Text of the provision

Art. 21. Any person who wilfully causes loss or injury to another in a manner that is contrary to morals, good customs or public policy shall compensate the latter for the damage.

Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full. The LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings differ here by a single word; the text above is the reading carried by two of the three sources, confirmed against the Official Gazette.

What this article means

Makes a person liable to compensate another for loss or injury caused wilfully in a manner contrary to morals, good customs or public policy. It reaches conduct that is not otherwise forbidden by any specific law — the wrong is in how the act was done, not in a rule it broke.

Related provisions

Cases interpreting this article

Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment (Republic Act No. 386), verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings. The annotation and commentary around it are the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and are general legal information, not legal advice. How a provision applies to a particular situation depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your case can assess.