Text of the provision

Art. 70. The spouses are jointly responsible for the support of the family. The expenses for such support and other conjugal obligations shall be paid from the community property and, in the absence thereof, from the income or fruits of their separate properties.

In case of insufficiency or absence of said income or fruits, such obligations shall be satisfied from the separate properties.

(111a)

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

Support of the family is a joint responsibility of both spouses. Article 70 also fixes the order in which property answers for it: first the community (or conjugal) property; if that is unavailable, the income or fruits of each spouse's separate property; and only if those are insufficient or absent, the separate properties themselves.

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.