Sole Custody in the Philippines

[top_secret 2,071]

I'm have no previous experience with this issue but may be getting some here before to long so it's a mater of personal interest.  My understanding is if you were never married, then the child is illegitimate under Philippine law.  As far as I know, it is a matter of Philippine law that the mother automatically has absolute sole custody of an illegitimate child pretty much unless someone had brought some legal action against the mother.  I'm just wildly speculation but perhaps a CENOMAR/CEMAR NOT listing the child's father is proof you were never married to him, thus the child is proven by official documents to be illegitimate under Philippine law and therefore the mother DOES ALREADY HAVE sole custody under Philippine laws and the father has absolutely no custodial rights whatsoever.  How you present that to to the passport office?  Maybe just look up and present the relevant Philippine laws and a CENOMAR/CEMAR NOT listing the child's father as the legal proof the father has no parental rights.  In any case I think Philippine law is almost absolute that the mother has sole custody.

[jskibo 588]

Similar situation with my wife. Never married but father listed on colds both certificate. I avoided the issue with the passport by adopting my step daughter.  Of course that was a six month longer path but my employer covered the $1000 fee.