Opposition to the divorce bill of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday snowballed at the House of Representatives with at least two lawmakers defending the sanctity of marriage.
Representatives Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list and Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela said that while the divorce bill is worth discussing, they doubted about its passage.
“This proposal effectively destroys the institution of marriage in the country. This destroys the sanctity, respect and value of the family. I do not know of any other country in the world that has adopted this kind of law which makes it easy to dissolve a marriage upon agreement,” Atienza, a House deputy minority leader, said.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said that among his priority bills in the second regular session of the 17th Congress was one that would allow couples to jointly petition a court for the dissolution of their marriage.
Atienza frowned on the proposal on divorce, saying that “the genuine essence of marriage is totally removed from the intention of his bill with the idea to make it easy for a couple to separate.”
Atienza said the idea of divorce is also against the law of God, and that in the predominantly Catholic country, the bill will not get enough support for it to pass.
“Para bang mag-usap na lang kayo, pag ayaw na, hiwalay na. Papaano naman yung kontratang pinirmahan na ang testigo ay ang Panginoong Hesukristo?” Atienza said. “I hope and pray that Speaker Alvarez does not pursue this line of thinking. This would not strengthen marriage, this would destroy marriage. For Catholics, this is a contract of union before man and before God under the Sacrament of Marriage. I still hope that he was only joking when he said his ideas,” Atienza said.
Albano said the 1987 Constitution provides no divorce.”We have to amend the Constitution first because it is stated in the Constitution that marriage is inviolable,” Albano said.
But Rep. Harry Roque of Kabayan party-list rallied behind Alvarez’s unequivocal support to divorce bill.” I fully support the proposal of Alvarez. Its about time that spouses who made mistakes be allowed another chance,” Roque, a House deputy minority leader, said.
Alvarez earlier said he would file his own version of the divorce bill to liberate couples who have been into tumultuous marriages.
The Gabriela Women’s Party initiated the filing of the measure in Congress. The bill had been deliberated in past Congresses but did not prosper.