FOR FROM DATE

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PROF. ELIZABETH AGUILING-PANGALANGAN ANTONIO MIGUEL M. CARDENAS JUNE 22, 2013

PROPOSED TOPICS 1. The Reproductive Health Law and the Catholic Church Religion plays a major role in the lives of many Filipinos. The Catholic Church in the Philippines has been very critical about certain policies of the government which it considers offensive and violative to the doctrines of the church. One of these is the recently passed Reproductive Health Law. This paper will seek to determine the effect of the active participation of the church in this legislation from its enactment to its execution in the future. The legislative history which led to the passage of the law will be traced and such would include the schemes employed by the church at every level. Also, this paper will look into the impact of the efforts of the church in the minds of the populace especially towards their perception of the RH Law. 2. Divorce Law and Public Policy in the Philippines Under the present laws of the Philippines, divorce is not considered one of the options of the spouses who are trapped in a marriage that is not working. Stringent requirements have to be complied with in order that a petition for a declaration of nullity or a petition for annulment of marriage may be granted by the courts. Given this difficulty, divorce seems to be the more practical solution to the problem. This paper will inquire into the feasibility of enacting a divorce law in light of the current laws in force and social factors that may come into play. Previous efforts in the past both in legislation and jurisprudence will be looked into considering the prohibition on enacting laws which are contrary to morals and public policy. 3. Inter-Country Adoption in the Philippines Inter-Country Adoption was introduced in the Philippines by virtue of RA 8043 which was enacted in 1995. According to a report from the Philippine Information Agency, the DSWD has recorded around seven couples from around the world who have successfully adopted Filipino children that are legally available for adoption in 2013 beating off the 2012 record with only two inter-country adoptions. This paper will seek to find out the current state of the law and its implementation. Also, this paper will research on the difficulties and challenges that the different agencies concerned face in processing applications for inter-country adoption. And finally, this will also include recommendations for the improvement of the entire system to ensure that the welfare of the adoptee will not be compromised.