Palace: Duterte not in favor of divorce law in PH

President Rodrigo Duterte is still not in favor of a bill which allows divorce in the country despite Congress’ efforts to pass it, Malacañang said on Monday. (KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

President Rodrigo Duterte is still not in favor of a bill which allows divorce in the country despite Congress’ efforts to pass it, Malacañang said on Monday.

In a press conference in Camarines Sur, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the President thinks that the proposed law should not be passed as it would cause an adverse impact on the children of the couple.

“Ang Presidente po ay tutol sa divorce. Ang sabi niya, kawawa ang mga anak (The President is against divorce. He said the children would be pitiful),” Roque said.

Roque said that Duterte does not want to comment on the issue but since the subject is being voted in the Congress, the President gave his latest stance on the proposed law.

Aside from the effect this bill may cause to the children, Duterte believes that approving divorce in the Philippines will take away the right of the abandoned spouse to file charges against his or her partner.

“Kung magkakaroon ng divorce, mawawalan ng karapatan ng magsampa ng kaso yung mga asawa na pinabayaan ng mga asawa nila matapos sila magdivorce. ‘Yan ang position niya (If there will be divorce, the abandoned spouses will lose their rights to file cases against their partners after divorce. That’s the President’s position),” the Palace official said.

Just last week, the House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that would introduce divorce in the country.

This measure was supported by no less than House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who has been pushing for the measure, which he describes as the “dissolution of marriage.”

Aside from Alvarez, more than half of Filipinos also supported the legalization of the said measure, according to the results of a Social Weather Station (SWS) released on March 9.

The SWS survey conducted between March 25 to 28, 2017 and December 8 to 16, 2017 showed 53% of Filipinos are in favor of it.

The lower house is set to decide on the fate of the proposed bill on third and final reading either on Monday or Tuesday, March 19 to March 20.

The proponents of the measure have expressed optimism that it would be approved by the House and eventually, the Senate.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the bill’s author, noted that former senator Pia Cayetano is also lobbying for its counterpart measure in the upper chamber.