According to Ilona Barrero, The Philippines is the only country in the world, aside from

the theocratic republic of the Vatican, where divorce is prohibited for all people, with the
exception of Muslims. This uncommon regulation in the country can be ascribed to a number of
historical events, most notably Spanish colonization. Divorce was outlawed, legal separation
was only loosely permitted, and most crucially, marriage was established as an unbreakable
institution in the Filipino community during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. And in
keeping with Sofia Tomacruz one of rappler’s writer, according to the SWS study, which was
carried out between March 25 and 28, 2017, and December 8 to 16, 2017, 53% of Filipinos
supported the legalization of divorce. According to the survey, 53% of Filipinos -- or 30% --
"strongly agreed" and 23% "somewhat agreed" with the idea of legalizing divorce for
irreconcilably separated couples. Additionally, according to the poll findings, 32% of Filipinos
oppose making divorce legal. In agreement with Social Weather Station (2015), While the
majority of Filipinos still have traditional attitudes on marriage and divorce, an increasing
percentage of the population is becoming more open to the concept. According to statistics, the
percentage of Filipinos who believed that "Married couples who have already separated and
cannot reconcile anymore should be allowed to divorce so that they can legally marry again"
increased over the course of the last ten years, rising from 43% in 2005 to 60% in 2014. Being
divorced or separated is becoming less stigmatized, especially among women who were and
still are expected to do everything in their power to keep their marriages together. This
increased acceptance of divorce may have had a part to play in this. In fact conforming to
MANILA, Philippines, a mother of three, Stella Sibonga, is frantic to leave a union she never
desired. However, it takes years for a judge to annul a marriage in the nation with a Catholic
majority. "I don't understand why it has to be this difficult," said Sibonga, who has been
attempting to leave the marriage that her parents forced her into after she fell pregnant for 11
years. Sibonga's legal struggle started in 2012 when she requested a divorce on the grounds of
her husband's purported "psychological incapacity," one of the reasons for dissolving a
marriage. "Why are we, the ones who experienced suffering, abandonment and abuse, being
punished by the law?" said Sibonga, 45, who lives near Manila. "All we want is to be free." The
legalization of divorce "for irreconcilably separated couples" was supported by 43% of Filipinos
in 2005, while it was opposed by 45%.53 percent of respondents to the same survey from 2017
agreed, while only 32 percent disagreed.
REFERENCE:

Tomacruz, S. (2018, March 10). 53% of Filipinos agree to legalize divorce – SWS. RAPPLER.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/197837-filipinos-agree-legalize-divorce-sws-survey/

Abalos, J. B. (2021). The rise of divorce, separation, and cohabitation in the Philippines. N-

IUSSP. https://www.niussp.org/family-and-households/the-rise-of-divorce-separation-

and-cohabitation-in-the-philippines/

Abalos, J. B. (2021). The rise of divorce, separation, and cohabitation in the Philippines. N-

IUSSP. https://www.niussp.org/family-and-households/the-rise-of-divorce-separation-

and-cohabitation-in-the-philippines/