WRITING TASK 2

SS10 / A5
Muncada, Ma. Monica M.
2013123119

February 13, 2016

Legalization of Divorce in the Philippines

Divorce should be legalized in the Philippines.
Philippines is a Catholic country and the only country other than Vatican that does not have divorce.
Many countries including Spanish countries like Spain and Mexico had already legalized divorce.
Maybe because they already realized the reality of the world, that divorce is the only and the best
solution for couples who suffers from their own relationship.
Though I am a Roman Catholic and have a happy and complete family, I still believe that a divorce
is the right solution for those married couples who were not already happy with their relationship with a
very reasonable conditions. Some conditions include are battered wives, infidelity, violence and
abandonment of a partner. Growing up, I always saw from televisions and other means of online media,
many couples who ended up wanting to get divorced or separated. That is why, I think this conditions of
couples wanting to get divorced is a reality that everyone in the world should already accept. I don't see
any reasons for denying it or not allowing it in our country because either we allow it or not, we could
not control or prevent many couples from ending up their relationship. Rather, not allowing divorce in
our country will just make their relationship get worse and let each of them suffer more because we let
them hold on to things (such as married and commitment) that make them miserable.
In Philippine Constitution, Article III, Section 1:No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or
property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws. In
this section life is defined as something that extends to all the limbs and faculties by which life is
enjoyed. I think this part of the constitution make it reasonable to say that divorce is a right and not
allowing divorce deprives an unhappily married couple or person from their right to life. What if a
couple completely feels miserable with themselves and cannot bear to live together their entire lives?
And they think that the best solution for their problem is to end up their relationship so that they could
continue to live a new, free and a happy life. Do you think that it is right to deprived them from their
right to life and from the possibility to create a new happy life ? I don't think so.
On the other side, legal separation and annulment are allowed here in the Philippines. In legal
separation, the couple live apart but remain married to each other. Grounds for legal separation includes
drug addiction, habitual alcoholism, lesbianism or homosexuality, sexual infidelity, sexual perversion,
six years imprisonment of the spouse, attempts to kill the spouse, and abandonment. In annulments, the
marriage will be considered null and void but the couples are not allowed to re-marry. Grounds for
annulment includes lack of parental consent in certain cases, insanity, fraud, force, intimidation or undue
influence, impotence and STD. Most of the grounds are difficult to validate and the court process cost a
lot of money and time. However, in the divorce law, it does not require a lot of money, there is lesser
time for the process and marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never
taken place, which allows couples to re-marry. It also adds some protection such as child support, child

custody and alimony.

In conclusion, I think it is just right to allow divorce in the Philippines. There is no reason to
disallow it. Every person has the right to live and enjoy their own lives in the best way they know. Legal
separation and annulment most of the time are not enough to save a couple from having a miserable
marriage. Moreover, their court process cost a lot of money and time than divorce. Maybe, it is time now
for the Philippines to realize and accept the reality of marriage couples. That not all couples ended up
having a happy relationship and sometime divorce is the best way to let them change their life and create
a new and a happy one.