Hontiveros to critics of dissolution of marriage bill: ‘Let’s crack the door open’
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, August 20 appealed to critics of the bill on dissolution of marriage to give the measure a chance and “not just for the individuals trapped in harmful marriages, but for the future of our nation.”
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/20/hontiveros-to-critics-of-dissolution-of-marriage-bill-let-s-crack-the-door-open
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/20/hontiveros-to-critics-of-dissolution-of-marriage-bill-let-s-crack-the-door-open
Transcript
00:00Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, and fellow Filipinos, magandang hapon po.
00:07I stand before you today with a profound sense of duty to speak on an issue that strikes
00:13at the very heart of our society, an issue that for too long has been a source of pain
00:20and suffering for countless Filipinos, yet remains unaddressed in our legal system.
00:27I speak of the urgent need to pass a law expanding the grounds for dissolution of marriage in
00:33the Philippines.
00:35Our country, renowned for its deep-seated values of family, love, and compassion, paradoxically
00:43stands as one of the last nations on earth that denies its citizens the legal recourse
00:50to dissolve a marriage that has become a source of anguish and despair.
00:57While we pride ourselves on being a bastion of faith and tradition, we must also recognize
01:03that our laws must evolve to reflect the realities faced by our people.
01:09Mr. President, kaisa niyo po ako sa paniniwala na ang kasal ay isang sagradong institusyon.
01:18Ako man ay minsan sa buhay ko naging kabahagi ng institusyon ito.
01:25Ako po'y nabiyayaan ng masayang pagsasama, bagamat maiksi, dahil sa hindi inaasahang
01:32pagkamatay ng late husband ko.
01:36But my happy experience does not render me blind to the reality that not all marriages
01:43are like this.
01:44Sabi nga ni Rep. Edsel Agman, ang champion ng panukalang ito sa House, this bill is not
01:53for those in happy marriages.
01:56They are for those trapped in a marriage in need of a lifeline out.
02:01Para sa kanila, ang kasal ay hindi sangtuwaryo, kundi isang selda, selda ng panghabang buhay,
02:11dahil walang nabibigay na rekurso ang ating batas.
02:17The absence of a law allowing the dissolution of marriage is not merely a legal oversight,
02:25it is a moral failing.
02:27It is a failure to protect our citizens, particularly women and children who are often the most
02:34vulnerable in dysfunctional marriages.
02:38It is a failure to provide an avenue for healing, for the restoration of dignity, and for the
02:45pursuit of true happiness.
02:49Critics of the dissolution of marriage bill argue that such a law would weaken the institution
02:56of marriage and erode the moral fabric of our society.
03:00Punit ang tanong ko po sa inyo, Mr. President, alin ba ang mas malaking sugat sa lipunan?
03:10Isang sistemang bulag sa mga pasakit na sinasapit ng ating mga kababayan sa ilalim ng isang toxic
03:19at abusadong pagsasama, o isang sistema na nagbibigay ng paraan at remedyo para makalaya,
03:29maghilom, at magsimula muli?
03:33Our constitution guarantees the protection of the family as a basic social institution.
03:41But this protection should not be one that upholds the form of the family at the expense
03:47of its substance.
03:49A family is not merely a legal construct.
03:53It is a living, dynamic entity that thrives on love, respect, and mutual support.
04:02When these elements are absent, the family ceases to fulfill its role in society and
04:09we, as lawmakers, must act to protect the individuals within it.
04:17We must also recognize the impact of our inaction on the next generation.
04:23Children who grow up in homes marked by conflict and abuse are more likely to carry the scars
04:31of these experiences into their own adult lives.
04:36By providing a legal means to dissolve a marriage that has become harmful, we offer these children
04:44the chance to grow up in environments where peace rather than conflict is the norm.
04:52Mr. President, this is not a call to abandon our values.
04:57It is a call to uphold them in a way that is just, humane, and compassionate.
05:05It is a call to recognize that the strength of our society lies not in the rigidity of
05:11our laws, but in our capacity to adapt them to the changing needs of our people.
05:18Mayron po tayong pagkakataon ngayon na baguhin ang ating batas.
05:26Let us not be the lawmakers who turned a blind eye to the suffering of our fellow Filipinos.
05:33Instead, let us be the ones who had the courage to bring about meaningful change, who recognize
05:40that true compassion lies in giving our people the freedom to choose a life of dignity, peace,
05:49and happiness.
05:51Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, ako po'y bukas sa mga amienda at panukala mula sa plenaryo.
06:00I am willing to engage in dialogues and negotiation to come up with a bill that is acceptable
06:07across the table.
06:09What I ask is only that we take one step forward.
06:15Let us crack the door open.
06:18Let us do what is right, not just for the individuals trapped in harmful marriages,
06:24but for the future of our nation.
06:27Let us pass this law, and in doing so, reaffirm our commitment to justice, to human dignity,
06:35and to the well-being of every Filipino.
06:38Salamat po, Mr. President.