Marriage does not automatically require a Filipino woman to adopt her husband’s surname, and lawmakers are pushing to make that right even clearer under Philippine law.
On Oct. 5, 2026, the House Committee on Revision of Laws approved House Bills No. 1648 and 8630, seeking to amend Article 370 of the Civil Code to explicitly recognize married women’s right to retain their maiden surnames without being required to adopt their husbands’ names.
The proposed legislation addresses longstanding confusion surrounding married women’s legal identities, particularly when processing government identification cards, passports, employment records, banking transactions, property documents, and other official requirements.
Under existing Philippine law, married women already have the option to continue using their maiden surnames. Article 370 of the Civil Code provides several naming options following marriage, including adopting a husband’s surname, but does not make such adoption compulsory.
The bills were introduced by Reps. Bel Zamora and John Tracy Cagas, and Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario, respectively, to strengthen legal protections against institutions that incorrectly treat a husband’s surname as a mandatory requirement.
House Committee on Revision of Laws Chairman and Batangas Rep. King Collantes highlighted how inconsistent interpretations of existing laws have created difficulties for married women, particularly those who choose to maintain their established professional and personal identities.
Some women reportedly encounter administrative obstacles when government agencies, financial institutions, or private establishments insist that their records must reflect their husbands’ surnames.
The Supreme Court previously addressed the issue in its March 5, 2010 ruling in Remo v. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, recognizing that marriage does not automatically change a woman’s surname. The decision also distinguished a woman’s freedom to retain her maiden name from the separate legal requirements governing changes to names already used in passports.
