Text of the provision
Art. 1377. The interpretation of obscure words or stipulations in a contract shall not favor the party who caused the obscurity.
(1288)
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 interpretation of obscure words does not favor the party who caused the obscurity — the contra proferentem rule, central to contracts of adhesion.
Related provisions
- Article 1376 — Usage and Custom.
- Article 1378 — Doubts of Last Resort.
Cases citing this article
- Juana Almira, et al. vs. Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 115966, March 20, 2003 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. vs. Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 133107, March 25, 1999 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- 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 →
- F.F. Cruz & Co., Inc. vs. Jose B. Galandez, et al, G.R. No. 236496, July 8, 2019 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Tom Tan, Annie U. Tan and Nathaniel Tan vs. Heirs of Antonio F. Yamson, G.R. No. 163182, October 24, 2012 — 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.