Text of the provision
Art. 894. If the testator leaves illegitimate children, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to one-third of the hereditary estate of the deceased and the illegitimate children to another third. The remaining third shall be at the free disposal of the testator.
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Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
Where the testator leaves illegitimate children, the surviving spouse takes one-third of the estate and the illegitimate children another third; the remaining third is at the testator’s free disposal.
How this article reads today. The share stated above was worked out on the classification of children used when this Code took effect in 1950. Article 176 of the Family Code now provides that the legitime of each illegitimate child is one-half of the legitime of a legitimate child, and that “except for this modification, all other provisions in the Civil Code governing successional rights shall remain in force.” Read this article subject to that rule. The Family Code also recognises a single class of illegitimate child, so the Civil Code’s older sub-classifications no longer apply.
Questions about this provision
Related provisions
- Article 888 — Legitime of Legitimate Children.
- Article 895 — Legitime by the Old Sub-Classes.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.