Text of the provision
Art. 1236. The creditor is not bound to accept payment or performance by a third person who has no interest in the fulfillment of the obligation, unless there is a stipulation to the contrary. Whoever pays for another may demand from the debtor what he has paid, except that if he paid without the knowledge or against the will of the debtor, he can recover only insofar as the payment has been beneficial to the debtor.
(1158a)
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
The creditor need not accept payment from an uninterested third person (absent stipulation). One who pays for another may recover from the debtor — but if he paid without the debtor's knowledge or against his will, only to the extent the payment benefited the debtor.
Questions about this provision
Related provisions
- Article 1235 — Acceptance of Incomplete Performance.
- Article 1237 — No Subrogation Without the Debtor's Consent.
Cases citing this article
- Land Bank of the Philippines vs. Alfredo Ong, G.R. No. 190755, November 24, 2010 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Insular Investment and Trust Corporation vs. Capital One Equities Corp. and Planters Development Bank, G.R. No. 183308, April 25, 2012 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Maxwell Heavy Equipment Corporation vs. Eric Uychiaoco Yu, G.R. No. 179395, December 15, 2010 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Spouses Divina C. Publico and Jose T. Publico vs. Teresa Bautista, G.R. No. 174096, July 20, 2010 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Sps. Emmanuel Lantin vs. The Hon. Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 127141, April 30, 2003 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.