For the past years, the Philippines have a lot of controversial and huge issues as to

the legalization of divorce in the country. It has been proposed and had been one of the
major concern off the people especially the church. For the last six years today, this bill
has been talked about and has been pending due to the stand of Gabriela Women’s
Party, one of the parties inside which is dedicated in promoting the rights and welfare of
the Filipinos especially those under-represented women in this nation.

Philippines is one of the most conservative and cultured countries in the world.
Aside from being a democratic nation which every person has the right to express his/her
ideas and emphasize human rights, Filipinos have also a valued perspective in terms of
life. They have moral standards. Yet, norms and principles do not necessarily mean as
positive as the way people think they are. These are also aiming to uphold social order in
terms of controlling other people’s actions and thinking that they are always wise and
better than others. Filipinos tend to think they know so much in the processes and the
traditions they once encountered to. With these ideologies, divorce and annulment
became one of the most arguable and contentious topics in the House of
Representatives. In line with all these issues, this paper will be focusing on supporting the
legalization of divorce law in the Philippines.

Before Spanish took over in the country, the old communities in this archipelago
once had a divorce bill and according to some articles, the law as practiced until August
30, 1950 and then the Civil Code took over. Nevertheless, what most Filipinos do not know
is that divorce laws have always been with Muslims as stated in the Presidential Decree
No. 1083 in the year 1977. This information tells people that they should be more
educated and open-minded in joining arguments and telling stands especially those
topics concerning these matters. Divorce has been played a big part in the nation since
the beginning but Filipinos lack initiative in welcoming solutions to arising problems.
Furthermore, even there are many issues concerning religion and moral views, validating
of this law is not pertaining to how a person weigh and value his/her religious beliefs. This
is a law to be practical to face the realities of family life in the country even abroad.

Currently, there is an existing annulment law in the Philippines. But before that,
knowledge as to the difference in purpose of both annulment and divorce must be well-
presented. While divorce is for the termination of a legal marriage, the term annulment is
for the both sides in the family to say that the marriage should never existed legally in the
first place. In annulment, a partner should prove that his/her spouse had a psychological
incapacity before the marriage and that it is severe and crucial beforehand. Weird as it
is but what if a marriage is stable in years and yet, a husband or wife drifted away for
some reasons, had an affair with another man or a woman, became violent, an addict
or an apathetic member of the family? Anyone does not wish to be with a person like.
Unfortunately, those unexpected and unwanted reasons cannot be used to file
annulment. How can one survive like that forever?

Those are the whys of a divorce. The purpose of divorce is to provide the things
annulment cannot. Unlike annulment, this does not concern whether a marriage is valid
or not but on what happened during marriage and the changes made by time. With the
acquisition of this law, every Filipino will benefit whenever they are. This will offer more
solutions to marital catastrophes. The aims of a law must be focused on the needs and
beliefs of people covering it. It must give them a choice concerning their own opinions
as dealing with their own wants and needs.

With the enlightenment and education, Filipinos can have knowledge and new
perceptions as to opening possibilities. People have to raise their voices to be heard and
support this kind of laws. The reverence is always there for the people who are willing to
stay in marriage for her family of course. In addition to these, religious people as well as
the churches do not need to be worried because Filipino families and associations are
still surviving up until now. A divorce is still not a simple where any partner can quit
marriage whenever they want. This law have high grounds to be motioned.

They can adapt simultaneously with divorce law. Laws do not define people but
people do define law. As evidence, notwithstanding the laws’ rules and regulations,
every day, people get married, many women become pregnant, most husbands and
wives had children, some of them separate and get into relationships with another. Laws
cannot control people especially Filipinos. The lack of divorce laws can affect families
especially children. It only limit people and complicates problems in the families.

Why do people disagree so much in the billing of divorce when one is

knowledgeable enough, he/she can say that annulment is not enough in the termination
of marriage. Divorce law has many pros every one cannot imagine if they continue to
stick to societal standards. People must think beyond the issue and put themselves
outside the box. Anyone cannot force things to happen and get back the way it used to
be. In a world where change is the only constant, everybody must consider every options
and alternatives in order to live lives fully not minding how the responsibilities and
standard of the society can swallow them. Filipinos are way more then what the humanity
thinks they are. People have to collaborate with the government in order to come out
from the narrow scopes of life to the field of endless possibilities. The country must move
forward to encounter and face different issues as much as adapt to every change any
person or any law cannot regulate. The Philippines needs divorce law.