The Supreme Court ruled that a divorce decree obtained abroad by a Filipino citizen against a foreign spouse can be recognized in the Philippines, allowing the Filipino citizen to remarry, provided the divorce is valid according to the laws of the foreign country. The Court partially affirmed the Court of Appeals decision and remanded the case to the lower court to determine the relevant Japanese law on divorce.

Marelyn Tanedo Manalo, a Filipino citizen, married a Japanese national. She later obtained a divorce decree in Japan and filed a petition in the Philippines for the recognition of the divorce and the cancellation of her marriage record. The lower court denied her petition, but the Court of Appeals reversed the decision.