PREVIOUS MARRIAGE

First of all, I would like to thank you for putting up a wonderful website that is very informative and truly helpful.

I just finished reading the section about annulments and the facts surrounding it. I was recently involved in a relationship with a man who has been separated with his wife for almost 5 years now. They were married in the Philippines and have 3 children. Kitchie, the wife, resides in Manila with their 3rd child while Rey, lives here in California now with their two children. Currently, they are neither divorced (there is no divorce in the Philippines) nor legally separated.

In as much as I want to consider being his second wife, I also hold my Catholic values very dearly. I am aware that we can never be married in a Catholic church unless he nullifies his previous marriage. We decided to part ways while he thinks about getting an annulment with his wife.

My question is, how does he handle his situation? He lives here while his wife lives back in the Philippines. Can he initiate and file his annulment in his present parish or does he have to file it in the parish where they were married? How will the proceedings work in this case?

I hope you can give me some advice as to what he must do if he has indeed decided to nullify his previous marriage.

Thank you very much and God Bless you always.