new marrage requirements

14 hrs
CEBU, Philippines - Male foreigners who have the intention to marry Filipinas will now have to comply with additional requirements after the House of Representatives approved on final reading House Bill 2387, which aims to protect Filipino women against exploitation.

The bill, which was proposed by former Cebu governor and current third district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia, amends the purpose of Article 21 of Executive Order No. 209, or the Family Code of the Philippines.

Garcia is optimistic that the objective of the bill, which was strongly endorsed by Representative Marlyn Primicias-Agabas, chairperson of the sponsor-House Committee on Revision of Laws, would also earn the support of the Upper House.

“The main objective of HB 2387 is to protect Filipino women against exploitation by foreigners who marry them without evident means to support a family,” Garcia explained.

Garcia pointed out the “public knowledge that some of the foreigners coming to the Philippines in order to marry Filipino women are vagabonds or social and moral derelicts in their own country and whose real motive for marriage is only to take advantage and exploit our women by making them work and worse, by sending them to prostitution and other degrading and dehumani-zing occupations.”

“The exploitation of our women, thru the so-called mail-order or pen-pal, Facebook, website and other internet-arranged marriages, have caused not only untold miseries and sufferings for the victims but also brought dishonor and disgrace to Filipino womanhood,” Garcia emphasized.

Freeman ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:

According to HB 2387, foreign male citizens who intend to marry a Filipina are obliged to provide certificates stating his good moral character and that he has a gainful trade, business, employment or other lawful source of income.

In line with this, the measure seeks to amend the current Section 21 of the Family Code of the Philippines by adding the following: “...when the male contracting party is a foreigner, in addition to the certificate of legal capacity, a certificate of good moral character and a certificate of gainful trade, business, employment or other lawful source of income issued by his diplomatic or consular official, must be submitted before a marriage license can be obtained.”

At present, Sec. 21 only provides that: “When either or both of the contracting parties are citizens of a foreign country, it shall be necessary for them before a marriage license can be obtained, to submit a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage, issued by their respective diplomatic or consular officials.”

Likewise, “stateless persons or refugees from other countries shall, in lieu of the certificate herein required, submit an affidavit stating the circumstances showing such capacity to contract marriage.”

The Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Commission on Women, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and Philippine Statistics Authority, shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of the proposed Act within 90 days from enactment. — AJ de la Torre-Orong/NSA (FREEMAN)

 

Why limit it to foreigners? Isn't a Filipina as bad of with a tuba drinking husband from the Philippines?

"motive for marriage is only to take advantage and exploit our women by making them work"
Yeah, because a Filipina princess is to precious to work
Gwen needs a reality check and see that in other countries in fact women do work.

 

We have to show that we can support a family, but it does not say how big the family can be, how many brothers n sisters we have to put through school ect . It may happen but i don't know of any expat that sends his wife to work to support him any way what she got in wages would not keep most in booze n smokes.One thing i do agree on some expats should not be here maybe the need to wake up and start screening them at the airport turn them back or better still or mark their passport so it reads no further extension after the 21 days has expired

 

WOW! I didn't know whether to laugh at this, applaud this, or simply shake my head.

If a man wants a wife - a loving life companion - that's one thing. If a man wants a woman to marry simply to be his personal cook and housekeeper - and to make sure he can "get a little" - well, isn't it cheaper in the end to pay for those "services"?

And if this new rule is applied to only foreigner men, why not apply this to all men? I know many women who had to work because their husband spent HIS work money on booze, drugs, gambling, etc. Good moral character? Holy Smokes! The kids really got the short end of the stick....

Perhaps my being a Western woman, my marital experience was a wonderful one, and I can't imagine my marrying for money or a meal ticket in exchange for my being obligated for these "services" of cook, cleaning woman, child bearer/breeder or "comfort lady". Surely foreign men who come to the Philippines to marry a local woman want more than just that little bit??? That law makes it sound like foreign guys only want to marry to enslave a local woman to them "till death do they part".

This whole law thing is hard to wrap my head around.

What's the real deal (reality) here fellas? Is this a problem so out of control in the Philippines that the gov't has to regulate the foreign male/Philippine woman marriage thing?

Are the Philippine males thinking they can't get a good woman because the foreign men take all the "good" ones?

What is this law really trying or wanting to fix???

V/R,
nwlivewire

 

My comment may be a bit controversial but here goes. Why don't you outlaw reproducing unless both parents have a "certificate of gainful trade, business, employment or other lawful source of income"?

This may well require the Philippines to expand its economy and create more, and better paying, jobs. The methods which they would need to utilize to do this may include either amending their constitution and allowing foreign ownership of property and / or businesses. The immediate effects of this would be wide spread and hard to predict for any except the luckiest of economists'.

 

Your comments make waaaaaay too much sense. It seems to me the main reason for passing any law here is to add another layer of bureaucracy for anyone trying to get anything done. You can bet this also carries another "fee" that must be paid. Of course it will be a good political move because a nameless foreigner is being prevented from harming this poor person that requires the care and oversight of a loving and caring nanny state.

 

well said!