LEGAL RESEARCH and THESIS WRITING

FEU Institute of Law

Atty. Marco Carlo S. Sana, MBA

First Semester, AY 2018-2019

Wednesdays 7:00-9:00pm

PART I. Introduction to Legal Research

A.   Definition of Legal Research

B.   Importance of Legal Research
C.   Sources of Legal Research
D.   Sources of Law
a.   Primary Sources
b.   Secondary Sources
c.   Finding Tools

PART II. Introduction to Philippine Law

A.   Historical Evolution of Philippine Law

a.   Pre-Spanish
b.   Spanish
c.   American
i.   The Jones Law of August 29, 1916
d.   Japanese
i.   Co Kim Cham vs. Valdez, G.R. No. L-5, September 17, 1945
e.   Philippine Republic
f.   Martial Law
i.   Javellana vs. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. L-36142, March 31, 1973
g.   Republic Revival
i.   In re: Letter of Associate Justice Reynato S. Puno, A.M. No. 90-11-2697-CA,
June 29, 1992.

B.   Overview of the Philippine legal system

a.   Executives
i.   President
1.   Sec. 1, Art. VII of the 1987 Constitution
a.   Marcos v. Mangalapus, 177 SCRA 688
b.   In the Matter of the Petition for the Writ of Amparo and Habeas
Data in favor of Noriel Rodriguez vs. Arroyo, G.R. No. 191805
& 193160
ii.   Vice-President
1.   Lopez vs. Senate, G.R. No. 163556
iii.   Departments
iv.   Bureaus
1.   Section 17, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution
a.   Lacson-Magallanes Co., Inc. v. Pano, 21 SCRA 895
 b.   De Leon vs. Carpio, 178 SCRA 457
b.   Legislative
i.   Section 1, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution
1.   Belgica vs. Executive Secretary, G.R. Nos. 208566, 208493 &
209251, November 19, 2013
ii.   Section 26(1), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution
1.   Philippine Constitution Association vs. GImenez, 15 SCRA 479,
December 18, 1965
iii.   Section 27, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution
1.   Philconsa v. Enriquez, 235 SCRA 506, G.R. No. 113105, August 19,
1994.
c.   Senate
i.   Section 2, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution

d.   House of Representatives
i.   Section 5(1), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution
e.   Judiciary
i.   Section 5, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution
ii.   Power of judicial review
1.   Bondoc v. Pineda 201 SCRA 792
iii.   Rule-making power
1.   Re: Request for Creation of a Special Division, A.M. No. 02-1-09-
2C, January 21, 2002s
iv.   Supreme Court
1.   Section 1, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution
a.   Echegaray vs. Secretary, 297 SCRA 754
v.   Court of Appeals
1.   Section 9, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 as amended by RA No. 7902
vi.   Sandiganbayan
1.   Section 4, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution
a.   Peo vs. Go, G.R. No. 168539, March 25, 2014
vii.   Court of Tax Appeals
1.   Section 7, RA No. 1225 as amended by RA No. 9282
viii.   Trial Courts
1.   B.P. 129
ix.   Quasi-Judicial Agencies
x.   Constitutional Commissions
1.   Article IX-A of the 1987 Constitution
a.   CSC v. Department of Budget, July 22, 2005 G.R. No. 158791
2.   Civil Service Commission
a.   Article IX-B of the 1987 Constitution
i.   CSC vs. Alfonso, G.R. no. 179452, June 11, 2009
3.   Commission on Elections
a.   Article IX-C of the 1987 Constitution
i.   Sarmiento vs. Comelec, 212 SCRA 307
ii.   Jarmilla vs. Comelec, 414 SCRA 337
4.   Commission on Audit
a.   Article IX-D of the 1987 Constitution
i.   Dingcong vs. Guingona, Jr. 162 SCRA 782
 ii.   Boy Scouts of the Philippines vs. COA, G.R. No. 177131,
June 7, 2011.
f.   Local Governments
i.   Province of Negros Occidental vs. COA, G.R. No. 182574, September 28,
2010.
g.   Other government agencies (CHR and Office of the Ombudsman)
i.   Office of the Ombudsman vs. Estandarte, 521 SCRA 155
ii.   Gonzales vs. Office of the President, G.R. No. 196231/196232, January 28,
2014
iii.   Calingin vs. Desierto, 529 SCRA 720
iv.   Carino vs. CHR, 204 SCRA 483
v.   Simon, Jr. vs. CHR 229 SCRA 117

PART III. Sources of Law

A.   Primary sources of law – recorded laws and rules enforced by the state
a.   Constitution
b.   Preamble
c.   Article 7, The New Civil Code
i.   Statutes or statutory law
ii.   Statutes or Legislative enactments
iii.   Enactment of laws
1.   Philippine Constitution Association v. Enriquez, 235 SCRA 506
a.   Repeal and amendment of laws
i.   Article 7, The New Civil Code
1.   Borlough vs. Fortune Enterprises, G.R. No. L-9451,
March 29, 1957
2.   Bocobo vs. Estanislao, G.R. No. L-30458, August
31, 1976
b.   Presumption of validity
i.   Farias v. The Executive Secretary, 463 Phil. 179, 197
(2003)
c.   Declaration of unconstitutionality
i.   De Agbayani v. PNB, 28 SCRA 429
d.   Effectivity of laws
i.   Article 2, The New Civil Code
ii.   Article 3, The New Civil Code
1.   Tanada v. Tuvera, G.R. No. 63915, 29 December
1983
2.   Honasan II v. The Panel of Investigation Prosecutors
of the DOJ, G.R. No. 159747, 13 April 2004
iii.   Article 8, The New Civil Code
1.   Tawan Multipurpose Cooperative v. La Trinidad
Water District, G.R. No. 166471, 22 March 2011
e.   Executive/Presidential and other issuances of the different
government agencies including GOCCs
i.   Section 1, Chapter 1, Book III, Administrative Code
ii.   Section 2 to 7, Chapter 2, Book III, Administrative
Code
 iii.   Section 7, Chapter 2, Book IV, Administrative Code
iv.   Section 50, Chapter 11, Book IV, Administrative Code
f.   Treaties and international agreements
i.   Section 2, Article II of the 1987 Constitution
1.   Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the
Philippines v. Duque, G.R. No. 173034, 9 October
2007
ii.   Section 21, Article VII of the 1987 Consitution
1.   Bayan Muna v. Romula, G.R. No. 159618, 1
February 2011
g.   Administrative rules and regulations
h.   Local ordinances and resolutions
i.   Section 1 & 2, Article X of the 1987 Constitution
1.   Magtajas v. Pryce Properties, 234 SCRA 255
ii.   Section 16, the Local Government Code
1.   City of Manila v. Laguio, G.R. No. 118127, 12 April
2005
2.   White Light Corporation v. City of Manila, G.R. No.
122846, 20 January 2009

iv.   Case Law or Jurisprudence

1.   Article 4, The New Civil Code
2.   Article 8, The New Civil Code
a.   Sps. Benzonan v. CA, G.R. No. 97973, 27 January 1992
b.   Silverio v. Republic, G.R. No. 174689, 19 October 2007
c.   Re: Resolution Granting Automatic Permanent Total
Disability Benefits to Heir of Justices and Judges Who die in
Actual Service, A.M. No. 02-12-01-SC
3.   Decisions Proper
4.   Subordinate Decision
5.   Special Tribunals
6.   Judicial System at present
a.   Trial Courts of limited jurisdiction
i.   Benavidez vs. CA, G.R. No. 125848,September 6, 1999
b.   Trial Courts of general jurisdiction
i.   Juan vs. Pp, G.R. No. 132378, January 18, 2000
ii.   Delta Ventures vs. Cabato, G.R. No. 118216, March 9,
2000
c.   Court of Appeals
d.   Court of last resort
7.   Principles in studying case law
a.   Doctrine of Precedent
i.   De Mesa v. Pepsi Cola Products Phils., Inc., G.R. Nos.
153063-70, August 19, 2005
b.   Stare Decisis and Res Judicata
i.   Ting v. Velez-Ting, G.R. No. 166562, 31 March 2009
ii.   Philippine Farming Corporation, LTD v. Llanos, et. al.,
G.R. No. L-21014, 14 August 1965
c.   Reversal of judgement and overruling of decisions
i.   Section 4(3), Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution
 ii.   De Castro v. JBC, G.R. No. 191002, 20 April 2010
d.   Ratio Decidendi and Obiter Dictum
i.   Obra v. Sps. Badua, G.R. No. 149125, 9 August 2007
ii.   Office of the Ombudsman v. CA, G.R. No. 160675, 16
June 2006
e.   Binding Authority and Persuasive Authority
8.   Forms of Decisions
a.   Dispositive or Fallo and Ratio Decidendi
i.   Dizon v. Judge Lopez, A.M. No. RTJ-96-1338
ii.   Contreras v. Felix, 78 Phil. 570, 577-578
b.   Minute Resolutions and Decision
i.   Philippine Health Care Providers, Inc v. Commissioner
of Internal Revenue, G.R. No. 167330, 18 September
2009
c.   Opinion and Decisions
i.   Disini v. Secretary of Jusrice, G.R. No. 203335, 11
February 2014
ii.   Tayamura vs. IAC, G.R. No. L-82273, May 21, 1987
iii.   Bondoc vs. Tan Tiong, G.R. No. 186652, October 6,
2010
9.   Regulations and ruling of administrative agencies
a.   Araneta v. Gatmaitan, 101 Phil 328
b.   Sta. Rosa Mining v. Leido, 156 SCRA 1

B.   Secondary Sources of law

a.   Classification by authority
i.   Primary
ii.   Mandatory
iii.   Persuasive
iv.   Secondary
b.   Classification by source
i.   Primary
ii.   Secondary
c.   Classification by Character
i.   Statute Law
ii.   Case Law or Law Reports
iii.   Combination of Statute Law and Case Law
iv.   Law Finders

PART IV. Legal Research Process and Strategies

A.   Systematic Approach to Legal Research

a.   Identify and analyze the significant facts surrounding the particular problem
b.   Formulate the legal issues to be researched
c.   Research the issues presents
d.   Update – determine if your legal bases have been repealed, altered, or reversed
B.   Search tools and finders, legal research systems
a.   Digests
b.   Annotations
c.   Indices
d.   Legal encyclopedias
e.   Legal research systems
f.   Legal knowledge management systems

C.   Elements of legal research

D.   Common methods of search

a.   Topic method
b.   Fact word method
c.   Case method
d.   Dictionary method
e.   Popular name method

E.   Digesting cases
a.   Facts
b.   Issues
c.   Ruling
d.   Ratio

F.   Digesting Labor Law Cases

a.   Colegio de San Juan de Letran vs. Association of Employees and Faculty of Letran,
340 SCRA 587 (2000)
b.   General Milling Corporation v. Court of Appeals, 422 SCRA 514 (2004)
c.   Employees Union of Bayer vs. Bayer Philippines, G.R. No. 162943, December 6,
2010
d.   Prince Transport vs. Garcia, G.R. No. 167291, January 12, 2011
e.   Manila Mining Employees Corp vs. Manila Mining, G.R. No. 178222-23,
September 29, 2010
f.   Me-Shum Corp vs. Me-Shurn Workers Union, 448 SCRA 41 (2005)
g.   UST vs. UST 584 SCRA 684 (2009)
h.   Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. vs. Digitel Employees Union, G.R.
No. 184 903, October 10, 2012

G.   Digesting Constitutional Law Cases

a.   Alvarez vs. CFI, G.R. No. 45358, January 29, 1937
b.   Pp vs. Veloso, G.R. No. 23051, October 20, 1925
c.   Burgos vs. Chief of Staff, G.R. No. L-64261, December 26, 1984
d.   Pp vs. CA, G.R. No. 126379, June 26, 1988
e.   Corro vs. Lising, G.R. No. L-69899, July 15, 1985
f.   Soliven vs. Makasiar, G.R. No. L-82585, November 14, 1988
g.   Lim, Sr. vs. Felix, G.R. No. 94054-57, February 19, 1991

H.   Digesting Corporate Law Cases:

a.   Montelibano vs. Bacolod-Murcia Milling Co., 5 SCRA 36 (1962)
b.   China Banking Corp vs. CA, 271 SCRA 503 (1997)
 c.   Uy Siluliong vs. Director of Commerce and Industry, 40 Phil. 541 (1919)
d.   Luneta Motor Company vs. A.D. Santos, Inc., 5 SCRA 809 (1962)
e.   Republic v. Acoje Manining Co., Inc. 3 SCRA 361 (1963)

PART V. Citations

A.   Citations of statutes
a.   Constitution
b.   Session laws
c.   Codes
d.   Bills, Resolutions and Committee Reports
e.   Treaties and International Agreements
f.   Presidential Acts
g.   Administrative Rules and Regulations
h.   Ordinances
i.   Court Rules

B.   Citation of case law or jurisprudence

a.   Case Names
i.   General rule
ii.   Exceptions
b.   Case Reports
i.   Supreme Court decisions
ii.   Court of Appeal decisions
iii.   Other Court decisions
iv.   Administrative decisions