Actress Barbie Forteza’s comments about wanting to get married in Las Vegas, United States, where divorce is legal, sparked discussions on social media.
The Kapuso actress drew attention after answering a question about her “dream wedding.”
The question was asked during a media conference for her upcoming comedy film, “Saving Cherry,” in which she plays a woman about to get married but discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her and embarks on a wild road trip with her bridesmaids and wedding planner.
Barbie said her “dream wedding” would be in Las Vegas.
“Dream wedding ko? I wanna get married in Vegas,” she said. “In Vera Wang. Para may divorce.”
Vera Wang is a fashion designer best known for her sophisticated wedding dresses and haute couture collections.
Meanwhile, Barbie laughed before playfully pointing her microphone toward the camera, drawing applause from the audience.
The actress’ response caught the attention of some Filipinos, who weighed in on her remarks for touching on the issue of divorce.
While some agreed with the actress’ remarks, others pointed out the realities behind her comments.
“Common mistake: Article 15 of the Civil Code, nationality theory. Kahit sang lupalop ka pa magpakasal, for as long as your nationality is Filipino, ‘di ka pa rin makaka-avail ng divorce unless you are married to a foreigner,” an online user said.
Article 15 of the Civil Code of the Philippines states that “laws relating to family rights and duties, or to the status, condition and legal capacity of persons are binding upon citizens of the Philippines, even though living abroad.”
Another X user agreed with the earlier legal explanation post by the online user.
“This is true. The PH does not recognize divorce unless your spouse is a non-Filipino citizen whose country recognizes divorce. If so, you just need to file a Petition for Judicial Recognition of Foreign Judgment. But if you’re both Filipinos, doesn’t matter where you got married, in the PH, you will remain married unless you get annulled,” the X user said.
Others, meanwhile, renewed calls for the legalization of divorce following the discussion.
“Legalize divorce na kasiiii,” an X wrote, accompanied by a crying emoticon.
“T*** *** ba’t wala kasing divorce dito?” another commented.
Lawyer Joji Alonso, who is also a film and television producer, weighed in on the discussion, saying that a Filipino cannot obtain a divorce by marrying another Filipino “even in Vegas.”
“Your marriage continues to subsist due to what is known as the ‘nationality’ principle. Your nationality follows you wherever you are. And since divorce is not recognized under Philippine law, you remain married to him,” she wrote in an Instagram post, tagging Barbie.
Joji added that divorce may still possible if one of the spouses is a foreigner.
“It would be different IF you married a foreign national and your husband divorced you. That divorce may be recognized under Philippine law. It would be sheer absurdity for you to continue being married to a foreigner who is no longer married to you,” she said.
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The Philippines is one of only two countries in the world that do not allow divorce for most married couples.
Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage, allowing former to spouses to remarry other or remain unmarried.
In the Philippines, the available legal remedies include annulment and legal separation, declaration of nullity of a void marriage, judicial separation of property and judicial recognition of foreign divorce.
