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Saturday, June 07, 2008
US man wed to ‘male bride’ seeks annulment
CEBU CITY -- An American citizen has filed for the annulment of his marriage with his Filipino partner after finding out on their wedding night that his bride, in fact, was a man.
The couple (names withheld) met on a dating website in April 2006. The two often spent hours talking on the phone and e-mailing each other. They also saw each other through a web camera.
Two months later, the American flew to the Philippines and tied the knot with the Filipino. The marriage ceremonies were conducted on June 27, 2006 before the Cebu City Municipal Trial Court.
It was every online dater's dream come true-until the wedding night.
That was when the Filipino confessed that he was a man.
He allegedly tried to explain himself to the American, saying he "feels like a woman inside" and that all his friends and relatives treated him as such.
In his court petition, the American said that he met the news with "shock and horror."
He then filed for the nullification of their marriage, quoting Article 2 of the Family Code, which says that no marriage shall be valid unless all the essential requisites are met. One of the requisites is the "legal capacity of contracting parties who must be a male and a female."
The Family Code renders the marriage void if one of the requisites is missing.
Marriages "contracted through mistake of one contracting party as to the identity of the other" are also considered void from the very beginning under Article 35 of the Family Code.
The American said he could not be married to a man and left the Philippines immediately. (KAB of Sun.Star Cebu) |
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