Text of the provision
Art. 19. Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.
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
This is the cornerstone principle of abuse of rights. Even a lawful right must be exercised with justice, honesty, and good faith; a person who exercises a right solely to harm another, or in bad faith, abuses it and may be held liable. Article 19 sets the standard; the liability is imposed through Article 20 and Article 21. Its elements: a legal right or duty, exercised in bad faith, for the sole intent of prejudicing another.
Related provisions
- Article 20 — damage caused contrary to law.
- Article 21 — acts contrary to morals or public policy (manual queue; source variant).
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.