Anomalous situation

To be liable for bigamy, the second or subsequent marriage contracted by the accused must have all the essential requisites for validity. If the second marriage contracted by the accused is not valid, she cannot be convicted of bigamy.

- JOSE C. SISON

But in this case of Naty, this rule is of no avail. Let us find out why.

Naty was a 43-year-old widow with two children. Since her husband died, she and her children lived with her inlaws in the province where she helped in the operations of the family's piggery farm. It was during this time when she first met Paulo, an agent who sold piglets to her. Their frequent meetings somehow developed into an intimate relationship, as Paulo visited often in her house.

From the very start, however, Naty's children, as well as her brother-in-law and parents-in-law, already disliked Paulo and somehow doubted his sincerity and personal background. Nevertheless, Paulo persisted in courting Naty and the two decided to get married even if a few months before their scheduled date of marriage, Naty met Lina, who introduced herself as Paulo's legal wife of 20 years.

Such information did not dissuade Naty to push through with her marriage to Paulo. So over the advice of her brother-in-law and parents-in-law that if she wanted to remarry, she should choose someone who was "without responsibility," Naty married Paulo about less than four years after they met.