BigBlastGuy, different people have different opinions about this depending on their perspective. Most Christians believe that seperated people are off limits for romance and marriage, or I should say romance and living together, as it is against Christian principles and God's laws. There are lots of opinions about divorce and remarriage. We could go into the idea of Moses allowing the people to have a writing of divorcement, and Jesus said that was because of the hardness of people's hearts. Matthew 19:3-9; has some teaching of Jesus about this. Matthew 5:31 & 32; also has more of the same. At one time our ministers' organization was very strict about this, not allowing any divorced and remarried person to minister in the church in an official capacity. That was many years ago up to not long ago. I have seen that they have relaxed that rule, and now they allow ministers who have been divorced and remarried for certain reasons to hold credentials and minister. For instance it a wife leaves her husband, and it is not his fault, or the other way around, if a husband leaves his wife, and it is not his fault, the organization allows credentials, and allows the person to minister. If adultery or fornication is the reason for the separation and divorce, the organization allows the innocent person who has been wronged to remarry, carry credentials, and minister. It used to be if separation and divorce took place, it did not matter what the reason, the people involved were not to remarry, but with our organization it is not that way anymore. So in other words it used to be believed that if you got divorces you are never free to marry again, and you are not free to marry any person who has been divorce. Now they look into the circumstances of why the separation and divorce took place, and then they decide if remarrying is allowed.
My understanding is that there is no divorce in the Philippines, so people who are separated often just go live with someone else, instead of getting divorced and remarrying, and that gets compicated, and can have many problems. It is actually considered criminal activity in the Philippines, but I understand it is seldom enforced, but you can be prosecuted and incarcerated for many years because of it. The anullment for people in the Philippines is somewhat like our divorce, only there are different reasons for allowing it, and I understand it can be very expensive, and sometimes people can demand to be paid off, like an ex husband or ex wife. So, my understanding is that it can be dangerous and risky especially for a Western guy to live wiht a separated filipina. So be careflul what you do in the Philippines, as both formication and adultery are criminal offences whilch carry prison sentences, if prosectued and convicted!