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House Approves Bills to Allow Married Women to Keep Maiden Surnames

Two bills aim to clarify Civil Code article and eliminate discrimination against married women.

New York Editorial News Desk October 29, 2026 1 min read

The Brief

  • HB Nos. 1648 and 8630 seek to clarify Article 370 of the Civil Code.
  • The bills aim to end discriminatory practices and ease official transactions for married women.
  • The House Committee on Revision of Laws approved the measures on Oct. 5, 2026.

House Committee on Revision of Laws chairman and Batangas 3rd district Rep. King Collantes stated that proposed amendments aim to end discriminatory practices and remove barriers in official transactions by allowing married women to retain their maiden surnames.

The bills seek to clarify Article 370 of the Civil Code, which has been inconsistently interpreted, resulting in some married women being required to use their husbands’ surnames in official documents.

Collantes cited instances where married women face difficulties using their maiden names in official forms or are denied valid transactions due to the misinterpretation of the law.

HB No. 1648 was co-authored by Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora and Rep. John Tracy Cagas, while HB No. 8630 was authored by Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario.

Collantes emphasized that the proposal aims to remove unnecessary barriers for married women and welcomed public engagement with the measures on social media.

Similar measures were previously filed in the 18th and 19th Congresses, and Collantes expressed hope that the amendments will become law during the 20th Congress.

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