Aquino: No to divorce, yes to remarriage after legal separation

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Thursday said he does not favor the legalization of divorce, which was proposed by some female lawmakers at the House of Representatives. At an event in Pasay City, Aquino told reporters he "cannot support" moves to legalize divorce, which Gabriela party-list Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus are pushing, as an option for couples in failed and irreparable marital relationships. Aquino, the only son of the late former president Corazon Aquino who was known for being deeply religious, said "divorce is a no-no." "I cannot support something like they do in Las Vegas. The stereotype is you get married in the morning [and] you get divorced in the afternoon," the president said. Aquino, however, said he recognizes that "there are unions that no matter what interventions are done, no matter what counseling is done, they really cannot stay together and there are dangers to either one or both parties." For cases such as these, legally separated couples should be allowed to remarry, Aquino said. "Legal separation, it will be very, very stringent, you really have to ascertain that there really are irreconcilable differences, medyo long period, sa Tagalog parang padaanin sa butas siguro ng karayom. At the end of the day they should be allowed to remarry. Ok lang yun," he said. Under the Family Code, legally separated couples "shall be entitled to live separately from each other, but the marriage bonds shall not be severed," thereby making them ineligible to remarry. While Aquino was vocal about his thoughts on marriage policies, he refused to comment on his youngest sister Kris's own marital woes, saying his opinion as president might influence the courts processing the annulment of his sister's marriage to basketball player James Yap. "I am duty-bound not to comment on that," said the president. In late June, Kris announced that she has given up on her nearly five-year, often-turbulent marriage to Yap. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV