CONFLICT OF LAWS

LAW 3109 PLM JD 3-2

RNB (2S 2021)

A. 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)
• Revised Penal Code (Article 2)
• Revised Corporation Code (Section 150 – Doing Business Without
License)
• Rules of Court (Rule 14 and 39, Section 48, Rule 131, Section 3 (n),
132, Section 25)

B. Resources

• Conflict of Laws, Cases, Materials and Comments (Jorge R.

Coquia & Elizabeth Aguiling-Pangalangan, 2000)
• Conflict of Laws (Albano & Albano, 2021)
• Handbook on Conflict of Laws (Alicia V. Sempio-Diy, 2004)
• Conflict of Laws (Private International Law) (Ruben Agpalo, 2004)
• Philippine Conflict of Laws (Edgardo L. Paras, 1996)
• Case Law

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I. Introduction

1. Scope of Conflict of Laws

a. Definition of Conflict of Laws
b. Elements for the Application of Conflict of Laws
§ Conflict of Laws is part of Municipal law
§ Directive to Courts and/or Administrative Agencies
§ Foreign Elements
§ Application or non-application of a Foreign Law/s
c. Functions of Conflict of Laws
d. Significance/Importance of Conflict of Laws
e. Identifying Issues of Conflict of Laws

2. History of Conflict of Laws

a. Origin
b. Modern Views/ Developments
c. Conflict of Laws in the Philippines

3. Conflict of Laws v. Public International Law

a. Distinguishing Private and Public International Law
b. Sources

4. Conflict of Laws under Common Law and Private International Law under
Civil Law

Cases:
1. Guerrero’s Transport Services, Inc v. Blayblock Transp. Services, 71 SCRA 621
(1976)
2. Saudi Arabian Airlines v. CA, 297 SCRA 469 (1998)
3. Northern P.R. Co v. Babcock, 154 U.S 190
4. Laurel v. Garcia, 187 SCRA 797 (1990)
5. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp v. Sheman, 176 SCRA 331 (1989)
6. International School Alliance of Educators v. Quisumbing, 333 SCRA 13 (2000)

II. Jurisdiction

1. Category of Jurisdiction
a. Definition
b. Jurisdiction Over the Person
1. International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945)
2. Llorente v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 124371 (2000)
3. Philsec Investment et al v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 103493 (1997)
4. Keeton v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 465 U.S. 770 (1984)
5. World-wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286 (1980)
6. Rush v. Sauchuk, 444 US 320 (1980)
7. Compuserve Inc. v. Richard Patterson, No. 95-3452 (1996)
c. Jurisdiction Over the Res
1. Gulf Oil v. Gilbert, 330 US 501 (1947)
2. World-wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286 (1980)
3. Travelers Health Assn. v. Virginia, 339 U.S. 643 (1950)
4. Schmidt v. Driscol, 249 Minn 376 82, NW 2d 365 (1957)
d. Jurisdiction Over the Subject Matter
1. French v. Banco National de Cuba, 295 NY 2d, 422-423 (1968) (Saba Hino)
2. Hassan El-fadl v. Central Bank of Jordan, et al., 75 F.3d 668 (1996)
3. Republic of the Philippines, et al v. Pimentel et al, Supreme Court of the
United States No. 06-1204, 464 F. 3d 885 (2008)

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 4. Helen Liu v. The Republic of China, No. 87-2976, United States Court of
Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 892 F.2d 1419 (1989)
5. In Re: Philippine National Bank v. United States District Court for the
District of Hawaii, No. 04-71843, D.C. No. MDL-00840MLR
6. Pennhurst State School and Hosp. v. Halderman, 465, U.S. 89 (1984)
7. Lord Day & Lord v. Socialist Republic of Vietnam 134 F. Supp.2d 549
(S.D.N.Y. 2001)
8. Kirkpatrick Inc. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp., Int’l., 493 U.S.400, 107
L.Ed. 2d 816 (1990)
9. Credit Suisse v. U.S.D.C., 130 F.3d at 1342 (9th Cir. 1997)

2. Ways to Deal with Conflict of Laws Cases

a. Refusal to Assume Jurisdiction
1. Doctrine of Forum Non-Conveniens
b. Assumption of Jurisdiction
1. Lex fori
2. Lex causae
c. Renvoi
1. Definition
2. Application
3. Problem
4. Double Renvoi vs. Transmission