State of the Nation: Divorce Bill

GMA Integrated News

Lusot na sa Kamara sa ikatlo’t huling pagbasa ang panukala para sa absolute divorce.   State of the Nation is a nightly newscast anchored by Atom Araullo and Maki Pulido. It airs Mondays to Fridays at 11:05 PM (PHL Time) on GTV. For more videos from State of the Nation, visit http://www.gmanews.tv/stateofthenation.  #GMAIntegratedNews #KapusoStream #BreakingNews  Breaking news and stories from the Philippines and abroad: GMA Integrated News Portal: http://www.gmanews.tv Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gmanews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gmanews Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gmanews Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gmanews  GMA Network Kapuso programs on GMA Pinoy TV: https://gmapinoytv.com/subscribe

Transcript

00:00In the Philippines and Vatican City alone, divorce is not allowed.

00:08But some lawmakers want to change it.

00:10That's why they again proposed to make divorce legal in the Philippines.

00:15According to a sociologist, it needs to be studied well

00:19because it may affect the value system of the Filipinos.

00:25Lorenz Mark Yabut is only 5 years old when his parents got divorced.

00:29I came from a broken family.

00:31I know how it feels that the family got separated.

00:35The stigma of the society of Filipinos now is that we are too conservative.

00:42So the society is not yet ready.

00:46That's why he is not in favor of having a divorce in the Philippines.

00:50He believes that this is not the solution to the problems of the couple.

00:57AJ Aureliado's belief is different.

01:00He came from a broken family.

01:03And their separation became a way for them to get to know each other better

01:10and to start a new life.

01:27In the House of Representatives, Representative Edsel Lagman repealed the divorce bill.

01:32He called the refiled bill the Absolute Divorce Act.

01:35In the Senate, Senator Rizal Ontiveros repealed the Dissolution of Marriage Act

01:41which states that rape or sexual intercourse before or after marriage

01:48and irreconcilable marital differences are considered bad grounds for absolute divorce.

01:51For now, the Philippines and Vatican City alone have no divorce in the world.

01:55The Church explained why they are against divorce and its difference in the annulment.

02:01In the annulment, from the very start, the marriage is invalid.

02:05In the divorce, you are talking about a valid marriage and you would like to invalidate it.

02:10And it is also not allowed in the eyes of the Church.

02:13Because the Church believes that whoever God wants, you cannot separate them.

02:19According to a lawyer, we need a divorce in the country.

02:24Divorce is more practical, especially for children.

02:30And the transactions are faster because the divorce will settle the transactions

02:35in third parties like insurance companies, like banks.

02:39The annulment procedure is very tedious.

02:42So, only the rich can afford it.

02:48According to a sociologist,

02:50it is necessary to balance the advantages and disadvantages of having a divorce in the Philippines.

02:56If the divorce is approved in the Philippines,

02:59it will have a big effect on the values system of the Filipinos.

03:04For us, we always look at trying to save the family.

03:07The House Committee on Population and Family Relations has passed the bill for divorce.

03:13But we will wait to see if it will be passed by the 19th Congress.

03:17This is still the 13th Congress.

03:18It is being repeated, but it is not being discussed.

03:22The committee has also approved the State Procedure for the Annulment of the Church's Marriage.

03:28For now, even if it is annulled in the Church, it still needs to be annulled in court.

03:33At present, the only legal ways for a couple to separate

03:37are legal separation, annulment, and dissolution of marriage.

03:41But this process is expensive, long, and tedious.

03:46Some are against all forms of divorce.

03:49But for some, the option of divorce is important, especially those who are in an abusive relationship.

03:55The CBCP is still not in favor of divorce,

03:58but the State's recognition of annulment is supported.

04:02The third and final reading of the Chamber is on how to make a legal divorce in the Philippines.

04:08Only the Philippines and the Vatican are the only states that do not have divorce laws worldwide.

04:13Tina Panganiban-Perez has a report.

04:17I asked you.

04:18Not all marriages are happy endings.

04:21Like Camila, she does not have a real name.

04:24She was forced to marry a man who was pregnant with her.

04:27For nine years, I was forced to leave her when no one knew anyone.

04:33No one knew for a moment that we were going to die inside the house twice.

04:38Maria also does not have a real name.

04:41She also wants to be free from the abuse of her husband for the next 10 years.

04:47I am mentally, physically, sexually abused.

04:51All kinds of abuse.

04:52At first, I was happy.

04:54But when I got to know him, while he was with me, I got to know a person.

04:59House Bill No. 949 is approved by the Philippines.

05:30It is one of the grounds to allow an absolute divorce,

05:33physical violence to the wife or child,

05:36coercion to the wife or child to enter prostitution,

05:40drug, alcohol, and gambling addiction,

05:43marital infidelity,

05:45abuse in the life of the wife or child,

05:47and abandonment of the family.

05:50It is also cheaper than other ways of separation

05:53because the cost of the petition is only up to Php 50,000.

05:57It is also possible that the petitioner will not pay any fee

06:01if the value of his property exceeds Php 2.5 million.

06:06The court will also ensure that the conjugal property is properly distributed

06:10for the care of the children, sustenance, and others.

06:14But if the court proves that one of the married

06:18forced her husband to petition for divorce

06:21or they conspired,

06:23they will be imprisoned for 5 years

06:25and will be fined Php 300,000.

06:28If they do not provide sustenance,

06:30they can be fined Php 50,000 to Php 200,000

06:34and may even be imprisoned.

06:36The Philippines and Vatican are the only states

06:39that do not have a divorce law in the whole world.

06:42This is half the battle won for us.

06:44We will soon go to the Senate

06:47to approve the counterpart measure.

06:52I have no plans to go against this.

06:56According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines or CBCP,

07:00this does not include marriages that are forced by the Church.

07:04Divorce is also not a solution for problematic marriages.

07:38For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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