Text of the provision

Art. 68. The husband and wife are obliged to live together, observe mutual love, respect and fidelity, and render mutual help and support.

(109a)

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

Article 68 opens Title III by stating the core obligations marriage creates between the spouses: to live together, to observe mutual love, respect, and fidelity, and to render mutual help and support. These are not merely aspirational — a serious, sustained breach of them is the basis for the legal-separation grounds in Article 55 (abandonment, infidelity) and for the relief available under Article 72.

The obligation to live together is itself qualified by Article 69, which allows exemptions for valid and compelling reasons.

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Cases citing this article

Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.

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.