Divorce

Introduction
In the Philippines, marriage is considered sacred and highly valued by the

Filipinos. As a result, divorce has been a controversial issue in the country – the views
of the Filipinos varies. In fact, Philippines and the Vatican City are the only place in the
world without divorce. The only legal process similar to divorce are separation and
annulment – these two invalidates the marriage. In order to be considered void from the
beginning, a marriage must fall under one of the following criteria: “absence of the
essential requisites of marriage – consent and legal capacity of the parties, bigamous
marriages, incestuous marriages, or psychological incapacity,” according to Calleja Law
(n.d.).
Those two legal processes are often regarded as complicated and expensive.
Because of that, some Filipinos have been pushing the legalization of divorce in the
country. “Reportedly, bills on divorce were filed in previous legislative sessions but have
not been passed into law. Then recently, House Bills 100, 838 and 2263, the bills
instituting divorce, were approved by the Committee on Population and Family
Relations of the House of Representative.” (<https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-
monitor/2021-09-06/philippines-house-of-representatives-bill-on-divorce-approved-in-
committee-referred-to-house-plenary-for-debate/>2021) Nonetheless, I’m adamant in
my opinion that divorce should remain illegal in our country.
Summarize the counterclaims/Provide supporting information for counterclaims
Divorce, according to dictionary, is a formal ending of a marriage. It means that
the two people united by marriage and has become a couple is now separated and back
to being strangers to each other. The people who support divorce argue that it is the
best choice they have. “Many consider their relationship too broken to be repaired, and
that happens. Not every relationship can be fixed, making divorce a necessary step in
the process of healing and moving on to a healthier future.”
(<https://mensdivorce.com/necessity-divorce/>)
Refute the counterclaims/Give evidence for argument
However, is divorce really the only way? Is it really the last resort? Will it really
lead the family into a better future? Divorce has short term and long term effects to the
entire family. There are many instances which shows that divorce does not lead to a
better life. Both the parents and children suffered from it. “Women and children are hit
hardest following the breakdown of a relationship, with research showing that one in five
mothers’ falls into poverty following a split.”
(<https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/28/women-children-family-
breakdown-divorce-living-standards>Sept.2014)
Arguments
Divorce is a complex process. It is not a one-time event, it takes time. The
divorce couple including their children experiences many changes in their lives. Most of
these changes affect the kids negatively. Children of divorced parents often have poor
performance in academics, diminished social skills, difficulty in coping up with the
changes, becoming more emotional and sensitive, becoming aggressive and shows
improper behavior and having health problems. These negative effects can be seen
right after the divorce or in some rare cases, years after the divorce.
“When parents’ divorce, children are also more likely to suffer emotionally.
Children of divorce are more likely to experience negative feelings, lower self-esteem,
behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. Boys are more likely
than girls to experience emotional disturbances.”
(<https://www.unhappymarriage.info/social-effects-divorce/>)
“Divorce also tends to have social effects, for both children and adults. Children
suffer the most, as they are treated as pawns. They are forced to go back and forth from
one house to another. They often feel isolated. Many harbor feelings of guilt for thinking
they caused their parents to split up. Many deal with their parents’ fighting and often feel
as though they must choose one parent over the other. There are trust issues involved
and many children feel incapable of having loving relationships.”
(<https://www.unhappymarriage.info/social-effects-divorce/>)
Children are not the only one affected by the divorce. The couple who decided to
divorce suffered as well. The life they have been living for years suddenly will change.
The support they once have, will be gone. From waking up to sleeping, they are
together. Then, that routine will disappear after the divorce. After divorce, they will face
life challenges alone. That situation is physically and emotionally difficult. Thus, making
them suffer, too.
“A study recently published in the Journal of Men’s Health (JMH) confirms that
divorced people, both men and women, suffer higher rates of mortality, depression,
illness in general and substance abuse than do married people. Although the JMH
report focuses on men, other studies confirm that both parties suffer from detrimental
health issues more often than those who maintain a happy marriage. A study out of the
University of Texas at Austin looked into why women experience higher chances of
heart attack than men. They concluded that stress leads to higher levels of inflammation
in women. Women also tend to experience that stress longer than men because after
the divorce they tend to take more time before remarrying as well as suffer harder
financial hits. Effects other than heart attacks are pretty much the same as men.
Dramatic weight gains or loss, weakened immune systems, digestion issues and
metabolic problems.” (<https://rightlawyers.com/divorce-may-affect-health/Sept.2021>)
Conclusion
Therefore, I am not in favor in legalizing the divorce here in our country. There
are too many factors to consider and too many negative effects of it. Those effects are
difficult to address and still don’t have concrete solution.
In cases where couple is having trouble, the best way to deal it is by talking.
They should know what is wrong in order to create a solution to the problem.
Communication is the best solution in any misunderstanding. If the couple cannot
resolve it by themselves, then seek help from people closest to them or to professionals
who can give them counseling about their marriage.

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Introduction

In the Philippines, marriage is considered sacred and highly valued by the

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