House OKs bill protecting Pinays vs exploitation

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a measure providing for additional requirements for male foreigners desiring to marry Filipino women. The measure is intended to help prevent exploitation.

The committee on revision of laws chaired by Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas sponsored for plenary approval House Bill 4828, which amends Article 21 of Executive Order 209, otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines.

“The bill shall protect Filipino women against exploitation of foreigners who marry without evident means to support a family,” Primicias-Agabas said.

Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, one of the authors of the bill, said some of the foreigners coming to the country in order to marry Filipino women are “vagabonds or social and moral derelicts in their own country.”

“The real motive for marriage is only to take advantage and exploit our women by making them work for the family and worse, by sending them to prostitution and other degrading and dehumanizing occupations,” Garcia said.

“The exploitation of our Filipino women, through the so-called mail-order or pen-pal, Facebook, website-made and other Internet-made marriages, has not only caused untold miseries and suffering to our Filipino women but it has also brought dishonor and disgrace to Filipino womanhood,” she added.

Under the measure, the prospective foreign husband shall provide a certificate of good moral character and a certificate that he has a gainful trade, business, employment or other lawful source of income to be issued by his country’s diplomatic or consular official, in addition to the usual certificate of legal capacity.

Co-authors are Reps. Henry Oaminal of Misamis Occidental, Ibarra Gutierrez III (Akbayan party-list), Nicasio Aliping Jr. (Baguio City), Rodel Batocabe (Ako Bicol party-list), Silvestre Bello III (1-BAP party-list), Al Francis Bichara (Albay), Arthur Defensor Jr. (Iloilo), Evelina Escudero (Sorsogon), Elisa Kho (Masbate) and Roman Romulo (Pasig City).