“Church-decreed annulment” sa bansa, lusot na sa Kamara More unhappy Filipino couples will no longer be trapped in a complicated marriage, this is after the House of Representatives approved the third and last reading of House Bill 6779 otherwise known as “An Act Recognizing the Civil Effects of Church Annulment Decrees”. The bill which also aims to put an end to a long and costly judicial process of marriage annulment got a landslide vote from almost 200 congressmen. Under the said bill, marriage duly approved by the Catholic Church and other religious groups can now be annulled and have the same effect as a civil annulment. This means that all marriages legally solemnized by a priest, minister, rabbi or presiding elder or any church or religious group could be annulled or dissolved in a final judgment. House Bill 6779 also states that once the church annulment is granted, it shall be recorded in the appropriate civil registry within 30 days from issuance of the annulment decree subject to the conditions imposed by the church or other religious sectors. “The good of our children and the good of society hang in the balance with every decision to declare a marriage null and void,” said Leyte Representative Yedda Kittilstvedt-Romualdez, one of the principal authors of the bill. “In this context, recognizing the civil effects of Church annulment decrees will address the need to ensure that those who find themselves in such a difficult marital situation will have the benefit of a more efficient and affordable procedure that can help ease their conscience and may permit them to move on in freedom from a truly irreparable relationship,” she added. SOURCE
Interesting. We are bound to hear of people going through the new process on this forum so it will be interesting to see if the process is quicker, easier, cheaper.