Manila takes note of rise in divorce cases

Manila: The Philippine government's top lawyer has expressed alarm over the rising number of marriage annulment cases pending in local courts.

Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera said the number of annulment cases in the country had gone up by 58 per cent in just a span of seven years.

"This is already disturbing," Devanadera said as she pointed out that annulment cases in 2007 stood at 7,753 as against 4,520 in 2001.

September accounted for the highest number of annulment cases in 2007 with 827 cases, followed by March and July with 811 and 808 cases respectively.

Figures provided by the Office of the Solicitor General showed that Metro Manila alone had witnessed 2,548 cases during the period from January to September.

Changing norms

"It's because society tolerates (separation), it's now acceptable for couples to be separated. Most say they are psychologically incapacitated but, after annulment, they get married again. We should be able to discern responsibilities as entrusted under marriage contracts. These duties are permanent in nature," the solicitor general said.

"In the end, the losers are the children," she said.

A majority of Filipinos are Christians and annulment of marriages had been frowned upon until a decade ago, with even courts disallowing them.

Under Philippine law, a marriage can be annulled in the absence of parental consent for marriage between parties aged between 18 and 21, insanity of one of the parties, the use of fraud, force, intimidation or undue influence to compel the marriage, impotency, and serious sexually transmissible diseases.