A CONGRESSWOMAN called on the Senate on Wednesday to work to make annulment in the Philippines free should it reject the divorce bill already passed by the House of Representatives.
Referring to annulment as the “compromised” version of the divorce bill, Iloilo Rep. Janette L. Garin said it would only be fair for married Filipinos seeking to break off their union to have it free of charge.
“In case the (divorce) measure won’t pass in the Senate, what we can do is make annulment free instead,” Ms. Garin said in a statement in Filipino. “The charge for annulment shouldn’t be expensive. Life is already difficult that people won’t spend on annulment… Because of the [annulment] fees, they just choose to endure [their dysfunctional union].”
The Philippines is the only country in the world besides the Vatican City outlawing divorce.
The House of Representatives last week approved House Bill (HB) No. 9349, a measure seeking to reinstitute divorce as another mode for terminating marriage in a 131-109-20 vote.
Its Senate counterpart, Senate Bill No. 2443, meanwhile is pending for second reading since September last year.
The Senate’s version of divorce bill remains uncertain as five senators have said they don’t support the measure, according to an informal survey conducted by Senate President Pro-Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” P. Estrada.
Those reportedly in favor of divorce are Senators Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, Mary Grace N. Poe-Llamanzares, Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, Pia Juliana S. Cayetano, and Ferdinand “Robin” C. Padilla.
There is no need to wait for plenary affirmation of the corrected tally of votes on HB No. 9349 as it would not change the outcome of the bill’s approval, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, Sr. said in a letter made available to reporters on Wednesday.
“Our legal department is studying Cong. Lagman’s letter,” Mr. Velasco told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.
“The purported reason for the delay is that there is need to report for the Plenary’s action the corrected affirmative votes from 126 to 131,” Mr. Lagman stated in a letter to House Secretary General Reginald S. Velasco.
Mr. Velasco issued a correction of the tally Thursday last week, a day after the proposed measure hurdled the House on final reading. The initial vote tallied by House secretariats showed 126 affirmative votes for the bill, 109 against, and 20 who abstained.
The correction was due to “administrative error,” he told the media last week.
“The rectification in the Records of the House will be done when Session resumes this July 2024,” he said in a statement. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
