Kgg. na Atty. Acosta,

Halos limang taon na po akong walang komunikasyon sa aking asawa. Hindi ko po alam kung nasaan siya. Gusto ko po sanang mag-asawang muli ngunit kasal kami ng asawa ko at wala po akong kakayahang kumuha ng pribadong abogado upang mapawalang-bisa ito. Maaari po ba akong magpakasal muli?

Lubos na gumagalang,

Marjorie


Dear Marjorie,

Hindi sapat na dahilan na wala na kayong balita sa inyong asawa upang maipawalang-bisa ang inyong kasal. Kailangang may basehan ang pagsampa ng petisyon upang ito ay dinggin ng hukuman. Ang mga batayan para rito ay nakasaad sa Artikulo 35, 36, 37 at 38 ng Family Code of the Philippines, at ito ay ang mga sumusunod:

“Art. 35. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning:

(1) Those contracted by any party below eighteen years of age even with the consent of parents or guardians;

(2) Those solemnized by any person not legally authorized to perform marriages unless such marriages were contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith that the solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so;

(3) Those solemnized without license, except those covered the preceding Chapter;

(4) Those bigamous or polygamous marriages not failing under Article 41;

(5) Those contracted through mistake of one contracting party as to the identity of the other; and

(6) Those subsequent marriages that are void under Article 53.

“Art. 36. A marriage contracted by any party who, at the time of the celebration, was psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential marital obligations of marriage, shall likewise be void even if such incapacity becomes manifest only after its solemnization.

“Art. 37. Marriages between the following are incestuous and void from the beginning, whether relationship between the parties be legitimate or illegitimate:

(1) Between ascendants and descendants of any degree; and

(2) Between brothers and sisters, whether of the full or half blood.

“Art. 38. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning for reasons of public policy:

(1) Between collateral blood relatives whether legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree;

(2) Between step-parents and step-children;

(3) Between parents-in-law and children-in-law;

(4) Between the adopting parent and the adopted child;

(5) Between the surviving spouse of the adopting parent and the adopted child;

(6) Between the surviving spouse of the adopted child and the adopter;

(7) Between an adopted child and a legitimate child of the adopter;

(8) Between adopted children of the same adopter; and

(9) Between parties where one, with the intention to marry the other, killed that other person’s spouse, or his or her own spouse.” 

Sa kabilang banda, ang mga basehan para sa annulment of marriage alinsunod sa Article 45 ng Family Code of the Philippines ay ang mga sumusunod:

“(1) That the party in whose behalf it is sought to have the marriage annulled was eighteen years of age or over but below twenty-one, and the marriage was solemnized without the consent of the parents, guardian or person having substitute parental authority over the party, in that order, unless after attaining the age of twenty-one, such party freely cohabited with the other and both lived together as husband and wife;

(2) That either party was of unsound mind, unless such party after coming to reason, freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife;

(3) That the consent of either party was obtained by fraud, unless such party afterwards, with full knowledge of the facts constituting the fraud, freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife;

(4) That the consent of either party was obtained by force, intimidation or undue influence, unless the same having disappeared or ceased, such party thereafter freely cohabited with the other as husband and wife;

(5) That either party was physically incapable of consummating the marriage with the other, and such incapacity continues and appears to be incurable; or

(6) That either party was afflicted with a sexually-transmissible disease found to be serious and appears to be incurable.”

Sa puntong ito, nais naming bigyang-linaw ang tungkol sa probisyon ng Artikulo 41 ng ating Family Code. Ayon sa nasabing probisyon:

“Art. 41. A marriage contracted by any person during subsistence of a previous marriage shall be null and void, unless before the celebration of the subsequent marriage, the prior spouse had been absent for four consecutive years and the spouse present has a well-founded belief that the absent spouse was already dead. In case of disappearance where there is danger of death under the circumstances set forth in the provisions of Article 391 of the Civil Code, an absence of only two years shall be sufficient.

For the purpose of contracting the subsequent marriage under the preceding paragraph the spouse present must institute a summary proceeding as provided in this Code for the declaration of presumptive death of the absentee, without prejudice to the effect of reappearance of the absent spouse.”

Nasasaad sa nabanggit na batas na upang makapag-asawang muli ang isang tao, kinakailangan muna ninyong mapatunayan na ang una ninyong asawa, ay hindi na nakita pa sa loob ng apat (4) na taon at kayo, bilang naiwang asawa ay may matibay na paniniwala na ang nawawalang asawa ay patay na.

Bukod dito, kinakailangan ding maghain ng karampatang petition for declaration of presumptive death ang naiwang asawa bago siya makapagpakasal muli. Ang kawalan ng nasabing declaration of presumptive death ay maaaring maging dahilan upang mapawalang-bisa ang pangalawang kasal at makasuhan ng bigamy ang asawang nagpakasal muli. Ngunit ang apat (4) na taong itinatakda ng batas ay maaari pang mapaikli sa dalawang (2) taon kung ang pagkawala ng asawa ay naaayon sa sumusunod na kondisyon:

(1) A person on board a vessel lost during a sea voyage, or an aeroplane which is missing;

(2) A person in the armed forces who has taken part in war;

(3) A person who has been in danger of death under other circumstances (Article 391, Civil Code of the Philippines).

Malinaw sa nabanggit na batas na kung ang asawa ay nawala habang (a) sakay ng isang barkong lumubog o eroplanong pinangangambahang nag-crash; (b) nakikipaglaban sa giyera bilang isang sundalo; at (c) nasa panganib ng kamatayan, kailangang maghintay lamang ng dalawang (2) taon upang ihain ang petition for declaration of presumptive death.

Nais lamang naming linawin na hindi sapat na mapatunayan lamang ng taong nais magpakasal muli na nawawala ang kanyang unang asawa sa loob ng itinakdang panahon ng batas upang pagbigyan ng korte ang kanyang petition for declaration of presumptive death.  Maliban dito, kailangan din ninyong patunayan na may matibay kayong dahilan upang paniwalaang patay na nga ang inyong asawa.  Ito ay magagawa lamang sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatunay ng naiwang asawa na ginawa niya ang lahat ng paraan, sa abot ng kanyang makakaya, upang mahanap ang kanyang nawawalang kabiyak ngunit sa kabila nito ay hindi pa rin niya ito natagpuan.  Sa katunayan, sa kaso na Republic of the Philippines v. Court of Appeals and Allan B. Alegro (G.R. No. 159614, December 9, 2005), ibinasura ng Korte Suprema ang petition for declaration of presumptive death ni G. Alegro dahil sa hindi nito napatunayan na ginawa nito ang lahat ng kanyang makakaya upang mahanap ang nawawalang asawa.

Sapagkat ang dahilan ng paghahain ng petisyon ay para makapag-asawang muli, ito ay maaari lamang ihain ng naiwang asawa. Ang nasabing petisyon ay maaaring ihain sa Family Court kung saan nakatira ang petitioner o iyong naiwang asawa.  Sa paghahain ng nasabing petisyon, mangangailangan kayo ng serbisyo ng isang abogado. Sa kasamaang-palad, hindi namin maibibigay ang eksaktong halaga kung magkano ang maaari ninyong magastos sapagkat depende ito sa magiging singil ng makukuha ninyong abogado.

Nawa ay malinaw naming nasagot ang inyong mga katanungan.


Ang inyo pong lingkod bayan,

PERSIDA V. RUEDA-ACOSTA
Punong Manananggol Pambayan


Paunawa:

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