1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, ARTICLE IV (CITIZENSHIP)

Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines:

[1] Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution; [2] Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of
the Philippines;
[3] Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and
[4] Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

!Section 2. Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their
Philippine citizenship. Those who elect Philippine citizenship in accordance with paragraph (3), Section 1 hereof shall be deemed natural-born
citizens.

!Section 3. Philippine citizenship may be lost or reacquired in the manner provided by law.
!Section 4. Citizens of the Philippines who marry aliens shall retain their citizenship, unless by their act or omission, they are deemed, under the law,
to have renounced it.
!Section 5. Dual allegiance of citizens is inimical to the national interest and shall be dealt with by law.
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The Civil Code of the Philippines, AN ACT TO ORDAIN AND INSTITUTE THE CIVIL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Art. 14. Penal laws and those of public security and safety shall be obligatory upon all who live or sojourn in the Philippine territory, subject to the
principles of public international law and to treaty stipulations.

!Art. 15. Laws relating to family rights and duties, or to the status, condition and legal capacity of persons are binding upon citizens of the Philippines,
even though living abroad.
!Art. 16. Real property as well as personal property is subject to the law of the country where it is stipulated.

However, intestate and testamentary successions, both with respect to the order of succession and to the amount of successional rights and to the
intrinsic validity of testamentary provisions, shall be regulated by the national law of the person whose succession is under consideration, whatever
may be the nature of the property and regardless of the country wherein said property may be found.

!Art. 17. The forms and solemnities of contracts, wills, and other public instruments shall be governed by the laws of the country in which they are
executed.
!When the acts referred to are executed before the diplomatic or consular officials of the Republic of the Philippines in a foreign country, the
solemnities established by Philippine laws shall be observed in their execution.
!Prohibitive laws concerning persons, their acts or property, and those which have, for their object, public order, public policy and good customs shall
not be rendered ineffective by laws or judgments promulgated, or by determinations or conventions agreed upon in a foreign country.
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Art. 815. When a Filipino is in a foreign country, he is authorized to make a will in any of the forms established by the law of the country in which he
may be. Such will may be probated in the Philippines.

!Art. 816. The will of an alien who is abroad produces effect in the Philippines if made with the formalities prescribed by the law of the place in which
he resides, or according to the formalities observed in his country, or in conformity with those which this Code prescribes.
!Art. 818. Two or more persons cannot make a will jointly, or in the same instrument, either for their reciprocal benefit or for the benefit of a third
person.
!Art. 819. Wills, prohibited by the preceding article, executed by Filipinos in a foreign country shall not be valid in the Philippines, even though
authorized by the laws of the country where they may have been executed.
!Art. 829. A revocation done outside the Philippines, by a person who does not have his domicile in this country, is valid when it is done according to
the law of the place where the will was made, or according to the law of the place in which the testator had his domicile at the time; and if the
revocation takes place in this country, when it is in accordance with the provisions of this Code.

!Art. 1039. Capacity to succeed is governed by the law of the nation of the decedent.
!Art. 1319. Consent is manifested by the meeting of the offer and the acceptance upon the thing and the cause which are to constitute the contract.
The offer must be certain and the acceptance absolute. A qualified acceptance constitutes a counter-offer.
!Acceptance made by letter or telegram does not bind the offerer except from the time it came to his knowledge. The contract, in such a case, is
presumed to have been entered into in the place where the offer was made.
!Art. 1753. The law of the country to which the goods are to be transported shall govern the liability of the common carrier for their loss, destruction or
deterioration.

!CORPORATION CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES, TITLE XV, FOREIGN CORPORATIONS

Sec. 123. Definition and rights of foreign corporations. - For the purposes of this Code, a foreign corporation is one formed, organized or existing
under any laws other than those of the Philippines and whose laws allow Filipino citizens and corporations to do business in its own country or state.
It shall have the right to transact business in the Philippines after it shall have obtained a license to transact business in this country in accordance
with this Code and a certificate of authority from the appropriate government agency.

!Sec. 129. Law applicable. - Any foreign corporation lawfully doing business in the Philippines shall be bound by all laws, rules and regulations
applicable to domestic corporations of the same class, except such only as provide for the creation, formation, organization or dissolution of
corporations or those which fix the relations, liabilities, responsibilities, or duties of stockholders, members, or officers of corporations to each other or
to the corporation.

Sec. 133. Doing business without a license. - No foreign corporation transacting business in the Philippines without a license, or its successors or
assigns, shall be permitted to maintain or intervene in any action, suit or proceeding in any court or administrative agency of the Philippines; but such
corporation may be sued or proceeded against before Philippine courts or administrative tribunals on any valid cause of action recognized under
Philippine laws.

!THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Art. 10. Marriages between Filipino citizens abroad may be solemnized by a consul-general, consul or vice-consul of the Republic of the Philippines.
The issuance of the marriage license and the duties of the local civil registrar and of the solemnizing officer with regard to the celebration of marriage
shall be performed by said consular official.

!Art. 21. When either or both of the contracting parties are citizens of a foreign country, it shall be necessary for them before a marriage license can be
obtained, to submit a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage, issued by their respective diplomatic or consular officials.
!Stateless persons or refugees from other countries shall, in lieu of the certificate of legal capacity herein required, submit an affidavit stating the
circumstances showing such capacity to contract marriage.
!Art. 26. All marriages solemnized outside the Philippines, in accordance with the laws in force in the country where they were solemnized, and valid
there as such, shall also be valid in this country, except those prohibited under Articles 35 (1), (4), (5) and (6), 3637 and 38.
Where a marriage between a Filipino citizen and a foreigner is validly celebrated and a divorce is thereafter validly obtained abroad by the alien
spouse capacitating him or her to remarry, the Filipino spouse shall have capacity to remarry under Philippine law.

!Art. 35. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning:
! (1) Those contracted by any party below eighteen years of age even with the consent of parents or guardians; (2) Those solemnized by any
person not legally authorized to perform marriages unless such marriages were contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith
that the solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so;
(3) Those solemnized without license, except those covered the preceding Chapter;
(4) Those bigamous or polygamous marriages not failing under Article 41;
(5) Those contracted through mistake of one contracting party as to the identity of the other; and
(6) Those subsequent marriages that are void under Article 53.

!Art. 36. A marriage contracted by any party who, at the time of the celebration, was psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential marital

obligations of marriage, shall likewise be void even if such incapacity becomes manifest only after its solemnization. (As amended by Executive Order
227)

!Art. 37. Marriages between the following are incestuous and void from the beginning, whether relationship between the parties be legitimate or
illegitimate:
(1) Between ascendants and descendants of any degree; and (2) Between brothers and sisters, whether of the full or half blood. (81a)

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Art. 38. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning for reasons of public policy:

(1) Between collateral blood relatives whether legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree; (2) Between step-parents and stepchildren;
(3) Between parents-in-law and children-in-law;
(4) Between the adopting parent and the adopted child;
(5) Between the surviving spouse of the adopting parent and the adopted child;
(6) Between the surviving spouse of the adopted child and the adopter;
(7) Between an adopted child and a legitimate child of the adopter;
(8) Between adopted children of the same adopter; and
(9) Between parties where one, with the intention to marry the other, killed that other person's spouse, or his or her own spouse.

!Art. 80. In the absence of a contrary stipulation in a marriage settlement, the property relations of the spouses shall be governed by Philippine laws,
regardless of the place of the celebration of the marriage and their residence.
This rule shall not apply:
(1) Where both spouses are aliens;
(2) With respect to the extrinsic validity of contracts affecting property not situated in the Philippines and executed in the country where the
property is located; and
(3) With respect to the extrinsic validity of contracts entered into in the Philippines but affecting property situated in a foreign country whose
laws require different formalities for its extrinsic validity.

!REVISED PENAL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Art. 2. Application of its provisions. Except as provided in the treaties and laws of preferential application, the provisions of this Code shall be
enforced not only within the Philippine Archipelago, including its atmosphere, its interior waters and maritime zone, but also outside of its jurisdiction,
against those who:
1. Should commit an offense while on a Philippine ship or airship 2. Should forge or counterfeit any coin or currency note of the Philippine
Islands or obligations and securities issued by the Government of the Philippine Islands;
3. Should be liable for acts connected with the introduction into these islands of the obligations and securities mentioned in the presiding
number;
4. While being public officers or employees, should commit an offense in the exercise of their functions; or
5. Should commit any of the crimes against national security and the law of nations, defined in Title One of Book Two of this Code.

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RULES OF COURT

RULE 4
VENUE OF ACTIONS
Sec. 2. Venue of personal actions. All other actions may be commenced and tried where the plaintiff or any of the principal plaintiffs resides, or
where the defendant or any of the principal defendants resides, or in the case of a non-resident defendant where he may be found, at the election of
the plaintiff.

RULE 8
MANNER OF MAKING ALLEGATIONS IN PLEADINGS
Sec. 6. Judgment. In pleading a judgment or decision of a domestic or foreign court, judicial or quasi-judicial tribunal, or of a board or officer, it is
sufficient to aver the judgment or decision without setting forth matter showing jurisdiction to render it.

RULE 11
WHEN TO FILE RESPONSIVE PLEADINGS
Sec. 2. Answer of a defendant foreign private juridical entity. Where the defendant is a foreign private juridical entity and service of summons is made
on the government official designated by law to receive the same, the answer shall be filed within thirty (30) days after receipt of summons by such
entity.

RULE 14
SUMMONS
Sec. 12. Service upon foreign private juridical entity. When the defendant is a foreign private juridical entity which has transacted business in the
Philippines, service may be made on its resident agent designated in accordance with law for that purpose, or, if there be no such agent, on the
government official designated by law to that effect, or on any of its officers or agents within the Philippines.

!Sec. 14. Service upon defendant whose identity or whereabouts are unknown. In any action where the defendant is designated as an unknown

owner, or the like, or whenever his whereabouts are unknown and cannot be ascertained by diligent inquiry, service may, by leave of court, be
effected upon him by publication in a newspaper of general circulation and in such places and for such time as the court may order.

!Sec. 15. Extraterritorial service. When the defendant does not reside and is not found in the Philippines, and the action affects the personal status of

the plaintiff or relates to, or the subject of which is, property within the Philippines, in which the defendant has or claims a lien or interest, actual or
contingent, or in which the relief demanded consists, wholly or in part, in excluding the defendant from any interest therein, or the property of the
defendant has been attached within the Philippines, service may, by leave of court, be effected out of the Philippines by personal service as under
section 6; or by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in such places and for such time as the court may order, in which case a copy of the
summons and order of the court shall be sent by registered mail to the last known address of the defendant, or in any other manner the court may
deem sufficient. Any order granting such leave shall specify a reasonable time, which shall not be less than sixty (60) days after notice, within which
the defendant must answer.

!Sec. 16. Residents temporarily out of the Philippines. When any action is commenced against a defendant who ordinarily resides within the
Philippines, but who is temporarily out of it, service may, by leave of court, be also effected out of the Philippines, as under the preceding section.
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RULE 23
DEPOSITIONS PENDING ACTIONS
Sec. 11. Persons before whom depositions may be taken in foreign countries. In a foreign state or country, depositions may be taken (a) on notice
before a secretary of embassy or legation, consul general, consul, vice-consul, or consular agent of the Republic of the Philippines; (b) before such
person or officer as may be appointed by commission or under letters rogatory; or (c) the person referred to in section 14 hereof.

!Sec. 12. Commission or letters rogatory. A commission or letters rogatory shall be issued only when necessary or convenient, on application and

notice, and on such terms and with such direction as are just and appropriate. Officers may be designated in notices or commissions either by name
or descriptive title and letters rogatory may be addressed to the appropriate judicial authority in the foreign country.

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RULE 39
EXECUTION, SATISFACTION AND EFFECT OF JUDGMENTS
Sec. 48. Effect of foreign judgments or final orders. The effect of a judgment or final order of a tribunal of a foreign country, having jurisdiction to
render the judgment or final order is as follows: (a) In case of a judgment or final order upon a specific thing, the judgment or final order is conclusive
upon the title to the thing; and (b) In case of a judgment or final order against a person, the judgment or final order is presumptive evidence of a right
as between the parties and their successors in interest by a subsequent title.

!In either case, the judgment or final order may be repelled by evidence of a want of jurisdiction, want of notice to the party, collusion, fraud, or clear
mistake of law or fact.
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RULE 73
VENUE AND PROCESSES
Sec. 1. Where estate of deceased person settled. - If the decedent is an inhabitant of the Philippines at the time of his death, whether a citizen or
an alien, his will shall be proved, or letters of administration granted, and his estate settled, in the Court of First Instance in the province in which he
resides at the time of his death, and if he is an inhabitant of a foreign country, the Court of First Instance of any province in which he had estate. The
court first taking cognizance of the settlement of the estate of a decedent, shall exercise jurisdiction to the exclusion of all other courts. The
jurisdiction assumed by a court, so far as it depends on the place of residence of the decedent, or of the location of his estate, shall not be contested
in a suit or proceeding, except in an appeal from that court, in the original case, or when the want of jurisdiction appears on the record.

RULE 77
ALLOWANCE OF WILL PROVED OUTSIDE OF PHILIPPINES AND ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATE THEREUNDER
Sec. 1. Will proved outside Philippines may be allowed here. - Wills proved and allowed in a foreign country, according to the laws of such
country, may be allowed, filed, and recorded by the proper Court of First Instance in the Philippines.

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RULE 92
VENUE
Sec. 1. Where to institute proceedings. - Guardianship of the person or estate of a minor or incompetent may be instituted in the Court of First
Instance of the province, or in the justice of the peace court of the municipality, or in the municipal court of the chartered city where the minor or
incompetent person resides, and if he resides in a foreign country, in the Court of First Instance of the province wherein his property or part thereof is
situated; provided, however, that where the value of the property of such minor or incompetent exceeds the jurisdiction of the justice of the peace or
municipal court, the proceedings shall be instituted in the Court of First Instance.

!In the City of Manila, the proceedings shall be instituted in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
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RULE 131

Burden of Proof and Presumptions

Sec. 3 . Disputable presumptions. The following presumptions are satisfactory if uncontradicted, but may be contradicted and overcome by other
evidence:chanr
(n)That a court, or judge acting as such, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere, was acting in the lawful exercise of jurisdiction;
(n)That a court, or judge acting as such, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere, was acting in the lawful exercise of jurisdiction;
(n)That a court, or judge acting as such, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere, was acting in the lawful exercise of jurisdiction;

RULE 132
PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE
Sec. 19 . Classes of Documents. For the purpose of their presentation evidence, documents are either public or private.
Public documents are:ch
(a)The written official acts, or records of the official acts of the sovereign authority, official bodies and tribunals, and public officers, whether of the
Philippines, or of a foreign country;

!Sec. 24 . Proof of official record. The record of public documents referred to in paragraph (a) of Section 19, when admissible for any purpose,

may be evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy attested by the officer having the legal custody of the record, or by his deputy, and
accompanied, if the record is not kept in the Philippines, with a certificate that such officer has the custody. If the office in which the record is kept is in
foreign country, the certificate may be made by a secretary of the embassy or legation, consul general, consul, vice consul, or consular agent or by
any officer in the foreign service of the Philippines stationed in the foreign country in which the record is kept, and authenticated by the seal of his
office.

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