- Petitioner
- Rhodora Ilumin Racho
- Respondent
- Seiichi Tanaka
- Citation
- G.R. No. 199515
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Third Division
- Ponente
- Leonen, J.
- Decided
- June 25, 2018
Summary
Filipino woman Rhodora Racho sought judicial recognition of her Japanese divorce to establish capacity to remarry. She married Japanese national Seiichi Tanaka in 2001, lived in Japan for nine years, and obtained a divorce there in 2009. The Regional Trial Court denied her petition, finding insufficient evidence of the divorce decree. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the authenticated Certificate of Acceptance of Report of Divorce proved a valid divorce under Japanese law. The Court emphasized that Article 26 of the Family Code applies regardless of which spouse initiated divorce proceedings and declared Racho capacitated to remarry, promoting gender equality and preventing discriminatory treatment of Filipino spouses in mixed marriages.