The process by which property transfers from a decedent to a qualified person is governed by the

Philippine Civil Law on Succession. The process of succession may be further classified into three distinct
classes. In the order of what takes priority over the other, these are: Compulsory Succession,
Testamentary Succession, and Intestate Succession.

Compulsory Succession

By the mandate of Compulsory Succession, the deceased person is obligated to leave behind a certain
portion of his or her estate to specified relatives at the moment of death. In the above situation, let us
assume that the deceased father of the family left behind a widow, one son, and one daughter. Under
the law, the whole value of the deceased’s estate must be accounted for and half of such value is to be
given to his legitimate offspring. As there are two legitimate children in this situation, they are required
by law to divide equally among themselves the half of the deceased’s estate. The widow, under
Compulsory Succession, is also entitled to the same amount corresponding to the share of one
legitimate child. Therefore, applying these rules, the widow and her two legitimate offspring are entitled
to 1/4th of the estate each.

All is well and good up to this point and only 3/4ths of the total estate has been transferred. To
approximate the realities of succession, assume that there suddenly appears an illegitimate child of the
deceased who has conclusively proven his paternity. Is he entitled to any compulsory share?

The Civil Code also has this situation covered. It ordains that an illegitimate child is entitled to ½ the
share of a legitimate child. As applied in our example, where the legitimate child received 1/4th of the
estate, the illegitimate child has the right to claim 1/8th of the property left behind by his father.
Summing up the distributed portions, what is left of the estate is 1/8th of the total value. This
undistributed value, or in all other cases, the so-called “free portion of the estate,”may be disposed of
through a will under the law on Testamentary Succession.

Testamentary Succession

Testamentary succession actually involves three important steps. These are, in chronological order, the
probate of the will, its interpretation, and finally, its execution. We have covered these steps in previous
articles.
As pointed out, in drafting a will, the testator should keep in mind that there should be no exclusion or
much less reduction of the share of compulsory heirs. Secondly, its provisions should not go against
public policy nor a testimonial disposition amount to a crime. Any provision found to be contrary to law
or public policy shall be deemed as not written in the will.

Is a testimonial disposition granting a property to a common-law spouse valid? The conveyance of

property gratuitously to a common-law spouse is jurisprudentially recognized as an act contrary to public
policy. To be exact, it is prohibited by law as it is a circumvention of a direct provision which disallows
donations to a common- law wife, read together with the doctrine that what cannot be done directly
cannot be done indirectly.

If the testimonial disposition is found void or in the absence of testamentary disposition, how then will
the undistributed portion be dealt with under the law? The answer lies under the last recognized
method of succession.

Legal or Intestate Succession

In Legal or Intestate Succession, the law deals with the remaining portion of the estate undisposed by
compulsory succession and undistributed by will. Under this mode of succession, the concept of
Compulsory Succession is mirrored. Those who are deemed compulsory heirs will once again receive
their corresponding share of the remainder of the estate. This final process finally disposes of the
entirety of the estate and ends the process of succession.

Final consideration

It is both a policy of the State to let the property of the deceased pass to his or her rightful heirs and, in
the same breath, to respect the will of testator. Fealty to the principles of succession law ensures
harmonious implementation of these twin policies. Further, and perhaps most importantly, the clear-cut
legal disposition of property minimizes, if not totally obviates, intra-family dispute. After all, prevention is
better than cure not only when it comes to health, but also in terms of preserving one’s wealth.