CivilLaw.PH corrects material errors and updates its guides when the Civil Code, a special law, the Rules of Court, registry or agency procedure, or Supreme Court doctrine changes.
A guide that was accurate when it was published can become incomplete or wrong after an amendment, a new Supreme Court decision, a revised rule of procedure, or a change in what a Registry of Deeds, the Land Registration Authority, the BIR or a court actually requires. Readers act on these pages, sometimes against a prescriptive period, so an error here has consequences.
What counts as a material correction
A material correction is a change that could affect how a reasonable reader understands the law, a procedure, a deadline, a documentary requirement or the recommended next step. Examples include:
- An incorrect legal requirement, element, prescriptive period, redemption period or court jurisdiction
- A wrong article number, case name, G.R. number or citation
- A provision described as current when it has been amended, repealed or superseded
- A misstatement of a Supreme Court ruling, or a passing remark presented as the holding
- An outdated registration, title-transfer, tax-clearance or filing procedure
- A calculation error, or a tool assumption that no longer holds
- A pending bill described as enacted law
Minor edits
Spelling, grammar, formatting, broken links, layout and clearer wording are fixed without a correction note. These changes do not necessarily reset a guide’s materially reviewed date.
Materially reviewed dates
For subjects that can change, CivilLaw.PH may display a Last materially reviewed date. This date is intended to indicate when the substance of the guide was checked, not simply when WordPress recorded a small edit.
When we update content
- the Civil Code or a special law is amended or repealed, or a new statute changes the ordinary Civil Code rule;
- a Supreme Court decision materially changes or clarifies a doctrine;
- the Rules of Court or another procedural rule, including the rules on small claims, ejectment and barangay conciliation, is revised;
- a Registry of Deeds, LRA, BIR, PSA, DHSUD or other agency requirement, form, fee or process changes;
- a jurisdictional amount or other threshold changes;
- a pending bill advances, is enacted, vetoed or archived; or
- new authoritative information shows that an earlier explanation was incomplete.
How a correction is handled
- The report is checked against the primary source: the codal article, the statute, the rule, the issuing agency’s own statement or the decision itself. A secondary commentary is not enough on its own to change a guide.
- If the report is right, the guide is corrected on the page itself.
- For a significant factual or legal correction, an editorial note may explain what changed. For a routine update caused by a new rule or procedure, the updated text and the materially reviewed date may be sufficient.
- Minor fixes are made without a note.
- We reply to the person who reported it, including when we conclude that no change is needed and why.
No silent change of meaning
When a correction changes the practical meaning of a guide, such as who has the better right, what must be filed or by when, the revised guide makes that change clear rather than quietly replacing the earlier text.
When official sources conflict
When official sources conflict, we identify the inconsistency rather than hide it. We may explain both positions, say which source appears newer or more authoritative, and decline to state a definitive conclusion where the official material does not support one.
Superseded rules and older law
Older rules still matter in civil law: the law in force when a contract was made, a person died or possession began can decide the case. Where a guide discusses a superseded rule, it says so and points to the current authority rather than presenting the older rule as current.
What we do not change on request
- Accurate statements of law, because a party to a dispute dislikes what they say
- Content, in exchange for payment, links or any other consideration
- Anything that would turn general legal information into advice about a particular case
Where a question turns out to be a genuine difference of legal opinion rather than an error, the guide may be revised to set out both positions and the authority for each, rather than adopting one silently.
How to report an error
Use our Contact page. A useful report includes the page address, the statement you believe needs review and, where possible, a link to the official source that supports the correction. A report backed by the primary text is acted on fastest. Submission does not guarantee a change, but every specific and well-supported report receives a good-faith review.
For how guides are researched and checked in the first place, see our Editorial Policy and Research Methodology, Content Review Policy and Source and Citation Policy.