ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | March 6, 2021
Dear Chief Acosta,
Ako ay nagbabalak na magsampa ng kaso para sa legal na paghihiwalay o legal separation namin ng aking asawa dahil sa kanyang patuloy na pambababae. Kaugnay nito, kung sakaling maging matagumpay ako sa pagsampa ng legal separation, totoo ba na maaaring mapunta lang sa akin ang lahat ng ari-arian naming mag-asawa? – Marivel
Dear Marivel,
Ang sagot sa inyong katanungan ay hindi po. Para sa inyong kaalaman, nakasaad sa Article 63 ng Executive Order No. 209, o mas kilala sa tawag na Family Code of the Philippines, ang mga legal na epekto ng legal na paghihiwalay o legal separation, viz:
“Art. 63. The decree of legal separation shall have the following effects:
(1) The spouses shall be entitled to live separately from each other, but the marriage bonds shall not be severed;
(2) The absolute community or the conjugal partnership shall be dissolved and liquidated but the offending spouse shall have no right to any share of the net profits earned by the absolute community or the conjugal partnership, which shall be forfeited in accordance with the provisions of Article 43(2);
(3) The custody of the minor children shall be awarded to the innocent spouse, subject to the provisions of Article 213 of this Code; and
(4) The offending spouse shall be disqualified from inheriting from the innocent spouse by intestate succession. Moreover, provisions in favor of the offending spouse made in the will of the innocent spouse shall be revoked by operation of law.” (Binigyang-diin)Malinaw sa nabanggit na ang maaaring ma-forfeit lamang pabor sa inosenteng asawa ay ang “net profits” at hindi ang kalahatan o kabuuan ng ari-arian ng mag-asawa. Kaugnay nito, ang depenisyon ng “net profits” ay inilahad ng Korte Suprema sa kasong Quiao vs. Quiao (G.R. No 176556, July 04, 2012), sinulat ni Honorable former Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes. Nakasaad sa nasabing kaso ang sumusunod:
“In this provision, net profits “shall be the increase in value between the market value of the community property at the time of the celebration of the marriage and the market value at the time of its dissolution. Thus, without any iota of doubt, Article 102(4) applies to both the dissolution of the absolute community regime under Article 102 of the Family Code, and to the dissolution of the conjugal partnership regime under Article 129 of the Family Code.”Nawa ay nasagot namin ang inyong mga katanungan. Nais naming ipaalala sa inyo na ang opinyong ito ay nakabase sa inyong mga naisalaysay sa inyong liham at sa pagkakaintindi namin dito. Maaaring maiba ang opinyon kung mayroong karagdagang impormasyong ibibigay. Mas mainam kung personal kayong sumangguni sa abogado.