‘We are not criminals’: Philippines considers making divorce legal

Michelle Bulang left her abusive husband six years ago.

But even after all she had been through, Bulang, who lives with her four children in the province of Rizal just outside Metro Manila, was unable to divorce him.

The Philippines is the only country, other than the Vatican, where a married couple cannot legally end their marriage, even in cases of infidelity or domestic abuse.

“Every man or woman who gets into a relationship, nobody plans [to get divorced],” Bulang said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. “We jump into relationships, we love this person, we decide to be with them.”

But without a costly and difficult annulment process, which she cannot afford, Bulang has no way to end the union. “I just want to feel happiness,” she said. “What do I do?”

Now, a new bill could change everything in the deeply Catholic country. The Absolute Divorce Bill passed the House of Representatives in May, and if it passes the Senate, divorce would become legal.

The bill has gained supporters in the upper body of Congress, and while its prospects remain uncertain, supporters are more optimistic than ever that it could pass.

“It has never gone this far,” said AJ Alfafara, executive convener of the Divorce PILIPINAS Coalition. “This time around, I feel like we might just have a chance.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr expressed openness to legalising divorce when he came to office in 2022 and that while some cases were necessary, the process should not be easy.

In the wider population, 50 percent of Filipino adults support the legalisation of divorce and 31 percent are opposed, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations research institution in March.Filipinos can file for legal separation, which allows spouses to live separately but does not legally end a marriage. They can also file for annulment, which is expensive and requires clear evidence that a marriage is invalid.