BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The controversy over the tag price of an engagement ring has been all over social media in the past few days. It all started when a woman shared her disappointment on her Facebook account about the P299 engagement given by her fiancé.
She elicited public opinion on whether or not the prize of her engagement ring would be a big deal in their relationship. She even began questioning her “worth” as a woman.
“Is this how low my worth is for him that he did not even think of saving money for a ring? Or should I not make a big deal out of it? Am I too immature to feel this way?” the woman asked.
Does the cost of an engagement ring matter? Essentially, an engagement ring is considered a donation.
Under Article 748 of the New Civil Code, if the donation of personal property, such as a ring, is worth more than P5,000, then the giving of a thing should be stipulated in writing.
In giving or donating such a thing, the giver must comply with the two conditions.
First, the giver must determine the value of the thing. If the personal or movable property exceeds P5,000, then the receiver must execute a deed of donation with the giver.
And if the price of the engagement ring is worth P5,000 or below, the giver cannot recover it anymore because such is considered a valid donation.
If the price of that certain thing is below P5,000, the giver may only undertake a donation of such property verbally and simultaneously deliver such personal property.
Can a former boyfriend recover the engagement ring although he was the one who cancelled the wedding?
The answer is in the affirmative, depending on the cost of the engagement ring, thus, it is important to determine the value of the engagement ring.
If the engagement ring is more than P5,000, the former boyfriend may recover it for being a void donation. An engagement ring is considered as a donation, under the Civil Code./PN
