Text of the provision
Art. 530. Only things and rights which are susceptible of being appropriated may be the object of possession.
(437)
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
Only things and rights susceptible of appropriation may be possessed. Things outside the commerce of man (like property of public dominion) cannot be the object of private possession.
"Susceptible of being appropriated" is the key qualifier: an object need not already belong to someone, but it must be capable of coming under exclusive human control for it to be possessed at all. The article covers rights as well as tangible things, so intangible interests capable of being exercised and enjoyed — not only physical objects — can also be the object of possession. Things incapable of exclusive appropriation by their very nature fall outside the concept entirely, no matter how physically identifiable they may be.
Questions about this provision
Related provisions
- Article 529 — Presumption of Continuity of Character.
- Article 531 — How Possession Is Acquired.
Cases citing this article
- La Tondena, Inc. vs. Republic of the Philippines, G.R. No. 194617, August 5, 2015 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Republic of the Philippines, represented by Commander Raymond Alpuerto of the Naval Base Osias, Port San Vicente, Sta. Ana, Cagayan vs Rev. Claudio R. Cortez Sr, G.R. No. 197472, September 7, 2015 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Heirs of Mario Malabanan vs. Republic of the Philippines, G.R. No. 179987, April 29, 2009 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Frisco F. Domalsin vs. Spouses Juanito Valenciano and Amalia Valenciano, G.R. No. 158687, January 25, 2006 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Teofilo C. Villarico vs. Vivencio Sarmiento, et al, G.R. No. 136438, November 11, 2004 — 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.