Philippine lawmakers have refiled a long-delayed bill legalising divorce in the country just a few days into the new Congress after its passage fell short in the previous term, with divorce advocates hopeful that the legislation will finally see the light of day.
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Lawmakers have been trying to pass a divorce law since 2005, but continue to face resistance in the Catholic-majority country.
Nearly 79 per cent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic and the Philippines and the Vatican are the only countries in the world that do not have divorce laws. Annulment exists but is a tedious and often expensive process. Muslims are currently the only Filipinos able to legally divorce under the Code of Muslim Personal Laws.
As the 20th Congress opened on Monday, three representatives filed two measures that aim to revive the absolute divorce bill that the House of Representatives passed earlier but ultimately languished in the Senate as conservative legislators and religious leaders vowed to fight the bill.
Representatives Antonio Tinio and Renee Louise Co of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers and Kabataan partylists filed House Bill 210, while Jonathan Clement Abalos of the 4Ps partylist filed House Bill 108. Both versions establish the grounds for granting absolute divorce. These include physical violence, drug addiction, homosexuality and other factors related to the annulment of marriage under the country’s Family Code.
Divorce advocates said lawmakers had neglected the divorce bill in favour of other issues, such as the crimes linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), despite divorce being “a national issue”.