PROPOSED EXPIRATION DATE FOR MARRIAGE CONTRACT

[aquacharly]

I do not know where exactly this topic fits in, but since it will impact the family, not just the spouses... here goes...

May 1/2010  Page A3 of  The Manila Times:

     EXPIRATION DATE FOR MARRIAGE CONTRACT SOUGHT ANEW

  ........ "As a pro-poor alternative to divorce in a predominantly Catholic nation, advocate Margie Tajon seeks to revive the proposal for mandatory renewal of matrimonial bonds afer a term of 10 years.
         The proposal will benefit both the rich and the poor, Tajon said during a media briefing in Quezon City.
         Tajon also claimed that the renewal of contract won't be a problem to the spouses financially and that signing of an affidavit and paying a small fee of P250 to the local civil registrar will automatically renew the contract.
         Using a very basic metaphor, Tajon also  compared the marriage seal to a regular contract with expiration - a passport.
        "If you really want to travel and your passport is so important to you, you usuallly renew six months before the expiration," she said.
        According to her, dysfunctional marriages caused by domestic violence and women battering could be properly addressed by the bill.
        "Usually marriage now is being considered as a kiss of death or a death sentence,"  Tajon added.  "So why must we wait for the promise  "till death do us part" or I will cause your death so we can part?"  ......
   

[aquacharly]

I am all for ending bad marriages for marriage isn't supposed to be a Death or Life Sentence.

However, I do not think a marriage contract is as simple as a passport.

Dear, you don't want to sign up for a renewal?  Even if I pay for the P250 and the Affidavit?   Well, I don't want to sign up again too.. 
What do we do about our assets?  Our unsettled obligations, like the mortgage?  What about the dog?  Oh, did you forget -- we have kids?   

I think the proposed bill should adequately provide for the above issues.

Or,  what if the scenario is slightly different?
Sure, let's renew... can we do it annually hereon? 

What the heck!  Save on the P250 and the Affidavit cost... just don't get married from the start.

As for providing an early exit (before death makes it all conclusive) -- for those in abusive relationships... wouldn't it be better to revise the existing law to make it more practical?

I do not think this is "pro poor".  In fact, the easy way out of not filing an Affidavit and paying the P250 may just leave the financially disadvantaged woman more disadvantaged.

I am not against a bill for an Expiration Date............. but it should provide for an orderly and fair dis-engagement. 

Comments please.   

   

[betty]

wala na ba silang ibang maisip na ibatas?

madameng naglilive in na mahirap na hindi maikasal kasi mahal, daming requirements, birth certificate, cenomar, marriage licence, lahat may bayad...so pano nila masasabing pro poor to?

atsaka diba sa isang dysfunctional na relationship, madale namang makawala, kung gustuhin at may paraan?di mo na need ng 10 years para mag expire ang validity ng kasal.

baket di na lang sila gumawa ng batas o panukala na para sa magpapakasal pa lang? ng sa ganon bago pa mapasubo eh nakapag isip na.

for me, personally, ayoko ng divorce.(although dati ive considered having my marriage annulled... thats why its important not to make decisions when you're mad)

[rianne_mallows]

parang ewan naman yung batas na yan..

i am pro-divorce, pero expiration date? as aquacharly mentioned, paano ang assets? (mukha talaga akong pera) lalo na if you have kids..

[Tigershark09]

parang hindi ako aprub diyan sa batas na yan! nonsense!  i mean what's the essence of getting married and signing a marriage contract if you'll put a term to it. parang "good tayo for 10 years ha... let's see what will happen after that". in the first place, ang kasal, huwes or simbahan man, pinagiisipan dapat yang mabuti. kung magkakaroon ng expiration date ang marriage contract, parang sinabi mo na rin na pakikisamahan kita hanggang gusto ko. sino pa ang seseryoso sa kasal kung ganon di ba? dahil sa totoo lang, halos lahat ng magasawa, dumarating sa point na nagsisisi bat tayo nagasawa or nagsasawa tayo sa buhay natin. pero dahil nangako tayo na for better or for worse, in sickness and in health til death do us part, we try to make things work and most of the time we see the goodness in that, we become better couples, better parents and we raise happier kids. sa propose nila,  parang it encourages couple not to give their best to the marriage dahil pwede ka namang kumawala kung ayaw mo. yung "wala lang, ayoko na, sawa na ako, move on na ". e paano ang mga anak? gaya ng sabi ninyo, maraming involve na bagay na dapat ayusin.

for me, it doesn't benefit everybody. dapat kung magpapasa ka ng ganyang resolusyon, e yung magbebenefit lahat ng tao, lahat ng pamilya. ang nakikita ko lang na totoong magbebenefit dito ay yung mga asawang abused at mga asawang kinaliwa or niloko. sana..instead na bigyan nila ng expiration ang marriage contract, magpasa na lang sila ng batas na mabilis na pagpawalang bisa ng kasal kung ang asawa ay inabuso at niloko. yung hindi na aabot ng taon bago kayo ma-annul. at pagtibayin nila yung mandatory child support at alimony sa asawa gaya sa North America. hindi naman kasi yan napapatupad ng maayos sa pinas kung meron mang existing na batas na ganyan.

[betty]

o kaya kung gusto talaga nila ng madale, 1 year valididty lang, oh diba para kang nagbahay bahayan

[tamarind26]

Malaking kalokohan ang batas na to. Only gives men the "legal" right na magloko para palitan si poor old wife. Kawawa mga bata. Dito pa naman sa atin,  biased ang batas. Always in favor of men. Malabo ang alimony. If di magwork ang marriage, maghiwalay nalang. No need for expired contract!

[twelvth_goddess]

Honestly, is this the best that our politicians can offer?

[chengkii]

kakaloka naman itong proposed bill na ito.

Nawawala ang sanctity ng marriage. It would mean that the marriage vow should be changed also. Haha.

[tiggerlily]

laking kalokohan naman nito. e di huwag na lang magpakasal kung ganito di ba?

[aquacharly]

The problem is,  due to our restrictive societal and cultural values or what you want to call it?  religious restrictions?  there is sooo much negativity attached to living in kasi.

In the US and most of Europe, there is no such hang-up.  So when they say they will marry, that's it... the commitment is blue chip, generally.   The soon-to-be-spouses know the days of f*cking around are done with.  Now, when they do f*ck around, just 1 affair, 1 lapse is enough to result in The End.  Cuentas claras.   Their marital life is done with in an orderly manner.. who gets what,  who stays with whom (hindi ba even the dog sharing is part of the Court Decision? if the exes won't give way to each other on that)....

Yon lang naman talaga kailangan natin eh.  so that women are not left disadvantaged.  Sila na betrayed on, tapos sila pa Loser?  Unfair.

[merryjazz]

parang hindi tama ang may expiration ang marriage contract. unfair yan.

[chengkii]

^^ Agree. So I guess, it would make more sense to just adapt the culture of the US or some Eurpoean nations on the way marriages are treated. Question lang, meron bang divorce sa Spain & Rome? Diba majority of the population in those countries are also Cathoic?

[cher.liman]

^Sa Spain yes

[Joycy]

Im pro-marriage kahit na annulled ako.  I would have held on kung gusto pa ng ex ko. Kaso, ayaw na niya eh. So i filed kasi ayokong ipagpilitan sarili ko.

But anyways, unfair yong law kasi it's anti-women's right. Although im pro-marriage, maraming marriage ngayon ang dapat na ipa-walang bisa kasi inaabused sila ng mga lalaki.

In western countries, maganda yong law nila kasi kahit magdi-divorced yong couple...hindi napapabayaan yong either party. May legal separation of assets, may custody sa anak, may spousal support at may child support. Eh dito...wala. Masyadong, patriarchal ang soceity natin.

I dont think that new law will work. Can you imagine the paperwork that will entail? For example, every 2 years ang expiry tapos iba iba ang asawa mo...di na nga sila updated sa records, dadagdagan nila ang sakit ng ulo? Imagine having to change your name every expiry and all the records? For the guys naman, imagine having to change the beneficiaries...lol

[delisyus]

pwede ba... bigyan muna nila ng karapatan ang babaeng patayin ang asawa pag nahuling nambababae (tulad ng karapatan meron ang lalaki)...

more seriously though, VAW is common in marriages BUT it's not true for even half of marriages... or even half of dysfunctional marriages. Usually, infidelity and money problems and in-law problems account more for dysfunctional marriages.... there are also sexual incompatibilities, the unmet expectations as wife and husband, the different parenting philosophies... to use VAW as the primary reason for pushing for such a law is doing more people a disservice. I would rather they make it harder for people to get married (like attend more seminars, see a counselor, etc) and for them to push companies/institutions to barrage married couples with seminars on marriage.

If we're going to have any decency as a society at all, we need to protect and defend marriage as an institution, and families as building blocks of society... and not threaten kids more. They are stressed enough.

[mstina]

i am not for this bill kasi parang nawala na talaga yung sanctity ng marriage. parang naging business deal na lang talaga.

why not legalize divorce na lang kaysa yung magrerenew pa every 10 years. at least yun lang gustong maghiwalay ang magfafile. imagine kung pipila pa tayo sa office kasi magrerenew tayo ng marriage contract. habang pila nun. hehe

[young_maiden]

ano pa silbi ng till death do us part kung may expiration date ang marriage contract? pwede ibang bills na lang ang ipasa nila.

[Joycy]

This wouldnt pan out.    Well, i hope it wouldnt.

[super bratinella]

With this kind of law, the only person who is so lugi and talo is the girl, pagkatapos anakan, may expiration naman pala ang marriage.

I proposed to change the Marriage "Contract" term, since all contract have due expiration date or end, it should be Marriage "Certificate".