Absolute divorce bill expected to become law despite opposition, says Lagman

The Absolute Divorce Bill is set to be enacted into law despite former Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s objections and the forthcoming May 2025 midterm elections, according to its principal author, Rep. Edcel Lagman.

“The Absolute Divorce Bill (House Bill 9349) will become a law before former SP Sotto goes back to the Senate,” Lagman stated, indicating that the Senate would pass the bill despite opposition from Catholic bishops and that President Marcos would sign it before the 20th Congress convenes.

Sotto, a staunch anti-divorce advocate, is seeking a return to the Senate in the May 2025 elections. If he wins, he will assume office in July 2025 when the 20th Congress convenes and continues until 2028.

On May 22, the House of Representatives approved the absolute divorce bill on third and final reading with a vote of 131-109 and 20 abstentions. Sotto criticized the final vote count after an erroneous initial report of 126 affirmative votes, which was later corrected to 131.

He argued that the bill did not achieve the majority of the quorum. However, Lagman maintained that abstentions are not counted in the final tally. “Whether the winning margin is 126 to 109 as initially reported or 131 to 109 as later corrected by the Office of the Secretary General does not affect the ultimate legality of the final approval of the divorce bill,” he said.

Lagman emphasized that the engrossed copy of the divorce bill must be transmitted to the Senate without further delay.