Republic of the Philippines

Second Judicial Region
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
Branch ______, Santiago City

IN RE: PETITION FOR THE USE
OF SURNAME OF FATHER AND 
FOR THE CANCELLATION OF 
ANNOTATION IN THE CERTIFICATE
OF LIVE BIRTH.

KAREN MANUEL,
Petitioner,
SPL. PROC. No. ____
    ­versus­

MARINA L. MANUEL,

BENJAMIN V. ALVAREZ,

ANTONIO C. CARREON, in his capacity
as the City Civil Registrar of Santiago City,
 
DR. LISA GRACE S. BERSALES, in her capacity 
as the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics
Office (NSO), Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines,
Respondents.
x­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­x

PETITION

PETITIONER,  assisted by the Public Attorney’s Office, by
the   undersigned   counsel   and   unto   this   Honorable   Court,   most
respectfully avers that:

1. Petitioner is of legal age, Filipino, single, and a resident of
Purok 6, Area 1, Brgy. Nagassican, Santiago City where she may
be   served   with   notices,   orders   and   other   processes   of   this
Honorable Office; 
 2. Respondents Marina L. Manuel and Benjamin V. Alvarez
are both of legal ages, both Filipinos, and both residents of Purok
6, Brgy. Nagassican, Santiago City where they may be served with
summonses, orders, and other processes of this Honorable Court;
while   respondents   public   officers   are   being   impleaded   in   their
official capacities and may be served with summonses, notices and
other processes of this Honorable Court at their respective offices;

3.  Petitioner is the illegitimate child of respondents Marina
L. Manuel and Benjamin V. Alvarez. She was born out of wedlock
on  December   29,   1993   at   Brgy.   Mabini,   Santiago   City.
Petitioner’s facts of birth were duly registered before the Office of
the Civil  Registrar of Santiago City under Registry  No. 97­576.
Copies of the Certificate of Live Birth of petitioner as issued by
the Civil Registry of Santiago City and as generated by the NSO
are   hereto   attached,   made   integral   part   of   this   Petition,   and
marked as Annexes “A” and “B”, respectively;

4.   On   June   18,   2003,   respondents   Marina   L.   Manuel   and

Benjamin   V.   Alvarez   entered   into   a   contract   of   marriage.   By
virtue of their marriage, the former filed before the Office of the
Civil Registrar of Santiago City an Affidavit of Legitimation for
the legitimation of herein petitioner and the same was registered
in   the   Register   of   Legal   Instrument   in   the   Office   of   the   Civil
Registrar   of   Santiago  City  on  January 27, 2004 under Registry
No. 2004­22, Page No. 54, Book No. 1. As proof of the foregoing
facts,   copies   of   the   Affidavit   of   Legitimation   dated   January   24,
2004   executed   by   Benjamin   Alvarez   and   Marina   L.   Manuel   is
hereto attached as Annex “C”. Also, copy of the Certification dated
February   16,   2016   issued   by   the   Santiago   City   Civil   Registrar,
Antonio C. Carreon are hereto attached as Annex “D”.

5.   As   a   result,   the   Affidavit   of   Legitimation   executed   and

filed   by   respondents   Benjamin   Alvarez   and   Marina   L.   Manuel
were   annotated   on   the   “Remarks/Annotation”   portion   of   the
Certificate of Live Birth of petitioner and the latter’s facts of birth
as   recorded   before   the   Office   of   the   Civil   Registrar   of   Santiago
City were changed and updated and now reflects the following, to
wit:
 Name of Child :     KAREN     MANUEL     ALVAREZ

Date and Place of Marriage of Parents :     June 18, 2003­ Santiago
City

A copy of the Certificate of Live of Birth of petitioner issued
by the Office of the Civil Registrar of Santiago City containing the
above mentioned annotations and changes are hereto attached as
Annex “E”;

6. Thereafter,  the Office of the Civil Registrar of Santiago
City endorsed to the NSO all the documents appurtenant to the
legitimation of petitioner in order that the latter’s Certificate of
Live Birth as recorded with the NSO may also be changed and
updated.   Unfortunately,   the   NSO   did   not   act   upon   the   above
mentioned Affidavit of Legitimation endorsed to them because the
marriage between respondents Benjamin Alvarez and Marina L.
Manuel   had   an   existing   legal   impediment   and   the   said
impediment   existed   already   at   the   time   of   birth   of   petitioner.
According   to   the   NSO,   respondent   Marina   L.   Manuel   had   a
subsisting   marriage   contracted   on   September   14,   1975   at
Naguilian, Isabela at the time she married respondent Benjamin
Alvarez.   When   petitioner   inquired   from   the   Municipal   Civil
Registry of Naguilian Isabela if her mother truly had a subsisting
marriage, she discovered that her mother is indeed married to a
certain   Ruben   Valdez   on   the   year   September   21,   1975   at
Naguilian   Isabela.   To   prove   the   foregoing,   copy   of   the   online
Query   Result   issued   by   the   Office   of   the   Civil   Registrar   of
Santiago City is hereto attached as Annex “F”. 

7. Considering that petitioner were not validly legitimated
by   the   subsequent   marriage   of   her   parents,   the   “Affidavit   of
Legitimation”   duly   annotated   in   her   Certificate   of   Live   Birth
(Annex “E”) should then cancelled and the entry therein as to date
and place of marriage of her parents should also be changed to
“Not   Married”.   Also,   the   Affidavit   of   Legitimation   that   were
registered in the Register of Legal Instrument in the Office of the
Civil   Registrar   of   Santiago   City   on   January   27,   2004   under
Registry No. 2004­22, Page No. 54, Book No. 1 should be cancelled
and declared null and void;
 8. Despite the fact that she is unable to avail of the benefits
of   legitimation,   petitioner  still   would  like  to   continue  using  the
surname of her biological father as she used the same in almost all
her   private   and   public   documents   and   transactions.   Thus,
petitioner files this petition pursuant to Republic Act (R.A.) No.
9255   which   grants   illegitimate   children   the   right   to   use   the
surname   of   their   father   if   their   filiation   has   been   expressly
recognized by the father through the record of birth appearing in
the civil register, or when an admission in a public document or
private handwritten instrument is made by the father. Moreover,
as  petitioner   was  born  prior to the effectivity  of  R.A. 9255,  she
cannot avail of the administrative remedy as regards the use of
surname of her father pursuant to Administrative Order No. 1,
Series of 2016 issued by the Philippines Statistics Authority 1.

9.   This   petition   is   filed   in   good   faith   and   without   any

intention on the part of the petitioner to perpetrate fraud and/or
evade any civil or criminal charges; and

10.   Further,   petitioner   is   an   indigent   member 2  of   their

community and she prays that she be exempted from the payment
of the docket and other lawful fees appurtenant to this petition;

P R A Y E R

WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable
Court that, after due notice and hearing, an Order be issued as
follows:

1. ALLOWING petitioner to use the surname “ALVAREZ ”,
the   surname   of   her   biological   father,   in   her   Certificate   of   Live
Birth;

2. DIRECTING the Office of the Civil Registrar of Santiago
City and as well as the NSO to cause the necessary changes in
1
REVISED IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9255 (An
Act Allowing Illegitimate Children to Use the Surname of Their Father, Amending for the Purpose
Article 176 of Executive Order No. 209, Otherwise Known as the "Family Code of the
Philippines")
2
Certificate of Indigency is hereto attached as Annex “G”.
petitioner’s   Certificate   of   Live   Birth   relative   to   the   use   by   the
latter of the surname of her biological father;

3. DIRECTING the Office of the Civil Registrar of Santiago
City   to   cancel   the   Affidavit   of   Legitimation   duly   annotated   in
petitioner’s Certificate of Live Birth and as well as to cancel the
Affidavit   of   Legitimation  that  were registered  in  its  Register  of
Legal Instrument on January 27, 2004 under Registry No. 2004­
22, Page No. 54, Book No. 1; and

4. DIRECTING the Office of the Civil Registrar of Santiago
City to change the entry in petitioner’s Certification of Live Birth
as to the  date  and  place of marriage of parents from “June 18,
2003­ Santiago City” to “NOT MARRIED”.

Other   reliefs,   just   and   equitable   under   the   premises   are

likewise prayed for.

Santiago City, Philippines, April 3, 2017.

PUBLIC ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
Hall of Justice, San Andres, Santiago City
Counsel for the Petitioner

By:

ATTY. RODOLFO B. SANTIAGO
Public Attorney II
Roll No. 61313
IBP No. 1049599 Jan. 10, 2017
MCLE Compliance No. V 0005743
1/26/2015

ATTY. ARNEL C. MANUEL
District Public Attorney
Public Attorney’s Office
Santiago City District Office
Roll No. 47494
MCLE V­ Complied