1 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER AND HUMAN RELATIONS Q. What is Civil Law? ANS. It is that branch of the law that generally treats of the personal and family relations of an individual, his property and successional rights, and the effects of his obligations and contracts. It is that mass of precepts that determine and regulate the relations of assistance, authority and obedience among members of a family, and those which exist among members of a society for the protection of private interests, (1 Sanchez Roman, Estudios de Derecho Civil, p. 70, citing Arribas), family relations, and property rights. (1 Falcon 9; cited in Paras, Civil Code of the Phils. Annotated, Vol. I, 1989 Ed., pp. 4-5). Q. What is a Civil Code? ANS. It is a compilation of existing civil laws, scientically arranged into books, titles, chapters, and sub-heads and promulgated by legislative authority. (Black’s Law Dictionary, p. 334). Q. When do laws take effect? ANS. Laws shall take effect after fteen days following the completion of their publication in the Ofcial Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation, unless the law otherwise provides. (Art. 2, NCC, as amended by E.O. No. 200). Q. A law was passed providing for its immediate effectivity. Does this mean that its immediate effectivity provision would dispense with the publication requirement? Why? 1 2 CIVIL LAW REVIEWER ANS. No. In the case of Tañada vs. Tuvera, 136 SCRA 27, the Supreme Court said that an immediate effectivity clause does not preclude the requirement of publication since the clear object of the law is to give the general public adequate notice of the various laws which are to regulate their conduct and actions as citizens. Without such notice and publication, there would be no cause for the application of the maxim “ignorantia legis non excusat.” It would be the height of injustice to punish or otherwise burden a citizen for the transgression of a law which he had no notice of. Q. May the 15-day period of publication be reduced or extended? ANS. Yes. Publication is indispensable in every case, but the legislature may, in its discretion, provide that the usual 15day period be shortened or extended. For example, the Civil Code did not become effective after fteen (15) days from its publication in the Ofcial Gazette but “one year” after its publication. (Tañada vs. Tuvera, supra.). Q. May the publication of a law before its effectivity be dispensed with? Why? ANS. No. The publication clause cannot be dispensed with. The omission would offend due process insofar as it denies the public knowledge of the laws that are supposed to govern it. If the legislature could validly provide that a law shall become effective immediately upon its approval even if it is not published (or after an unreasonably short time after publication), persons not aware of it would be prejudiced. They could be so, not because they failed to comply with it, but simply because they did not know that it exists. This is true not only of penal laws but also of non-penal laws, like a law on prescription which must also be communicated to the persons they may affect before they can begin to operate. (Tañada vs. Tuvera, supra.). Q. What does the law requiring publication of laws comprehend? ANS. The law comprehends all statutes, including those of local application and private laws which should be published as a condition for their effectivity and shall begin fteen (15) PRELIMINARY CHAPTER AND HUMAN RELATIONS 3 days after publication, unless the legislature xes a different effectivity date. Covered by these rules are presidential decrees and executive orders promulgated by the President in the exercise of legislative powers, whenever the same are validly delegated by the legislature, or, at present, directly conferred by the Constitution. Administrative rules and regulations must also be published if their purpose is to enforce or implement existing laws pursuant also to a valid delegation. Interpretative regulations and those merely internal, i.e., those that regulate only the administrative agency’s personnel and not the public, need not be published; neither are the so-called letters of instruction issued by administrative superiors concerning their duties. (Tañada vs. Tuvera, supra.). The law, however, does not include decisions of the Supreme Court because lawyers in the active law practice must keep abreast of decisions, particularly where issues have been claried, consistently reiterated and published in advanced reports and the SCRA. (De Roy vs. CA, G.R. No. 80718, January 29, 1988). Q. Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC), a body organized to regulate international trading issued Administrative Order No. SOCPEC 89-08-01 under which, applications to the PITC for importation from the People’s Republic of China (PROC) must be accompanied by a viable and conrmed Export Program of Philippine Products to PROC carried out by the importer himself or through a tie-up with a legitimate importer in an amount equivalent to the value of the importation applied for. Remington, Inc.’s application for importation was withheld for failure to comply with the undertaking to submit export credits equivalent to the value of the importations, hence, it questioned the validity of the Order as it was not published in the Ofcial Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Is the contention correct? Why? ANS. Yes. The Administrative Order which was not published in the Ofcial Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation DEDICATION This book is dedicated to my late parents, Andres Albano and Guillerma Soriano and to my wife, Lilian and children Jonjon, Myla and Vinci (who are now all lawyers and co-authors of this book) all of whom inspired me to write this book. To my grandchildren, Shonshon and Carl, this work is likewise dedicated. Judge Ed Vincent S. Albano To my wife Sheila and to my precious boy Sean Vincent, this work is lovingly dedicated. Atty. Ed Vincent A. Albano Jr. I dedicate this work to my husband Carlo who’s ever tolerable of me, and to our little angel Carl Vincent. Atty. Myla Khristabelle A. Pua To my family and friends who have helped me pray to hurdle the Bar Examinations, I offer my humble contribution to this book. Atty. Ed Vincent A. Albano III iii iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors owe the completion of this work to the people who unselfishly extended their much needed help in putting this book together. We wish to thank them here, however unembellished it may be. Linda Joya for providing advance sheets of Supreme Court decisions cited in this book. Nova Marie M. Estabillo, my assistant in the College of Law, for industriously proofreading the manuscript of this book. Crystal G. Perez, my secretary in the law office, for tirelessly encoding the manuscript of this book. Anton A. Arciaga, our clerk in the College of Law, for diligently running errands during the revision of this book. The Authors v vi PREFACE This book was prepared with the intention of making the subject easier for the students to understand the same. It is the author’s belief that the reviewee must easily understand the complicated aspects of the law; hence, the simplicity of this work. This book contains important provisions of the law and doctrinal decisions up to 2007, designed to prepare the reviewee for the Bar Examinations. The author wishes to convey his heartfelt thanks to all his friends for encouraging him to write the book. ED VINCENT S. ALBANO vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PRELIMINARY CHAPTER AND HUMAN RELATIONS ................................................... Human Relations ............................................................ Natural Persons .............................................................. Civil Personality ............................................................. FAMILY CODE ....................................................................... Marriage ......................................................................... Legal Separation ............................................................ Rights and Obligations Between Husband and Wife ................................................................. Property Relations Between Husband and Wife .......... Donations By Reason of Marriage ................................. System of Absolute Community .................................... Conjugal Partnership of Gains ...................................... Separation of Property of the Spouses and Administration of Common Property by One Spouse During the Marriage .................... Regime of Separation of Property .................................. Property Regime of Unions Without Marriage ............. The Family ...................................................................... The Family Home ........................................................... Paternity and Filiation .................................................. Legitimation ................................................................... Adoption .......................................................................... Parental Authority ......................................................... Suspension or Termination of Parental Authority ........ Surnames ........................................................................ Presumption of Death .................................................... Civil Register .................................................................. 1 24 54 55 59 59 102 112 114 115 119 132 144 148 149 155 158 163 193 196 215 233 239 242 244 PROPERTY ............................................................................. 253 Classification of Properties ............................................ Accession ......................................................................... Quieting of Title ............................................................. 253 259 284 ix Co-ownership .................................................................. Possession ....................................................................... Usufruct .......................................................................... Easement ........................................................................ Nuisance ......................................................................... Donations ........................................................................ 287 304 311 317 337 343 WILLS AND SUCCESSION .................................................. 370 Disinheritance ................................................................ Legal or Intestate Succession ........................................ Right of Representation ................................................. Acceptance and Repudiation of Inheritance ................. Collation .......................................................................... 437 441 445 452 453 PRESCRIPTION ..................................................................... 459 Acquisitive Prescription ................................................. Extinctive Prescription .................................................. 464 468 OBLIGATIONS AND CONTRACTS ..................................... 472 Nature and Effects of Obligations ................................. Kinds of Obligations ....................................................... Pure and Conditional Obligations ................................. Obligations with a Period .............................................. Alternative Obligations .................................................. Joint and Solidary Obligations ...................................... Obligations with a Penal Clause ................................... Extinguishment of Obligations ...................................... Payment or Performance ............................................... Loss of the Thing Due .................................................... Compensation ................................................................. Novation .......................................................................... Condonation or Remission of the Debt .......................... Contracts ......................................................................... Essential Requisites of Contracts .................................. Object of Contracts ......................................................... Cause of Contracts ......................................................... Form of Contracts ........................................................... Reformation of Instruments .......................................... Rescissible Contracts ..................................................... Voidable Contracts ......................................................... Unenforceable Contracts ................................................ Void Contracts ................................................................ Natural Obligations ....................................................... Estoppel .......................................................................... Trusts .............................................................................. 472 488 488 493 500 501 508 513 514 531 533 534 548 549 565 573 574 576 578 584 593 596 603 610 611 616 x SALES ..................................................................................... 633 Obligations of the Vendee .............................................. 708 ASSIGNMENT OF CREDITS ................................................. 744 LEASE ..................................................................................... 747 COMMON CARRIERS ........................................................... 787 Safety of Passengers ....................................................... 803 PARTNERSHIP ...................................................................... 814 Dissolution and Winding Up .......................................... Limited Partnership ....................................................... 829 834 AGENCY ................................................................................. 836 LOAN ....................................................................................... 869 Commodatum ................................................................. 870 DEPOSIT ................................................................................. 891 Necessary Deposit .......................................................... Aleatory Contracts ......................................................... 898 903 COMPROMISES ..................................................................... 904 GAMBLING ............................................................................. 913 GUARANTY AND SURETY .................................................. 915 Effects of Guaranty ........................................................ 925 Antichresis ...................................................................... 938 NEGOTIORUM GESTIO ....................................................... 941 Solutio Indebiti ............................................................... 944 PLEDGE AND MORTGAGE .................................................. 947 Mortgages ....................................................................... 957 QUASI-DELICTS .................................................................... 964 DAMAGES .............................................................................. 1025 Moral Damages ............................................................... Nominal Damages .......................................................... Temperate or Moderate Damages ................................. Liquidated Damages ...................................................... Exemplary Damages ...................................................... Preference and Concurrence of Credits.......................... 1035 1057 1058 1060 1061 1069 LAND REGISTRATION ......................................................... 1074 Torrens Title, Conveyances, and Others ....................... Procedure in Land Registration .................................... 1074 1095 xi
