The proposed measure which would legalize absolute divorce in the country has been approved by the House committee on population and family relations.
During its meeting on Tuesday, the committee unanimously approved the substitute bill to the proposed Absolute Divorce Law. This means the measure will now be brought to the plenary for further discussions and possible approval by the House.
What the measure says
According to Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who is one of the authors of the measure, among the grounds for divorce, as stated in the bill, are as follows:
– separation in fact for at least five years at the time the petition for absolute divorce is filed;
– when one of the spouses undergoes a gender reassignment surgery or transitions from one sex to another;
– irreconcilable marital differences as defined in the bill;
– domestic or marital abuse;
– valid foreign divorce secured by either the alien or Filipino spouse; and;
– a marriage nullified by a recognized religious tribunal
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Aside from this, the measure also states that the grounds for legal separation, annulment of marriage, and nullification of marriage based on psychological incapacity under the Family Code of the Philippines are included as grounds for absolute divorce.
“This bill reinstates absolute divorce because absolute divorce was already practiced during the pre-Spanish times, the American colonial period, and during the Japanese occupation,” Lagman said in his sponsorship speech. (NM)
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