Proponents of a bill legalizing absolute divorce in the Philippines criticized a Catholic lay organization over its threat to launch a People’s Initiative (PI) to repeal the measure if it becomes law.

Rep. Edcel Lagman, the main author of the House-approved Absolute Divorce Act, called on Couples for Christ (CFC) to stop “religious hypocrisy” for arguing that irreparable marriages can still be mended.

“We strongly urge our country’s leaders not to weaken the marriage bond but instead to work more aggressively to strengthen the family,” the CFC said in a manifesto.

Lagman countered that human failings, including marital abuse, infidelity, and abandonment, are what truly break marriages beyond repair, not divorce itself.

“Verily, absolute divorce rescues spouses who are embattled because of their human weaknesses and their suffering children from a house on fire,” Lagman said.

“Divorce affords offended spouses, mostly the battered and tormented wives, to regain their freedom, self-esteem, agency, and happiness even as there is a judicial decree on the care, custody, and support of the children,” he added.

Lagman further argued that the sanctity of marriage should not trap spouses in suffering unions.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua echoed Lagman’s sentiment, saying the CFC should not interfere in the lives of couples trapped in failed marriages.

“Divorce is not about their religious beliefs, which they have no right to impose on others who do not share or adhere to those beliefs,” Chua said.

Point missed

“While I welcome the inputs of the Christian lay groups on the divorce public debate, they miss the point entirely of why divorce is urgently and badly needed. They fail to directly address the real divorce issue,” he added.

The Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic nation, aside from the Vatican, that outlaws absolute divorce. The Constitution considers marriage an inviolable social institution and a foundation of the family.

Conservative groups and many legislators oppose the bill, believing it violates the Constitution and disrespects the sanctity of marriage.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed the Absolute Divorce Act in mid-May by a vote of 131-109-20. The bill now faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where divorce opponents hold a majority.

Annulment, in which marriages are deemed void from the start, is seen as an expensive procedure, while legal separation does not allow separated couples to remarry.