Rep. Bello against divorce, decriminalizing adultery

by Jimmy Torres, Contributor
REP. SILVESTRE “BELLO” H. BELLO III of 1BAP (Una Ang Barangay Ating Paunlarin ) Party-list said he is against the proposal of fellow Davao lawmaker, Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan of GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action) Paty-list, to legalize divorce in the country.
Bello bared his stand on the proposal during a conversation with Davao print and broadcast journalists in his office recently.
“Divorce will trivialize the institution of marriage in our country,” he said.
Bello argued that once allowed, divorce will encourage and promote promiscuity among couples.
He said he is also against the proposal to decriminalize adultery for the same reason.
Rep. Ilagan and another GABRIELA party-list lawmaker, Rep. Emerenciana A. de Jesus, collaborated in the revival of the divorce bill, which had been proposed as early as 1988.
In filing House Bill 1799, the latest proposal, Reps. Ilagan and de Jesus stated in their explanatory note that a law legalizing divorce is “a way of protecting and strengthening marriage and the family as basic social institutions, to value the dignity of every human person, to guarantee full respect for human rights, and to ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men.”
They said that couples must have the option to avail themselves of remedies that will pave the way for the attainment of the fulfillment and the protection of their human rights.
The party-list lawmakers said that existing laws like the Family Code, which allows annulment of marriage, are not enough to guarantee and protect their rights.
A recent opinion survey of the Social Weather Stations indicated that majority of those interviewed is in favor of Congress enacting a law legalizing divorce.