Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) — Given the financial implications of dissolving a marriage, a lawmaker said a provision to ensure that assistance will be provided to those who will need help was included in the proposed bill to reinstitute absolute divorce for married couples who are in a dysfunctional or abusive relationship.
“Pagka halimbawa wala kang panggastos pambayad ng abogado (If for instance you have no means to hire an attorney), you can request the court to give you free legal assistance o kaya mag-request ka ng (or you can file a request at the) PAO [Public Attorneys Office],” Davao Del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Wednesday.
On March 21, the House Committee on Population and Family Relations approved the bill pushing for absolute divorce. This is a substitute to the proposed measure passed by the lower chamber during the 17th Congress when Alvarez was a speaker.
One of the bases for the latest version was House Bill 78, or the proposed Absolute Divorce Act of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman. Sec. 17 of the bill seeks to allow a petitioner to apply for a court-assisted petition in obtaining absolute divorce. Upon approval, filing fees and other costs of litigation will be waived, and a counsel will also be provided.
According to Alvarez, the divorce bill wants to help couples who only saw possible grounds for separation after they were married.
This is different from what the Family Code of the Philippines requires which states that a union of a couple may be dissolved for a number of causes, which should be already existing even before the marriage, he noted.
“We are not breaking a family here kasi pagka dysfunctional na ‘yung marriage, broken na ‘yung family (if the marriage is already dysfunctional, the family is already broken),” the lawmaker said. “We are trying to rebuild, reconstruct a good family.”
Alvarez said there is enough support from the House to once again pass the divorce bill.
