Veteran lawmaker Edcel Lagman has reminded critics of the Absolute Divorce Bill that the House of Representatives has passed of the wall separating the church and the state.

Lagman asserted that there is no “valid reason to reject divorce” solely because it is “anathema to the Catholic Church,” which promotes annulment instead.

“We must legislate not to please or defer to the Church because we are a secular state which must independently enact reasonable and valid laws to afford remedies to distressed spouses, particularly abused wives, and liberate them and their children from a toxic and destructive conjugal and family environment,” said the Albay solon.

Before Congress adjourned sine die on 22 May, the Lagman-authored House Bill 9349, which seeks to legalize absolute divorce under limited grounds and a well-defined judicial process, hurdled the divided House of Representatives by a slim margin of 131-109-20 votes.

Lawmakers, religious, and conservative groups that were not supportive of the bill deemed it a grievous act against God.

In reaction to the development, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he would rather make marriage annulments affordable and accessible than back the legalization of absolute divorce.