My name's Rowena Elias. I joined this forum to seek advice on behalf of my brother whose annulment just got denied. I feel sorry for him and I want to help him in any way possible. To give you a bit of a background, I spoke to the lawyer who represented my brother and said that the judge ruled out 'sexual infidelity' as a ground for legal separation and not for annulment. The 'ex-wife' is now living with another man and they have 3 kids together. She did not contest or refuse the annulment petition because she knows her marriage with my brother is irrepairable and she's not interested to fix it. Their only child (my niece) lives with my mom since she was 4 while my brother worked in S. Korea. She is now 15 years old.
All my brother wants is to leave her broken marriage behind and move on. He's got a girlfriend and both of them are dreaming of tying the knot some day. But because of this denial, it seemed like the judge literally took that freedom to re-marry away from my brother. I don't understand why the judge would rule that way. The lawyer told me the judge was probably waiting for some 'lagay' (bribe) to have it approved. I was appalled to hear that from him. Is that how miserable the justice system in the Philippines is these days?! My brother is desperate. His savings from working overseas are gone and all for nothing. Would you provide some advice please? We will appreciate it greatly if you could offer some. Thank you so much for your time.
Best regards,
Rowena Elias