INTRODUCTION TO LAW

THE GENEREAL NATURE OF LAW

Law-any rule or action or any system of uniformity
(1)Strict legal sense-promulgated and enforced by the state
(2)Non-legal sense-not promulgated and enforced by the state
Divine law-law of religion and faith which concerns itself with the concept of sin
and salvation.

(2)An Active subject (creditor/obligee) the person who is entitled to demand the
fulfillment of the obligation; he who has right.
(3)Object or Prestation (subject matter of the obligation) the conduct required to
be observed by the debtor.
(4)A Juridical or Legal Tie (efficient cause) binds or connects the parties to the
obligation.
EXAMPLE:
Under a building contract, X bound himself to
build a house for Y for P1M.
Here, X is the passive subject, Y is the active
subject, the building of the house is the object of Prestation, and
the agreement or contract, which is the source of the obligation,
is the juridical tie.

Natural law-divine inspiration in man of the sense of justice, fairness, and

righteousness, not by divine revelation or formal promulgation, but by internal
dictates of reason alone.
Moral law-totality of the norms of good and right conduct growing out of the
collective sense of right and wrong of every community.
Physical law-uniformities of actions and orders of sequence which are the
physical phenomena that we sense and feel.
State law- promulgated and enforced by the state.
Characteristics of law

It is a rule of conduct

It is obligatory

It is promulgated by legitimate authority

It is of common observance and beneit

Sources of law
(1)Constitution the written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the
government are established, limited, and defined, and by which the powers are
distributed among the several departments for their safe and useful exercise for the
benefit of the people.
(2)Legislation it consists in the declaration of legal rules by a competent
authority.
(3)Administrative or executive orders, regulations, and rulings those issued by
administrative officials under legislative authority.
(4)Judicial decisions or jurisprudence the decisions of the courts, particularly the
Supreme Court, applying or interpreting the laws or the Constitution form part of
the legal system of the Philippines.
(5)Custom consists of those habits and practices which through long and
uninterrupted usage have become acknowledged and approved by society as
binding rules of conduct.
(6)Other sources
Organization of courts
(1)Regular courts
(2)Special courts
(3)Quasi-judicial agencies

Kinds of obligation according to the subject matter

(1)Real Obligation (obligation to give) is that in which the
subject matter is a thing which the obligor must deliver to the
obligee.
Ex. X (seller) bind himself to deliver a piano to Y (buyer)

(2)Personal Obligation (obligation to do or not to do) is that in

which the subject matter is an act to be done or not to be done.
(a)Positive Personal Obligation obligation to do or to render
service
Ex. X binds himself to repair the piano of Y

(b)Negative Personal Obligation obligation not to do

Ex. X obliges himself not to build a fence on a certain portion
of his lot in favor of Y who is entitled to a right of way over said lot.

ART. 1157. Obligation arises from:

(1) Law;
(2) Contracts;
(3) Quasi-contracts;
(4) Acts or omission punished by law; and
(5) Quasi-delicts
Sources of obligations
(1)Law when they are imposed by law itself.
Ex. Obligation to pay taxes; obligation to support ones family.
(art. 291)

(2)Contracts when they arise from the stipulation of the parties.

(Art. 1306).
Ex. The obligation to repay a loan or indebtedness by virtue of
an agreement.

(3)Quasi-contracts when they arise from lawful, voluntary and

unilateral acts which are enforceable to the end that no one shall
be unjustly enriched or benefited at the expense of another. (Art.
2142.)
Ex. The obligation to return money paid by mistake or which is
not due. (Art.2154.)

Law on Obligations & Contracts body of rules which deals with the nature and
sources of obligations and the rights and duties arising from agreements and the
particular contracts. (Ibid.; see Art. 1307)
Conclusive presumption of knowledge of law
Ignorance of law excuses no one from compliance therewith (Art. 3, Civil Code.)

OBLIGATIONS

(4)Crimes or acts or omission punished by law when they arise

from civil liability which is the consequence of a criminal
offense. (Art.1161.)
Ex. The obligation of a thief to return the car stolen by him; the
duty of a killer to indemnify the heirs of his victim.

(5)Quasi-delicts or torts when they arise from damage caused to

another through an act or omission, there being fault or
negligence, but no contractual relation exists between the
parties. (Art. 2176.)
Ex. The obligation of the head of a family that lives in a
building or a part thereof to answer for damages caused by things thrown
or falling from the same. (Art. 2193.); the obligation of the possessor of
an animal to pay for the damage which it may have caused. (Art. 2183.)

Chapter 1: General Provisions

ART. 1156. An obligation is a juridical necessity to give, to do or not to do. (n)
Obligation Latin word obligation which means tying or binding.
Juridical necessity in the case of noncompliance, the courts of justice may be
called upon by the aggrieved party to enforce its fulfillment or, in default thereof,
the economic value that it represents.
Essential requisites of an obligation.
(1)A Passive subject (debtor/obligor) the person who is bound to the fulfillment
of the obligation; he who has a duty.

ART. 1158. Obligations derived from law are not presumed.

Only those expressly determined in this Code or in special
laws are demandable, and shall be regulated by the precepts
of the law which establishes them; and as to what has not
been foreseen, by the provision of this Book. (1090)
It refers to legal obligations or obligations arising from
law. They are not presumed because they are considered burden
upon the obligor. They are the exception, not the rule. To be
demandable. They must be clearly set forth in the law, i.e., the
Civil Code or special laws.

Special laws refer to all other laws not contained in the Civil
Code.
o
Corporation Code
o
Negotiable Instruments Law
o
Insurance Code
o
National Internal Revenue Code
o
Revised Penal Code
o
Labor Code
o
Etc.
ART. 1159. Obligations arising from contracts have the force of
law between the contracting parties and should be complied
with in good faith. (1091a)
Contractual obligations obligation arising from contracts or
voluntary agreements.
Contract meeting of minds between two persons whereby one
binds himself, with respect to the other, to give something or to
render some service. (Art. 1305.)
Compliance in good faith means compliance or performance in
accordance with the stipulations or terms of the contract or
agreement.
Ex. If S agrees to sell his house to B and B agrees to buy the
house pf S, voluntarily and willingly, then they are bound by the terms of
their contract and neither party may, upon his own will, and without any
justifiable reason, withdraw from the contract or escape from his
obligations thereunder.
That which is agreed upon in the contract is the law between S
& B and must be complied with in good faith.

ART. 1160. Obligations derived from quasi-contracts shall be

subject to the provisions of Chapter 1, Title XVII of this Book.
(n)
Quasi-contractual obligations contracts implied by law.
Quasi-contract - is that juridical relation resulting from lawful,
voluntary and unilateral acts by virtue of which the parties
become bound to each other to the end that no one will be
unjustly enriched or benefited at the expense of another (Art.
2142.)
Kinds of quasi-contracts.
(1)Negotiorum Gestio voluntary management of the property or
affairs of another without the knowledge or consent of the latter.
(Art. 2144.)
Ex. X went to Baguio with his family w/o leaving somebody to
look after his house in Manila. While in Baguio, a big fire broke out near
the house of X. Through the effort of Y, a neighbor, the house of X was
saved from being burned. Y, however, incurred expenses.
In this case, X has the obligation to reimburse Y for said
expenses, although he did not actually give his consent to the act of Y in
saving his house, on the principle of quasi-contract.

(1)
(2)
(3)

Restitution;
Reparation for the damage caused; and
Indemnification for consequential damages. (Art. 104,
Revised Penal Code.)

Ex. X stole the car of Y. if X is convicted, the court will order

X: (1) to return the car or to pay its value if it was lost or destroyed; (2) to
pay for any damage caused to the car; and (3) to pay such other damages
suffered by Y as a consequence of the crime.

ART. 1162. Obligations derived from quasi-delicts shall be

governed by the provision of Chapter 2, Title XVII of this
Book, and by special laws. (1093a)
Quasi-delicts an act or omission by a person (tort-feasor) which
causes damage to another in his person, property, or rights
giving rise to an obligation to pay for the damage done, there
being fault or negligence but there is no pre-existing contractual
relation between the parties. (Art. 2176.)
Requisites
(1) There must be an act or omission;
(2) There must be fault or negligence;
(3) There must be damage caused;
(4) There must be a direct relation or connection of cause
and effect between the act or omission and the damage;
and
(5) There is no pre-existing contractual relation between
the parties.
Ex. While playing softball with his friends, X broke the window
glass of Y, his neighbor. The accident would not have happened had they
played a little farther from the house of Y.
In this case, X is under obligation to pay the damage caused to
Y by his act although there is no pre-existing contractual relation between
them because he is guilty of fault or negligence.

Crime distinguished form quasi-delicts

(1) In crime, there is criminal or malicious intent or
criminal negligence, while in quasi-delict, there is only
negligence;
(2) In crime, the purpose is punishment, while in quasidelict, indemnification of the offended party.
(3) Crime affects public interest, while quasi-delict
concerns private interest;
(4) In crime, there are generally two liabilities: criminal
and civil, while in quasi-delict, there is only civil
liability;
(5) Criminal liability cannot be compromised or settled by
the parties themselves, while the liability for quasidelict can be compromised as any other civil liability;
and
(6) In crime, the guilt of the accused must be proved
beyond reasonable doubt,2 while in quasi-delict, the
fault or negligence of the defendant need only be
proved by preponderance (i.e., superior or greater
weight) of evidence.

(2)Solutio indebiti is the juridical relation which is created when

something is received when there is no right to demand it and it
was unduly delivered through mistake. (Art. 2154.)
(a) There is no right to receive the thing delivered.
(b) The thing was delivered through mistake.

Chapter 2: Nature and Effect of Obligations

ART. 1161. Civil obligations arising from criminal offenses

shall be governed by the penal laws, subject to the provisions of
article 2177, and of the provision of Chapter 2, Preliminary
Title, on Human Relations, and of Title XVVIII of this Book,
regulating damages. (1092a)

Specific/determinate thing particularly designated or physically

segregated others of the same class. (Art. 1459.)

Scope of civil liability

ART. 1163. Every person obliged to give something is also

obliged to take care of it with the proper diligence of a good
father of a family, unless the law or the stipulation of the
parties requires another standard of care. (1094a)

Generic/indeterminate thing. it refers only to a class or genus

to which it pertains and cannot be pointed out with particularity.