CONFLICT OF LAWS

Prof. Anthony Amunategui Abad

Ateneo de Manila University School of Law
2nd semester, SY 2009-2010 (Section 2-B)
Monday: 12:00 nn – 2:00 p.m.

A. Relevant Sources

► International
- Statutes of Hague Convention Conference on Private International Law
- Convention on the Jurisdiction of the Selected Forum in the Case of International
Sales of Goods, April 15, 1958
- Convention on the Settlement of the Conflicts between the Law of Nationality
and the Law of Domicile, June 15, 1955
- Convention on the Recognition of the Legal Personality of Foreign Companies,
Associations and Institutions, June 1, 1956
- Convention on the Choice of Court Agreements, June 30, 2005
- Protocol on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations, November 23,
2007

► Domestic
- Constitution (Art. IV and Art. V, Section 1)
- Family Code (Articles 10, 21, 26, 35, 36, 37, 38, 80, 96, 184, and 187)
- Civil Code (Articles 14, 15, 16, 17, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 829, 1039, 1319,
and 1753)
- Penal Code (Article 2)
- Corporation Code (Section 133 – Doing Business Without License)
- Rules of Court (Rule 14 and 39, Section 48, Rule 131, Section 3 (n), 132, Section
25)

- Intercontinental Hotels vs. Golden, 254 NYS 2d 527, NY 1964

- Cadalin vs POEA Administrator, 238 SCRA 721 (1994)

IV. Substantive Legal Areas

1. General Theories in Status and Capacity

a. Definition of Status and Capacity
b. Kinds of Capacity
c. Characteristics of Status

2. Personal Law
a. Definition
b. Theories on Personal Law
i. Nationality Theory
- Definition of Nationality and Citizenship
- Determination (Who are citizens of the Philippines?)
- Classification of Citizens in the Philippines
- Theory of effective nationality
- Procedure for Naturalization
- Lost of Philippine Citizenship
- Reacquisition of Citizenship
- Problem in the Application of Nationality Theory
- Nationality of Juridical Person

ii. Domiciliary Theory

- Definition of Domicile
- Kinds
- Rules on Domicile
- Domicile distinguished from Residence

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 - Domicile of Juridical Person

3. Family Relations
a. Marriage
- Philippine Policy on Marriage
▪ Intrinsic Validity (Between Foreigners, Filipinos or Mixed when
Celebrated abroad and/or in the Philippines)
▪ Extrinsic Validity
▪ Property Relations

b. Divorce
- Divorce distinguished from Annulment and Legal Separation
- Effect of Divorce Obtained by Filipinos
- Divorce Between Foreigners
- Divorce Between a Foreigner and a Filipina

c. Adoption
- Definition and Purpose of Adoption
- Conflict rules on Adoption (Effect of Adoption, Foreign
Adoption and Philippine Law on Adoption with foreign element)

d. Paternity and Filiation

- Definition of Paternity and Filiation
- Conflict rules on Paternity and Filiation
▪ Status of Children
▪ Rights of Children
▪ Doctrine of Immutability of Status of Child

4. Property
a. Lex loci or Lex loci rei sitae
b. Conflict of rules on Property
- Immovables
- Movables
c. Exceptions

5. Wills, Succession and Administration of Estates

a. Definition of Wills and Administration of Estate
b. Conflict Rules on the execution of a will
- Intrinsic Validity (National Law)
- Extrinsic Validity (Made by Filipinos or Foreigners abroad
and/or in the Philippines)
c. Conflict Rules on the Administration of Estate

6. Obligations and Contacts

a. Definition of Contract
b. Essential Element of a Contract
c. Conflict rules on Contracts
- Capacity of the parties
- Intrinsic Validity (Lex loci contractus, lex loci voluntatis, lex loci
intentionis)
- Extrinsic Validity

d. Issues on Conflicts Contracts Cases

- Choice of Forum Clause
- Contracts with Arbitration Clause
- Adhesion Contracts
- Special Contracts
- Limitation on the Application of Conflict Rules on Contracts

7. Intellectual Property Rights

a. Trademarks / Trade Name
-

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 - Definition of Trademark
- How ownership is acquired?
- Rights of Foreign Nationals under Philippine Law
- Infringement of Trademark

b. Patent
- Definition of Patent
- Rights of Foreigners with Respect to Patents
- Compulsory Licensing

c. Copyright
- Definition of Copyright
- Terms of Protection
- Reciprocity and International Conventions

8. Corporations and Other Juridical Entities

a. Definition of Corporation
b. Personal Law of Corporation
- Nationality of Corporation
▪ Grandfather Test
▪ Control Test
▪ Classification made under the Philippine Investment Law
- Domicile of Corporation
c. Definition of Foreign Corporations
d. Kinds of Foreign Corporations
e. Applicable Law in Intra-Corporate disputes of a Foreign Corporation
f. Scope of Transacting or Doing Business (License Requirements)
g. Doing Business without a License
h. Rights of a Foreign Corporations

Cases:

- Nazareno vs. Court of Appeals, 343 SCRA 637, (2000)

(property)
- Bellis vs. Bellis, 20 SCRA 358, (1967) (successions)

V. Foreign Judgment

1. Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgment

a. Distinction
b. Bases
2. Conditions and Requisites Before Foreign Judgment maybe Recognized
3. Effect of Foreign Judgment
4. Grounds for Non Recognition

Cases:
- Oil and Natural Gas v. CA, 293 SCRA 96 (1998)
- Asiavest v. CA, 361 SCRA 489 (2001)
- Mijares v. Ranada, 455 SCRA 397 (2005)
- Korea Technologies v. Lerma, 542 SCRA 1 (2008)
- Loucks vs. Standard Oil Company of New York, 224 NY 99, 111
(July 12, 1918)
- Godard vs. Gray, L.R. 6 Q.B. 139 (1870)
- Hilton vs. Guyot, 159 U.S. 113, 16 S.Ct. 139, 40 L. Ed. 95
(1895)
- Philippine Aluminum Wheels Inc. vs. FASGI Enterprises G.R.
No. 137378, (October 12, 2000)
- Klaxon Co. vs. Stentor Electric Manufacturing Co. 313 U.S. 487,
61 S. Ct. 1020, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941).
- Borthwick vs. Castro Bartolome, 152 SCRA 229, (1987)
- Koster vs. Automark Industries, Inc. 640 F.2d 77, 81 n. 3 (7th Cir.
1981)

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- Querubin vs. Querubin, G.R. No. L-3693, (July 29, 1950)
- Philippine International Shipping vs. CA, 172 SCRA 810
- Scherk vs. Alberto-Culver Co.417 U.S. 506, 94 S. Ct. 2449 41 L.
Ed.2d 270 (1974)
- Asiavest Merchant Bankers vs. Court of Appeals G.R. No.
110263, (July 20, 2001)
- Northwest Orient Airlines, Inc. vs. Court of Appeals, 241 SCRA
192, 1995
- Priscilla C. Mijares et al., v. Hon. Santiago Javier Ranada et
al.,G.R. No. 139325, (April 12, 2005)
- Bachchan v. India Abroad Publications Inc., 585 N.Y.S. 2d 661
(N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1992)
- Bridgeway Corp. V. Citibank, 201 F. 3d 134 (2d Cir. 2000)
- Siedler v. Jacobson, 383 N.Y. S.2d 833 (NY Sup.Ct.App.1976)
- Boudard vs. Tait, 67 Phil. 179 (1939)
- Ramirez vs. Gmur, 42 Phil. 855 (1918)
- Nouvion vs. Freeman, 59 L.J. Ch. 337 (1889)
- Cowans, et al. vs. Teconderoga Pulp & Paper Co.219 N.Y.S. 284
(1927)
- Ingenohl vs. Olsen & Co.273 U.S. 541
- Republic vs. Gingoyon, 481 SCRA 457
- Velez vs. De Vera, 496 SCRA 345
- Gonzales vs. Climax Mining Ltd., 512 SCRA 148
- EDI-Staffbuilders International, Inc vs. National Labor
Commission 537 SCRA 409
- Valenzuela vs. People , 525 SCRA 306
- Philippine Export and Foreign Loan Guarantee Corporation vs.
V.P Eusebio Construction Inc., 434 SCRA 202