(PNA photo | Jess Escaros Jr.)
(excerpted from GMA News) The proposal of the women’s party list group 1-Ako Babaeng Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA) to place expiration dates on marriage contracts raised a ruckus. The controversial proposition was brought to light at the Daungan ng Balita news forum held at the Danarra Hotel in Quezon City last Thursday, January 7, 2009.
1-ABAA, which represents separated and abandoned women, proposed the enactment of a law that would mandate a 10-year limit on the validity of a marriage contract. Its purpose is “to spare incompatible couples the expense of lengthy legal proceedings before their marriages are annulled.”
After all, the marriage license, which the couple obtains before they can get married, has a “built-in” expiration date. Article 20 of the Family Code of the Philippines stipulates that a marriage license is only valid “for a period of one hundred twenty days from the date of issue” and is deemed automatically canceled if the contracting parties have not made use of it by the end of the mandated period.
As 1-ABAA president Margie Tajon put it, “[A marriage contract] should be just like a passport or driver’s license. If we are not interested to renew it, then it expires.” This, of course, seems like a pragmatic solution to toxic unions. These days, as Tajon pointed out, “Those who can’t afford an annulment just suffer forever.”
Bottom line: 1-ABAA wants to amend the Family Code so that marriage will no longer be treated as a special contract. To date, the marriage contract, is defined by the Family Code as “a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.”
When it comes to the legal definition of marriage in the Philippines, you have to pay attention to two crucial words: “special” and “permanent.” It is “special” because, unlike in other types of contracts, the parties involved cannot stipulate on whatever pleases them. The word, “permanent,” is self-explanatory. As such, a Pinoy marriage is pretty much built to last—at least in legal terms.
It goes without saying that the Catholic Church would be at the forefront of parties opposing the 1-ABAA proposal. “Bago naming napag-isipan yan, alam na naming na Church ang number one [na mag-po-protesta],” stated Tajon.
Though the Philippine Constitution mandates the separation of Church and State, the Church’s pronouncements still hold sway over many Filipinos. The 1-ABAA proposal, by the way, would not affect Muslim marriages, since they’re already allowed to divorce and governed by the stipulations of the Islamic religion. [READ MORE…]
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related articles:
- License to Love (The Marocharim Experiment | opinion)
- Women’s group wants expiry date on marriage (Phil. Star)
- Partylist 1-ABAA favors annulment of marriage over divorce system (Balita.ph)
January 10th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Sinasabi ng batas na inviolable daw ang marriage, pero ang batas mismo ang nagbibigay ng paraan kung paano ito ma-di-dissolve (annulment sa church at sa court and declaration of death and also declaration of nullity of marriage) so hindi na talaga siya inviolable kahit pa noong unang panahon…ka-plastikan na lang kung igigiit mo pa that it is an inviolable social institution sa ngayon…at hindi ba kinopya lang ng family code ang church annulment of marriage? Mas mura pa nga mag pa annul sa church ngayon kesa sa korte…
January 11th, 2010 at 4:23 am
seriously? divorce is ok na rin but expiration of marriage contract? seriously?
January 11th, 2010 at 7:53 am
ngak… expiration of marriage contract?!?!? ang labo naman nun… paparenew ka ng marriage every 10 years!!! pero at least wedding preps ulit.. hehehe…
January 11th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
yup, this is so malabo. I don’t think this is possible. divorce nga mahirap na i-grant yun pa kaya.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
y not? let’s get real…
mhba na nga ung 10 yrs eh, ok na ung five yrs.
dont hav prob naman with my marriage life so far, but for those na me mga prob why prolong the agony db? get real.
January 12th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
this is so impossible,,,come on guys how come you support this thing,, mas marami pang dapat pag tuunan ng pansin ang goverment ntin,
January 13th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
[…] Women’s Party-list group pushes 10-year validity on Marriage Contract […]
January 15th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
grabeh naman to, ganito na ba talaga kabulok mag-isip ang pilipino. This is “bull shit” sorry for the term pero anong tawag mo dito? Expiration of marriage this is ridiculous.
January 16th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
this isn’t fair. so after 10 yrs and u weren’t able to renew their license, and someone will ask u, are u married?u’ll say, nope.coz i wasn’t able to renew our license, and i’m free again!..thats really a st*pid thing to think! kya nga their getting married e kc they want to spend their life together,forever.if u know it won’t work anyway,why get married?! well, bulok nga ang pinoy if the government will approved this thing..
January 19th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Makakabuti nga siguro ito para sa mga babaing kasado at hindi masaya, pero paano naman yung ma happily married na mga mag-asawa.Aabusuhin lang yan ng mga kasadong lalaki na babero at isa pa ang mga anak ang kawawa kung maipapatupad yan at maabuso lang ng ibang mag-asawa.
January 20th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
While I take it na not all marriages work out, giving the marriage license an expiry only promotes couples to not work out their differences. para saan pa, eh in 10-years malaya na naman sila? besides, there is a reason why the marriage is permanent. when we get married, we have kids, and the premanency is for the protection of the kids. pano pag nag-expire na ang contract, ano na ang mga bata? illegitimate? paano ang separation of assets? ano din ang mechanism nitong expiration ng marriage, do we have to attend seminars pa just to renew our contracts? it has a lot of implications and i don’t think it’s practical for most people, since majority naman ng society natin stays within the marriage and does not file for annulment. baka magamit pa ito ng mga social-climbing people who would use the marriage para umasenso ang buhay. sana pag-isipang mabuti ng nag-propose and di ito ginawa just to create noise because their running for partylist.
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:31 pm
well this proposition just want to address the PRESENT situation that most of the Filipino couples are facing nowadays. Based on my perception, this is for the better and a solution that treat both sexes equality regarding marriage. For annulment can be acquired by those who are capable to “pay” the process. How about the poor who want to put an end in their not working relationship, can they go with the same process?
this proposition will motivate couples to value their existing relationship. In fact, they have the FREE WILL to either renew their marriage contracts or just junk the paper after 10 years.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
[…] partylist group in the Philippines wants to introduce a law that would put a ten-year expiration date on marriage contracts. The unique proposal is the group’s answer to lengthy and expensive […]
January 26th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
[…] Nemo is supportive of the proposal well this proposition just want to address the PRESENT situation that most of the […]
February 4th, 2010 at 2:02 am
pagkakaperahan lang yan ng gobyerno
February 21st, 2010 at 1:02 pm
maganda ang hangarin ng 1-AABA pero hindi ang renewable marriage bill ang akmang solusyon sa kasalukuyang sakit ng ating lipunan. Sa ilalim ng batas na ito, ang kasal ay parang sanggol na kapapanganak pa lamang ay may taning na: ang kanyang pagiging anak ay hanggang sampung taon lamang depende kung ikakatuwa ng mga magulang niya o hindi…
February 25th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
We have been voting party list representatives to Congress but I am not quiet sure if they have accomplished something or they are again a waste of Filipino resources. To date, I have not read any country side development sponsored by such representatives. I often see them on TV at the rallies and pickets with their Partylist names prominently displayed. Di ba waste of tax payers money and fund allocated for them? What are there projects? Are they also given the pork barrel? What happened to their pork barrels? Ondoy & Pepeng wrought havoc to Luzon, what help have they extended to the marginalized people who were affected by the catastrophe?
March 20th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
ewan ako kasi, nakikipag live in lang ng tatlong beses na walkang kasal, eh pan\u ba naman ayaw na akong pakasalan ano magagawa ko he he he he
March 20th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
okey din naman yung me expiration yung kasal, kahit nga ba sa simbahan ikinasal eh , eh panu nga kung di nman ssuccessful yung pagsasama, it s a matter of freedom to choose for a better one di ba?
June 20th, 2010 at 1:05 am
okay din yan naisip nila..sna mapatupad na yan nkkawa din nman yung mga tao nagdudusa cguro yung iba nag rereact d2 kc succesfull marriage nila.pnu nman yung nagdudusa? panu yun hindi n msya s pagssma nila? diba mas mganda kung bibigyan laya yung gusto nang makaalpas sa impyernong buhay nila? katulad ko..na wlang pera pra ma annul marriage ko..ayoko ng makisma s aswa kong wlang ginwa kundi mag drugs mag inom ni hindi kyang buhayin pamilya nya..pero meron pang bisyo..makaya nyo pba mkisma s gnun tao? oo nagkmli ako..dpat nag isip muna ako pero maiisip mo pb yan? kung ikaw eh ndala s mtmis nya pangako? magtitiis n lng ba ako mkisma s kanya?
July 15th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
oo nga paano na yong taong hindi masaya sa marriage nila nag suffer nalang ba? tapos walang pera para mag file ng annualment? at useless din naman na kasal nga tapos hindi naman mag ksama kasi hindi mag kasundo. agree ako sa ten years expiration na yan.. sa mga happy marriage. swerte ayo kasi compatible kayo.paano nalang ang hindi happy??
August 16th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
The proposal is a big shame! shame!