The House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that seeks to reinstitute absolute divorce in the Philippines, providing a legal avenue for dissolving marriages.
House Bill No. 9349 proposes that Filipino couples be allowed to divorce on several grounds, including domestic abuse, separation for at least five years, psychological incapacity of either spouse, sex reassignment surgery of one spouse, and irreconcilable differences.
The bill also incorporates grounds for legal separation and annulment as valid reasons for divorce.
Gabriela Women’s Party, a key proponent of the bill, emphasized the importance of providing an escape for those in abusive marriages.
“Sa ilalim ng divorce bill, nais nating bigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga mag-asawa, lalo na ang mga kababaihan, na makalaya mula sa toxic at mapang-abusong relasyon at makapagsimula muli,” Gabriela stated in a social media post.
The Philippines is currently one of only two countries in the world that do not legally recognize divorce, the other being Vatican City.
Divorce in the Philippines is presently available only to Muslims and in marriages between a Filipino and a foreign national that have already been dissolved abroad.
Efforts to legalize divorce in the predominantly Christian nation have faced significant opposition from religious groups.
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