Pia Cayetano mulls reopening debate on divorce law

Senator Pia Cayetano, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on women, family relations and gender equality, on Tuesday said she is open to reopening the debates on measures that would pave way for the enactment of a divorce law.

“Actually, your committee has been looking at the possibility of hearing a divorce legislation. We’ve actually heard during the start of the [16th] Congress all the existing laws discriminatory towards women—that includes the Family Code that does not have a divorce provision,” Cayetano said in a chance interview.

Cayetano issued the statement following a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that six out of ten Filipinos are in favor of the legalization of divorce.

“The survey shows that the Filipinos are ready. The question is, are the Congress' men and women ready to have the debate and to make a decision on it?” Cayetano said.

The Philippines is the only country in the world, other than the Vatican City, that has no divorce laws.

“Your chairperson is ready to present a bill in any form to initiate the debate, but is Congress ready for it?” Cayetano added, referring to herself.

Cayetano said that while there is no bill filed in the Senate yet that specifically seeks to legalize divorce, there are several measures pending in her committee that seek to expand the scope of legal separation as well as to expand the definition of annulment.

“So I can actually take it from there… if the subject matter is consistent with the bills that are already filed, it is possible for me to push through. So I am very open to continuing hearings on this matter,” she said.

Cayetano said that if the existing filed bills are not yet enough, she is also willing to file a resolution that would further amend the Family Code.

“[The legalization of] divorce would actually need an amendment of the Family Code, because it is the Family Code that defines the spousal relationship, including the termination of that relationship,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano, whose marriage was annulled in 2013 in a process that she described in another interview as "inhumane," said she aims to push for the passage of a divorce law before her term ends next year.

“Actually it was included in my priorities for this first six months [of 2015], because as many of you know, my term will end. I’m happy to sponsor something to just get it rolling. It is a matter that should be discussed now,” she said. — BM/KG, GMA News