Source: https://famli.blogspot.jp/2006_01_23_archive.html
Timestamp: 2017-10-23 09:47:54
Document Index: 133045847

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 68', 'Art. 68', 'Art. 69', 'Art.69', 'Art. 70', 'Art. 72', 'Art.73']

Legal Updates and free legal information Family Code Philippines: 01/23/06
The Family Code mentions the word “love” only twice and the first mention of the word is found in Title III which covers Articles 68 up to 73. The second mention of the word “love” is in Article 220 which states the rights and duties of parents towards their unemancipated children. Paragraph (2) of the article states that among the duties of parents towards their children is “to give them love and affection, advice and counsel, companionship and understanding.”
Anyway, let’s proceed from this romantic, mushy (this is redundant, right?) stuff about “love” and get on with the nitty-gritty details of the rights and obligations between husbands and wives.
As “Insight for Living” Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll once said, “The basis of a good marriage is not love; it is commitment.” What he's saying is that love is not a matter of the emotions, but of the will, of volition (this is really redundant, right?) You might want to review my article "Love Potion No. 9" where I wrote about dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressin. These chemicals produced by the human body and which some people have termed as the “cuddle chemicals” are believed responsible for that mysterious thing called love.
After the Family Code primer immediately below, I will discuss what the Bible says about rights and duties of husbands and wives, okay?
What are the rights and obligations of spouses under the Family Code?
The husband and wife are obliged to live together, observe mutual love, respect and fidelity, and render mutual help and support. (Art. 68, Family Code of the Philippines)
What if one spouse refuses to comply with his or her marital obligations as provided under Art. 68, can the offended spouse legally compel him to come home and comply with such obligations?
The Supreme Court in the case of Ilusorio vs. Ilusorio-Bildner (G.R. No. 139789 July 19, 2001 and G.R. No. 139808 July 19, 2001) stated among other things that “consortium” or “coverture” (the obligation to, live together, observe mutual, respect and fidelity) is prompted by the spontaneous, mutual love and affection between husband and wife and cannot be enforced by any legal mandate or court order.
The Ilusorio decision written by Justice Pardo revolved around this issue: “May a wife secure a writ of habeas corpus to compel her husband to live with her in conjugal bliss? The answer is no. Marital rights including coverture and living in conjugal dwelling may not be enforced by the extra-ordinary writ of habeas corpus.”
The Supreme Court as a final note in the Ilusorio decision stated, “No court is empowered as a judicial authority to compel a husband to live with his wife. Coverture cannot be enforced by compulsion of a writ of habeas corpus carried out by sheriffs or by any other mesne process. That is a matter beyond judicial authority and is best left to the man and woman’s free choice.”
Who shall decide on the family domicile?
The husband and wife shall fix the family domicile. In case of disagreement, the court shall decide. (Art. 69)
Article 68 states that the spouses are obliged to live together. Are there exceptions?
The court may exempt one spouse from living with the other if the latter should live abroad or there are other valid and compelling reasons for the exemption. However, such exemption shall not apply if the same is not compatible with the solidarity of the family. (2nd paragraph, Art.69)
Who is responsible for the support of the family?
The spouses are jointly responsible for the support of the family. The expenses for such support and other conjugal obligations shall be paid from the community property and, in the absence thereof, from the income or fruits of their separate properties. In case of insufficiency or absence of said income or fruits, such obligations shall be satisfied from the separate properties. (Art. 70)
Who shall manage the household?
The management of the household shall be the right and the duty of both spouses. The expenses for such management shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of Article 70.
What if the husband or the wife neglects his or her duties to the family?
When one of the spouses neglects his or her duties to the conjugal union or commits acts which tend to bring danger, dishonor or injury to the other or to the family, the aggrieved party may apply to the court for relief. (Art. 72)
Under RA 9262 or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004”, the wife can petition the Family Court where she resides for a Protection Order.
Can the wife exercise her profession or engage in business even without the permission of her husband?
Either spouse may exercise any legitimate profession, occupation, business or activity without the consent of the other. The latter may object only on valid, serious, and moral grounds. (Art.73)
What if there is disagreement between the spouses?
If the husband refuses unjustifiably to allow his wife to exercise her profession or engage in business, what are the rights of the wife?
RA 9262, under paragraph (4) of Section 5 lists this situation as a act of violence against a woman. The said paragraph penalizes the man (husband or live-in partner) if he “prevents the woman from engaging in any legitimate profession, occupation, business or activity or controls the victim's own money or properties, or solely controls the conjugal or common money, or properties.”
from the Biblical standpoint
Ephesians 5:21 up to 33 outline the rights and obligations of husbands and wives:
I Peter 3: 1-12 also state the rights and duties of husbands and wives toward each other:
I have previously written about the headship of men and the submission of women, and you might want to re-read it. Part of that article reads as follows:
During the wedding reception of a Filipino missionary couple bound for a Creative Access Nation, the groom wished out loud that his wife would submit to him. That brought about a lot of laughter among the guests. Well, Sir, please do keep in mind Lewis and Hendricks’ definition of submission and I’m sure your marriage will turn out okay. What’s their definition again? “A biblically submissive wife’s focus is not on enabling wrong behavior, but in empowering her husband to pursue right behavior – to become the man God wants him to be, and the leader God wants him to be.”
Posted by Atty. Gerry T. Galacio at Monday, January 23, 2006 0 comments