ACTRESSES Anne Curtis and Maxene Magalona have both made known their position on the proposal to legalize divorce in the Philippines, following the House of Representative’s recent approval of the bill on final reading, and the current discussion of the matter in the Senate.
Curtis, who is married to Filipino-French restauranteur Erwan Heussaff, candidly shared her view on social media that it’s high time for the Philippines to pass the divorce law.
On X, she shared an INQUIRER.net post reporting on the informal survey among senators on their vote on the proposed legislation, as taken by Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada. Among those who voted “no” were, Estrada, Senate President Francis Escudero, and Sens. Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, and Ronald dela Rosa.
Meanwhile, senstors Grace Poe, Risa Hontiveros, Imee Marcos, and Pia Cayetano voted “yes” to the legalization of divorce in the country. Robin Padilla was the lone male senator who voted in favor of the bill, based on Estrada’s count.
“Puro lalake ung nag no [laughing emoji],” Curtis said.
Last May 23, Curtis made a separate post on X agreeing with the statement of a lawmaker, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, that the divorce law would not destroy marriages.
The Philippines is the only country in the world, aside from the city-state of the Vatican, to still not have divorce, owing to its strong Catholic roots, which prohibits divorce, despite efforts from progressive groups that are pushing for such legislation.
Toxic marriages
But Magalona insisted that the country “deserve(s) divorce,” as she shared a quote card on toxic love, saying she is sharing her sentiments as a way to show her support to fellow Filipinos, especially those trapped in abusive relationships because of the lack of divorce in the country.
“I am writing this to show my support and empathy for all of the Filipinos who feel trapped in toxic marriages and can’t find a way out—especially the ones who are experiencing abuse on a daily basis. Being forced to stay in a relationship that diminishes your self-worth will make you think less and less of yourself until you don’t know yourself anymore,” she said.
“I can’t believe we are the only nation in the entire world that forbids divorce. In my humble opinion, divorce helps protect the sanctity of marriage by allowing toxic marriages to dissolve and keeping the sacred ones intact. I sincerely pray for peace and progress for our nation. We deserve divorce,” the actress concluded.
The 37-year-old actress, who confirmed her separation from her husband, Rob Mananquil, in 2022 after four years of marriage, claimed that marriages don’t always guarantee a successful outcome as people change over the course of the relationship.
Magalona asserted that while it is true that “marriage is a sacred union,” it does not always mean that it would not turn into a “toxic and traumatic relationship.”
The Kapamilya actress is now rumored to be dating director and DJ Geoff Gonzalez. (Jessica Ann Evangelista © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
