hi hawk
It’s not unusual for a western male to fall in love with a Filipina who is married. It’s hardly as scandalous as it sounds, though. The fact is that divorce has been impossible in the Philippines for almost fifty years. It literally does not exist. As a result, when a Filipino marriage begins to fall apart, the husband and wife have two options. They can either live together and suffer each other’s company or they can split up and move away from one another. Either way, they remain married.
This is a personal decision that should not be taken lightly. While divorce is not allowed in the Philippines, the fact that the law provides for annulment means that there are meritorious instances that would justify the annulment of marriage.
There are certain institutions where you could seek free legal assistance. Start with the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), although they may or may not accept your case, depending on their load (they’re usually overloaded with cases). The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and certain law schools, provide free legal aid. Remember, however, that your request may be denied because there are other important cases handled by these institutions.
Annulment is simply a voided marriage. In the eyes of the Philippine government and the Catholic Church, an annulled marriage is a marriage that never really happened. It’s as if someone stepped into a time machine and traveled back in time and prevented the marriage from ever occurring. This is different from divorce, where everyone agrees there was a marriage, but that the divorce “ends” the marriage. Divorce terminates something that really existed – a marriage. Annulment points out that there never really was a marriage, thus there’s no need for divorce, and nothing to prevent the individuals in the annulled marriage from marrying again. Well, not exactly “again”, since the first marriage never happened, right? You get the idea.
