Garma and Garma Law Office

Garma and Garma Law Office Located at:
๐Ÿ“Camiling Branch - 2nd Floor, A's Building, Malacampa, Camiling (across TAU Agribusiness)
๐Ÿ“Mayantoc Branch - 204 Rizal St., Pob.

Sur, Mayantoc (Beside Cignal TV's Office)

๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—•๐—”๐—ž๐—ข๐—— ๐—ก๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”. ๐—œ๐—•๐—œ๐—š ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—•๐—œ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก ๐—•๐—” ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ฌ๐—”๐—ก, ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ฌ๐—” ๐—ก๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ-๐—”๐—ฅ๐—œ?You've probably heard someone say:"Matagal na naming g...
18/08/2026

๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—•๐—”๐—ž๐—ข๐—— ๐—ก๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”. ๐—œ๐—•๐—œ๐—š ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—•๐—œ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก ๐—•๐—” ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ฌ๐—”๐—ก, ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ฌ๐—” ๐—ก๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ-๐—”๐—ฅ๐—œ?

You've probably heard someone say:

"Matagal na naming ginagamit ang lupang iyan."

Or perhaps:

"Tatlumpung taon na kaming nakatira rito. Amin na 'yan."

At first glance, it may seem reasonable. But in law, living on land and owning land are not always the same thing.

One of the most misunderstood concepts in property law is the difference between possession and ownership.

Possession means a person is physically occupying or using the property. Ownership, on the other hand, refers to the legal right to own, enjoy, and dispose of that property.

The two often go togetherโ€”but not always.

The Civil Code of the Philippines recognizes that, in certain situations, ownership may be acquired through acquisitive prescription, which means a person may eventually become the owner after possessing property openly, continuously, and under the conditions required by law for a specific period of time.

However, there is an important limitation that many people do not know.

If the property is registered under the Torrens System, the general rule is that registered land cannot be acquired by prescription or adverse possession against the registered owner. This principle, embodied in Presidential Decree No. 1529 (Property Registration Decree), protects the stability and reliability of registered land titles.

This is why merely fencing a property, cultivating it, paying taxes on it, or occupying it for many years does not automatically transfer ownership, especially if another person holds a valid certificate of title.

Of course, every land dispute has its own facts. Questions involving inheritance, overlapping claims, boundary disputes, government lands, or unregistered properties may involve different legal rules.

That is why it is dangerous to rely on statements such as:

"Matagal na kasi naming hawak ang lupa."

Length of possession is only one factor. It does not always determine ownership.

๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜†, ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น, ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—บ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ, ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฒ.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. The outcome of every land dispute depends on its specific facts and applicable law.

If you are involved in a boundary dispute, an ownership conflict, or questions regarding land titles and possession, Garma & Garma Law Office can help you understand your legal rights and available remedies.

๐Ÿ† ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ!The ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€ - ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ proudly recognized ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐——๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”...
17/08/2026

๐Ÿ† ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ!

The ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€ - ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ proudly recognized ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐——๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ท๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ฆ. ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ, ๐—ข๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—ฃ, ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—•, ๐—–๐—–๐—ข, ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—” with a ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป for his exceptional achievement in the ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—˜๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, where he ranked ๐Ÿฐ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ.

This remarkable accomplishment reflects his dedication, discipline, and commitment to excellence in the legal and real estate professions.

We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and another milestone in ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—๐—ฎ๐˜†โ€™๐˜€ professional journey.

๐Ÿ† ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐——๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ท๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ฆ. ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ, ๐—ข๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—ฃ, ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—•, ๐—–๐—–๐—ข, ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—”! โš–๏ธ๐Ÿ†

๐˜๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข ๐˜“๐˜ข๐˜ธ ๐˜–๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ.

๐ŸŽ“ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‰We proudly congratulate ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ for earning an ๐—ข๐˜‚๐˜๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป...
14/08/2026

๐ŸŽ“ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‰

We proudly congratulate ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ for earning an ๐—ข๐˜‚๐˜๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ at the ๐—ฃ๐—ผ๐—น๐˜†๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—จ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€ โ€“ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜„ (๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜„).

From the courtroom to the classroom, Atty. Garma continues to make a meaningful impact through the lawโ€”and through the students he inspires.

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ! Your Garma and Garma Law Office Family is proud of you! โš–๏ธ๐Ÿ“š

๐—–๐—”๐—ก ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐— ๐—˜๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜'๐—ฆ ๐—ฃ๐—›๐—ข๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ข๐—ก๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ก๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ง๐—›๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜๐—œ๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐— ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก?Social media has made it incredibly easy to upload photos a...
13/08/2026

๐—–๐—”๐—ก ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐— ๐—˜๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜'๐—ฆ ๐—ฃ๐—›๐—ข๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ข๐—ก๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ก๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ง๐—›๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜๐—œ๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐— ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก?

Social media has made it incredibly easy to upload photos and videos. But just because something is easy to post doesn't always mean it should be posted.

Many people ask:

"Pwede ko bang i-post ang picture niya kahit hindi siya pumayag?"

The answer depends on the situation.

The Civil Code of the Philippines recognizes a person's right to privacy, while the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173) protects personal information in appropriate situations. Depending on the facts, posting another person's imageโ€”especially if done to embarrass, harass, or expose private informationโ€”may have legal consequences.

Not every photograph posted online violates the law. However, context matters. Was the photo taken in a public place? Does it reveal sensitive information? Was it used to shame someone or spread false accusations? These factors may affect a person's legal rights and remedies.

Before clicking "Post," ask yourself:

๐—œ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฒ? ๐—œ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜†? ๐—œ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ฟ?

Sometimes, a few seconds of online posting can lead to years of legal consequences.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.

If you have concerns involving privacy, social media disputes, or online harassment, Garma & Garma Law Office is available to discuss your legal options through proper consultation.

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐˜† ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ. ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‚โš–๏ธToday, we celebrate not just another year of your life, but also...
10/08/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐˜† ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ. ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‚โš–๏ธ

Today, we celebrate not just another year of your life, but also the kind of person you are to the people around you. Someone who is always willing to lend a hand, share what he knows, and make time for othersโ€”even when thereโ€™s already a lot on his plate.

Your dedication to your work is admirable, but what makes you even more special is the way you use what you have to help others. Whether itโ€™s through your profession, a piece of advice, or simply being there when someone needs help, youโ€™ve made a difference in more lives than you probably realize.

Wishing you good health, genuine happiness, continued success, and more blessingsโ€”not just for yourself, but for all the people whose lives you continue to touch.

And, of course, may this year bring you more good food, good company, unforgettable memories, and fewer โ€œAtty., may tanong lang poโ€ฆโ€ messages. ๐Ÿ˜‚

๐Ÿฅ‚ Hereโ€™s to another year of ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€, ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜๐˜€, and ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜. โค๏ธ

๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐˜† ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—”๐˜๐˜๐˜†. ๐—–๐—ต๐˜†๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ! ๐ŸŽ‰โš–๏ธ

With love and appreciation,

๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜„ ๐—ข๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜†. โค๏ธ

๐——๐—ข๐—ก'๐—ง ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—จ๐—ก๐—ง๐—œ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—–๐—›๐—˜๐—–๐—ž ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—–๐—ž ๐—ข๐—™ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜.You're about to buy a piece of land.The seller proudly hands you a ...
09/08/2026

๐——๐—ข๐—ก'๐—ง ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—จ๐—ก๐—ง๐—œ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—–๐—›๐—˜๐—–๐—ž ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—–๐—ž ๐—ข๐—™ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜.

You're about to buy a piece of land.

The seller proudly hands you a clean-looking Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) and says:

"Malinis ang titulo. Wala kang dapat ikabahala."

Most buyers look only at the front page of the title. They check the owner's name, the lot number, and perhaps the area of the property.

But experienced real estate practitioners know that one of the most important parts of the title is often found at the back.

The reverse side of a land title usually contains the Memorandum of Encumbrances. This section may reveal important annotations affecting the property, such as:

โœ” A real estate mortgage, meaning the property has been used as security for a loan.

โœ” An adverse claim, indicating that another person is asserting a legal interest over the property.

โœ” A Notice of Lis Pendens, which serves as a warning that the property is the subject of a pending court case affecting ownership or possession.

โœ” Easements, restrictions, or other annotations that may affect how the property can be used or transferred.

These annotations do not automatically mean you should not buy the property. However, they are red flags that deserve careful legal evaluation before you proceed.

Under Presidential Decree No. 1529, also known as the Property Registration Decree, transactions and claims affecting registered land may be annotated on the certificate of title to protect the rights of the parties and to inform the public. In simple terms, these annotations exist so that prospective buyers are put on notice of matters that may affect the property.

Imagine paying millions of pesos for land only to discover afterward that it had already been mortgaged, was involved in a pending lawsuit, or was subject to another person's legal claim.

A few minutes spent reviewing the annotations could save you years of litigation.

๐——๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ. ๐—œ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜.

Before buying any property, take the time to examine both the front and the back of the title, and whenever possible, verify the title with the appropriate Registry of Deeds and conduct the necessary due diligence.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Every property transaction has unique facts that should be carefully reviewed.

If you are planning to buy or sell land, or if you would like a lawyer to review a land title before you proceed, Garma & Garma Law Office is ready to assist you and help protect your investment.

๐—ฃ๐—ช๐—˜๐——๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ฃ๐—”๐——๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—–๐—ž ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—ก๐—š ๐—•๐—”๐—›๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—š ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก๐——๐—œ ๐—ž๐—” ๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—•๐—”๐—ฌ๐—”๐—— ๐—ก๐—š ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”?Imagine coming home after work only to discover tha...
07/08/2026

๐—ฃ๐—ช๐—˜๐——๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ฃ๐—”๐——๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—–๐—ž ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—ก๐—š ๐—•๐—”๐—›๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—š ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก๐——๐—œ ๐—ž๐—” ๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—•๐—”๐—ฌ๐—”๐—— ๐—ก๐—š ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”?

Imagine coming home after work only to discover that your landlord has changed the locks.

Can a landlord legally do that?

Generally, no.

While tenants are expected to pay rent on time, landlords must also follow the proper legal process before removing a tenant from leased property.

The Civil Code of the Philippines governs lease agreements, while the Rules of Court provide legal procedures for recovering possession of property. In many situations, a landlord who wants to evict a tenant must first comply with the legal requirements instead of taking matters into their own hands.

Changing locks without following the proper legal process may expose the landlord to legal liability.

Likewise, tenants should remember that failure to pay rent may also have legal consequences.
The law protects both property owners and tenants by requiring disputes to be resolved through lawful proceduresโ€”not through intimidation or self-help.

๐—” ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.

If you are a landlord or tenant facing a lease dispute, Garma & Garma Law Office can help you understand the proper legal remedies.

๐—ฃ๐—ช๐—˜๐——๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—•๐—จ๐— ๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—š ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก๐——๐—œ ๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ก๐—š๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก ๐—ฆ๐—” ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ก๐—”๐—š๐—•๐—˜๐—•๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง๐—”?You're about to buy a piece of land.Everything looks ...
02/08/2026

๐—ฃ๐—ช๐—˜๐——๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—•๐—จ๐— ๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—š ๐—›๐—œ๐—ก๐——๐—œ ๐—ก๐—”๐—ž๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ก๐—š๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก ๐—ฆ๐—” ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ก๐—”๐—š๐—•๐—˜๐—•๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง๐—”?

You're about to buy a piece of land.

Everything looks goodโ€”until you notice one thing:

The person selling the property is not the name appearing on the title.

Should you still proceed?

Be careful.

As a general rule, the person selling property should have the legal authority to do so. If the seller is not the registered owner, there should be a valid legal basis showing why they can sell the propertyโ€”for example, they may be an heir after the owner's death, an attorney-in-fact acting under a valid Special Power of Attorney, or a court-appointed representative. Each situation has its own legal requirements.

Buying property from someone who lacks authority may expose the buyer to costly legal disputes or even the risk of losing the property.

Under the Civil Code, a contract of sale requires that the seller have the capacity and authority to transfer ownership. Meanwhile, Presidential Decree No. 1529 emphasizes the importance of the registered title in land transactions.

Before handing over your money, ask these questions:

โœ” Who is the registered owner?

โœ” Why is someone else selling?

โœ” What documents prove the seller's authority?

โœ” Are those documents genuine and complete?

๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒ. ๐—ฉ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜†.

A few days of due diligence are far less expensive than years of litigation.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you are planning to buy or sell land, Garma & Garma Law Office can help review your documents before you proceed.

๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ง๐—”๐—ก ๐—•๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—˜๐— ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ฌ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ก๐—” ๐—œ๐—›๐—ข๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ฌ?One of the most common complaints from employees who resign ...
29/07/2026

๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ž๐—”๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ง๐—”๐—ก ๐—•๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—˜๐— ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ฌ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ก๐—” ๐—œ๐—›๐—ข๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ฌ?

One of the most common complaints from employees who resign is this:

"Hindi pa namin ibibigay ang final pay mo."
Many employees immediately assume this is illegal. On the other hand, many employers believe they can withhold a resigned employee's salary for as long as they want.
The law is more balanced than that.

Under the Labor Code of the Philippines, wages are protected because they are considered the fruits of an employee's labor. In addition, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Advisory No. 06, Series of 2020, provides guidance that an employee's final pay should generally be released within thirty (30) days from the date of separation or termination of employment, unless a different period has been agreed upon or is provided in a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

This does not mean that an employer can simply refuse to release a final salary because an employee resigned or failed to complete every clearance requirement. Likewise, employees should understand that companies may still require the return of company property, settlement of authorized obligations, or completion of reasonable clearance procedures before processing the final pay.

The key is that both parties should act fairly and in accordance with the law.

๐—œ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐˜†. These records may become important if disputes arise later.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.

If you are experiencing problems involving unpaid salaries, final pay, or other labor concerns, Garma & Garma Law Office is ready to help you understand your legal rights.

๐—ก๐—”๐—ฆ๐—” ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ก๐—š๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก ๐—ž๐—ข ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ง๐—”๐—ซ ๐——๐—˜๐—–๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก. ๐—”๐—ž๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ก๐—” ๐—•๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”?This is one of the most common misconceptions in property law....
26/07/2026

๐—ก๐—”๐—ฆ๐—” ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ก๐—š๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ก ๐—ž๐—ข ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—ง๐—”๐—ซ ๐——๐—˜๐—–๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก. ๐—”๐—ž๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ก๐—” ๐—•๐—” ๐—”๐—ก๐—š ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐—ฃ๐—”?

This is one of the most common misconceptions in property law.

Many people proudly say:

"May tax declaration naman ako. Ibig sabihin, akin na ang lupa."

Not necessarily.

A Tax Declaration is issued for real property taxation purposes. It identifies who is responsible for paying real property taxes, but it is generally not conclusive proof of ownership.

In contrast, a Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) or an Original Certificate of Title (OCT) issued under the Property Registration Decree (Presidential Decree No. 1529) serves as evidence of registered ownership over land. While even a title may be challenged in certain exceptional cases recognized by law, it carries significantly greater legal weight than a tax declaration.

That does not mean a tax declaration is useless. Courts have recognized that tax declarations and tax payments may help support a person's claim of ownership, particularly when considered together with actual possession and other evidence. Standing alone, however, they do not automatically make someone the legal owner of the property.

This distinction is important because many buyers unknowingly purchase land that has only a tax declaration, believing they are receiving a titled property.

๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜†๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ, ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ธ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜† "๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜… ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ?" ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€๐—ผ "๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ?" ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ "๐—”๐—ป๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ?"

A careful review before purchasing property can save you years of litigation.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you are buying, selling, or claiming ownership of land, consult Garma & Garma Law Office for guidance.

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