MANILA – A measure instituting divorce in the Philippines has been approved by a House of Representatives committee as a technical working group has been formed to consolidate all the proposals.
The House committee on population and family relations on Wednesday approved House Bill No. 100 or the Absolute Divorce Bill of 2019, which was authored by Albay 5th District Rep. Edcel Lagman.
House panel chair Ma. Lucille Nava of Guimaras immediately approved the motion of for the divorce bill’s approval with no abstentions as she appointed Lagman to head the TWG.
The TWG is tasked to combine HB 100 with other divorce bills authored by Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
“Itong technical working group, I will convene it most probably by next week, depending on the availability of the members, or [the] week after next. But definitely within the month of February, this will be approved already, with a corresponding committee report,” Lagman said.
“The members are Rep. Arlene Brosas, Rep. (Juliet Marie) Ferrer, and Rep. (Ma. Victoria) Umali. We are going to convene as soon as possible,” he added.
Absolute divorce validates the separation between married couples as total and final, allowing the husband and wife to return to their status of being single with the right to contract marriage.
Before the 17th Congress adjourned, the House approved on third and final reading its previous version of the absolute divorce bill. However, this measure was rejected by the Senate./PN
