AMY NG CHA LEE -versus- THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MANILA

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
FIRST JUDICIAL REGION
BRANCH 60
BAGUIO CITY

IN RE: PETITION FOR THE CHANGE OF NAME OF AMY NG CHA LEE TO AMY ALONSO

AMY NG CHA LEE,
Petitioner,

-versus-

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MANILA,
Respondent.

SPEC. PROC.
CASE NO. 2430-R
ORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING

A verified Petition for change of name in the Certificate of Live Birth of AMY NG CHA LEE is filed before this Court praying that after publication and hearing, an order be issued directing the Local Civil Registrar of Manila, to change Petitioner’s name from AMY NG CHA LEE to AMY ALONSO and to reflect the declaration of the COURT and change the entry in the Certificate of Live Birth of Petitioner, specifically the column “Name of Child” to AMY ALONSO.

In support of her Petition, Petitioner states:
1. That she is of legal age, a naturalized Filipino citizen by virtue of her father acquiring Filipino citizenship in 1959, married, and with residence and postal address at No. 134 Session Road, Baguio City;
2. Petitioner has been a resident of Baguio City since 1974 and still maintains the same residence thereat;
3. That respondent Civil Registrar of Manila, where the Petitioner’s birth was registered, is impleaded in his official capacity, with office at the Manila City Hall where he may be served a with summons and other processes of the Honorable Court;
4. That Petitioner was born in 18 September 1956 to parents Tian Hu Chua Lee (Lee Tian Hu) and Flordeliza Lim Ng Cha, and was given the name AMY NG CHA LEE. xxx;
5. That on 29 July 1959, Petitioner’s father was able to acquire Filipino Citizenship through naturalization. Consequently, Petitioner likewise became a Filipino citizen, following the citizenship of her father. xxx;
6. That after acquiring Filipino citizenship, Petitioner’s father filed a Petition for Change of name from TIAN HU CHUA LEE (LEE TIAN HU) TO ALBERTO ALONSO before the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Manila, docketed as Sp. Proc. No. 04091. Since the approval of the Petition, Petitioner’s father has used the name ALBERTO ALONSO in all his records and documents. xxx;
7. That since 1970, Petitioner has been using the name AMY ALONSO in order to follow the surname of her father. In fact, a Petition for the change of name of the Petitioner and her sister, who were at that time minors, was filed by their father before the Branch XII of the Court of First Instance of Caloocan City on 1 August 1969. It was docketed as Special Proceedings Case No. C-351. xxx;
8. In an order dated 15 July 1970, the Court granted the petition, hence, in all her documents and records, Petitioner has used the name AMY ALONSO, as it is the name she grew up knowing and relying on the fact that the Petition was granted by the Court. xxx;
9. Likewise, copies of the Petitioner’s Passports, School Records, NBI Clearance and Marriage Certificate are hereto attached xxx and made integral parts hereof, to prove Petitioner’s continuous use of the name AMY ALONSO in her documents and records;
10. Sometime in January 2015, Petitioner applied for a renewal of her Philippine Passport. Much to her surprise, she discovered that the petition granting her change of name was not annotated in her Certificate of Live Birth on record with the National Statistics Office and the Local Civil Registrar of Manila;
11. Upon verification and inquiry with the Branch Clerk of Court of Branch XII (now Branch 120) of the Regional Trial Court of Caloocan City, Petitioner discovered that the prior Petition for change of name was not listed in the Criminal/ Civil Docket and Case Inventory of the said Court. xxx;
12. Furthermore, upon inquiry with the Office of the Clerk of Court of the Regional Trial Court of Caloocan City, it was discovered that although the said Petition was docketed in their records, no entry of finality was contained thereat;
13. That the Regional Trial Court of the Caloocan City refuses to issue a Certificate of Finality considering the above circumstances, leaving the Petitioner no choice but to re-file the Petition;
14. In order to set all her personal records straight and to avoid any confusion regarding her identity, Petitioner now comes to the Honorable Court seeking the change of her name from AMY NG CHA LEE to AMY ALONSO as the latter is the name she is known for by all his (sic) relatives, friends and acquaintances and it is the name she has used and continues to use in all her transactions, records and legal documents;
15. That this Petition for Change of Name is being filed not for the purpose of evading any obligation under the law or for the purposes which may be contrary to law.
x x x
Finding the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, let the same be heard before the Regional Trial Court, Branch 60, Baguio City on September 17, at 8:30 in the morning at which place, date, and time, the Petitioner shall prove her case. Any person may appear and show cause, why the petition should not be granted.
Let a copy of this Order, together with a copy of the Petition and its annexes be served upon the respondent, Local Civil Registrar Manila, who is hereby enjoined to file its comments and/or opposition, should there be any. Furnish a copy of the Order and Notice of Hearing together with a copy of the petition to the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Office of the City Prosecutor of Baguio City.
At the expense of the Petitioner, the Branch Sheriff is hereby directed to post copies of this Order and Notice of Hearing on the Bulletin Boards of the Court, the City Hall, the City Market and the Post Office, all of Baguio City. Let this Order and Notice of hearing be published in a newspaper of general circulation in Baguio City and suburbs for three (3) consecutive weeks at the expense of the Petitioner.