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Free annulment proposed
By Nidz Godino
"Why don't they make annulment free of charge…we're looking at something where both parties will no longer spend money for it," Rep. Janette Garin said annulment should be made free of charge if absolute divorce bill faces rough sailing at Senate.
"Couples who are locked in toxic relationship would rather suffer in silence, precisely because they have no money," House deputy majority leader pointed out.
Seven senators have now expressed opposition to divorce: Senate President Francis Escudero, former Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Majority Leader Francis Tolentino as well as Cynthia Villar, Joel Villanueva and Ronald dela Rosa.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros was main proponent of Senate version of divorce bill. Backers of measure include Senators Robin Padilla, Grace Poe, Imee Marcos, Pia Cayetano and Raffy Tulfo.
Other senators who had issued statements against divorce were Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, Senators Nancy Binay and Alan Peter Cayetano.
Senators Sonny Angara, Ramon Revilla Jr. and JV Ejercito are still thinking about their positions.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Lito Lapid and Mark Villar have yet to issue their respective statements on the matter.
House of Representatives on May 22 approved on third and final reading absolute divorce bill, voting 131-109 with 20 abstentions.
Garin voted yes to House Bill 9349, would allow absolute divorce as legal remedy for irreparably broken marriages.
Bill's transmittal to Senate for concurrence is on hold pending questions on how votes were counted, as House leadership had erroneously reported 126 affirmative votes, later correcting it to 131.
Philippines, secular state, is the last country in the world aside from Vatican that has not legalized divorce.
Sen. Loren Legarda is open to legalize divorce after signing committee report of Senate version of divorce bill.
At press briefing, former Senate president pro tempore signed committee report on proposed "Dissolution of Marriage Act" that hurdled Senate women, children, family relations and gender equality panel last year.
Hontiveros, Poe, Cayetano, Marcos, Tulfo and Padilla and Ejercito also signed report.
Poe and Cayetano signed report to propose amendments during interpellation at plenary.
Pimentel also signed report with intention to interpellate.
"My signature implies that I want it discussed because it might be right time for divorce, that it could be way to help both abused women and men, version of bill should also be open, acceptable, and accessible to poor families who could not afford lawyer…maybe it is time to address financial and economic cost of divorce" Legarda said
Ejercito signed report even though he is still considering his stand. He earlier said he was leaning toward favoring divorce.
Escudero earlier explained he opposed House version of divorce as it lacked provision allowing Public Attorney's Office to take on divorce cases for indigent clients.
Zubiri and Villar reiterated their stance against divorce.
"I am conservative lawmaker… I am equivalent of American Republican, who is pro-family and pro-life… I frown upon any bill that will separate our families," Zubiri said in ambush interview at Senate.
"," he said.
Villar said that with her happy marriage to tycoon Manny Villar, I don't want that we would end up with Las Vegas weddings where you can get married overnight and then get separated later she sees no reason to legalize divorce.
"I am surprised at the House move to pass divorce," Villar said in ambush interview at Department of Environment and Natural Resources event.
House version of divorce is "too liberal" and it needs to be "Filipinized," Pimental said .
Pimentel is against bill that will legalize "no-cause" divorce, saying grounds such as "irreconcilable differences" and "gravely abusive conduct" are too vague and prone to abuse.
"Let us fix wording... let's Filipinize our remedy to specific Filipino situations… I am okay to look for remedy to the proposal," he added.
"It will be a conscience vote," he said when asked about Escudero's position against divorcehe noted.Ejercito maintained he would only support divorce if circumstances were extreme.
"I just want to make sure that all safeguards will be in place to make sure that it will not be that easy," he said.
"Although we believe in sacredness of sacrament of matrimony, I know a lot of people whose marriages are not successful to the extent that one is abused physically and even emotionally... I believe that nobody deserves to be miserable in life," he added.
Ejercito agreed with Pimentel they do not want version of divorce similar to United States, where petitions are easily granted.
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