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RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila

SECONDDIVISION

G.R.No.L27298March4,1976

INTHEMATTEROFTHEPETITIONFORCHANGEOFNAMEMARIOPABELLAR,petitionerappellee,
vs.
REPUBLICOFTHEPHILLIPPINES,oppositorappellant.

SolicitorGeneralAntonioP.Barredo,1st.AssistantSolicitorGeneralEsmeraldoUmaliandTrialAttorney
DiosdadoSaavedraforappellant.

ConstancioL.Cusiforappellee.

AQUINO,J.:

The Republic of the Philippines appealed from the decision of the Court of First Instance of Quezon Province
datedDecember1,1966,grantingthepetitionofMarioPabellarforthechangeofhissurnametoCarandangand
orderingthecivilregistrarofLucenaCitytomakethecorrespondingchange"inhisrecordofbirthorinhiscivil
registrybywayofmarginalnotes"(SpecialProceedingNo.4095).Thefactsofthecaseareasfollows:

PetitionerMarioPabellarwasbornonNovember11,1937atLucena,Tayabas.Presumably,norecordofhisbirth
in the civil register is available for none was presented in evidence. His record at the Lucena Catholic Church
showsthatwhenhewasbaptizedonMay27,1938astheillegitimatechildofTeofilaPabellarwithanunknown
father and paternal grandparents, he was given the name Mario Pabellar (Exh. H a baptismal certificate).
However,heusedthatnameonlywhenhefiledthepetitioninthiscase.

HetestifiedthathisfatherisEstebanCarandangwhoismarriedtoRufinaMarasigan.Theywereseparated.She
livedinBatangas.EstebanCarandangtookTeofilaPabellarashiscommonlawwifeandlivedwithherinLucena.
ThepetitionerhaslivedwithhisparentsinLucenasincebirth.HehasalwaysusedthenameMarioCarandangas
shownin(1)hiselementaryschoolcertificateissuedonMarch30,1953bytheJesus'SacredHeartCollegeat
Lucena (Exh. B) (2) his public high school diploma issued on March 28,.1958 by the principal of the Quezon
Provincial High School (Exh. C) (3) his certificate of completion of the twoyear basic course of the Reserve
Officers'TrainingCorps(ROTC)issuedonMarch28,1960bythecommandantattheLuzonianColleges(Exh.
D)(4)histwo1965appointmentsastraindeliverycheckeroftheManilaRailroadCompany(Exh.EandF)(5)
hisPolicyNo.418660issuedonAugust1,1965bytheGovernmentServiceInsuranceSystem(GSIS)(Exh.G)
wherethenameactuallyusedisMarioP.Carandangand(6)thebirthcertificatesofhisthreechildren(Exh.ItoI
2)wherehisnameappearstobeMarioPabellarCarandang.HisfourthchildisnamedMarioCarandang(11tsn).

His father urged him to see a lawyer so that he could change his surname from Pabellar to Carandang. On
February28,1966thepetitionerfiledtheinstantpetitionforchangeofname.Heusedinthepetitionthename,
Mario Pabellar. The notice of hearing was published once a week for three consecutive weeks in the Quezon
Times,aprovincialnewspaperpublishedatLucenaCity.

TheCityFiscalopposedthepetitiononthegroundsthatthechangeofnamewasnotjustifiedandthatsincethe
petitionerisanillegitimatechildhehasnorighttousehisfather'ssurname.

Asmaybeseenfromthetitleofthiscase,thepetitionermerelyindicatedthereinhisname,MarioPabellar,buthe
didnotspecifyhissupposedalias,MarioCarandang,andthenamewhichhesoughttoadopt.Andinthelower
court'sordersettingthepetitionforhearing,whichorderwaspublished,thecauseforwhichthechangeofname
wassoughtwasnotstated.

AtthehearingthepetitionerdidnotprovetheallegationinhispetitionthathisnameinthecivilregisterisMario
Pabellar. He did not present any birth certificate. The lower court's finding that the petitioner's name in the civil
registerofLucenaisMarioPabellarisunfoundedbecause,asabovestated,nocertifiedcopyoftheentryinthe
civilregisterastopetitioner'snamewaspresentedinevidence.

Whatthepetitionerpresentedinevidencewashisbaptismalcertificate,aprivatedocument,which,beinghearsay,
isnotaconclusiveproofoffiliation(Canalesvs.Arrogante,91Phil.6:Vidaurrazagavs.CourtofAppeals,91Phil.
492 Malonda vs. Malonda, 81 Phil. 149). It does not have the same probative value as a record of birth, an
officialorpublicdocument(Seesee.37,Rule130andsecs.20and25,Rule132,RulesofCourt).

Asalreadystated,thelowercourtgrantedthepetition.Iterroneouslyassumedthatthepetitioner'snameinthe
civil register at Lucena is Mario Pabellar although that factum probandum was not established by any factum
probans.

TheSolicitorGeneralinthisappealcontendsthatthepetitionerfailedtoshowanyreasonablejustificationforthe
changeofnameandthattherewasnocompliancewiththejurisdictionalrequirements.Thepetitionerdidnotfile
anybrief.Thatomissionmightsignifythathehadrealizedtheimproprietyofhispetition.

Forthisisacasewherethepetitioner,anillegitimatechild,hasconsistentlyandpubliclyusedformorethanthree
decades, without objection from anybody, the name, Mario Carandang (Carandang being his natural father's
surname).Whenhediscoveredinhisbaptismalcertificate(nothisbirthcertificate)thathisnameisMarioPabellar
(Pabellarbeinghisnaturalmother'ssurname),hesoughttochangehissurnamePabellartoCarandang.Hedid
not prove that in the 1937 record of births of the civil register at Lucena his surname is Pabellar. He failed to
presentanybirthcertificatemaybebecauseitwasnotavailable.

Weholdundertheforegoingfactsthathispetitionforchangeofnameisdevoidoffactualandlegaljustification.

It is true that as a supposed illegitimate child other than natural he should use his mother's surname, Pabellar
(Art. 368, Civil Code). But the decisive fact is that since childhood he has been using his father's surname,
Carandang,inschoolandofficialrecords.

Section1ofCommonwealthActNo.142,whichregulatestheuseofaliases,allowsapersontouseaname"by
whichhehasbeenknownsincechildhood"(LimHokAlbanovs.Republic,104Phil.795Peoplevs.UyJuiPio,
102Phil.679Republicvs.Tanada,infra).Evenlegitimatechildrencannotenjointheillegitimatechildrenoftheir
fatherfromusinghissurname(DeValenciavs.Rodriguez,84Phil.222).

The fact that the petitioner was christened Mario Pabellar does not justify his petition for the change of his
surname to Carandang. "The real name of a person is that given to him in the civil register, not the name by
which he was baptized in his church" (Chomi vs. Local Civil Registrar of Manila, 99 Phil. 1004). The evidence
hereindoesnotrevealpetitioner'srealnameinthecivilregister.

Inapetitionforchangeofname"theonlynamethatmaybechangedisthetrueorofficialnamerecordedinthe
civilregister"(JesusNgYaoSiongvs.Republic,630.G.4408,16SCRA483),anamewhich,asalreadynoted,
wasnotprovenbythepetitioner.

Inrealitywhatthepetitionerseeksisnotachangeofname.Whathewantsisjudicialauthorityforhiscontinued
use of the surname, Carandang, which he has been using since childhood. That use is allowed by
CommonwealthActNo.142.Accordingtohistestimony,hisuseofthesurnameCarandanghasthesanctionof
hisnaturalfather.Judicialauthorityisrequiredforachangeofnameorsurname(Art.376,CivilCode)butnotfor
theuseofasurnamewhichthepetitionerhasalreadybeenusingsincechildhood.Hence,thepetitioninthiscase
wasuncalledfor.Incolloquialparlance,ithasnolegtostandon.

Moreover, the Solicitor General's contention that the jurisdictional requirements were not observed is correct.
Thatisanothergroundforreversingtheorderunderappeal.

Achangeofnameisaproceedinginrem.Jurisdictiontohearanddeterminethepetitionforchangeofnameis
acquiredafterduepublicationoftheordercontainingcertaindata(SecanKokvs.Republic,L27621,August30,
1973,52SCRA322).

Inapetitionforchangeofnamethetitleofthepetitionshouldinclude(1)theapplicant'srealname,(2)hisaliases
orothernames,ifany,and(3)thenamesoughttobeadoptedevenifthesedataarefoundinthebodyofthe
petition.Forthepublicationtobevalidandeffective,thepublishedordershouldreproducethetitleofthepetition
containing the data already stated and should contain correct information as to (1) the name or names of the
applicant,(2)thecauseforthechangeofname,and(3)thenewnameaskedfor(Republicvs.LeeWaiLam,L
22607,July30,1969,28SCRA1043,1052Republicvs.Tanada,L31563,November29,1971,42SCRA419
Republicvs.Reyes,L29850,June30,1972,45SCRA570SecanKokvs.Republic,L27621,supra).

In this case, the title of the petition does not contain the aliases of the petitioner and the name sought to be
adopted. The order setting the petition for hearing does not state the petitioner's aliases and the cause for the
changeofname.*

As the title of the petition in this case and the order setting it for hearing were defective or deficient, the lower
courtdidnotacquirejurisdictionovertheproceeding(JesusNgYaoSiongvs.Republic,63O.G.4408,16SCRA
483JaymeTanvs.Republic,114Phil.1070GoChinBengvs.Republic,L29574,August18,1972,46SCRA
617).Itsdismissaliswarranted.

WHEREFORE,thelowercourt'sorderunderappealisreversed.Nocosts.

SOORDERED.

Fernando(Chairman),Concepcion,Jr.andMartin,JJ.,concur.

JusticeBarredo,tooknopart.

JusticeMartinwasdesignatedtositintheSecondDivision.

SeparateOpinions

ANTONIO,J.,concurring:

The petition for change of name does not appear necessary, considering that petitioner has consistently and
publiclyusedformorethanthree(3)decades,thesurname"Carandang"ofhisnaturalfather,withoutobjection
fromanybody.Petitionerhadtherighttousethename"MarioCarandang"becausehehassincechildhoodbeen
known by that name, and it has not been shown that continued use of such surname has caused confusion or
prejudicetothirdpersons.1

SeparateOpinions

ANTONIO,J.,concurring:

Thepetitionforchangeofnamedoesnotappearnecessary,consideringthatpetitionerhasconsistentlyand
publiclyusedformorethanthree(3)decades,thesurname"Carandang"ofhisnaturalfather,withoutobjection
fromanybody.Petitionerhadtherighttousethename"MarioCarandang"becausehehassincechildhoodbeen
knownbythatname,andithasnotbeenshownthatcontinueduseofsuchsurnamehascausedconfusionor
prejudicetothirdpersons.1

Footnotes

*Theorderreads:

ThisisapetitionforchangeofnamefiledbypetitionerprayingthathisnameMarioPabellarbe
changedtoMarioCarandang.Findingsaidpetitiontobesufficientinformandsubstance,letthis
petitionbesetforhearingonSeptember23,1966at8:30o'clockintheMorning,beforeBranchIof
thisCourtatLucenaCity.LetcopiesoftheorderbepublishedintheQuezonTimesonceaweekfor
threeconsecutiveweeks.SOORDERED.

1Cf.Peoplev.UyJuiPio,102Phil.677,681LimHokAlbano,etal.v.Republic,104Phil.795,797.

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