Absolute Divorce Bill in the PH Passes House on 2nd Reading
About time.
(SPOT.ph) Divorce in the Philippines may sound impossible, but it's getting nearer and nearer to reality. The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a proposal that brings divorce a step—or a few more, really—closer to becoming legal in the Philippines.
During the plenary session on May 15, Wednesday, the proposal was approved via viva voce or voice voting. This is no small feat, as the first divorce bill in the country was introduced way back 2005. Many attempts have failed since.
"Panahon na [para] bigyan ng second chance sa pag-ibig at buhay ang mga Pilipinong babae, lalaki, bata, at pamilyang nangangailangan nito," Senator Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, was quoted as saying by Inquirer. The bill will still have to get approval from the senate, too, before ultimately landing on the President's desk for a final yes, a veto, or will simply lapse into law if neither action is taken.Â
Hontiveros said that she will "continue to work in the Senate to pass [the] necessary though contentious legislation, despite the challenges we face."
Also read:Â Absolute Divorce Bill: Provisions, Features, Status
House Bill No. 9348 or the Absolute Divorce Act is a proposal that seeks to reinstate divorce in the country as a means of dissolving marriages.
Under the House Bill No. 9348, the following are considered grounds for absolute divorce:
In 2018, House Bill 7303 or An Act Instituting Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines, was approved on the third and final reading by a vote of 134-57, but it was never deliberated in the Senate. Now, there's progress with House Bill No. 9348.