NOV.

6, 2014

NR # 3642

Additional requirements for foreigners marrying Filipinas pushed

To protect Filipino women against exploitation, the government may soon demand additional
requirements for any male foreign citizen who intends to marry a Filipina.
The House of Representatives has recently approved on final reading HB 2387 which provides for
additional requirements for male foreigners desiring to marry a Filipina, amending for the purpose Article
21 of Executive Order No. 209, otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines.
Rep. Gwendolyn F. Garcia (3rd District, Cebu), principal author of the measure, is confident that
the intent of the bill would earn the full support of the Senate to which the measure was strongly endorsed
for passage by Hon. Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas, chairperson of the sponsor-House Committee on
Revision of Laws.
The main objective of HB 2387 is to protect Filipino women against exploitation by foreigners
who marry them without evident means to support a family, Garcia stressed.
Garcia noted the public knowledge that some of the foreigners coming to the Philippines in order
to marry Filipino women are vagabonds or social and moral derelicts in their own country and whose real
motive for marriage is only to take advantage and exploit our women by making them work and worse,
by sending them to prostitution and other degrading and dehumanizing occupations.
The exploitation of our women, thru the so-called mail-order or pen-pal, Facebook, website and
other internet-arranged marriages, have caused not only untold miseries and sufferings for the victims but
also brought dishonour and disgrace to Filipino womanhood, the former Cebu governor stressed.
HB 2387 would mandate that a foreign male citizen who intends to marry a Filipina to provide for
certificates stating his good moral character and that he has a gainful trade, business, employment or
other lawful source of income.
The measure seeks to amend the current Section 21 of the Family Code of the Philippines by
adding the following: . When the male contracting party is a foreigner, in addition to the certificate
of legal capacity, a certificate of good moral character and a certificate of gainful trade, business,
employment or other lawful source of income issued by his diplomatic or consular official, must be
submitted before a marriage license can be obtained.
At present, Sec. 21 only provides that: When either or both of the contracting parties are citizens
of a foreign country, it shall be necessary for them before a marriage license can be obtained, to submit a
certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage, issued by their respective diplomatic or consular
officials.
Likewise, Stateless persons or refugees from other countries shall, in lieu of the certificate
herein required, submit an affidavit stating the circumstances showing such capacity to contract
marriage.
The Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of
Social Welfare and Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Commission
on Women, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and Philippine Statistics Authority shall promulgate the
rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of the proposed Act within 90 days from

enactment. (30) dpt