Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Nalzaro: Annulment cases By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
THE Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has expressed alarm over the rising number of annulment cases in the country. The OSG represents the State in annulment of marriages and deputizes prosecutor's offices throughout the country for the purpose.
Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera said that an average of eight annulment cases reach her office every week. Before, she only received two cases a week. A total of 7,753 annulment cases were filed in 2007 compared with 7,138 in 2006. Before 2006, the number of annulment cases never reached the 7,000 mark, according to the OSG.
Annulment is the process by which a court rules that a marriage never legally existed. Annulment and legal separation are the only options for couples if they decide to cut their marital relation. In legal separation, one cannot re-marry. While grounds for annulment are different, it has the same effect as divorce, wherein both parties can re-marry.
Divorce or dissolution of marriage ends a marriage before the death of either spouse. Divorce usually involves dividing marital property and debts, spousal support or alimony, setting up child custody and visitation (parenting time) schedules and awarding child and support. Divorce happens when either the husband or wife proves the requirement or grounds to end the marriage.
There have been several attempts by Congress to pass a divorce law, but these fizzled out because of the strong lobby against it by the influential Roman Catholic Church. The Church strongly opposes divorce, as it will destroy the basic foundation of the family.
The rising number of annulment cases only shows that many couples are already discontented with their marriage for various reasons. The State, the Court and the Church should not deprive these couples of their liberty to love and to be loved by someone whom they think can give them the happiness they are looking and longing for. They should be freed from the bondage of failed marriage.
There is no perfect formula for love and relation, as each one of us is born with different character and behavior. To have a lasting relation, the couple should work on it every second and minute of the day.
But if the relation fails because of irreconcilable differences, why don't we give both parties their freedom? It is very difficult for a couple to stay together when they are no longer in good terms with each other.
