MANILA, Philippines — Two measures seeking to revive the absolute divorce bill passed by the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress have been refiled by three party-list groups.
Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co filed House Bill 210, while 4Ps party-list Rep. JC Abalos filed House Bill 108.
The bills provide common grounds for granting absolute divorce, such as physical violence, drug addiction, homosexuality and grounds for annulment of marriage under Article 45 of the Family Code.
Abalos maintained that the termination of a marriage “occurs not due to any defect or omission at the time of the marriage ceremony, but rather as a result of circumstances that arise during the marriage itself, which is a reality that most people often fail to acknowledge.”
“The bill aims to provide spouses in irreparably broken marriages a legal avenue for dissolution, thereby safeguarding children from marital strife and empowering vulnerable spouses, particularly in abusive relationships, to rebuild their lives,” he added.
About 17.5 percent of Filipino women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from their partners, Abalos said, citing a study.
Abalos’ version of the measure would require a 60-day cooling-off period for the Family Court to “exercise all efforts to reunite and reconcile the concerned spouses.”
Tinio and Co’s version requires a six-month cooling-off period.
The House passed the absolute divorce bill on third and final reading in May last year.
Voting 126-109 with 20 abstentions, the House approved the measure that, in nearly four decades, had only reached plenary debates in the halls of Congress. — Jose Rodel Clapano