Restituto M. Alcantara v. Rosita A. Alcantara

Summary

This Supreme Court case involved a petition for annulment of marriage filed by Restituto Alcantara against his wife Rosita, claiming their 1982 marriage was void due to absence of a valid marriage license. Petitioner alleged they used a 'fixer' and obtained a fraudulent license from Carmona, Cavite, where neither resided. The Supreme Court denied the petition, applying the strong presumption in favor of marriage validity ('semper praesumitur pro matrimonio'). The Court found that the certification from Carmona's Civil Registrar proved a license was validly issued, and any procedural irregularities did not affect the marriage's validity. The Court applied the 'clean hands' doctrine, noting that petitioner willingly participated in two marriage ceremonies and cannot later claim the marriage was invalid to escape his marital obligations, especially when facing a concubinage case. The decision reinforces that marriages enjoy strong legal presumption of validity and cannot be easily annulled based on technical defects.