Text of the provision
Art. 2257. Provisions of this Code which attach a civil sanction or penalty or a deprivation of rights to acts or omissions which were not penalized by the former laws, are not applicable to those who, when said laws were in force, may have executed the act or incurred in the omission forbidden or condemned by this Code. If the fault is also punished by the previous legislation, the less severe sanction shall be applied. If a continuous or repeated act or omission was commenced before the beginning of the effectivity of this Code, and the same subsists or is maintained or repeated after this body of laws has become operative, the sanction or penalty prescribed in this Code shall be applied, even though the previous laws may not have provided any sanction or penalty therefor. (Rule 3a)
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 transitional rule for the 1950 changeover: provisions of this Code imposing a civil sanction, penalty or deprivation of rights for conduct not penalised by the former laws do not apply to those who acted or omitted while the old laws were in force; where both laws punish the fault, the less severe sanction applies. A continuous or repeated act or omission begun before effectivity but continuing afterwards is governed by this Code's sanction even if the old law provided none.
Related provisions
- Article 2256 — Validity Of Prior Acts Preserved.
- Article 2258 — Pending Actions And Procedure.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.