Civil Code Art. 1396: Voidable Contracts

Statute: Civil Code
Article: Art. 1396
Topic: Voidable Contracts
Status: In force
Book: BOOK IV Obligations and Contracts
Title: TITLE II CONTRACTS
Chapter: CHAPTER 7 Voidable Contracts
Formerly: Art. 1313 of the old Civil Code
Year: 1949
Cited by: Multiple Supreme Court decisions

The provision

Ratification cleanses the contract from all its defects from the moment it was constituted. (1313)

Intellegal Wiki · In plain terms

Provides that once a voidable contract is ratified, it is cleared of all its defects retroactively — from the very moment the contract was formed, not just from the time of ratification. The contract is then treated as valid from the start.

An editorially maintained plain-language explanation of this provision — not legal advice.

Cases applying this article

Luis Mirasol v. Maria Lim G.R. No. 39389
Asuncion Gefes v. Silvestre Salvio G.R. No. 11387
Gaudencio Tabotabo v. Gregoria Molero G.R. No. 6886

Related provisions in this Chapter

Civil Code, Art. 1397 Voidable Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1398 Voidable Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1393 Voidable Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1392 Voidable Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1401 Voidable Contracts

Civil Code, Art. 1396 is found in CHAPTER 7 Voidable Contracts of TITLE II CONTRACTS of BOOK IV Obligations and Contracts of the Civil Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 386).

Browse the Civil Code

Search Philippine statutes on Intellegal →

Continue your research on Intellegal

Search Philippine statutes on Intellegal →

Reviewed by the Intellegal Legal Team for currency against amending laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence.

Research aid — not legal advice. Verify the current text against the Official Gazette. Provisions may have been amended or repealed. Using this page creates no attorney-client relationship. For legal advice, consult a Philippine lawyer.