Oftentimes, we read and hear arguments that Filipinos value the institution of marriage too much to allow divorce. It has become a tradition to get married after a long-term relationship. The headline came as a shock to me because it was so contradictory! The government census office said that marriage is losing its luster in the Philippines, with several couples starting families out of wedlock. The latest population census shows that more than 36 percent of the 1.78 million babies born in Asia were conceived from unmarried mothers. Nene Baligad, a member of the National Statistics Office or NSO said that marriage has now just become an option for Filipinos, not a requirement or tradition before starting families. I find this fact appalling in a way that such a decision could mean the loss of a child’s right to legitimacy. I do not mean to demean couples that accidentally have a baby and choose not to get married yet, of course marriage should be carefully thought about first especially if the couple is young, and not just for the sake of the baby. But there are couples that decide to live-in, create a family and completely ignore the element of marriage. I do not understand why people must choose and live such a lifestyle—get married only after having four or five children said Baligad. A more saddening statement she released was, “you can’t really say it’s for practical reasons, since you can be married on the cheap. It’s more like, we Filipinos tend to follow what is in fashion.” Fashion? I love fashion and I think Filipinas are doing a good job keeping track of the latest in fashion, clothing fashion that is. Must Filipinos always have to follow the Westerns? Since when did marriage even have “trends”? It is no wonder then that some Filipinos are in support of divorce in order to “keep up with the world.” Not only is the census showing that couples are defying the moral and religious standards by conceiving babies out of wedlock, but also shunning church weddings as marriages solemnized by the church or government officials have fallen 0.7 percent.
Are saving money for a wedding to buy your child’s milk, or keeping up with the world’s trends really good excuses to escape marriage? I beg to differ. I think nothing is more beautiful than having a relationship, sharing the rest of your life with someone that is honored and blessed by God, the church and the government. To some, it may just be a paper, a formality, and marriage is more of a state of mind. But then again only the ceremony of marriage can legitimize that thought, no matter how happy and long your family has been established without marriage.
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