EDITORIAL – Let the debate begin

DISCUSSIONS in media forums on the proposal to legalize divorce in the Philippines have started.
Right here in Davao City, at least two party-list representatives have expressed opposing views on the matter.
Rep. Soilvestre “Bebot” H. Bello III of Una Ang Barangay Ating Paunlarin (1BAP) Party-list told Davao media practitioners he is against the proposal because it will trivialize the institution of marriage in our country.
The proponent of House Bill 1799 is no less than Bello’s fellow Davao lawmaker, Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan of GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action) Paty-list.
Once allowed, Bello said divorce will encourage and promote promiscuity among couples. But, of course, congresswoman Ilagan would have nothing of Bebot’s argument.
Ilagan and another GABRIELA party-list lawmaker, Rep. Emerenciana A. de Jesus, collaborated in the revival of divorce as an idea, which had surfaced as early as 1988.
In filing HB 1799, 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.
Bello is not alone in being against the bill. There are many other members of the current Congress who are against the idea.
Fortunately or unfortunate for the protagonists, a recent opinion survey conducted by Social Weather Stations indicated that a majority of people interviewed is in favor of the divorce proposal.
The opinion survey results clearly points to the fact that it is now high time to begin a national debate on this contentious issue. The House of Representatives where the proposal was born more a decade ago should initiate the debate by acting on the house bill of Ilagan and de Jesus.
After debating on divorce, maybe Congress can likewise consider another controversial proposal of GABRIELA, that is to decriminalize adultery and concubinage. This is a proposal
vehemently opposed by the Church as expressed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).