Bishop hits, senators divided on divorce bill

A Catholic bishop has slammed the approval by the House of Representatives of an Absolute Divorce Bill, saying it “would be perfidious to the reality of the sacrament” of marriage.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas said in a statement that “marriage should be entered into only by those mature enough for a lifetime of consecration and fidelity in wedded life.”

“To criticize this as an unreasonable demand is to cast a slur on the hundreds, thousands even, of couples in the Philippines who have remained true to the promises of their wedding day,” Villegas said.

“They are the tangible proof that such fidelity is possible. They are the empirical evidence that personality differences notwithstanding, difficulties are not impossible to overcome as long as couples do not give up on love,” the prelate added.

Villegas explained why the Catholic faithful should not support divorce. He averred that the existence of a divorce law will not render divorce a moral option for Catholics for whom it will always remain contrary to the Gospel and to the constant teaching of the Church.

The bishop added that Catholics who would apply for and obtain a divorce and remarry “are in a seriously, morally wrongful state.”

“The Church urges that those intending to contract marriage discern with maturity their preparedness for the duties marriage imposes on them — and not treat it as some provisional arrangement that can be conveniently set aside when it so suits them,” Villegas added.

Counseling

For those with marital problems, Villegas said the Family Life Apostolate in every diocese and parish offers counseling and companionship.

The House of Representatives on 22 May approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to legalize divorce in the Philippines.

With a vote of 131-109 and 20 abstentions, the chamber passed the bill seeking to institute absolute divorce as an alternative means of dissolving an irreparably broken or dysfunctional marriage.

The bill stipulates the grounds for absolute divorce, which include psychological incapacity, irreconcilable differences, domestic or marital abuse, when one of the spouses undergoes a sex reassignment surgery or transitions from one sex to another, and separation of the spouses for at least five years.

The grounds for legal separation under the Family Code of the Philippines can also be considered grounds for absolute divorce.

The Philippines is the only country in the world, apart from the Vatican, that has not legalized divorce.

House Bill 9349, also known as the proposed Absolute Divorce Act, has not yet reached the Senate, but it has already sparked significant debate and division among senators.

On Tuesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, who openly admitted not being in favor of the House-proposed divorce bill, bared an initial list of senators who support and oppose the measure.

According to him, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Robin Padilla, Grace Poe, Imee Marcos, Pia Cayetano, and Raffy Tulfo are in favor of the proposed measure.

Estrada’s half-brother, Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who is not on the list, however, expressed his support for the measure.

In a statement, Ejercito underscored that while he was raised a Roman Catholic and understands the defense of the Church on the sanctity of marriage, he also “knows that a lot of Filipino couples are trapped in loveless and unworkable marriages.”

“It is not their fault. Sometimes things just don’t work out. I also believe that everyone deserves another chance to be happy in life,” he said.

“This is a difficult issue. As a representative of the people and a Catholic, I am currently in the process of discernment. I intend to listen, and participate actively, in the deliberation in the Senate,” he added.

“I am leaning at this time to be in favor.”

Not in favor

The current and previous Senate leaders also found themselves in the same corner as they expressed the same stance on the divorce bill.

According to Estrada, Senate President Francis Escudero, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, former Senate Majority Senator Joel Villanueva, and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa are not in favor of the proposed measure.

In a separate text message to reporters, former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri indirectly stated that he was also not in favor of the measure.

“I’m a conservative. I’m pro-family and pro-life,” Zubiri, who recently stepped down as the leader of the 24-member Senate, said.

Meanwhile, Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, and Ramon Revilla Jr. said they will have to study the proposed measure first before commenting on the issue.

“[I] have to study the bill well. We want a law that still protects the marriage institution but at the same time levels the playing field even for poor litigants or couples,” Angara said in a text message to reporters.

“Still looking to it. It is hard to make a mistake,” said Revilla in a separate text message.