PHILIPPINES.- Along with the Vatican, the Philippines is the only country that hasn't legalized divorced, which is why many spouses of failed marriages remain married. And if they do decided to get an annulment, the process for this is really expensive and not everybody has the money to pay for it.

President of the Ecclesiastic organization, Socrates Villegas, mentioned: "Marriage is and should be a continuous effort. If we ease divorce it is less likely that a couple tries to work out their differences (...) because there is an easy way out."

In spite of the attempts of the Gabriel Party to legalize marriage during a project presented in 2010 upon Congress, the Bishop's Conference of the Philippines has ruled enough pressure in order to prevent this project to move forward.

However, the recent progress in the Philippines Chamber of Representatives where a bill that acknowledges divorce between a foreign citizen and a bestowed Filipino in another country without having to go through a legal process and allowing them to remarry, has caused much controversy.

"This is a devil's act (...) This type of laws go against God and are immoral" mentioned Lipa's archbishop, Ramon Arguelles.

Each time, the petitions for marriage annulments increase, according to data provided by Luzvuminda Ilagan, a representative for the Women's Party Gabriela, given that in 2001 they were 4,520, while in 2011 they exceeded 10,500.

Aside from being expensive, this process is also long, given that only people with good economy can pay for it; this process can take up 3 to 4 years, costing around 6,000 to 10,7000 dollars.

Source Terra

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