Text of the provision
Art. 2. Laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their publication in the Official Gazette, unless it is otherwise provided. This Code shall take effect one year after such publication.
(1a)
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
A law does not bind the public the moment it is signed. It takes effect 15 days after its publication is completed in the Official Gazette — "unless it is otherwise provided," so Congress may set a different date. The Supreme Court in Tañada v. Tuvera held that publication is indispensable: without it, a law has no binding force, and publication in a newspaper of general circulation now also satisfies the requirement.
Related provisions
- Article 3 — ignorance of the law is no excuse (which presupposes publication).
- Article 4 — laws generally have no retroactive effect.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.