Q. Hello Att. R. Wong, nakita ko po ang email ninyo na baka sakaling makahanap ako ng sagot. Pinanganak po ako sa Hong Kong to a Chinese father and Filipina mother. Matagal na po silang nagsasama ng parents ko in late 80’s and till then I was born in 1994.
The problem is that hindi pa po sila kasal nung ako’y pinanganak at naisip lang nila na magsama sila. Nung inisyu ako ng Philippine Passport, hindi po ininclude surname ng father ko dahil nga po walang patunay na marriage certificate, so ang lumabas po ay surname ng mama ko ang ginamit sa passport ko at saka nalang daw mag change kapag kasal na ang parents ko.
Ni-register din po ang aking Birth Certificate in Hong Kong using the same method that is followed according to my passport (first name and last name without middle name) with my Chinese name on it (surname goes first that uses my father’s surname) dahil acknowledged naman po ako sa his daughter.
Since then, hindi na po inasikaso ang aking kalagayan as I grow using my mother’s surname in my passport until now. And they just live like married parents. Until those years living together, my parents got married in 2004 in the Philippines Just five years ago(2010) namatay na po ang father ko.
Gusto ko lang po malaman kung possible pa po bang ma-change ang aking surname to my fathers kahit namatay na po siya. May katunayan naman po na kasal sila. Salamat po. Valerie.
Ans: Hello Valerie . The answer to your question is yes ! Ayon sa batas ng Pilipinas, ikaw ay maituturing na “Legitimated” child sa ilalim ng Art.178 ng Family Code ng Pilipinas. At dahil sa batas na ito, noong kinasal ng mga magulang mobago namatay ang iyong ama, ikaw ay maituturing na isang “legitimated” daughter at ang epekto nito ay ‘retroactive’ mula ng ikaw ay pinanganak, ayon sa Art.180 ng nasabing Family Code ng Pilipinas.
Bilang legimated child, ikaw ay may karapatang ng mga sumusunod, na tunay na legitimate child mula noong ikaw ay pinanganak:
- The right to bear the surname of the father and the mother.
- The right to receive support; and
- The full right to the legitime and other successional right(Inheritance from the father and mother).
Para sa kaukulang remedyo ng iyong tanong tungkol sa pag gamit mo ng surname ng iyong ama at kaukulang correction of entries sa iyong birth certificate, magsadya at maki-pag ugnayan ka sa tanggapan ng Civil Registrar’s Office kung saan nakarihistro ang iyong birth certificate , or sa office ng Civil Registrar General ng Pilipinas, or the National Statistic Office(NSO) at dalhin mo ang original na copya ng marriage contract ng iyong mga magulang at ang iyong passport, at birth certificate upang sa ganoon masimulaan ang processo ng annotation sa iyong birth certificate hinggil sa iyong legitimation.
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