Text of the provision
Art. 555. A possessor may lose his possession:
(1) By the abandonment of the thing;
(2) By an assignment made to another either by onerous or gratuitous title;
(3) By the destruction or total loss of the thing, or because it goes out of commerce;
(4) By the possession of another, subject to the provisions of article 537, if the new possession has lasted longer than one year. But the real right of possession is not lost till after the lapse of ten years.
(460a)
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
Possession is lost by abandonment, by assignment to another whether for value or free, by the destruction or total loss of the thing or its going out of commerce, and by another person’s possession lasting more than one year subject to article 537. Even so, the real right of possession is not lost until ten years have passed.
Questions about this provision
Related provisions
- Article 554 — Presumption Of Continuous Possession.
- Article 556 — Possession Of Misplaced Movables.
Cases citing this article
- The Heirs of Alfredo Cullado, namely: Lolita Cullado, et al. vs. Dominic V. Gutierrez, G.R. No. 212938, July 30, 2019 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Adoracion L. Basilio and Lolita P. Lucero vs. Perla Callo, G.R. No. 223763, November 23, 2020 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Heirs of Jose Peñaflor vs. Heirs of Artemio and Lydia Dela Cruz, G.R. No. 197797, August 9, 2017 — 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.