Text of the provision

Art. 4. Construction in favor of labor. All doubts in the implementation and interpretation of the provisions of this Code, including its implementing rules and regulations, shall be resolved in favor of labor.

Labor Code of the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended. Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.

What this article means

When a provision of the Code — or of its implementing rules — is genuinely unclear, the doubt is resolved in favor of labor. This is a rule of interpretation, not a licence to ignore text that is already plain.

Questions about this provision

Related provisions

A note on article numbers. The articles of the Labor Code have been administratively renumbered, so the same provision is often cited under a different number. Supreme Court decisions write both, in the form “Article 297 [282]” — the new number first, the original in brackets. The text on this page is published under its original number, which is the numbering both source texts use. When citing, check which numbering your source follows.

Cases interpreting this article

Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment (Presidential Decree No. 442), verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings. The Labor Code has been amended many times; this page reproduces the text as those sources carry it. 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.