With a vote of 131-109-20, the Absolute Divorce Bill passed its third reading in Congress yesterday, March 22nd.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman stated that the passage of this bill is a clear victory for Filipino women trapped in abusive marriages.
The purpose of the bill is to establish absolute divorce as a legal solution for couples with broken marriages.
It is said that this will also save children from the emotional strain caused by their parents’ conflicts.
In a statement, Lagman emphasized that the divorce law does not destroy marriages, especially when the couple’s marriage has already been broken for a long time.
“Divorce is not the monster plaguing a marriage. It is marital infidelity, abandonment, violence, and cruelty, among others, which are the devils that destroy marriages.”.
Act-Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro also commented that this does not destroy the sanctity of marriage but acknowledges that some marriages can no longer be salvaged.
“This would not destroy the sanctity of marriage, but is just an acknowledgment that some marriages simply get to a point where they become irreparable.” said Act-Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines criticized Congress’s decision.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP spokesperson, said this is a betrayal of the constitutional mandate regarding family formation and marriage. He added that divorce is anti-family, anti-marriage, and anti-children.
However, they noted that the decision was not surprising.