Bill allowing married women to retain maiden names approved on 2nd reading in House

The House of Representatives on Tuesday has approved on second reading a bill allowing married women to retain their maiden surname.

This is provided under House Bill 4605 which amends Section 1, Article 370, Title 9, Book 3 of the New Civil Code of the Philippines.

Under House Bill 4605, a married woman has four options for identification:

• her maiden first name and surname;
• her maiden first name and surname, then add her husband’s surname;
• her maiden first name and her husband’s surname; and
• her husband’s full name prefixed with a word indicating that she is his wife such as Mrs.

Under the existing Civil Code, married women are allowed to identify with the following three options:

• her maiden first name and surname then add her husband’s surname
• her maiden first name and her husband’s surname and
• her husband’s full name, but prefixing a word indicating that she is his wife, such as Mrs.

“This upholds the right of married women to retain their maiden surnames even after marriage and provides married women options in the surname that they may use after marriage,” the committee report on the measure read.

The authors of the measure include Edward Vera Perez of Manila, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, Ysabel Zamora of San Juan City, and Anna Veloso-Tuazon of Leyte. —NB, GMA Integrated News