Find practical Philippine guides on custody, visitation, filiation and parental authority, organized around the child’s best interests. Start with the custody and parental-authority hub.
Philippine law presumes a child born to a married woman is her husband’s legitimate child, even if another man is the biological father. Here is what that means for the surname, and the real options available.
Since 2023, PSA rules give RA 9255’s surname process retroactive effect for the whole Family Code period — not an unlimited one. Here is exactly what changed, what it does not cover, and how to apply it.
How RA 9255 lets an illegitimate child use the father’s surname in the Philippines: what counts as recognition, the AUSF, where to file, and what the Supreme Court says about who decides.
A side-by-side look at how Philippine law treats legitimate and illegitimate children differently on surname and inheritance — and why child support is the one right that does not change.
How paternity and filiation are proven in the Philippines: what Article 172 accepts as evidence, when courts order DNA testing under the Rule on DNA Evidence, and how to file a filiation petition.
Legitimation under the Family Code and RA 9858 is the only way a child born out of wedlock becomes legitimate in the Philippines — and it happens through one specific route.
Learn how parents can report school bullying, request protection, preserve evidence, obtain a decision, and appeal under RA 10627.
Parental authority can end because of the child’s majority or emancipation, death, adoption, or other legal events. Learn the key Family Code rules and exceptions.
Parental authority includes important duties and decision-making powers over a child’s care, education, health, residence, discipline, and representation. Learn the limits under the Family Code.
Parental authority is not freely transferable by private agreement. Learn when substitute parental authority, guardianship, or a court order may allow another person to act for a child.
The child’s welfare and best interests are controlling. Courts assess the child’s circumstances, safety, stability, caregiving history and other legally relevant evidence.
No. Custody concerns day-to-day care and physical control, while parental authority includes broader legal rights and duties over an unemancipated child.
Not automatically. Custody, visitation, decision-making, support and suspension or termination of parental authority may require separate legal analysis or a court order.
These answers provide general Philippine legal information. Open the linked guides and primary sources for the complete rule and its exceptions.