What's in a surname?
 
       I am a Filipina. I am married for more than two years now. Once married, most women in my country change their respective surnames to that of their husbands.

          For example, my full maiden name is Rizza Carina Augusto Malingin.  My husband’s name is Edgardo Bojos Luardo Jr. Thus, if I were to follow this common practice, when we got married, I would have already used the name “Rizza Carina Malingin Luardo”.

          But I wanted to retain the surname of my late beloved father (“Malingin”) and at the same time carry my husband’s surname (“Luardo”). Thus, instead of using “Rizza Carina Malingin Luardo,” I opted to use Rizza Carina Augusto Malingin-Luardo.

           The question is, can this be legally done?

           Thanks to the Philippine New Civil Code, the answer is YES. Indeed, the following are the choices of married women as provided by Article 370 of the law:

          1.    To use her own maiden first name and surname and add her 
          husband’s surname (e.g., Rizza Carina Augusto Malingin-Luardo);

          2.    To use her maiden first name and her husband’s surname 
          (e.g., Rizza Carina Augusto Luardo); or

          3.    To use her husband’s full name, but prefixing a word indicating 
          that she is his wife, such as “Mrs.” (e.g., Mrs. Edgardo Luardo 
          Jr.).

          The three choices enumerated in the law are permissive in character, meaning a married woman may in fact retain her full maiden name (e.g., Rizza Carina Augusto Malingin) instead of adopting any of the above choices.

          In fact, I initially considered not adopting any of the three options. With the liberal attitude of my husband on this matter, there would have been no problem between us. But on second thought, I decided against it, knowing that it would most probably cause not just a few raised eyebrows. In our traditionally paternalistic, male-dominated society, the male machismo is even shared by some uninformed women.

         So as I said, I chose the second option. But goodness, did it cause me much inconvenience. I had to go through the process of changing my name in all my government records. Therein lies the problem. I had to go to the different government offices to process the change. Then I had to wait before it is finally done.

         Worse, there were instances when I had to explain (Read: lecture!) to the government employees why my surname is like this. It is like I had to defend my right to have this choice. And to think that this is granted by the law!

          I think the problem is, most of our people, especially women, are uninformed about these choices. This is a basic provision of law, and yet this is not so familiar even to government personnel that are supposed to be in the know.

          The “default option” adopted by most married women – i.e., using the first name of the woman and the surname of the husband, and prefixing the word “Mrs.” – is not even correct. If I’ll say that I am “Mrs. Rizza Carina Augusto Luardo”, I am really saying that “The wife of Rizza Carina Augusto Luardo.” Could it be more absurd? I am my own wife?

          Most women must know, or be informed, about this. After all, marriage does not really change our name but only our civil status. An informed woman is an empowered woman. And that, for women of the 21^st century, is all that matters. J