There are only two countries left in the world without divorce: the Vatican and the Philippines. Last May 2024, an Absolute Divorce Bill passed in the House of Representatives. The Divorce Bill is now in the Senate, which is on their final Session before the next election. A work in progress for my thesis at the School of Visual Arts, this photo essay is about the many dimensions of the Divorce Bill, and the tension among all of them.
Writing
Andrea Ang
Photography
Andrea Ang
This thesis project contains a three-part portrait series.
The Decision-Makers
Of the 24 Senators, all votes for YES are from women and 1 man who is Muslim. All votesfor NO are from men, including some who have had marriages annulled.
The Unseparated State
As a former Spanish colony, the Philippines is heavily Roman Catholic or Christian. The Church’s opinion weighs heavily on Filipinos. There is also a Filipino cardinal-bishop in Rome who is being favoured as the next Pope -- Cardinal Luis Tagle is also charged with evangelization in the entire Catholic world.
The Truly Affected
The lack of divorce in the Philippines has led to a range of different stories: there are people who have been left behind by spouses who went abroad -- mostly to the US -- in order to divorce in a foreign country and live anew there; on the other side are those spouses who have left the country, leaving behind their partner, and serving divorce papers from across oceans in order to be legally single in their new country of residence. There are also those who together legally regardless of the reality of their relationship status; those who are in abusive relationships who cannot leave their spouses legally; and those who simply stay together, because there is no other way out. Here are a few stories.
