The Real Score on Remarrying Based on Presumptive Death of a Spouse

Gaano nga ba katotoo na kapag ang iyong asawa ay nawala ng hindi bababa sa pitong taon – walang nakaka-alam kung nasaan siya, walang nakaka-alam kung buhay pa siya – ay malaya ka nang mag-asawang muli na hindi mo na kailangan ang annulment o ano pa mang proseso. Totoo nga ba ito?

Ayon sa Philippine e-Legal Forum (http://jlp-law.com/blog/) ang konseptong ito ay maaaring nagmula sa layman’s interpretation ng Article 83 ng Civil Code:

Art. 83. Any marriage subsequently contracted by any person during the lifetime of the first spouse of such person with any other person other than such first spouse shall be illegal and void from its performance, unless:

(2) The first spouse had been absent for seven consecutive years at the time of the second marriage without the spouse present having news of the absentee being alive, or if the absentee, though he has been absent for less than seven years, is generally considered as dead and believed to be so by the spouse present at the time of the contracting such subsequent marriage, or if the absentee is presumed dead according to articles 390 and 391. The marriage so contracted shall be valid in any of the three cases until declared null and void by a competent court.

Ang nakasaad sa Civil Code tungkol sa pagpapakasal muli kapag ang iyong asawa ay absent o nawawala at hindi na matagpuan matapos ang pitong taon ay tama. Ang batas na ito ay ginawa pang mas specific ng Family Code kung saan nakasaad ang mga circumstances na maaaring kabilangan ng pagkawala ng asawa at bilang ng taon bago maaaring magpakasal muli ang naiwang kabiyak.

Halimbawa, kung sa Civil Code ay pitong taon ang kailangang hintayin bago makapagpakasal sa iba ang naiwang kabiyak, sa Family Code, apat na taon na lamang ang ipaghihintay nito. Maaari pa itong mapababa sa dalawang taon kung ang nawalang kabiyak ay sakop ng alin man sa mga sumusunod na circumstances:

1. A person on board a vessel lost during a sea voyage, or an airplane which is missing, who has not been heard of for two years since the loss of the vessel or airplane.
2. A person in the armed forces who has taken part in a war, and has been missing for two years.
3. A person who has been in danger of death under other circumstances and his existence has not been known for two years.

Kung apat na taon naman ang hinintay ng kabiyak para matagpuan muli ang kanyang nawawalang asawa ngunit bigo ito sa paghahanap at paghihintay, ang mga sumusunod na conditions ang dapat niyang ma-satisfy (under Article 41 of the Family Code):

1. That the absent spouse has been missing for four consecutive years, or two consecutive years if the disappearance occurred where there is danger of death under the circumstances laid down in Article 391, Civil Code.
2. That the present souse wishes to remarry.
3. That the present spouse has a well-founded belief that the absentee is dead.
4. That the present spouse files a summary proceeding for the declaration of presumptive death of the absentee.

Ayon sa batas na nakasaad sa Family Code, ang naiwang kabiyak ay kinakailangang humingi ng judicial declaration of presumptive death ng kaniyang nawawalang asawa, bago siya makapag-asawa ng iba. Kung hindi ito magagawa at siya ay nagpasya lang sa sarili niya na magpakasal sa iba, malaki ang posibilidad na siya ay makasuhan ng bigamy, lalo na kung mapatunayan na buhay pa ang kaniyang unang asawa (o magbalik ito).

Ang malaking kaibahan pa ng provision sa Family Code kung ikukumpara sa Civil Code ay ang pagka banggit ng “well founded belief” na ang nawawalang kabiyak ay pumanaw na bago mabigyan ang naiwang kabiyak ng petition for declaration of presumptive death. Ibig sabihin, kailangang makapag pakita siya ng ebidensya na talagang gumawa siya ng paraan para mahanap ang kaniyang asawa. Ang desisyon sa petition ay nakasalalay sa korte.

Kung hindi magbibigay ang korte ng judicial declaration of presumptive death, hindi maaaring makapag asawa muli ang naiwang kabiyak kahit gaano pa katagal na “absent” o nawawala ang kaniyang asawa.

Ngunit papano kung nabigyan nga ng Declaration of Presumptive Death and naiwang kabiyak, at sa bisa nito ay nakapag asawa siyang muli, at kalaunan ay biglang nagbalik ang kaniyang unang asawa, may habol pa ba ito sa kanya o ituturing nang void ang kanilang kasal?

Narito ang sagot ng Family Code:

Art. 42. The subsequent marriage referred to in the preceding Article shall be automatically terminated by the recording of the affidavit of reappearance of the absent spouse, unless there is a judgment annulling the previous marriage or declaring it void ab initio.

A sworn statement of the fact and circumstances of reappearance shall be recorded in the civil registry of the residence of the parties to the subsequent marriage at the instance of any interested person, with due notice to the spouses of the subsequent marriage and without prejudice to the fact of reappearance being judicially determined in case such fact is disputed.

Sa mas simpleng pagpapaliwanag: Ang pangalawang pagpapakasal ng naiwang kabiyak ay automatically terminated kapag ang kaniyang unang asawa ay nagbalik at nakapag file ng Affidavit of Reappearance. Ito ay hindi lang mangyayari kung ang kanilang kasal ay annulled na o declared nang void ab initio.

Kinakailangang aware ang naiwang kabiyak at ang kaniyang bagong asawa na ito ang risk na pinasok nila nang sila ay magpakasal sa bisa ng Declaration of Presumptive Death ng kaniyang unang asawa.