Statute
Civil Code
Article
Art. 979
Topic
Legal or Intestate Succession
Status
In force, as amended
Book
BOOK III DIFFERENT MODES OF ACQUIRING OWNERSHIP Preliminary Provision
Title
TITLE IV SUCCESSION
Chapter
CHAPTER 3 Legal or Intestate Succession
Formerly
Art. 931a of the old Civil Code
Year
1949
Cited by
Multiple Supreme Court decisions

The provision

Legitimate children and their descendants succeed the parents and other ascendants, without distinction as to sex or age, and even if they should come from different marriages. An adopted child succeeds to the property of the adopting parents in the same manner as a legitimate child. (931a)

Intellegal Wiki · In plain terms

Legitimate children and their descendants inherit from their parents and other ascendants regardless of sex or age, and even if they come from different marriages. An adopted child inherits from the adopting parents in the same way a legitimate child would.

An editorially maintained plain-language explanation of this provision — not legal advice.

As qualified: the successional rights of adopted children are now governed by the domestic adoption regime — RA 11642 (the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, 2022), which repealed the earlier RA 8552; an adoptee keeps the reciprocal successional rights of a legitimate child.

Cases applying this article

Related provisions in this Chapter

Civil Code, Art. 979 is found in CHAPTER 3 Legal or Intestate Succession of TITLE IV SUCCESSION of BOOK III DIFFERENT MODES OF ACQUIRING OWNERSHIP Preliminary Provision of the Civil Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 386).

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Reviewed by the Intellegal Legal Team for currency against amending laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence.

Research aid — not legal advice. Verify the current text against the Official Gazette. Provisions may have been amended or repealed. Using this page creates no attorney-client relationship. For legal advice, consult a Philippine lawyer.