- BULGAR
- Jul 7
ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | July 7, 2025
Dear Chief Acosta,
Mayroon akong 5-taong gulang na anak na babae sa dati kong kinakasama. Nang matapos ang aming relasyon, dinala niya ang aming anak sa probinsya at nahirapan akong bisitahin ang aking anak. Kung minsan ay tila pinagbabawalan pa niya akong makita ito. Gusto kong malaman kung kahit ‘di kami kasal ay maaari ko pa rin igiit na makasama at makita ang aming anak na babae? — Rigor
Dear Rigor,
Ang usapin hinggil sa pag-alaga, kustodiya, at pagbantay ng isang ilehitimong anak ay isa sa ipinaliwanag ng Korte Suprema sa kaso na Renalyn Masbate and Spouses Renato Masbate and Marlyn Masbate vs. Ricky James Relucio (G.R. No. 235498, July 30, 2018, sa panulat ni Kagalang-galang na Kasamang Mahistrado Estela Perlas-Bernabe) kung saan sinabi ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman na:
“As a general rule, the father and the mother shall jointly exercise parental authority over the persons of their common children. However, insofar as illegitimate children are concerned, Article 176 of the Family Code states that illegitimate children shall be under the parental authority of their mother. Accordingly, mothers (such as Renalyn) are entitled to the sole parental authority of their illegitimate children (such as Queenie), notwithstanding the father's recognition of the child. In the exercise of that authority, mothers are consequently entitled to keep their illegitimate children in their company, and the Court will not deprive them of custody, absent any imperative cause showing the mother's unfitness to exercise such authority and care.
In addition, Article 213 of the same Code provides for the so-called tender-age presumption, stating that ‘[n]o child under seven [(7)] years of age shall be separated from the mother unless the court finds compelling reasons to order otherwise.’ The rationale behind the rule was explained by the Code Commission in this wise:
The general rule is recommended in order to avoid many a tragedy where a mother has seen her baby torn away from her. No man can sound the deep sorrows of a mother who is deprived of her child of tender age. The exception allowed by the rule has to be for ‘compelling reasons’ for the good of the child; those cases must indeed be rare, if the mother’s heart is not to be unduly hurt.”
Malinaw na nakasaad sa batas na ang parental authority ng isang ilehitimong anak ay karaniwang iginagawad sa kanyang ina. Gayunpaman, bilang ama ng bata, mayroon ka pa ring natural na karapatang pangalagaan, makita, at makasama ang iyong anak na babae. Ito ay karapatan na kinikilala rin sa ating mga batas. Sa kaso na Joey Briones vs. Maricel P. Miguel, et. al. (G.R. No. 156343, October 18, 2004, sa panulat ni Kagalang-galang na Kasamang Mahistrado Artemio V. Panganiban), ay sinabi rin ng Korte Suprema na:
“The Court sustained the visitorial right of an illegitimate father over his children in view of the constitutionally protected inherent and natural right of parents over their children. Even when the parents are estranged and their affection for each other is lost, their attachment to and feeling for their offspring remain unchanged. Neither the law nor the courts allow this affinity to suffer, absent any real, grave or imminent threat to the well-being of the child.”
Sa iyong kaso, maaari kang maghain ng naaangkop na aksyon sa korte upang igiit ang iyong mga karapatan sa pagbisita, maliban na lamang kung ang iyong pagbisita o pakikipagkita sa iyong anak ay magdudulot ng kapahamakan o makasasama sa bata. Tutukuyin ng hukuman ang mga detalye kung paano maisasagawa ang nasabing karapatan at isasaalang-alang ang ikabubuti ng bata.
Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.
Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.