REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES v. COURT OF APPEALS AND MAXIMO WONG G.R. No.

97906, May 21,

While it is true that the statutory fiat under Article 365 of the Civil Code is to the effect that an adopted
child shall bear the surname of the adopter, it must nevertheless be borne in mind that the change of
the surname of the adopted child is more an incident rather than the object of adoption proceedings.

Maximo Wong is the legitimate son of Maximo Alcala, Sr., and Segundina Y. Alcala. When he was but
two and a half years old and then known as Maximo Alcala, Jr., and his sister Margaret Alcala, was then
nine years old, they were, with the consent of their natural parents and by order of the court in
Special Case No. 593] issued on September 9, 1967, adopted by spouses Hoong Wong and Concepcion
Ty Wong, both naturalized Filipinos. Hong Wong, now deceased, was an insurance agent while
Concepcion Ty Wong was a high school teacher. They decided to adopt the children as they
remained childless after fifteen years of marriage. The couple showered their adopted children with
parental love and reared them as their own children. Upon reaching the age of twenty-two,
respondent, by then married and a junior Engineering student at Notre Dame University, cohabit
City, filed a petition to change his name to Maximo Alcala, Jr. He averred that the use of
surname Wong embarrassed and isolated him from his relatives and friends, as the same suggests
a Chinese ancestry when in truth and in fact he is a Muslim Filipino residing in a Muslim
community, and he wants to erase any implication whatsoever of alien nationality; that he is being
ridiculed for carrying a Chinese surname, thus hampering his business and social life; and that his
adoptive mother does not oppose his desire to revert to his former surname. RTC granted the
petition and CA affirmed.

ISSUE:

1)Are the reasons given by private respondent in his petition for change of name valid, sufficient
and proper to warrant the granting of said petition? Yes

2)Will the change of name affect his status as an adopted child? No

HELD:

It bears stressing at this point that to justify a request for change of name, petitioner must show
not only some proper or compelling reason therefor but also that he will be prejudiced by the use of
his true and official name.[24]Among the grounds for change of name which have been held valid are:
(a) When the name is ridiculous, dishonorable or extremely difficult to write or pronounce; (b)
When the change results as a legal consequence, as in legitimation; (c) When the change will
avoid confusion;[25](d) Having continuously used and been known since childhood by a
Filipino name, unaware of her alien parentage;](e) A sincere desire to adopt a Filipino name to
erase signs of former alienage, all in good faith and without prejudicing anybody;[27]and (f) When
the surname causes embarrassment and there is no showing that the desired change of name
was for a fraudulent purpose or that the change of name would prejudice public interest. In
granting or denying petitions for change of name, the question of proper and reasonable cause is
left to the sound discretion of the court. The evidence presented need only be satisfactory to the court
and not all the best evidence available. [29] Summarizing, in special proceedings for change of name,
what is involved is not a mere matter of allowance or disallowance of the request, but a judicious
evaluation of the sufficiency and propriety of the justifications advanced in support thereof,
mindful of the consequent results in the event of its grant and with the sole prerogative for
making such determination being lodged in the courts. While it is true that the statutory fiat under
Article 365 of the Civil Code is to the effect that an adopted child shall bear the surname of the adopter,
it must nevertheless be borne in mind that the change of the surname of the adopted child is more an
incident rather than the object of adoption proceedings. [30] The act of adoption fixes a status, viz.,
that of parent and child. More technically, it is an act by which relations of paternity and affiliation
are recognized as legally existing between persons not so related by nature. It has been defined as the
taking into one's family of the child of another as son or daughter and heir and conferring on it a title to
the rights and privileges of such. The purpose of an adoption proceeding is to effect this new
status of relationship between the child and its adoptive parents, the change of name which frequently
accompanies adoption being more an incident than the object of the proceeding. [31] The welfare of the
child is the primary consideration in the determination of an application for adoption. On this point,
there is unanimous agreement.]It is the usual effect of a decree of adoption to transfer from
the natural parents to the adoptive parents the custody of the child's person, the duty of
obedience owing by the child, and all other legal consequences and incidents of the natural
relation, in the same manner as if the child had been born of such adoptive parents in lawful
wedlock, subject, however, to such limitations and restrictions as may be by statute imposed.
[33]More specifically under the present state of our law, the Family Code, superseding the pertinent
provisions of the Civil Code and of the Child and Youth Welfare Code on the matter,
[34]relevantly provides in this wise with regard to the issue involved in this case: "Art. 189.
Adoption shall have the following effects:(1) For civil purposes, the adopted shall be deemed
to be the legitimate child of the adopters and both shall acquire the reciprocal rights and obligations
arising from the relationship of parent and child, including the right of the adopted to use the surname
of the adopters;” (Emphasis supplied.)

xxx

A petition for change of name is a remedy allowed under our law only by way of exception to the
mandatory provisions of the Civil Code on the use of surname. The law fixes the surname that may be
used by a person, at least inceptively, and it may be changed only upon judicial permission granted in
the exercise of sound discretion. Section 1 of Rule 103, in specifying the parties who may avail of
said remedy, uses the generic term "persons" to signify all natural persons regardless of status. If
a legitimate person may, under certain judicially accepted exceptional circumstances, petition the court
for a change of name, we do not see any legal basis or logic in discriminating against the ailment of
such a remedy by an adopted child. In other words, Article 365 is not an exception, much less can it bar
resort, to Rule 103."Rule 103 of the Rules of Court has its primordial purpose which (State) is to give a
person an opportunity to improve his personality and provide his best interest (Calderon vs.
Republic, 19 SCRA 721). In the instant case, the court a quo found the petition of Maximo Wong for
change of name justifiable after due hearing, thus its ‘factual findings and appreciation of testimonies
count heavily and need not be disturbed unless for strong and cogent reasons because the trial court is
in a better position to examine real evidence as well as to observe the demeanor of the witnesses while
testifying in the case (Bali wag Transit, Inc. vs. CA, 147 SCRA 82). Moreover, the trial court could take
judicial notice of other existing factors

in the community where herein respondent which it considers material in its judicious determination of
the case. x x x. "Additionally, herein respondent is already of age and as such he can decide what is best
for him. His experience with regards (sic) his social and business dealings is personal and it is only him
(sic) who can attest to the same. Finding his predicament’s proper remedy is solely through legal
process, herein respondent accordingly filed a petition pursuant to Rule 103 of the Rules of Court which
was granted by the Court a quo. "It is not fair to construe the desired reversion of private
respondent to the use of the name of his parents by nature as crass ingratitude. To go by the Solicitor
General’s suggestion that private respondent should have his adoption revoked if he wants to use
the surname of his natural father would be to exact too dear a toll for making use of an appropriate and
valid remedy available under the law.