Divorce in the Philippines

(Argumentative Essay)
APRIL 21, 2015 ~ CHARMLACSON

Divorce in the Philippines has been an issue for several years. in fact, the
Philippines is the only country in the world besides the Vatican that does not
allow divorce, mostly due to religion (de Leon, 2014). Little do people know that
GABRIELA Women’s Party has already proposed House Bill No. 1799 or the
Divorce Bill. If signed, this bill would allow individuals to be free of their
unhappy and most of the time abusive marriages and also gives guidelines for
settling financial concerns as well as the custody of the children, if any. But even
though people should have the right to leave a bad marriage, divorce should not
be legalized in the Philippines.

First and foremost, what exactly is divorce and why do couples do it? Oxford
Dictionaries (2015) defines divorce as “the legal dissolution of marriage by a
court or other competent body”. In this, many factors can be blamed like a lack of
commitment and equality in the relationship, infidelity, marrying too young, and
abuse (Utah State University, 2015). But what it all really boils down to is an
unhappy marriage and that is what divorce should be able to fix, if ever it would
be allowed. If a person is stuck in a sad, or worse, abusive marriage, then he/she
should have the right to escape it. Based on the National Demographic and Health
Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office, one out of five women aged
15-49 has experienced physical violence and 14.4 percent of married women
have experienced physical abuse from their husbands. Statistics have also shown
that wife battery ranked highest among cases of violence against women at 72
percent in 2009, affecting more than 6,000 women (Umil, 2011).

On the other hand, a sad marriage is just as bad as an abusive one. According to
the Philippine’s Solicitor General’s office, there were 9,117 petitions for
annulment filed in 2010, 61 percent of which were filed by women. The pros of
divorce definitely have good points, but the Philippine society, with its
traditional mindset, is not quite ready for it.

Bibliography

De Leon, S. (2014, October 6). The fight to make divorce legal in the Philippines
– CNN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2015,
from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/06/world/asia/philippines-legal-
divorce-battle/
Umil, A. (2011, June 14). Divorce bill, providing a remedy for women in abusive
marriages « Bulatlat. Retrieved April 13, 2015,
from http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/06/14/divorce-bill-providing-a-remedy-
for-women-in-abusive-marriages/
Definition of divorce in English:. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015,
from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/divor
ce
1 OUT OF 5 WOMEN IS ABUSED – DSWD | Department of Social Welfare and
Development. (2012, November 26). Retrieved April 15, 2015,
from http://www.dswd.gov.ph/2012/11/1-out-of-5-women-is-abused-dswd/
The Seven Catholic Sacraments | Seasonal Feature | American Catholic. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 15, 2015,
from http://www.americancatholic.org/features/special/default.aspx?id=29
Filipino bishops restate Church stance against divorce. (2015, March 31).
Retrieved April 15, 2015,
from http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/31/bishops-of-
philippines-restate-church-stance-against-divorce/