Text of the provision
Art. 220. The parents and those exercising parental authority shall have with the respect to their unemancipated children on wards the following rights and duties:
(1) To keep them in their company, to support, educate and instruct them by right precept and good example, and to provide for their upbringing in keeping with their means;
(2) To give them love and affection, advice and counsel, companionship and understanding;
(3) To provide them with moral and spiritual guidance, inculcate in them honesty, integrity, self-discipline, self-reliance, industry and thrift, stimulate their interest in civic affairs, and inspire in them compliance with the duties of citizenship;
(4) To furnish them with good and wholesome educational materials, supervise their activities, recreation and association with others, protect them from bad company, and prevent them from acquiring habits detrimental to their health, studies and morals;
(5) To represent them in all matters affecting their interests;
(6) To demand from them respect and obedience;
(7) To impose discipline on them as may be required under the circumstances; and
(8) To perform such other duties as are imposed by law upon parents and guardians.
(316a)
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
This is the fullest catalogue of what parental authority actually requires. The powers and duties are inseparable — each "right" is really a responsibility owed to the child: to keep, support, educate and rear them; to give love, counsel and companionship; to provide moral and spiritual guidance; to supervise and protect them from harmful influences; to represent them in matters affecting their interests; to demand respect and obedience; to impose reasonable discipline; and to perform whatever other duties the law imposes.
Read together, the list shows parental authority is a trust exercised for the child's welfare, not power held for the parent's benefit.
Related provisions
- Article 209 — the nature and purpose of parental authority.
- Article 221 — parents' civil liability for their children's acts.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on Article 220 will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.