Summary
Highlights
The lecture begins by introducing the subject of obligations and contracts within the broader context of different types of laws. It aims to provide a general understanding of law before delving into specific provisions.
The speaker outlines various non-legal concepts of law: Divine Law (based on religious beliefs, e.g., 'thou shall not kill'), Natural Law (based on reason, e.g., justice and fairness, not tied to religion), Moral Law (subjective rules of right and wrong, culturally dependent), and Physical Law (laws of nature and science, e.g., gravity).
State laws are introduced as those promulgated by the legislature, stemming from the social contract theory where individuals surrender some liberty for government protection. In the Philippines, these are created by Congress (Senate and House of Representatives). Obligations and contracts fall under state laws, specifically within legislated laws.
Laws can be understood in a general sense (the totality of laws) or a specific sense (individual statutes). Obligations and contracts are part of civil law, which is a specific type of law within the civil code.
Laws are characterized as: 1) Rules of conduct (regulating human behavior), 2) Obligatory (mandates compliance with consequences), 3) Promulgated by a just legitimate authority (e.g., Congress in the Philippines), and 4) Of common observance and benefit (intended to benefit all, even if specifically targeting vulnerable groups like the 4Ps program).
The primary sources of state law include the Constitution (the supreme law, specifically the 1987 Constitution), Legislations (laws created by Congress), Executive Orders/Presidential Decrees (enactments by the President, especially historically), and Judicial Decisions (interpretations of laws by the Supreme Court, which become part of the law).
State laws are classified by purpose and subject matter. By purpose, they are Substantive Law (creating rights and obligations, e.g., obligations and contracts) or Procedural Law (guiding legal processes, e.g., rules of court). By subject matter, they are Public Law (governing state-citizen relations, e.g., criminal law where the state is a party) or Private Law (governing relations between private individuals, e.g., civil law, property, marriage, debts, obligations, and contracts).
Three fundamental legal principles are discussed: 1) Ignorance of the law excuses no one from compliance (ignorance is not a valid defense), 2) Judges must render judgment even if the law is unclear or absent, and 3) In cases of doubt, legislators are presumed to have intended right and justice to prevail.
The Philippine court system includes: Regular Courts (Supreme Court as the highest, Court of Appeals, Regional Trial Courts, and Municipal Trial Courts for first-level cases based on jurisdiction), Special Courts (Sandiganbayan for public officials' offenses, Court of Tax Appeals), and Quasi-Judicial Courts (executive agencies with adjudicatory powers in their area of expertise, e.g., Comelec for elections, NLRC for labor disputes, LTFRB for franchises, LTO for traffic). The doctrine of hierarchy of courts dictates that one cannot go directly to a higher court without passing through lower courts.
The lecture concludes by reiterating that this general introduction to the legal system provides a foundational understanding necessary for discussing the law on obligations and contracts in subsequent sessions.