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9/21/21, 9:06 AM Supreme Court Reports Annotated Volume 868
9/21/21, 9:06 AM Supreme Court Reports Annotated Volume 868
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 868 9/21/21, 9:06 AM
foreign laws and foreign judgments; thus, our laws require that the
divorce decree and the national law of the foreign spouse must be
pleaded and proved like any other fact before trial courts.·Mere
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* THIRD DIVISION.
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parties harboring any ill will against each other. The parties
could forgo costly court proceedings and opt for, if the national law
of the foreign spouse allows it, a more convenient out-of-court
divorce process. This ensures amity between the former spouses, a
friendly atmosphere for the children and extended families, and less
financial burden for the family.
Same; Family Law; Marriages; Divorce; Patriarchy; To rule that
the foreign spouse may remarry, while the Filipino may not, only
contributes to the patriarchy.·It is unfortunate that legislation
from the past appears to be more progressive than current
enactments. Our laws should never be intended to put Filipinos at a
disadvantage. Considering that the Constitution guarantees
fundamental equality, this Court should not tolerate an unfeeling
and callous interpretation of laws. To rule that the foreign spouse
may remarry, while the Filipino may not, only contributes to the
patriarchy. This interpretation encourages unequal partnerships
and perpetuates abuse m intimate relationships.
Same; Same; Same; Same; Recent jurisprudence holds that a
foreign divorce may be recognized in this jurisdiction as long as it is
validly obtained, regardless of who among the spouses initiated the
divorce proceedings.·Recent jurisprudence, therefore, holds that a
foreign divorce may be recognized in this jurisdiction as long as it is
validly obtained, regardless of who among the spouses initiated the
divorce proceedings. The question in this case, therefore, is not who
among the spouses initiated the proceedings but rather if the
divorce obtained by petitioner and respondent was valid. The
Regional Trial Court found that there were two (2) kinds of divorce
in Japan: judicial divorce and divorce by agreement. Petitioner and
respondentÊs divorce was considered as a divorce by agreement,
which is a valid divorce according to JapanÊs national law.
Same; Same; Same; Same; Capacity to Remarry; Even under
our laws, the effect of the absolute dissolution of the marital tie is to
grant both parties the legal capacity to remarry.·Here, the national
law of the foreign spouse states that the matrimonial relationship is
terminated by divorce. The Certificate of Acceptance of the Report
of Divorce does not state any qualifications that would restrict the
remarriage of any of the parties. There can be no other
interpretation than that the divorce procured by petitioner and
respondent is
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LEONEN, J.:
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5 Id., at p. 33.
6 Id., at p. 50.
7 Id., at p. 51.
8 Id., at p. 33.
9 Id., at p. 6.
10 Id., at p. 33.
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32 Rollo, p. 138.
33 Id., at pp. 138-147.
34 Id., at pp. 182-183.
35 Id., at p. 188.
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39 See Garcia v. Recio, 418 Phil. 723; 366 SCRA 437 (2001) [Per J.
Panganiban, Third Division].
40 Id.
41 See Medina v. Koike, G.R. No. 215723, July 27, 2016, 798 SCRA
733 [Per J. Perlas-Bernabe, First Division].
42 Supra note 38.
43 Id., at pp. 432-433; pp. 281-282, citing Remedial Law, Vol. II, Rules
23-56, 529 (2007); Republic v. Orbecido III, supra note 37; Garcia v.
Recio, supra note 39; and Bayot v. Court of Appeals, 591 Phil. 452; 570
SCRA 472 (2008) [Per J. Velasco, Jr., Second Division].
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II
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44 Rollo, p. 36.
45 Id., at p. 22.
46 Id., at p. 50.
39
III
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47 Id., at p. 39.
48 Id., at pp. 88-89. The original Japanese document and an English
translation by Byunko Visa Counseling Office, Tokyo, Japan are
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attached.
49 Id., at p. 87.
50 RULES OF COURT, Rule 45, Sec. 1 provides:
Section 1. Filing of petition with Supreme Court.·A party desiring to
appeal by certiorari from a judgment or final order or resolution of the
Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, the Regional Trial Court or other
courts whenever authorized by law, may file with the Supreme Court a
verified petition for review on certiorari. The petition shall raise only
questions of law which must be distinctly set forth. (Emphasis supplied)
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IV
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56 Id., at p. 87.
57 Id., at p. 39.
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Article 2
....
(f) to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to
modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and
practices which constitute discrimination against women.
....
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Article 5
....
(a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of
men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of
prejudices and customary and all other practices which are
based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either
of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women[.]
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 868 9/21/21, 9:06 AM
the one who initiated the proceeding wherein the divorce decree
was granted. It does not distinguish whether the Filipino spouse is
the petitioner or the respondent in the foreign divorce proceeding.
The Court is bound by the words of the statute; neither can We
put words in the mouths of the lawmakers. „The legislature is
presumed to know the meaning of the words, to have used words
advisedly, and to have expressed its intent by the use of such
words as are found in the statute. Verba legis non est recedendum,
or from the words of a statute there should be no departure.‰
Assuming, for the sake of argument, that the word
„obtained‰ should be interpreted to mean that the divorce
proceeding must be actually initiated by the alien spouse,
still, the Court will not follow the letter of the statute when to
do so would depart from the true intent of the legislature or
would otherwise yield conclusions inconsistent with the
general purpose of the act. Laws have ends to
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tion v. NLRC, 283 Phil. 649, 660; 206 SCRA 701, 711 (1992) [Per J.
Romero, En Banc]; Victoria v. Commission on Elections, 299 Phil. 263,
268; 229 SCRA 269, 273 (1994) [Per J. Quiason, En Banc]; Enjay, Inc. v.
National Labor Relations Commission, 315 Phil. 648, 656; 245 SCRA 588,
593 (1995) [Per J. Quiason, First Division]; Pioneer Texturizing Corp. v.
NLRC, 345 Phil. 1057, 1073; 280 SCRA 806, 822-823 (1997) [Per J.
Francisco, En Banc]; National Food Authority (NFA) v. Masada Security
Agency, Inc., 493 Phil. 241, 251; 453 SCRA 70, 79 (2005) [Per J. Ynares-
Santiago, First Division]; Rural Bank of San Miguel, Inc. v. Monetary
Board, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, 545 Phil. 62, 72; 516 SCRA 154, 164
(2007) [Per J. Corona, First Division]; Republic v. Lacap, 546 Phil. 87,
100; 517 SCRA 255, 268 (2007) [Per J. Austria-Martinez, Third Division];
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) v. Philippine
Gaming Jurisdiction, Incorporated (PEJI), 604 Phil. 547, 553; 586 SCRA
658, 664-665 (2009) [Per J. Carpio-Morales, Second Division]; Mariano,
Jr. v. Commission on Elections, 312 Phil. 259, 268; 242 SCRA 211, 219
(1995) [Per J. Puno, En Banc]; League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP)
v. Commission on Elections, 623 Phil. 531, 564-565; 608 SCRA 636, 663-
664 (2009) [Per J. Velasco, Jr., En Banc]; and Fujiki v. Marinay, 712 Phil.
524, 555; 700 SCRA 69, 101 (2013) [Per J. Carpio, Second Division].
71 Rollo, p. 39.
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[R]espondent must also show that the divorce decree allows his
former wife to remarry as specifically required in Article 26.
Otherwise, there would be no evidence sufficient to declare that he
is capacitated to enter into another marriage.
Nevertheless, we are unanimous in our holding that
paragraph 2 of Article 26 of the Family Code (E.O. No. 209, as
amended by E.O. No. 227), should be interpreted to allow a
Filipino citizen, who has been divorced by a spouse who had
acquired foreign citizenship and remarried, also to remarry.
However, considering that in the present petition there is no
sufficient evidence submitted and on record, we are unable to
declare, based on respondentÊs bare allegations that his wife,
who was naturalized as an American citizen, had obtained a
divorce decree and had remarried an American, that
respondent is now capacitated to remarry. Such declaration
could only be made properly upon respondentÊs submission of
the aforecited evidence in his favor.74
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72 Id., at p. 142.
73 Republic v. Orbecido III, supra note 37.
74 Id., at pp. 116-117; pp. 123-124.
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75 Rollo, p. 142.
76 Supra note 39.
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77 Id., at pp. 735-736; p. 453, citing 27A CJS, 15-17, §I, 611-613, §161
and 27A CJS, 625, §162.
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80 Id., at pp. 362-363; p. 143, citing Recto v. Harden, 100 Phil. 427
(1956) [Per J. Concepcion, En Banc]; Paras, Civil Code, Vol. I, p. 52
(1971); Salonga, Private International Law, p. 231 (1979).
81 360 Phil. 601; 300 SCRA 406 (1998) [Per J. Bellosillo, Second
Division].
82 Republic v. Orbecido III, supra note 37.
83 Id.
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84 Id., at pp. 114-115; pp. 121-122, citing Lopez & Sons, Inc. v. Court
of Tax Appeals, 100 Phil. 850, 855 (1957) [Per J. Montemayor, En Banc].
85 Van Dorn v. Romillo, Jr., supra note 37.
86 Id.
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