Short answer. It gives you the full interest your father had in the property. Article 794 of the Civil Code provides that a devise covers all the interest the testator could pass in the property disposed of, unless the will clearly shows he meant to convey less. Silence on extent means maximum extent.
What the law says
Every devise or legacy shall cover all the interest which the testator could device or bequeath in the property disposed of, unless it clearly appears from the will that he intended to convey a less interest.
Civil Code, Article 794 — Extent of a Devise or Legacy. Read the full provision →
What Article 794 provides
Article 794 states the default rule for devises and legacies: every devise or legacy shall cover all the interest which the testator could devise or bequeath in the property disposed of, unless it clearly appears from the will that he intended to convey a less interest. This is a rule of maximum extent. When your father named "the house on Rizal Street" without adding qualifiers, the law presumes he meant to pass everything he owned in that property — not a partial share, not a bare right of use, not something less than full title.
Why the law defaults to maximum extent
Wills are often written in plain language by people who are not lawyers. Article 794 protects beneficiaries from having an inheritance diminished by the absence of technical precision. If the testator wanted to give only partial ownership, a usufruct, or a limited interest, the will needs to say so clearly. Silence on the extent of what is given is not read as a restriction — it is read as an intent to give whatever the testator had. The will may limit the extent of a devise, but the limitation must be expressed, not implied.
What "all the interest" means in practice
"All the interest the testator could devise" is bounded by what your father actually owned. If he owned the house outright, you inherit outright ownership. If he co-owned it — say, half-share as a co-owner — you receive that half-share. The article does not enlarge the testator's interest; it passes whatever he had in full. So the first question is: what interest did your father hold in the property? Once that is established, Article 794 says that interest passes to you completely, absent a clear contrary statement in the will.
When a lesser interest might be intended
The exception to the maximum-extent rule requires that it clearly appears from the will that the testator intended to convey less. Courts look for explicit language: a grant of usufruct only, a time-limited occupation right, or a statement that only a portion of the property is being given. Ambiguous language is resolved in favor of the beneficiary. If the will simply says "the house on Rizal Street" and nothing else qualifies that grant, the exception does not apply. A phrase like "I give Maria the right to live in the house until she remarries" would be a clear example of a lesser-interest intent; a bare description of the property is not.