How lawmakers voted on absolute divorce bill

The House of Representatives has already approved on final reading the proposed measure seeking to reinstate absolute divorce as an alternative mode for dissolution of broken or dysfunctional marriages.

This is the second time that the bill hurdled the lower chamber since the 17th Congress in 2018.

The controversial measure was approved on Wednesday by 131 congressmen on final reading on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 109 others voted against it and 20 abstained.

This is how lawmakers voted on the proposed “Absolute Divorce Act”: 

This is how members of the House of Representatives voted on the Absolute Divorce Bill. This list is from House Secretary General Reginald Velasco. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/SBQCYUamUt

— Tina PanganibanPerez (@tinapperez) May 23, 2024

Given the large Roman Catholic background of the country, some lawmakers expressed dismay on the passage of the absolute divorce bill. This includes Rep. Benny Abante of Manila’s 6th District.

“"Much as I understand the plight of some of our women who are victims of irresponsible and cruel men, I cannot in conscience and according to my faith, support the divorce bill," said Abante, who is also a Bible Baptist pastor.

"I do not want to think that our government has become a liberal and secular institution like the western countries of today," he said.

Also voting against the bill was Pampanga 2nd District representative and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose no-vote decision drew applause from the gallery.

But for Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, an advocate of divorce law in the country, said the bill will not push for “quickie” divorce as a petition will have to undergo judicial scrutiny if enacted into law.

“Divorce is not the monster plaguing a marriage. It is marital infidelity, abandonment, violence, and cruelty, among others, which are the devils that destroy marriages,” he said.

The Philippines and the Vatican City remain as the only states in the world without a divorce law.

If signed into law, the “Absolute Divorce Act” would allow dysfunctional couples to file a petition through several grounds such as legal separation, annulment of marriage, psychological incapacity, among others.

The bill also provides that physical violence or grossly abusive conduct against the petitioner and homosexuality are also considered grounds for filing of divorce.

It also recognizes the dissolution of marriage by the proper matrimonial tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church or any other recognized religious sectors.

Further, the proposed measure provides a mandatory 60-day cooling-off period after the filling of a petition for absolute divorce as a final attempt for reconciliation between the concerned spouses.

In the Philippines, couples can only resort to filing of annulment or through legal separation if things don’t go well between the two of them.

The Senate has yet to approve a similar measure on second reading. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News