Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz . INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The split up of Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and his wife is lamentable but some marriages are not meant to be, a retired Catholic bishop said Saturday.
The Most Rev. Oscar Cruz, the retired archbishop of Pangasinan, said the faithful have to face the reality that some married couples “do not make it.”
“Married life is not easy. We have to accept that there are some couples who do not make it,” Cruz said in an interview, “although as much as possible we want couples to stay married ‘till death do us part’. But that principle is not applicable to people who are not meant for marriage or are not supposed to get married.”
On Tuesday, Pimentel confirmed that he and his wife of almost 12 years, Jewel May Lobaton, had been living separately since November 2011. Pimentel said he was already preparing their annulment papers.
Cruz, the former chair of the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, declined to comment when asked if Pimentel and his wife should seek the help of a marriage counselor.
“He is an adult. Let him decide after he consults other people,” Cruz said.
However, he said couples whose marriage is on the rocks should not hesitate seeking a marriage counselor. “I think they should seek marriage counseling. It would be very hard if they resolve it on their own especially if the problem is already big.”
“There should be a third party who‘ll give them advice on married life. There are people for these kind of things who provide guidance and counseling for marriage intention purposes,” he added.