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.
Questions about this provision
- Can I be sued for exercising a right in bad faith?
- My boss publicly humiliated me in front of my coworkers over a minor mistake — do I have any legal recourse for that?
Related provisions
- Article 20 — damage caused contrary to law.
- Article 21 — acts contrary to morals or public policy (manual queue; source variant).
Cases citing this article
- Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited vs. Cecilia Diez Catalan, G.R. No. 159590, October 18, 2004 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Equatorial Realty, et al. vs. Mayfair Theater, G.R. No. 106063, November 21, 1996 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Metroheights Subdivision Homeowners Association, Inc. vs. CMS Construction and Development Corporation, et al, G.R. No. 209359, October 17, 2018 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Adelaida C. Navarro-Banaria vs. Ernesto A. Banaria, et al, G.R. No. 217806, July 28, 2020 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Mary Elizabeth Mercado vs. Rene V. Ongpin, G.R. No. 207324, September 30, 2020 — 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.