I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and promulgate the Family Code of the Philippines, as follows: 

TITLE I

MARRIAGE

Chapter 1. Requisites of Marriage

Article 1.  Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life. It is the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution whose nature, consequences, and incidents are governed by law and not subject to stipulation, except that marriage settlements may fix the property relations during the marriage within the limits provided by this Code. (52a)

Article 2.  No marriage shall be valid, unless these essential requisites are present:

1. Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must be a male and a female; and

2. Consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer. (53a)

Article 3.  The formal requisites of marriage are:

1. Authority of the solemnizing officer;
   
   

2. A valid marriage license except in the cases provided for in Chapter 2 of this Title; and
   
   

3. A marriage ceremony which takes place with the appearance of the contracting parties before the solemnizing officer and their personal declaration that they take each other as husband and wife in the presence of not less than two witnesses of legal age. (53a, 55a)

Article 4.  The absence of any of the essential or formal requisites shall render the marriage void ab initio, except as stated in Article 35 (a).

A defect in any of the essential requisites shall render the marriage voidable as provided in Article 45.

An irregularity in the formal requisites shall not affect the validity of the marriage but the party or parties responsible for the irregularity shall be civilly, criminally administratively liable. (n)

Article 5.  Any male or female of the age of eighteen years or upwards not under any of the impediments mentioned in Articles 37 and 38 may contract marriage. (54a)