Divorce in the Philippines

[Mr.Punch]

The church is so behind the times. In reality people fall in and out of love. People unknowingly get into abusive relationships. Lets just say that yes they can just seperate and not get married again. But still its that chain that is wrapped around your ankle that is stopping you from feeling free again.

Whether or not the church is behind the times is irrelevant.  Whether or not the Catholic church agrees to divorce is irrelevant.  Why is it that people who always complain about the Church interfering in matters of the State are the same people who always drag and blame the Church for every problem that the State could have solved but didn't?

Divorce in the Philippines is a state issue, not a religious issue.  If you claim to adhere to a separation of Church and state, then you must recognize that attacking the absence of divorce in the Catholic church as the reason for the absence of divorce in Philippine law does not make any sense.

Anyway, I'm undecided on the issue of divorce in the Philippines and I'm still open to both sides.  I'm particularly interested in finding out whether divorce will just be as difficult and as costly to get as an annullment. 

I'll tell you this though....

At present.  It's easier to get an annullment in the Church than an annullment in Philippine courts of law.  So for example: if you are a Catholic married couple who want to annull your marriage, you may succeed in convincing a canonical court that the holy sacrament of matrimony was void from the beginning.... but it might take you a few years more (and some thoiusands of pesos more) to have your annullment recognized by the Republic of the Philippines.   

[shoutingwind]

^talaga? I thought mas mahirap magpa annul sa church.

[Mr.Punch]

^ Public perception.    To be fair, both processes could take years.  But the process on the government side has a lot more bureaucracy in it.

Professor Elizabeth Pangalangan of the U.P. College of Law once remarked in a lecture that when they had a legal team study this issue years ago, they were surprised  to find out that the Catholic Church has a more liberal stance on anullment than Philippine law.  Imagine that.

[shoutingwind]

That's what I don't get.

Pareho lang naman ending ng Annulment at Divorce. Married couples separate.
Technicality na lang yung "void from the start" vs. "termination of marriage".

Bakit pinapayagan ng church ang annulment pero divorce inde. Anyhow, you're right. Irrelevant naman talaga ang stand ng church since its a state matter.
Pero whether we like it or not, malaki ang influence ng church over this kaya di maipasa pasa.

Am I right or am I right? LOL

[Mr.Punch]

^ As I said, that's part of the problem.  The same people who are so troubled by the "influence" of the Church are the same ones who insert the Church in every discussion.  You know what that does?  It makes the Church's role in the discussion more relevant than it really is.

As to whether you are right - well, let's just say those who believe the Church has a big influence are actively contributing to such a perception.    (Which, you should admit, is a funny way of protesting that same influence.)

[vhanya]

italy is staunchly catholic but they have divorce. our lawmakers make the church powerful in this country. kasi nga naman during election time, dun din sila humihingi ng tulong.

[shoutingwind]

^ yun yon eh.

Politicos have their own agendas kaya sunud-sunuran sa sinasabi ng church. (IMO)

Basta for me, I think mas makakabuti ang divorce.

Whether we like it or not, madaming pamilya ang naghihiwalay, nasisira at nagkakasala (sa batas ng tao at Dyos)
Dahil nakakahanap din sila ng "bagong pamilya" nila.

At least kung may divorce, protektado yung unang pamilya lalo na ang mga bata. Tuloy ang sustento.
At hindi sila nakatali sa pagsasama na hindi naman nila na ma work out.

Ang tanong, in terms of "gastos" ... may pinag iba ba to sa annulment. Baka mamaya pang mayaman din tong divorce.

------>
 
Also, I'd like to add.. hindi por que may divorce eh lahat ng tao magpapa divorce na.
It's not for everyone. I mean, I know people living in the states (may divorce dun) pero they are still together... kahit nagkakaproblema. They work it out. Depende na lang talaga sa situation at sa tao yan. Mas maganda na may option ka.

[amy farrah fowler]

i've always been pro-divorce ever since i discovered that all marriages are happily-ever-afters.  anti-divorce advocates may say that divorcing spouses are selfish and do not take the children into consideration.  in this case, they must put themselves in the shoes of abused spouses who want to get out of the marriage.  i don't think wishing for a fight-free home and a welt-free body is selfish; in fact those are basic rights. 

a not-so-long-ago news article stated that according to statistics, there is a significant number of women who are being domestically abused.  it is the duty of the state to come up with laws to protect this women.  divorce is one such law that can release a battered wife from a life of misery and at the same time give her another chance at love. 

i just hope our lawmakers will be wise and prudent enough to pass this bill. 

[Water and Wine]

It's about time we allow divorce in our country.  As long as it is done with the right basis and grounds, we don't see anything wrong with it.  When we tell other nationalities that we don't have divorce in our country, they get surprised and always ask "Huh!?!?!?! So what if the marriage doesn't work? Then what!?!?!?"  Haha.

[kvandenhaak]

Also, I'd like to add.. hindi por que may divorce eh lahat ng tao magpapa divorce na.
It's not for everyone. I mean, I know people living in the states (may divorce dun) pero they are still together... kahit nagkakaproblema. They work it out. Depende na lang talaga sa situation at sa tao yan. Mas maganda na may option ka.

I think that's the misconception about the divorce rate in abroad like US and Canada. Na akala nila para ka lang nag-e-enroll pag nagpa-file ng divorce. Reality is talagang last resort na lang and it takes a lot of work to get that done. The couple really use all the resources they can find to make the marriage work. Kung wala na talaga then divorce is the solution. Ang maganda kapag may divorce, the women are more empowered. I hate my aunts and cousins situation because they have no choice on how to deal with their philandering husbands. In North America, women's rights are protected kaya hindi uubra yang mga kaliwete!

[shoutingwind]

Saka yung mga nag sasabi na pag may divorce parang nagiging laro laro na lang ang kasal...

aba, mas dapat nga seryosohin eh. Sinong tao ang magpapakasal sa isang tao na sampung beses nagpa divorce?
Kung ako yun,,, iisipin ko mabuti bakit etong tao na to sampung beses nag fail ang marriage.

Parang "unlike" button lang yan. mas madaming beses nag divorce, it means mas madaming nag unlike. LOL!

[bluedragonfly]

hello sisses, i'm just confused because my sister in law and his ex husband got married in pinas. now, she wants to marry again in pinas with her new bf next year.  she told me she'll be filing divorce papers here in europe since citizen na siya dito. pwede ba yun? hindi ba makikita yung records niya sa NSO since wala namang divorce sa pinas. naguluhan lang kasi ako if pwede ba yun. TIA.

[rychel07]

can't blame the church, The Catholic Church to be specific, for disagreeing with divorce. as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, there is permanence in marriage and divorce negates that completely. if the divorce bill doesn't get passed in The Phils., don't blame the church-blame the state. The Catholic Church isn't going to turn its back on its truths and teachings just so we wouldn't be inconvenienced.

should we elect to legalize divorce, under many restrictions, i don't see it being cheap and readily available to everyone. to prove the grounds of divorce, you'll still need lawyers, you'll still go through litigation and that is something the low income families may not be able to afford.

I completely agree with you sis. Although 50-50 pa rin ako regarding divorce. I'm really
doing my best to be open-minded regarding this issue.

[thestargazer]

hello sisses, i'm just confused because my sister in law and his ex husband got married in pinas. now, she wants to marry again in pinas with her new bf next year.  she told me she'll be filing divorce papers here in europe since citizen na siya dito. pwede ba yun? hindi ba makikita yung records niya sa NSO since wala namang divorce sa pinas. naguluhan lang kasi ako if pwede ba yun. TIA.

Hi sis, if your sister-in-law is no longer a Filipino Citizen and if her new citizenship allows divorce, then she may validly file for divorce in the country where she is a citizen. A copy of such divorce should be furnished the Phil. Embassy. Kahit walang divorce sa Pinas since iba na nga yung citizenship ni sis-in-law at legal naman ito dun, i-a-acknowledge yun dito sa Pilipinas. Isipin mo na hindi na pilipino si sis-in-law kaya ang prohibition ng divorce sa pinas di na mag a-apply sa kanya. Yung batas na ng bagong citizenship nya ang mag apply. Kung legal divorce dun,  legal na siyang makipag divorce sa kanyang unang asawang pinoy.

[bluedragonfly]

ah oki sis. thanks

[rae]

I am pro-divorce, I want it to be available to those who need it.  Like those na na-r-rape ng mga asawa nila. Those na nabubugbog lalake man o babae. etc.

I am Catholic too and while many of my fellow Catholics are anti-divorce, I choose otherwise.  I respect people from other religions/ sects.  This option should be available to those who believe in divorce.

Para na ring pag-ban ng pagkain ng pork.  If we are mostly moslems, do we really want to ban eating pork for all Filipinos?

[ebiko]

i am pro-divorce. and sana, sa pilipinas,  e affordable ang mag-file ng ganito at hindi para mga mayayaman o may kaya lang sa buhay.

i pity the  women, specially sa mga battered wife. ang isipin na lang nila, ang mga anak nila, may buhay pa pagkatapos ng "masalimuot" na pagsasama.

why go on with the relationship kung wala ng peace and harmony. ang kawawa ang mga bata. matatanim sa isipan nila ang araw-araw na nakikita nilang hindi magandang pagsasama ng magulang  nila.

i am not anti-catholic teachings/dogma, in fact, nasa catholic organization ang hubby ko, pero its unfair kung may nasasaktan naman lalo na kung walang kalaban-laban.

[khakhaganda]

for me it's a big YES like for an example on my situation i was married before and my so called husband is already married abroad

sya masaya na sa buhay nya samantalang ako do i have to stay married with him for the rest of my life?

pano naman ako dba?

[roxykarlo]

i am pro-divorce. we need it here especially to women who are having a hard time in their marriage.

[e.viv]

I am not pro-divorce! Update lang yung grounds for annulment.