Some people spend their lives looking for someone to be with; there are some who have found

their
person, and then there are some who have thought they've found their person. Now in the Philippines,
marriage is something thats regarded as a milestone, a life-defining moment, especially for young women.
The problem here is that, it isnt always a happily ever after for everyone- what you thought would be an
everlasting matrimonial bliss, soon became into a walking nightmare without an end or escape, as the
nations legal system traps you in it for years with your 'partner'. In our country, where roughly 80 percent
of the population is Roman Catholic, is one of only two countries left in the world where divorce remains
illegal. The only other country where divorce remains illegal is Vatican City. Currently, the only legal
recourse available to Filipinos who want to exit a failed marriage is through an annulment or a petition
for legal separation. These two options have different grounds and end results. In legal separation, the
spouses are allowed to live separately but still remain married to each other. Legal separation may be
granted when there is marital betrayal, homosexuality, repeated physical violence, attempt on the life of
the other spouse, and abandonment without reasonable cause for more than one year. An annulment of
marriage is the legal decree that declares a marriage as null and void. The court grants annulment to a
couple when it finds that the marriage is invalid from the very beginning. Annulments may be granted
when either of the couples can prove that the marriage was invalid from the start according to a certain
set of grounds such as impotence, homosexuality, mistaken identity, or psychological incapacity. Most of
the grounds are difficult to validate and require a lot of money to prove before the court. The whole
process can cost at least P250,000 or more and take anywhere from one to 10 years given the congestion
in Philippine court. It is tedious, expensive, and an ordeal for children who must go through the process
as well. Which is why GABRIELA, Women’s Party has been pushing 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. Divorce is beneficial
to battered wives because in the Philippines, infidelity and physical abuse are not grounds for annulment,
under Article 36, unless it can be proved that these are manifestations of psychological inability that
preceded the marriage. Its grounds for legal separation, but again, youre basically still married and tied to
each other in the end. The divorce law will provide a solution that Article 36 cannot support. “A divorce
law will provide a straightforward remedy to a marital failure for it does not concern itself with validity or
invalidity of a marriage and it terminates a marriage based on a ground that occurred during the
marriage." Now as a secular state, I believe that the church shouldn't interfere with this. No religious
group should dictate any law or policy for the whole country. And while I do understand the church’s
stand on It, and its doctrinal basis for why it shouldn’t be established- we still have to understand the
reality of things, and that actual life is another thing. Divorce shouldn’t be treated as some willful
destruction of values, it’s actually helping the disadvantaged save themselves from one bad choice. I
mean, Spain, Poland, and Mexico are predominantly Catholic countries yet they permit divorce. And yes,
maybe the Church there opposes the whole idea of divorce, but those states have recognized the right of
couples to choose the life they want. The law should only give people a choice, to be exercised according
to their own personal beliefs. (Wallace, 2013). Besides, there are also grounds to be considered when
filing a divorce. A husband or wife cannot file a divorce unless he or she has a valid reason anyway. The
divorce law should be legalized in the philippines, aside from it being cheaper than annulment, it covers
issues that an annulment and legal separation do not. Child support, division of assets, spousal support or
alimony. In this day and age, I believe that ultimately, the Lack of a divorce framework leads to an unhappy
fabric of society.