Church and State Set To Go Head-to-Head Again Over Divorce Bill

After the recent passing of the RH bill which was vehemently opposed to by the Catholic Church, Congress is now set to hear the Divorce Bill which one again will set the beliefs of the church against the state.

Gabriela Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus co-authored a bill that seeks to amend the Family Code to include a provision for divorce. Their bill covers five grounds for divorce including irreconcilable differences that would allow those whose marriages have irreparably broken down to separate through proper legal processes. This bill is favored by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte who was also a staunch supporter of the Reproductive Health Bill.

Another bill was filled by Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares to provide the poor access to annulment proceedings without entailing steep costs. Though it does not advocate divorce per se, it seeks to protect spouses and children from spousal violence, infidelity and abandonment by providing legal remedies to those who want to be free from void marriages.

On the other side of the fence is Marikina Representative Marcelino Teodoro who has filed the “Anti-Divorce and Unlawful Dissolution of Marriage Act” to guarantee that no legislation shall be passed to facilitate the dissolution of marriage. He asserts that couples must be encouraged to reconcile or to fix their marriages instead of urged to put an end to their relationship thereby undermining the value of their marriage.

With at least three separate bills for and against divorce being filled by lawmakers, arguments are bound to be heated that the atmosphere in the congress may be like a pool with a raypak.