People don’t like divorce.

As a matter of fact, the Philippines is the only country left in the world where divorce is still not legal. People argue that once married, the couple should stay together no matter what.

But then…

Adultery is very common in the Philippines. In fact, it is even romanticised in movies. People commend the man who goes back to his wife after having cheated and they are proud of the woman who stayed strong and fought for her man. That’s a common plot in romantic films and television shows. Sadly, it has made adultery common and actually expected when one is in a relationship.

But, wait! There’s more!

Non-legal separation is also as common as mosquitoes in that country. Men leave their wives for another woman without being made accountable to pay alimony. The woman generally fends for herself and her children. There are plenty of couples living together and making a family without getting married because they can’t get married because the man is still married to his first wife. Complicated and messy.

It doesn’t end there…

The children of those couples with one of them still being married are considered illegitimate. They can experience all sorts of systemic discrimination including:

• The state will not give them anything when their father dies (it’s usually the man who cheats and starts the second family).
• The church will not allow them to get married unless their mother repents or something like that. The mother also has to provide evidence that she has been baptised. The church can be bribed though.

All that hypocrisy can be eradicated if only people are allowed to be divorced.