Divorce in the Philippines: related

literature and studies

de Castro, Leo Angelo; Gesmundo, Jerome; Parian, Lemmor; Poquiz, Aaron Dale;
Quiñones, Dane Mica; Simbulan, John Milton

Annulment and petition for legal separation are the only current options in the
Philippines for those who want to exit a failed union; however these two options have
different grounds and end results.

Under Article 85 of the Family Code of the Philippines (1987), a marriage may be
annulled, under any of the following grounds: (a) if the marriage was solemnized with
lack of parental consent, (b) the former spouse that was thought to be dead was in fact
living and was coerced in a marriage, (c) fraud, (d) marriage by force or intimidation,

The Philippines and the Vatican City State are the only two states that does not
allow divorce. Annulments, however, are a possibility. The Catholic Church takes a
strong stance against divorce. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (the Church’s
compendium of official teachings) defines divorce to be “a grave offense against the
natural law.” Divorce is immoral, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
because it introduces a grave disorder into the family and into society. This disorder
brings grave harm to the deserted spouse, to children traumatized by the separation of
their parents and often torn between them, and because of its contagious effect which
makes it truly a plague on society.” The Philippines, being a largely Catholic population
continues to view divorce to be a taboo issue.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned the

Philippine legislators against the adverse effects of divorce, such as becoming an "easy
option," which may result in marriages and families breaking up more easily.

Divorce is the official separation of two spouses by means of legal process. It is

the dissolving of privileges, obligation, and commitment between two married couple.
Divorce may cause someone’s stress and could affect his or her lifestyles, finances,
profession and more. And if there are children included in the family, then they are the
ones who will be extremely affected. The process of divorce involves some issues like
alimony (wife’s or children’s support), partition of properties, and child custody. Divorce
affects a child’s academics and personality. Based on some researcher’s studies, those
children from a divorce, family behaved immorally than those who are not. But
nevertheless, divorce can also have a positive effect on a family caused by the fewer
quarrels in the home. There are some cases where the relationship between parents
and child could crack because of divorce. For example, when a child’s parents goes
through divorce, financial support may become unstable. The parent who didn’t won the
custody of his or her child still needs to support his or her child financially. If that parent
failed to do that, it can lead to a negative thought of his or her child. There are pros and
cons of divorce.

Some pros said that divorce gives a chance for someone to find a more suitable
partner and become happier. While cons said that divorce may cause a financial strain
to someone and can be the reason of his or her depression and anxiety. But whatever
happens, their children are the ones who are suffering the most because of their
parent’s decision in their marriage. They have to choose which side they are going to.
They will become emotionally stressed and may lead to a deeper psychological
problems. Specially if one or both of their parents starts a new family. That is the reason
why teens from a divorce family may commit crimes and became a juvenile delinquent.

Sources:http://top-10-list.org/2013/09/02/top-10-pros-and-cons-of-divorce/2
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/20/1798661/legalizing-divorce-philippines-
what-you-need-know