PJ optimistic for divorce bill

CEBU, Philippines — While Cebu 3rd District Representative Pablo John “PJ” Garcia said he hopes for the passage of the divorce bill he is also “cautiously optimistic” due to the Senate's evenly-divided opinion.

Last May 22, House Bill 9349 or the "Absolute Divorce Act" was approved by the House of Representatives in the final reading with 131 affirmative votes, 109 negative votes, and 20 abstentions.

However, it faced delay upon forwarding the bill to the Senate as there was the "need to report for the Plenary’s action the corrected affirmative votes from 126 to 131.” The matter will be clarified on July 22 during the resumption of the session.

Garcia took serious note of the odds facing the Philippines in comparison to other countries that have now legalized divorce.

"Unsa may naka-special sa Pilipinas? Do we have abuse-proof marriages? Do we have perfect marriages here in the Philippines?" he argued during the second anniversary of the Open Line News Media Forum yesterday.

He suggested that questions on the existence of divorce should be reversed, saying that the Philippines is the only country that doesn’t have divorce, aside from the Vatican with a population of 800.

"Are we exempt? Are we immune from abusive, toxic, failed marriages? We're not. So why not a divorce law? I think you should ask those who voted against the divorce bill, nganong di man mo-divorce? I think the question in this day and age, should be reversed. Why not divorce?" Garcia said.

While oppositors of the bill argue that marriage is an inviolable social institution in the Constitution, Garcia clarified that the Constitution doesn’t prohibit amending or modifying the law.

"In fact the Constitutional Commission discussion on this provision --marriage being an inviolable social institution-- it was never their intention to foreclose the possibilities of a divorce law," he said.

Garcia also said that the divorce bill doesn’t outlaw both legal separation and annulment and that the bill won’t force spouses who don’t necessarily need it to divorce.

However, both options cannot provide complete relief, as legal separation only exempts a partner from living together and cannot remarry, while annulment has limited grounds and is costly.

"You are not giving them the complete relief of getting married to their current partners and legitimizing their children. Ngano man? Kay magminaot man gud ta. We have this illusion that all marriages here in the Philippines are perfect which is not the case," Garcia said.

Meanwhile, Garcia countered that they have made a conscious decision to make divorce easily accessible and available for the poor and underprivileged.

"We envision under this bill a very simplified process. There's even summary procedure for some grounds which you don't have to prove. We put under this bill a provision where those who are indigents may file this without any cost," he said.

As clarified by Garcia, indigents are those whose total assets do not exceed one million pesos.

He also said that responsible use of social media is an effective tool and instrument to influence and pressure the Senate to push the bill into law.

Garcia said that divorce doesn’t kill a marriage; it is bad marriages that kill a marriage.

"If you do not want divorce, don't get divorced, but you don't get to make that decision for others who may need divorce to get relief. Nganong ikaw man magbuot? If you don't like divorce, don't get divorced. If you think divorce threatens your marriage then you've got deeper problems than divorce," Garcia said. — Donna Rose Egos, CNU Intern/BRP