GMA bill to let women use maiden surnames

What’s in a surname? A lot, according to Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who filed a bill on Tuesday allowing married women to use her maiden surname sans a court order.

Arroyo’s House Bill No. 6028 pointed out that the Supreme Court had decided that women may revert to using her surname before marriage after securing a judicial order for annulment or nullity of marriage.

Arroyo, however, said there was still “incomplete realization of the women’s right to continue using her maiden name” due to judicial requirements and other lengthy court processes. —Marlon Ramos