Editing Legal separation (section)

===Philippines===
In the Philippines, a legal separation may only be had through a valid judicial decree. In addition, actions for legal separation shall not be tried "before six months have elapsed since the filing of the petition."<ref>Family Code of the Philippines, Article 58.</ref> During this six-month "cooling-off" period, the spouses are encouraged to find forgiveness.

Under the [[Civil Code of the Philippines|Civil Code]], there were only two grounds for legal separation:<ref>Civil Code of the Philippines, Article 97. {{PD-notice}}</ref>
# For adultery on the part of the wife and for concubinage on the part of the husband as defined in the Penal Code; or
# An attempt by one spouse against the life of the other.

The grounds were later expanded under Article 55 of the [[Family Code of the Philippines|Family Code]]:<ref>: Family Code of the Philippines, Article 55. {{PD-notice}}</ref>
# Repeated physical violence or grossly abusive conduct directed against the petitioner, a common child, or a child of the petitioner;
# Physical violence or moral pressure to compel the petitioner to change religious or political affiliation;
# Attempt of respondent to corrupt or induce the petitioner, a common child, or a child of the petitioner, to engage in prostitution, or connivance in such corruption or inducement;
# Final judgment sentencing the respondent to imprisonment of more than six years, even if pardoned;
# Drug addiction or habitual alcoholism of the respondent;
# Lesbianism or homosexuality of the respondent;
# Contracting by the respondent of a subsequent bigamous marriage, whether in the Philippines or abroad;
# Sexual infidelity or perversion;
# Attempt by the respondent against the life of the petitioner; or
# Abandonment of petitioner by respondent without justifiable cause for more than one year.
(Note that the term "child" includes a child by nature or by adoption)

Article 63 of the Family Code enumerates the following concrete effects of a decree of legal separation:<ref>Family Code of the Philippines, Article 63. {{PD-notice}}</ref>
# The spouses shall be entitled to live separately from each other, but the marriage bonds shall not be severed;
# The absolute community or the conjugal partnership shall be dissolved and liquidated but the offending spouse shall have no right to any share of the net profits earned by the absolute community or the conjugal partnership, which shall be forfeited in accordance with the provisions of Article 43(2);
# The custody of the minor children shall be awarded to the innocent spouse, subject to the provisions of Article 213 of this Code; and
# The offending spouse shall be disqualified from inheriting from the innocent spouse by intestate succession. Moreover, provisions in favor of the offending spouse made in the will of the innocent spouse shall be revoked by operation of law.