Text of the provision
Art. 1373. If some stipulation of any contract should admit of several meanings, it shall be understood as bearing that import which is most adequate to render it effectual.
(1284)
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
If a stipulation admits of several meanings, it is understood in the sense most adequate to make it effectual — the law prefers an interpretation that gives the clause effect.
Related provisions
- Article 1372 — General Terms Limited.
- Article 1374 — Stipulations Read Together.
Cases citing this article
- Edita A. De Leon, Lara Bianca L. Sarte and Renzo Edgar L. Sarte, G.R. No. 243733, January 12, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- The Wellex Group, Inc. vs. U-Land Airlines, Co., Ltd, G.R. No. 167519, January 14, 2015 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- SM Land, Inc. vs. Bases Conversion Development Authority and Arnel Paciano D. Casanova, Esq., in his official capacity as President and CEO of BCDA, G.R. No. 203655, August 13, 2014 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Oil And Natural Gas Commission vs. Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 114323, July 23, 1998 — 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.