Some married Filipino men have admitted to being unfaithful

A construction worker, "Tom" (not his real name), admitted that he entered into an extra-marital affair right after he just got married.

He said his work place at that time was far from his home.

Tom, however, stopped seeing other women when he saw the negative effect of his actions on his wife.

His wife cried when he admitted his infidelity to her.

"Siyempre, naawa naman ako sa kanya. Doon ako nagsisi..." Tom said in an interview with GMA News' Tina Panganiban-Perez on "24 Oras", Friday.

Another construction worker, "Rome" also did not deny that despite his 26 years of marriage, admitted that he too had extra-marital affairs.

"Di naman ako pwedeng magsinungaling, syempre andoon din 'yun eh..." Rome said.

There are no available data on the number of men who engaged in extra-marital affairs.

However, in a study conducted in 1995 by advertising agency McCann-Erickson showed that half of 500 male respondents or 250 men admitted to having extra-marital affairs.

The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, on the other hand, said in 2009, 36 percent of men admitted having extra-marital affairs.

In 2015, the Philippine National Police data showed that there were more than 300 cases of concubinage or married men having extra-marital affairs in the country.

"Given 'yung culture natin ano... 'yung prevailing machismo, mas ikinatutuwa pa dahil sukatan ng pagiging macho..." Gabriela Party list Rep. Emmi de Jesus said.

During counselling sessions of married women, most of them want to live separately from their husbands.

"Almost always ang sinasabi nila gusto na nilang humiwalay eh. Pagdating na doon sa economic independence and dependence, doon na nagkakaroon ng problema kasi 'yun ang hindi nila kaya," said De Jesus.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) advised women who have husbands engaging in illicit affairs.

"She could have recourse to legal empowerment by going to court kung gusto niya, para ihabla yung kanyang asawa or pwede rin siyang mag-file ng legal separation kung gusto niya or annulment," PCW executive director Emeline Versoza said.

Since 2007, Gabriela party-list has sought to legalize divorce in the Philippines.

The Philippines and the Vatican are the only states that do not allow divorce.

"Kasi ito rin 'yung nakikita namin na option ng babae, na rights-based siya na kinikilala ng lipunan na 'yung kontratang pinasok niya ay pwedeng ipawalang-bisa dahil nawala na 'yung mga sangkap ng marriage eh," said De Jesus.

There are divorce bills pending in Congress, but whether these will be signed into law remains uncertain. — BAP, GMA News