Dear PAO,

I am 27 years old, Filipino and was recently engaged to my longtime boyfriend, also 27 years old. When I was a child, I was abandoned by my biological parents and was legally adopted by my adoptive parents. They brought me up abroad so I will not be bullied and discriminated for being an adopted child here in the Philippines. When I was about to enter college, they allowed me to go back home to the Philippines to pursue my studies where I met my soulmate, boyfriend and now, fiancé. I wasn't able to formally introduce my fiancé to them due to different time zones and our busy schedule. When I finally had the courage to tell them about my upcoming marriage, my adoptive father suddenly burst out of anger. Little did I know, my fiancé was the illegitimate child of my adoptive mother. My adoptive parents are against this marriage because they insist that my fiancé and I are technically siblings and thus, cannot marry each other. I really love my fiancé and never treated him as my brother. I really want to marry him. Is this legally possible? Can I marry him even without the consent of my adoptive parents?

Ashley

Dear Ashley,

With regard to your first concern, Article 38 of the Family Code provides for the void marriages by reason of public policy, as follows: