Art. 2.
Laws shall take
Art. 1 - This Act shall
be known as the "Civil
Code of the
Philippines."
Art. 7. Laws are repealed
only by subsequent ones,
and their violation or non-
observance shall not be
excused by disuse, or
custom or practice to the
contrary. When the courts
declared a law to be
inconsistent with the
Constitution, the former
shall be void and the latter
shall govern. Administrative
or executive acts, orders
and regulations shall be
valid only when they are not
contrary to the laws or the
Constitution.
effect after fifteen days
following the completion
of their publication
in the Official Gazette,
unless it is otherwise
provided. This Code shall
take effect one year after
such publication.
Art. 8. Judicial decisions
applying or interpreting
the laws or the
Constitution shall form a
part of the legal system of
the Philippines.
Art. 3. Ignorance of the
law excuses no one from
compliance therewith.
Art. 9. No judge or court
shall decline to render
judgment by reason of the
silence, obscurity or
insufficiency of the laws.
Art. 4. Laws shall have
no retroactive effect,
unless the contrary is
provided.
Art. 10. In case of doubt
in the interpretation or
application of laws, it is
presumed that the
lawmaking body intended
right and justice to prevail.
Art. 5. Acts executed
against the provisions of
mandatory or prohibitory
laws shall be void, except
when the law itself
authorizes their validity.
Art. 6. Rights may be
waived, unless the waiver
is contrary to law, public
order, public policy,
morals, or good customs,
or prejudicial to a third
person with a right
recognized by law.
Art. 16. Real property as
well as personal property is
subject to the law of the country
where it is stipulated. However,
intestate and testamentary
successions, both with respect
to the order of succession and
to the amount of successional
rights and to the intrinsic validity
of testamentary provisions,
shall be regulated by the
national law of the person
whose succession is under
consideration, whatever may be
the nature of the property and
regardless of the country
wherein said property may be
found.
Art. 17. The forms and
solemnities of contracts, wills,
and other public instruments shall Art. 18. In matters which Art. 19. Every person Art. 20. Every person
be governed by the laws of the are governed by the Code must, in the exercise of his who, contrary to law,
country in which they are
of Commerce and special rights and in the willfully or negligently
executed. When the acts referred
performance of his duties, causes damage to
to are executed before the laws, their deficiency shall
diplomatic or consular officials of be supplied by the act with justice, give another, shall indemnify
the Republic of the Philippines in everyone his due, and the latter for the same.
provisions of this Code.
a foreign country, the solemnities
established by Philippine laws observe honesty and good
shall be observed in their faith.
execution. Prohibitive laws
concerning persons, their acts or
property, and those which have
for their object public order, public
policy and good customs shall
not be rendered ineffective by
laws or judgments promulgated,
or by determinations or
conventions agreed upon in a
foreign country.
 Art. 13. When the laws Art. 14. Penal laws Art. 15. Laws relating
speak of years, months, and those of public to family rights and
days or nights, it shall be
security and safety duties, or to the
understood that years are of
Art. 21.
Art. 11. Any
Customs
personwhich
who Art. 12.
22. AEvery
customperson
must Art. 23. Even when an
three hundred sixty-five Art. 24. In all
shall be obligatory contractual, Art. condition
status, 25. Thoughtless
and
are contrary
willfully to law,
causes public
loss or who through asan aactfact,
be proved of act each;
days or months,
event ofcausing
thirty property or other
upon all who live or relations, extravagance
legal capacityin expenses
of
order or to
injury publicanother
policy shall
in performance by rules
according to the another,
of damage to
days; days, of twenty-four another's when one of the parties is for pleasure or display
sojourn in the persons are binding
not be countenanced.
manner that is contrary to or any other means,
evidence. property
hours; andwasnightsnot due fromto at a disadvantage on during a period of acute
acquires or comes into the fault
sunset or negligence
to sunrise. If months of
Philippine
account of territory,
his moral
upon citizens of the
public want or emergency
morals, good customs or
public policy shall possession of something the designated
are defendant, by the their
latter subject
dependence, to ignorance,
the Philippines,
may be stoppedeven by order
compensate the latter for at the expense of the latter name,
shall they
be shall
liable befor principles
indigence, of public mental though
of living abroad.at the
the courts
computed
indemnity by ifthethrough
number of the
the damage. without just or legal international law and
weakness, tender age or instance of any
ground, shall return the days which they
act or event he was respectively other handicap, the courts
to treaty stipulations. government or private
have. In computing a period,
same to him. benefited. must be vigilant for his charitable institution.
the first day shall be
excluded, and the last day
protection.
included.

Art. 26. Art. 28. Art. 29. When the accused in

Every person shall
respect the dignity, personality,
privacy and peace of mind of his
neighbors and other persons. The
following and similar acts, though
they may not constitute a criminal
offense, shall produce a cause of
action for damages, prevention and
other relief:
(1) Prying into the privacy of
another's residence;
(2) Meddling with or disturbing the
private life or family relations of
another;
(3) Intriguing to cause another to be
alienated from his friends;
(4) Vexing or humiliating another on
account of his religious beliefs,
lowly station in life, place of birth,
physical defect, or other personal
condition.
Art. 27. Any person Unfair
a criminal prosecution is acquitted
competition in agricultural,
suffering material or moral on the ground that his guilt has Art. 30. When a separate
loss because a public commercial or industrial not been proved beyond civil action is brought to
servant or employee enterprises or in labor reasonable doubt, a civil action for
damages for the same act or
demand civil liability
through the use of force,
refuses or neglects, omission may be instituted. Such arising from a criminal
without just cause, to intimidation, deceit, action requires only a offense, and no criminal
perform his official duty machination or any other preponderance of evidence. Upon proceedings are instituted
unjust, oppressive or motion of the defendant, the court
may file an action for during the pendency of the
may require the plaintiff to file a
damages and other relief highhanded method shall bond to answer for damages in civil case, a
against the latter, without give rise to a right of action case the complaint should be preponderance of
prejudice to any by the person who thereby found to be malicious. If in a
evidence shall likewise be
suffers damage. criminal case the judgment of
disciplinary administrative acquittal is based upon sufficient to prove the act
action that may be taken. reasonable doubt, the court shall complained of.
so declare. In the absence of any
declaration to that effect, it may
be inferred from the text of the
decision whether or not the
acquittal is due to that ground.

Art. 31. When the civil
action is based on an
obligation not arising from
the act or omission
complained of as a felony,
such civil action may
proceed independently of
the criminal proceedings
and regardless of the
result of the latter.
Art. 32. Any public officer or
employee, or any private individual,
who directly or indirectly obstructs,
defeats, violates or in any manner
impedes or impairs any of the
following rights and liberties of
another person shall be liable to the
latter for damages: (1) Freedom of
religion; (2) Freedom of speech; (3)
Freedom to write for the press or to
maintain a periodical publication; (4)
Freedom from arbitrary or illegal
detention; (5) Freedom of suffrage;
(6) The right against deprivation of
property without due process of law;
(7) The right to a just compensation
when private property is taken for
public use; (8) The right to the equal
protection of the laws; (9) The right
to be secure in one's person,
house, papers, and effects against
unreasonable searches and
seizures;
(10) The liberty of abode and of (18) Freedom from excessive fines,
changing the same; (11) The privacy or cruel and unusual punishment,
of communication and unless the same is imposed or
correspondence; (12) The right to inflicted in accordance with a statute Art. 33. In cases of
become a member of associations or which has not been judicially declared defamation, fraud, and
societies for purposes not contrary to unconstitutional; and (19) Freedom of
law; (13) The right to take part in a access to the courts. In any of the physical injuries a civil
peaceable assembly to petition the cases referred to in this article, action for damages,
Government for redress of whether or not the defendant's act or
grievances; (14) The right to be a free omission constitutes a criminal
entirely separate and
from involuntary servitude in any form; offense, the aggrieved party has a distinct from the criminal
(15) The right of the accused against right to commence an entirely
action, may be brought by
excessive bail; (16) The right of the separate and distinct civil action for
accused to be heard by himself and damages, and for other relief. Such the injured party. Such civil
counsel, to be informed of the nature civil action shall proceed action shall proceed
and cause of the accusation against independently of any criminal
him, to have a speedy and public trial, prosecution (if the latter be instituted),
independently of the
to meet the witnesses face to face, and may be proved by a criminal prosecution, and
and to have compulsory process to preponderance of evidence. The
secure the attendance of witness in
shall require only a
indemnity shall include moral
his behalf; (17) Freedom from being damages. Exemplary damages may preponderance of
compelled to be a witness against one's also be adjudicated. The responsibility evidence.
self, or from being forced to confess herein set forth is not demandable
guilt, or from being induced by a from a judge unless his act or
promise of immunity or reward to make omission constitutes a violation of the
such confession, except when the Penal Code or other penal statute
person confessing becomes a State