Church survey says more Filipinos approve of divorce

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos support the legalization of divorce in the country, a Church-initiated public survey showed.

The survey conducted by Church-run Radio Veritas revealed that 39 percent of the 1,200 respondents strongly agree with the proposed measure in Congress, while only 35 percent strongly disagreed.

Thirteen percent of those surveyed said they somewhat agree while another 13 percent said they somewhat disagree.

The survey, dubbed “Veritas Truth Survey (VTS),” was conducted from December 2017 until last January.

Fr. Anton Pascual, president of Radio Veritas, said this survey result is a wake-up call to the Catholic Church.

“This is a wake-up call and a big challenge to the Catholic Church, especially since many of the faithful are in favor of the legalization of divorce here in the Philippines, the only country aside from the Vatican without a divorce law,” he lamented.

The priest said this means the Church needs to preach more on marriage. 

The Catholic Church has been strongly opposing the proposal to legalize divorce in the country as this would further weaken the bond between the husband and wife who are encountering problems in their marriage instead of helping them fix it.

The VTS further showed that more women support the divorce bill in Congress than men.

Of the female respondents, 43 percent said they strongly agree with the legalization versus 35 percent who said they strongly disagree.

Of the male respondents, on the other hand, 34 percent said that they strongly agree while 35 percent strongly disagreed with the proposed law.

The survey also revealed that younger people support the divorce bill, with 43 percent of those who voted for strongly agree were aged 13 to 20 years old, while only 19 percent were elderly or those aged at least 61 years.

Lastly, the VTS showed that those in the higher economic class favor the proposed law more than those in the lower classes. It showed that 46 percent of those who favored divorce belong to Class A while only 31 percent in Class E.  

Last week, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reiterated its strong objection to the proposed legalization of divorce in the country.

In a pastoral statement signed by their president Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, the conference of bishops warned that the measure would destroy families as it would provide a convenient avenue to end marriages – including those that might not be beyond saving. 

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the authors of the divorce bill, said yesterday that Spain, which propagated Catholicism in the Philippines, and Italy where the Vatican is located, have their own divorce laws.

“These countries have similar provisions in their respective constitutions which mandate the state to protect marriage and family life,” said Lagman, a co-author of House Bill 7303 (Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines). 

He pointed out that Catholic Latin American countries, including socialist Cuba, and Catholic countries of Europe, including fiercely Catholic Ireland, Italy and Spain, “have their own divorce laws which do not make them any less Catholic.” 

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that only the Philippines and the Rome-enclave Vatican City – where Pope Francis and his fellow celibate cardinals reside – are the only places in the world that do not have any law on divorce. 

Alvarez said they will talk to President Duterte who is reluctant to support the divorce bill due to the negative effects of the measure on the children. 

“We are ready to explain to the President. His concern was in fact discussed thoroughly at the House committee level, which guaranteed that the welfare of divorced couples’ children will be addressed,” he said over radio station dzMM.

Duterte’s marriage to his wife Elizabeth Zimmerman has been annulled. – Delon Porcalla