ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. is not opposed to the Philippines having a law on divorce.
But the proposed law must be thoroughly debated in Congress, said Defensor, a lawyer and former congressman.
On Monday in the House of Representatives, House Bill 7303 – “An Act Instituting Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines” – was approved on third and final reading. The voting was 134 for and 57 against it, with two congressmen abstaining.
The bill, however, has no counterpart yet in the Senate.
“Okay man ina ang divorce bill,” said Defensor whose son, Cong. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo’s 3rd District, was one of the congressmen who voted in favor of the bill.
The governor, however, is averse to instant divorce similar to that in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
“Wala gani sang isa ka oras sang nag-file sang petition, makakuha na dayun sang divorce,” said Defensor of the divorce process in Las Vegas.
The Senate could help a lot in crafting a better divorce law by deliberating it exhaustively, said Defensor.
Of particular concern to the governor was the welfare of the divorcing couple’s children.
“The divorce law must ensure their welfare,” he stressed.
Under House Bill 7303, grounds for an absolute divorce include the following:
* reasons stated under legal separation and annulment under the Family Code of the Philippines
* separation in fact for at least five years
* legal separation by judicial decree for at least two years
* psychological incapacity
* gender reassignment surgery
* irreconcilable differences
* joint petition of spouses
But to give spouses enough time to think about their marriage and possibly even save it, the bill provides for a mandatory six-month cooling-off period for spouses after the filing of the divorce petition./PN
