Text of the provision

Art. 163. The filiation of children may be by nature or by adoption. Natural filiation may be legitimate or illegitimate.

(n)

Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209, approved July 6, 1987. The Code took effect on August 3, 1988 (Republic v. Orbecido III, G.R. No. 154380, October 5, 2005). Reproduced in full.

What this article means

"Filiation" is the legal relationship between a child and their parents. This opening article of the Paternity and Filiation title maps the whole subject. Filiation is either by nature (a biological parent-child link) or by adoption (a link the law creates). And natural filiation divides again into legitimate and illegitimate.

Those categories are not mere labels — they determine a child's surname, support, and successional rights. The articles that follow work out how each status is established, presumed, or challenged.

Related provisions

Cases interpreting this article

Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment. The annotation, case summaries and commentary around it are the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and are general legal information, not legal advice. Whether this provision applies to a particular marriage depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your situation can assess.