Raffy Tulfo seeks Catholic Church support for divorce bill

Senator Raffy Tulfo is seeking the backing of the Catholic Church as he pushes for the legalization of divorce in the Philippines.

Legalizing divorce is among the first time senator’s pet bills.

In a statement on Saturday, Tulfo said, “I am ready to sit for a dialogue with the Catholic Church, kung kanilang mamarapatin, upang ipaliwanag ang aking panukalang Divoce Law (if they allow, so I can explain my proposed Divorce Law).”

The broadcaster-turned-politician said that “out of respect for the different faiths and religions in our society and for their work to strengthen families, couples, and parenting, we acknowledge the fact that there are more spouses and couples in healthy harmonious relationships than those that are distressed and dysfunctional.”

Tulfo said he respected the Catholic Church’s canon law, rituals, and traditions, thus he was seeking the support of Church leaders, particularly Cardinal-Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines President Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David.

“I am taking a new approach towards finally giving distressed Filipino married couples the recourse of absolute divorce,” he said.

Tulfo explained that his stand on divorce, annulment, separation, and domestic violence was well-informed by years of first-hand experience with complaints and situations of distressed families. He had been receiving and handling these complaints and situations every day for the past several years.

“We understand the details, complexities, and hardships spouses go through. This is why our bill applies real-world workable and sustainable solutions,” he added.

Psychological incapacity

Meanwhile, the senator said he objected to the requirement of proving to a court a spouse’s “psychological incapacity” for a married couple to be legally separated.

Being known as “psychologically incapacitated” through a divorce or annulment case could hamper one’s employment opportunities since employers required a mental health clearance.

Also, being proven in court that one was “psychologically incapacitated” had a reputational impact.

The senator said that the law should recognize that there were “irreconcilable differences” among married couples.

“Bakit pa natin pahihirapan at pagagastusin ang mag-asawang ginawa na ang lahat ngunit sadyang di na talaga magkasundo? Kaya kailangan na po talaga ng divorce bilang option,” Tulfo said.

(Why should torment a married couple with a costly legal process if they really cannot reconcile? That’s why we need divorce as an option.)

Apart from the Vatican, the Philippines is the only country in the world without a law for divorce. — DVM, GMA News