Online courses on women's and children's rights in failed marriages offered

MANILA, Philippines — Common-law or live-in relationship arrangements are becoming popular among Filipinos. Statistics show that the number of couples deciding to marry has been declining through the years, though remaining still high. In 2024, available data show that almost 400,000 marriages were registered, an almost 4% decline from the number in 2023.

Fortunately, the country has a strong legal framework for the protection of rights and welfare of women and children in failed marriages. There are laws that protect equality, safeguard against abuse, and ensure a proper adjudication of properties when marriages crumble.

Access MCLE is offering courses on marital relations and related women's and children's rights for lawyers who are taking their Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).

These three online, on-demand courses from are taught by Atty. Katrina Legarda, a top-notch Filipino lawyer who is also a staunch advocate of protection for women and children rights. 

Impugning Filiation: Is the Child Yours?

This course is designed to facilitate learning about handling cases on inheritance or support.

What happens when there are doubts about the filiation of a child to his parents? What issues in succession and inheritance may arise and how does the current law address such matters?

By taking the 58-minute online course, learners should be able to differentiate the two ways of classifying filiation and understand the prescriptive period to impugn a child's legitimacy. Moreover, learners will also know the questions to ask if the legitimacy of a child is being questioned and determine the possible defenses for the putative father.

The course is available until November 17, 2025.

Aspects of Marriage: Interviewing the Client

Cases regarding marriage is usually very complicated as it involves not just the couple but also the children matters concerning property rights, not to mention emotions of ill parties also come into issue. The 49-minute online course aims to emphasize that addressing a marriage gone wrong may not only revolve around Article 36.

After completing the course, the learner should be able to formulate and ask the right questions during his first meeting with the client, determine the appropriate documents required for probing the marriage status, identify other aspects that must be investigated, and recommend the right courses of action to the client.

The course is accessible until September 19, 2026.

Marrying Mr. Yamaguchi or Ms Robertson: Foreign Divorce and the Filipino

What should a lawyer know and consider when handling a divorce case involving a Filipino and his/her foreigner wife/husband? The course is designed to serve as a guide when analyzing the timeline of Article 26 of the Family Code and determining issues that may arise in the absence of a divorce law.

By the end of the 45-minute online course, the learner would have learned trial and pre-trial skills in handling such case. The course also explains matters concerning pertinent questions, including: 1) Is a foreign divorce obtained by a Filipino honored in the Philippines? 2) Will a Certificate of Divorce suffice to protect a person from liability or bigamy?

The course is available until April 24, 2026.