House panel OKs bills legalizing divorce

A House committee on Wednesday has approved three measures seeking to legalize divorce in the Philippines — the only remaining state aside from Vatican City that has no divorce law.

These measures — House bills 100, 838 and 2263 — will be consolidated by a technical working group before it will be put to plenary discussion.

Absolute divorce validates the separation between married couples as total and final, allowing the husband and wife to return to their status of being single with the right to contract marriage.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who has long been advocating for the passage of a divorce bill, will head the technical working group.

“Divorce is not a monster that will destroy marriages and wreck marital relationships. Let us be clear about this — the monsters that lead to the demise of a marriage are infidelity, abuse, financial problems, lack of intimacy and communicaiton, and inequality,” said Lagman, who authored House Bill 100 or the Absolute Divorce Bill of 2019.

“It is safe to say that a divorce bill has been approved by the panel subject to consolidation by a TWG, which will meet on 12 February 2020″, he added.