Noy signs law decriminalizing women’s ‘premature marriage’

MANILA, Philippines - A widow who shall marry within 301 days from the date of death of her husband, or before having delivered if she shall have been pregnant at the time of his death, will no longer face imprisonment or a fine of P500.

So will any woman whose marriage shall have been annulled or dissolved, if she shall marry before her delivery, or before the expiration of 301 days after the legal separation.

President Aquino has signed into law Republic Act 10655 decriminalizing premature marriage as contained in the Revised Penal Code.

“Without prejudice to the provisions of the Family Code on paternity and filiation, Article 351 of Act No. 3815, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code, punishing the crime of premature marriage committed by a woman, is hereby repealed,” read RA 10655.

Before the law was repealed, women engaging in premature marriages were punished with arresto mayor (1 month and 1 day to 6 months in prison) and fined an amount not exceeding P500.

Lawmakers said the old law was discriminating to women and no longer served a purpose, which was supposedly to avoid confusion on paternity and filiation of a child who might have been conceived during the previous marriage but born during the subsequent marriage.

“In these modern times, such an outdated, irrelevant provision is no longer needed, considering that paternity and filiation could be easily determined through technology,” they said.

‘An insult’

Joms Salvador, Gabriela secretary-general, said President Aquino’s comparison of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, with Gabriela Silang is an insult to the 18th century revolutionary.

“Cory Aquino may have succeeded in taking up the fight of her husband Ninoy, but it was never a fight against foreign domination,” she said.

“Cory, in fact, continued centuries-old subservience to US economic and political interests, something which his son Noynoy is carrying on up to this very day.”

In a speech, Salvador said Aquino has practically stamped his support to keep women enslaved to housework and heap upon them the burden of unpaid family work rather than upholding the state’s responsibility to provide social support to women and their families.

“Aquino showed his utter disregard of the plight of women and his responsibility as President to work towards women’s empowerment,” she added. – With Rhodina Villanueva