Divorce bill transmitted to Senate

House Bill 9349 or the Absolute Divorce Bill, which has been approved on third and final reading, has been transmitted to the Senate, Albay lawmaker Edcel Lagman said.

"The absolute divorce bill under House Bill No. 9349, entitled “An Act Reinstituting Absolute Divorce as an Alternative Mode for the Dissolution of Marriage”, which was approved on third and final reading on May 22, 2024 by the House of Representatives, was finally transmitted to the Senate as contained in a letter dated June 10, 2024 from House Secretary General Reginald S. Velasco to Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero," Lagman, who authored the bill, said in a statement. 
 
Lagman said the transmittal was in compliance with his request as stated in his May 28 letter to Velasco asking him to immediately transmit the approved bill to the Senate pursuant to the unanimous directive of the House.

"This means that the transmittal to the Senate will not wait for the plenary action of the House when the sessions start on July 22, 2024, as previously announced by Velasco," Lagman added.

The House-approved Divorce bill explicitly provides for marital infidelity and domestic violence as grounds for divorce, something that is not currently provided under the Family Code. 

Likewise, the grounds for Divorce bill includes all the grounds for legal separation, annulment, and declaration of nullity of marriage under the Family Code. 

The Divorce bill, however, does not provide for a no-fault divorce. 

Previously, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said that the divorce bill will not be their priority.

"Uunahin namin 'yung mga priority bills. 'Yung divorce bill naman kahit may divorce bill o walang divorce bill, hindi makakatulong sa kumakalam na tiyan 'yan," Estrada said.

(We will begin with the priority bills. The divorce bill, even if there is one or not, will not help solve hunger and poverty.)

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by the OCTA Research Group showed 51% of Filipinos were against the legalization of divorce in the Philippines.

The "Tugon ng Masa survey," meanwhile, showed that 41% of the respondents approved the legalization of divorce in the country, while 9% are undecided. —VAL, GMA Integrated News