LEGAL RESEARCH and THESIS WRITING

FEU Institute of Law

Atty. Gwendolyn Marquez-Dizon

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
1. Primary Sources
2. Secondary Sources

Part II – Introduction to Philippine Law

A. Historical Evolution of Philippine Law

1. Pre-Spanish
2. Spanish
3. American
4. Japanese
5. Philippine Republic
6. Martial law
o Javellana v. Executive Secretary, 50 SCRA 30
o Dissenting opinion of then Chief Justice Sereno in Ocampo v. Enriquez,
G.R. No. 225973, 8 November 2016
7. Republic Revival
o In Re: Letter of Associate Justice Reynato S. Puno of the Court of Appeals
dated 14 November 1990, A.M. No. 90-11-2697-CA, 29 June 1992

B. Overview of the Philippine legal system

1. Executive
President
- Section 1, Article VII, The 1987 Constitution (Constitution)
o National Electrification Administration v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No.
143481, 15 February 2002
o DENR v. DENR Region XII Employees, G.R. No. 149724, 19
August 2003
- Section 18, Article VII, Constitution
o David v. Arroyo, 489 SCRA 160

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o Padilla v. Congress, G.R. No. 231671, 25 July 2017

o Rule 102, Rules of Court
o Lagman v. Senate President, G.R. No. 235935, 6 February 2018
Vice-President
Departments
- Section 16, Article VIII, Constitution
- Book IV, Chapter 1, Executive Order No. 292
Bureaus
- Section 17, Article VII, Constitution
- Book IV, Chapter 4, Executive Order No. 292

2. Legislative
- Section 1, Article VI, Constitution
- Section 26 (2), Article VI, Constitution
o Tolentino v. Secretary of Finance, G.R. No. 115455, 30 October 1995
- Section 27, Article VI, Constitution
Senate
- Section 2, Article VI, Constitution
House of Representatives
- Section 5 (1), Article VI, Constitution

3. Judiciary
- Section 5, Article VIII, Constitution
- Rule-making power
Supreme Court
- Section 1, Article VIII, Constitution
Court of Appeals
- Section 9, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 as amended by Republic Act No.
7902
Sandiganbayan
- Section 4, Article XI, Constitution
Court of Tax Appeals
- Section 7, Republic Act No. 1125 as amended by Republic Act No. 9282
Regional Trial Courts
- Batas Pambansa Blg. 129
Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in cities, Municipal Trial
Courts, and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts
- Batas Pambansa Blg. 129

4. Quasi – Judicial Agencies

o De Lima v. Reyes, G.R. No. 209330, 11 January 2016

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5. Constitutional Commissions
- Article IX-A, Constitution
Civil Service Commission
- Article IX-B, Constitution
Commission on Elections
- Article IX-C, Constitution
Commission on Audit
- Article IX-D, Constitution

6. Local Governments
- Section 2, Local Government Code
- Section 16, Local Government Code
o City of Batangas v. Philippine Shell Petroleum Corporation, G.R. No.
195003, 7 June 2017

7. Other government agencies

Commission on Human Rights
- Section 18, Article XIII, Constitution
o Simon v. Commission on Human Rights, G.R. No. 100150, 5 January 1994

Office of the Ombudsman

- Section 13, Article XI, Constitution
o Alejandro v. Office of the Ombudsman Fact-Finding and Intelligence Bureau,
G.R. No. 173121, 3 April 2013

Part III – Sources of Law

A. Sources of Law

1. Primary sources of law – recorded laws and rules enforced by the state

a. Constitution
- Preamble
- Article 7, The New Civil Code (NCC)

b. Statutes or statutory law

i. Statutes or Legislative enactments
o Enactment of laws
Section 26 (2), Article VI, Constitution
Section 27, Article VI, Constitution
- Repeal and amendment of laws
Article 7, NCC
- Presumption of validity

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- Declaration of unconstitutionality
o De Agbayani v. PNB, 28 SCRA 429
- Effectivity of laws
Article 2, NCC
Article 3, NCC
o Tañada v. Tuvera, G.R. No. 63915, 29 December 1983
o Honasan II v. The Panel of Investigating Prosecutors of the
Department of Justice, G.R. No. 159747, 13 April 2004
- Article 8, NCC
o Tawang Multipurpose Cooperative v. La Trinidad Water
District, G.R. No. 166471, 22 March 2011

ii. Executive/Presidential and other issuances of the different

government agencies including GOCCs
- Section 1, Chapter 1, Book III, Administrative Code
- Sections 2 to 7, Chapter 2, Book III, Administrative Code
- Section 7, Chapter 2, Book IV, Administrative Code
- Section 50, Chapter 11, Book IV, Administrative Code

iii. Treaties and international agreements

- Section 2, Article II, Constitution
o Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines
v. Duque, G.R. No. 173034, 9 October 2007
- Section 21, Article VII, Constitution
o Bayan Muna v. Romulo, G.R. No. 159618, 1 February 2011

iv. Administrative rules and regulations

v. Local ordinances and resolutions

o Sections 1 & 2, Article X, Constitution
o Magtajas v. Pryce Properties, 234 SCRA 255
o Section 16, The Local Government Code (LGC)
o City of Manila v. Laguio, G.R. No. 118127, 12 April 2005
o White Light Corporation v. City of Manila, G.R. No. 122846,
20 January 2009

c. Case Law or Jurisprudence

- Article 4, NCC
- Article 8, NCC
o Spouses Benzonan v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 97973, 27 January
1992
o Silverio v. Republic, G.R. No. 174689, 19 October 2007

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o Re: Resolution Granting Automatic Permanent Total Disability

Benefits to Heirs of Justices and Judges Who Die in Actual Service,
A.M. No. 02-12-01-SC

- Decisions Proper

- Subordinate Decisions

- Judicial System at present

1. Trial courts of limited jurisdiction
2. Trial courts of general jurisdiction
3. Court of Appeals
4. Court of last resort

- Principles in studying case law:

1. Doctrine of Precedent

2. Stare Decisis and Res Judicata

o Ting v. Velez-Ting, G.R. No. 166562, 31 March 2009
o Philippine Farming Corporation, LTD. v. Llanos, et al., G.R. No.
L-21014, 14 August 1965

3. Reversal of judgment and Overruling of decision

- Section 4 (3), Article VIII, Constitution
o De Castro v. Judicial and Bar Council, G.R. No. 191002, 20 April
2010

4. Ratio Decidendi and Obiter Dictum

o Obra v. Spouses Badua, G.R. No. 149125, 9 August 2007
o Office of the Ombudsman v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 160675,
16 June 2006

5. Binding authority and Persuasive authority

- Forms of Decisions

1. Fallo and Ratio Decidendi

o Obra v. Spouses Badua, G.R. No. 149125, 9 August 2007

2. Minute Resolutions and Decisions

o Philippine Health Care Providers, Inc. v. Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, G.R. No. 167330, 18 September 2009

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3. Opinion and Decision

o Disini v. Secretary of Justice, G.R. No. 203335, 11 February
2014

2. Regulations and rulings of administrative agencies

Secondary sources of law

1. Statute Law Books

2. Case Law Books or Law Reports
3. Combination of Statute Law Books and Case Law Books
4. Law Finders

Part IV – Legal Research Process and Strategies

A. Systematic Approach to Legal Research

1. Identify and analyze the significant facts surrounding the problem
2. Formulate the legal issues to be addressed
3. Research on the issues presented
4. Update

B. Search tools and finders, legal research systems

1. Digests
2. Annotations
3. Indices
4. Legal encyclopedias
5. Legal research systems
6. Legal knowledge management systems

C. Elements of legal research

D. Common methods of search

1. Topic method
2. Fact word method
3. Case method
4. Dictionary method
5. Popular name method

E. Presentation of output
1. Memorandum
2. Letter
3. Pleading

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Issues for practice research:

o Permissibility of same sex marriage in the Philippine legal landscape
o Evolution of Supreme Court decisions regarding Rape
o Evolution of Supreme Court decisions regarding dissolution of marriage

F. Digesting cases
1. Facts
2. Issues
3. Ruling
4. Ratio

Understanding and Digesting Jurisprudence Making up the Philippine Governmental

Landscape

o Biraogo vs. The Philippine Truth Commission, G.R. Nos. 192935 & 19303, 7
December 2010
o People v. Marti, 193 SCRA 57
o Lejano v. People, G.R. No. 176389, 18 January 2011
o David v. Arroyo, 489 SCRA 160
o Ocampo v. Enriquez, G.R. No. 225973, 8 November 2016
o Aguinaldo v. Aquino, G.R. No. 224302, 21 February 2017
o Umali v. JBC, G.R. No. 228628, 25 July 2017
o Republic v. Sereno, G.R. No. 237428, 11 May 2018
o Zabal v. Duterte, G.R. No. 238467, 12 February 2019
o Estipona v. Lobrigo, G.R. No. 226679, 15 August 2017
o People v. Romy Lim, G.R. No. 231989, 4 September 2018
o People v. Amarela, G.R. No. 225642-43, 17 January 2018
o Republic v. Manalo, G.R. No. 221029, 24 April 2018
o Crebello v. Office of the Ombudsman, G.R. No. 232325, 10 April 2019
o Tuates v. People, G.R. No. 230789, 10 April 2019

Part V – Citations

A. Citation of statutes
1. Constitution
2. Session laws
3. Codes
4. Bills, Resolutions and Committee Reports
5. Treaties and International Agreements
6. Presidential Acts
7. Administrative Rules and Regulations
8. Ordinances
9. Court Rules

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B. Citation of case law

1. Case Names
a. General rule
b. Exceptions

2. Case Reports
a. Supreme Court decisions
b. Court of Appeals decisions
c. Other Court decisions
d. Administrative Decisions

Part VI – Writing Exercises & Tips