Leyte Representative Richard Gomez disagrees with the recently passed divorce bill
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Believing in the sanctity of marriage, Richard Gomez strongly disagrees with the divorce bill.
“I voted no for the Divorce Bill because I believe in the sanctity of marriage.”
That is the statement made by Leyte Representative and actor Richard Gomez during the 2nd regular session of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 22, after they approved the Absolute Divorce bill on their final reading.
A total of 131 lawmakers voted in approval of House Bill No. 9349, while 109 voted against it and 20 abstained from voting, according to an update by House Secretary General Reginal Velasco on Thursday, May 23.
In his statement, Richard noted how the Philippines is “largely a Catholic country,” adding his belief that “our laws are there to serve a majority of the Filipino people.”
“Conversely, I believe that our laws must also provide for laws that abide by the religious customs of the majority of the Filipino people. Our civil code, in its present form, simply provides for those whose religious customs sanctify marriage,” he said.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE CELEBRITY COUPLES WHOSE MARRIAGES ENDED IN DIVORCE IN THIS GALLERY:
He added that while the current laws allow annulment of marriage for cases where the parties were psychologically incapacitated, Richard admitted that they do not provide resolutions to couples “whose marriages were defective at the fundamental level.”
However, Richard noted, “Divorce may also lead to more cases of infidelity as people may feel that they can easily get out of their marriages if they find someone better.”
He added, “Saying yes to divorce would diminish the extent and seriousness of the commitment to make a marriage decision. This will therefore breed marriages that are based on haphazard decisions. Ano sasabihin natin? 'Anyways, there's always a way out if this doesn't work?'”
The Leyte Representative then noted the studies by the Alliance for the Family Foundation Philippines Inc (ALFI) which showed the “destructive consequences of divorce,” which include the devastating emotional and psychological effects on the parents and children.
“Remember that the children of divorce will become the parents of tomorrow. They may also fail to prioritize the strength of their families and for that, I voted no,” he ended his statement.
Watch Richard's full statement here:
