Text of the provision
Art. 99. The absolute community terminates:
(1) Upon the death of either spouse;
(2) When there is a decree of legal separation;
(3) When the marriage is annulled or declared void; or
(4) In case of judicial separation of property during the marriage under Articles 134 to 138.
(175a)
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. In paragraph (4) the plural "Articles 134 to 138" follows ChanRobles; the Arellano Law Foundation (LawPhil) text prints the singular "Article 134 to 138," an evident slip for the range. The plural is reproduced as the correct received text.
What this article means
Four events end the absolute community: the death of a spouse (1), a decree of legal separation (2), the marriage being annulled or declared void (3), or a judicial separation of property during the marriage under Articles 134 to 138 (4). On termination, the community is dissolved and liquidated — the assets inventoried, debts paid, and the net divided.
The list matters because it fixes the cut-off date for what belongs to the community: property acquired after termination is no longer shared. Note that legal separation (2) ends the property regime but not the marriage bond itself (see Article 63).
Related provisions
- Article 100 — how mere separation in fact (without a decree) affects the regime.
- Article 63 — the effects of a legal-separation decree, including dissolution of the property regime.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on the termination events in Article 99 will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.