Case: 8rehm v. kepub||c (9 SCkA 172), September 30, 1963 (G.k No.

L-
18S66)
IAC1S L1l1lCnL8S-ALLLLLS: LllzabeLh Mlra, CllberL 8. 8rehm, LsLer Mlra
8rehm

CCSl1C8-ALLLAn1: 8epubllc of Lhe hlllpplnes

Spouses CllberL 8. 8rehm and LsLer Mlra 8rehm flled a !olnL eLlLlon
wlLh Lhe !uvenlle and uomesLlc 8elaLlons CourL for Lhe adopLlon of Lhe
mlnor, LllzabeLh Mlra - clalmlng LhaL Lhey have muLually glven Lhelr
consenL Lo Lhe adopLlon.

1he 8epubllc of Lhe hlllpplnes opposed and reglsLered Lhls peLlLlon, lL
appearlng LhaL 8rehm LesLlfled LhaL hls resldence ln Lhe hlllpplnes was
Lemporary, effecLlve only for Lhe purposes of hls Lour of duLy wlLh Lhe
navy - Lhls, dlsquallfylng hlm from maklng an adopLlon. (based on
ArLlcle 333)

A reply Lo Lhe opposlLlon was presenLed by Lhe peLlLloners, clalmlng
LhaL ArL. 333 does noL apply ln Lhe case as Lhls arLlcle covers Lhe
adopLlons for Lhe purpose of esLabllshlng a relaLlonshlp of paLernlLy
and flllaLlon. 1hey clalm LhaL Lhls only applles Lo adopLlng parenLs LhaL
are LoLal sLrangers Lo Lhe sald chlld and LhaL Lhey have an esLabllshed
relaLlon beLween Lhe chlld and 8rehm, creaLed by AfflnlLy (ArLlcle 338)
LhaL 8rehm as a sLep-faLher, can adopL hls sLep chlld, LllzabeLh Mlra.

8rahm clalms LhaL he lnLends Lo malnLaln hls resldence ln Lhe
hlllpplnes afLer hls Lour of duLy wlLh Lhe uS naval lorces
ISSULS Can CllberL 8. 8rehm and LsLer Mlra 8rehm legally adopL Lhe chlld,
LllzabeLh Mlra?

Are non-permanenL resldenLs ln Lhe hlllpplnes quallfled Lo adopL
chlldren ln Lhe hlllpplnes?

er Lhe !uvenlle & uomesLlc 8elaLlons CourL:
1. 8esldence ls prlnclpally a maLLer of lnLenLlon. 1he Appellee's
acLs, coupled wlLh hls declaraLlon of permanenLly resldlng ln
Lhe hlllpplnes have cured Lhe legal defecL on Lhe polnL of
resldence.
2. 1he sLaLus of Lhe mlnor - LllzabeLh Mlra whose welfare
deserves paramounL conslderaLlon.

er Lhe SollclLor Ceneral:
1. 1he appeal dld noL assall Lhe rlghL of Lhe peLlLloner, LsLer Mlra
8rehm (Lhe naLural moLher of Lhe mlnor) Lo adopL Lhe chlld.


2. lL was error for Lhe courL ln ad[udglng Lhe mlnor, LllzabeLh Mlra
Lo be Lhe adopLed chlld of Lhe peLlLloner - CllberL 8. 8rehm as
Lhere ls no quesLlon LhaL Lhe peLlLloner ls a non-resldenL allen.
8y hls LesLlmony, he supplled Lhe concluslve proof of hls sLaLus
here and no amounL of reasonlng wlll overcome Lhe same. lor
Lhls reason, he ls noL quallfled Lo adopL.

LAWS ArLlcle 333 [4], new Clvll Code, Sec. 2, 8ule 100, 8ules of CourL: 1haL
belng a non-resldenL allen (8rehm), Lhe courL has no [urlsdlcLlon over
hlm.

ArLlcle 338 of Lhe new Clvll Code: Lxpressly auLhorlzes Lhe a adopLlon
of a sLep-chlld by a sLep-faLher

Clvll Code of Lhe hlllpplnes, ArL.3: MandaLory and rohlblLory Laws:
1hose Lhe whlch conLaln poslLlve prohlblLlons and are couched ln Lhe
negaLlve Lerms lmporLlng LhaL Lhe acL requlred shall noL be done
oLherwlse Lhan deslgnaLed. AcLs commlLLed ln vlolaLlon of prohlblLory
laws are llkewlse vold.
nCLDINGS no maLLer how much good Lhe lnLenLlons are of Lhe peLlLloners, Lhe
law leaves us no cholce buL Lo apply lLs expllclL Lerms whlch denles Lhe
peLlLloners Lhe power Lo adopL anybody ln Lhe hlllpplnes

1he law safeguards mlnors Lo achleve and lnsure Lhelr welfare. lf a
mlnor ls adopLed by a person who ls noL a resldenL of Lhe counLry, Lhe
adopLer may remove Lhe mlnor from Lhe sald counLry where he ls noL a
resldenL of. 1hls, ln llne may place Lhe mlnor beyond Lhe reach and
proLecLlon of Lhe counLry of lLs blrLh (See also S/SgL. kaLanclk, v.
8epubllc, C.8 no. L-13472, !une 20, 1962)

ArLlcle 333 confers [urlsdlcLlon Lo Lhe courL over Lhls case. ArLlcle 338
may be avalled once [urlsdlcLlon has been esLabllshed.