Senate urged: Give divorce bill a chance

CEBU, Philippines — After the House of Representatives passed the divorce bill, Deputy Speakers Gwendolyn Garcia and Pia Cayetano are calling on the senators to listen to the clamor of the people.

 Cayetano made an appeal to the senators during her visit to Cebu yesterday.

“I used to be in the Senate. Out of courtesy and out of respect to my colleagues, I leave it up to them. But I do appeal to each and everyone of my colleagues, in the same way I have appealed to my co-members in the House of Representatives to listen to the voice of the Filipino people,” she said.

House approved on March 19 the House Bill 7303, which seeks to legalize absolute divorce and dissolution of marriage in the country. As part of the process in legislating laws, the approved bill is then transmitted to the Senate for its concurrence.

Cayetano disagreed to the contention of those who are opposed to the measure that it would only open the floodgates to more separated families.

Cayetano said even before the passage of the bill in the House, there have been several cases of separations already.

She said the bill would only legalize what is already an actual situation.

“Look around you, my challenge is to ask every human being, meron ka bang hindi kilalang hiwalay within your own family or within your own community? Hiwalayan sometimes in a very painful and difficult way? Meron,” she said.

She, however, said that having a divorce law does not necessarily mean that people have to avail of it.

“It’s like saying there is a barbershop, if you don’t want your hair cut then don’t have your hair cut,” she said

Garcia, who had a failed marriage herself,  said the divorce is an option that the government should provide among couples trapped in loveless and abusive relationships.

"It is time that the State give an option dili lang alang sa mga may kaya nga gusto magbuwag, may kaya man na sila nga, you know you, go through a very lengthy judicial process, bayad sa abogado, usahay mag-appeal padung pa ngadto sa Supreme Court pwerteng dakoa og gasto. But this is really for those who cannot afford, such an expensive process kay like it or not the reality is, some marriages just don’t work," said Garcia, one of the authors of the bill.

Garcia said that those who are trapped in an abusive marriage, especially the poor ones, should be given an  option to dissolve such marriage and give them a chance to rebuild their lives.

On the concern that children will be the most affected if their parents separate, 

Garcia said it would be worst if the children would see their parents always fighting.

"I would just wish to say nga well kanang concerns sa mga bata precisely it is worst for the children nga pugson sa pagpuyo og usa ka pamilya kung diin ang ilang makita ang makanunayon nga pag-away, usahay magpasakitay pa ug usahay ang mga bata maoy maamong," Garcia said.

 Garcia is hopeful that the Senate will keep an open mind on the issue. —FPL (FREEMAN)