricultural land as an […]
Issuance of writ of possession in extrajudicial foreclosure not absolute
Dear PAO,The condominium unit which I bought was mortgaged by the developer and eventually foreclosed extrajudicially. I only knew of the foreclosure when a representative of the buyer knocked on my door and was surprised that I was occupying the unit. He informed me that he will apply for a writ of possession, considering that […]
Property construction restrictions may be validly imposed
Dear PAO, My husband and I have been saving our hard-earned money to acquire a lot where we plan to build our family home. We recently purchased a lot in an exclusive subdivision with the intention of building a three-story house. However, our homeowners’ association notified me that we can only build a two-story house. […]
Co-ownership may exist over property jointly purchased by common-law spouses while one party is still legally married to another
Dear PAO, I am legally married for five years, but my wife and I separated on our 2nd year of marriage due to irreconcilable differences. I am now with a partner with whom I have built a profitable business, and as a result, we were able to buy a condominium unit. When my wife learned […]
Confidentiality clause under HIV and AIDS Policy Act
Dear PAO, I was clinically diagnosed with syphilis, a well-known sexually transmitted disease (STD) which leads to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. During the diagnostic process, one of the medical personnel involved in the screening happens to be a close friend of mine. When I officially tested positive, it was understandably inevitable for this close […]
Lender liability, extraordinary diligence required of banks and other financial institutions
Dear PAO, In 2022, I obtained a mortgage loan from a well-known financial institution in my province. When I moved to the city in 2023, I opted to personally deposit my monthly amortization at a branch closer to my workplace. Last November 2024, when I went to the said branch to make my customary monthly […]
Cases that no longer need to go through barangay conciliation
Dear PAO, I just have a question about barangay conciliation. Whenever there is a fight or disagreement in our area, we always go to the barangay first. There was a time when my aunt wanted to file a case against our neighbor, and they said that it needed to go through the barangay first. Are […]