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Republic of the Philippines vs. Gallo

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, PETITIONER, V. MICHELLE SORIANO GALLO, RESPONDENT.

G.R. No. 207074 | 2018-01-17

D E C I S I O N
 
LEONEN, J.:
 
Names are labels for one's identity. They facilitate social interaction, including the allocation of rights and determination of liabilities. It is for this reason that the State has an interest in one's name.
 
The name through which one is known is generally, however, not chosen by the individual who bears it. Rather, it is chosen by one's parents. In this sense, the choice of one's name is not a product of the exercise of autonomy of the individual to whom it refers.
 
In view of the State's interest in names as markers of one's identity, the law requires that these...