Divorce bill passage pushed in Senate
>> Sunday, April 30, 2023
EDITORIAL
The
divorce bill is now being pushed in the Senate withb Sen. Ana Theresia
"Risa" Hontiveros renewing her call Tuesday to pass the bill, saying women
who are victim-survivors of domestic abuse need this legal recourse.
The senator, who is the chairman of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender wquality, pressed for the passage of her proposed Senate Bill (SB) 147 or the "Dissolution of Marriage Act."
Hontiveros urged the Senate "to pick up speed" as the House of Representatives has approved, in principle, bills that provide for the dissolution of marriage.
"Our counterparts in the House have already been making the moves to help our country catch up with the rest of the world. The Senate must do the same," she stressed.
"Some Filipino women have almost been killed by their own husbands. But most of them cannot leave their marriages because of the prohibitive costs of filing for an annulment," Hontiveros said.
"We are the only country, aside from the Vatican, that doesn't have a divorce. As a secular state, this is not something to be proud of," she pointed out.
For his part, Sen. Rafael "Raffy" Tulfo believes that the divorce bill is "an act of social justice that would give people a fresh start from a miserable marriage," and said he "strongly supports its enactment."
"I join my colleagues in the Senate who have passed a similar bill and hope that we can harmonize all the best provisions to give Filipino families a chance to save themselves from endless suffering," Tulfo said.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla stressed that divorce does not aim to threaten a marriage but to protect those trapped in a doomed union. "We will never be instruments to destroying a union."
"As lawmakers, we will uphold the Constitution to strengthen marriage. But when the time comes that one, two or three Filipinos seek freedom from a doomed union, that becomes a right," Padilla said.
Hontiveros noted that past surveys have shown that the majority of Filipinos favor divorce. "We better listen to our people. "
She conducted a public hearing on at least seven other similar bills, such as SB 554 recognizing the foreign decree of termination of marriage, SB 719 and SB 1198 amending and expanding the ground of legal separation, and SB 1298 or the proposed Church decreed annulment.
She noted that the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey by the Philippines Statistics Authority showed 1 in 4 married women ages 15 to 49 years old has experienced spousal violence, whether physical, sexual or emotional.
The surveys also report that most of those who agree to institute divorce are women, the senator said.
"When a marriage has become irreparable, it is incumbent upon the State not only to provide relief to the spouses, but also protect children from the pain, anxiety, and trauma of witnessing regular marital clashes," she said.
"Let us give Filipino families the chance to let go of toxic relationships," Hontiveros said.
In 2017, the Social Weather Station ran a survey, revealing that 53 percent agreed to legalize divorce. Another survey, run by the Catholic Radio Veritas in 2018, showed that 52 percent "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" to a divorce bill.
The senator, who is the chairman of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender wquality, pressed for the passage of her proposed Senate Bill (SB) 147 or the "Dissolution of Marriage Act."
Hontiveros urged the Senate "to pick up speed" as the House of Representatives has approved, in principle, bills that provide for the dissolution of marriage.
"Our counterparts in the House have already been making the moves to help our country catch up with the rest of the world. The Senate must do the same," she stressed.
"Some Filipino women have almost been killed by their own husbands. But most of them cannot leave their marriages because of the prohibitive costs of filing for an annulment," Hontiveros said.
"We are the only country, aside from the Vatican, that doesn't have a divorce. As a secular state, this is not something to be proud of," she pointed out.
For his part, Sen. Rafael "Raffy" Tulfo believes that the divorce bill is "an act of social justice that would give people a fresh start from a miserable marriage," and said he "strongly supports its enactment."
"I join my colleagues in the Senate who have passed a similar bill and hope that we can harmonize all the best provisions to give Filipino families a chance to save themselves from endless suffering," Tulfo said.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla stressed that divorce does not aim to threaten a marriage but to protect those trapped in a doomed union. "We will never be instruments to destroying a union."
"As lawmakers, we will uphold the Constitution to strengthen marriage. But when the time comes that one, two or three Filipinos seek freedom from a doomed union, that becomes a right," Padilla said.
Hontiveros noted that past surveys have shown that the majority of Filipinos favor divorce. "We better listen to our people. "
She conducted a public hearing on at least seven other similar bills, such as SB 554 recognizing the foreign decree of termination of marriage, SB 719 and SB 1198 amending and expanding the ground of legal separation, and SB 1298 or the proposed Church decreed annulment.
She noted that the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey by the Philippines Statistics Authority showed 1 in 4 married women ages 15 to 49 years old has experienced spousal violence, whether physical, sexual or emotional.
The surveys also report that most of those who agree to institute divorce are women, the senator said.
"When a marriage has become irreparable, it is incumbent upon the State not only to provide relief to the spouses, but also protect children from the pain, anxiety, and trauma of witnessing regular marital clashes," she said.
"Let us give Filipino families the chance to let go of toxic relationships," Hontiveros said.
In 2017, the Social Weather Station ran a survey, revealing that 53 percent agreed to legalize divorce. Another survey, run by the Catholic Radio Veritas in 2018, showed that 52 percent "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" to a divorce bill.
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