While there is an increasing number of civil marriages taking place among Filipinos in Qatar, the number of those who want to file annulment cases maybe even more.

Ed Alcantara, one of the advisers of Foundation for Family and Life (FFL) migrant workers, told Gulf Times that at least five out of 10 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had been separated from their partners would want their marriage nullified.

His group, which collaborates with attached Philippine government agencies, holds Post-Arrival Orientation Seminars (PAOS) to incoming OFWs. It also spearheads other activities to help and empower underprivileged Filipinos.

“I know the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is already conducting a study about the effects of migration to the family which, we all know, is the basic unit of society,” said Alcantara, who has been working in Qatar for 11 years.

Alcantara also noted that in a group of 10, at least three persons were confirmed to have been separated from their partners and planned to file a petition to nullify their marriage.

“However, what prevents OFWs from seeking this legal action is that it is really very expensive,” he added.

Labour attache Leopoldo De Jesus also said that he knew OFWs who already filed annulment cases and would want to re-marry.

Unlike divorce, the process is tedious and costly for the person who files the case. It also takes years before the petition is either granted or dismissed by the court. In many instances, the prosecutor dismisses the petition for collusion.

For those who were married in the church, there is a need to file a separate petition to nullify their marriage.

OFWs, or their partners in the Philippines, take this legal action since they have no other option to gain their “freedom” back and re-marry again to someone else.

It is learnt that many petitioners even apply for bank loans to pay the whole annulment package – the charges start at QR18,000. Some lawyers charge QR25,000 and for special cases, it could go up to QR30,000.

In 2012, records from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) showed that an average of 28 couples in the Philippines seeking to have their marriages declared null and void per day,  the www.gmanetwork.com website has reported.

It said that OSG had received some 10,528 annulment cases last year, a thousand more compared to the figures in 2011.

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who has been in Doha for the past 12 years estimates that those who intends to file cases may exceed the figures of marriage earlier released by the Philippine embassy. Vice consul Kristine Bautista said they officiated an average eight civil marriages per week.

“We all know the consequences of leaving your family back home to work abroad, especially in the Middle East. Others even abandon their wife and children,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bautista reiterated that those who got married abroad, especially in embassies, could only file cases in the Philippines.

She said some lawyers now had a way of making it easier for their OFW clients to deal with the whole process but it would cost more.

Meanwhile, one Filipino lawyer, who declined to be named, told Gulf Times that his clients were willing to pay huge amounts of money just to nullify their marriage and many of them worked in the Middle East.

 

Filipino groups to be streamlined

 

Filipino groups in Qatar will be creating umbrella organisations to implement future projects and events besides hosting the Philippine Independence Day celebration. During a meeting  at the Philippine embassy yesterday, vice consul Melvin Almonguera told leaders of various groups that the proposed system would make information dissemination easier and faster. “Given that it is critical in the success of every event, there is a need for streamlining each group,” he said. Page 20

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