Expats’ Guide: No Divorce in the Philippines
There are only two places left in the world where divorce is not allowed: the Vatican, which is the center of Catholicism, and the Philippines. As the third largest Catholic country in the world, the Philippines treat marriage as sacred. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), an influential group of Filipino bishops, had put its foot down on legalizing divorce, even if the world approves of it.
“Divorce is not merely a direct contradiction to the standard Marriage Vows, but also a standing contradiction of the Family Code of the Philippines and a blatant contradiction of the Constitution of the Philippines. Hence, Filipinos who want divorce introduced and legalized in the country, say but one and the same thing: Change the working of the Marriage Vows! Change the Philippine Constitution! Change the Family Code of the Philippines.” – CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on the Era of the New Evangelization, 2012
There’s quite a number people who badly want to make the said procedure legal in the Philippines. As of December 2014, 60% of adult Filipinos are in favour of divorce. According to Social Weather Stations (SWS), the percentage of people who agrees to the procedure has increased, but it still remains illegal until a law legalizing it is passed soon.
Many people who are fighting for its legalization are currently trapped in their marriages; they remain a couple on paper and in name not because they want to, but because they have to. In this article from CNN, a woman has been fighting to legally end her marriage, but the government will not allow them to do so. Her situation is one of the many examples why people are urging the Philippine government to make the divorce bill legal in the country.
If you think that divorce is new to the Philippines, you are mistaken. Divorce was legal during the American colonization and the early Japanese occupation. It was only prohibited in 1949 with the enactment of the Civil Code.
If you are planning to wed in the Philippines, you will not be allowed to be divorced since you will be wed under Philippine law. If, however, you marry in other countries, such as the United States where divorce is legal, then you can file for divorce. You can file for a Legal Separation, where in any conjugal property of yours will be divided, your married surname will be dropped but you cannot marry again; either party who breaks this will be charged with Adultery. You can also opt for Annulment, a little like divorce but it takes longer to process (about 5 years) and demands a lot of money (at least $4,000).
Source: theatlantic.com/
Photo courtesy of: thewutzup.com
