ALFREDO M. VELAYO vs. SHELL G.R. No. L-7817, October 31, 1956.

Article 19. Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.

ALFREDO M. VELAYO vs. SHELL

G.R. No. L-7817, October 31, 1956.

 

FACTS: CALI, a domestic airline corporation, met with its creditors to inform them that the corporation was on the verge of insolvency and had to stop operations. To ensure payment of their claims against CALI, the creditors agreed that it would be advantageous not to present suits against CALI but to strive for a fair pro-rata division of its assets, although CALI announced that in case of non-agreement of the creditors on a pro-rata division of the assets, it would file insolvency proceedings. Right after the meeting, defendant Shell Philippines, one of CALI’s creditors who was present in the meeting and who agreed to the pro-rata division, assigned its credit to its sister company, Shell USA. Shell USA then filed with a California court an action for collection of the assigned credit and applied for a writ of attachment against CALI’s Douglas C-54 plane which was in California. Prior to the meeting with creditors, CALI had already offered the plane to Shell Philippine but the offer was rejected. Velayo, as assignee of the other creditors of CALI, filed this action for damages against defendant Shell Philippines. He claims that that fraudulent assignment of Shell Philippines’ credit to Shall USA prejudiced the other creditors and was contrary to the agreed pro-rata division of assets.

 

ISSUE: WON Shell Philippines, taking advantage of its knowledge of the existence of CALI's airplane in the US, acted in bad faith in assigning its credit to its sister company effectively defeating the agreed pro-rata division of assets among the creditors of CALI.

 

HELD: PROVISIONS ON HUMAN RELATIONS INTENDED AS CATCH-ALL PROVISIONS FOR ANY WRONG FOR WHICH NO SPECIFIC REMEDY IS PROVIDED FOR BY LAW.

 

Defendant schemed and effected the transfer to its sister corporation in the United States, where CALI's plane C- 54 was. By that swift and unsuspected operation efficaciously disposed of said insolvent's property depriving the latter and the Assignee that was latter appointed, of the opportunity to recover said plane.

 

Chapter 2 of the PRELIMINARY TITLE of the Civil Code, dealing on Human Relations, provides the following:

 

"Art 19. Any person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performances of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due and observe honesty and good faith".

 

It may be said that this article only contains a mere declaration of principles and while such statement may be is essentially correct, yet We find that such declaration is implemented by Article 21 and sequence of the same Chapter which prescribe the following:

 

"Art. 21. Any person who wilfully causes loss or injury to another in a manner that is contrary to morals, good customs or public policy shall compensate the latter for the damage".

 

Another rule is expressed in Article 24 which compels the return of a thing acquired 'without just or legal grounds'. This provision embodies the doctrine that no person should unjustly enrich himself at the expense of another, which has been one of the mainstays of every legal system for centuries. It is most needful that this ancient principle be clearly and specifically consecrated in the Civil Code to the end that in cases not foreseen by the lawmaker, no one may unjustly benefit himself to the prejudice of another. Now, if Article 23 of the Civil Code goes as far as to provide that:

 

"Even if an act or event causing damage to another's property was not due to the fault or negligence of the defendant, the latter shall be liable for indemnity if through the act or event he was benefited." with much more reason the Defendant should be liable for indemnity for acts it committed in bad faith and with betrayal of confidence.