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Henrick Dissolution of Marriage
Henrick Dissolution of Marriage
UC MODEL SENATE
May 2021
Introduction
Main arguments
A divorce, which is much more common, is sought when the parties acknowledge
that the marriage existed. An annulment is sought when one or both of the spouses
believe that there was something legally invalid about the marriage in the first
place. The biggest difference between a divorce and an annulment is that a divorce
ends a legally valid marriage, while an annulment formally declares a marriage to
have been legally invalid (Stritof, 2020). Annulment is the only solution to divorce
within the Philippines. An annulment of marriage declares that the marital union
1
between a husband and wife is no longer valid. According to Article 45 of the Family
Code of the Philippines, there are 6 legal grounds for the annulment of a marriage:
Lack of parental consent (if either party is at least 18 but below 21 years old);
Psychological incapacity;
Fraud;
Consent for marriage obtained by force, intimidation, or undue influence;
Impotence / physical incapability of consummating the marriage; or
Serious sexually transmitted disease.
Wherein an annulment will take between 2 – 5 years, and can be an expensive
process. While in a divorce you are not required to offer proof of fault when you file
under “irreconcilable differences,” or no-fault. A divorce decision can be given
without the appearance of either party in court, while both individuals must be
present in court to finalize an annulment (Woman’s Divorce Editorial Team).
The challenge of divorce is religious, The Philippines is the only country in the world
outside the Vatican City where getting a divorce is not allowed. In the predominantly
Catholic country, the power of the religious lobby and the conservative nature of
many politicians means any change to the laws would face fierce opposition (Board,
2018). That a bill to legalize divorce, proposed in 2010, received little support from
the country’s Catholic, bachelor president, who told reporters that he did not want to
turn the Philippines into Las Vegas, where “the stereotype is you get married in the
morning and you get divorced in the afternoon.” In the meantime, Philippine public
opinion has moved steadily in favor of legalizing divorce, from 50 percent in March
2011 to 60 percent in December 2014, according to a survey by the Philippine
research institution Social Weather Stations. When legislators were asked if the
results of the survey would sway their opinion on divorce, one senator explained: “I
cannot favor a divorce law. My wife might use that against me” (Santos, 2015).
Conclusion
Recommendations
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I recommend the passing of this bill.
References
Santos, A.P. (2015, June 25). Ending a Marriage in the Only Country That Bans
Divorce
<https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/06/divorce-philippines-
annulment/396449/>
Article 45 of the Family Code of the Philippines. Executive Order No. 209, s. 1987.
<https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1987/07/06/executive-order-no-209-s-1987/>
Board, J (2018, 26 May). Abuse victims, church and politicians tangled in battle to
allow divorce in Philippines. <https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/abuse-victims-
church-and-politicians-tangled-battle-allow-divorce-philippines-825081>