*

G.R. No. 149498. May 20, 2004.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, petitioner,  vs.  LOLITA QUINTERO-HAMANO,

respondent.

Family Code;  Marriages;  Constitutional Law;  The court is mindful of the policy of the 1987
Constitution to protect and strengthen the family as the basic autonomous social institution and marriage
as the foundation of the family.—The Court is mindful of the policy of the 1987 Constitution to protect
and strengthen the family as the basic autonomous social institution and marriage as the foundation of
the family. Thus, any doubt should be resolved in favor of the validity of the marriage.
Same; Same; Psychological Incapacity; Psychological incapacity must be characterized by (a) gravity
(b) juridical antecedence and (c) incurability.—The guidelines incorporate the three basic requirements
earlier mandated by the Court in Santos: “psychological incapacity must be characterized by (a) gravity
(b) juridical antecedence and (c) incurability.” The foregoing guidelines do not require that a physician
examine the person to be declared psychologically incapacitated. In fact, the root cause may be
“medically or clinically identified.” What is important is the presence of evidence that can adequately
establish the party’s psychological condition. For indeed, if the totality of evidence presented is enough to
sustain a finding of psychological incapacity, then actual medical examination of the person concerned
need not be resorted to.
Same;  Same;  Same;  Although, as a rule, there was no need for an actual medical examination, it
would have greatly helped respondent’s case had she presented evidence that medically or clinically
identified his illness.—We find that the totality of evidence presented fell short of proving that Toshio
was psychologically incapacitated to assume his marital responsibilities. Toshio’s act of abandonment
was doubtlessly irresponsible but it was never alleged nor proven to be due to some kind of psychological
illness. After respondent testified on how Toshio abandoned his family, no other evidence was presented
showing that his behavior was caused by a psychological disorder. Although, as a rule, there was no need
for an actual medical examination, it would have greatly helped respondent’s case had she presented
evidence that medically or clinically identified his illness. This could have been done through an expert
witness. This respondent did not do.

_______________

* THIRD DIVISION.

736

736 SUPREME COURT REPORTS

ANNOTATED

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

Same;  Same;  Same;  As ruled in Molina, it is not enough to prove that a spouse failed to meet his
responsibility and duty as a married person; it is essential that he must be shown to be incapable of doing
so due to some psychological, not physical, illness.—We must remember that abandonment is also a
ground for legal separation. There was no showing that the case at bar was not just an instance of
abandonment in the context of legal separation. We cannot presume psychological defect from the mere
fact that Toshio abandoned his family immediately after the celebration of the marriage. As we ruled
in Molina, it is not enough to prove that a spouse failed to meet his responsibility and duty as a married
person; it is essential that he must be shown to be incapable of doing so due to some psychological, not
physical,illness. There was no proof of a natal or supervening disabling factor in the person, an adverse
integral element in the personality structure that effectively incapacitates a person from accepting and
complying with the obligations essential to marriage.
Same;  Same;  Same;  The medical and clinical rules to determine psychological incapacity were
formulated on the basis of studies of human behavior in general. Hence, the norms for determining
psychological incapacity should apply to any person regardless of nationality.—In proving psychological
incapacity, we find no distinction between an alien spouse and a Filipino spouse. We cannot be lenient in
the application of the rules merely because the spouse alleged to be psychologically incapacitated
happens to be a foreign national. The medical and clinical rules to determine psychological incapacity
were formulated on the basis of studies of human behavior in general. Hence, the norms used for
determining psychological incapacity should apply to any person regardless of nationality.

PETITION FOR REVIEW on certiorari of a decision of the Court of Appeals.

The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.

     The Solicitor General for petitioner.
     Public Attorney’s Office for respondent.

CORONA, J.:
1
Before us
2
is a petition for review
3
of the decision   dated August 20, 2001 of the Court of
Appeals  affirming the decision  dated

_______________
1 Penned by Associate Justice Jose L. Sabio, and concurred in by Associate Justices Cancio C. Garcia and Hilarion

Aquino; Rollo, pp. 24-31.

2 Second Division.
3 Penned by Judge Rogelio Angeles; Rollo, pp. 32-33.

737

VOL. 428, MAY 20, 2004 737

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

August 28, 1997 of the Regional Trial Court of Rizal, Branch 72, declaring as null and void the
marriage contracted between herein respondent Lolita M. Quintero-Hamano and her husband
Toshio Hamano.
On June 17, 1996, respondent Lolita Quintero-Hamano filed a complaint for declaration of
nullity of her marriage to her husband Toshio Hamano, a Japanese national, on the ground of
psychological incapacity.
Respondent alleged that in October 1986, she and Toshio started a common-law
relationship in Japan. They later lived in the Philippines for a month. Thereafter, Toshio went
back to Japan and stayed there for half of 1987. On November 16, 1987, she gave birth to their
child.
On January 14, 1988, she and Toshio were married by Judge Isauro M. Balderia of the
Municipal Trial Court of Bacoor, Cavite. Unknown to respondent, Toshio was psychologically
incapacitated to assume his marital responsibilities, which incapacity became manifest only
after the marriage. One month after their marriage, Toshio returned to Japan and promised to
return by Christmas to celebrate the holidays with his family. After sending money to
respondent for two months, Toshio stopped giving financial support. She wrote him several
times but he never responded. Sometime in 1991, respondent learned from her friends that
Toshio visited the Philippines but he did not bother to see her and their child.
The summons issued to Toshio remained unserved because he was no longer residing at his
given address. Consequently, on July 8, 1996, respondent filed an ex partemotion for leave to
effect service of summons by publication. The trial court granted the motion on July 12, 1996.
In August 1996, the summons, accompanied by a copy of the petition, was published in a
newspaper of general circulation giving Toshio 15 days to file his answer. Because Toshio
failed to file a responsive pleading after the lapse of 60 days from publication, respondent filed
a motion dated November 5, 1996 to refer the case to the prosecutor for investigation. The trial
court granted the motion on November 7, 1996.
On November 20, 1996, prosecutor Rolando I. Gonzales filed a report finding that no
collusion existed between the parties. He prayed that the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor be
allowed to intervene to ensure that the evidence submitted was not fabri-
738

738 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

cated. On February 13, 1997, the trial court granted respondent’s motion to present her
evidence  ex parte.  She then testified on how Toshio abandoned his family. She thereafter
offered documentary evidence to support her testimony.
On August 28, 1997, the trial court rendered a decision, the dispositive portion of which
read:
“WHEREFORE, premises considered, the marriage between petitioner Lolita M. Quintero-Hamano and
Toshio Hamano, is hereby declared NULL and VOID.
“The Civil Register of Bacoor, Cavite and the National Statistics Office are ordered to make proper
entries into the records of the afore-named parties pursuant to this judgment of the Court.
4
“SO ORDERED.”

In declaring the nullity of the marriage on the ground of Toshio’s psychological incapacity, the
trial court held that:
“It is clear from the records of the case that respondent spouses failed to fulfill his obligations as husband
of the petitioner and father to his daughter. Respondent remained irresponsible and unconcerned over
the needs and welfare of his family. Such indifference, to the mind of the Court, is a clear manifestation
of insensitivity and lack of respect for his wife and child which characterizes a very immature person.
Certainly, such behavior could be traced to respondent’s mental incapacity and disability of entering into
5
marital life.”

The Office of the Solicitor General, representing herein petitioner Republic of the Philippines,
appealed to the Court of Appeals but the same was denied in a decision dated August 28, 1997,
the dispositive portion of which read:
“WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, and pursuant to applicable law and jurisprudence on the
matter and evidence on hand, judgment is hereby rendered denying the instant appeal. The decision of
the court a quo is AFFIRMED. No costs.
6
“SO ORDERED.”

_______________
4 Rollo, p. 33.
5 Rollo, p. 52.
6 Rollo, p. 30.

739

VOL. 428, MAY 20, 2004 739

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

The appellate court found that Toshio left respondent and their daughter a month after the
celebration of the marriage, and returned to Japan with the promise to support his family and
take steps to make them Japanese citizens. But except for two months, he never sent any
 p p p y
support to nor communicated with them despite the letters respondent sent. He even visited
the Philippines but he did not bother to see them. Respondent, on the other hand, exerted all
efforts to contact Toshio, to no avail.
The appellate court thus concluded that respondent was psychologically incapacitated to
perform his marital obligations to his family, and to “observe mutual love, respect and fidelity,
and render mutual help and support” pursuant to Article 68 of the Family Code of the
Philippines. The appellate court rhetorically asked:
But what is there to preserve when the other spouse is an unwilling party to the cohesion and creation of
a family as a social inviolable institution? Why should petitioner be made to suffer in a marriage where
the other spouse is not around and worse, left them without even helping them cope up with family life7
and assist in the upbringing of their daughter as required under Articles 68 to 71 of the Family Code?

The appellate court emphasized that this case could not be equated with Republic vs. Court of
8 9
Appeals and Molina  and  Santos vs. Court of Appeals.   In those cases, the spouses were
Filipinos while this case involved a “mixed marriage,” the husband being a Japanese national.
Hence, this appeal by petitioner Republic based on this lone assignment of error:
I

THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN HOLDING THAT RESPONDENT WAS ABLE TO PROVE THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL INCAPACITY OF TOSHIO HAMANO TO PERFORM HIS MARITAL
OBLIGATIONS, DESPITE RESPONDENT’S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE GUIDELINES LAID
10
DOWN IN THE MOLINA CASE.

_______________
7 Rollo, p. 29.
8 268 SCRA 198 (1997).
9 240 SCRA 20 (1995).
10 Rollo, p. 14.

740

740 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

According to petitioner, mere abandonment by Toshio of his family and his insensitivity to
them did not automatically constitute psychological incapacity. His behavior merely indicated
simple inadequacy in the personality of a spouse falling short of reasonable expectations.
Respondent failed to prove any severe and incurable personality disorder on the part of Toshio,
in accordance
with the guidelines set in  Molina.  The Office of the Public Attorney, representing
respondent, reiterated the ruling of the courts  a quo  and sought the denial of the instant
petition.
We rule in favor of petitioner.
The Court is mindful of the policy of the 1987 Constitution to protect and strengthen the
family 11as the basic autonomous social institution and marriage as the foundation 12
of the
family.  Thus, any doubt should be resolved in favor of the validity of the marriage.
Respondent seeks to annul her marriage with Toshio on the ground of psychological
incapacity. Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines provides that:
Art. 36. A marriage contracted by any party who, at the time of the celebration, was psychologically
incapacitated to comply with the essential marital obligations of marriage, shall likewise be void even if
such incapacity becomes manifest only after its solemnization.
In Molina, we came up with the following guidelines in the interpretation and application of
Article 36 for the guidance of the bench and the bar:

(1) The burden of proof to show the nullity of the marriage belongs to the plaintiff. Any
doubt should be resolved in favor of the existence and continuation of the marriage and
against its dissolution and nullity. This is rooted in the fact that both our Constitution
and our laws cherish the validity of marriage and unity of the family. x x x
(2) The root cause of the psychological incapacity must be: (a) medically or clinically
identified, (b) alleged in the complaint, (c) sufficiently proven by experts and (d) clearly
explained in the decision. Article 36 of the

_______________
11 Article II, Section 12; and, Article XV, Sections 1 & 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
12  Republic of the Philippines vs. Dagdag,  351 SCRA 425  (2001) citing  Republic of the Philippines vs.

Hernandez, 320 SCRA 76 (1999).

741

VOL. 428, MAY 20, 2004 741

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

Family Code requires that the incapacity must be psychological—not physical,

although its manifestations and/or symptoms may be physical. The evidence must
convince the court that the parties, or one of them, was mentally or psychically ill to
such an extent that the person could not have known the obligations he was assuming,
or knowing them, could not have given valid assumption thereof. Although no example
of such incapacity need be given here so as not to limit the application of the provision
under the principle of  ejusdem generis  (Salita vs. Magtolis,  233 SCRA 100, June 13,
1994), nevertheless such root cause must be identified as a psychological illness and its
incapacitating nature fully explained. Expert evidence may be given by qualified
psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.
(3) The incapacity must be proven to be existing at “the time of the celebration” of the
marriage. The evidence must show that the illness was existing when the parties
exchanged their “I do’s.” The manifestation of the illness need not be perceivable at
such time, but the illness itself must have attached at such moment, or prior thereto.
(4) Such incapacity must also be shown to be medically or clinically permanent or
incurable. Such incurability may be absolute or even relative only in regard to the
other spouse, not necessarily absolutely against everyone of the same sex.
Furthermore, such incapacity must be relevant to the assumption of marriage
obligations, not necessarily to those not related to marriage, like the exercise of a
profession or employment in a job. Hence, a pediatrician may be effective in diagnosing
illnesses of children and prescribing medicine to cure them but may not be
psychologically capacitated to procreate, bear and raise his/her own children as an
essential obligation of marriage.
(5) Such illness must be grave enough to bring about the disability of the party to assume
the essential obligations of marriage. Thus, “mild characteriological peculiarities, mood
changes, occasional emotional outbursts” cannot be accepted as root causes. The illness
must be shown as downright incapacity or inability, not a refusal, neglect or difficulty,
much less ill will. In other words, there is a natal or supervening disabling factor in the
person, an adverse integral element in the personality structure that effectively
incapacitates the person from really accepting and thereby complying with the
obligations essential to marriage.
 (6) The essential marital obligations must be those embraced by Articles 68 up to 71 of the
Family Code as regards the husband and wife as well as Articles 220, 221 and 225 of
the same Code in regard to parents and their children. Such non-complied marital
obligation(s) must also be stated in the petition, proven by evidence and included in the
text of the decision.
(7) Interpretations given by the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal of the Catholic
Church in the Philippines, while not controlling or decisive, should be given great
respect by our courts. x x x

742

742 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

(8) The trial court must order the prosecuting attorney or fiscal and the Solicitor General
to appear as counsel for the state. No decision shall be handed down unless the
Solicitor General issues a certification, which will be quoted in the decision, briefly
stating therein his reasons for his agreement or opposition, as the case may be, to the
petition. The Solicitor-General, along with the prosecuting attorney, shall submit to
the court such certification within fifteen (15) days from the date the case is deemed
submitted for resolution of the court. The Solicitor-General shall discharge the
equivalent
13
function of the  defensor vinculi  contemplated under Canon
1095.  (emphasis supplied)

The guidelines incorporate the three basic requirements earlier mandated by the Court
in  Santos:  “psychological incapacity
14
must be characterized by (a) gravity (b) juridical
antecedence and (c) incurability.”   The foregoing guidelines do not require that a physician
examine the person to be declared psychologically incapacitated. In fact, the root cause may be
“medically or clinically identified.” What is important is the presence of evidence that can
adequately establish the party’s psychological condition. For indeed, if the totality of evidence
presented is enough to sustain a finding of psychological 15 incapacity, then actual medical
examination of the person concerned need not be resorted to.
We now proceed to determine whether respondent successfully proved Toshio’s
psychological incapacity to fulfill his marital responsibilities.
Petitioner showed that Toshio failed to meet his duty to live with, care for and support his
family. He abandoned them a month after his marriage to respondent. Respondent sent him
several letters but he never replied. He made a trip to the Philippines but did not care at all to
see his family.
We find that the totality of evidence presented fell short of proving that Toshio was
psychologically incapacitated to assume his marital responsibilities. Toshio’s act of
abandonment was doubtlessly irresponsible but it was never alleged nor proven to be due to
some kind of psychological illness. After respondent testified on how Toshio abandoned his
family, no other evidence was presented showing that his behavior was caused by a
psychological

_______________
13 Supra, Note 8, pp. 209-212.
14 Supra, Note 9, p. 33.
15 Marcos vs. Marcos, 343 SCRA 755, 764 (2000).

743
 VOL. 428, MAY 20, 2004 743
Republic vs. Quintero-Hamano

disorder. Although, as a rule, there was no need for an actual medical examination, it would
have greatly helped respondent’s case had she presented evidence that medically or clinically
identified his illness. This could have been done through an expert witness. This respondent
did not do. 16
We must remember that abandonment is also a ground for legal separation.  There was no
showing that the case at bar was not just an instance of abandonment in the context of legal
separation. We cannot presume psychological defect from the mere fact that Toshio abandoned
his family immediately after the celebration of the marriage. As we ruled in Molina, it is not
enough to prove that a spouse failed to meet his responsibility and duty as a married person; it
is essential that he must be shown to be incapable of doing so due to some psychological, not
17
physical, illness.  There was no proof of a natal or supervening disabling factor in the person,
an adverse integral element in the personality structure that effectively incapacitates a person
18
from accepting and complying with the obligations essential to marriage.
According to the appellate court, the requirements in Molina and Santos do not apply here
because the present case involves a “mixed marriage,” the husband being a Japanese national.
We disagree. In proving psychological incapacity, we find no distinction between an alien
spouse and a Filipino spouse. We cannot be lenient in the application of the rules merely
because the spouse alleged to be psychologically incapacitated happens to be a foreign
national. The medical and clinical rules to determine psychological incapacity were formulated
on the basis of studies of human behavior in general. Hence, the norms used for determining
psychological incapacity should apply to any person regardless of nationality.

_______________
16 Article 55 (10) of the Family Code of the Philippines provides that:

Art. 55. A petition for legal separation may be filed on any of the following grounds:
x x x      x x x      x x x
(10) Abandonment of petitioner by respondent without justifiable cause for more than one year.
17 Supra, Note 8, p. 210.
18 Ibid., pp. 211-212.

744

744 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

People vs. Cachapero
19
In Pesca vs. Pesca,  this Court declared that marriage is an inviolable social institution that
the State cherishes and protects. While we commiserate with respondent, terminating her
marriage to her husband may not necessarily be the fitting denouement.
WHEREFORE, the petition for review is hereby GRANTED. The decision dated August 28,
1997 of the Court of Appeals is hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE.
SO ORDERED.

     Vitug (Chairman and Actg. C.J.), Sandoval-Gutierrez and Carpio-Morales, JJ., concur.

Petition granted, judgment reversed and set aside.

Notes.—The guidelines governing the application of psychological incapacity are: (a)

gravity, (b) juridical antecedence, and (c) incurability. (Marcos vs. Marcos,  343 SCRA
755 [2000])
 There could be no conclusion of psychological incapacity where there is absolutely no
showing that the “defects” were already present at the inception of the marriage or that they
are incurable. (Id.)

——o0o——